Fallout Equestria: The Blue Lightning

Chapters

Chapter 2. The Republic
Chapter 4. Judgement
Chapter 5. Contract
Chapter 6. Shootout
Chapter 7. A New Goal
Chapter 8. Thunderstorm
Chapter 9. A Way to Nowhere
Chapter 10. Behind the Fourth Wall
Chapter 11. Not Gonna Die
Chapter 12. Ghosts of Past
Chapter 13. Straight Ahead
Chapter 14. Answers to Questions
Chapter 15. Loyalty
Chapter 16. The Price of Loyalty
Chapter 17. The Battle of Steel and Flesh
Chapter 18. Underground
Chapter 19. From You, Two Hundred Years Ago
Chapter 20. Eternity
Epilogue
Chapter 1. Stranger in Wasteland
Chapter 3. The Very Strange Tale of the Blue Alien

Chapter 2. The Republic

— Who are you?

— Oh Princesses, what a banal question.

“FoE: Enclave’s Shadows”, chapter 5

Shut the clasps of the light armor and tie the saddlebags tighter so that they do not hang out. Check weapons: assault carbine "Last Argument" of 5.56 caliber and two submachine guns – nine- and ten-millimeter; throw the first one on the back and put them in holsters under the saddlebags.

Next, the ammunition. After filling the mouth with rounds, one by one shove them into the magazine with the tongue. Damn it, there’s not much left. From the next contract would be necessary to purchase. In this way, equip five magazines for a carbine and three for submachine guns, then put them in breast pockets, from where they can be knocked out, caught and reloaded with a single movement in battle.

Put a box with five medicinal potions inserted into special cells (probably called a "tube holder"), so that they won’t break, in the bag. Add there some food and a flask. In the other bag – a set of bandages, binoculars, and an audio player with a pair of micro-earphones. After a little thought, insert the player into the groove on the armor specially attached to it and put one earphone into the ear, for no mess with it later.

Finally, look at herself with satisfaction in the mirror – a piece of glass leaning against the wall, its back was painted with silver paint. Make a face at the reflection of a blue earth pony, hung with weapons, and smooth the unruly dark brown mane.

Well, Cosmic Valor, here comes another day. A new shift as a local guard.

Jump, making sure: nothing rings anywhere, and she can go.

Opening the door with a hoof, the blue pony stepped out of the threshold and breathed in the fresh cool air with pleasure.

The Republic, the town she was born in, was spread out around her. The houses, placed with a certain claim to order, formed the streets that were not very wide, but at least more or less straight. The buildings were mostly wooden and numbered one or two floors, except for the mayor’s house in the center of the settlement, which was reinforced with steel sheets and concrete blocks.

Cosmic turned around and looked at her one-room shack. Not much, but it was enough for her.

Because you live alone, right? If you had a coltfriend, then what would you say?

Dismissing the uninvited thoughts, Cosmic adjusted the carbine on her back and made her way to the west gate, where her squad was supposed to gather.

It was cloudy outside, as always, but there were blue gaps in the endless gray shroud in some places. Cosmic smiled – in the Wasteland, such weather could only be described as excellent. The mood lifted, and the earth pony trotted happily through the town, weaving between the houses.

Without looking, she pressed a button on the player. It was always interesting to guess what kind of song from a small music library she had listened almost to the pieces, would be offered to her by a random selection.

The accordion played, and the pony began to nod to the rhythm of the simple melody.

And then the song itself began[1].

Cosmic didn’t know who these Scootaloo and Spitfire, mentioned there, were; it didn’t matter. The song has been written two hundred years ago, and it was striking that the music might even be related to real ponies that lived then. More specifically, pegasi – the mention of wings left no other options.

The first words of the chorus, with the singer’s voice rising quickly to high tones and the drums and electric guitar joining at the same time, made the blue earth pony mentally sing along and almost squeal with delight. And the powerful bit filled her strong body with extra energy.

Shaking her head to the sound of the song, Cosmic walked lightly through the town, looking at everything around her with warmth in her eyes.

Here are the homes of her friends, members of the squad, just good ponies. Here is the house of Silver Star, the mayor, who has the largest family in The Republic. And off to the side, Aunt Grace’s cheese factory, which made the best cheese in the world from milk purchased from neighboring villages.

Cosmic remembered how she and a few other recruits at the time used to guard Grace during her trading trips. Now, a few veterans, retired from the main shift, did that job, and the earth pony herself commanded a much more formidable force than she had as a recruit.

Everyone in The Republic served in some capacity with weapons in their hooves. But only a few continued to do this permanently; the rest returned to the family business or discovered something new according to their cutie marks.

So, Cosmic had a carbine as her own mark – the same one she never left home without. The cutie mark appeared during one of the milk runs, when the earth pony, covering her mates, had shot her first raider. This was the point that determined her future fate.

Many years had passed since then, but Cosmic had no regrets at all.

After all, she liked protecting the town and the other ponies. It was a noble cause in her eyes.

Cosmic walked past a large poster with a stylized image of a gray stallion raising a hoof, from which a rainbow stream was beating, flooding the gloomy background with bright colors. There was an inscription at the bottom:

Vote for Murky Gray! He will take over all grayness!

The earth pony couldn’t help but grin, looking at the well-drawn, proud gray figure.

In the town, the mayor was elected every four years, and this fall it was time for another vote. Silver Star’s only rival for many years has been Murky Gray, the owner of a local bar. He could have had something more valuable in his posession, but everything vital for the settlement was in the hooves of the mayor and his family: an arsenal, a water talisman, keys to a barn with provisions…

Nevertheless, the barpony also had his supporters, who always gave him about a fifth of the total votes. And each time the results were counted, Silver and Murky went to the party with all the ponies and drank together as if nothing had happened.

But that’s true democracy – when we all make a decision that suits the majority, and the rest don't mind too much either, Cosmic thought. And that’s why we, the inhabitants of The Republic, are somehow considered strange ones. As if the absolute power of the Princesses would be more logical.

Yes, Stream and, it seems, another pegasus from New Appleloosa – Calamity or whatever his name is – said that the Enclave has something like our system… Cosmic shook her head. But these are pegasi – they always like to complicate things.

New Appleloosa… A trading town a couple of days away, where the blue pony’s squad, when it was their turn in the rotation arranged by the mayor, took on contracts to escort caravans and brought The Republic such necessary caps – the universal currency of the Wasteland.

It was there, by the way, that Cosmic picked up her record player from a merchant. She had to pay a fortune for the device and a chip with some old songs, but it was worth it. Cosmic even, she remembered, kissed the merchant with happiness. He was clearly taken aback by this… and perhaps also by the fact that Dan’s mouthgrip was rested on his belly – that was what she called her ten-millimeter weapon (another submachine gun was named Nige – also in accordance with the caliber number[2]).

The earth pony giggled, reliving the memory. Yeah, there was that time…

Since then, she had been collecting music, which seemed to be incredibly plentiful a long time ago, but after the war there was very little left. And when she found or heard any new records, she tried her best to add them in her playlist. The files were very old, but even after so much time, the technomagic maintained normal sound quality in them – and that also made her marvel at the achievements of pre-war Equestria. Achievements that had been instantly erased by incompetence and recklessness.

The song was coming to an end. Cosmic listened to the last chorus and turned off the player. She was almost at the right place.

A small company managed to gather in an open area at the western gate of the town. Cosmic smiled as she saw her entire squad waiting for her before going out for a shift.

Five ponies she had gotten along with once and then worked with on their missions. Earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns – race didn’t matter in The Republic; the most important thing was how the inhabitant presented oneself as a person.

Metal Dawn – a light brown dark-eyed stallion with a black mane. Holsters with intimidating looking revolvers hung from a belt that encircled his armor in front of his saddlebags; clips for reloading were stuffed into pouches on his chest. He wouldn’t even try to hit on me, and in general it would be perfect.

Snow Vision – a white unicorn with a red mane that stood out like a dragon’s crest. Cosmic was always a little scared by the cheerful gleam in his amber eyes – and in moments of battle, she wanted to stay away from him at all. Snow didn’t use firearms, but there were ten knives hanging on his armor – five on each side. And the unicorn could control them all at once with his telekinesis, turning him into a real death machine. It was even more unusual to see his good-natured fun in ordinary life. In addition, he was Silver Star’s cousin nephew, and Cosmic also tried to maintain a good relationship with the unicorn.

Spark Glider and Stream Dash – a pair of pegasi, Dashites who settled in The Republic a dozen years ago. They were the most powerful strike force in the troop – largely because they wore battle saddles with weapons mounted on them: Spark, a yellow stallion with fiery orange hair, that resembled a flame, preferred automatic grenade launchers, and Stream, a blue mare whose mane and tail resembled the "bottom" of a rainbow with their green, blue, and purple strands, liked her light miniguns. Ammunition for these weapons was in serious shortage, so the pegasi rarely entered the battle, preferring to cover their comrades from the air.

Stream Dash’s real name, by the way, was Stream Dust, and she was probably a descendant of Lightning Dust, the general who, according to legend, founded the Enclave two hundred years ago. But Stream had always been disgusted with the way things were done above the clouds – so one night she dyed her mane green to match the legendary Rainbow Dash’s, took weapons from the arsenal, and her coltfriend from the barracks who was also getting angry with the situation. And they both descended into the Wasteland, where they successfully hid from the watchful eyes of the Enclave.

Finally, a white unicorn mare with a crimson mane and dark glasses stood at the edge of the group. Cosmic sighed and looked at her permanent poker face. Nightlight Twister was taciturn, but she was a master with her energy magic rifle. And Silver Star often hinted that his special attitude toward Cosmic’s team was directly influenced by the presence of his own daughter.

The blue earth pony looked back at her comrades. Yes – with such a barrier, The Republic had nothing to fear from either raiders or slavers. That there were other, possibly more dangerous enemies, Cosmic preferred not to think about.

“You’re early,” Metal Dawn snorted.

“The commander’s never late, she just lingers,” Stream Dash said with a pompous look and giggled, pressing a hoof to her mouth.

“That's right,” Cosmic said, getting down to business. “So, today everything is as usual. We get into position, watch the area, change in the evening.”

“Tomorrow we can go for a new contract”, Nightlight said. Everyone immediately turned to her. Still with the same stone face, she added, “The mayor gave us the green light. All the same, the situation is quiet around here.”

“Well, y’never know how ‘twill be t’morrow,” Spark Glider chuckled, adjusting his blue goggles on his forehead. “Maybe one of us ‘ll stay?”

“No," Cosmic snapped. “I need you all. That’s the only way we can be completely sure that we can hoofle the mission.”

“Okay, enough talking,” Metal Dawn muttered and pointed with his hoof at the town wall. “Let's finally get doing work. And then these are already waiting for us there.”

The only bad thing about being a sentry is boredom, Cosmic thought a couple of hours later, walking back and forth along her section of the wall and gazing intently at the Wasteland. As always, no movement, just the wind – the goddamned wind. Well, at least the dust was barely rising.

From time to time, the earth pony’s attention was drawn to a grove of trees about half a mile away. But if no one had come out of there for so many months (although it happened at night, lights were visible there – no doubt the raiders’ fires), then it would be logical to expect that everything would be just as calm now.

Pre-war hard rock was playing in one of her earphones, but Cosmic knew that with her other ear she would be able to hear the approach of danger, even if in some incredible case she missed it with her eyes.

Dust began to rise on the horizon in the distance; bluish flashes shone through the dense cloud again and again. Cosmic frowned: something strange was always a bad sign. She turned off the music and removed the earphone, then took out the binoculars and looked closer.

Soon the dust settled, revealing a lone figure.

Fuck Luna herself with a crescent moon, what kind of scarecrow is that?!

Cosmic lowered her binoculars for a moment, but immediately brought them back up to her eyes to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.

No – half a mile from the town, the strangest creature the earth pony had ever seen was still standing.

It was a blue hedgehog the size of a full-grown pony, standing on two legs. It looked as if he was just looking around.

Blue. Fucking. Hedgehog.

What the hay?!

Who put magic mushrooms in my water? a sarcastic thought flashed through her mind. But at the same time, Cosmic understood that she really did see this alien.

And that he saw the village. And was heading right here.

Sweat broke out on the mare’s skin. She didn’t know what to do now. It was unclear whether this strange, materialized hallucination was a threat, and if so, how serious.

Okay, we'll wait.

Cosmic put away her binoculars. Then she slowly pulled the carbine from her back, snapping the safety off, and gripped the weapon with her teeth. The tongue habitually felt the trigger, and the eye clung to the optical sight.

One shot – and the uninvited guest would have a hole in his chest.

But there was something that kept the mare from starting to shoot indiscriminately at anything that moved. After all, she was a defender, not a soulless killer.

The hedgehog was in no hurry. Probably, he was afraid of attracting attention to himself, as well as Cosmic did from his side. Reasonable.

The earth pony let the carbine from her mouth carefully and whistled – first once sharp and high, then a bit lower and longer, with a rise at the end. For the group, it was a signal that she had found someone, but it was too early to shoot. Nor to panic. Instead, they had to sort everything out without haste.

A response whistle sounded from both sides. As she turned her head, Cosmic noticed Metal Dawn and Spark Glider coming at her from the left and the right. She pointed at the approaching hedgehog, which was now clearly visible to the naked eye, at herself, then back at the Wasteland, then in turn at each of the stallions, at the wall below her hooves and at the weapon. Like, I’ll take care of this, and you guys cover me.

The fighters nodded silently in agreement and moved away a little, so that it was more comfortable for them to do the crossfire. And Cosmic continued to watch the unusual alien.

Little by little, he came very close – and headed around the town. With a whistle, Cosmic repeated the order not to shoot (for Snow Vision, that meant not to throw knives), and the stallions on the sides carried the signal further.

And what should I do with this? the mare was thinking feverishly. If there had been another shift here, they would have shot him without hesitation. And they would be right. And just for some reason, I’m doing junk here, playing a good soldier. Oh… everything will depend on what this misunderstanding of nature will do later.

Having gone full circle, the hedgehog froze. He just stood there and stared into space, probably thinking about something of his own.

It’s time, Cosmic decided. This is my chance. Let’s go.

Just in case, she glanced back at the shooters who were covering her, cautiously approached the edge of the wall, stepped over the barbed wire and, clutching with her front legs, hung the hind legs down. Then she jumped down carefully.

As her hooves hit the ground with a thud, Cosmic thought for a moment that her appearance would scare the alien away. But he seemed to be so deep in thought that he didn’t notice the earth pony moving toward him.

Cosmic walked slowly, sneaking, with a loaded carbine in her teeth. Her mouth was dry, and her tongue didn’t slide down the trigger at all. It might be hard to talk with a gun in mouth, but it will be easier to shoot if something happens.

What an idiot he is after all, the mare thought as she found herself right behind the hedgehog. She walked almost silently, and none of them cast shadows under the clouds anyway, so the only way the hedgehog could see Cosmic approaching was if he turned around in time and listened to his sixth sense.

The earth pony released the weapon from her teeth, took it in her hooves and deliberately pulled the bolt loudly.

It seemed to work. The hedgehog turned – and his eyes widened as the barrel of the carbine poked him in the bridge of his nose.

“Well, maybe meow?” he said in an uncertain tenor voice, raising his… paws?

Cosmic had never seen anything like this before. This creature stood on two legs, and the other two limbs had five appendages. And he wore something like white gloves that matched in shape with… the ends of his paws. Even though winter has been over for two months.

The mare gritted her teeth. The last thing she needed was to be distracted by all sorts of stupid thoughts!

“Who are you?!” she snarled, almost pushing the weapon barrel into the hedgehog’s muzzle. “What are you doing here?!”

“Mmm… walking?” he suggested. He raised an eyebrow and looked at Cosmic questioningly.

She was surprised to see that there was no fear in the alien’s eyes – but only confusion, as if he really came here from another world and did not know what the rules were here.

One thing was clear: he was certainly not going to attack first.

Cursing through her teeth, Cosmic took a step back and lowered her weapon.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

The answer was simple.

“Sonic. My name is Sonic.” And immediately a counter question, “And you?”

“Cosmic Valor,” the earth pony reluctantly identified herself. “And now again. What. Are. You. Fucking. Doing here?!”

“This story is a bit longer than you expect. Are you sure you want to hear it here, hmm?” The hedgehog spread his front paws and looked at Cosmic from under his eyebrows.

I wonder what Silver Star will say if I bring this miracle to the town? Cosmic thought. She had already made up her mind, but she was still thinking about what else she could ask the uninvited guest.

“Well, stay where you are!” Metal Dawn’s voice sounded nearby.

Cosmic turned around to see the stallion approaching them with a cocked revolver in his teeth. A rope was attached to his front leg, connected to the trigger of the other weapon, which was mounted in a special clip on his armor. A bit sharper step – and the hedgehog’s head would have been a bloody mess.

“Is this your friend?” asked Sonic, still carefree. “He’s not very polite. And guys… are you seriously shooting with your mouth?”

“Shut up right now,” Metal Dawn said, turning to Cosmic. “What are we gonna do with him?”

“Let’s take him to the town,” the mare said firmly. “If we have to make a decision, then only together.”

“Pfft,” the stallion snorted, but under Cosmic’s menacing gaze, didn’t argue.

Defiantly, he spat out the revolver, inserted it into the same clip on the other side, and tied a string to the other leg. Just twitch, his eyes said, and I’ll shoot you out with full cylinders – you won’t even have time to blink.

Looking up, Cosmic noticed Spark Glider hovering above them. The pegasus was obviously surprised by what was happening, as the two earth ponies were too, but he tried not to show it.

In such a procession: Cosmic in front, followed by the hedgehog and Metal Dawn at the end – they headed for the western gate. Spark Glider dashed away – probably to the mayor, who might allow the heavy doors to be unlocked.

Cosmic sighed and looked up to the sky. Something told her that nothing would ever be like it was before.

Note: Level up.

Player: Cosmic Valor. New perk: “Don’t shoot!” – gives you a 50% chance to end a conversation with an unknown person peacefully.

Player: Sonic. New perk: Diplomat – +3 reputation, +10% intellect.

[1] Song meant: Lenich & Kirya – Scootaloo. Lyrics by Anonymous. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/JkCL39l-y_E?si=HLm_p2Sk0fcafLMe

[2] Nige – nine, Dan – ten.

Chapter 4. Judgement

So back at your castle when you said, “I trust you”, you meant “I DON’T trust you”.

MLP, 6/6

The morning is never a good one.

Especially when it starts with a scream. And someone else’s, with that. It sounded like it was right next to an ear.

“Aaaaaah!!! My rings…!”

Cosmic mumbled something sleepily and rolled sideways, falling off the bed.

“There are none! Who could have done this…?”

Swearing under her breath, the earth pony threw the blanket back on the bed, sat down on the croup, yawned, and rubbed her eyes with the tips of her hooves.

“What else have you got there…?”

“Rings! They’re gone! Almost all of them! Someone took them away with the bag!”

The mare finally blinked out of sleep to see Sonic kneeling, almost in tears, over the golden rings scattered on the floor. There were only three of them – instead of the impressive stock that the alien had shown everyone in the bar yesterday. And the thin belt on which he wore a bag of portal activators was, as Cosmic noticed, lying at Sonic’s sleeping place – empty and now useless.

“We-e-e-ell…” the mare drawled in a calm voice. “I definitely don’t like it.”

She rose to her hooves and walked around the room. Carefully examining every inch, she found the fourth ring near the slightly open front door.

Someone was here at night while they slept like logs: Cosmic – from a psychological shaking, Sonic – from new impressions. Someone who was aware of why the hedgehog needed his rings, and who was also able to sneak up on other ponies and… other creatures.

But everything points to me. How ironic. You just can shit yourself with laughter, thought the earth pony and added aloud:

“No, I don’t like it at all.”

But I know it wasn’t me. I was asleep, damn it, horn to my ear! But who then? Come to think of it, it could have been anyone! At least half of The Republic is immediately under suspicion…

Then a hunch came to Cosmic. The rings were scattered, as if someone had unhooked the bag in a hurry and didn’t realize in time that he was throwing away the evidence. Which means…

She opened the door with her hoof and ran past Sonic onto the street of the sleeping city flooded with the lingering morning twilight. She turned her head, looking for any trace that the criminal might have left behind.

Nothing. It was impossible to read any tracks in the dust. Only another ring lay alone on the ground a few steps away from Cosmic’s house.

The fifth – and, as it seemed, the last one.

“Hey, guy, you’re making me a pretty good cash now," said Murky Gray, wiping the glasses.

“I don’t think I’m that happy about it,” mumbled Sonic, who was sitting at the same place at the counter as yesterday.

The bar was full again. The morning news of the theft had stirred up the whole village. Led by the mayor, the ponies searched the entire Republic. Silver Star personally inspected the homes of Cosmic and other guards.

The spot of blood left on Cosmic’s floor after a fight with Metal Dawn also didn’t go unnoticed.

“How did this get here?” the unicorn asked menacingly.

“Well, I was arguing with one” – she replied calmly – “about weapons. About comparing the effectiveness of a submachine gun versus a .44 caliber revolver at close range.”

Silver Star just snorted angrily into his mustache and ordered the search to continue.

But no one found anything. Apparently, those scattered rings were the only mistake the thief had made.

Naturally, the squads’ departure had to be delayed. Cosmic was furious and cursed Sonic in her soul, her curiosity that outweighed her caution, and an unknown intruder who made unpleasant adjustments to their plans with his act.

“So that’s what we have,” Silver Star said. As at yesterday’s meeting, he stood in the center of the room, surrounded by a crowd of ponies. “No one saw or heard anything, and besides, there are no tracks. And you,” his gaze lingered on Cosmic, “somehow managed to oversleep the moment when someone broke into your house.”

“I was exhausted for the day,” the earth pony shook her head. “Well, the order to take a hedgehog on the mission has become quite a mess.”

“By the way, I didn’t enjoy all this shit either, you know,” the mayor replied. “From what we’ve found out – and we’ve found out nothing at all – I have no idea about who could have done it. Except for one, but I don’t want to believe that even for half a hoof.”

“Let me guess…” Cosmic said, understanding what he was getting at.

“It could have been you.”

She had expected something like that, but however, the mayor’s remark disgustingly cut her soul. Do they really think that…?

A whisper ran through the crowd. The audience looked at Cosmic in horror and confusion. The mare found Metal Dawn with her eyes. But he turned away immediately.

“Yes, I realize that it’s probably nonsense, but this is all we’ve got,” the mayor continued. “I’m sorry, and I apologize to you, but… I have to put the question to a vote.”

There was a dead silence in the bar. The glass slipped from Murky’s hooves and bounced off the counter, shattering with a deafening clang.

Against the backdrop of this silence, Silver Star’s words were especially chilling.

“Who is in favor of convicting Cosmic Valor of stealing the rings and sentencing her to exile from The Republic with confiscation of her home and property?”

Something snapped inside Cosmic. What was happening seemed wrong, like in some kind of nightmare from which it was impossible to wake up. Are you all conspiring here, or what…? Oh, Celestia… just don’t…

Eighteen ponies lifted a hoof up.

Cosmic glanced at Metal Dawn again. After last night’s incident, she expected him to condemn her, even if it was just like that, but it didn’t follow. The stallion closed his eyes and lowered his head. He didn’t seem to enjoy this humiliating vote either.

Looking around the audience, Cosmic felt an incredible relief. It was the first time in her memory that someone was acquitted. But at the same time, it was also the first time that it was impossible to prove someone’s guilt.

The mayor also breathed a sigh of relief when the results of the investigation became clear.

“So, Cosmic, you’re found innocent. That doesn’t mean I don’t have suspicions about you – Discord, I have them here for everyone!” The ponies became quiet and cowered at these words… especially those who voted against Cosmic. “But you can go. And while you’re on your way, I’ll go through everything here… and bring this scoundrel to the surface, no matter what it takes!”

Cosmic couldn’t help but smile at Silver Star’s menacing look. Now she was recognizing The Republic’s leader again.

While the "quick investigation" was going on, it was already past noon. There was no sun, so the time was shown by the PipBucks of the pegasi and Nightlight. Cosmic sometimes thought of asking for one for herself, but she understood that Silver Star would refuse, and all the stocks from her father’s workshop were sold many years ago. And she would only use a locator and a targeting spell, successfully replaced in life by ears and eyes.

They moved out much later than planned, and Cosmic was nervous. New Appleloosa was two days away at the team’s usual pace, and halfway there they had set up a shelter for the night was equipped in a destroyed building. And so, they didn’t have time to get there before dark.

They walked in silence. The morning’s incident had a depressing effect on everyone. Moreover, since the offender was never found, it meant that he or she was still among the town’s inhabitants. Or – Cosmic stubbornly banished this thought – even among her squad.

But it couldn’t have been me, the mare thought. I don’t walk in my sleep… Although no matter who you ask, everyone will say it wasn’t him or her and suspect the others. And there’s nothing to quibble about: everything was too well planned.

Obviously, others had similar thoughts. Metal Dawn and Snow Vision, who were leading the march, squinted at each other, Spark and Stream soared above, covering everyone from the air, and Nightlight looked at the world through her dark glasses with her usual stony expression.

And only Sonic, walking beside Cosmic in the middle, didn’t seem to share the general gloom. He had calmed down quickly after losing the rings, and now he was turning his head, taking in the landscapes of Wasteland with his eyes. Sometimes he broke into a run, circling the crippled, poisoned land like a real blue lightning, as if he still couldn’t believe that this world had failed his expectations.

But for each such ring, you can get a hundred, or even half a thousand caps! Cosmic thought. Oh, of course, the thief must have known what they were doing, otherwise it all wouldn’t make any sense. But wandering through the worlds? She jerked her head. I wouldn’t dare. There is another, much more attractive option – to sell them. If you spend one on a demonstration, then you can get enough caps to last for ten years or more. But again… where and to whom to sell and then what to do with such a big piece? That is, if they don’t kill you instead of paying…

Suddenly, a hunch came to mind that almost made Cosmic to stumble out of the blue. The mare kept walking, staring into the void in front of her, and her heart was pounding wildly with excitement.

New Appleloosa! If you wanna get rid of something, it’s only there! Damn, they even do business with slavers, and there are plenty of regular dealers as well. Surely there’ll be someone smart and rich enough to buy such a rarity.

But fuck me the Canterlot ghoul… It turns out that the criminal is one of us!

She glanced furtively around the group, mentally trying on each of them. It was unpleasant for her to suspect those with whom she had been guarding other ponies and fighting side by side for several years; it left a nasty "aftertaste" in her soul.

But Cosmic had no choice.

The pegasi? Oh, no, they’re not like that. During their years in The Republic, they always did their best – so they were even allowed to wear their PipBucks and mine the door of their house before leaving! For the sake of short-term gain, they certainly won’t want to lose their credibility… Or will they, and are they sure that their reputation will protect them?

Snow…? I don’t know here. A strange one, to be honest. I’m afraid to mess with him in a good way, so he also knows how to do things with knives with telekinesis, so just turn off the light. Shady dealings behind the mayor’s back? Yeah, that’s easy. Holy shit, I hate to think about all this… but I have to.

Nightlight? Same thing, just replace the knives with a laser rifle. In truth, she’s worth being afraid of even more. And certainly no one will ever know what her plans are. To a direct question, she will simply remain silent, staring at you through dark glasses. And pray that she doesn’t pull the glasses down on her nose and look you in the eye.

Metal Dawn… Cosmic’s teeth clenched. What the fuck are you?! How should I treat you?! Okay, let’s pretend for now that nothing happened… But still, still, still…!

“Hey,” Sonic’s soft voice brought her out of her thoughts. “You alright?”

“Yeah,” she breathed back, recovering from the stunning discovery. “It’s okay. Come on, keep moving. We have to get to the campsite by nightfall.”

Sonic fell silent resentfully. And now Cosmic didn’t care at all what he thought of her and of everyone else.

Of course, they didn’t get there in time.

Twilight fell quickly, as if a great light bulb had been turned off on the other side of the clouds. Cosmic didn’t believe the Pegasi Enclave could also control the sun in addition to the clouds: hardly any of them had enough power to replace Celestia.

It was still a few miles to the "transit point", but no one wanted to walk in the dark. Who knew what filth might jump out from behind the bushes.

By this time, the Wasteland had visibly changed. It was no longer a windswept and sand-covered expanse – instead, the party entered a sparse grove of dead trees, blackened by infection and time.

Sonic’s teeth chattered at the sight of this place. The ponies showed no emotion. They knew everything would be all right, for some of them would be on guard.

Without saying a word to each other, the ponies amicably gathered firewood, and long-dried twigs were well broken with a ringing crunch. A fire was lit, filling the grove with warmth and light. The pegasi’s PipBucks began clicking dispassionately.

Spark and Stream volunteered for the first watch. The rest settled around the fire, unpacking the rations they had been given. Some of it was canned food from two hundred years ago: beans from Metal Dawn and corn from Cosmic; Snow took out a box of "Sugar Apple Bombs"; Nightlight took a packet of dry noodles from her bag and, after covering them with spices, filled it into a tray with water from her flask. Snow opened the tins with a knife and began to eat first, levitating the others’ food over the fire.

Sonic got a package of petrified lollipops, and the hedgehog crunched contentedly on a pre-war treat.

“You seem really gloomy now,” he said with his mouth full. “You look like you’re all bitter enemies here and have hated each other all your lives. You might as well grab a gun.”

“Well, there’ little to be happy about,” Snow chuckled, picking up another piece of sugared apple with magic and swallowing it with relish. “We never found out who stole your stuff, so I want to suspect everyone around here. And to find out directly…” He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “We trust each other too much for that.”

“It was better to keep an eye on your things,” Nightlight said.

“I’m sure you’re all good ponies… well, for the most part,” Sonic said, getting a disapproving look from Metal Dawn. “And you seem trustworthy to me, too. I know it couldn’t have been one of you. Therefore…”

Cosmic’s eyelid twitched at his words. She could barely keep herself from blurting out her suspicions at the top of her lungs. The unresolved conflict cut her soul like flesh. This is so not right! So wrong…! It shouldn’t be like this! But there was nothing she could do about it. For now.

“…maybe you can tell me how your troop was gathered in general? And what do your… what are they called… cutie marks mean?”

“That’s possible,” Snow replied. “Cosmic?”

The unicorn took the food from the fire and telekinetically distributed it to its owners.

Cosmic winced as the hot tin burned her hooves. As always, she had to wait a little so as not to boil her tongue.

Metal Dawn didn’t touch his can right away either. But Nightlight pulled a fork from her bag and began greedily devouring the noodles.

Even the pegasi came closer to the fire, attracted by the conversation and delicious smells.

Great, Cosmic decided. Just five minutes of storytelling.

“Not much to tell,” she shrugged and blew on the steaming corn. “I didn’t even think that it all started with me. Did I ever tell you that I loved playing with guns when I was a filly? Well, the cutie mark didn’t appear for a long time anyway. I somehow finished school in the village, managed to try all the jobs we had there, but none of them suited me. And with nothing to do, I volunteered to guard Aunt Grace’s caravan when a pony on the regular shift got sick. The mayor was against it, so I had to prove my fitness by shooting at banks. As it turned out, it worked. And he was put in there with me,” she pointed to Metal Dawn, “also a rookie back then. To protect me, so to speak, from the attention of any rabble from Wasteland.”

“At that time, I already had a mark of my own,” the stallion said, turning sideways to the fire. On his flank, partially hidden by the edge of his armor, there was a… sunflower. “My parents grew food for the town, but their work, like in the case of Cosmic, wasn’t my passion. I always wanted to try something –” he grinned, and Cosmic shivered under his gaze “– sharper.

“In that campaign, we were attacked by raiders. Few – only four, but then they seemed like an army to us. Bouncer, the old soldier who was with us, was shot first. I started firing back, covering them and Grace, and Cosmic pounced on the raiders like a bear, with a carbine at the ready.” He grinned. “Well, we fought back. Both having the cutie marks ever since.”

“But the two of them weren’t enough for a separate team,” Snow Vision continued, looking up from Apple Bombs. Cosmic and Metal took advantage of that and started eating themselves. “Nightlight and I also had nowhere to go, and Uncle Silver called us one day and said we were joining them – or we’re talking about what we’re going to do with our lives right now, and we’ve been doing that our whole damn lives.” He chuckled. “Considering that I got my mark when I learned to juggle knives for fun by throwing them with telekinesis, I didn’t have much choice.”

“I see,” Sonic grinned and turned to Nightlight, “And you?”

Cosmic frowned. This story was the most painful for her to hear.

The unicorn with a crosshair as her cutie mark looked at the hedgehog silently through her glasses – and returned to the noodles without answering. Snow grew sad, too, and continued the story.

“It happened the day when the radscorpions got into The Republic.” Sonic looked back at Cosmic – and saw the pain in her eyes. “Several ponies were stung, but” – the unicorn sighed heavily – “not all of them had time to be given the antidote. Sorry, Cosmic, if that… Well, of course, no one wanted to deal with those critters – everyone just screamed, ran, and hid. Nightlight was just practicing with a laser rifle she had stolen from the armory. She ran to the noise and killed all the radscorpions in a crowd of terrified ponies with several accurate shots, without hitting any of the inhabitants. After that,” Snow looked at his relative with pride, “they were definitely afraid to approach her for anything other than business.”

They chewed in silence for a minute. Then Stream came up to the fire. The ropes of her battle saddle were spread apart so that she wouldn’t shoot anyone with her machine guns.

“Since then, a few years had passed before we showed up in The Republic. Spark and I have the usual pegasi cutie marks, and we can’t boast of anything interesting here. Well, like…” She turned around and showed Sonic an elegant light-blue flank with a picture of a tornado that lifted and twisted a lot of small grey dots. “Unless you consider as such a hurricane of spent shell casings, lifted into the air by the force of a single pair of wings.” The pegasus mare laughed. “Yeah, there were times… And Spark has only a yellow spark piercing a cloud as his own mark.

“For that matter, we’re deserters. They’ve been looking for us for a long time, but fortunately they haven’t found us yet. Maybe they just forgot over time, or maybe they got stupidly lazy, because as we later calculated from what others told us, a couple of fighters escape from the Enclave every year. And they can’t get enough Wings to hunt them all. That’s what our troops are called, by the way, in case you didn’t know.

“We were looking for a settlement to get away from the Enclave and join the locals faster. And The Republic has been a godsend to us. Silver Star promised us such golden mountains if we stayed…” She shook her head with a grin. “He was such a liar, of course, but we don’t regret anything. This is our home now. Our new homeland.”

“Stream, we have guests," PipBuck hissed on her buck in her partner’s voice.

“Copy.”

Stream lifted her hoof and, pressing a couple of buttons, looked at the screen of the portable device. The locator showed a scattering of red dots around the place where the group had been forced to stop. And they were getting closer.

The remains of the dinner were immediately discarded. Everyone grabbed their weapons and, without a single extra word, formed a circular defense.

Everyone… except Sonic.

“So… what should I do?” asked the hedgehog, stomping confusedly at one point inside the circle.

“Keep your head down,” said Metal Dawn.

“Quiet. They’re close,” the Spark Glider’s whisper rang out in the darkness dispersed by the fire.

“Huh. I didn’t sign up for this,” Sonic muttered. His eyes glittered, reflecting the flames, and a gambling grin played on his lips. “It’s action time.”

“Where are you–”

Cosmic turned around… but immediately froze, stunned in place.

Blurred by speed, a blue lightning flashed past her, electrifying her fur and dazzling.

The dark silhouettes of ponies seemed to be the figures of demons beyond the reflections of the fire. Leaping out of the circle into the black, Sonic clearly caught the stench that came from the uninvited visitors of the night of revelations.

Raiders. A faceless word hiding all those who abandoned to survive in the Wasteland. It meant nothing to Sonic. After all, the bad ponies in the cartoon stole someone else’s magic, did all sorts of evil things, and just wanted to take over everything. Can’t the creepypasta comics, which the hedgehog barely touched earlier, before throwing them far away, be closer to the truth…?

Or can they?

The needles spat sparks into the night, and the body jerked as if from an electric shock.

No, he can’t let that happen! Not now, when he’s just made friends in this world!

Sonic swung sideways, running up to the nearest of those who surrounded the squad. The pony seemed to stand motionless in place, as if time itself had slowed down. Wincing at the smell, the hedgehog saw in the pale reflection of his own power trail a leaky, bloodstained armor and the handle of a sharpened shovel clenched in the attacker’s teeth. A nasty combination – both in appearance and in consequence.

He rushed aside. The other raider was very young, but Sonic almost threw up at the sight of his cutie mark. “Yeah, that guy looks like he came from a broken home…” A teenage pony held a gun in his mouth, aimed over the bushes directly at Cosmic.

The hedgehog paused for a moment, standing opposite him and looking him in the eye. The pony was just beginning to close his eyes from the sharp blue glow behind Sonic. But the weapon was still pointed in the same direction as it had been before.

“No, that won’t do. Choose a better job for yourself, boy!”

Sonic grabbed the chin of a young colt, pulled his jaw down, drew out a slobbered weapon and threw it away into the black. After that, he dusted off his hands in thick white gloves with disgust.

“Oh, well, what shall I do with you, huh…?”

The decision came quickly and suddenly.

A coil of rope was tied to the rump of the disarmed young raider. Sonic grimaced as he imagined why the attackers needed it. But he immediately cheered up: it’s not every day that you get a chance to use you enemies’ own resources against them.

Let them find out for themselves what happens when you sneak up on peaceful travelers in the dead of night.

Cosmic froze, watching the chaotic dance of blue flashes. Like a disembodied spirit, the hedgehog was flickering here and there, doing something with unimaginable speed. There were no screams or sighs behind the crackling of the static discharges; but most of all, the mare was struck by something else.

The raiders weren’t shooting. And according to the positions of the red marks on Stream’s PipBuck, they were being pulled into a pile. And only the Princesses knew what the hay Sonic had started all this.

Metal Dawn fired. The roar of the revolver made Cosmic’s ears pop. And realizing what had happened, the mare broke into a cold sweat.

“Don’t shoot!” she yelled belatedly, blaming herself for her slowness.

Sonic said that in his superfast mode, bullets wouldn’t be a hindrance to him, but still…

I’ll deal with you later, she mentally promised Metal Dawn and took Last Argument in her teeth once again.

Suddenly, the "light show" stopped – as suddenly as it had started.

Spark Glider turned on the flashlight on his microcomputer. And Cosmic barely held back an expletive from what she saw.

In the bright white beam, Sonic was standing with one foot on a rotten stump. And nearby was a neutralized group of raiders. Seven ponies in dirty homemade armor were bizarrely tied to each other and in addition to the trees, forming a strange, unbelievable installation.

Their mouths were not gagged. But the raiders were silent. They must have been dazed, like Cosmic’s team, by the unpredictable thing that had happened.

“Behold the power of the blue justice!”

Sonic raised his hand over his head. His pretentious pose looked so ridiculous against the backdrop of the Wasteland that Cosmic – yes, probably, like everypony around – freaked out again.

“Step back,” Stream said.

Her saddle cables clicked softly.

“Uh… why?” Sonic didn’t understand, but took a couple of steps back anyway.

Cosmic sighed. The naivety of a hedgehog would be enough to fill a couple of cisterns and water a small town, making the inhabitants helpless against the dangers of the post-war world.

The pegasus mare chewed on the tips of the cables, trying them on – and then opened fire.

The rattle of bullets broke the tense silence. Bright flashes of gunfire from the unlit side of Stream seemed to be the eyes of a monster hiding in the darkness. The screams of the raiders, caught in their own trap, could be heard… but they faded away immediately.

Blood splattered the ground and trees. It was as if someone had blown up a bag of paint nearby.

Red is the only color that could be missing in a random picture of the Wasteland.

A couple of seconds – and the bursts stopped. The blowing wind brought the pungent smells of blood and gunpowder.

Sonic’s jaw dropped, and his eyes became like two elongated saucers.

“You…” the hedgehog’s voice broke. He looked like he could barely hold back the nausea. “You killed them! Why?! They had no time to do anything to us anyway…”

“You mean it would’ve been better if they had?” Nightlight said quietly, and Sonic shut up, still looking at the fresh corpses with glazed eyes.

The unicorn mare reattached the rifle to her back with telekinesis, approached the hedgehog and stood opposite him. Their eyes were on the same level – the very element of trust that Cosmic realized she had missed yesterday.

“I’ll tell you how it could’ve been,” Nightlight continued. “If we hadn’t killed them, they would’ve killed us, then raped, dismembered, and eaten the corpses, and taken all of our belongings and weapons. With their newfound firepower, they would’ve taken a couple of villages – or invaded our Republic. And the town would lose its best fighters and resources for defense, so the defenders would have a hard time if they’re attacked. But the main thing is that we’d not be able to ensure the safety of the trade caravans. The town would earn less caps, and the inhabitants would begin to starve – and eventually they’d die themselves, or die too, but already as raiders. So, by killing them,” she waved her hoof towards the massacre, “we thereby saved ourselves and another one or two hundred ponies.” A hoof rested on Sonic’s chest. “Including your fucking ungrateful ass.”

She walked back to the fire. Everyone else in the party just stood there, not knowing what to say or do.

Cosmic looked at her can of half-eaten corn – and threw the food far into the darkness with a powerful kick. Her appetite was completely gone. It was necessary to get out and look for another campsite.

Sonic put his head in his hands and sat down on the ground where he was standing. Stifled sobs could be heard from him.

Stream Dash came up to the hedgehog and stood beside him.

“This ain’t kinda superhero movie for kids, hedgehog,” she said softly. “Strike first – or the Wasteland will eat you up. Gobble you up whole.”

Note: Level up.

Player: Cosmic Valor. New perk: Pokerface – you remain calm even in stressful situations. This gives you +5% stamina and +2 stealth.

Player: Sonic. New perk: Blue Justice – Lightning mode has been upgraded to level 2, which increases movement speed to +3000% and reduces stamina consumption to -60%. When encountering enemies, requires 30% less action points for activation.

Chapter 5. Contract

– You can get anything you want here!

– If’n you got the goods to trade for it.

MLP, 4/22

The faint, diffuse light shone through the slightly opened shutters, and the room was dark. Sonic had strictly forbidden to open them any further, so the squad members left the hedgehog here and went on their way.

Of course, the first thing Sonic did was to open the heavy shutters on the windows, which had once been put up by Cosmic’s fighters to protect the building that had become their unofficial base outside. But the view of the Wasteland was so bleak that the hedgehog slammed the shutters back down – and now sat on the cluttered wooden floor, hugging his knees and staring into the darkness before him.

It smelled of dust, mold, and dirt. The building had clearly not been actively used in a long time.

There was only one way to explain the presence of a dilapidated two-story building in the middle of nowhere – transportation. But there were no railroads nearby (the nearest one was a few miles to the north, connecting Ponyville to New Appleloosa), and Cosmic said the house might not have been a station, but an inn on the road between the towns. At least that was suggested by the spacious lobby, which, judging by the tables and counter, served as dining room and bar at once. There were also several rooms on the second floor, untouched by time and weapons.

They had reached this place late at night. After the encounter with the raiders, no one wanted to stay there until morning, so they decided to make up for the lost time before they started their trek. With the flashlights on their PipBucks, Spark and Stream, along with Nightlight, demined the approaches to the hut – and immediately mined back once the others were inside. Cosmic said it was usual for them to do that.

These ponies were clearly crazy. Just the wacky, complete lunatics! But they really knew how to survive out here.

The rest of the night went by quietly. Suddenly the building had a working latrine, which was a miracle by local standards, though Cosmic said the water still smelled of magical radiation. Having gone there between periods of restless sleep, the hedgehog saw Metal Dawn on duty in the hall from the inner balcony on his way to his room. The stallion was leisurely pacing from side to side with a revolver in his teeth. Sonic shuddered; a shiver ran down his spine. Yeah, he didn’t want to know what that pony was thinking.

On the upper level, there was a corridor with several doors; the far end of it seemed to have been destroyed at some point, so it was littered with rubble and debris for protection. It was quiet here too. Only Cosmic, Metal Dawn and Sonic himself were in separate rooms – the latter two were empty for the moment, and the blue earth pony was probably asleep. No sound came from Snow and Nightlight’s room either.

As the hedgehog approached the door behind which the pegasi were, he heard muffled groans and paused, lost in speculation. But then he rolled his eyes, shook his head, and finally went to himself.

The night was coming to an end, and it would be good to get some sleep before tomorrow.

As it turned out later, in vain.

“…But why without me?” Sonic asked, his voice ringing with resentment. “I don’t understand…”

“Let’s mentally go back to the day before yesterday and remember the impression you made on The Republic,” Cosmic replied. She looked slightly sad – obviously it was still not easy for her to make such a decision. “I almost shot you out of caution. What do you think the guards on the walls of New Appleloosa will think?”

“But I'll be with you! They know you well.”

“Us, yes,” Nightlight said. “Not you. And that might raise some questions for us.” She slowly lowered her dark glasses to her nose and looked at Sonic with hypnotic red-pink eyes. “And we don’t want that, do we?”

The unicorn mare’s eyes, so bright in the morning darkness, flashed with a strange, unknown power. The hedgehog gasped, swallowed, and took several steps back. His knees trembled.

Nightlight grinned out of the corner of her mouth (it looked just as creepy with her glowing eyes), calmly put her glasses back on, and walked back toward the exit where the others were already gathered.

“Trust me, it’ll be better,” Cosmic said, correcting the carbine on her back. “I’ll be sure to ask what you’re looking for. But for now, we must get the contract. And on the way back we’ll come here and get you.”

“Okay…” Sonic looked anxiously at the doors through which everyone started to leave. “But… you’re not gonna booby-trap the whole–”

The memory receded.

The hedgehog pounded his fist on the ground, clenched his teeth and groaned. Why is it always so hard?! Why can’t they just show a little more trust?! What the hell is wrong with this place?!

Everything’s wrong. From the fallen bombs to the showdown between Cosmic and Metal Dawn. And the barrage of plasma mines around the house where Sonic was left.

“How am I supposed to look for the fucking Elements?!” he shouted in frustration, jumping up and kicking the wooden wall of the house. Then he hopped onto one foot, grimacing in pain and holding his sneaker over the bruised area.

A thought came to him, why don’t I just run around in my favorite style and blow up all these mines, get free and keep looking?

Sonic sighed, let go of his leg, which was shooting pain into his bruised fingers, and rested his forehead against the solid wall. Then he stepped back and began to bang his head against the boards.

“Think! Think! Think…!”

After a dozen blows, his skull was throbbing with intense pain. Sonic slumped back against the wall and slid down, exhausted, to sit on the floor.

A white-gloved hand touched the string around his neck, where he now wore the remaining rings. And at the same moment, the despair faded a little, and somewhere in the back of his mind, a faint hope flickered.

“Yeah,” Sonic said quietly, “I guess I gotta do this now. Tails said he needed some time to fine-tune the detector, but... Damn me John Wick, it’s been already two days! If Eggman hasn’t struck yet, we’d better hurry.”

He untied the string and took one ring off, then put the others back.

A second later, the room lit up with golden light.

New Appleloosa was something like The Republic – or vice versa? The town, notorious for its ties to the slavers, was built around railroad tracks and consisted entirely of old railroad cars, whereas in Cosmic’s hometown they barely made up a quarter of the outer wall. And one could only guess how the wind had carried so much metal so far into the Wasteland – at least here all the iron was in its proper place.

The guards on the walls were quite serious – Cosmic noticed with a trained eye that the one above the gate had a lever shotgun and a sniper rifle. Last time it had been a hunting carbine and a weak rechargeable laser rifle. The arsenal must have been updated a few months ago.

“Who’re you?!” yelled a stallion with a shotgun from the wall of train cars.

A rookie on the shift, probably.

“Ivory, tell your partner to learn those who come here to work!” Snow Vision shouted back. “And give him a kick in the ass so he learns to aim properly!” At Cosmic’s chuckle, the unicorn explained, “He kept moving the barrel from one of us to the other, like he couldn’t decide. Though had to pick the second most important target and led him, since the other one has a sniper rifle. Sorry, Stream, but when I said target, I meant you”.

“Come on,” the pegasus mare waved her hoof and ruffled her colorful mane. “Being second ain’t so bad. Especially,” she nudged Spark lightly with her flank, “after the coolest pegasus in the Wasteland.”

Spark Glider smiled silently and playfully nuzzled his marefriend.

Cosmic snorted: even after what they’d been through yesterday, the two of them had been enjoying themselves for half the night, keeping her awake with their screams. The pegasi were clearly planning to take every bit of happiness they could get.

Meanwhile, on the wall, the guards were squabbling. Finally, they stopped bickering, and a sniper pony named Ivory waved down: open the doors, then.

The heavy steel gates, much stronger than those of The Republic, swung slowly inward. Everyone was required to surrender their weapons at the entrance. It was standard procedure, but it was still painful to see the rifles and battle saddles that had served the troopers faithfully for years unloaded and locked in crates at the ground sentry; Snow Vision had his knives taken away. It was as if a vital part had been torn from them.

Disarmed, the mercenaries entered the town.

It was almost dusk, so the motley group wasted no time and headed straight for the highest tower in the settlement, which was no less than four train cars high.

Cosmic remembered the saying of the local sheriff, Railright, which he had once uttered over a glass of apple whiskey, “Al’ roads lead t’ New Ap’loosa, an’ al’ roads in New Ap’loosa lead t’ the Turnpike Tavern.”

At least he wasn’t wrong about the latter.

The tavern greeted the group with the sound of voices and the smell of sweat mixed with cheap alcohol. Due to the late hour, the place was packed, but some ponies, seeing them enter, rushed to clear one of the tables where the mercenaries sat. That’s what reputation means, Cosmic thought with a grin.

The radio was playing music, barely discernible over the general din. As always – DJ Pon-3 sounded everywhere in this fucking Wasteland.

Snow went to the bar to get drinks for everyone, as well as to arrange to stay overnight. That shouldn’t be a problem – the group usually rented an entire floor at the top of the tower for the night. They couldn’t afford to stay any longer – Silver Star demanded an accounting of every cap spent. But there was usually no need for a longer wait: there was always a merchant, or even a few, willing to hire guards for their caravan. Especially such… representative ones.

“Heh, how long d’you think we’ll have to wait for someone to offer us a contract?” Stream Dash asked with a chuckle.

The pegasus mare leaned back, remembering belatedly that she was sitting on a scrap metal banquette, and flapped her wings a few times to keep herself in place.

“Until tomorrow, at least,” Metal Dawn said with a hoof wag. “We can’t be so lucky to get hired every time we go out. There aren’t many merchants in the Wasteland, and they don’t have so many caps that things can come together with enviable regularity.”

“There’ll be some here soon,” Spark Glider grinned, resting his elbow on the tabletop. “We’ll finish this quickly an’ go t’ sleep. An’ then…”

He leaned over to Stream’s ear and whispered something that made her laugh and blush at the same time.

“An hour, give or take,” Cosmic said. “Not as soon as we’d like, but it should be done today. Provided, of course, that the pony who’d hire us has the payment with him.”

Nightlight remained silent.

“Oh, who in their right mind would show that many caps at once,” Spark said. “If he doesn’t pay half up fron’ t’morrow, we’re just not goin’, that’s all.”

Snow returned to the table and levitated his drink.

“All right, it’s a deal,” he said, distributing the drinks with telekinesis: a glass of apple whiskey for Metal Dawn, brogue for himself and Nightlight, and some kind of cocktail for the pegasi. Cosmic accepted the bottle of cider with a smile. She wasn’t much of a drinker; besides, she was the one who had to negotiate the hiring. “We have the fourth floor all to ourselves. There’s enough room for all of us, as the third floor is already occupied.

“By the way,” the unicorn lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “Apple Whiskey hinted that one of his merchants is lookin’ for some guards to get back to Manehattan. And we might fit in here…”

“We’re a mercenary unit, not a goodwill mission,” Metal grumbled, sipping his whiskey. “They’re the ones who should be coming to us for work, not us.”

“Come on,” Stream said cheerfully, taking a swig of her poison-green drink through her pipe. “What’s wrong with doin’ something ourselves so we don’t have to sit around until we run out of caps?”

“Good evening,” someone’s voice sounded nearby.

The whole company turned to the beige unicorn who came directly to their table.

“And for you as well,” Cosmic nodded. “What are you interested in?”

“I’m a merchant from Manehattan,” he replied. “My name is Monterey Jack. I’d like to hire your troop for protection on the way to Tenpony Tower.”

“Cosmic, you’re up,” Snow grinned.

The blue earth pony got out from behind the desk and stood in front of Monterey.

“Great. I’m Cosmic Valor. Let’s go somewhere where we can talk terms.”

The merchant tilted his head in agreement.

They pushed through the evening rush of customers and sat down at the bar, which had become suspiciously empty.

“So… why us?” Cosmic began, sipping some cider. “We have powerful weapons by Wasteland standards, which automatically makes our team not so cheap. Why did you choose us?”

“And how many other mercenary groups do you see in this room right now?” Monterrey circled the ponies gathered in the tavern with his hoof. “Besides, I can’t wait much longer. My cargo –” he chewed his lips excitedly “– is quite perishable.”

“Oh?” Cosmic raised an eyebrow. “And what is that, may I ask?”

“Cheese. I sell cheese.” The unicorn turned slightly so that the earth pony could see the slice of cheese as his cutie mark. “I used to guard caravans like you – I worked for the former owner of a cheese shop in Tenpony. Later, the business passed to me, and now, as you can see, I’m the one who employs you.”

“Oh, then you must stop by The Republic on your way!” exclaimed the earth pony. “Our Aunt Grace’s cheese is so good, just hoof-licking!”

“Actually, I only wanted to visit a few familiar farms on the way…” Under Cosmic’s judgmental gaze, the unicorn added, “Although... in principle, I’m willing to consider the suggestion. After all, a little more variety wouldn’t be a bad thing. I’ll let you know tomorrow if I think about it.”

“And… what happened to the previous owner of the shop?” Cosmic tensed involuntarily.

“Illness,” Monterey Jack replied dryly. “It was my foster father. It just so happened that he had no one closer to him than me, and so I was mentioned in the will. Where else could I have gotten my cutie mark?”

“Sorry,” said Cosmic and changed the subject, “Let’s discuss the terms of the contract?”

“Okay.” The unicorn also seemed a bit relieved to get to the point. “What’s your price?”

“Well…” the earth pony looked thoughtfully, “about eight days travel to Manehattan, a supply of food and water, ammunition that we might have to spend… Total basic cost is two thousand. Plus,” she raised a hoof, emphasizing the importance of the addition, “surcharges in case of encountering a special enemy (every encounter!), as well as serious injury or… loss of someone from the party. Each item is determined separately, not to exceed half of the contract value, and added to the total.”

“Special enemies? Are you talking about the alicorns?” Monterey raised his eyebrows.

“Not only that. Steel Rangers, for example, are no fun to deal with, are they?” Cosmic gave him a stern look. “Unless you have some kind of conflict with them or anyone else in the Wasteland.”

“One thousand two hundred.” The trader looked back with cold calm. He didn't look like one to be broken so easily. “And surcharges only in case of real force majeure – no more than five hundred caps for each. And I’ll decide what counts as a real emergency.”

“Two thousand, or find another squad.”

“One and a half. And I’ll settle for extra seven hundred and fifty.”

“One thousand eight hundred plus one thousand. And that’s the final offer.”

“All right, I’ll do it!” Monterey pounded the table. “Full payment up front, huh?”

“And how did you want it?” Cosmic leaned toward him. “We take risks for your own safety – and would like to receive a decent reward for it. Especially since security – along with information – is one of the most important intangibles in today’s Equestria. And often the most important.”

“I understand,” the merchant nodded. “Wow, I see you mean business!”

Cosmic pulled a crumpled piece of paper with printed text and a pen from her saddlebag.

“When dealing with such sums, and especially with the lives of the ponies entrusted to us, contracts on words aren’t worth a cap,” she said, taking a pen with her teeth and writing the agreed amounts in the blank spaces.

Then she unfolded the paper and slid it and the pen to Monterey Jack.

“Sign here.”

“I’ll read it first,” the unicorn frowned and began to run his eyes over the lines, holding the sheet with his hoof.

Cosmic waited, leaning against the counter and sipping her cider.

“So… where’s the clause about compensation if it’s your fault that I can’t deliver the shipment or part of it to Manehattan?”

“It’s in the small print on the back,” the mare sighed.

It’s a bit of a freak, this thoroughness. It’s just metal circles – something immeasurably less valuable than life.

“Let’s see…” He turned the sheet over – and almost choked with indignation when he read what was written there. “What?! You’re crazy! Ten caps per kilo?! So my… so my goods cost more than a hundred on average…!”

“Sign,” grinned Cosmic and finished the bottle in one gulp. She set the empty one aside, where it was immediately picked up and taken away by a barpony named Apple Whiskey. “After all, you want security or not?”

Giving the head of the mercenary squad a look that said, ‘What do you think?’, Monterey took a pen between his teeth and wrote his name below the text of the contract. Cosmic immediately folded the sheet back and put it in her bag – along with the pen, which she politely asked to be returned.

“I hope I don’t regret this,” the unicorn grumbled, getting up from behind the counter.

“We’ll do everything that depends on us,” Cosmic replied diplomatically… and suddenly she remembered something and called to him, who was about to leave, “Wait! There’s one question… not about the contract.”

“Hmm?” Monterey sat back in his seat. “You wanna use me as a source of information? Learn some terrible secret of the Wasteland to get out of a purely formal treaty relationship?”

“Something like that.” Cosmic lowered her voice, “Tell me, have you ever heard of artifacts called the Elements of Harmony?”

“What?” the merchant seemed confused. And at the same time, like he was about to laugh. “Is this a joke?”

“I’m sorry if my ignorance hurt you so much,” Cosmic said venomously.

Monterey covered his eyes and shook his head slightly, holding back a laugh.

“It’s just… I grew up in Tenpony, the place where the Ministry of Arcane Science was located before the bombs fell, so everyone there knows the history of pre-war Equestria…” he waved his hoof in the air, “in more detail than… in other places. Of course, I’ve heard of the Elements. But…” he narrowed his eyes, “we didn’t agree to be open with each other… for free, did we?”

“Of course,” the mare rolled her eyes and placed ten caps on the counter. “How could I forget.”

“Thank you.” The unicorn scooped up the caps, not letting Apple Whiskey, who thought Cosmic wanted to order more, do so. “So… it’s a fairy tale.”

The earth pony blinked.

“W-what?”

“Legends say that the Elements are the artifacts that embody the six basic ponies’ virtues… I can’t tell you exactly which ones. They were owned by Celestia, and after Princess Luna returned from her thousand-year banishment, this honorable duty fell on the shoulders of six young fillies, the same ones who later became the heads of the Ministries. But unfortunately, no one knows what happened to them after the war. Neither the Ministry Mares themselves, nor their Elements. So I’m inclined to believe that the artifacts were destroyed by megaspells along with Equestria.”

Cosmic exhaled in disappointment. The unicorn’s words had given her very little new information, and what was there wasn’t happy. Monterey Jack would definitely call Sonic's campaign pointless and two hundred years too late.

But wait a minute… If Sonic went to Equestria to get the Elements, did he and his friend from that world actually find the trail of the artifacts? Does that mean they’re still out there somewhere?

“Okay. Thank you,” she said. “Don’t get me wrong, I was just, uh–”

“…broadening your horizons,” Monterey said mockingly and stood up again. “Yes, sometimes it can be useful. I’ll see you tomorrow. Cosmic Valor.”

She waited until the trader had gone up to the living quarters and whispered after him:

“Celestia’s horn up to your ass.”

A few hours later, only Snow Vision, Metal Dawn and Cosmic herself remained at the table. Contrary to even her own expectations, the troop leader had allowed herself to order another drink – and now she was rocking back and forth on the banquette, her ears bathed in the gradually fading hum of the voices of the ponies who had come here first of all to relax.

The news of the contract had lifted the troop’s spirits. Everyone was more cheerful and seemed to be more friendly. Goddesses, even Nightlight smiled slightly as she recognized the terms Cosmic had negotiated. Basically, the six of them would supply the city for almost a month in the next week. Yes, Silver Star might hide some, but most of the caps would go to food and the needs of the inhabitants. What could be better than knowing that your work benefited so many ponies? Cosmic couldn’t imagine.

Pleasant thoughts, soaked with cider, warmed the soul more than any blanket on a frosty day. She didn’t want to go anywhere, everything around her seemed like a magical fairy tale in which the earth pony was the main character, easily overcoming all the obstacles. Even the unpleasant incident with Metal Dawn and the humiliating trial yesterday morning had been forgotten for a while.

Life was seen as worth living, and there was still time to be happy.

At some point, Cosmic found herself alone at the table with Metal Dawn. The stallion looked at her, perhaps waiting for her to stop daydreaming out there and give him her precious attention.

Consciousness briefly cleared. Cosmic looked around - there weren’t many ponies left in the bar, and Apple Whiskey had dimmed the lights. It was time to hit the hay.

“Maybe we go for a little walk before bed?” Metal Dawn suggested as Cosmic tiredly got up from the table.

The mare gave him a long look, then shook her head:

“No, Metal, I won’t go along with that. I’m not gonna be alone with you from now on. Sorry, I’m really tired. I should probably go to bed. Are you coming?”

“Um… not yet,” he brushed it off and finished his whiskey. What number so far? Cosmic thought. “I’ll stay here for a while. And you go if you want. Tomorrow, we gotta go out.”

“Good night,” said the blue earth pony, yawned and went with a heavy step to the stairs.

As she climbed the metal bars, she turned back. Metal Dawn was sitting at a table in the far corner with a figure in a dark cloak.

I hope he doesn’t lose all our caps, Cosmic thought. Somehow she was sure that her fighter had just decided to play cards for the night. Although there had been several groups of players sitting in the hall earlier, looking much nicer.

She shook her head, stifled another yawn, and went to the floor where the others had settled.

A new day was waiting for them tomorrow.

Note: Level up.

Player: Cosmic Valor. New perk: Master of Trade – now you can earn 20% more caps and get a 10% discount on all purchases.

Player: Sonic. New perk: Waiter – in the inactive mode, you can store unused energy; the amount of additional resources does not exceed 25% of your current energy reserve. Gained +1000 experience. New quest perk: Ring Power – you can now keep a portal open for several minutes.

Chapter 6. Shootout

– Remember when we talked ‘bout doin’ this the right way? Well, this. Ain’t. It.

Fallout: Equestria, chapter 19

“Wow! What an arsenal you have there!”

Monterey Jack watched with deep respect as the troop donned the equipment they had left at the entrance to New Appleloosa. Indeed, to an outsider, the sight of six ponies in armor and weapons – two of them with carefully polished Enclave rifles, three with magazines, and the remaining one with knives…! – was impressive. Getting involved with them was an almost certain death sentence. The many raiders and slavers who had underestimated their power wouldn’t let lie – there were only more rotting bones in the contaminated ground.

Monterey himself was armed with an old pistol that was about to fall apart. Cosmic even wanted to give the trader Nige or Dan for the duration of the trip. But there was no guarantee that the unicorn from Tenpony would not accidentally kill half the group in a real fight.

So let him go with his weapons and leave the bulk of the work to the group. That’s what they get paid for…

“Now I’d like to see the payment,” Cosmic brought him back down to earth and checked that the submachine guns could be taken out in one move.

Monterey Jack sighed and reached into his saddlebags.

“Yes, of course… Here. Exactly one thousand eight hundred.” A couple of weighty sacks went into the mare’s pack. “I spent the whole night counting them.”

“Hopefully it’ll be exactly that much when we reach our next destination. By the way, what do you think now?”

“I don’t mind,” the merchant shrugged. “I’ll take some cheese to try it out, sell it, and then I’ll see if it’s worth a permanent cooperation.”

“You’ll see – you won’t regret it.” Cosmic watched as the unicorn harnessed himself to his cart loaded with packages. “Shall we move out?”

“C’mon,” Spark Glider said, pacing impatiently. “We’ve al’ been waitin’ here.”

The heavy gates slowly opened, and the caravan finally entered the Wasteland.

The cloud cover above them was light and thin today, but without a single gap. Cosmic bit her lip anxiously, staring out at the dull, lifeless landscape; the weather suggested that things might not be as easy as expected.

A few hours later, however, the earth pony began to think that she had worried for nothing.

The clouds had darkened during the day, filling with water for future rain, but they held no surprises for the travelers. The road to The Republic was as dull as the second half of the party’s journey to New Appleloosa: nothing but twisted tree skeletons, wind, and dust.

It can’t be that good, Cosmic mused, walking in the middle of the formation to the right of Monterey, who was pulling the cart. Have they all fallen asleep here or what…? Or maybe? What if this skirmish in the grove pays off the limit of incidents for this stage as well? That would be great. Even if we can’t get Jack to pay for the extra caps, it’s always nice to come home in one piece. I wish we had an AutoDoc in town, I heard there was one at Helpinghoof's clinic in Tenpony… but then again, where do we get biogel for that…".

However, there was another surprise: the client suddenly turned out to be quite a pleasant interlocutor. Cosmic even turned off the music in the earphone to avoid doing three things at once. Until then, she was used to just listening to the player while looking around for threats.

“…How did a town like yours end up in the Wasteland?” Monterey asked. They were still talking quietly after a grudging remark from Metal Dawn, who was to their left; Stream and Snow were in front, and Spark and Nightlight covered the back. “I mean – with such protection… And how do you even live there?”

“Well, somehow,” Cosmic grinned. “To be honest, we can hardly imagine it ourselves. After all, just like New Appleloosa, The Republic didn’t appear out of nowhere. Just three old cars and some other debris – probably from an airplane – lying in the middle of nowhere, all abandoned. I think they were thrown there by some hurricane from a megaspell explosion.

“Many years passed, and these remains of civilization were stumbled upon by ponies who had fled Ponyville when it became a raider base. Using telekinesis and some of the tools they took with them, they built a wall out of train cars and scrap metal from an airplane and used the trees around the place for houses. Now there’s at least half a mile of clear space around The Republic, so no one can get up there undetected.”

“What do you live on? It can’t just be mercenary work and cheese, can it?” the merchant remarked.

If he had grinned or said it any differently, Cosmic would have shot something off him.

The earth pony covered her eyes and exhaled slowly. I’m calm… he didn’t mean anything bad… calm.

“The refugees from Ponyville knew a lot of things: how to grow plants, how to cook, how to operate machinery… including guns,” she continued, seemingly unfazed. “Everyone here has been through security, so everyone knows how to hold a gun. For a long time, the new town had a steady income from technical devices, which allowed us to expand the arsenal of defenses against attack.”

“Y’bet!” Spark put in, and Cosmic turned to him in displeasure. “Everyone’d like t’ have s’ many weapons an’ their own water talisman.”

“Even so!” Monterey Jack wondered and shook his head slightly. “Well, that explains a lot…”

The blue earth pony gave the pegasus an angry look – after all, water talismans were real treasures by the standards of the Wasteland, not to be told to the first people they met – and turned back to the merchant.

“Like what?”

“How you survived. There are no water sources nearby, are there? Basically,” Monterey looked into the darkening evening sky, “all life in Equestria is built around talismans now. Tenpony, Fillydelphia, Hoofington, Stables, they all depend on clean water, and those who don’t have access to it (like the Ponyville’s raiders or New Appleloosa before they got mixed up with Red Eye) either die out or start raiding, wreaking more havoc on the already exhausted Wasteland.

There was a bitterness in the unicorn’s voice at the last words, as if he wanted to change everything, to make the cruel world a little better and kinder.

Why "as if"? Everyone would.

Everyone who sane and doesn’t profit from the misfortune of others, Cosmic corrected herself ironically. Yes, and they probably think that their actions will change life for the better. Red Eye, for instance…

And what about me? What’s my purpose, my reason to exist in this world? I don’t know… She lowered her head. All I know is how to protect other ponies. And I do that by keeping things the way they are. And all I have to do is do my job in a way that doesn’t make me feel bad. Let others change the world, not me. I can only keep them alive to do it.

Cosmic looked back at Monterey Jack’s cart. One of the packages caught her eye, a cylindrical shape that stood out from the others. Like the tube the mare’s father had packed the blueprints for the devices he was assembling.

“What’s that?” she hoofed at the unusual object among the bags of cheese heads.

“Where…?” Monterey turned to see what Cosmic meant.

His eyes narrowed and his teeth clenched for a moment.

Hmm, and you have something to hide, hunky?

But he replied as easily as the troop leader herself answered the veiled taunt about the jobs of The Republic’s inhabitants:

“Nothing… just some cargo I’ve been assigned to deliver. I don’t know what’s in it. And I wouldn’t advise you to find out. Sometimes keeping things secret is the best solution.”

He looked again at the sky, which had gone from its former dark gray to almost black. Stream and Spark had lit the flashlights on their PipBucks, just a little, to break up the horrible darkness in which nothing could be seen within spitting distance.

“How much longer?” Monterey asked, not addressing anyone in particular. “I’d like to get to sleep as soon as possible so that we can reach your Republic tomorrow.”

“Calm down, only ‘bout a mile t’ go,” Spark glanced at the PipBuck locator. “We’ve got a good spot, so ‘ll spend the night there. Just gotta clear al’ the mines…”

“What…?” the merchant was stunned.

But it was the last thing he had time to say before everything turned into a deadly mix of events.

Cosmic’s back went cold under the armor. A gust of wind ruffled her mane, which stood on end from the growing sense of danger. Her body became a compressed spring, ready to straighten at a moment’s notice to fend off the attack.

The earth pony looked around quickly, tossed the carbine from her back and grabbed it with her teeth. Wait a minute, where…?

A revolver shot boomed deafeningly, and the white light of the PipBuck froze, pointing upward. There was the sound of a body falling… and the rustle of spread wings on the ground.

“Stream!!!” Spark yelled and took to the air.

WHOOSH! – a forty-millimeter shell from his automatic grenade launcher ripped through the air, hurtling toward the ground. The rocket-propelled grenade exploded in a flash of flame, showering everything around it with scalding dirt, including the body of the light blue pegasus mare. But it missed its real target.

It rumbled again, and Stream’s flashlight went out. A barely audible whistle signaled that Snow had released his knives, ready to slice the attacker like a cabbage. But another shot and a quick scream left no doubt as to the outcome of this momentarily unequal struggle.

Cosmic snapped out of the stupor she had been thrown into by the sudden attack. Two of those she was responsible for had just died before her eyes! She had to, she just had to do something!

“Drop everything! Get away!” the mare shouted through the carbine in her mouth, grabbing the stunned Monterey and dragging the trader away from the battle.

Another explosion sounded, and a wave of heat knocked Cosmic to the ground. Cold, nasty dirt poured into her mouth. Cheese wrappers began to fall from the overturned cart with a thud.

BANG! BANG!

The scream came from above this time. The flare of the Spark Glider’s flashlight swooped down from the black sky and disappeared into the darkness on the other side of the cart. Pink laser beams flickered as Nightlight tried to aim at an unknown enemy in the darkness. One passed right in front of Cosmic’s face, and the mare recoiled to avoid friendly fire.

Monterey started to get out of the harness in a hurry. But lying on his side was uncomfortable, and he stayed where he was, trying again and again to leave the dangerous place.

Cosmic stood next to him and aimed her carbine at the light of the PipBuck lying there. The main thing was to destroy the threat, the rest could be dealt with later.

Her tongue habitually found the trigger. Doo-doo-doo-doo-doom! – a line of bullets tore through the darkness, making her teeth ache from the recoil.

BANG! BANG!

The white spark faded, and the battlefield plunged into darkness. Nightlight stopped firing – another body fell to the ground.

Cosmic stood alone against the unknown who, remaining invisible, had destroyed her squad in a matter of seconds and nearly killed both her and Monterey Jack. Who, how, why – it didn’t matter now. She needed to do whatever she could to prevent the stranger’s plan from being carried out.

She kept firing bullets from the carbine into the space around her. The magazine emptied; the mare pulled it out and threw it away, knocking the spare from its mount with her hoof. On the fly, with a swing, put it in, pull the bolt…

Slowly, how slowly! Cosmic was suddenly burned by the thought that she wouldn’t be in time. That the attacker knew her every step, saw every movement – while she couldn’t see him. And she was powerless to do anything about it. All her training, all her combat experience crumbled to dust in the face of this stealthy and therefore terrifying force.

And the next moment – WHAM! – a powerful blow knocked the carbine out of Cosmic’s mouth and threw her to the ground.

Her jaws exploded in pain, and her mouth filled with the taste of copper. Knocked out teeth rolled across her tongue like hard, slippery pills.

The sound of a blow – and Monterey, trying to throw off the tight hindering harness, fell unconscious.

Cosmic spat and reached for Dan’s holster hanging at her right side, but immediately screamed in pain as a heavy hoof came down on her front leg, pinning her to the ground. Another hoof rolled her onto her back and rested on her armored chest.

The mare’s eyes accustomed to the darkness, and she could already make out the outlines of objects in the surrounding sea of black. Cosmic looked up – and stared at the one who had just taken several lives and looked like he was about to kill her as well.

Metal Dawn was looking down at the blue earth pony.

“You…” she breathed out, unable to say anything else.

Her body was numb again, tears welling up in her eyes, a huge lump in her throat making it hard to speak. No, not like that – preventing her from screaming. For a long, long time, Cosmic gulped air, holding herself on the verge of hysteria. The stallion stared at her unblinkingly, looming over her like a rock. A rock that, when it fell, crushed everyone the leader cared about. Metal Dawn himself could no longer be counted among them.

Finally, it got easier to breathe. The veil of tears that had covered her eyes receded, and the lump in her throat disappeared. And then came the anger. Anger at herself for not being able to stop him. And at him for ruining the lives of everyone around him in an instant, most of them irreversibly.

“What the hay?!” Cosmic darted out from under the stallion’s hoof, but he pressed harder, using all his weight, and the mare stayed where she was. Her eyes were filled with rage. “Sick bastard…!”

“I’m sorry, Cosmic,” Metal Dawn said in a low, husky voice. “I had no choice.”

“What’re you talking about?!” the blue earth pony roared, struggling to free herself. But the stallion held her down. “We were only supposed to guard that fucking cheese merchant! He paid us fairly, and the next caps were to be spent in The Republic! So why are you–”

“You think this is about the caps?!” Metal Dawn roared back, punching Cosmic in the face. She jerked her head and looked at him again with a hateful glare. “You don’t understand a damn thing about what’s going on and why all this…! I have a lot of caps now, but what’s the use?”

His voice trembled, ready to break into a scream.

In Cosmic’s head something clicked.

“So it was you…” she whispered and continued, raising the tone more and more, “It was you who stole Sonic’s rings to push them quietly in New Appleloosa! You’re the one who got me convicted for something I didn’t do! Tell me, did you get those ponies to vote for my expulsion? Oh, and I believed you… Although… after you came to my house and tried to rape me…”

“Shut up!”

Another punch. Blood flowed from Cosmic’s broken nose.

The earth pony laughed.

“You know nothing!” Metal Dawn hissed as he leaned closer. His eyes glittered angrily in the night. “Yes, I stole the rings from that blue fool, but do you really feel sorry for him? He’s nothing to the Wasteland, an empty place… I bet he won’t last a week here…”

“Why?!” Cosmic shouted in despair, clenching her eyes. “Why didn’t you condemn me to turn all around from yourself…?”

“’Cause I loved you, stupid idiot!” he punched her in the face. A splash of saliva mixed with the flowing blood. “Yes, I wanted caps, lots of caps – but only so we could be together! We’d build a spacious new home, settle everything… Discord, I’d even pay off my debts to Silver Star and Murky…! We! Could! Be! Happy!”

Something wet and hot slapped Cosmic’s cheek. She opened her eyes to see Metal Dawn crying.

“No, Metal,” she shook her head. “It’s not love, it’s just a desire to dominate and possess… whatever, but not what you think it is. And yet, why…?”

“I was ordered to. I had no fucking choice!” He stomped the ground next to Cosmic’s head with a free hoof. “Offered me a deal when I sold the rings. Gave me a thousand caps and a zebra invisibility cloak as payment and promised another five thousand when I finish and come again…!”

The stallion’s voice sank to a whisper and immediately rose to a shout.

“I agreed. I didn’t know then that it would turn out like this…! And now,” he finished hoarsely, pressing his hoof harder into Cosmic’s chest, “I have to kill you too. Sorry, Cosmic. I am not this way – life is this way.”

The mare suddenly noticed the rope tied to his knee. In a holster at his side, a revolver, attached to his leg, was pointed directly at Cosmic’s head. One move – and the earth pony would be gone, just like her team.

“No, Metal. It’s all you. Just the way you are,” she said before he could remove his foot and rolled away, gathering all her strength.

Or rather, she tried to.

BANG!

The shot rang out just above her ear. A red-hot poker burned right through her left shoulder. Cosmic howled in pain and rolled onto her side. Circles of light flashed in front of her eyes – so tightly she squeezed them shut. Now every movement made her head spin; the earth pony was almost unconscious from the unbearable burning.

Something warm ran over her skin under her armor. Blood. It was her blood. To replace the blood she had spilled when she punched the face of her failed rapist.

She could barely hear the hoofsteps of the assassin approaching her through the veil of pain that dulled her senses. Swish… swish… swish… stopped beside her again. But this time, Cosmic had neither the power nor the ability to affect anything.

“I could take the opportunity to play with you,” a whistling whisper sounded above her ear. “But I’m afraid I don’t have any more time. The slavers will be here soon, after that Tenpony sucker. But they won’t be interested in a wounded, bleeding mare. I’ll ease your suffering. But first…”

His hoof came down on Cosmic’s saddlebag. First one, then the other.

“This is not to leave the good things to the guests. And to keep you from healing yourself. I’m sorry, Cosmic. You forced me to do this. Consider it your punishment.”

The earth pony didn’t see – but she knew that the revolver’s dark pupil was pointed at her again. Metal Dawn had fired nine shots, which meant he had three bullets left. More than enough.

So this is how it’s going to end…?

Cosmic tried to get out of her seat, but her strength left her completely. Instead of the throbbing pain in her shoulder, tiredness suddenly came, piled up like a love-starved stallion and took over not only her body, but also her soul. She didn’t want to fight anymore, it was pointless.

Already falling into a saving oblivion, Cosmic had time to notice out of the corner of her eye how the blackness exploded, a pale blue piece of light rushing towards her.

A gunshot rang out. The world ended.

Note: 50% of the next level.

Chapter 7. A New Goal

— I’m afraid I fucked up again.
The tiny machine bobbed closer.
— I’d disagree with that. Why don’t you put the gun down and tell me about it?

FoE: Project Horizons, chapter 23

The double doors of the house were wide open. From a small hill, a huge orchard could be seen. The trees there were blackened and bare, and must have once grown apples.

Amazing, Cosmic thought. And they’re still growing somewhere. Otherwise, every month or two, a container of fruit wouldn’t arrive in The Republic – somewhat rotten, but still fresh by the standards of this world, which has been in a coma for two hundred years, frozen by radioactive eternity. An expensive treat, of course; the earth pony wondered how much cheaper the apples from this orchard were sold? Though it didn’t seem as if the caps were being paid off back then.

Cosmic pushed the unwanted thoughts away and turned her attention back to her Argument, which had its butt in the ground. Under the trigger guard was a dry dead stick (there were no others here) that seemed to be so easy to press on both sides to make the carbine fire. Of course, she could have broken off the spoon and pulled the trigger with her hoof, but something stopped her. Maybe it was respect for the weapon she got from the town’s arsenal, which had been a faithful companion for years.

A pity it had to end like that.

Cosmic’s ears pricked up. From the top floor came some kind of bustle and two ringing voices. Surely Sonic and his friend were tinkering with that thing of theirs again. Self-taught technicians, damn them... While she was up here fiddling with a carbine and a stick, because all the fucking weapons in the fucking Wasteland are designed so that only a fucking unicorn can shoot himself with them.

Yeah. She fucked up. Lost everyone she ever got close to. Four dead and another turned to the dark side. The Republic may survive this blow, but will Cosmic? Will she be accepted after her failure – or forced to respond for what she’s allowed to happen?

No matter. She had already condemned herself.

Her shoulder ached, and the mare wrinkled in pain. She had no more healing potions, and the last of her bandages were wrapped. There was still food – thanks to Metal Dawn, who hadn’t crushed or taken all the luggage of his dead comrades, screw him, – but not much, and the water in the flasks was running low. In a couple of days, he would have to go somewhere else to replenish his supplies – New Appleloosa, for example… or The Republic.

Cosmic shuddered and tears filled her eyes. No, no, she wasn’t ready for that yet.

And she probably never would be.

She put the muzzle of the gun into her mouth. Images of the night before last flashed before her eyes.

The night her world had been shattered.

“Cosmic…! Cosmic…!”

The voice came from somewhere far away, growing louder and then fading. But the earth pony couldn’t remember who it belonged to. Someone vaguely familiar…

The pain returned. A sharper one where her shoulder should be, and a slick, pulling pain in the rest of her body. Cosmic groaned, and the rim of a glass bottle touched her lips, wetting them with a bitter liquid.

A healing potion. Just what she needed.

So Metal Dawn didn’t trample everything! came the thought, breaking through the shroud of pain and becoming a life vest for the consciousness that floated to the surface. Praise the holder…

Cosmic put her mouth to the bottle and gulped down the potion greedily. Warmth immediately began to spread through her body and the pain eased slightly. Her eyes opened. Someone was looming over her, holding the vial of medicine. It was too dark to see exactly.

Night. Still night. So not much time had passed.

We could try to catch up with Metal Dawn and—

The bottle emptied, and someone’s hand moved it away. Cosmic leaned back, tried to breathe – and then realized who was fiddling with her.

“How did you… how did you get out…?” she said with difficulty.

Sonic shrugged – the movement was obvious from the silhouette.

“All I had to do was clear a path about a hundred meters from the wreck, right? So, I looked for some trash, and then I just started throwing it in front of me, moving forward. But,” he laughed awkwardly, “there wasn’t enough trash to go around, so I–”

“Don’t tell me you… Oh, Goddesses!” Cosmic closed her eyes and groaned again – but this time, clearly not in pain. “You threw our supply of canned goods into a minefield?!”

“What was I supposed to do?” parried the hedgehog. “Sit there and wait for you – I’d have gone crazy! Besides, you were gone for a long time, and I got worried. And when I had almost cleaned everything up, I heard gunshots and flew straight here! But no…” he shook his head, “I wasn’t in time. My speed wasn’t fast enough.

“Well,” he added after a while, “I guess we’ve got bigger problems than condensed milk splattered on the ground anyway.”

“How long… am I here…?” The voice disobeyed Cosmic again.

“Dunno, I don’t have a watch,” Sonic waved his hands. At the angry look, he hastened to correct himself, “Two or three hours, no more.”

“Was… was there anyone else here?”

Metal Dawn was talking about the slavers, about them coming here soon and taking over Monterey. But she’s still here. What had happened while she was unconscious?

The sensation of blood under the armor returned to her brain. Cosmic barely squinted at her left shoulder – it was wrapped in something. Thank the Goddesses, Sonic had found enchanted bandages in her saddlebags and used them for their intended purpose.

“Yes, some guys came here…” It wasn’t visible in the darkness, but judging by the tone, the hedgehog was clearly grimacing. “Whah, how the hell they smelled... Oh, let’s start at the beginning, okay? Well…”

“…Get away from her, you scum!” Sonic shouted, running as fast as he could to where the gunfire had come from earlier.

In the darkness, he could see well enough to see who was standing over whom and whose bodies were lying around. In those moments, he wanted only one thing: to save Cosmic while it was still possible.

At full speed, Sonic slammed into Metal Dawn, who was just beginning to turn his head at his appearance. A revolver bang – the bullet hit the ground near Cosmic’s ear. The collision sent the hedgehog and the stallion flying in different directions like bowling pins. Sonic immediately jumped to his feet, ignoring the pain in his body from the sensitive impact, and turned his head to look for his enemy, but there was no one there now.

The hedgehog blinked dazedly, unable to believe his eyes. The enemy had just been here, but suddenly… vanished? What was this invisibility? Could it be that those ponies had invented stealth during the war…?

Dumbass. Of course they could have! And they probably did! But… how am I supposed to fight him now?

He suddenly broke into a sweat as he fully realized what had happened. He found himself face to face with a pony who had gone mad and who was invisible.

And who had two revolvers.

And behind Sonic, there was only a wounded, bleeding mare.

The needles in his neck quivered with a sharp wave of foreboding. The hedgehog barely had time to jump aside when a bullet whistled where he'd been standing a second ago. Panic crept up from the depths of his mind.

No! Cosmic…! Sonic clutched his eyes shut, nipping the tears in the bud. I gotta protect her! By all means…

And he did the first thing that occurred to him.

Started running…

…around Cosmic.

The world blurred – it felt even despite the night’s darkness. There was a blue glow at the edge of his vision – a reflection of the trail he had left.

He remembered Earth, where he’d started running circles around the baseball field out of loneliness and hopelessness... and what it had led to. So now he was trying to find the line he had crossed and not to cross it again, so that Cosmic wouldn’t get hurt accidentally. After all, he was still a blur to the eye that saw in normal time.

The hedgehog didn’t pay much attention to the thunder of another shot. And when the bullet, illuminated by his electric plume, became visible and flew towards him in slow motion, he simply grabbed it with two fingers without stopping and threw it away into the darkness.

Another second of running – long and dragging, like caramel… third one… fifth…

Why don’t you shoot? Sonic grinned. You’re chicken, ain’t you?

Just then, a new insight cut through his consciousness.

The hedgehog tried to brake and was thrown out of the circular trajectory like a bean out of a centrifuge. He screamed as he flew but was silenced by his nose on the ground. Loose chunks flew in all directions; Sonic was dragged about twenty meters before he stopped.

His mouth filled with dirt; his body felt like it had been run over by a roller. Spitting and shaking, the hedgehog got to his feet and staggered back to Cosmic. When he reached the mare lying motionless, he looked back and stared into the darkness.

He was expecting something: a shot in the back, in the face, or at Cosmic, but nothing happened. The landscape around him was dark and silent – and, as it had been after the recent skirmish with the raiders, it smelled of gunpowder and blood.

The assassin who had just shot the squad had escaped.

Sonic froze, unsure of what to do. Run after him? But where? Which way? The pony had disappeared, vanished into the night as if he had never existed. So the only thing left to do was to save those who might have survived.

The hedgehog looked at the mare and gasped as he found himself sitting in a pool of blood beneath her, slowly seeping into the ground.

His heart was pounding, and his breath was catching in his throat. The alien was clearly not ready for such horrors.

“Now, Cosmic, now…” he fumed. “So, where did she keep healers here…?”

With trembling hands, he opened one of the saddlebags of the blue earth pony and shoveled everything out. It was all wrong! A burst tin can, some crushed food packets, a broken flashlight (oh, he wished Metal Dawn had a light like in a stallion’s ass…), an armor repair kit, but absolutely nothing in the way of medical supplies.

The hedgehog groaned in frustration and shook out the other bag. Bottle shards, a bag of caps, a blister of pills crumbling to dust, an intact flask of water, and… there it was! – a bag of bandages and two saved healing potions.

Without hesitation, Sonic tore open the package and began to wrap Cosmic’s shoulder. The bandages got wet quickly, but a few layers later, the bleeding seemed to stop.

Sonic picked up the potion bottle and moved closer to Cosmic’s head to bring her around and make her drink the medicine – when he suddenly heard voices and footsteps approaching. Somebody was on the way here, and not alone. It couldn’t end well after what had happened.

The unicorn, harnessed to a cart that had fallen over sideways, groaned and stirred, holding his head. Sonic looked at him, at Cosmic, then at the potion in his hand… and closed his eyes, tormented by inner contradictions.

Why is it always so complicated?! Why do I have to choose who to help and who not to help?! Especially when another option is to save myself! Why?!

On the other hand, the pony didn’t look hurt too badly. It seemed he was just knocked out during the fight. Which meant that…

The voices were getting closer. There was no time for anything else.

Sighing loudly, Sonic grabbed both healing potions and rushed to the cart. Quickly untangling the harness from the lying unicorn, he jumped inside and burrowed into a pile of wrappers that smelled deliciously of cheese.

Stomp… stomp… stomp…

Closer and closer…

They stopped. Very close.

Sonic began to breathe quietly through his mouth so as not to give himself away. Something told him that he wouldn’t be happy to come face to face with these ponies. Even if he considered that they wouldn’t be able to catch him.

This was about something else.

Cosmic… If he tried anything to defend her, he could very well get himself killed and her as well. The way the meeting with the raiders had ended had dampened his excitement; it seemed much harder now to do justice. After all, taking on murderers and psychos wasn’t like stealing a truck from bank robbers with them inside. It required… something more than just the desire to uphold justice. Something important that Sonic doubted he had in himself.

It’s easy to show off when you feel immortal. And simply impossible when that confidence is shaken.

“…Aha, there he is!” There was an unpleasant voice almost right above the hedgehog’s ear. A muffled thump and a painful groan from the unicorn merchant. “You’ve had enough? You’re coming with us. We don’t care who you are, only how many caps you can bring. And your horn makes you even more valuable.”

Another blow and the prisoner cried out in pain. He must have been hit on the horn with a hoof.

“Holy shit!” said another of the villains in a hoarse voice. “Look at the security this asshole signed up for! Fuuuuuuck… and the pegasers too… I ain’t wanna meet the guy who killed ‘em all!”

“Look!” A third voice, a bit younger than the other two. “There’s a survivor here! Even bandaged herself before she passed out… Eh, too bad she’s gonna die, but I could‘ve gone with her…”

“You can have a good time while she’s alive,” the first one said. “If you’re not afraid of getting blood all over you.”

“Shit!” A clatter of hooves on the ground: the pony jumped aside. “You should have warned me!”

“Let’s just finish her off,” huskily said the other. “We can’t take her with us anyway.”

“Alright,” said the first. “Sawed-Off, shoot. There’s already blood everywhere…”

“Do you want to waste a bullet on a mare that can die on her own?” shouted another voice. Obviously that was the merchant. “You guys are idiots.”

“Shut up!” Another blow and a moan of pain. “Put something in his mouth, eh? He’s talking too much.”

“Hey, let’s take it all for ourselves?” the husky suggested with a chuckle. “There are suuuuch weapons in here, how ‘bout ‘em, Sawed-Off? And we could use some extra food…”

“We ain’t get paid for this,” the first one, obviously the leader of the gang, reminded them. “We can’t carry all this stuff. And what are you going to do when you run out of ammo for one of these things? Someone’s going to take it and smash your face in with it… No, let’s get this off first.” There was a nudge and a moo in response: the trader was already gagged. “Then we’ll go back and get what we need. Okay?”

“Yeah,” said the husky. “Let’s go then? Hey, Sawed-Off, you got a shot at her yet?”

“Back off,” said the third. Sonic shuddered as he heard the click of a gun being set to fire. “I’ll shoot her and then we’ll go…”

No! You wouldn’t dare! Hedgehog bit down on his gloved hand so the chattering of his teeth wouldn’t give him away. Someone, stop him…

“C’mon, that asshole was right: it’s just a waste of a load,” the leader said, and I think he kicked the merchant again. “If we’re lucky, we’ll come back in the morning and clean this place out. Cager, hold him. And you, Sawed-Off, help us put our bracelets on him…”

For some time, there was fumbling, interspersed with soft cursing and clanking. The prisoner didn’t seem to resist the chains at all. Holy Keanu, he didn’t stand a chance! And even if Sonic had intervened, any one of those three could have finished off the merchant. And then both the hedgehog and Cosmic could have been hurt.

Sonic was shaking – too much for him to dare go into super speed mode again. For the third time that night. Without replenishment. Without a normal, relaxing rest.

He’d run from the abandoned building and those laps around Cosmic on sheer drive, powered by fear for the fate of the mare he’d taken in. But now the adrenaline had worn off and there was nothing left to feed his inner motivator.

Damn, it’s like hiding from echidnas! thought the hedgehog, almost gritting his teeth in helplessness. If only they would go away soon…

At last, the vague rustling stopped, and hoofsteps could be heard moving away. The chains jingled melodiously with each of them.

It was only when the sound of the stranger’s presence faded into the distance that Sonic breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed exhaustedly into the cart. But he immediately shook his head, jumped up, got out of the pile of cheese wrappers, and ran back to Cosmic.

She had to be brought to her senses.

“When did they leave?” the earth pony asked, breathing hard from the stabbing pain in her shoulder.

As luck would have it – as luck would really have it! – Metal Dawn had stomped out all the painkillers. Not just hers, but everyone else's as well. Furthermore, as Sonic had reported after checking the bags of the dead team members at her request, the stallion had destroyed half of their healing potions and supplies. The rest, no doubt, he had taken with him. Along with all their caps and Pegasi combat drugs, the only dope the mayor had tolerated in The Republic.

Silver Star will kill me. And then he’ll find Metal Dawn and kill him, too. With sticking a shotgun halfway up to his…

Sonic shrugged.

“Two hours, maybe. I don’t know!” He shook his head. “I lived without a smartwatch for so many years, and then I forgot to put it on, and that’s it…”

“What are you talking about…?”

It was hard to talk. The words weren’t forming into a meaningful sentence in her brain, and her jaw felt like it was getting heavier and wouldn’t move. It’s from the blood loss, Cosmic thought lazily. Fuck, if Nightlight were alive, she’d do something… about this… Damn you, Dawn, for killing our medic!

“Never mind…” Sonic brushed aside, but immediately became serious. “Are… you okay?”

“Can’t you see?” A faint grin touched the earth pony’s mouth. “I’m doing my best not to die. Oh Goddesses…”

It was only now that Cosmic began to realize the horror of what had happened.

“Nightlight… Snow… Stream, Spark…” She breathed more frequently. Her eyes were fixed on the black night sky. “They’re all there… And he’s got them… He’s got them…”

The mare let out a howl of pain – not physical, but mental – and clattered to the ground, sobbing. She couldn’t even lift a hoof to wipe away her tears, so tired and injured she was. She screamed – releasing all the despair that had gripped her when she realized her comrades were gone.

At all. Completely. Forever.

Cosmic didn’t believe in some kind of ponies’ paradise or wherever souls were supposed to go after death. The Wasteland didn’t leave any room for faith.

Sonic sat next to her, holding the blue earth pony so she wouldn’t accidentally hurt herself. He didn’t say anything – perhaps realizing that words couldn’t fix anything here.

Finally, Cosmic fell silent. After she had cried out some of her pain, she only sobbed quietly while the remains of something salty and wet oozed out of her eyes and flooded her face. Soon that stopped as well.

No. I must… survive. I don’t wanna… leave… like this…

Catching her breath, she turned back to Sonic:

“Listen, have you seen… my gun here?”

“This?”

He put something in her hooves. Something very familiar.

Yes, it was her Argument. Cosmic tensed and, catching herself, pulled the bolt of the carbine with her teeth. It didn’t seem to be broken. But there was only one way to test the weapon in action – by shooting. The earth pony didn’t want to attract anyone’s attention right now.

It was lucky that Metal Dawn hadn’t arrived in time and that the slavers had been too lazy to search her and take Nige and Dan away. At least if the carbine jammed, she’d have something to shoot back with.

“You can get something yourself. For protection,” she said, gripping the gun tightly and running her hoof lovingly over the worn gold letters on the barrel: LAST AЯGUMЭИT. “And kick me when they’re back. I wanna know in advance where to shoot. Until then, I’ll–”

…sleep, she wanted to finish, but her strength left her.

Her consciousness slipped back into darkness.

Cosmic awoke to a stinging kick in her side, right where her ribs were resting against her armor. As soon as the mare opened her eyes, Sonic immediately removed his foot. Cosmic wrinkled her nose as the movement tore away a crust of dried blood beneath her armor.

Her shoulder still hurt, but not as badly as it had at first. Her head was surprisingly clear – as clear as it could be, of course.

Cosmic grinned and gripped her carbine more comfortably, preparing to take it in her teeth and fire back.

Sonic touched her healthy shoulder gently.

“Wait – he seems to be alone out there,” the hedgehog said quietly, peering into the darkness as she did, where she could hear someone’s slow hoofsteps.

“Hide,” Cosmic whispered back.

If the slavers had decided to send only one of them to get the stuff, they had made a big mistake. Because the mare they were about to waste a shot on had not only survived, but was now armed.

And if only one of them remained and the other two were put down, the life of another scum wouldn’t be a significant loss to the Wasteland.

Cosmic put the carbine aside for a moment, lifted herself up on the ground with the hoof of her good leg, unhooked her saddlebags, shoved her surviving belongings into them, and tucked the bags under her back. Then she picked up her weapon again, but now she was sitting instead of lying down. It was definitely more comfortable.

“One more step and you’re dead,” she said as the unknown pony stopped at the overturned cart and grabbed the mouthgrip of her Argument.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Sonic crouching on the ground behind the bodies of Spark and Nightlight. With any luck, the hedgehog would remain a mystery to this lonely guest. For some reason, Cosmic didn’t think there were many ponies who needed to know about the blue alien.

“Easy,” the irritated voice replied, and the mare was surprised to recognize it as Monterey Jack. “Or I’ll shoot you.”

In the faint glow of his horn, a shotgun could be seen aimed at Cosmic.

Blimey… We’ve obviously been hocked for a pile of caps. Me, to be exact.

With telekinesis, Monterey put the cart on its wheels and unloaded the scattered cheese wrappers into it. Then he turned his head to look for another, whispered a curse, and walked straight toward Cosmic.

She raised her carbine but was in no hurry to shoot. It seemed he didn’t want to kill her now. The shotgun was meant to be a tool for conversation, not murder.

“Now tell me…” Monterey said, his voice trembling with restrained rage as he jammed the double-barreled weapon into Cosmic’s neck. “What. The. Fuck. Was. That?!”

“One of my troops turned out to be a traitor,” the earth pony grumbled. It was hard to stay calm when your life literally hung on someone else’s trigger. “He somehow managed to turn invisible and used the darkness to shoot everyone else, leaving you to the slavers who happened to be nearby. He tried to kill me as well, but only wounded me. And then he ran away. Sorry, I don’t know much more than that myself. His last villainous speech –” Cosmic chuckled, blinking away tears “– turned out to be… quite rambling.”

“Arrrgh… Damn it!” the unicorn stomped, throwing the shotgun aside in frustration. Then he sat down on his croup and wrapped his front legs around his head.

What the hay is going on here…?

A new piece of the puzzle fell into place in the earth pony’s mind.

“Does it have something to do with that tube you were wearing?” she asked randomly. “That’s what you were looking for, isn’t it?”

“It doesn't matter,” the merchant said hoarsely. “You can’t help me anyway. Except return the contract fee. You and your damn crew didn’t fulfill it.”

“Look in the bags,” Cosmic sighed, pointing her head behind her back. “It would be too painful for me to do it myself.”

“You’ll be patient,” Monterey threw at her.

He got up and walked around behind her. Cosmic felt the magic lift her up, then put her back on the lighter bags. Contrary to expectations, quite gently: the wounded shoulder didn’t even raise the tone of its painful whine. Despite his anger, the unicorn was no sadist.

“I should be able to get more compensation from you for my lost cargo,” he muttered, walking back to the cart with his caps. “But this stupid contract only gives me ten caps per fucking kilogram… and what was missing weighed a lot less than that. You owe me two… no – three caps… Cosmic Valor.”

Said in a contemptuous tone, the earth pony’s name sounded like bitter sarcasm.

“Consider it your force majeure fee,” the mare grinned wryly. “I won’t ask for a thousand because…” she closed her eyes, struggling to say it, “yes, I screwed up. I didn’t even think it could turn out like this! And… how did you get away from them? And what, you don’t even try to go through anypony around?” she returned the taunt back.

Monterey Jack sighed heavily and seemed to make a facehoof.

“They’re all dead. I had help, and I… Fuck, I just tried to rob a unicorn filly that just came out of a Stable a few hours ago, and she hit me with it, threatening to shoot me if I even put a couple of holes in her. If it didn’t work out with her, I wasn’t an idiot to mess with a mercenary squad leader right after that. Even if she’s injured.”

“From a Stable? Really?” Cosmic’s eyebrows raised. “I thought all these shelters were abandoned for long…”

“Apparently not,” the merchant said venomously, strapping himself back into his cart. “You’re on your own. I’ll try to get to Tenpony myself somehow. Thanks a lot for protecting me.”

“Wait,” the mare called to him, then wrinkled her nose as her shoulder reminded her of a cascade of unpleasant sensations. “What was in that tube?”

“I don’t know,” Monterey snapped. “I was just supposed to deliver it. That’s the end of it, and I’m out of here. You’re a pretty good target now, you know. And a very profitable one, with all the stuff that’s left over,” he pointed with his hoof in the direction of the corpses. “Anyone around will be hit. So goodbye.”

“There’s one more thing. Do you happen to know if there are any merchants in New Appleloosa who buy up all kinds of… rare artifacts?”

“Mm-hmm.” He was about to leave, but stopped and turned back. “Why do you want it?”

“I think it might have something to do with… well, everything that’s been going on.”

“Basically, there’s this one guy,” Monterey began to remember. “I don’t know his name, I’ve only seen him a few times. He always sits in a dark cloak against a wall somewhere in the Turnpike, but he leaves at the first sign of trouble, and then you can’t find him. He’s a shady one, I wouldn’t risk messing with him. But they say he pays a decent price for some items, especially pre-war ones. I don’t know who he sells them to. Nopony knows…”

“Thank you,” Cosmic replied, spreading herself tiredly on the ground and putting the bags under her back.

This short conversation exhausted her completely.

The merchant turned and walked away, dragging a creaking cart of cheese behind him.

The mare waited until he was far enough away before turning to Sonic, “That’s it, you can come out now. And… do you have any more healing potions? I’m kinda feeling a bit–”

“The last one.” A bottle hit the hoof of her healthy leg. “The rest broke. All of them.”

“Oh, I get it.” With a leg around the potion, Cosmic drank it, but with almost no taste. “That bastard, may he rot in Canterlot, figured everything so that none of us had the slightest chance… There was one thing he miscalculated,” she grinned, turning her head to Sonic. “That you would come. Although…” she shook her head sadly, “that doesn’t make it any easier.”

“You’re not just going to lie here until you get better, are you?” hedgehog asked. “Maybe we can go to your base when you’re better?”

“Are you kidding?” Cosmic snorted. “There are so many plasma mines around that I’ll never go there. Even if, as you say, there’s a corridor there now. It’s just…” She sighed. “That place will remind me of the guys now. And that hurts twice as much.”

“I’m sorry,” Sonic lowered his eyes. “Maybe you have another place in mind?”

Cosmic thought about it. The healing potion cleared her head a bit, which was again covered by a fog of pain, so it was not too difficult to think of an option.

“You know, there is,” she said. “There’s a town called Ponyville, a few hours’ walk from here. It’s a shithole full of raiders now, but from what I’ve been told, it’s where–”

“…where Twilight Sparkle got her start in learning the magic of friendship,” Sonic finished for her.

“You… from… where…”

The mare’s anger returned, the same anger she’d felt after the hedgehog’s revelations at Murky’s bar. Her soul was stabbed again by the feeling that something was being kept from her.

“I’ll tell you everything, okay? But when we get to a safe place. I think the time for you to listen to it is almost upon us.”

Tell it to me, quickly! Cosmic wanted to demand… but there was no strength left for objections.

Instead, she yawned and continued, “There’s an abandoned farm nearby. We can go there. Actually, there’s nothing there but garbage… but it’ll be fine for a few days’ rest.”

“Good,” Sonic nodded. “Then get some rest and we’ll be on our way.”

…As the light began to fade, a casual traveler would have seen a strange sight: a blue hedgehog and a blue earth pony were walking together through the Wasteland. The mare’s left foreleg was slung over Sonic’s shoulder, and she was waddling on three hooves.

Dawn was coming… if one could call it that. Another gray, cruel day under a cloudy sky.

A tear rolled down her cheek and fell, soaking into the contaminated ground.

When she and Sonic arrived, Cosmic had just collapsed and lay unconscious all day, her body recovering from the blood loss. The healing potions had done their job, but in such small quantities, they couldn’t heal someone all at once.

And they certainly couldn’t heal a soul. Repeatedly shot with a .44 caliber revolver.

When she regained consciousness, Cosmic was left alone with the thoughts that tormented her. The realization that she could have done things differently – for example, not taking Metal Dawn with her, bringing his aggressive advances to light, or keeping a closer eye on him instead of talking to Monterey – hurt her more than the bullet that had gone through her shoulder, perhaps scratching the bone.

Now there was no turning back. She just couldn’t bear such shame.

She didn’t deserve to live while her friends died because of her foolishness. It was only fair, in her opinion.

Goodbye, Wasteland, Cosmic thought, crying silently with the muzzle of her carbine in her mouth. I couldn’t change you for the better. I hope Sonic will be more successful in it.

The hooves pressed down on the stick that pulled the trigger…

“What the heck are you doing?” a stern voice rang in her ear.

“AAAAH!”

Cosmic shrieked in surprise and released the barrel of Argument from her mouth. The wand snapped with a crack; the weapon fired a short burst that buzzed next to the earth pony’s head and bounced off the roof.

Breathing heavily, the mare stopped her faltering gaze at whatever it was that had distracted her.

Hovering at her level was a sprite-bot, a flying balloon with wings and a loudspeaker. Usually bots played pre-war music – not the kind the blue earth pony listened to, but pseudo-heroic stuff that sounded like a misplaced and ridiculous belch of the past amid the post-apocalypse, – but this one was silent. And seemed to be watching Cosmic intently.

“Think again. You might be making a big mistake,” the same voice continued from the loudspeaker.

“You’re just a sprite-bot,” the mare muttered, staring dazedly at the hovering metal sphere with her eyes wide open. “You can’t talk… Well, of course,” she exhaled suddenly, pointing her weapon at the sprite-bot. “Who are you? What do you want from me? Where the hay did you come from?”

“Cosmic?” Sonic’s face peered cautiously out of the house. “I heard shots…” He looked at the carbine. “Wait, what are you…” And then the hedgehog saw the sprite-bot. “What the hell is this?”

“Call me Watcher. Basically, my main job is to keep an eye on what’s going on in the Wasteland. These sprite-bots are proving to be a very useful tool.” There was a slight chuckle.” Sometimes I intervene to make a difference, to help someone, or to prevent someone from acting rashly. Your case seems to fall into the latter category.”

“What’s the case?” Sonic asked incomprehensibly and turned to Cosmic, who held a weapon in her hooves. “Wait, you’re not gonna–”

“Apparently not.” The mare carefully put down the carbine and leaned it against the wall of the house. “What can you do to help me? You won’t get my troop back anyway. And you don’t have any food, of course.”

“There’s always another way,” the sprite-bot replied. No – someone who’s been running it. “You must find your virtue to guide your actions. Perhaps it will become your new reason to exist… which I can see you need now.”

“I don’t know,” Cosmic shook her head. “Everything seems so meaningless… I have nothing left that matters. Fighting comrades, together with whom we went through so much? Murdered by a traitor among them. A profitable job and a good reputation? No one will hire me to guard a caravan now. My home? Would I be accepted there after what happened?”

She sighed and looked at Sonic. “The only thing I can do is help him find the Elements of Harmony to save his world. And for this one, there’s nothing left anymore.”

“W… what did you say?” the voice from the loudspeaker asked in amazement.

“Elements of Harmony. You know something about them?” Cosmic looked at the bot expectantly.

“N… no, nothing,” Watcher said deafly after a pause. “Just that they disappeared with their hosts when the world ended.” His tone dropped almost to a whisper, as if it physically hurt him to speak on the subject. “They were the best ponies in all of Equestria…”

“Tell me more,” the blue earth pony begged. “Please.”

“Twilight Sparkle. Applejack. Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash. Rarity. Fluttershy.” There was an undisguised bitterness in Watcher’s voice. “The six Ministry Mares who had been put in charge of Equestria during Princess Luna’s reign. But even they couldn’t stop this world from collapsing under its own evil.”

“You can see that,” Cosmic remarked. “Not even a single pony, not even six can do that. But you still haven’t given me a reason to live for Equestria… or what’s left of it. I don’t think even your virtue can make a difference. All the shit that’s going on here will stay here, and I’ll just die. Better that,” she glanced at the carbine, “than by the raiders’ hooves or starvation.”

“So you’re nervous about food?” Sonic said, laughing and waving his hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right here!”

And he immediately ran off, vanishing in the distance with a blue spark.

“Wow,” muttered Watcher, turning the sprite-bot around to follow Sonic. “I’ve never seen a creature like that before…”

“You know, neither had I until recently,” Cosmic hummed. “He came to us in The Republic, said he was from another world and was looking for the Elements of Harmony, showed us his portal rings, ‘cause of which a part of my group was killed… Anyway,” she sighed. “We’re outcasts now. So we have to find a way to survive.”

“Do you want revenge on… somepony who did this?”

“Of course I do, dammit!” She slammed her front hoof into the ground. “I’m gonna make that bastard answer for everything! He’d fired his revolvers a total of eleven times, so he’d get at least eleven bullets from Argument. If only,” the mare grinned wryly, “somehow, miraculously, I manage to find him. ‘Cause he’s wearing an invisibility cloak! And I didn’t expect anything to go wrong…”

“Don’t let your anger get the better of you,” Watcher warned. “Try to understand what you wanna do, not your inner demons.”

“To restore justice,” Cosmic said. “It’s either me or him. I still don’t absolve myself of responsibility for the oversight that cost so much. But if I find Metal Dawn and punish him for his crimes, at least I won’t be ashamed to return to The Republic. That course of action will be understood there… hopefully.”

“Well, good luck on your hard way… Cosmic, right?”

“Cosmic Valor,” the earth pony corrected and picked up the carbine again. “If you make a joke about my name, I’ll have your bot for scrap metal.”

“Not even gonna,” said Watcher.

And the music returned. The sprite-bot was no longer under anyone’s control. Spinning in place, the metallic wanderer of the Wasteland turned and flew away, broadcasting something sickeningly heroic.

Cosmic waited until he was out of sight, then took one look at the weapon in her hooves and, like Monterey, kicked it away.

Damn it – after such an incredible rescue as she’d had that night, she wasn’t ready to die either.

Dust rose in a cloud in the distance. Cosmic looked up and saw a familiar blue trail heading toward the farm. And apparently, the hedgehog was now carrying something.

The mare got to her hooves and went to pick up the carbine lying in the dust. When she came back to the entrance of the house, Sonic was already standing on the doorstep with a heavy, even if it looked, box on his shoulders.

“Huh,” he exhaled and threw the container to the ground. Then opened the lid with his foot and pulled out one of the cans with a yellow and pink label. “Take your order – Condensed Fluffy Milk with Love. Ministry of Peace, 1031 Harmony Era. Shelf life unlimited…”

Cosmic snorted at the ridiculousness of both the situation (a hedgehog bringing a two-hundred-year-old can of milk to a pony just to keep her from shooting herself) and the can’s label. And in the next instant, the mare was overcome with hysterical laughter.

She was rolling on the ground, hammering on it with her hooves – and tears were streaming from her eyes at the same time. The remnants of grief for the lost former life.

The outburst of emotions ended as suddenly as it had begun. Cosmic sat outside for a while to get her thoughts in order and to look at the huge orchard of dead apple trees, then she put Argument on her back and went into the house.

The first floor was so full of dust and debris that she didn’t want to stay there for long. Even when the injured earth pony reached the farmhouse, she found the strength to make it to the second floor before passing out. When she woke up, she found that Sonic hadn’t wasted any time either.

The stairs creaked slightly. Cosmic entered a spacious room on the second floor (the other rooms were rubble or destroyed) and sat down in the corner, putting the carbine next to her.

Near the window, a small, even compared to Sonic, yellow fox with two luxurious tails was fiddling with a large, like a packed backpack, and with the look of a terribly complex device. Cosmic even looked at her own tail – her dark brown hair was tangled and looked as lame as possible. It might need to get washed as well.

Sonic sat at the table, busy with an ancient terminal. Surprisingly, this product of past technomagical developments still worked, even though there was no power anywhere. After the "eternal" canned food, it didn’t seem impossible anymore. The spark batteries might not be completely depleted.

“How you doing?” Tails (that was the fox’s name) turned to the mare. “Is everything… alright?”

“No,” Cosmic replied shortly. “But that’s none of your business. Never mind. I…” she sighed. “I’ll manage. Probably.”

Tails looked at her carefully and then, apparently having drawn some conclusions of his own, nodded and went back to work.

Sonic said that the idea to bring the fox with his detector had come to him when Cosmic and her team had left the hedgehog alone and were on their way to New Appleloosa. There were still rings left, but there was nothing to do, especially since the main mission was at a dead end. And Tails was just the one to help them find a more precise destination.

He’d just have to get his strange, bulky equipment up to date.

“Whoa…” Sonic said, keeping his eyes on the terminal. “Look, there are audio recordings here… Well, let’s repair the damaged ones… and now…”

He pressed a button. The room was immediately filled with disturbing, menacing music, heavily laced with interference. The deep, squeaky voice of a singer sounded.

Rise up, my loved Equestria,
Rise up for…

“Shut down!”

“What?” Sonic was surprised and turned to Cosmic. “Why?”

Against the evil Zebra force…

“Shut down, I said!”

“Alright.” He pressed the button again and the music stopped. “Uh… can you explain what’s wrong?”

“Damn you…” Cosmic swore floridly. “I hate old war songs. They are here like ghosts from the past – reminders of what happened two centuries ago that we could have prevented, but for some reason did not. I hate feeling guilty every time for our ancestors who let it happen.”

She rested the back of her head against the wall.

“Maybe it was right, maybe it wasn’t – it doesn’t matter now. The whole world, all of us, made two big mistakes. I’ll tell you now, and you’ll know what they were. One day, we and the zebras decided to throw some megaspells around, either thinking it wouldn’t make much of a difference or, on the contrary, wanting to make a difference, and accidentally burned the whole world to the ground. What was left after that, you can see for yourself. And then the worst happened. We. Have. Survived.”

Sonic said nothing. He turned back to the terminal screen, scrolled down the file list, and started a randomly selected record.

The first chord was long, harmonious, and majestic. Cosmic fought the sudden urge to stand up. And even more – to raise a hoof to her temple in salute.

And then the song itself started.

The Harmony light, which is shining in darkness,
Is bringing salvation from oppressing chaos,
With moonlight and sunshine to brighten our path now.
A beautiful era is waiting for us!

Praised be the homeland, our beloved Equestria,
For magic of friendship a secure stronghold!
Forever guarded by Luna and Celestia,
Praised be our land, we are safe from Discord![1]

Cosmic didn’t notice as she began to cry again. The sounds of the measured, majestic melody touched some strings in her soul, and it was impossible to ignore it.

And from Fillydelphia to Cloudsdale
Our fields and our gardens have stretched far away.
Alone in the whole world, you stand one and only,
For each single pony a dear native land.

Wiping her eyes, the mare looked up and away. The window showed only an unsightly present, a legacy of an even worse past, but the song gave hope that beyond those gray clouds, a better future awaited Equestria. With sunshine and rainbows.

It must be an anthem, Cosmic guessed. Composed in those distant times when there wasn’t even the stench of war here.

So let tiny spark in our souls get blazing,
And then it will never go out again!
And stronger than troubles is our solid friendship –
It was so, it is and will always remain!

As the last chorus sounded, Cosmic blinked away the remaining tears and took a breath. It turned out that listening to the anthem, she didn’t dare not only to move, but even to breathe. Sonic and Tails looked shocked as well.

I must survive, a thought formed in her brain. I must find my virtue and change things for the better. Otherwise, the Wasteland will remain the Wasteland forever – with only a pale shadow of the order and law needed for normal life.

Were there other ponies with the same goals? I think so, yes. But all of them are clearly long dead – and most of them probably didn’t die of their own accord. Are there any now? I don’t know. But if there are, their time may not have come yet.

Unlike mine.

Late in the afternoon, the three of them sat on the floor of the terminal room, drinking condensed milk that Sonic had brought straight from the tin. The canned milk was thick and sweet – just as it was supposed to be. Gosh, I wouldn’t mind living in that Equestria where they make this stuff, Cosmic admitted admiringly.

“So, what are you gonna do now?” she asked the two aliens, who were more different from each other than ponies of different races, but were still on the same team. “You’re probably running out of time, aren’t you? And you’ve been sitting here for so long…”

“Well, not exactly…” Tails glanced sideways, and it didn’t escape the earth pony’s attention.

“Sonic, you promised to tell me everything,” she turned to the hedgehog with a determined glint in her eye. “Every last thing, no secrets. It’s time. Otherwise, I’ll no longer cooperate with you anymore.”

“Good,” Sonic sighed. “Then here’s the biggest secret of all: your world is fiction. Equestria is made up.”

“Uh… what do you mean?”

It didn’t feel like some kind of revelation. It felt more like an… unfunny joke.

“In the world where Tails and I came from, there’s a cartoon show about the ponies,” the hedgehog explained. “A series of drawn and voiced stories about the kind of world I’d expect to see here. Where there’s no war, and everyone lives in peace and harmony, and when some villain shows up, the Mane Six get together and fight back…”

“And how did you get here if this world is fiction?” Cosmic asked snidely. “Do the rings allow you to go anywhere at all?”

“They do,” Tails nodded seriously. “I researched them once and came to the conclusion that they’re connected to space within the Multiverse–”

“Let’s not get off topic,” the earth pony interrupted him. “So you mean to say that you came here – to the invented, as you say, world – to find artifacts and take them with you, which are also invented, yes? That’s the craziest shit I’ve ever heard in my life.”

“But I’ve seen your country on TV! And this place didn’t look so…” Sonic hesitated, choosing a word, “wild! Where are your ideals of friendship? Where have they gone?”

“Equestria is gone. And friendship too. All that’s left is stupid, soulless magic that, like before, only unicorns have. And one simple but clear rule: kill or die. And be glad if either happens quickly.”

“And what about you and your troop…?”

“Now I don’t even know,” Cosmic lowered her gaze. “Maybe it wasn’t even a friendship, but just a cooperation for survival, based on the assumption that none of us would shoot at the others for his or her own good. And we carried weapons as if for such an occasion.”

She thought for a moment and then added, “By the way, what is TV?”

Five minutes later…

“Twilight Sparkle became the supreme ruler of Equestria? Huh. I’ll never believe this. She’s not even related to the Princesses. Then war would break out for the throne, and the Zebras would never miss a chance to seize the moment. The end would be shit anyway.”

Half an hour later…

“…Well, let’s say you convinced me.” With the hoof of a healthy leg, Cosmic rubbed her shoulder, which was hurting again. “Although it’s a load of crap, honestly. And tell me, if everything was so happy there, even with five alicorn princesses, why’s everything so bad now?”

The hedgehog and the fox looked at each other.

“We don’t know,” Tails said. “Maybe something happened one day, and this reality started making its own rules.”

“Eh, if only another episode had been the starting point…!” Sonic slammed his fist down and grabbed his head. “We’d be here in a normal, peaceful version of the future…!”

“You still have the rings,” Cosmic remarked in a colorless tone. “Why didn’t you just–”

“I tried!” shouted the hedgehog, jumping to his feet. “I told you – I tried Ponyville first, but it turned out to be almost destroyed, covered in blood, shit and corpses! If I had imagined another place, it wouldn’t have made any difference! Somehow it had become! Just! Like! Here!”

He was breathing heavily, standing with a look of rage and despair on his face and his fists clenched. The rage left him as quickly as it had enveloped him; Sonic swayed and fell back onto his butt, then covered his face with his palms.

“And what then?” Cosmic asked quietly. “Actually, I wanted to ask you what you plan to do now. How’ll you search for these Elements? And why’re you not in a hurry?”

“When you left me in that house,” the hedgehog replied, pulling his hands away from his face, which was frozen in tired sadness, “I had been in this world for almost two days. For Tails, it was only ten minutes before I called him.”

“Eleven and a half,” the fox said, and shook his head. “I don’t know what this is about. I can only think that time passes much faster here… But it’s for the best. It means we’ll have time for everything.”

“Oh, yeah.” The earth pony was no longer surprised. “Well… and?”

“I need at least a couple of days to calibrate the detector,” Tails said, waving his hand towards the device. “The energy field here is quite unstable, although the artifacts’ signatures are clear. But the variation in parameters is still too great. Both in direction and range.”

“You’ll obviously need an escort,” Cosmic said. “You don’t know a damn thing about anything out here.”

“You cannot move much yet,” objected the fox. “Your wound–”

“I’ll be back to normal in two or three days. Thanks to the healing magic… But I have my own business that’s more important to me.” She gritted her teeth. “To find Metal Dawn and make him answer for everything.”

“Maybe he went back to New Appleloosa?” Sonic suggested. “To get a payoff from that merchant? And stayed there…”

“You know, there’s something in that,” Cosmic admitted, and grinned. “Probably drinks our and given caps… Oh, I feel, he will eat the bullets by all his holes – for 5.56, nine and ten millimeters at the same time…”

“Watcher…” Tails said suddenly. “I’m haunted by something in him. There’s something strange about him – some secret he doesn’t want to reveal about himself. And that reaction to the mention of the Elements…” He looked at the mare. “Before you go, can you please call him in for another talk? I really wanna track his signal and find out where he’s transmitting from. Maybe that brings us closer to an idea.”

“Will do,” Cosmic grinned and looked out the window again at the gray, dim sky.

She had a goal now. Life made sense again for a while.

Note: Level up.

Player: Cosmic Valor. Stealth skill increased to 50%. New perk: Thirst for Revenge – when you take damage, your stamina consumption is reduced by 20%, your damage threshold is increased by 1, and when your health is below 25% of maximum, enemy attacks deal 30% less damage. These effects last until the opponent is killed.

Player: Sonic. New perk: A Sapper for Yourself – each of your items has a 50% chance of being dropped on a mine. New quest perk: Breaking the Fourth Wall – you can convince enemies that they or you do not really exist.

[1] Lyrics by Dragonshy, translated from Russian (imitation of the national anthem as the Equestrian one). The original is here: https://tabun.everypony.ru/blog/Poetry_blog/29119.html

Chapter 8. Thunderstorm

— I didn’t want to! I-I didn’t mean it. They m-made me do it! I-I didn’t want t-t-to hurt h-her!

Fallout: Equestria, chapter 38

Rain was gathering over the Wasteland.

Dark gray clouds, denser than usual, puffed out their bellies, ready to burst with a flood of water. The air smelled of smoke and freshness; if one sniffed, a faint hint of ozone could be detected. A distant rumble announced that the storm was near.

A lone blue mare in blood-stained armor, laden with weapons, wandered across the lifeless plain. Her left shoulder was covered in bandages brown with dried blood, and she limped slightly on that leg. But her eyes were burning with determination to finish the route and fulfill the promise she’d made to herself.

If only that bastard is there, Cosmic thought – there was nothing else to do anyway. Then I wouldn’t have to chase him all over fucking Equestria. But he could tell everyone his version of what happened, and it would be my word against his. But I have the truth on my side, while he’s a dirty liar, a thief, and a murderer. He has to answer for everything.

If Metal Dawn isn’t there, it might be better in some ways: at least I’ll have an easier time convincing the town’s ponies that I’m right. I can’t stay there for long, though. There won’t be enough caps for a night’s lodging, or even enough to drink myself to death in grief. But in the meantime… oh shit!

The blue earth pony broke into a sweat and froze for a second.

He might as well have gone to The Republic! What to do, what to do, what to do…?

Frustrated, she kicked the ground with her hoof.

In the distance, the railroad tracks and the sprawl of New Appleloosa around them could already be seen. The town looked especially unfriendly in the gray weather. The first raindrops pattered softly on the ground, and the rumble of thunder drew nearer. A chill wind ruffled Cosmic’s mane and blew into her face, as if to force her to turn back and abandon her quest.

Discord I will, she decided, and continued on her way, with only a short distance to go.

It was too late to change anything. The only thing to do was to keep going.

The guards on the wall had stopped walking when they saw her and were now standing with their weapons pointed forward. Cosmic recognized them: Ivory and another who had met the squad on their last visit to the town.

The welded steel gate was about fifty meters away when the soft sound of the beginning rain was broken by the rumble of a shotgun blast. A fountain of wet earth sprang up at the mare’s hooves; she immediately took a step back and stared at the ponies pointing their guns at her.

She was being shot at. As if she were a raider, this cancerous tumor of the Wasteland. By the same ponies that had let her and her comrades in a few days ago without much conversation.

Cosmic’s insides were definitely torn. No, it still happened…

But it was too late to retreat.

“What are you doing?!” she shouted through the wind. “Ivory, I’m talking to you! Let me in! I need to talk to the sheriff, this is important…!”

“Yer outlawed for shootin’ yer squad!” A bullet from the sniper rifle slammed into the ground. Much closer, barely grazing her hoof. - Get outta here or we’ll open fire on ya! Sheriff Railright’s order!”

“He couldn’t–”

Ugh, of course he could: he’s the authority here!

Cosmic decided to change tactics.

“It was Metal Dawn who told him that, right?! He’s lying! He’s the one who killed th–”

The bullet whistled near her ear, almost causing the mare to bite her tongue in surprise.

“Ah won’t warn ya ‘gain!” Ivory had to shout over the thunder. The rain was already pouring down from the sky in thick streams, soaking everyone to the skin. “Next bullet t’ the head! Get outta here!”

“Whatever, shoot!” Cosmic stepped forward. “Just remember: if you kill me, you leave the real criminal alive and free within the walls of your town! And I have nothing to lose! There’s no one left! So shoot me, I’ll even be glad you did! Well, what are you standing there, eh?”

She waited for the shot. Waited for the pony sniper to be true to his orders and pull the trigger, interrupting her suffering from the losses that had weighed down on her with a heavy, almost unbearable weight. She waited for relief from the pain that was shooting from her wounded shoulder straight into her unarmored soul.

But no shot was fired.

“Drop yer weapons!” came the yell of a pony with a shotgun instead. “All weapons!”

In the sky, lightning flashed.

The assault carbine and two submachine guns fell to the dirt. The other’s telekinesis picked them up and carried them away.

The doors of the town began to open.

“You!”

Cosmic stood stiffly at the door of the shabby carriage, pointing a hoof at the one inside.

Metal Dawn looked up. There was a half-empty bottle of apple whiskey on the table beside him. Several more lay on the floor.

The stallion’s eyes widened when he saw Cosmic; he seemed to sober up in an instant. With an awkward swing of his forelegs, he fell off the stool and tried to scurry away, but the blue earth pony pounced on him and began hammering him hard in the face with her hooves. He struggled to get away, but not much succeeded.

“You… bastard… do you even know… what you’ve done?!” the mare shouted at him as she continued to hit him as hard as she could. Metal Dawn’s face was almost completely covered in blood. “You have… killed… our comrades! Without our squad… The Republic… was almost… left… without defense! And you’re here… drinking… caps… taken… from… them…!

“ENOUGH!!!” yelled sheriff Railright behind Cosmic’s back.

A shot rang out, nearly deafening both fighters. Flinching at the same time, they froze where they were and turned around.

Railright, a gray pony with a coal-black mane, spat out a revolver – the very familiar .44-caliber revolver! – and looked sternly at the two clashing mercenaries.

“Well, well…” he said, shifting his gaze from one to the other and back again. “So each o’ ya claims that the other’s the murderer an’ that one’s jus’ a victim…”

“He wounded me in the shoulder!” Cosmic shouted and pointed at the lying Metal Dawn again.

“I also have a piece of flesh torn out of my leg!” He lifted the left hind leg that was wrapped in bandages (much cleaner than the mare’s).

“You shot yourself to avoid suspicion…!”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!”

That had an effect. Well, at least he didn’t shoot at the ceiling again, otherwise we would’ve gone deaf, Cosmic thought.

“Well, if the confrontation can’t be passed in the normal way…” the sheriff’s voice was soft, deep, and ominous. “…then Ah’ll have t’ resort t’ other methods. Like... questionin’ both o’ ya at once.” His eyes narrowed. “For the beginnin’”.

Metal Dawn was lying on the floor, pinned by Railright’s hoof behind his neck. The sheriff’s left hind leg was on the interrogated’s privates, and from time to time Railright increased the pressure to add weight to his questions.

Cosmic sat nearby and listened. She had no pity for her former comrade. The rage that covered her eyes was gone, too – in its place, a cold blue flame of calculated, deliberate hatred burned in the mare’s soul.

And the earth pony wanted to know what had driven the stallion to this crime. It wasn’t just the caps. There was something else, something much more important. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have talked so much while standing over wounded Cosmic.

Outside it was pouring rain, providing an atmospheric backdrop to the ongoing action. The claps of thunder made her squirm from time to time, bringing a feeling of slight fear that combined with a carefully concealed nervousness in the mare’s soul. She was... uncomfortable being here. But she couldn’t leave either. She had no right.

Not until she knows everything from beginning to end.

She wanted to know why her fighters had been killed and why she had nearly shot herself. Maybe it’ll give her life a new meaning… after she helps Sonic and Tails, and they return to their world.

So she won’t make the same mistake again.

“…Who ordered ya their team?”

Railright pressed harder, both on the neck and somewhere lower. A long groan of pain with a hint of wheezing echoed through the carriage.

It didn’t take long for Metal Dawn to "float", while Cosmic answered questions clearly, telling the truth as she knew it. The hardest part was getting around the point about the existence of Sonic and the rings; but that part of the story interested the sheriff the least, so it wasn’t much of a problem.

The hoof on Metal Dawn’s neck relaxed a bit.

“I don’t know his name!” the light-brown stallion howled, trying to catch his breath between sentences. “He’s… wearing a hooded cloak… dark… Sitting on the Turnpike in the far corner… offered… to make some money… I agreed…”

“Why?” The pressure was back on. “Jus’ cuz o’ the caps?”

“I was forced!!!” Metal Dawn screamed, sobbing on the floor, blood and tears smeared on his face. “I didn’t have time to… think… anything… before… he stuck something in my leg! It was a syringe of something… He said it was poison and I had three days… to do what he said…”

“But he was not after us, was he?” Cosmic coldly inserted. “And a certain tube that Monterey Jack had with him. Right?”

“What kinda tube?” Railright turned to her.

Cosmic explained.

“So the merchant was the target, an’ ya were jus’ c’lateral damage…” the sheriff muttered, stomping so hard on Metal Dawn’s colthood that he screamed in unbearable pain… until the hoof on his throat turned the scream into a wheeze. “How ya got four o’ them shot?

“Night… I decided to take advantage of the darkness… I was given… a zebra cloak of invisibility… I had to act quickly so that... the pegasi with their PipBucks, where they could see my mark, couldn’t… react in time… I waited for the right moment… threw the cloak on… next thing y’know what happened… I couldn’t shoot her ‘cause…”

Don’t tell him about Sonic! Cosmic mentally begged. She still thought it would be better if New Appleloosa didn’t know about this new temporary resident of the Wasteland.

However, Metal Dawn himself wasn’t happy about including the blue hedgehog in his story. Didn’t want to bury himself any deeper.

“…’cause the slavers came just as this one had led them there… They were to take the unicorn, and no one’d ever see him again… I took the tube and ran away. They weren’t supposed to know about me.”

“Y’know what was inside?” Railright asked another question.

“Yes.” Metal Dawn licked his lips, which were stained with blood. “Some blueprints… I didn’t understand a damn thing about them, to be honest. I had two days left, so I thought I’d just take the load to that pony in cloak and get him to give me the rest of the caps… and the antidote…”

“An’?” the sheriff tilted his head slightly. “So yer wounds, supposedly from the battle, are really fake?”

Metal Dawn closed his eyes. Even though he had a break from the "special methods", it was obvious that he was having a hard time talking about it. About his deception that had somehow come out.

“Before I got to town, I” – his face twitched – “shot myself in the leg… added a few more scratches and wrapped myself in bandages. I wanted to give the impression of a miracle survivor…” He grinned crookedly. “So I did. Everyone believed me – even you, sheriff. Even you.”

“Ya seen that merchant since you got back?” The pressure was on again.

“Ahhhh… hhhh… hrr… not so much…” Metal Dawn’s eyes bulged with pain. Cosmic thought that once this was over, his testicles would hardly function at all. “Yes… yes, yes! Last night… oh-oh… when you left me here… I put on the cloak and slipped unnoticed past the guards at the entrance. We met behind the Turnpike… or rather, not like that…”

He breathed heavily, apparently remembering another unpleasant moment for himself.

“He appeared suddenly, out of the darkness… I had no time to do anything before he injected me again. My body stopped obeying me and I found myself on the ground. He leaned over me, took the tube… and told me the poison wasn’t real!!!”

Metal Dawn burst into tears.

“His poison… was… a fucking fake! To make me… do… what he needed!!! The asshole even thanked me for my work…” He started to calm down again. “I blacked out and when I woke up I found a bag full of caps next to me. He didn’t even take the zebra cloak away from me – so much he didn’t seem to care about me after I had done the job… It was still night, and I could easily return to the carriage unnoticed.

“Since then,” the stallion turned to Cosmic, “I’ve been sitting here waiting. Waiting for him to come back. To kill him. To make him pay for the way he used me! Everything that happened is his fault! Not mine! A-argh…”

“Oh, really?” Railright raised an eyebrow as he continued to test the strength of the interrogated’s body. “Ya agreed, an’ that was enough. Ya shot, an’ that’s what finally brought ya down. So don’t be happy. Ya’ll answer t’ the full extent o’ the law o’ New Ap’loosa.”

The sheriff looked at Cosmic.

“O’ course, Ah could turn him over t’ The Republic an’ let ya deal with him, but Ah don’t think either of us wants that headache. Besides,” he leaned toward Metal Dawn, “that piece o’ shit might run off on the way.”

Straightening, Railright raised his head. His eyes were full of determination.

“So we’ll take care of it ourselves. Here an’ now.”

He whistled, and one of the guards on duty outside peered into the carriage.

“Call here Crane an’ Apple Whiskey,” Railright ordered. “Tell ‘em it’s important an’ urgent. Eh,” he shook his head as the pony in the raincoat nodded and sped away, “if jus’ Calamity were here…”

“Calamity?” Cosmic asked, remembering the familiar rust-brown, red-haired pegasus. “And where’s he, by the way?”

“T’gether with Li’lPip, they went t’ an abandoned Stable not far from here.” At the mare’s confused look, he explained, "Li’lPip, the unicorn filly from the Stable. Not this one, the other, near Ponyville. Calamity shot her a while back, mistaking her for a raider. Still, they found a way t’ be friends.”

A raider, Cosmic thought, glancing at Metal Dawn, who was curled up on the floor. He acted like a damn raider that night. Actually, the only difference between us mercenaries and them is that we demand caps for what we do.

Suddenly she remembered Monterey Jack’s words to her after he had escaped from the slavers.

“They’re all dead. I had help, and I… Fuck, I just tried to rob a unicorn filly that just came out of a Stable…”

Was it really her? For the first time in her life, faced with the Wasteland’s abomination, the Stable dweller didn’t hesitate to help an unknown pony who was in trouble with her.

And in return, he betrayed her.

We’re all raiders at heart a little, the mare thought as she watched Metal Dawn, huddled and breathing heavily, waiting in fear for his fate to be decided. There is this virus in all of us. The only difference is who can resist it.

Suddenly, Metal Dawn roared and jumped to his hooves. Before Cosmic could think of anything, he pushed himself off the ground and lunged at Railright!

The mare leapt from her place to help the sheriff…

A shot rang out, causing her to slow down and the other guard to rush in.

Railright pushed Metal Dawn’s body away from him, a pool of blood beginning to spread underneath, and rose from the ground, looking down at his red-stained clothes with disgust. A revolver lay nearby, finally turned on its former owner.

“Well, so it’s over,” Railright muttered, hoofing away the blood that hadn’t had time to dry, and turned to the guard, who was staring at the wild scene with a stunned look on his face. “Make sure the body’s removed. But discreetly. No need t’ spread rumors.”

And then he turned to Cosmic.

“Stay the night? Anyway, yer cleared of all charges. Sorry for the way it turned out. Until you came, I had no... op’tunity t’ look into everythin’ in detail.” He looked at the body the guard was now dragging away. “All o’ his caps are yours now. Ya can pay for dinner an’ a night at the Turnpike if ya want.”

Cosmic nodded silently. The adrenaline had worn off, and now she wanted to sleep more than anything else in the world, and before that to take some painkillers, because her shoulder reminded her of itself again with a pulling pain. And she could eat something tomorrow.

For today there were more than enough impressions.

The steady hum of the bar flooded her ears, blinding her attention. There was nothing to think about, nothing to concentrate on.

Cosmic Valor sat and sipped her whiskey.

She had a lot of caps now: Railright’s decision, approved by the barpony and the local telekinetic, had given her all of Metal Dawn’s possessions, including the revolvers (though the sheriff had promised that she would only get the guns when she left) and the zebra cloak. Cosmic didn’t know if she would use it: the pain of the memories began to tear at her soul at the first sight of the large robe of translucent fabric with a small red crystal on the clasp.

Nothing else kept her here. The crime for which she longed for retribution was a thing of the past, as was the pony who had committed it; nothing stood in the way of Cosmic’s return to The Republic. Especially since there was no rush to offer new contracts: her reputation as a mercenary had been thoroughly damaged.

But if she went home right away, Sonic and Tails would be left alone with the Wasteland. Dammit, they didn’t even have weapons! She tried to give them Nige or Dan before she left, but the hedgehog didn’t agree. “It’s not our way,” he insisted. “There’s nothing here anyway, so the raiders should avoid this place. And if they do come, then–”

…then you’ll probably die, Cosmic thought grimly.

No, she couldn’t let them die for nothing. The mission of these two was important to them in its own way – just as it was important to her to get justice.

And she wouldn’t be welcomed home with open hooves. After all, she’d lost her team; and the town’s population, as Metal Dawn had pointed out when he’d started hitting on her aggressively, wasn’t exactly large. After a failure like that, she’d only have to guard the wall, nothing more. Half of the caps would go to the treasury one way or another, under Silver Star’s hoof. And soon Cosmic might be set up with someone, so she could finally stop fooling around and do what she was meant to do: give the town a new offspring.

And there’s no way to get outside the walls anymore. Unless she runs away forever, like Life Bloom. But that would be even worse because her heart would still ache for home.

And so the home will wait a bit longer.

She was about to call over Apple Whiskey and order another drink when she noticed a mysterious-looking figure in a dark cloak in the far corner where the spark-battery lights could barely reach. The stranger was sitting alone at a table, with only an empty glass in front of him. Who was he? How long had he been here? It all seemed like a mystery shrouded in darkness.

But Cosmic began to guess. Goddesses, she began to guess everything.

She literally stared at the strange merchant. He turned his head in her direction… and Cosmic realized that he, too, understood everything. It was as if something invisible had passed between them, forcing them to remember the recent past and make logical connections.

In a silent exchange of glances (though Cosmic couldn’t see the face of the merchant under the hood), perhaps half a minute passed. The earth pony didn’t even notice that the barpony was asking her something.

Meanwhile, the cloaked pony stood up silently and slid along the wall towards the exit. Obviously, he understood that he wouldn’t gain anything here today, but that the problems could come easily.

But Cosmic wouldn’t let him go just like that.

Turning to Apple Whiskey, she realized that he was just wondering what she was staring at.

“Uh, nothing…”

Refusing a refill (any more and she’d be sick), the mare paid and headed for the door. Trying hard not to break into a run.

She’d have to be smarter to unravel this tangle.

Cosmic followed the strange merchant down the rain-soaked street. He glanced back a few times, but neither of them increased their speed, which should have been reason enough for a chase. Running through the mud, and even a little drunk, Cosmic was clearly not happy about it.

The blue earth pony had no weapons with her. However, she didn’t care. She had the truth on her side – and a passionate desire to get to the bottom of things so that all those involved in the collapse of her life would be punished.

The merchant she was following looked back again – and suddenly darted away, disappearing between the carriages.

But Cosmic was ready for that.

In a leap to the next street, she saw the back of the pony that had started this whole mess with the attack on the troop and Monterey Jack.

The alcohol in her blood didn’t bring rage (though it should have), but the certainty that whoever was being chased wasn’t going anywhere. Wouldn’t make it in time.

Cosmic’s body, compressed like a spring, straightened and threw her in a powerful leap forward. A few such crazy jumps – and now she was right on his tail.

Grab him by the clothes and drag him into the lane. Hoof him by the neck against the wall of the carriage. Like Railright to Metal Dawn.

“Wh-what… Who’re you?” the merchant gasped, kicking his legs in a vain attempt to break free.

He didn’t seem to know how to kick; Cosmic easily dodged his hooves, which came so slowly at her face,

(all my defense is speed)

and her armor protected her from the rest of the blows.

“Don’t play dumb,” the mare hissed through clenched teeth. “I know a lot about you. Like the fact that you ordered that fool Metal Dawn to kill my comrades!”

She pressed harder, but it wasn’t as if the merchant was about to faint from lack of air. He just couldn’t speak properly – but he was still swinging his legs around quite a bit.

“But there are things I’d like to know from you,” Cosmic continued quietly, with a threatening tone in her voice. “For example, what is this tube you sent him to steal from Monterrey? What kind of blueprints are there that allow you to kill anypony? And who are you? Who are you working for? Answer me now!”

A bolt of lightning illuminated the scene, burning out all shades to white and gray blue for a moment. Thunder rumbled, creating a dramatic background to the scene.

“I… nothing…”

“Who are you working for?! Name!”

Cosmic was no longer afraid of being heard: the thunderstorm safely masked all sounds.

“Ly… ra…” the merchant exhaled… and suddenly collapsed under her hoof.

Too much, Cosmic thought and removed her hoof. The cloaked body slid down the wall into the dirt.

Dude, if this is some kind of ploy to get my attention so you can break out and run, you’re clearly overplaying.

The merchant showed no sign of life.

Uh-oh… Maybe I overdid it a little?

Cosmic cautiously leaned toward him – and with a sharp movement, she knocked the hood off his head. And then recoiled, collapsed onto her rump in a puddle by the opposite railcar, gulping for air.

The merchant in the cloak was a ghoul! Rainwater dripped down his dried, ulcer-covered skin. What’s more… sucking Celestia’s horn, he was a cyberghoul! One of his ears had been completely replaced by a cybernetic implant; metal with a tangle of wires also ran down his neck to somewhere under his cloak.

And strangest of all, he was dead.

Because ghouls don’t fucking die! In a way, they’re already dead – so they’re as immortal as alicorns! And even more powerful: you can kill alicorns like normal ponies – but with ghouls, you have to rip off their heads at least!

The merchant, however, was dead.

But I didn’t… I mean, you can’t strangle them because they don’t fucking breathe! I couldn’t have killed him! But then it turns out…

Cosmic thought about it, and she really didn’t like what she had come to.

…someone did it? From a distance? Someone just… switched him off?!

The name the mysterious cyberghoul had managed to shout popped into her mind.

Lyra… who’s she? Why does she, whoever she is, need all this?

I have to find out. The mare looked at the corpse once more. All these deaths mustn’t be in vain. Spark, Stream, Nightlight, Snow… and even Metal Dawn and that ghoul… it all must be for something.

I want answers. And I’ll get them.

Meanwhile, I gotta get out of here. I’ll spend the night at the tavern, then I’ll be out of here by dawn. The only question is when they will find the body. And explaining about another dead pony – no, no way, thanks.

Then Cosmic noticed that something had fallen out of the ghoul’s cloak. Leaning over, she saw that it was a plastic card with embossed numbers and some kind of drawing. Humming, Cosmic picked it up and put it in her saddlebag.

Thunder rumbled.

The flash showed a drenched earth pony weaving through the puddles between the carriage houses.

The corpse of the cyberghoul remained in its place.

Note: 50% of the next level.

Chapter 9. A Way to Nowhere

— Hey, can I have that globe? You’re not using it, right?

MLP, 2/10

Watcher listened intently to Sonic’s story. The sprite-bot hovered in one place, bobbing up and down, and remained deadly silent.

Cosmic sat next to the hedgehog at the farmhouse door, a carbine in her hooves as usual. The wounded shoulder hardly bothered the mare anymore. After taking the things Metal Dawn had stolen from her murdered comrades, as well as his revolvers, ammunition, and zebra cloak, she bought food and clean water and galloped away from New Appleloosa until a cyberghoul merchant’s corpse was found in a narrow, dirty alley and tied to her. She’d had enough unfair accusations lately.

Tails (whose full name, as it turned out, was Miles Prower) stayed in the house, where he fiddled with his detector in the surviving room on the second floor. During these few days of forced inactivity, the fox was able, according to his own words, to adjust it more or less accurately, so that the location of the Elements could be pinpointed to within a few kilometers. As he assured himself: when their group gets closer to the right point, it will be possible to say even more precisely.

“…And now we have no idea where Shadow is, and Master Emerald with him,” Sonic sighed in frustration. “That’s why we need the Elements of Harmony to defeat Eggman.”

Watcher was silent for a long time. Then the speaker of the sprite-bot burst into a harsh, staccato laughter.

“That’s it? Don’t you need the crowns of the Goddesses for the full set? No, guys, there’s nothing for you here. Go back to your world and find some other way.”

“But why?!” Sonic shouted. “Is the whole problem that I and my crew aren’t ponies?”

“If only that were the case… To use any of the Elements, you must embody one of the six most important virtues in this world: Kindness, Honesty, Loyalty, Laughter, Generosity, or Magic, which is a symbiosis of the other five. And only true friendship, which can awaken all six, can activate the Elements. So it’s not so much artifacts as personality traits that could bring this fractured world together. And I’m sorry, you’re not exactly their bearers.”

All the while Watcher was reciting his monologue, a feeling of… wrongness was maturing within Cosmic. As if she had been deceived about something before.

And when the sprite-bot fell silent again, she realized what it was.

“Wait,” the mare blinked. “You said you knew nothing about the Elements! Only that they disappeared. Or not?”

Her tone became threatening, and as if unintentionally, she pointed the Argument’s sights at the hovering bot.

“What else have you lied about?”

“I didn’t know your targets,” Watcher replied. It was hard to tell what emotion he was feeling right now. “And even now I’m telling you: forget it! This is not for you. No one in the Wasteland can help you find them. And if by some miracle you do find the right path… believe me, there are less painful ways to end your life.”

“You know something…” Cosmic muttered, staring intently at the sprite-bot. “Fucking Celestia’s tail, you know everything! But you’re making a fool of yourself here… Well, fuck you!” she suddenly broke into a smile. “We don’t need your help. And all your threats mean nothing. For now,” she added after a moment’s thought.

Watcher didn’t answer. Music played again from the metal hull of the bot, and it flew away, driven by a long-forgotten algorithm.

“Well, let’s go check on Tails, shall we?” Sonic suggested.

“Let’s go,” Cosmic sighed and got up. “And why did I suddenly no longer like your idea?”

They entered the house and started climbing the stairs.

“We have no other options yet,” muttered the hedgehog. “We need some kind of trump card to win. Eggman is strong enough to blow up half the planet before we can take him down…”

They had just entered the second floor when Tails ran out of the room.

“You won’t believe this!” he shouted. His eyes were wide open, and he looked terribly excited. “The directions matched!”

“What?” Cosmic asked, as he and Sonic went into the room. Tails ran back in after them. “What are you talking about?”

“Elements – and Watcher!” the fox quickly explained, pointing his finger at a small screen on his device, where two beams – pink and green – were moving far away, to the left edge, almost merging into each other. “The signal is coming from the same place where they are stored! I’ve checked the possible transmission range – it’s all right!”

“Good,” the earth pony said glumly. “How far is that?”

“Um… about… four days,” Tails said, doing some mental math. “For us, of course. Sonic can run that distance in a few minutes…”

“I’d have to sleep four days to get back to normal,” the hedgehog grumbled. “And there’ll be nowhere to sleep.”

“I doubt Watcher will accept us with open hooves,” Cosmic nodded. “So we need a plan: how to convince him to give you the Elements.” She looked sternly at the two aliens. “You’ll give them back when you win, right?”

“Uh… sure,” Sonic scratched the back of his head and looked away. Cosmic frowned. “Yeah, absolutely,” he saddened.

“But… really, how are you gonna use them?” the mare thought. “There are only two of you – and, as Watcher rightly pointed out, you’re not ponies.”

“There are more of us!” Tails said, beaming with joy. “The rest of the crew is waiting on Earth. There’ll be enough Elements! We’ll just have to match them with us… eh, if I had more rings, I could go back and run a neural net…” he rolled his eyes dreamily.

“Okay,” Cosmic summarized. “We leave tomorrow. Now we have a reserve of food, so the problem is solved. And also,” she grinned, “I’ll give you two guns anyway.”

Time dragged on like a giant conveyor belt: as monotonous and boring. If there weren’t occasional changes of scenery, it would seem like they were walking in an absolute void. And in a way, that was not far from the truth.

It was the third day of the new small group’s journey. The travelers had bypassed the Everfree Forest and were now moving deeper into the radiation-infested, barren lands. The groves of blackened trees became less frequent, replaced by low rocks jutting from the desert. The gloom of the cloud cover was depressing, but had it ever been any different?

One good thing was that there was no reason for anyone to come here. Stopping for the night in a flat area with no sign of shelter, Cosmic feared that she would have to face the raiders again. She had enough ammo now, but what could she do on her own…? Tails didn’t count, and Sonic… he was just lucky that one of the attackers had a rope and there were trees around. But would he be able to do anything in an open area? Perhaps a distraction for a while.

That was partly why she’d given them weapons. She wasn’t willing to part with the two submachine guns, so Sonic got Nige and Tails got Metal Dawn’s revolvers. It took a few hours to explain the basics of firearms, but it was still something the mare could do to keep them from being completely defenseless.

Both times, however, the night passed peacefully. On duty near the fire, Cosmic peered intently into the darkness, anticipating any danger. But not only was there no enemy pony, not even a radscorpion for miles around. The apocalypse had taken away any sense of these places being inhabited by anyone.

Convenient to sit alone in the middle of nowhere with a view of the rest of Equestria.

Tails paced ahead with a huge detector on his back, barely bigger than he was. A small compass was attached to the fox’s arm, which he used to control their direction. He could have avoided carrying the bulky device, but when Cosmic asked him directly, he replied that he didn’t want the detector to fall into the wrong hands… or rather hooves. The earth pony agreed that this was reasonable.

Sonic was completely depressed. It was obvious that such boring, unfulfilling journeys were not to his liking. But with a sigh, the hedgehog realized that safety was the most important thing now – and after recent events, it seemed like a generous gift.

In the morning, a lone sprite-bot flew over their camp without even turning in their direction. It didn’t mean anything in itself, but in light of their last conversation with Watcher, it was alarming.

To break up the routine, Cosmic started a conversation about something that was bothering her more and more as they got closer to their destination.

“What makes you so sure you’ll be able to use the Elements when you get them?” She turned to Sonic. “You must have the qualities Watcher mentioned, right? How do you know that your team, whatever the others are, are the right ones?”

“I don’t know,” the hedgehog shook his head sullenly. “I just hope so. Although… Knuckles has never lied to me, so he might as well be the Honesty. Tails…”

He looked ahead at the fox who was bravely walking at the head of the group.

“He’s been following me the whole time, first to warn me, then to help. I guess that’s what Loyalty is.”

Sonic thought for a moment.

“Kindness is probably Cream… Laughter could be Cheese… Amy… I don’t know, maybe Generosity… But Magic… friendship…”

He stopped talking, thinking hard about something.

“Are you referring to yourself?” Cosmic chuckled.

“I don’t know!” alien snapped, shaking his head again. “I’ve never thought of myself like that before. Yes, I can be immodest and say that it was me who basically gathered them all, but –” he sighed “– that would be unfair to them. I mean, they’ve done a lot for me, too.”

“It's just that I can’t be a bearer of any Element,” Cosmic said. “Kindness of me so bad – I can only shoot out of mercy… Also, sharing with someone is sometimes so hard for me. I’m pretty good at hiding the truth. Fun… well, you saw me almost shoot myself out of grief! Loyalty… what kind of loyalty am I if I’m wandering around with you guys instead of going back to my hometown? I have no magic because I don’t have a horn…”

The earth pony frowned.

“And friendship… If I ever had the illusion of friendship, Metal Dawn had clearly destroyed it.”

“Hey…” Tails’ voice came from ahead.

Cosmic turned away from Sonic and almost ran into the fox. He stumbled and stared at the sky behind the small group with his mouth open.

“What is it there…?”

Cosmic turned around… and her jaw dropped as well.

A swarm of sprite-bots was coming toward them. Their coherent buzzing grew louder with each passing moment. Dozens of metal bugs flew in a sparse army from the populated eastern part of Equestria, filling the air a few to a few dozen meters above the ground. Like a flock of crows, ready to feast on the bones of unlucky travelers.

Cosmic thought about it – and the bots closest to them started to dive!

The first one crashed to the ground a few steps away – and exploded, sending a cloud of dust into the air! The flying debris slashed the mare’s cheek, blood splattering on the sand beneath her feet.

“Run!” she screamed and sprinted away, trying to escape the rain of sprite-bots filled with explosives.

Sonic and Tails followed. The hedgehog went supersonic in surprise and disappeared into the distance with a blue-white glow. Tails broke away from the surface, spinning his tails frantically, and flew forward, dodging the diving bots.

Another explosion came close, and the shockwave knocked Cosmic to the ground. The fall knocked the air out of her lungs; tears welled in her eyes. Nearby, the shockwave hit again, and her eyes and nose were covered with earth dust. Cosmic coughed and blinked, trying to get to her feet. Her ears were ringing from the constant explosions.

Suddenly, she was pinned under her stomach by a pair of hands. Another pair grabbed her back, and the earth pony felt herself being pulled upward, and her legs felt light. Blinking, she saw Sonic and Tails pulling her away from the gunfire. The hedgehog and the fox clenched their teeth in exertion; Sonic’s legs and Tails’ tails blurred as they moved at unimaginable speeds.

Cosmic turned and was stunned: a sprite-bot, with the outline of embedded dynamite bombs behind its metal speaker grill, was falling directly on top of the three of them. Time slowed; the mare’s scream of terror stuck in her throat. She saw, with all the clarity of keen perception, the inexorable approach of death in the form of a bug-like robot turned into a shrapnel bomb.

For a brief moment, the support of a pair of arms was gone. A familiar blue silhouette jumped up and kicked the sprite-bot aside with a precise kick, then darted back toward Cosmic.

She followed the metal bug’s flight until it hit the ground in the distance.

A new explosion started time at its usual speed. Cosmic broke free of the aliens’ grip.

“I’m okay! I can walk!”

They nodded silently and flew away from the swarm of suicide bots, each in their own way. Cosmic followed at a wide gallop.

There were still a lot of sprite-bots around. After the earth pony almost fell again while dodging them, something told her to do something else. She grabbed Dan out of the holster with her teeth, slipped the safety off with her hoof as she ran, turned to face another “robot bomb” and fired a line at full speed. The sprite-bot exploded in mid-air, raining shrapnel down on the mare that bounced off her armor.

After destroying another one, Cosmic reloaded. Pulling the empty clip with her teeth, knocking in motion the full one out of its holder on the armor, and then driving it into the mouthgrip with her second hoof, pulling the bolt with her tongue – all without slowing down. There was no time to stop.

The sprite-bots exploded all around them, close enough to be frightening, but none of them flew at anyone else in the group. Either it was harder to control them all at once than whoever did it had hoped, or…

Cosmic even stumbled from the guess that came to her mind. Still, she managed to regain her balance and galloped even faster.

…or really didn’t want to kill them. Even with the explosive filling of the “shells”.

Ordinary dynamite doesn’t really explode that much, the earth pony thought. Plasma grenades wouldn’t have left any flesh on us – we’d just have turned to green slime. Or gas grenades… Ah, what the hay…

There was no time to think on the run. So Cosmic concentrated on two things: running forward at full speed, saving her skin, and from time to time turning around and blasting the new flying robot with a line from a submachine gun.

Everything was jumbled in her mind. Soon Cosmic realized that she could no longer hear the explosions (has she gone deaf…?) and slowed down her run. And turning her head and throwing an alarmed look back, she stopped altogether.

There was almost nothing left of the sprite-bot army. The Wasteland was riddled with craters and scorched metal debris. It looked like an army of Steel Rangers had passed through here, destroying everything in their path.

Sonic and Tails also stopped running – and approached Cosmic, breathing heavily from the unexpected run.

Looking closer, the mare spotted the last and only remaining sprite-bot. It had descended to the pony’s level and was slowly drifting toward the small group. There was no music coming from it (as there had been from the others during the attack, Cosmic noticed) – which meant that the villain who had been controlling them was still “in touch”.

Watcher.

The earth pony snorted angrily.

No one else could. He was the only one who could intercept the control of these things, and also knew where Cosmic, Sonic and Tails were going and why. And was cold-blooded or reckless enough to do such a thing.

Metal Dawn looks sucks, the mare commented to herself. Sucks a big and thick pin.

When the sprite-bot came within a few paces, she drew her assault carbine from her back.

“Stop right there!” she shouted and took aim at the robot, clenching the weapon in her teeth. “Not a foot closer! Or I’ll shoot!”

The winged metal bug obediently froze, swaying in place in the air.

Sonic and Tails also drew their weapons and pointed them at it, allowing Cosmic to free her mouth, leaving her carbine dangling from the belt around her neck.

“Watcher!” she said threateningly. “What the hay was that just now?! Are you out of your mind or what?!”

“You should not continue on your way!” roared the bot’s loudspeaker. “You don’t even know what you’re getting into! Before it’s too late, I repeat: forget it! Otherwise, I’ll have to destroy you in a more unpleasant way!”

“What could be more unpleasant than being torn apart by a whirlwind of fire and metal shards?” Cosmic hummed with affected indifference.

Dark humor had never been her strong suit.

“You’ll find out if you don’t stop!” the sprite-bot screeched. “You can still turn back. There are secrets that must not be revealed to the unwanted.”

“Let me guess,” Sonic interjected, “one of those mysteries is the Elements?”

“Exactly. You already know too much. Suspiciously much. More than I’ve even told you. I wonder how you can know so much – but I cannot allow you to reach the end of your chosen path.”

Watcher was silent for a moment, then added with a sigh, “So farewell.”

And the sprite-bot darted straight for them.

Reflexes worked faster than reason. Cosmic pushed the aliens aside and jumped over. There was a deafening rumble behind her as the bug robot crashed to the ground. Her ears rang: Cosmic hadn’t had time to clamp them shut before the explosion. The back of her body was scorched with heat, and small shrapnel was embedded in her legs.

Staggering, the mare stood up. But then her legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground again.

After almost being killed once more, she deserved at least a little rest.

Was saving one world worth the same chance for another?

Weaving forward on humming hooves, Cosmic wondered if the mission she had undertaken with the two aliens was really worth it. Watcher, whoever he was, really wanted them to give up their plans – and was willing to do absolutely crazy things for that.

Mare wondered: why did this “Mr. Incognito” need the Elements at all? If they were as powerful as he said they were, they could be used to return Equestria to its pre-apocalypse state! How did they get to him, anyway? And why’s he just sitting on them without using them?

One possibility is that he stole them to prevent anyone from using them. But then there is the suspicion that he might have been involved in dropping the bombs himself. But what would he gain from that…?

There were so many uncertainties that Cosmic just shook her head in frustration and told herself not to think about it. There were already so many things in the Wasteland that trying to understand them made her brain swell. The same caps as money, for example. What was it? Where did it come from? And why? No one knows. And if anyone did, they were long dead.

The earth pony liked the other possibility much better and believed in it more. What if Watcher had kept the Elements to himself, protecting them from those who might set their hooves on them? It would be hard to find even one pony who embodied any kind of virtue, and there would be six! Maybe that’s why a new team of bearers hasn’t been assembled yet. And when everyone who wanders into these parts is treated with such “hospitality”…

Although Watcher was probably just scared. What’s more, he was in panic! Which he tried to cover up with anger. And on some level… he was right in his actions. To him, the three of them were not so different from the raiders in their desire to take even temporarily the priceless powerful items he kept. But they didn’t kill indiscriminately or eat other ponies. In other words, they were smarter – and therefore more dangerous.

Cosmic sighed. There was too much she didn’t know to say for sure. One thing was certain: they weren’t exactly welcome here.

But maybe she could get Watcher to open up to her.

The main thing was not to be killed.

“…I think it’s here,” Tails’ voice came to her.

The mare raised her head and stared at the huge mountain that was only a few miles away. Busy with her thoughts, she didn’t notice that they were almost at the end of their journey.

“Stand by,” Cosmic said, touching the carbine on her back. “The last thing we need is another rain of sprite-bots.”

“But anyway, it’s at least an hour to go…” Sonic grumbled and suddenly looked somewhere in that direction. “Look, there’s one flying over there!”

“Where?”

Cosmic immediately threw Argument off her back, grabbed it in her teeth and lay down, aiming in the direction the hedgehog had pointed. Sonic and Tails also drew their weapons.

Indeed, a winged robot was approaching the group at its usual tortoise speed. It was just only one, and it didn’t look like some new, elaborate plan to destroy them. Rather – Cosmic smiled, cherishing the hope that flamed up in her mind – a proposal for negotiation.

Which proved once again that Watcher wasn’t some kind of crazy asshole. He must have had a mission of his own.

Still, it was worth being cautious.

“Stop there! We don’t trust you!” said the mare, rising to her hooves again.

Speaking with a weapon in her mouth had become a habit.

The sprite-bot froze obediently, half a dozen paces away from the squad. There were no explosives to be seen inside its metal hull. But, Cosmic thought, that didn’t mean they weren’t really there.

“Neither do I,” Watcher parried. “How do I know you’re telling the truth about your goals?”

“Let’s be honest.” Cosmic put down her weapon. “None of us has any reason to lie to each other. We each do what we think is right. But you already know everything about our intentions. We know nothing about yours.”

“I can’t tell you that,” the sprite-bot replied sharply. “It’s too valuable information to trust to just anyone. Especially some like you… overly knowledgeable.”

“We mean no harm,” Tails stepped forward, holstering Metal Dawn’s revolvers. “We won’t give your artifacts to anyone, but without them, it would be much harder to save our world… since no one’s going to save it yet. After all, let’s just meet and talk!”

“Yes, you don’t look like those who would act out of self-interest.” At these Watcher’s words, Cosmic looked away: the mercenary’s past was making itself known. “I can even believe that your goals are truly worthwhile. But I can’t give them to you. Because I have my own purpose. And it outweighs all others for me.”

“It looks like we’re at an impasse,” the earth pony said, looking at the sprite-bot. “And no one’s going to back down, because everyone has their reasons. And to bring it to a fight…” she shook her head. “I guess once was enough, right?”

“Yeah, what the hell was that all about?!” Sonic cut in, waving Nige around. “I didn’t think that even in a ruined Equestria, the first time I almost died was from a kamikaze drone attack!”

You’ve almost died at least three times before, Cosmic thought, but remained silent.

“What do you mean by that?”

Judging by his tone, Watcher was deeply puzzled.

The mare seized the opportunity as the last straw.

“Let’s meet and talk it over. We’ll tell you something new that you didn’t expect, and in return you’ll explain your intentions. Agreed?”

Sprite-bot was silent for a long time. Cosmic was completely exhausted, waiting for his answer.

A lot depended on Watcher’s decision. If he refused, they would either have to fight their way through and almost certainly die, or return with nothing: Sonic and Tails – to Earth, and the earth pony herself – back to The Republic. That didn’t bode well either.

Finally, Watcher said, “All right. I’ll let you meet me in person – but you must promise not to go any further than I allow. You got that?!”

The question sounded threatening. Cosmic even swallowed nervously at the growl that slipped into Watcher’s voice.

“Y-yes… we promise,” she said.

Fuck Celestia, what have I gotten myself into?!

“You too!” thundered the sprite-bot, turning to Sonic and Tails.

The aliens glanced at each other. Then the hedgehog looked back at the robot and nodded.

“Of course.”

“We promise,” the fox added.

“Then I’ll wait for you on that mountain – you can probably see it for yourself. My home is the cave at the top. And yes, beware of pegasi. The Enclave is on the prowl.”

“What? How…” Cosmic exclaimed, but music poured out of the sprite-bot, making it clear that the conversation was over.

The mare turned and looked at the mountain in the distance. Its peak was lost behind a dark grey veil of clouds. It didn’t look too high for the Enclavers to get down there.

If we had Stream with us… or Spark… We could have easily fought back when encountering those flying bastards…

The memory stabbed painfully into her soul. Like a poisonous thorn with bitterness oozing from its tip.

This is no time for self-pity. Cosmic put the carbine on the safety and hung it on her back again. They wouldn’t approve of that. They're gone, but I’m still here. And I have a duty to protect – above all.

She turned back to the aliens. And someone here really needs me.

“Well, let’s get to our destination,” she told them. “I don’t want to spend the night here when we could be attacked at any moment.”

“What the hell is this Enclave anyway?” Sonic asked, kicking a small stone and sending it in a low arc into the distance. “There was nothing like this even in the G5…”

Before he left, Cosmic asked the hedgehog to tell her more about the universe her world was supposed to be – but for some reason it didn’t. Or it did, but… somehow it went the wrong way.

She herself thought that the infamous fifth generation, which Sonic had said fans on Earth had been arguing about for years, had not yet arrived here. This Equestria was still too much a part of the G4 he had described for it to have shed its past. That included the Elements of Harmony their little team had been searching for.

“Wake up, Sonic, this isn’t the show!” Tails waved his hands. “This is completely different! The Mane Six aren’t coming to the rescue with their rainbow powers! Right now, it’s up to us to be the Mane Six!” He looked back at Cosmic and seemed a little confused, but continued, “Mm… counting our remaining team on Earth. After all, did I understand correctly that you–”

“Later, Tails,” the hedgehog interrupted, closing his eyes and holding his palm forward. “The important thing is that I still have the rings.”

He gently rubbed the four small gold-plated circles that hung from a lanyard around his neck.

“If we manage to convince Watcher, will you go straight home?” Cosmic asked. “To save your planet from that Eggman?”

“Yes,” Sonic nodded and grinned. “That’s what we’re gonna do.”

“But what about the fact that, as you have discovered, time passes much faster here? Let’s say you find and defeat your enemy in a day – but what if it takes, say, six months in Equestria? I don’t think Watcher would like that very much,” the earth pony chuckled, the corners of her mouth curled up. “And he might think that we’ve deceived him.” She waved a hoof in the direction the sprite-bot had gone. “You’ve seen what he can do when he’s angry.”

“Yeah, that’s a problem,” Tails scratched the back of his head. Suddenly, he looked up. “Wait a minute… What if, say, someone activates the ring and stays here? What if we keep the portal open all the time? After all, when two worlds touch, the passage of time should be the same at the points of their intersection, to come to some common denominator… but only to what…?”

“I don’t think so,” Sonic shook his head. “These portals don’t last very long, and then they close anyway. But time, it seems, and it’s true, while the worlds are connected, begins to flow the same–”

“Talk later,” Cosmic interrupted them, pointing to the mountain. “We have to go. To finally complete the first part of our mission.”

And not die while we prepare the second, she added mentally.

She had no right to die. At least not until she figured out everything that was going on here.

Note: Level up.

Player: Cosmic Valor. Skills: Firearms – 100%, Survival – 75%. New perk: Run 'n Gun – reduced accuracy penalties for shooting on the run or jump with firearms or energy weapons.

Player: Sonic. Skill: Survival – 25%. New perk: Arm Strength – your physical abilities have increased; you can now even carry an adult mare for a while. New quest perk: Mutual Aid – you don’t let your companion die; there is a chance that in the future he or she won’t let you die too.

The quest stage “Persuade Watcher for a personal meeting” has been completed. Added a new stage “Get to the Cave”.

Chapter 10. Behind the Fourth Wall

— It… it’s not us, is it? We’re not the right group of friends either. We can’t bring Equestria back. You’re still looking.

Fallout: Equestria, chapter 21

A few days ago

“…Does it say there, in your show… what finally happened to the Elements themselves?” Cosmic asked.

The aliens’ account of the events in cartoon Equestria was longer than she had expected, and much more rambling. The earth pony had already guessed that the end would be as positive as possible, but the hedgehog and the fox had only reached the Friendship School in the eighth season.

Sonic sighed and bowed his head:

“In fact… they were destroyed.”

Something must have flashed across Cosmic’s face, he added immediately, “At least as they existed before. Actually, there’s still quite a long part of the story…”

It took a while to retell the main plot of the ninth season. Breathlessly, Cosmic listened to how King Sombra, who had literally appeared out of nowhere, had destroyed the Tree of Harmony along with the Elements; how the remains of the Tree had been transformed into a beautiful palace (damn, another one – after the Castle of Friendship!); how the villains from the previous seasons, who had been taken out of the storyline, had returned under new leadership – but had been defeated. Now for sure.

But there was one thing that stuck out to the mare about the whole story.

“I mean, the new Tree wasn’t shown there? And the Elements were thought to be irretrievably lost? But –” she pointed her hoof at the aliens “– did you come here to get them anyway?”

Sonic and Tails looked at each other and shrugged.

“We don’t know what’s going on,” the fox replied. “There’s supposed to be a tenth season in the comics, but we don’t know about it.” He looked back at the device by the window. “But the detector is pointing somewhere! And the signature of the energy it’s picking up is similar to Chaos Emeralds! What else could it be?”

“Um… Grogar’s Bell?” Cosmic suggested.

The villains’ main tool in the finale was a powerful artifact designed to store magic. It must have been left somewhere?

“It’s unlikely”, the hedgehog shook his head. “It would have been hidden somewhere in the dungeons of Canterlot Palace…”

“…And the device points in a completely different direction,” Tails continued. “Besides, something must have survived from that time. Why not think that the Tree created new material forms for the Elements? And somehow, they miraculously survived the apocalypse because they were inside a mountain dozens of miles from any populated area?”

“It all sounds....” Cosmic twirled her hoof, searching for a word, “fantastic. But… yes, not impossible.”

“And the way Watcher reacted confirms that they still exist!” Sonic pounded his fist into his palm. “Which means we can get them. Whatever it’s gonna take.”

Tails had to abandon his device after all. Sharp fragments from a nearby explosion of a sprite-bot had pierced the detector, making its electronics unusable. It seemed unusual to Cosmic that such a machine could work without magic, unlike the terminals of this world. Even though, in essence, those were just different forms of primordial energy.

By the time the three of them reached the bottom of the peak, it was already getting dark. The cloud cover was not as thick here, so they could catch glimpses of the setting sun through the gaps.

The light Equestria has lacked for two centuries.

It’s not forever, Cosmic comforted herself as she climbed the narrow, steep, stony path up the mountain. The pegasi cannot hide behind the clouds for eternity. One day someone will come who has the power to change everything. And then good will rise again. But unfortunately, not now.

The path Watcher had indicated could hardly be called a walkway. It was more like a series of ledges they could theoretically jump off without breaking their necks. Cosmic even joked to herself that it was about time she grew a pair of horns on her head. Sometimes being a pony wasn’t very comfortable.

If anyone wasn’t suffering from the steep climb, it was Tails. He circled above on his tails, keeping the rest of their little group safe, picking them up when they stumbled on a ledge or didn’t make it to the other side of a gap, or holding them up when they went over a ledge. The mare was grateful for the fox; it warmed her from the inside out in the bitter mountain wind.

Tails hadn’t left them for a second since Sonic had brought him here, trying his best to help. If he were a pony, Cosmic thought as she jumped over a not-so-wide gap, the Element of Loyalty would definitely be his.

The problem was, there might be a pony somewhere who had that trait. And that one would be better suited to be the keeper of the artifact.

After all, we’ll find out when we meet Watcher.

“And why did he… have to live… so high up?” Sonic muttered and followed Cosmic over to the other side. It was harder for him to jump directly, so he climbed over and grabbed the ledges on the rock.

“It’s safer this way,” the earth pony shrugged. “The same as when Long Claw sent you to Earth. Harder to reach, harder to hurt.”

“And harder to use…”

The hedgehog was clearly referring to his epic quest to find Master Emerald.

“Also true.” Cosmic looked at the rapidly darkening sky. “We have to hurry. Otherwise, we'll fucking fall. Or the Enclavers will shoot us.”

She honestly didn’t think the pegasi would spot them in the dark, but she still respected Watcher’s words. If he’d warned them, he must have really wanted to see them.

“For sure he has – we survived his attack, didn’t we? And we stayed on our way. It’s not a bad idea to meet such freaks, if only to find out how they did it. Unless, of course, we were really meant to be killed.”

She lifted her head and looked at the sky. It would be dark in a little while.

Was it her imagination, or was there a winged figure in the sky? A brush stroke of invisible ink on gray paper.

“Quiet!” she whispered to her companions. “Hide!”

They lurked behind the rocks, gazing anxiously at the impenetrable shroud not far away.

But a minute passed, and another, and still no one appeared in the sky.

And there was no way to guess whether it was a good or bad sign; whether no one was really following them, or whether they had already fallen into a trap.

Cosmic took a breath.

Either way, they would find out on the way back.

“Alright” she said quietly. Her heart was still pounding, demanding more, more air, but the mare tried to overcome the excitement that was tearing her up inside. “It looks clear. Keep going.”

And on they went.

Gradually the slope became steeper, and they had to literally climb up the path, crawling on the rocks to keep from falling. Darkness had almost completely engulfed Equestria; Cosmic could barely see the ends of her own hooves. But she didn’t stop climbing, knowing they were at their destination and remembering what they’d been through on the way.

They had no right to give up so easily.

After all the horrors of the recent past, dying while climbing a mountain seemed like a silly and unfunny joke.

With each passing meter, the breathing of the three throats got harder and harder. The muscles whimpered with the effort; the body no longer wanted to move. But the ghost of hope still loomed, forcing her to lift her hooves time after time and take the next step. Cosmic hadn’t even realized that this climb would take so much out of her. Maybe she shouldn’t have climbed the peak after a day’s trek, hoping to find shelter at the top – or maybe she was just tired of being afraid. Especially of something that hadn’t shown itself yet.

Sonic and Tails looked tired as well. But at least they didn’t faint. And it was obvious why: one was a damned spark battery on maximum power, and the other just could fly.

The mare even calculated how long the fox could resist in an aerial battle against a pegasi squad. And it had to be said, Tails definitely had a chance to escape.

Sonic would simply roll down the mountain and scamper across the Wasteland.

The earth pony tried not to think of herself that way.

When Cosmic suddenly found a flat and relatively spacious area in front of the gaping entrance to the cave instead of another uphill section or an abyss, she let out a sigh of relief and rolled onto her side. She needed to catch her breath at least a little after such a marathon of adventuring.

And the hardest part was keeping her eyes from closing.

The aliens stood nearby, waiting patiently. Sonic shuffled faintly from foot to foot. Here, above the lower edge of the clouds, the moon shone dimly, colored by the haze of the upper part of the veil. A pale light with a bluish cast fell on the rocks. The mare suddenly saw the silhouette of a horned pony’s head on the moon’s disk and shook her head, chasing away the strange vision. Come on, nonsense…

Finally, Cosmic looked at Sonic and Tails, who were waiting for her to recover, and got to her hooves with a groan.

“All right, all right, I’m up. Let’s just g–”

And then from the dark yawn of the cave, a head peeked out.

The words immediately stuck in the earth pony’s throat. She couldn’t even breathe as she looked into the huge green eyes staring back at her. Only by a miracle she managed to keep from wetting herself.

A sharp green crest gleamed in the moonlight, harmonizing with the pale lilac scales.

The three travelers stood face to face with… a dragon!

Until now, Cosmic had only heard of dragons in the legends of ancient Equestria. During the war, these creatures were used heavily by the Zebras, as the ponies couldn’t cope with them. Most of the dragons died in the battles, and the rest were left to their fate.

And now one of them was staring at the mare and the two aliens who were frozen in place.

“Well, hello, Cosmic Valor,” a voice said. Not as low as the mayor of The Republic, but still powerful in its own way. “Nice to meet you. I am Watcher. And now I shall try again to prove to you that your journey here was a mistake.”

He opened his huge mouth, studded with yellowish, sharp teeth, and sucked in air. Sonic and Tails were almost pulled in, but they grabbed onto each other and managed to stay in place, thanks in large part to the fox’s spinning tails.

That’s it. We’re done, Cosmic thought distantly. All other thoughts had been blown out of her head, leaving only emptiness. That must have been what the end felt like.

Now he’ll breathe fire and we’ll all be here…

“Spike?!”

Now it was the dragon choking on air. Watcher coughed, spitting out small bursts of green flame. Cosmic hurriedly stepped back so she wouldn’t accidentally get hit.

“How…” the dragon wheezed continuing to cough. “How do you… know… my name?!”

“So…”

In Cosmic’s head, as if the gears turned. If accepting what the aliens told was true, then…

“…that you were Twilight Sparkle’s assistant?”

“How?!” the dragon roared in anger. He had already gotten over his cough. “How do you know that?! Are you spies or what…?”

“We’ll explain everything to you,” Cosmic said quickly, before they all got really fried. And not in the figurative sense. “Just, please, calm down. And if you don’t mind… can we go inside?”

Spike glared at the newcomers for a moment, then blew a puff of acrid black smoke from his nostrils and grumbled, “All right. But swear that you will not move a single step further without my permission!”

“I swear,” the earth pony said immediately and looked at her companions.

“We too,” they sighed.

“Come in.”

Spike removed his head and hid in the cave.

Cosmic, Sonic and Tails looked at each other and followed him.

A small tunnel led them into a spacious hall with a ceiling that lost itself in the height. Despite the fact that it was night outside, the room was flooded with light: a green flicker on one of the walls of the terminal screen, and a faint glow from a spark battery on top – hardly more powerful than in Cosmic’s home.

But what caught the mare’s attention and amazed her were… the books. Tall bookcases made of old wood lined the walls – and each shelf was densely packed with books, many times more than in The Republic’s library. Some of the titles caught Cosmic’s keen eye, and she remembered her father vividly. He wouldn’t have missed a chance to go through all this treasure.

Sonic and Tails were drawn to something else. The two aliens were standing by one of several piles of gems scattered on the floor, whispering animatedly about something.

Also in the room was a huge round bed with a pile of pillows and blankets – as Cosmic estimated, just the size of a dragon. Opposite the entrance, a tunnel could be seen off to the side, leading further into the depths of the cave.

I wonder what’s in there that made Watcher so nervous? Oh yes, of course. Elements. How could I forget. He must have them somewhere – so why not…

“So…” The dragon flapped his wings and lowered himself onto the sleeping spot near the terminal, looking around at the guests with a menacing gaze. “I’m listening. I’d like to know what else you know about me. About me, about the Elements – and about Equestria, for that matter.”

Cosmic smiled slightly. Oh, that’ll be fun…

“I suppose it’s fair to begin with the fact that our whole world is fiction. Then,” she looked at the aliens, “they’ll tell you all themselves.”

What happens when you suddenly find out that everything around you that seemed so tangible and close, including yourself, your friends, and your past, turns out to be unreal?

Cosmic had experienced this before. However, she didn’t feel particularly linked to Equestria that Sonic and Tails were talking about, so her brain had somehow accepted the idea very easily. Well, it was fiction – so what? She’d still have to find something to eat tomorrow and something to shoot back with.

But for Spike it was different.

The first time, he didn’t believe it. The second time, he didn’t believe it either and filled the room with a low, growling laugh. It was only when the two uninvited guests began to recall some very sensitive incidents that something changed in Spike. The dragon ordered them to be silent and sank into thought for a long moment.

Cosmic even tried to breathe quietly so as not to disturb him. And it was bad timing – she wanted to go to the toilet more and more after the long crossing. But she held out and looked around the room as if nothing had happened. She noticed that Sonic was looking more and more at the passage in the back wall – and the mare didn’t like it.

Please, don’t do anything stupid! the mare mentally pleaded to the blue hedgehog, who could be expected to do anything.

Suddenly she heard some kind of sound coming from the dragon and turned to him. Spike sat with his paws around his snout and trembled slightly. Listened carefully, Cosmic realized that he was… laughing.

“So many years…” the dragon murmured softly, with unexpected bitterness in his voice. “So many years fighting the usual villains, then trying to stop the war… Then I stayed here and tried to do something to give the ponies of the Wasteland some hope… And for what?!” he suddenly shouted, and the mare guessed that it wasn’t laughter – but tears. “To find out that it was all just a show?!!! An amusement?! Maybe someone is watching us right now, huh?! Hey, come on, hello?!”

He took his paws away from his face and turned his head to look for the other “watcher”. Cosmic suddenly realized what a mockery of fate this must have seemed to the dragon.

“But how… How… How…?”

“Hey, but the show ended with Twilight’s reign,” Sonic said, seemingly not understanding what it was that had Spike so upset. “There was no war with the zebras, and especially not this,” the hedgehog waved his hand in the direction of the exit, “for those who watched MLP. And the new generation doesn’t say anything about the end of the world either…”

“You think that makes me feel better?” roared the dragon, staring at his interlocutors. There were still tears in his eyes, but he didn’t want to sob openly in front of everyone. “I too thought that Twilight’s coronation would be the end of all troubles and that we would have another thousand years of peace,” he hissed. “But I was wrong – we all were!” He shook his head. “The beginning of the end was when Twilight had to… step down from the throne.”

“What? How? Why?”

This time it was the hedgehog and the fox who were stunned.

Cosmic sat silently on her haunches, ready to absorb every word. Her worldview was just missing a little information about Equestria’s forgotten past.

“It’s because of the spell,” Spike explained with a sigh in response to the uncomprehending stares. “Twilight was a researcher, and she always remained one. Her passion for learning new magic continued even after she became ruler. One day, she decided to perfect a spell she’d first stumbled upon as a unicorn… teleportation with lightning, it seemed. But…” the dragon’s voice trembled, “the experiment failed. Something went wrong, and instead of traveling from Canterlot to Ponyville… she burned her wings.”

He squeezed his eyes shut, holding back the tears inside him. Cosmic stared at him with her eyes wide open; wet streaks ran across the earth pony’s face. The world of friendship and magic that Sonic and Tails had created for her was crumbling in these moments. And worst of all, she would soon learn exactly how it happened.

“It took a huge toll on the Princess of Friendship. She was so depressed about what had happened that neither I, nor Celestia and Luna, nor even damn Pinkie Pie could comfort her! Celestia healed her wounds so that not even a scar remained and was ready to give Twilight new wings… but she didn’t feel like an alicorn anymore.

“She had grown as big as the other princesses, but after everything…” Spike sobbed. “She started to shrink back down to size. And about a month after it happened, she had turned into a regular unicorn.

“Depressed, Twilight abdicated her throne. Celestia and Luna had to cut short their vacation on the Silver Shoals and return to Canterlot to rule Equestria once again.

“The Princess of Friendship wasn’t stripped of her title or even her allowance, but Twilight still stopped calling herself that. She retreated to Ponyville, the place where she had first learned about friendship and where there were those who could truly support her. She had a castle there, but she no longer felt entitled to live there. At her request, the town rebuilt the Golden Oak Library (in Twilight Sparkle’s name, of course), where she took up residence. Just like old times.”

Spike fell silent; it was obvious from the way the memories tortured his soul. Cosmic couldn’t find the words to express her sympathy, so she just stared at him with a look of astonishment and despair. She had never imagined that fate would be so cruel to the heroine she loved.

“Gradually…” Spike continued. His voice trailed off and the dragon had to clear his throat before he could speak again. “Gradually, Equestria began to develop. Technological advances took over town after town, and new science centers, laboratories, factories, and power plants sprang up. But Ponyville remained much the same as before, and that allowed Twilight to recover, little by little.

“But the Friendship School she had founded began to decline. Fewer and fewer students went there when they saw what had happened to their former idol. Moreover, all the other races began to leave Equestria because of the problems in their own countries. It was a vicious circle that could not be broken.

“The school was eventually closed; Twilight didn’t really care what happened to her brainchild. Friendship Castle fell into disrepair, and even the Mane Six felt uncomfortable there. But even worse, they no longer understood why it was there. Finally, Starlight… Starlight Glimmer, whom Twi had once put in charge of her school, teleported the Castle to Baltimare, where they promised to take care of it.

“You may already know what happened next. New weapons began to appear, Equestria began trading gems with Zebrica in exchange for coal, and after a while both sides got greedy, and one day,” the dragon grinned wryly, “there was what the Zebras called a casus belli with the hostage-taking by their pirates and the rescue operation by the Wonderbolts. The Zebras invaded to take over the borderlands, Celestia was convinced that the war would end with our quick victory…” He shook his head. “’We’ll reach Roam in five days…’ Oh, Goddesses, how naive that was…

“And it was all downhill from there. The gas bomb at Littlehorn School, Celestia’s abdication in favor of Luna, the creation of the Ministries (which, by the way, helped Twilight finally get her mind off the past and back to her magical studies), the assassination attempt on Celestia, and the bombs falling and killing everyone and everything… I just wanted to say, ‘Twi, we’ve fucked. Everything. Up.’"

Spike looked up at Cosmic and her companions. His eyes were dry – but there was such pain in them that the earth pony’s heart skipped a beat as she looked into them.

“We failed to hold this world. No one could hold it. And eventually it slipped from everyone’s hooves and shattered into tiny pieces. And for two hundred years, there was no pony to put it back together.”

“Sounds like one of those fan theories…” Sonic snorted, but corrected himself under Spike’s angry glare, “…which certainly explains what we’re seeing. But it feels,” the hedgehog frowned, “like everything the writers have created since season three, or even season two, has just been… reset! It’s like it never happened.”

“I liked Shining Armor the best in the cartoon,” Tails said thoughtfully, turning to the dragon. “Was he actually here at all…?”

“Sure he was,” Spike grinned, and Cosmic breathed a sigh of relief that they’d managed to get him out of the depression they’d driven him into. “I even have a memory orb with a recording of his conversation with Twilight. I can show it to you if you’d like.”

“The orb of what?” Sonic misunderstood.

“In case you hadn’t noticed, there aren’t many unicorns among us,” the earth pony said ironically. “Not a single one to watch this recording.”

“And there’s a recollector too,” the dragon sighed.

“I’ll explain everything to you later,” Cosmic promised the aliens and turned to the owner of the cave. “But what happened to you? How did you end up here? And Elements… You wanted them stored somewhere safe, didn’t you?”

“I was helping Twilight. Ever since she was Princess Celestia’s apprentice… then when she became a princess herself… even when she became the leader of Equestria… and finally when she was the Ministry Mare…” The dragon’s eyes became hard again. “But I can’t tell you why I’m here. It’s too important. I can’t take that risk. And… since you already know about the Elements, I’ll tell you this: they stopped working. The old Six were no longer the ideals of their virtues… and the Young Six – the best of the first graduating class of Friendship School – never became them.” He sighed. “I guess the point is that after the Tree was destroyed, the power of unity among all the ponies was enough to produce an effect comparable to the use of the Elements – that’s why they defeated Tyrek, and Cosy Glow, and Chrysalis. And then… when the war broke out, that was all gone, and the new artifacts hadn’t grown yet. But more importantly, there weren’t the right ponies to use them.” Spike pointed a giant clawed finger at Cosmic. “And you won’t be able to. So go away. There’s nothing for you here.”

“Where does this passage lead?” Sonic asked casually, pointing to a nondescript tunnel in the far wall.

Cosmic tensed. Please, just don’t…

“NOOOOOOOO!!!” Spike roared as a blue, blurred silhouette darted toward the passage and disappeared into the darkness.

The dragon flapped his wings and soared into the air. Cosmic locked eyes with the cave master – nothing good was coming for them now.

“YOU SWORE AN OATH!” he roared. “SO THIS IS HOW YOU KEEP YOUR PROMISES?!!!”

He sucked in a breath of air, and the earth pony realized with a glimmer of consciousness what awaited her. There was no fear, just doom and a distant annoyance that it had to end so stupidly.

A jet of green flame burst from Spike’s throat and hit the ground – where the mare had just been standing. Cosmic opened her eyes, squeezed shut by the attack, and found herself being held by Tails, who was hovering on his tails on the very ground just off to the side. The fire the dragon spewed was indeed hot, its warmth reaching Cosmic’s skin. She jerked her shoulders and slipped out of Tails’ grip; yeah, she didn’t want to get hit like that.

“Cosmic, they’re here!” Sonic shouted from the other room of the cave.

Elements? So they were really here the whole time…

The fire was out – Spike turned his head towards the mare and the fox, apparently not wanting to set fire to the bookshelves behind them.

“STAY WHERE YOU ARE!!!” he shook the cave again with his roar and flew towards the passage he had squeezed through, folding his wings for a moment.

In the next instant, the green flame spewed by the dragon could be seen there.

Cosmic froze, not knowing what to do.

On the one hoof, she was really afraid: Spike was really terrible in anger, and it didn’t seem right to end her days as a pile of ashes. It wasn’t supposed to be like this, that’s all! And in a way, the hedgehog deserved what he got – after all, it was only after his appearance that the blue pony’s previously well-established life began to crumble before her eyes.

But on the other hoof… Sonic had saved her life back in the Wasteland. He hadn’t let her die so she could repay her debt to Metal Dawn. And after the elimination of her old team, the hedgehog had become her first real friend.

Cosmic gritted her teeth. No matter what it would take – but she’d made her decision.

And she galloped towards the passage.

Tails landed on the ground and ran after her.

The tunnel was longer than it looked at first glance, and Cosmic was nervous as she raced into the next room, especially when the green flashes kept flickering. At one point she almost tripped over a thick cable – obviously running from Spike’s terminal to the other side of the cave.

But what she saw made her stop abruptly at the threshold. Tails dodged at the last moment, flying up on his tails to avoid hitting her back, and stared dumbfounded at what was in the next room.

This place was even larger than the dragon’s own room and was obviously located in the center of the mountain. The hexagonal chamber was flanked by maneframes, some of them humming softly in hibernation mode; insulated wires snaked everywhere, and the crystals that lined the floor and walls gave off a faint glow. Cosmic’s eyes even went wide at the sight of this technomagic splendor.

And then she saw it. In the center of the hall, a huge supermaneframe stood in a column of steel and amethyst, reaching far up into a circle of clear, dark sky. It was too high up here for the cloud veil to work effectively. A bright white star rose just above the pointed top of a marvel of arcane technology that had been created by someone.

From the base of the supermaneframe, like the rays of the giant star, six transparent platforms protruded, on which, resting on velvet pillows, were six pieces of jewelry with gems of various colors and shapes.

Cosmic’s breath caught. These gems looked exactly like what Sonic and Tails had described!

Elements… so that’s what they were…

And Sonic and Spike were running around the most important treasure in post-war Equestria. The hedgehog ran in circles around the hall, dodging flashes of green fire and transforming into blue and white sparks as usual. The dragon maneuvered delicately, trying to keep his wings from hitting the spire of the central maneframe, and from time to time exhaled downward jets of flame; his target was clearly Sonic. The tongues of fire were at least pony-high on the floor and walls – Spike had made sure to leave the machinery intact.

And that kept the dragon from sizzling the “threat”.

“Sonic, you idiot!” Cosmic shouted, her voice echoed off the walls.

“GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE, YOU MARE!!!” Spike replied, firing another bolt of fire.

It didn’t hit Sonic, of course. The hedgehog suddenly came out of super-speed mode on the other side of the hall and threw something into the air, then immediately darted away, dodging another bolt.

In the light of the green flame, a ring – one of the four remaining – glittered golden. Cosmic watched in fascination as the portal opened: the ring grew larger than any door, and another dimension became visible through the transparent membrane. It seemed to be some kind of room… but the earth pony couldn’t get a good look inside.

New creatures, unknown to Cosmic, began to come out of the portal. But from how they looked, one could tell that they were playing with Sonic, so to speak, for the same team.

A hedgehog girl with pink needles, wearing a red sweater and carrying a huge sledgehammer behind her back. And she’s pretty… flashed through the mare’s mind.

The red… beast with the angry look was obviously Knuckles, who Sonic had told her about. So this is what Echidnas look like? I didn’t know…

And finally, from the other world, stepped into the cave… a rabbit? That’s all Cosmic could make out of her long ears and yellow-brown fur; the guest was wearing a light, colorful dress. But in her hands, she was carrying… something the earth pony didn’t even know the name of. The closest she could come to describing it was a blue mushroom with eyes that made the sounds of a baby.

“Hush, Cheese,” the rabbit girl murmured in a soft, pleasant voice. Was she talking to that… mushroom?! “We shouldn’t… Aaaaaaahhhh!” she screamed, noticing Spike, and slipping behind Knuckles’ back.

Sonic stopped running from Spike and rushed towards… his friends? Tails pushed Cosmic away with sudden force and hurried towards them as well; the mare rubbed the shoulder she’d hit against the wall with a sigh and stepped into the hall as well.

Even Spike stopped breathing fire and hovered in the air, looking at the uninvited guests with disgust.

“You…” he growled. Smoke rose from his nostrils. “So this was all your plan to sneak in and take the Elements from me!” He looked around at everyone and stopped at Cosmic. “And you… Do you realize that by helping them, you’re betraying Equestria? Betraying the legacy of all those ponies who gave their lives so that it could be reborn?”

“But for now, Equestria is dead.” Cosmic shook her head. “And if we don’t help these creatures, their world will suffer the same fate. And then…” She looked sternly at Sonic. “They promised me they’d return the Elements afterward.”

“Oh, you found them!” the pink hedgehog girl exclaimed, hugging Sonic and Tails. “And so quickly! We were just starting to worry about you…”

“Who’s that, Sonic?” Knuckles asked, staring at the dragon. “If that’s our main opponent, I’d like to take him out as soon as possible…”

“YOU WON’T GET THE ELEMENTS!” Spike thundered, spreading his wings. “I’VE BEEN GUARDING THEM FOR TWO HUNDRED YEARS, NOT TO BE TAKEN BY A BUNCH OF UPSTARTS WHO DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO USE THEM!”

The aliens looked at each other. Cosmic had a strange sucking feeling inside, as if something they had completely forgotten had been revealed. Something important, something they’d paid attention to before.

Spike chuckled suddenly.

“Really? You don’t even know that you’re supposed to be the bearers of the virtues? And yet you showed up…” The dragon chuckled again, this time threateningly. “And how were you going to make the magic of friendship serve you, huh? Do you guys have any idea who you are…?”

“Well....” Sonic stepped forward. “We’ve known each other for a long time. We’ve been through a lot together, and in a lot of trouble. It may not compare to Twilight and the Mane Six, but it means a lot to us.” He looked back at his friends. “And I know for a fact that we have among us the Elements of Honesty,” – glanced at Knuckles – “Loyalty,” – now at Tails – “Kindness…” The hedgehog’s gaze flickered between the pink and the rabbit. “Laughter…”

He sighed and bowed his head.

“And I so wish I could be the Element of Magic – my own, special, pure energy… But now I realize that we’re not the right ones. After all, we’re not even ponies.”

“So you haven’t decided which of you should represent which Element…” Spike muttered and flapped his wings to get lower. “And what are you going to do now, huh?”

“Listen!” Cosmic stomped forward, drawing attention to herself. “Yes, we’re at a dead end. But maybe there’s still a way out, a way to resolve everything?” She turned to the dragon. “Can you give them something more powerful than just an instruction to seek their virtues? If not the Elements themselves… at least something?”

The dragon hesitated for a moment.

Different feelings had to be fighting inside him. On one side was anger at the (let’s face it) brazen invasion of his home. On the other (or so Cosmic hoped), a genuine desire to help, as he had helped the blue earth pony before; as he had been helping the Wasteland ponies for two hundred years; as he was helping Twilight Sparkle when he was young. Well, and maybe a wish that everyone would go away and leave him alone to keep watch at the terminal.

Finally, he replied, “All right. I think I know what you want.”

And, pushing himself off the floor, he took off.

Cosmic lifted her head and followed him with a glance.

Spike flew over to a glass case mounted high on the wall, almost impossible to see from the entrance, carefully opened the flimsy door and carefully removed… six statuettes of what must have been those ponies. Ministry Mares. The former bearers of the Elements of Harmony.

Reaching back down, he lined up all six figurines on his huge palm. Purple, orange, pink, blue, white, and yellow. Cosmic would never have guessed that these colors could have any meaning.

“After the Elements,” the dragon said, pointing to the statuettes, “these are the most valuable things in Equestria. There are only seven of these sets, and I can only guess how far the others might be scattered. These are not just figurines; unlike ordinary crafts, they have their own magic – and so can serve as a ‘lighter’ version of the Elements, so to speak.

“I want you to find what remains of the Tree of Harmony in the Everfree Forest, near the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters, where Stable 101 was built before the war. The Tree had kept Equestria in order with its magic for centuries… until it was destroyed – for the first time, I believe. Later, a palace was built from its fragments, and a new Tree grew inside it – with the same Elements, since their bearers remained the same. That’s where the artifacts were taken. But now… I don’t know what’s there. Most likely, the palace has been destroyed for years, and there are raiders and Red Eye’s soldiers around. Maybe there’s nopony there and the Tree stands untouched – I don’t know. And I want to find out. And you,” Spike pointed at the group gathered in the cave, “are going to help me. And if you can, try to reactivate the Tree. I think the statuettes should work,” the dragon gave himself a wry smile, “if, of course, you’ve decided who represents which virtue by then. If you really do.”

“How’ll we keep you informed?” Cosmic asked – and nearly facehoofed. The answer was obvious.

“By the nearest sprite-bot. I’ll take whatever results you get and send another bot with a section for light cargo. And you will return the statuettes to me,” the dragon added with pressure. “Otherwise, you’ll get another rain of steel parasprites.”

So that’s what those bugs are called… was the first thing Cosmic thought.

And then the wheels in her head spun faster.

The Everfree Forest… The uncharted territory where, according to radio reports, the supreme leader of the slavers was stirring up something. What if this quest becomes just another suicide attempt?

But there was nowhere to run.

“We agree,” Cosmic sighed. “At least there’ll be a new purpose.”

“And what about Dr. Eggman?!” exclaimed the pink hedgehog girl, turning to her kin. “Sonic, you said that–”

“I’m sorry, Amy, but things have changed,” he said. The hedgehog girl sobbed; Sonic walked over and hugged her. “We can’t get the Elements – but Eggman doesn’t have the Emerald either. Besides, this world’s going through worse times than Earth. We gotta do something to help it.”

“How long has it been in there? A few hours?” asked Cosmic sharply. “And here – two weeks! Your Eggman is not going anywhere. And what’s he without the Master Emerald? Cannot someone take over the world alone…”

“Well, he almost did once,” Sonic countered. “But, yeah, he’s far from all-powerful on his own…”

“Remind me again, why do we have to do what you say?” Knuckles asked Spike. The echidna looked… to put it mildly, angry.

“Because someone,” the dragon looked at Sonic accusingly, “broke the word he gave when he entered this cave. Either that,” Spike gritted his teeth, “or I’ll crush you into a pancake. And burn what’s left.”

“He’s not kidding,” Cosmic interjected. “Believe me, it’s serious.”

“We need a plan,” Tails said. And already to Spike, “Can you please give me the exact coordinates of this place?”

“Sooo… and none of you have a PipBuck, of course,” the dragon said.

“This one?”

The fox opened a small bag that was attached to his belt with all sorts of technical things and took it out… PipBuck! A little scratched and with a broken flashlight eye, but it looked like it worked.

Cosmic went cold. Goddesses, she knew where this PipBuck came from!

“You… you…” she stammered, pulling the carbine from her back, and pointing it at the fox. Tails staggered back a few steps, clutching the device in his hands. “You dared to… search the… corpses of my comrades!”

She clenched the weapon in her teeth, fumbling with her tongue for the trigger…

But a powerful blow from the dragon’s tail threw the mare against the wall. Cosmic slammed into one of the shutdown maneframes and slid down, groaning. Argument rattled across the floor, released from her mouth grip.

“No one is allowed to shoot here!” Spike growled, leaning over the earth pony. “If you damage anything, two hundred years of my hermitage will be for nothing! TWO HUNDRED! FUCKING! YEARS!” he shouted directly into her ear.

“Why…?” Cosmic shook her head and came to her senses. The dragon’s last words made her ears ring wildly. “Why are you here? What are you guarding so preciously?”

“That’s none of your business, mare. But believe me, it’s more important than all your lives put together. More important than the lives of every pony in Wasteland.” Spike gave her a faint smile. “It’s hope.”

“Hope for what?” Cosmic grinned in disbelief. “That Equestria will be cleansed of radiation and Taint in no time, and the pegasi’s cloud veil will be fucking blown away?”

When she saw Spike’s eyes widen, she frowned in bewilderment. “Wait… really?! Really?!!!”

The dragon stared at her in silence for a few seconds, then sighed doomedly.

“Okay. You’ll know. But a bit later. And no one else can know.”

“W-why?”

The mare struggled to get to her hooves and hobbled back to her weapon. She didn’t feel like anything was broken, but her legs were a little shaky.

“Because anyone can get the information, you fool!!!” Spike exploded again. “The Enclave, the Steel Rangers, the alicorns – all of them! Alicorns in general are fucking telepaths! I cannot allow the fate of all of Equestria to be in the hooves of any of them! I! CAN! NOT!!!”

“Wow,” Cosmic raised an eyebrow and strapped the carbine to her back. “Now I see why all the secrecy–”

“I hope so,” the dragon exhaled angrily and turned to the others. “Let’s go. There’s nothing left for you to do here.”

He waited until all the aliens had left the hall and ducked into the next passage. Cosmic sighed and limped after them.

At the entrance to the tunnel, she turned and looked again at the hulk of the central mainframe.

So it wasn’t the Elements that the dragon was guarding…

If this machine really is capable of healing Equestria… well, that changes everything. Then Spike’s aggression was justified. Even the attack of those… as Sonic said, “kamikaze drones”.

If Cosmic had such a thing – even without being able to use it – she wouldn’t hesitate to kill anyone who dared to hurt “her precious”. So, Spike was right. And she should have died on the way up. That would probably be fair.

Sighing, Cosmic left the hall.

The maneframes near the walls were humming softly.

“You never used it before?” Spike asked as the earth pony pulled on the wired black crown of the recollector.

“Nope,” Cosmic shook her head slightly and adjusted the device on top of her head. “And where would it be? No, there was one in my father’s workshop, and I even put it on sometimes to play princess…” Her eyes clouded for a moment, and a faint smile touched her lips: Cosmic remembered the past. “But we didn’t have any memory orbs that I could do research on. And when my father died, the mayor sold the recollector for three wagons of greens. That should have been enough for the whole winter.”

The mare was sitting on the far side of the hall, leaning against one of the piles of jewelry. Sonic and the others huddled by the terminal, watching the Wasteland through the sprite-bot cameras. Cosmic didn’t look there; she was still angry.

And just to distract herself from the unpleasant thoughts and feelings, she asked Spike to show her the memory orb the dragon had mentioned in their conversation.

“Then the feelings would be new to you.”

Spike flew away for a moment and returned with a translucent bluish orb in his paw. There was a light smoke swirling inside the sphere – apparently a magical form of memory.

“You’ll just be inside… some other pony.”

The dragon carefully placed the orb into the slot at the top of the recollector. Cosmic chuckled, imagining what it looked like from the outside now. The sight of a “princess” with that orb on her head was imperceptibly changing into the image of some ancient goddess.

“You’ll feel the same as she did, but you won’t be able to read her mind. Looking through the memory orbs, the differences in race and gender are probably the most striking. Many unicorns are willing to enjoy others’ memories for days, it becomes a kind of… entertainment.”

“Of course, they have a horn to do it without that thing…” Cosmic sighed, touching the recollector with her hoof. The thing on her head was quite heavy, and just uncomfortable as hell to wear. “Actually, it’s not a good thing to spy on others. Even if they allowed it themselves by recording their past.”

“Then why would you look through this orb?”

Cosmic smiled slightly.

“Sometimes the past is worth to be touched.”

Spike nodded and pressed a button on the recollector.

And in that instant, the familiar world dissolved.

<========ooOОOoo========>

After a new picture seemed to assemble itself out of dots in front of her eyes, Cosmic wanted to blink. Just so she could adjust. But she could not. The body her mind was in didn’t obey her. She was just a helpless witness of what was about to happen. Whatever it was.

This pony (mare – at least the genitals felt the same) was standing in front of a huge, almost wall-sized screen, like a giant terminal. It really was a terminal, for the keyboard case was inconspicuously tucked away to the side. On the screen, a circle made up of bars was rotating, and a cursor was flashing at the end of the sentence “Waiting for connection…”

A black camera looked down at the body owner from above. It looked like this pony was about to make a video call.

I wish dad was here. I’m sure he’d appreciate all this splendor. I wonder where… Oh, Celestia, that’s…

The most unusual thing about the new body was… the horn. It was as if Cosmic – or whoever she was now – had a hard, but also sensitive stick growing out of her forehead. Cosmic suddenly wondered: what would it be like to cast magic with that? At least holding a carbine would be possible without using the mouth. And it wouldn’t be a problem to add submachine guns too…

The mare bit her lip. The display had been flickering for about twenty seconds, and the pony was clearly nervous. She jerked her shoulders, hidden under a light navy cape, and Cosmic suddenly felt a slight pain in her back: two aching points just to her sides. Exactly the echo of another, much stronger pain.

Wings! This pony didn’t have wings, but she knew how to use them!

Waiting until the connection was finally made, the unicorn mare lowered her gaze and looked at her hooves. The lavender skin looked harmonious against the pale yellow walls and white marble floor.

It was Twilight Sparkle. The second pony in a thousand years (after Princess Cadance) to receive wings from the outside – and the first to lose them.

Cosmic’s soul prickled with pity and compassion. The pony whose body she was in would never be able to fly again. Probably, for an alicorn or a pegasus, the loss of their wings would be like being a unicorn without a horn. That’s why Twilight wore clothes – so nopony would see that her wings were gone.

Cosmic had seen some ponies in the Wasteland who’d had their horns chopped off with a shovel or sawed off with a hacksaw by raiders. They could no longer use magic – and felt damaged by that. And even the slavers valued earth ponies much cheaper than unicorns.

She wondered how any of the Wasteland’s alicorns would behave without wings, and then the screen came to life.

The Princess of Friendship looked at a handsome unicorn in a red dress uniform with a dark blue mane and a shield-shaped cutie mark with a six-pointed star in the middle. Even through the monitor, he exuded a sense of power and confidence; in the back of Cosmic’s mind, it even flashed that she wouldn’t mind sleeping with him. Maybe more than once.

Behind his back, the richly appointed chambers were visible. Bookshelves, furniture – everything was made of shining blue crystals. Even the walls had their druses protruding, shimmering in the daylight. No doubt it had cost more than The Republic and the two Appleloosas combined.

Another character from the past. Shining Armor, ruler of the Crystal Empire and brother of Twilight Sparkle.

“Shining…” the lavender pony murmured, stuttering. “I…”

Something about their relationship was clearly not as Sonic had described it, the earth pony thought. Or what was going on in Equestria at the time.

The white unicorn bowed his head.

“Hey, sis. I know why you’re calling: Cadance and I have already received a letter from Princess Luna. And before you say anything… Believe me, we’ve given it a lot of thought – and we’ve decided it’s safer for us… and for the Empire.”

What are they talking about? Okay, wait… So the recording was made in wartime…?

“But… but we must stay together!” Twilight said almost pleadingly. “Our countries, yours and mine! Ever since the Empire returned… We’ve always been friends!”

“And that’s true,” Shining Armor nodded. He, too, was obviously sad and uncomfortable talking about this (though still unclear to Cosmic) subject. “The Crystal Empire is indeed closely related to Equestria. But you know… have you ever thought that we’re being kept in a secondary role… on purpose?”

“What do you mean? Princess Celestia would never–”

“Are you so sure? We may not see our future apart from Equestria, but –” he lifted his chin “– the Empire is not a puppet. And we are entitled to our own interests.”

“Then let me remind you of something, BBBFF,” Twilight said in a similarly dignified tone. “We are going through a difficult time. We need every gun, every bullet, every magical amulet we can find. It will take several years for Equestria to overcome the crisis of going to war. And we need cooperation now more than ever!”

“I’m sorry, but no,” Shining Armor shook his head. “All you need is cheap weapons and resources, which you do not have. But it doesn’t work like that, Twi… Yes, if it were that simple… You see, the crystal ponies don’t like this war. Not at all. And even though most of them are for Equestria… none of them want to get directly involved.”

“But you can’t do that! There’s a signed treaty–”

“Sometimes,” the unicorn sighed, “you have to choose between fulfilling your obligations to your allies – and to your own nation. I would never want that option, of course… but what if Equestria loses? The Zebras would probably want to hunt down those who supported you… Damn – we’re even glad we haven’t given up on Stalliongrad, the Griffons, or the Changelings yet! And in the worst case… we’ll need something to defend our home with.”

“So you won’t change your mind?”

“No.” Shining’s tone became emphatically official, as if the unicorn were reading a decree. “The Crystal Empire suspends the lend-lease of weapons, gems, and food to Equestria. From now on, the war is primarily your problem.

“However,” he raised a hoof, cutting off his sister’s objections, “we will still protect the southern lands from the Windigos and the possible return of King Sombra.” He sighed again. “Though I’m not sure Equestria deserves that anymore.”

“What are you talking about…?”

Twilight was about to cry. At least the burning in her eyes felt very realistic.

It was as if Cosmic herself had been kicked in the ass from The Republic.

“The Crystal Empire will remain neutral in your conflict. That’s the compromise we decided to make for our future.”

“I see.” Twilight sobbed, but when she looked back at her brother, her voice was calm and steady, “How is Flurry Heart…?”

“She and Cadance are fine… as well as they can. This war is getting to everyone’s nerves, and it’s my duty as a father and husband to protect my family from its influence.”

“Can I see them?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Shining Armor shook his head. “Flurry is with her art teacher, and Cadance has gone for a walk in the garden. And I have a few more meetings and business appointments today. So… let’s wrap it up, Twily. And, uh, if you don’t mind, don’t call here again. As you can see, neither of us would be happy to have this conversation right now. And for your own safety. After all, zebras can tap even such secure channels.”

“Shining… You’ll still be my BBBFF no matter what, right?”

“Yes, sister,” the unicorn grinned sadly. “I can promise you that.”

“You know… I wish there was a seventh Element of Harmony.”

“And what is it?”

“Justice.”

<========ooOОOoo========>

The memory shattered and Cosmic was thrown back into the real world.

Floating back into her body was like squeezing into a tight but cozy enclosure. Like a snail crawling back into its shell.

A strange emptiness formed in her forehead, as if what was there before wasn’t there now. Probably the same thing unicorns experience when looking through the memory orbs of earth ponies.

However, there would be no more pain in her back at the site of the lost wings. It was actually unbearable, and Cosmic had no idea how Twilight dealt with it.

So this was like being a princess…?

Cosmic groaned and opened her eyes - to finally blink enough to get used to the semi-darkness inside the cave. Spike’s face loomed in front of her as he pulled the memory orb out of the slot and began to remove the recollector from her.

“BBBFF…?” Cosmic squeezed out, recovering from the memory.

Her body still didn’t obey her well. The mare wondered if she would have to adjust to herself after each visit to another mind…?

To be honest, it was a bit scary.

“Big Brother – Best Friend Forever,” Spike explained and took off, stowing the orb and device in a box on the top shelf. “A foalhood nickname Twily had given Shining. When everything went down, it was her last attempt to keep in touch with her brother. But as you can see, it didn’t work. The Crystal Empire distanced itself from the war with the Zebras and focused all its energies on maintaining internal order. No one knows what’s happened there since the bombs fell. No one – in all of Equestria. Maybe it even disappeared for a thousand years…”

The dragon sighed heavily and glided down, landing on the ground next to Cosmic.

“Or… they were completely wiped out by mega spells. Though in that case all Windigoes should be dead too – otherwise I don’t understand why they haven’t taken over half the world in two hundred years of our sluggish civil war.”

“Eh, if only there really were a Seventh Element…” the blue earth pony muttered.

“Yeah, we certainly do need a little justice right about now,” Spike nodded. “And actually… you know, there were not five branches on the Tree of Harmony, but eleven. And the existence of six basic virtues didn’t mean there weren’t others. Courage, Justice, Wisdom, Repentance, Sincerity, Mercy – all of them could have their bearers. Perhaps they still do. They’re just not the ones that have been chosen as the primary means of reviving Equestria. But they can be of great help in everyday life.”

“Still – what are the maneframes in this room for?” Cosmic asked, nodding toward the dark corridor.

“Gardens of Equestria,” the dragon replied deafly. “The most important – and last – superspell developed by Twilight Sparkle. No one else in the Mane Six knew about it. Sunburst and Starlight had helped Twilight with the implementation, along with the other scientists. Sunburst programmed the central Crusader maneframe, and Starlight helped develop the magical matrix. After all, she was a very powerful unicorn and knew magic better than most.”

“And you’re looking for the right ponies to activate the spell…”

“For two centuries now. But that” – Spike closed his eyes – “has proven to be a nearly impossible task. You’re the first non-bearer pony to learn the secret. Despite my best efforts to keep it safe,” he grinned weakly. “You were very persistent. I hope you won’t use this knowledge for your own ends. Because if you do, it will be the end of everything, and Equestria will always be the way it is now.”

“I won’t,” Cosmic whispered. “Now I realize that you had the right to kill us when we came here. I didn’t know… I didn’t know anything…”

“At least you’re not John Snow,” Sonic’s voice sounded above her ear.

Cosmic turned around. The hedgehog and the fox walked over to her and Spike and sat down next to them. Tails felt very, very uncomfortable because he was wearing the PipBuck from the pegasus that Metal Dawn had killed.

“Go away,” the mare said, turning away. “I don’t want to see you. After what you did… By the way, when did you manage to do that…?”

“When you and Sonic were burying them,” Tails replied. “While you were lying there unconscious, he told me everything, and I asked him to get me one of those… PipBucks. I… I just wanted to study the technology… thought we could use it… and we did! Cosmic, I… I didn’t mean to hurt you that much, but…”

“You looted the corpses of my comrades,” Cosmic said without looking in his direction. “This isn’t something that can be easily forgotten and forgiven. Maybe I can, but… I’ll need time. A lot of time. By the way, whose the fuck is this? Stream’s or Spark’s?”

“Spark’s,” Sonic said with a sigh. “I couldn’t get that thing off Stream’s leg. It was firmly attached…”

“Yeah, Spark Glider was a real badass… But he also was a good friend. Like… like all of them. Except for one…”

“I didn’t think I’d find myself in a situation where my fourth wall would be broken after… Pinkie Pie left,” Spike changed the subject. “That was… unexpected. And made me think.”

“But you’ll continue to guard the place, won’t you?” Cosmic asked.

“Yes. I’ll probably invite some of the other good ponies I’m watching here soon. With any luck, I’ll find at least one or two bearers.”

“And… here’s something else I wanna ask…” The earth pony looked into Spike’s eyes. “What do you know about a pony called Lyra?”

“About whom…?” The dragon hesitated. “Wait, I seem to remember something… Lyra… Heartstrings, did you mean her? It’s just that she lived at the same time as Twilight… she was… a musician, I think… yes, played the lyre with her telekinesis…”

“Do you know what happened to her? Well, when–”

“No. I don’t know," he shook his head. “After all, she was kind of a… background pony back then. Why do you remember her now?”

“Well, there’s one thing…”

Cosmic briefly recounted the history of her investigation up to the meeting with the cyberghoul in New Appleloosa.

“…Someone must be behind all this, right? And then there’s that merchant… where did he get the cybernetic implants? What was in those blueprints he was supposed to pass on? And who ‘turned him off’? It’s all very strange. And I just want to find out so I can finally put this mystery out of my life.”

“Basically, ponies can live that long. And you know one way they can.”

“As ghouls?” Cosmic raised an eyebrow. “Well, anyway, what does that give us? We don’t know anything else. It might even be different Lyra.” The earth pony yawned. “Things could have changed so many times in two hundred years…”

“If she knows that you survived, she’ll try to get to you,” Spike said and looked towards the cave’s exit. “It’s almost daylight now. Do you need more rest, or are you leaving now…? Cosmic? Cosmic…”

But she was already asleep, leaning against the wall.

Spike looked at the sleeping mare for a while, then gently picked her up with his paws and carried her to his bed. After that, he carefully laid Cosmic down and covered her with a blanket.

She only moved slightly in her sleep. And smiled.

Purely and joyously – as if she had seen in her dream the renewed Equestria of the future.

Note: Level up.

Player: Cosmic Valor. Survival skill increased to 100%. New perk: Stone wall – 25% increased blunt resistance.

Player: Sonic. New perk: Bullet Dodger (level 1/3) – increased evasion by 15%. Bonus: Bullet Dodger (level 2/3) – increased evasion by 30%.

Items obtained: Twilight Sparkle statuette (1 item), Applejack statuette (1 item), Pinkie Pie statuette (1 item), Rainbow Dash statuette (1 item), Rarity statuette (1 item), Fluttershy statuette (1 item).

The quest stage “Get to the Cave” has been completed. Added a new stage “Find the Tree of Harmony”.

Chapter 11. Not Gonna Die

So long as I kept moving and didn’t dwell.

Fallout Equestria: Heroes, chapter 18

Sometimes, just when it seems that the goal has been achieved, everything turns upside down. Initial plans fall apart, and victory – so close but suddenly out of reach – turns into defeat. First of all – in the struggle with circumstances, which, no matter how strong the will of the one who is going, usually take over.

The meaning of the former aspiration is lost, and in order to somehow justify the effort spent, you have to choose a new goal – depending on what you get in the end. Sometimes the only option left is to logically continue the previous mission.

Because to give up when the path has taken you so far is to surrender. To retreat shamefully, devaluing all previous efforts and hardships.

Only cowards and losers agree to this.

But heroes keep going, and one day they’ll end up somewhere.

“…Is that a mushroom?!” Cosmic asked, looking at the strange creature in Cream’s hands.

Light blue in color, with a drop-shaped head with a yellow ball floating above, and a red bow tie, it looked at the earth pony with its blue eyes, squeaking and wiggling its limbs. It also had little pink wings on its back.

“This is Chao,” the rabbit girl replied in a soft, high voice. “His name is Cheese. He’s my friend. We lived together in our world until we heard about what happened on Earth. I wanted to go there and join Sonic’s team, but my mother was against it. And then… Tails contacted me and invited me to join him. Cheese likes adventures,” she smiled sweetly and let the Chao out of her arms. He flapped his wings and floated in the air. “And I just couldn’t say no.”

“Cream, I was the one who convinced you!” Amy said as she approached them. “You’re always afraid of everything! Unlike your pet,” she added with a smile.

Cosmic looked at the hedgehog girl.

“So you two knew each other before?”

“Huh! Of course we did!” Amy crossed her arms over her chest. “We’re all from the same world. Many different tribes live there, and while the owls, hedgehogs, and echidnas were at war, the others lived normal lives. Often, they even joined together.”

“But wait…” the earth pony frowned. “Sonic said that hedgehogs and echidnas almost disappeared in that war…”

“That’s right – almost,” Amy sighed, clasping her hands. “Sonic was the only one with his powers, so he was sent to a safe place. But gradually, things calmed down and we could return to a peaceful life, joining the rest of the tribes.”

“So you were actually gathered by Tails, not Sonic? But why do you think Sonic’s in charge?”

“Well, it’s just like in MLP,” Tails replied, walking over to them. On his left arm was a “trophy” PipBuck with a loaded map. Sonic and Knuckles were sitting off to the side, bored. “After all, the Mane Six’s friendship had been predestined by Rainbow Dash, who had performed a Sonic Rainboom that had given them all cutie marks. Twilight Sparkle led the team later.”

There was a flap of large wings, and Spike hovered over the group.

“Are you ready? The sun will be setting soon. You’ll need to be able to see where you’re going without being caught by the Enclave. So now would be the best time for you to go.”

“Tell us…” Cosmic turned to the dragon. “You only gave us this mission so that we wouldn’t get discouraged and still have a purpose, didn’t you?”

Spike hesitated, and with a last flap of his wings, he landed on the floor of the cave.

“No… And yes. As you can see, the Elements are too important to me to just give them away. These statuettes…” The dragon’s gaze clouded over, no doubt he was remembering the past. “They’re priceless in their own way, but –” Spike grinned “– there are seven sets of them in Equestria, not just one. Of course, it’s hard for me to part with them, even temporarily, and I expect to get them back in a few days… So in a way, yes, I’m giving you this job just to get you off my back. But at the same time…”

Spike sighed heavily.

“The Tree of Harmony?” Cosmic recognized. “Was there anything left of it? Considering Red Eye’s been burning the Everfree Forest like crazy lately.”

“That’s the problem,” the dragon replied sadly. “I don’t know.”

“And in all these years, you haven’t even —”

“I’ve tried! But none of those who went into the forest ever came back. They all died either on the way, encountering alicorns, griffins, Steel Rangers or just bandits, or in the forest itself, facing whatever lived there.”

“Wonderful,” Cosmic said wryly. “And that’s why we should definitely go there. Excellent plan. Reliable, man, just like a PipBuck.”

“Like a Swiss watch,” Sonic chuckled from his seat.

“About that thing in the forest…” Tails said, looking at Spike. “You mean Ursa, the manticores and the poison joke? Or…”

“Well, star creatures and manticores can be found in the Wasteland itself,” the dragon said. “You’ll have to avoid the plants first. There are some that like to spit spores… And the blue ivy that was there two hundred years ago has mutated into a much more dangerous ‘killing joke’.”

“How’s that?” Amy asked, tilting her head to the side.

“The same ivy, only its touch does… something to every pony. Different every time. Anything at all,” Spike emphasized.

There was a long silence while the alien team digested what they had heard.

Finally, the silence was broken by Cosmic, “Besides, there must still be Red Eye’s soldiers snooping around as if they were at home.”

“Who is this guy?” asked Knuckles, who was listening to the conversation with Sonic from the other side of the room. “It’s not the first time I’ve heard that today… I don’t like him anymore.”

“This is the leader of all slavers in the Wasteland,” Cosmic grinned unhappily. “He seems to be in Fillydelphia, but at the same time he’s doing something to the forest… I only know about him from radio reports and conversations I overheard in New Appleloosa. That town, by the way, owes him a water talisman that is so rare in Equestria, and they have strong trade ties with him. And Old Appleloosa is a slave-trading outpost in that part of the Wasteland.”

“I want to kill him now,” Knuckles muttered, slapping his spiked gloved hand on the ground.

“If only it were that easy…” the earth pony shook her head. “I think someone would have done it a long time ago. But this asshole relies on fucking alicorns, and he’s got a lot of griffins working for him… No, no chance. And besides…” She sighed. “This isn’t our war anymore.”

“Right,” Spike’s low growl sounded, and Cream shrieked in fright. “Not yours, and not theirs. But both your wars with Lyra and Eggman can wait. All in good time.”

The dragon looked towards the exit of the cave, beyond which the pale twilight was fading, and Cosmic caught herself.

“Yeah… we should go.”

Soon the group gathered at the passage outside.

Leaving the cave meant returning to a brutal, post-apocalyptic world where life was worth as much as a pony carried in saddlebags, plus a bounty on the head in rare cases. And sometimes it was nothing. And no wonder no one was in a hurry to take the first step out of the dragon’s lair: neither those who had already been out there… nor those who had come straight into the cave from another universe.

“Good luck,” Spike finally told them all.

Cosmic nodded and was about to be the first to leave the conventionally hospitable dwelling when suddenly…

“Wait!” Sonic shouted and all eyes turned to him. “I have an idea. A way we can do this faster and safer.”

“And how?” Cosmic asked, turning around.

The blue hedgehog smiled indulgently and lifted the lanyard with the remaining portal rings around his neck.

“Knuckles, Amy, Cream,” he said as he untied the lanyard and removed one of the last three rings. “You’re new to this world, and it’s not a very peaceful place. I think it would be safer for you to go back for now, and then when we” – he looked around at Cosmic, himself, and Tails – “come down and get far enough away from here, I’ll open another portal (‘cause I know what the room looks like, and I can visualize it), and you’ll come back to us. But…” Sonic frowned. “You don’t have any more rings, do you?”

“We’ll have to look. What happened to yours?” Knuckles asked.

“They were stolen,” the hedgehog sighed. “I’ll tell you later. So you agree?”

“And how’ll we get away from the Enclave troops if they find us?” Cosmic asked. “Well, you, of course —”

“I can just roll down. The round shape allows me to remain unharmed, so nothing will happen to me. Then I’ll run across the Wasteland.” Sonic looked at his fox friend. “Tails could fly away on his tails.” And glanced at Cosmic, smiling again. “And you have a zebra stealth cloak.”

The earth pony suddenly realized that everyone was looking at her now. And while the new aliens from Earth stared at her with amazement, Spike did so with apprehension and wariness.

“You could have slipped past me then…” the dragon said in a muffled voice. “And I wouldn’t have noticed…”

Now he’ll breathe fire again, a thought flashed through Cosmic’s mind.

“No,” the mare shook her head, “I wouldn’t do that. I really do want the best for Equestria, but…” She closed her eyes with a sigh. “It’s so hard to believe in something that’s been dead for so long.”

“We have to believe,” Spike replied. “Believe and hope that there will be a day when we get our sunshine and rainbows back.” The dragon looked at the corridor leading out. “It’s almost dark. Time to leave for you. Take care of these statuettes.” The figurines were now in Cosmic’s saddlebag. “Each of them, even when separated, gives strength, and all together… probably allow to do the impossible.”

The earth pony said nothing. Just nodded goodbye to Spike and walked silently out of the cave onto the narrow platform.

Behind them the portal opened, through which some of the aliens went back to Earth. To the world that could still be saved.

Though… maybe Equestria wasn’t finished either?

However, that was no longer Cosmic’s concern.

After all, there were other ponies besides her. Why shouldn’t one of them try to change the world for the better?

Someone who’d be a greater hero.

She just wanted to survive. And to have a purpose that was worth staying alive for. At least for tomorrow. And then she’d see.

As they descended, darkness fell. The waning moon had risen in the sky, but its faint light shining through the tattered fabric of the clouds gave almost no visibility.

Cosmic would wonder what was causing the moon and sun to rise now, Sonic thought. If everything was as it should be, what powers were Celestia and Luna using? And for what purpose, if days and nights could indeed change naturally? Was it just to maintain their own power? Or was the talisman the Goddesses had given Twilight in the ninth season still lying around somewhere, working?

The hedgehog shook his head and jumped over a small dip, concentrating on the descent again.

It was too complicated and confusing. How many unsolved mysteries had the fourth generation left behind… and many more had been created by the fifth…

Sonic looked back at Tails and Cosmic, who were following. The fox could not jump that far, so he used a tailswing to keep from falling into the abyss, just as he had during the climb.

But there was no sign of the blue pony. And not only because of the darkness, which was necessary for cover.

Even on the upper platform, Cosmic donned Metal Dawn’s cloak, instantly becoming invisible and inaudible. Tails confirmed the same after failing to find her mark on PipBuck’s locator. Indeed, the cloak’s stealth mode was absolute, and the mare actually regretted that during the war, the ponies hadn’t been able to fully copy the Zebras’ technology.

With the tools he had borrowed from Spike, the fox removed the PipBuck and placed the device in Cosmic’s saddlebag. That way, she could find the aliens when they were all away from any possible Enclave surveillance. If the estimates were correct, the cloak would easily hide the dead Spark Glider’s mark from the minicomputers in the pegasi’s armor.

But still, he and Tails could be easily detected. So they had to get down and out of here as quickly as possible. Having learned from his encounters with Dr. Eggman, Sonic knew when to retreat. He simply used that knowledge as he saw fit.

It was still much easier to go downhill than uphill. The hedgehog’s eyes had become accustomed to the darkness, and now even the faint glow of the moon was enough to see where to put his foot or where to jump.

It seemed that everything would go on like this, without any problems. At least until they reached the Everfree Forest.

Sonic stopped and looked at the sky again. It was impossible to tell under the cloud cover – what if a pegasus was flying up there now, looking out for “intruders”?

But no matter how hard the hedgehog looked into the night, there was no movement. Perhaps those who were supposed to be on duty near the mountain preferred to sleep rather than hover in the air.

Sonic turned away and took a few more steps…

And then a bright light struck from the right.

“Aaaaaaah!” the hedgehog screamed and covered his eyes with his hand.

A voice, amplified by loudspeakers, whipped around his ears.

“STAY WHERE YOU ARE! SURRENDER! DON’T DO ANYTHING STUPID AND WE’LL KEEP YOU ALIVE IN EXCHANGE FOR INFORMATION…!”

“Tails, run…!” without waiting for the pegasus to finish speaking, Sonic commanded…

And jumped.

No, not forward. Because Cosmic would still need the path for her descent, and the missiles the mare had warned them about could destroy the only way down for non-flying ponies.

But sideways, straight at the voice, curling up into a tight ball in one motion. White, itchy sparks flew from the needles.

And then an explosion ripped through the rocky slope behind him. Sonic didn’t see it – he only felt the shockwave pushing him far away and down.

Spinning the wheel at breakneck speed, he rolled down the steep, almost sheer slope, bouncing on the twists and turns of the path that wound around the mountain. The energy from the needles sparked, bursting outward, forming a shield that absorbed the strongest blows.

And the hedgehog himself thought about not vomiting as soon as he landed.

BOOM! BOOM! BANG!

Sonic wondered if it was him hitting the rock so hard, or if it was the sound of the rocket hits. But there wasn’t a thing to be done. All he could do was hope that his friends would survive.

“STOP! YOU WON’T GET AWAY…!” came from above.

So Tails was still alive, running through the air from the pegasi. But how long would the fox’s tails be able to help him? And suddenly, their speed wouldn’t be enough to outrun the pursuit?

Sonic gritted his teeth and began to roll even faster.

Still. They had no other plan. Nor did they have time to think of one. If they all went together, half of the group would be gone by now. This way, there’s a chance that at least one of them could make it out. If they were lucky, all of them.

But there was no way to be sure.

Finally, the bouncing stopped and there was only a flat surface under the needles. Sonic immediately stopped spinning and straightened up to his full height, looking up at the sky.

Somewhere high above, bright red laser beams and red flame trails from missiles were glittering. Tails was flying – somehow managing to dodge the hits, even without Sonic’s speed and reaction! Hedgehog mentally applauded his friend. Tails had a real knack for dodging things.

Suddenly, one of the tracks of the inversion trail pulled down, heading straight for Sonic. And a couple more followed.

“Uh-oh,” the hedgehog said, doing what he did best.

He sped up.

The air thickened again, blowing a solid chill across his face and out his arms to the sides and back. A familiar bluish glow blurred at the edges of his vision.

Racing through the night desert much faster than the wind, Sonic allowed himself a victorious grin. He was back in his element.

Rockets rumbled and exploded far behind him. And then a scream of pain and despair came from above, causing the hedgehog to slow down and lift his head again. And so he froze.

Shots from ray guns and rocket launchers continued to rain down on the small target in the night sky. Only now it was no longer hidden in the darkness.

The small light, which the pegasi kept shooting at, was falling, rapidly approaching the ground.

“Tails!!!”

Sonic immediately sprinted to where the unexpected firefly the fox had briefly transformed into was about to fall. More blasts rumbled behind him, far behind the speed of the blue lightning that was cutting through the Wasteland.

Halfway, the light went out, but the hedgehog already knew where Tails would land. A little less than half a mile – that was how far they had traveled from the mountain. Not a great distance for a creature as fast as Sonic.

It’s all about timing. And not accidentally pulling Tails sideways at the speed of sound.

“Hang on, Tails! I’ll get you…!”

Just don’t miss by slowing down a split second too late.

He’ll make it. He has to make it.

Tonight he won’t lose the friend he brought into this world. A friend with whom he’s been through so much in a matter of months…

Because friendship is magic. And at the right moment, it can do anything.

“Catch…!”

He could already see the silhouette of the fox flying down like a broken puppet. Tails had stopped shooting for a while, and instead of fire, his yellow fur was smoldering for some reason.

Sonic slowed down just before his friend fell – enough so that the pull wouldn’t hurt Tails too much when he flew right into his hands, and the fox’s acceleration wouldn’t slam the hedgehog into the ground.

But even so, it didn’t work to hold on to him.

Sonic stumbled, dropping his trapped companion, and smashing his nose into the ground. Tails flew off to the side and rolled away, hitting the ground hard with each bounce.

Spitting up sand dust, Sonic jumped to his feet and ran to his friend’s still-lying body.

“Tails! Can you hear me?! Wake up, Tails…!”

And then, after running up to the fox and starting to shake him up, Sonic was horrified.

What he thought was smoke from smoldering fur was in fact that. One of the two tails was almost gone; pale wisps of smoke with the smell of burning hair rose from the rest.

“No…” the hedgehog whispered. He couldn’t believe what had happened. “Tails…”

Somehow he put out the rest of the flames and leaned over to the fox’s chest. His friend was breathing, deep and almost inaudible; there was a steady but faint heartbeat beneath his ribs.

Tails was alive. But unconscious, whether from pain or something else.

Just like when they had run from Eggman in the snowy mountains of Siberia…

“No… Tails…” Sonic shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. “I didn’t wa—”

The laser plowed into the ground at their side. Seeing the pink glow through his closed eyelids, Sonic opened his eyes and looked up at the sky.

Gripped by grief, he had completely forgotten about his enemies. But they were obviously not going to let their targets go.

A rocket shot cracked deafly. A bright point of light blossomed in the darkness and flew down, leaving a clearly visible trail.

An explosion boomed, scattering dust and ash in all directions.

But those the pegasus stormtrooper had been aiming at were no longer there.

With the unconscious Tails on his shoulders, Sonic ran across the Wasteland. Somewhere he hoped they wouldn’t get caught.

I’ll save you, Tails. Just live… The hedgehog stared into the darkness with determination. I promise we’ll get out of here. We’ll help Cosmic… and then figure out how to defeat Eggman.

For some reason, he believed their mission in this world wouldn’t be over even if they got out of the Everfree Forest.

The Equestria they had entered was a terribly imperfect place. And it just needed help to become better.

…The Everfree Forest was a great wall of tall trees, sharply delineating it from the flat surface around it. The dense foliage made it difficult to see anything more than a few steps away, and there seemed to be little light coming through the treetops.

The forest already looked like an unattractive place from the outside, and it was even more unnerving to have to go deep into it soon. The grass and bushes looked the most ordinary, but Cosmic knew that this impression could be deceiving. Especially when one considered the poisonous spores and the killing joke.

The six of them (seven, counting Cheese) stood not far from the edge of the ancient forest, peering into its green semi-darkness. They had only a short way to go before the dark branches would close over their heads.

The last – and most important part of the way to the forgotten Tree of Harmony.

…Cosmic found the hedgehog and the fox near morning, a few miles east of Spike’s Mountain. While the aliens took the fire from the Enclave, the earth pony walked down the path, used her tools to put on a PipBuck (her fillyhood in the workshop had finally come in useful), and trotted off in the direction in which the two friendly marks had fled faster than the wind. The pegasi circled the Wasteland for a while, but then apparently decided it wasn’t worth the risk, and headed back behind the clouds.

Tails was unconscious, his body covered in scrapes and bruises. But after a drink of healing potions, the fox regained his senses and even managed to get to his feet. Luckily, nothing was broken, otherwise they would have needed unicorn healing magic immediately, which would have put an end to their plans. They’d have to go to The Republic… and they wouldn’t be welcome there.

The hedgehog and the fox still had the weapons Cosmic had given them, but as they fled, they… didn’t use them. The fire was coming from only one side, and the other didn’t even try to shoot back.

“Are you out of your mind?!” the earth pony shouted when she found them – hiding behind a random rock that also served as a shelter. “What did I give you weapons for?! This is the Wasteland, idiots, you need to know how to defend yourself!”

“Sorry, Cosmic, but… we’re not like that,” Sonic replied, standing up. The submachine gun still dangled in a holster at his side. “We’re not used to all this, and… we’d probably have a hard time killing anyone. Even to save our own lives.”

“Damn… what the hay are you thinking about?!”

“We shouldn’t… be like them,” Tails said in a weak voice and tried to sit up. It didn’t work, and he remained lying on the spread blanket from Cosmic’s things. “We must… give a drop of goodness… to this world. Otherwise… it will… remain this way forever.”

“And we can do something, too,” Sonic added. “For example, they never caught up with me. Remember how I alone disarmed those raiders,” he shuddered, “until your friend machine-gunned them. And he,” the hedgehog glanced at Tails, “can handle any of the local machines. And you don’t know the others like we do. Although” – Sonic scratched the back of his head – “that’s not very good either, but still… Eh. Just trust us. Please. It’s not that hard, is it?”

“Your kindness cost him his tail!” Cosmic replied, pointing a hoof at the fox. “And for us it may cost the mission!”

“But no one’s paying you for this trip?”

“I think we owe Spike for not killing us,” the mare said. “And” – she looked down at her hooves – “I just need some kind of purpose right now. I don’t want to go home without finding out what’s going on. But I don’t know how to go about it. So I need some kind of intermediate step to figure out what to do next. And a hike in the woods suits me just fine.” Cosmic stroked Tails’ chest with a hoof. “The main thing is that you should survive until then.”

…Now Tails stood with the others, slightly wrapped in bandages, probably mentally preparing to storm this “Area 51”, as Sonic had said at one of the campsites. The fox had argued back then that it was something between Chernobyl and Aokigahara… whatever that meant. Cosmic was still not well versed in what the two were saying about the world they came from. And the “Area 51” that Tails had told the bewildered mare about was firmly associated in her mind with Hoofington, a remote town in the southeast of Equestria.

The journey to the northern edge of the forest had taken the same four days as the one from the abandoned farm to the dragon’s mountain, mainly because Tails could no longer fly and was limping. Cream had tried to talk to him, but the previously cheerful fox had only replied that everything was okay, and he was fine. Cosmic decided to just give him time; after all, losing the tail that made him fly was like a pegasus losing a wing or a unicorn losing magic. A loss to be accepted and realized. Or to try to get it back in the future.

Smoke rose above the fence of trees, carried by the wind from the southeast. If this was indeed the work of the hooves of Red Eye’s minions, the small group had another reason to be cautious.

Because it’s one thing to meet ponies with guns. It’s quite another to encounter ponies with flamethrowers.

“Are w-we s-sure w-we h-have t-to go that w-way?” Cream asked, wrapping her arms around herself. Cheese, hovering on his wings, hid behind her.

“Yes,” Cosmic replied stiffly. “We have a mission, and we must complete it. According to the map,” she looked at the PipBuck’s display, where the right marker Spike had loaded was located, “the Tree of Harmony is almost at the center of the forest. If this were the Wasteland, we wouldn’t have to walk more than a couple of hours. But as it is,” she shifted her gaze back to the trees, “I don't even know.”

Sorry, Spark, the earth pony thought belatedly. The PipBuck of her dead comrade was almost physically burning her leg. But I need it now. And you… Sorry, but you’re gonna have to… gosh, how can I put this…

“Okay,” she sighed. “Let’s just do it.”

Cosmic was the first to get up from her seat and step into the forest. The others followed her, one after the other. Amy and Cream were at the back of the group.

Although it was a clear day outside, the forest seemed to be in a permanent twilight. Most of the trees were straight, but many were twisted, sometimes into the most unthinkable shapes. Cosmic even had to shake her head and blink – the dark, uneven trunks sometimes bore the faces of terrifying creatures.

Spike told me that Pinkie Pie dispelled those apparitions with a laugh on their first trip into the forest, the earth pony remembered. She looked back at the aliens following her and could barely keep from sighing heavily. What could I do about their long faces? Anyway, this is neither the time nor the place to have fun.

Indeed, her companions looked like they’d taken a pill of seriousness. Even Sonic remained sullenly silent as he made his way through the thicket, untouched by radiation and fire.

The nearest balefire bomb must have fallen far enough away, because the PipBuck on the mare’s leg remained silent, registering no background increase. From that point of view, it was even safer here than anywhere else in the Wasteland. But “safety” was a relative term. And the main thing was not only to avoid the aggressive flora, but also the arsonists – or Red Eye’s regular soldiers. Still, it would be unpleasant to catch a bullet or a laser beam… though less unpleasant than being burned alive by incinerator jets.

Remembering what Spike had warned her about, Cosmic tried to watch where she stepped. She avoided bushes as well as flowers: it wasn’t clear what those plants could do. But even if she walked on normal grass, she couldn’t be sure that it wouldn’t suddenly try to grab the travelers by the throat.

Or…

“Quiet!” the earth pony whispered, raising a hoof.

The group instantly halted.

Standing still, Cosmic listened intently to the rustling of the forest. Something about them was different now. As if someone was creeping through the same thicket as them.

With a mental curse, the mare turned on the PipBuck’s E.F.S., the Eyes-Forward Sparkle locator. The black and green display immediately highlighted a cluster of dots, automatically zooming in on the map.

Cosmic looked back at her new team. There were six of them besides her…

PipBuck showed six friendly green dots nearby.

And one red.

“Danger!” she yelled as a creature jumped out of the bushes and landed in the middle of the group, flapping its small, useless wings a few times.

Right in front of Knuckles.

Staring him straight in the eyes.

Cosmic threw Argument off her back in one motion, caught the weapon in her mouth, and pressed an inconspicuous button on the side of the PipBuck.

Time surely froze around her, and the world before her eyes blurred, jerked by a pale green filter that came out of nowhere.

Welcome to S.A.T.S. – Stable-Tech Arcane Targeting Spell, the green writing appeared above.

Cosmic knew what PipBucks did, but she had never worn one before. As a result, her first entry into S.A.T.S. sent her into a momentary stupor. An indescribably short moment – during which all the participants in the scene barely moved, but the charge bar in the lower right corner of the view had shrunk by a third.

Finding this or that companion with a glance, Cosmic was amazed how sharp and clear the outlines of his or her figure became at the same moment. Cold sweat broke out on the mare’s face as the numbers appeared – the probability of a hit.

No – she wouldn’t shoot those she was walking with. No way. Never.

She’s not Metal Dawn.

The stupid device just didn’t understand what it was offering.

Cosmic found the “uninvited guest” with her eyes. It was a strange creature that looked like a snake with the head of a chicken. Where these halves joined, small leathery wings protruded from the sides, unable to hold it in the air. Around the small monster’s head, a square of scope appeared. The inscription there said:

Cocatrix. 31%.

About to press the trigger with her tongue, the earth pony stopped.

Thirty-one percent. Less than a one in three chance. So in the other two, she would miss.

Or hit one of her teammates.

No.

Cosmic took her tongue away from the trigger.

She won’t do that.

Besides, she’s not alone now. And she can rely on those around her.

The spell’s charge was over. The world returned to its usual colorful appearance – and time sped forward again. At the speed of the bullet, Cosmic should have fired, but didn’t.

Knuckles took a short swing and struck the cocatrix with his hand in a spiked white glove. With a wild shriek, the creature soared into the air and flew away in a perfect arc. Its wings flapped helplessly in the wind.

And that was a different matter.

Cosmic raised her carbine and, squinting, fired a short burst. The shots rang deaf and strange in the forest and seemed to be absorbed by the surrounding trees. A falling cocatrix exploded with blood and fell into the bushes.

A horrible screech ripped at her ears. Cosmic turned to see Cream staring at the spot where the defeated monster had disappeared, hands over her mouth and eyes wide in horror. Cheese was hiding behind her back, shrinking into a ball.

The other aliens barely had time to react either.

Sonic with Nige and Tails with Metal Dawn’s revolvers looked comical – only now the hedgehog and the fox had drawn their weapons.

The earth pony raised an eyebrow at the sight of Amy. The pink hedgehog had literally pulled a huge red sledgehammer out of nowhere – and was looking around for a threat.

And only Knuckles stood there, breathing heavily, fists out in front of him.

“Are you okay?” Cosmic asked the red echidna as she put down her weapon.

“Yeah,” he replied, looking down at his hands. “What… what is it…?”

“What happened?” Sonic was alarmed.

“My… hands…” Knuckles’ fingers were still clenched. “I can’t… unclasp…”

Cosmic came closer and took a closer look. And then fell on her haunches, gasping for air.

Knuckles’ gloves – at least in the area of the spikes on the knuckles – were no longer white.

They were gray. Like stone.

“Let me help,” Sonic said, and before Cosmic could understand, he grabbed one of Knuckles’ fists and pulled with all his might.

The echidna roared in pain. The earth pony’s blood even froze in her veins for a moment. And that guy is scary when he gets angry, a thought flashed through her mind.

After a few minutes, one of Knuckles’ palms gave way and somehow unclenched. Sonic and Amy gasped when they saw what their friend’s hand had become. The tips of the fingers were straightened, but the metacarpal and lower phalanges remained stiff, turned to stone.

“I can’t… feel my fingers,” Knuckles whispered. “Though…”

He walked to the nearest tree and, with all his might, cracked the trunk with his other, still clenched hand.

The crack sounded louder to Cosmic than the shots from Argument. Splinters flew in all directions. As Knuckles backed away from the tree, the mare nearly choked on the air at what she saw.

There was a dent about twenty centimeters deep in the trunk, with unevenly broken edges. There were visible cracks running around the tree.

Echidna calmly pushed the trunk with a straightened palm, and the tree snapped in half and collapsed into the thicket.

“Well, that’s not bad,” Knuckles said. Then, looking down at his still-clenched second fist, he added, “Can somebody help me?”

Sonic went to his friend’s aid.

And Cosmic turned around to see Cream sobbing over the tortured cocatrix, and Tails standing next to the rabbit girl with a hand on her shoulder. Her pet Chao was hovering nearby with a sad look on his face.

“Why…?” Cream sobbed. “It wasn’t his fault… We were just supposed to drive him away…”

“Shh, shh…” Tails said, standing behind her and gently massaging her ears. “It’s over now… We can’t change anything…”

“No… it doesn’t have to be like this… Why?!” She suddenly shouted and turned sharply to Cosmic. The earth pony even twitched a little at the sight of those big round eyes, frozen in incomprehension and horror. “Why do you have to be so cruel?! Why can’t we just go where we need to and not kill anybody?!”

Cosmic looked at her – and saw Sonic. But a little earlier one – just a few days after they’d met.

The hedgehog had been looking at the fresh bodies of the raiders he’d captured. Right after Stream had fired that fateful machine-gun blast.

And of course, Cosmic remembered what the pegasus mare had said back then.

The earth pony moved slowly towards Cream – but passed her, stopping a little in the distance.

Without turning around, she spoke, “This isn’t a superhero movie for kids, girl. Strike first, or the world will eat you up. With your guts.”

“If that’s the case… so be it.” Cream turned away and closed her eyes. “I’m ready to die knowing I didn’t hurt anyone.”

“We’ll get through this,” Tails whispered to her. “We’re not gonna die now. And we won’t die later. Maybe someday… but for now, it doesn’t matter.”

Suddenly, all eyes turned to Sonic, who was humming a simple tune as he leaned against a tree.

“What?” the hedgehog asked, surprised by all the attention. “Don’t tell me you don’t like Skillet.”[1]

“Then rather Green Day,”[2] sobbed the rabbit girl and cried again.

Cosmic shook her head.

Damn, I really don’t understand these aliens.

They encountered the arsonists two hours later.

Smoke from the fires slowly covered the sky as the group moved deeper into the forest. The smell of burning was getting stronger and stronger, so Cosmic soaked the remaining bandages in water from the flask and hoofed them out to everyone. Sonic helped the mare to put the same bandage on her nose – so that she could take the weapon’s mouthgrip in her teeth.

Gradually, the crackling fire began to be heard – and bright red reflections began to appear behind the trees ahead and slightly aside.

If this continues, what will be left of this place? Cosmic thought. What will Red Eye turn the Castle of the Two Sisters into? What is this “Cathedral” that PipBuck says is in the heart of the forest now? And what happened to the Stable Spike was talking about? Or is Equestria heading toward a point where there’s nothing left of the past?

All these questions remained without an answer. Unless to consider the blowing of an unusually warm wind and the increasing noise of the fire to be such.

And then the red marks appeared on the E.F.S. Cosmic stopped the group again to assess the situation.

Four. Moving from the center of the forest to the northeast. Right in front of their small group. Leaving only fire behind them – and thus blocking the way for the mercenary mare and the aliens.

It’s possible to wait here until the enemies have passed. The fire would die down at some point – but it would take too long…

With a heavy sigh, Cosmic took out her carbine and reloaded it.

It’s needed to go around them. From the side they’re coming from.

“Attention,” said the mare. It was difficult to speak clearly with a gun in her mouth, but she more or less managed it. She just had to speak louder and slower. “Four enemies at five o’clock. Let’s go around them from the east before the fire blocks our way… Hey, what are you looking at?”

“Well, you said five o’clock…” Sonic replied, pointing his thumb behind his back and a little to the right.

“No, I meant there…!” Cosmic spat out her carbine and pointed her hoof to the left, but immediately made a facehoof. “Oh, Celestia, how many hours you have in a day?”

“Twenty-four,” Tails muttered, frowning, then brightened, “And it’s sixteen here, isn’t it?”

“Right,” Cosmic grinned. “There’s no time to explain – let’s hurry up…!”

But then the unfriendly marks on the locator froze, and two of them continued on, while the other two turned toward the group, cutting off the way to the east.

Cosmic roared.

“Spread out! Weapons to fight! Surround them while we can! Come on!!!” she yelled, and the aliens who had been frozen in place began to spread out in a semi-circle, covering the enemies from the north.

Cosmic grabbed Argument with her teeth again, tilted her head, and took a stance. Then she began to sneak slowly between the trees, glancing at her E.F.S. from time to time.

It was time to meet at least someone with full power.

A shot pierced the tree next to Cosmic’s head. The earth pony jumped aside and hid behind a neighboring tree trunk, keeping an eye out for her opponent.

“Come on, show up, asshole…” came the stallion’s voice. “It’ll be easier for you. It’s not as bad to die from a bullet as from fire, is it?” He laughed briefly.

I’ll finish you off myself, Cosmic thought and peeked out from behind the tree.

A unicorn of dirty-white color in good-looking armor approached her, not afraid of anything. Next to him floated a new rifle, which he levitated with his magic. And judging by his grin, he was very, very confident.

“Eeny, meeny, miny, moe…” he said in a raspy voice and stopped. “Catch the pony by her toe…”

Cosmic held her breath as the rifle began to move away from his head, coming closer to the trees around the mare.

“Where are you then? Maybe here?”

The gun flew around a nearby tree and fired into the grass.

The stallion laughed again.

“Or here?!”

The rifle aimed straight at Cosmic.

There was no more delay. The earth pony emptied at least a third of her magazine into the weapon hovering above the ground and sprinted without looking back, running in an arc around the enemy.

“Aha!”

A burst of magic flew into the tree at Cosmic’s side, raining splinters down on her.

“You won’t get away!”

Another discharge went over her croup, scattering the bushes behind her.

“Take that!”

Cosmic threw herself to the ground, and another white flash of energy cut through the air above her head.

The earth pony jumped to her hooves, turning to face her enemy… and found herself standing right before him.

The unicorn stood a few paces away from her, a battered rifle floating before him, but still seemingly able to fire. An ugly grin froze on his face.

“There you are,” he said. “Didn’t take long to track you down. You wanna tell me why you came to the forest, or can I kill you now? Or maybe you’d like to have some fun for the last time?”

“I’ve heard that Red Eye pays this price for unicorn slaves because he can’t get hard with earth ponies,” the mare snapped back through Argument’s mouthgrip. “Or am I wrong and he’s experimenting on you to give you some brains? And you’re just a failed attempt, then?”

“What d’you know anyway,” the stallion frowned. “Yes, I didn’t fit into some of his plans, but this job – armed escort – is also okay.” He grinned again. “And while your friends are being roasted alive, I’ll just shoot you in the head.”

His gun pointed at Cosmic again.

“Not before… you see… this!”

In one fell swoop, the earth pony pulled something round out of her saddlebag and hurled it at the unicorn. The white glow of telekinesis enveloped the object, and it flew aside…

But Cosmic had already entered the S.A.T.S. The targeting square froze on the enemy’s face. Technomagical arcane software estimated the chance of a hit at ninety-four percent.

Three bullets tore through the unicorn’s head, turning his face into a bloody mess. Before he could fire, he fell to the ground like a sack. A rifle fell next to him, released from his telekinetic grip.

Something hit one of the trees and rolled back under Cosmic’s hooves.

An apple. An ordinary green apple. Which Red Eye’s soldier mistook for a grenade.

Picking up the apple and hiding it in her bag, the earth pony ran on.

Judging by the location of the markings, her friends were definitely in need of help.

Cosmic was right. Even together, the aliens couldn’t do anything really significant against the three remaining pony enemies. And it wasn’t just that the colorful beasts had weaker weapons. On top of that, they had almost no combat experience. That is, in real conditions.

The two groups had managed to split up – and were now facing each other separately.

Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles were dodging the flamethrower jets fired back and forth by the two earth ponies. Another enemy – with a battle saddle – barely loomed over Amy and Cream as they huddled together. The hedgehog girl clutched desperately at her sledgehammer, but the sight of the pointed gun barrels must have been depressing. Cheese was nowhere to be seen – perhaps he had managed to fly further away and hide.

Cosmic shifted her gaze from one to the other and back again. Trying to decide who needed her help more.

But it wasn’t hard to answer that question.

She galloped toward the terrified girls who were about to be shot and stopped sharply beside them. The carbine in her teeth was aimed right at the enemy’s head.

He still hadn’t fired – and wasn’t even too scared by Cosmic’s arrival. He probably found it amusing or enjoyed talking to his future victims.

Cosmic came right in the middle of their dialog.

“…Why…?” Cream asked with tears in her eyes. A bruise spread across her cheekbone – probably from a hoof blow. “Why do we have to be killed? Why can’t we just go on our way, and that’s it…?”

“This is our forest,” the brown earth pony replied in a harsh voice. He stood, turning slightly so that both rifles mounted on his saddle were pointed at their targets: one at the frightened animals, the other at Cosmic. “You don’t belong here. This is Red Eye’s territory now. And you” – he squinted at the mare – “are a threat. And a threat” – he grinned – “must be eliminated.”

“This isn’t right!” the rabbit girl squealed and stomped her foot. Wetness spurted from her big, open eyes. “No one should ever hurt another! That’s not why we live! All of us – and you too!”

The mare’s attention was drawn to a strange yellowish glow that suddenly broke through the material of her saddlebag. Jumping up, Cosmic peered through the gap that appeared for a moment to see what the hay it was.

Glowing was a statuette of Fluttershy, a yellow pegasus mare with three butterflies on her cutie mark. The Element of Kindness, the memory of which was encased in a small figurine.

“Really?!” The stallion with the battle saddle laughed. “The whole fucking Wasteland lives by the same laws! Why should I make an exception for you?”

“Go away,” Cosmic growled. “Put away your weapons and go. And tell your buddies to stop it. Let them burn what they want… just not us. And no one else.”

“Ha! Fuck me if I’m an alicorn…!”

He clenched the ropes controlling the guns with his teeth.

Cosmic’s tongue tensed on the trigger.

Let him just try to shoot…!

Suddenly, flexible bluish vines broke out of the ground right under the stallion’s hooves and – neither he nor Cosmic had time to notice – tightly wrapped themselves around him up to all four knees. The brown earth pony twitched to free himself, but in vain. The plant held him very firmly.

And then something happened.

A bone popped out of his forehead, with a sharp edge pointing upwards. Blood gushed from the wound, flooding the stallion’s eyes. Large flaps of skin on his back were ripped off at once and immediately flung into the air, a skeleton of bone beginning to grow underneath.

His mouth twisted in a silent scream. But the cry of pain was not to be heard.

Because the stallion was already dead.

Cosmic nearly vomited when she realized what the killing joke had done to her enemy.

He had indeed become an alicorn. But only technically, outwardly, formally. The horn was clearly the top of his spine, piercing his brain through and out of his forehead. And the skin on his back turned into improvised wings.

But the brown earth pony could neither fly nor cast a spell.

The plant gave him what he had unintentionally asked for. But in return, it took something he wouldn’t let go.

The wings made a single, final downward flap, and the stallion fell into a rapidly spreading pool of his own blood.

Cosmic looked at Amy and Cream, staring horrified at the image, then glanced down at her bag. The yellow glow of the statuette had faded.

“Don’t look there,” she said, stepping between the girls and the fresh body. “Better look for that… Chao. It’s not safe here.”

And then, without turning around, she rushed to help Sonic and the others.

They were now standing around the two flamethrowers, breathing heavily. The grass was burning, the fire was licking at the roots and trunks of the trees, and in some places blue ivy was writhing in its death throes. If the battle continued, the flames would eventually consume them all: arsonists and aliens alike.

That’s probably why Sonic didn’t go into speed mode, Cosmic thought as she ran. It’s always scary to get burned. Even if you know the wind will blow everything away.

Noticing the mare running up, Sonic grinned.

“Come on guys, this is our chance!” he shouted, and the fox and the echidna looked at him questioningly. “Tais, distract them! Knuckles, do what I do!”

Cosmic slowed down, for at the hedgehog’s words, another glow began to shine through the bag.

This time – purple.

She opened the flap – and barely held back a surprised curse.

Now Twilight Sparkle was glowing. The Element of Magic… and Friendship.

The one that had united the Mane Six for nine seasons and a little more else.

Just as the flighty blue hedgehog had gathered his friends around him.

For a moment, everything seemed to freeze. Then suddenly, things went so fast that Cosmic had no time to do anything.

Jets of flame hit where Sonic had just been standing. But the hedgehog was no longer there: for a moment, he seemed to dissolve in the air, turning into a pale blue lightning. And when he came out of the acceleration, he literally rode the red earth pony with a flamethrower, pulling something out from under his belly.

At that moment, the stallion was about to re-bite the cables that controlled the barrels of the incinerator on his battle saddle. And as Sonic, having released something in his hands, rolled off his back and jumped as far as he could, the arsonist, who had just begun to turn toward the hedgehog, shot.

A fireball exploded where the earth pony had stood. There was a heartbreaking scream, the cry of a living creature being burned alive.

The stallion didn’t even have time to fall down and try to knock the flame away. It killed him too quickly.

Sonic sat wide-eyed next to the smoldering patch of grass, staring at the pony that was now dead only because of him.

In fact, when the hedgehog had jumped off the flamethrower’s croup, he had disconnected the tank of flammable liquid. The fuel spewed out – and went up in flames. Taking one life and saving others.

By then, Tails and Knuckles were dealing with the last opponent.

He shot fire at the echidna, but Knuckles immediately jumped aside. Meanwhile, Tails picked up a rock and threw it at the stallion’s head. The pony turned around – and that was his biggest mistake.

Because the next second, Knuckles’ stone fist smashed into his face.

Blood splattered. The flamethrower flew a few paces away and fell to the grass at the edge of the forest fire that he had started.

Knuckles walked over to the stallion and stood over him. When the echidna spoke, there was only cold anger in his voice.

“I hate and despise those like you. But do you know what I hate even more?” And suddenly, he shouted out, “When… someone hurts… my friends!!!”

Cosmic was no longer surprised when another statuette sparkled.

Orange. Applejack. The Element of Honesty.

Knuckles put his foot down to kick the knocked-out pony into the fire…

But then something happened that no one expected.

A small figure darted past Cosmic and, slipping between Sonic and Tails, clawed at Knuckles’ dazzlingly clean – by Wasteland standards – white shoe.

As the echidna turned, she stepped around him and stood between him and the downed pony, looking Knuckles straight in the eye.

“We’re not going to kill him.” Cream’s voice trembled – but now it was no longer with fear, but with rage. “The others weren’t enough for you…? And then what? Do you hear me?! Then what?! No… no, no, we can’t… we can’t do that! Otherwise, why…? How are we supposed to fix this world if we’re not better than its inhabitants?!”

Knuckles drew in air to answer her sharply… but suddenly exhaled and slumped his shoulders.

“All right. We won’t,” he said quietly. And added, “But he’s gonna burn up in here anyway. We gotta get him someplace safe.”

“Then do it!” Cream shouted and grabbed the flamethrower pony by the front leg. “Help me!”

Sonic, Tails and even Amy joined them.

And all the while, as the aliens worked together to drag the last surviving enemy out of the burning grass, Fluttershy was glowing in Cosmic’s bag.

Soon the squad reassembled and moved away from the fire to a safe distance.

“Everyone okay?” Cosmic asked.

“I think so…” Sonic replied, looking around at his friends. His gaze stopped on Cream, who was rubbing her face. “Though… wait a minute…”

“I’m fine…” the rabbit girl squeezed out. The huge bruise on her cheek was screaming, “What in heaven’s name are you talking about?!” “Really, you shouldn’t…”

“Damn, I’m out of bandages…” Cosmic muttered, looking through the inventory on the PipBuck.

The mare glanced disapprovingly at Tails, who was still wrapped in the healing rags burned a little by the flamethrower.

And then her jaw dropped. The fox was unrolling one of his bandages, the cleanest looking one.

“Here you go,” he held the bandage out to Cream. “There’s still a little magic left in it, so it should be enough for you…”

“Thank you,” she sobbed, pressing the rag to her cheekbone.

Cheese, hovering nearby (he had managed to hide before the battle and then reappear), nodded in agreement.

The glow again. White this time. Rarity. The Element of Generosity.

Cosmic felt her head start to clear. All thoughts faded into the background at once, replaced by an important, simple, yet stunning assumption.

The blue earth pony opened her mouth to speak it out, but suddenly everything came to a halt. So close, the realization of something crucial had dissolved before it could be put into words. And now it just pulsed in the background at the edge of consciousness.

Until the next time.

“Come on, don’t be sad,” Amy said. She had managed to put the sledgehammer away unnoticed. “We’re all alive and that’s all that matters. You’ll see, everything will be fine! We’ll all go home, defeat Eggman, and then have a party and invite the whole of Green Hills!”

And she laughed merrily. Like bells rang over the forest.

Cosmic felt her soul truly warmed by the inadvertently given hope.

Pink glow. Pinkie Pie. The Element of Laughter.

Five out of six. So many figurines had shone from the set.

And the blue earth pony still had a vague idea of what that meant.

But she kept silent because she had not yet formulated it for herself.

When the time came, they would understand. Magic doesn’t happen out of nothing.

It was several miles to the destination on PipBuck’s map when they reached the edge of the remaining forest. There were only vast fields of charred stumps, and some buildings were visible on the horizon. This was probably Red Eye’s secret citadel, the so-called Cathedral, built on the site of the former Castle of the Two Sisters.

But Cosmic and the aliens hadn’t signed up to reveal the terrible secrets of the slavers’ leader. Besides, the closer they got to the castle, the more ponies and even griffins were walking there. There was simply no way to hide from them in the open. Except under a zebra cloak – but it could only hide Cosmic or two, at most three of her companions. Crossing this scorched earth together was out of the question.

So the group took a detour, for the sun was still high, hidden by the clouds. Tails had told them that the Tree of Harmony had originally stood in a cave at the bottom of the narrow, deep gorge that surrounded the castle on three sides. But in the ninth season, thanks to the efforts of the Young Six (as Sonic noted, created by the scriptwriters, apparently, on the principle of greatest diversity), the remains of the tree sprouted through the ground and turned into a small, majestic palace, topped by branches with pink leaves. And by all accounts, it was within the walls of the citadel.

There was definitely no way to get there from above. In theory, it was possible to get into the gorge through one of the streams that ran through the forest. They just had to find out which one.

They had to go halfway around the castle before they saw a crevice about ten meters wide, with a small stream at the bottom. Tails oriented himself, calculated a rough route, and the group cautiously descended into the ravine. The slopes were rocky and almost steep, so they had to go down one at a time, very carefully.

“I’m sorry. If I could fly, I’d take you all down one by one,” the fox said grumpily when it was time for him to go down.

“Never mind that. It’s not your fault. Forget it,” Cosmic replied. She had to go last.

They continued to walk along the bottom, and some of them – like Sonic and Tails – happily jumped over the rocks that popped out of the water here and there. It wasn’t deep at all: Cosmic barely got her hooves wet. And instead of drowning, there was the danger of slipping and hitting a rock with their temples. So they walked not too fast, but not too slowly either: the thought of spending the night at the bottom of the gorge, or even in the forest at all, sent shivers down their spines. Along with the destination marker, Spike had added a few other places to the map that he thought might be useful. One of them was closer to Ponyville and was marked as Zecora’s Hut. Cosmic hadn’t even imagined that zebras had once lived in Equestria, almost on par with ponies. Apparently, the whole thing was about that very “almost”.

The group waded against the stream, and as time went on, the flow of water began to die down. Or rather, the opposite, to bud.

Soon they came to a spring that flowed from under the rocks in the wall of the deepening canyon. Cosmic remembered to refill their flasks, as supplies were running low after the long journey, and after a quick drink and snack, they all continued on. There was not much time left before evening.

Now they walked on dry ground. The wind howled frighteningly between the close walls, forcing them to pick up their pace. But it was no longer three or four, but at least ten Cosmic’s heights up to the former level. Add to that the eternal darkness that reigned below (even though the trees that blocked the light had been cut down a long time ago) – and it was simply the perfect setting for a horror story. Just about such a group of travelers going to an even more sinister place.

After a while they came to a fork in the road. One of the branches of the gorge ran somewhere to the northwest, and perhaps actually served as a road from time to time for the ponies hanging around in the forest. The other ran due east, toward the Two Sisters’ Castle. PipBuck’s navigator showed an arrow pointing in the exact direction of the destination, and the locator still assured that there was not a single soul along the way.

Just a fabulous daydream.

In the last few miles, the gorge began to widen. On the one hoof, this was good: the almost sheer walls put less pressure on the mind. But on the other hoof, it became more and more likely that one of Red Eye’s minions would accidentally look down and see the unwanted spies. And then the whole mission… oh, hell with the mission! their lives! – would be in danger.

Finally, the distance counter on the PipBuck’s display showed that they had arrived.

“And… what is this?” Cosmic asked, coughing.

The whole company was standing in front of… something. As if there was a hole in the vertical, angular rock, tightly sealed with a translucent, shimmering all colors of the rainbow material that looked like magical crystals. The earth pony walked over and poked at it with a hoof. Hard… and seemingly almost unbreakable.

They spoke softly: the sound carried well in all directions. Up above was one of the buildings of the Cathedral complex. Apparently, it had been built on the site of the former Palace of Harmony, which had once grown from the shards of the Tree.

Tails also picked at the solid material with his finger.

“Some kind of crystal…” the fox muttered. “Maybe the Tree wanted to protect itself from something.”

“And I think I know from what…” Cosmic sighed. “Well, how do we get inside now to see if there is anything left at all?”

Suddenly, the saddlebag where the statuettes were shone so brightly that the earth pony involuntarily covered her eyes with her front leg. And then, confused and with a strange haste, she began to take the statuettes out one by one.

It was only then that she noticed the inscriptions on the bottom of each figurine. “Be Pleasant”, “Be Smart”, “Be Strong”, “Be Unwavering”, “Awareness! It was under ‘E’!”… and, of course, “Be Awesome”.

On the stone floor of the gorge, six small ponies, also made of stone, were lined up in a row. Five of them were glowing brightly, so bright it hurt to look at them. All except Rainbow Dash. The light seemed to emanate from the figurines themselves, as if there was a piece of a good soul in each of them, eager to share its glow.

The gears in Cosmic’s mind definitely clicked. The last piece of the puzzle fell into place.

“These figurines…” she began. “They… are you!” The mare looked around at her companions. “You can be the Elements after all!

“Kindness.” She looked at Cream, and the rabbit girl took Fluttershy, hesitating for a moment.

“Magic.” Sonic picked up the lavender alicorn princess with a slightly embarrassed smile.

“Honesty.” Knuckles twirled Applejack in his hands with surprise.

“Generosity.” Tails nodded, accepting the figurine of Rarity.

“Laughter.” Amy rubbed a small Pinkie gently against her cheek.

“And —”

“…Loyalty,” an unfamiliar voice said from behind them.

All turned immediately to the one who had just said it. And Cosmic even took aim at him from the carbine that immediately turned out to be in her mouth.

It was a black, upright hedgehog – just like Sonic, but a bit taller and… older, or something like that. The mare even glanced at one, then the other, to make sure she wasn’t imagining it. But the two hedgehogs didn’t look that much alike; at best, they looked like an uncle and a naughty nephew. But in reality, they were hardly related at all.

The black hedgehog wore the same snow-white gloves as the members of Cosmic’s new team. White sneakers with red soles clearly hid some extra features. Behind his back was a large black backpack – but the mare had her eyes on something else.

On the hedgehog’s belt, large rectangular sword scabbards hung on either side, dangling almost to the ground. It looked as if there were several slots with spare blades in each. The hand grips also had triggers on them for some reason. On the back of the scabbards were strange devices the earth pony had never seen before. Some kind of valve with a long, narrow cylinder attached to it; a few more of those were mounted in holders.

Cosmic had no idea what this wonder weapon was or how this stranger would use it. All that remained was to find out his name and whether he was hostile.

Although… she seemed to know who it was.

“Shadow?!”

Note: Level up.

Player: Cosmic Valor. Skill: Stealth – 75%. New perk: Cool-blooded – accuracy bonus when firing while standing still (+30% by default) is multiplied by 1.5, and accuracy loss from shooting behind your back (-40% by default) is halved. Only affects shooting without using S.A.T.S.

Player: Sonic. Skill: Survival – 50%. New perk: Bullet Dodger (level 3/3) – evasion increased by 45%.

[1] Reference to the chorus of the song Skillet – Not Gonna Die.
[2] Reference to the last line of the song Green Day – Peacemaker.

Chapter 12. Ghosts of Past

— Your friendship, and the friendship of future generations, will always be safe within these walls.

MLP, 9/3

“Yes, it’s me,” Shadow replied to the gasps of surprise from the other aliens. “It wasn’t easy to get to you.”

A red silhouette darted forward, and in the next instant, the black hedgehog was pinned to the wall of the gorge by his throat. With a hand in an unbending spiked glove.

“How did you find us?!” Knuckles growled. “Tell us!”

Shadow grinned.

“With the help of–”

His hand slowly found the side pocket of his backpack and pulled the zipper. Knuckles froze, looking the hedgehog straight in the eye.

“…this.”

They all gasped in unison. Only Knuckles clenched his teeth tighter; his gaze at Shadow was even more disgusted.

The black hedgehog was holding a large and obviously heavy emerald, the cut of which made the stone walls sparkle even in this dim light.

“Of course, Master Emerald…” the echidna muttered. Suddenly, he snatched up the stone and threw it behind his back. “Get it, Sonic.”

The blue hedgehog caught the Emerald and, with Cosmic’s silent approval, placed it in her saddlebag.

“Can’t you let me go after all?” Shadow panted. “I’m not gonna hurt you…”

“You said so yourself.”

The gloved hand yanked away from his throat, and the black hedgehog fell heavily to the bottom of the gorge. Bulky scabbards and cylinders clattered against the stone.

“Why did you do that, Shadow?” Tails asked. “Why did you steal the Emerald?”

“It was Eggman who ordered you to do it, right?!” Knuckles interjected, looming over the new alien.

“I… didn’t realize much,” Shadow replied. “Eggman unfroze me, that’s true, and I’m grateful to him for helping me come back to life… but when I heard of his plans, which also involved me, I wanted to stop him.”

“And so you stole the Master Emerald from us?!” The echidna sneered. “Who here would believe you–”

“Wait, Knuckles,” said Cosmic, and he turned to her with disapproval in his eyes. “Let him speak. We’ll decide what to do with him later.”

“I thought it was really about the Emerald. But when I stole it and hid it, I found out…” Shadow shook his head sadly, “that it was just a shell.”

“What are you talking about?” Knuckles frowned.

“I went back to Eggman, to keep an eye on him, and if possible, to anticipate his next move… And then one day,” the black hedgehog looked up at the others, “he told me how he’d escaped from Green Hills after your second battle. And then he showed me what he’d used to do it.”

Shadow grimaced.

“Dr. Eggman had all seven Chaos Emeralds.”

There was silence in the gorge for a long moment.

Sonic was the first to break it.

“But how…?”

“You’re lying!” Knuckles kicked Shadow in the face, sending him flying a few steps away. “That’s impossible! I put that Emerald together from the shards back then…!”

“Remember what happened when Sonic gave up his superpower after his victory?” Shadow sat up and laughed, wiping the blood from his lips with his gloved hand. “The Emeralds flew away – and were picked up by Eggman instead. Who used them to teleport himself to the abandoned base where his grandfather had frozen me before he died.”

“But why…?” Tails muttered, looking at his palms. “How could my detector have missed them…? Turns out we came all this way for nothing…?”

The fox turned to Sonic and Cosmic. There were tears in his eyes – the despair of a scientist whose theory suddenly came crashing down.

“Well, he didn’t miss them,” Shadow chuckled again. “Because then I stole them, too. Look at this!”

He reached into the other side pocket of his backpack and pulled out a handful of colorful jewels. Which, however, he put back immediately.

“But –” he sighed heavily “– not before Eggman used them to create Metal Sonic. Basically, he’s like you or me, Sonic… only robotic. Steel, blue and ruthless. Eggman wanted to send him after you… but when I stole the Emeralds, he sent him after me. And the robot even caught up with me… not far from your base. Luckily…” Shadow smiled. “I had the rings.”

“How many are left?” Knuckles asked, approaching the black hedgehog.

“A few. Some I took from the lab after I was freed – they were mine, some I created with Emerald while hiding from Metal Sonic. I could have made more, but I didn’t. There wasn’t enough time.”

“What’s that hanging on your belt?” Tails asked. “Some kind of weapon?”

“The O.D.M from Attack on Titan,” Shadow grinned pleasantly. In response to misunderstanding looks, he explained, “Omni-Directional Mobility Gear. There are cables with sharp tips embedded in the hilt of my swords that shoot out and hook me to something. And the maneuvers themselves use gas from cylinders. I’ll show you someday when I get the chance. But I hope it never comes.”

“And why did you follow us?” Cosmic came forward, lowered the carbine. “What if your goal is to hunt them down,” she circled the group with a hoof, “and put this… Metal Sonic on them?”

“I’ll just…” Knuckles swung his leg again for a kick, but the mare stopped him.

Shadow shook his head and laughed.

“No-o… That might have been Eggman’s plan, but it wasn’t mine. I decided right away that I wouldn’t sign up for that shit. As it is… I’d rather be with you than with him. Especially since, unlike you, I’m more or less familiar with this world.”

“How?” Sonic wondered. “There was no mention of war in MLP G4… Or is it one of Starlight’s alternative universes?”

“I’ll tell you later,” Shadow sighed and pointed his finger in front of him. “I think there’s something going on here…”

“What…?”

Knuckles stopped as he saw Applejack figurine glowing brightly in his unbending hands again.

All six statuettes were glowing now. No one said a word as Shadow walked over and picked up Rainbow, which was standing alone on the ground.

And then a stream of light shot out of each statuette – so bright it was impossible to see with an unprotected eye. And all of them: lavender, orange, pink, blue, white, and yellow streams converged on the crystal wall that closed the passage to the cave.

There was a dazzling flash… and all was over.

Cosmic pulled her hoof away from her face and couldn’t hold back a gasp of astonishment. The others were also stunned by what had been revealed to them. Only Shadow didn’t seem surprised by what he saw.

The crystal barrier was gone, as if it had never existed. And on the other side of the passage (which reminded the blue earth pony of the tunnel to the maneframe in Spike’s cave), in the middle of a not very spacious cavern of gray-blue stone, stood it. The Tree of Harmony.

But it was different from Sonic and Tails’ stories. Time and wars had taken their toll: only the fossilized blue branches sticking out of the ceiling reminded of its former glory and the once beautiful palace that had grown out of it. And everything else had turned into a pile of tarnished rubble.

The Tree of Harmony was dead. Apparently for many, many years.

One by one, the travelers entered the cave. They cocked their heads, looking around the cold, dark walls, as if they couldn’t believe that the purpose of this part of their journey and a familiar place of power from the animated series was in such a condition. Even Cosmic’s heart shrank slightly at the image of such desolation.

To dispel the half-darkness, the mare turned on the flashlight on her PipBuck. The bright white beam splashed across the ground, highlighting a few skeletons scattered around the cave.

“Look, there are some remains here…” she murmured, pointing to the bones that had turned white with time. They had been here for a long time. Probably from the war. “And all different… This is a pony, here’s a griffin… some other crap – also like a griffin, but closer to a pony… something strange again – as if a pony and a bug had been combined… The large bone is probably a yak… And a dragon, judging by the wings.”

The earth pony turned to her companions.

“Has anyone figured out what all this means?”

“Pony, griffin, dragon, yak…” Shadow spoke up suddenly. “A hippogriff and a changeling… Aha. I think I know who those six were.”

Sonic and Tails looked at each other.

“Are you thinking the same as me?” the fox asked.

The blue hedgehog nodded.

“Just explain it in a normal way for once!” Cosmic exclaimed. “What did you all understand, looking at those bones for a second?!”

Shadow gave her a sneering look.

“Well, it’s probably worth starting from afar here–”

“Damn, I know that Equestria is fiction! They told me. Say it!”

“Then I’m even more surprised that you haven’t figured it out for yourself,” Shadow sighed. “For all intents and purposes, the Young Six from the last two seasons were here. I think they gave their lives trying to protect this place. But they didn’t protect it from everything, as we can see.”

“And now we’ve come after them?” Knuckles grunted. “And more importantly, what can we do about it? And this,” he spun Applejack figurine on his palm.

Suddenly, all the statuettes glowed again, and rays of light streamed from them toward the rubble.

“Stand in a half circle!” Cosmic ordered, shielding her eyes from the light. “Come on!

Lined up in a curved chain, the aliens held stone figurines and, like flames from flamethrowers, directed their glow at the dim stones.

But instead of building into something new, the remains of the Tree began to… disintegrate. Shards of the branches spattered from the ceiling – and the cave itself seemed to tremble as the ruins in its depths were engulfed by the blinding rainbow.

The ground shook violently, and Cosmic stepped in place to avoid falling. A rush of air blew from the bright glow in the place of the Tree… and then something happened that no one expected.

The glow that had converged from the statuettes to a single point began to fade. There was nothing left of the stones on the floor… but something new had appeared in their place.

The rock suddenly cracked, and instead of the former crystal Tree, an ordinary tree with pink leaves began to sprout from the ground, shrouded in the remnants of the shimmering light. After growing several meters high, it stopped… and all the figurines went out again. Now completely.

“Umm… And what was it now?” Cosmic stretched. “Now it’s just… a tree?”

“I think I understand…” Tails muttered, scratched his nose and raised his head. “It’s the new Tree of Harmony from G5! And that means…” The little fox shrieked. “Does the fifth generation really have such a prehistory…?”

“Why not, maybe,” Shadow snorted, lightly stroking Rainbow figurine with his fingers. “And by all story rules, some creature – I don’t know, a Tree spirit or something – should appear out of nowhere and explain everything to us.” The black hedgehog waved his hand for effect. “And if not, then it’ll be quite in the FoE spirit (excuse the pun) and we’ll have to guess everything on our own…”

And just as he said this, a purple glow appeared under the grown tree, with white sparks of light flying in all directions!

Oh, what’s that again? It’s like some kinda fireworks day now! Cosmic almost roared, covering her eyes and turning away. The shimmering figurines alone were enough for her.

The lilac cloud glistened with brilliance for a few seconds. It flickered again, but there was something else in its place.

Or rather, someone.

A lavender pony, as if made of light, stood in front of the group. A crimson strand was clearly visible in her straight blue mane, and her entire body seemed to glow from within in the same pleasant, warm hue.

A unicorn, Cosmic thought at first… but as she looked closer, she gasped. No – an alicorn! But not an evil and emotionless telepath like the followers of the self-proclaimed Goddess, and not so huge.

No, she was some other kind of being… But what kind, if she wasn’t even material?

The memories of the orb seen at Spike’s place stirred in Cosmic’s mind. The memories of someone else.

That lavender skin was vaguely familiar to the blue earth pony. And now, standing with the others and looking at the phantom alicorn, the mare realized that she knew who was in front of her.

Twilight Sparkle. The almighty Princess of Friendship, captured in this image before she lost her wings and became a Ministry Mare. More precisely, the spirit of the Tree of Harmony from the blue hedgehog and the fox’s stories who took her form.

The ghostly Twilight tilted her head to the side and smiled.

“Hello, unusual creatures… and pony,” she said, and her voice rang out, echoing through the cave like many little bells. “It had been years since anyone had visited here, for this place had been sealed. However,” the alicorn looked at the Mane Six figurines in the aliens’ hands, “you were able to find the key and get the Harmony.”

“Are you… the spirit of the Tree?” Tails asked.

The pseudo-Twilight sighed.

“Yes. The Tree has a mind of its own and strives to maintain peace and order around it using the magical foundations of this reality.” She sighed and lowered her head. “Strove. The challenge Equestria had faced long ago had proved too harsh, and Harmony couldn’t bear it. Gradually, so much hatred spilled out that the Tree sank beneath it, unable to withstand the chaos.”

“Do you know whose remains lie here?” Cosmic asked, circling the bones on the ground with her hoof. “Were they the successors of the Elements?”

The ghostly alicorn nodded.

“Yes. At the very end of the war, when there was little hope of a successful outcome, the Young Six, as you call them, managed to band together and come here to use their friendship to give the Tree strength against the darkness that was overtaking Equestria. At the same time, a troop of zebras was sent into the Everfree Forest – perhaps to find the star metal, which they believed was cursed, and destroy the place from which they saw the threat. Yes, there was such metal in the forest – some of it still lay in a lost hut, and some of it had been taken from the Castle of the Two Sisters, which had been turned into a Stable. But the zebras didn’t know this and were just wandering around at random… and accidentally stumbled upon a group looking for the Tree.”

Sonic and Tails’ eyes widened as they realized what happened next. Cosmic pursed her lips, Knuckles cursed, Amy gasped, and Cream put her hands over her mouth and sobbed. Cheese flew around his hostess and squealed in fear, hiding behind her again.

“During the battle, they almost completely destroyed the Crystal Palace that stood above this place,” the pseudo-Twilight continued with a sad tone in her voice. “Even though its walls could protect against bullets, they weren’t able to withstand grenades endlessly. The enemies were more numerous, and the Young Six decided to retreat. But they were surrounded and driven into the gorge. They fired back and held the passage into the cave, but it was clear that they wouldn’t last long. Almost all of them were wounded and exhausted, and they were running out of medicine and ammunition. So,” she looked up, her eyes shining brighter than she herself, “they called upon the greatest weapon they had.”

“The magic of friendship,” Shadow sighed with a groan.

It was as if he’d grown tired of the unpredictable force that had always come to the rescue of the Mane Six in Sonic and Tails’ stories.

He obviously knows more than he’s saying, Cosmic remarked to herself. And made a mental note to talk to the black hedgehog when they got out of this damned forest.

“Right,” the ghostly alicorn replied. “The power of their spiritual union had awakened the remnants of the Tree’s magical power, and it had honored the common wish of the new bearers of the Elements to protect them by creating an indestructible crystal barrier at the entrance to the cave. By doing so, the bearers were saved from their enemies – but had to stay here for a long time. And they were no longer able to get out on their own.”

The spirit of the Tree moved forward, and the group involuntarily parted in front of her.

“The next day, the bombs fell, and it was even more unsafe to go out. They died here a few days later, of wounds, weakness, or thirst.”

The pseudo-Twilight stopped in front of the skeleton of a pony.

“Sandbar.”

Next, she approached the remains of a griffin.

“Gallus.”

Now the dragon.

“Smolder.”

And the yak.

“Yona.”

She crossed the cave and stood over the hippogriff.

“Silverstream.”

And the changeling.

“Ocellus.”

She looked up at the aliens and Cosmic watching her. And they saw in the ghost’s eyes the immense sadness she had lived with for so many years.

“By shutting themselves up here, they had escaped the zebras – but they had lost any chance later. The Tree had been too weak to give either of them a chance to survive.”

“So… what’s been up with you all these years?” Amy asked.

“The Tree was inactive. Having given up all its strength for protection, all it could do was watch – and scream silently in pain.” The pony ghost turned away. “Two hundred years of screaming that no one heard.”

“That’s… awful!” Cream exclaimed.

“But now you have come,” the pseudo-Twilight raised her head, a look of hope on her face, “and awakened the Tree with the magic you brought with you. For these statuettes” – she looked at the figurines again – “are only a faint echo of the real magic of the Elements. The rest was provided by you.”

“What?! And Shadow too?!” Amy looked wide-eyed at the black hedgehog, but he didn’t even raise an eyebrow.

The alicorn nodded.

“All of you. The friendship that binds you together stretches across the worlds, and with it, you can overcome any obstacles.” She sighed heavily again. “At least I would like to hope so.”

“Is there a seventh Element?” Cosmic cut in. “Or… then what is my role here? Is it really –” the mare grinned unhappily “– just as a guard?”

“Depends on how you look at it. There are many virtues, and each is important in its own way. If you serve your own, that role is no less important than the others.”

“As always,” Cosmic shook her head. “It’s clear that nothing’s clear. And… that’s all? We are no longer needed? What’s gonna happen to you now if it’s still the same shit out there?”

“As I said, you’ve been invaluable in helping the Tree rise from its former wreckage. Now I have enough power to find a safer place.” The ghostly Twilight smiled. “Don’t worry about it. Everything will be fine. Equestria will be reborn… and sooner than you all think. Thank you so much for everything, and… goodbye.”

And in another flash, the lavender pony vanished into the air.

The new Tree glowed again… and disappeared as well, leaving only a hole in the ground, torn open by roots.

The cave was now empty. Except for the aliens, Cosmic, and the old bones lying on the floor.

But what had made the cave a sacred place for centuries was no longer there.

“And… where is it?” asked Sonic, the first to recover from the shock. He pointed with his white-gloved hand to where the tree had just stood. “No, but did you see it? Did you see it…?”

“Somewhere else in Equestria,” Shadow shrugged. “The Wasteland’s big, but there must be some islands where it’s peaceful, right? Maybe there’s one to the east…”

“Why there?” Cosmic looked at him.

“Too long to explain,” the black hedgehog grumbled. “Now we should decide what we all are gonna do.”

“I suggest we go to our temporary base and think about it there,” the earth pony replied. “And on the way, it would be good to give the statuettes back to Spike, because he threatened to mince us if something happened…”

“Yeah, and then Littlepip won’t see them…”

The familiar name immediately brought back Cosmic’s uncomfortable feeling of something being hidden from her. She didn’t know that unicorn mare from the Stable that Monterey Jack was rumored to have tried to rob – but that wasn’t surprising. The strange thing was that this pony was known to a damn trickster who had just arrived in their world himself.

Cosmic gritted her teeth. Why did everyone always know more than her?

It was… unfair!

The next second she found herself leaning over Shadow, who she threw to the ground and pressed her hoof against his throat.

“Tell me! How do you know her?! How do you fucking know everything, even more than they do?!”

“Cosmic, don’t…!” Sonic shouted and rushed towards them, but he was stopped by Knuckles, who was also watching tensely what was happening.

“Ask me if I know Tyler Durden as well…” Shadow wheezed.

Cosmic pressed harder.

“I’ll explain everything to you…” the hedgehog coughed. “Just let go…”

“Uh… guys?” Amy’s voice was heard. Suspiciously quiet and pale. “Don’t you think now’s… not a good time…?”

“Yeah, you better listen to her. Otherwise, it could end very badly.”

Cosmic broke into a cold sweat. She froze, eyes wide open, still standing over Shadow.

This was bad. This was very, VERY fucking bad!!!

Slowly, very slowly, she removed her hoof from the hedgehog’s neck and turned around.

At the entrance to the cave stood an unknown stallion with a sniper rifle on a battle saddle, puffing on a cigarette. Two more – with light machine guns – stood at his sides. All barrels were aimed at those inside the cave.

And the picture was completed by a unicorn peering out from behind the others’ backs, levitating a frag grenade.

“Drop your weapons and come out with your hooves up… or paws… whatever.” The stallion took a puff, then took the cigarette, and flicked off the ash before releasing a cloud of smoke. And smirked. “Resistance is useless. Red Eye would probably be happy to talk to you.”

He spat out the cigarette and rasped it with his hoof.

“And then you’ll be dead anyway.”

Note: 50% of the next level.

Thе quest stage “Find the Tree of Harmony” has been completed. Added new stage “Return the statuettes to Spike”.

Chapter 13. Straight Ahead

— If we had a few hours, I could tend to that, but…

Fallout: Equestria, chapter 7

They all froze, not daring to move.

Cosmic looked hatefully at the ponies aiming their weapons at them. Why is it that whenever it seems like things are finally going to end well, there’s always some asshole to disprove it?!

“So, do we surrender?” Sonic asked quietly, raising his hands just in case. “Or are there some options?”

And where’s your vaunted speed? Why are you still standing here? Cosmic wanted to hiss, but after thinking for a moment, she just sighed helplessly.

Despite his naivety, he wasn’t an idiot now. After all, a gang of poorly armed raiders in the forest was one thing… and a combat unit blocking the only way out was quite another.

Even if Sonic ran up and pulled the pin of the grenade in the unicorn’s magical grip, the explosion would just pile them up with rocks here. And Red Eye’s soldiers would never let them out alive.

Which meant they needed another escape. And the mare seemed to know who could help them.

She turned her head and looked intently at Shadow. He met her eyes and nodded. Surely, he understood too.

Cosmic nodded back and turned to the others.

“Go with Shadow through the rings, I’ll cover you,” she said quietly, getting into a low stance. If only she could grab her carbine in time… “Whether I’m an Element of Justice or not, I won’t let you get hurt. Security saves not only ponies.”

“But what about you?” Amy gasped.

“I’ll be right behind you. Don’t worry about me.”

Cosmic took a cautious step forward. The ponies with guns tensed in their positions.

“Let’s hurry up, your talk makes my head ache,” said the stallion with the sniper rifle. “And without any…”

“Shadow, now!”

The hedgehog instantly threw out his hand with the ring in it. As it jumped out of his grasp, it grew in size and the pale, glowing eye of the portal opened.

“Get out!” Cosmic shouted to her companions – and then jumped away from the hole in space.

At that moment, machine guns hit the spot where she had just been standing. Rolling over, the mare redirected the fire from the aliens to herself, got back on her hooves, and dashed around the portal from the other side to join the others.

At least, she really hoped that she would make it in time and that it wouldn’t close.

Several bullets scratched her armor. As she whizzed behind the portal, Cosmic didn’t see the funnel going anywhere else – only what was actually on the other side of the swollen ring. So it only worked from one direction?

As she jumped inside, she heard the thud of a grenade, followed by the rumble of a single sniper shot.

The earth pony landed heavily on something soft – it seemed to be grass (Cosmic had shut her eyes before jumping). An explosion rumbled: the fuse of the grenade thrown by the unicorn had gone off, but the shockwave lasted only a moment, and only a few shards hit the armor.

The portal had closed in time. Otherwise, they’d have been scattered all over here as well.

Cosmic opened her eyes and looked around.

One thing was clear: they were still in the Everfree Forest. The day was drawing to a close, and it was already quite dark beneath the treetops. At least they hadn’t accidentally fallen into the thicket of killing joke…

“Everyone okay?” asked the earth pony, rising to her hooves.

And then she was startled to see everyone looking at Cream.

The rabbit girl stood there with her eyes wide open (she gave every pony a head start in that regard) and her mouth ajar, a thin red trickle coming out of its corner. Slowly, she took her hand away from her belly, and the blood was clearly visible on her white glove.

“Cream!!!”

The rabbit’s eyes rolled back. Sonic immediately leapt up to her and gently laid her down on the grass. A red stain spread around the wound on the left side of Cream’s belly.

Cosmic didn’t move for a second, as stunned as the aliens.

That bastard with the sniper rifle hadn’t missed after all.

Then the numbness left. Cosmic took a deep breath – and in her head the commander of the squad appeared in the plan of action.

“You!” She pointed a hoof at Tails. “Take it all off!”

The fox blinked and then, realizing what the earth pony meant, began to rip off his bandages.

Jumping up to Sonic and Cream, Cosmic took an armful of rags from Tails, which must still have some of the healing magic left in them, and slipped them to the hedgehog.

“Press! On both sides!”

Suddenly, the mare raised her head and listened. From somewhere off to the side (about Equestrian three o’clock) came hoofsteps and voices:

“Who’s there?”

“Must have a look…”

“Fuck your ass with Celestia’s horn!” Cosmic groaned and turned her gaze to the PipBuck’s display.

The locator showed six approaching red dots.

Zooming out, she determined where Shadow had taken them all. The northern part of the forest, sloping slightly to the east. Literally a few miles from the exit to the Wasteland north of Ponyville.

Nice. At least one of them will have a chance to avoid a fight.

“Hold it!” Cosmic hoofed Sonic the holder with the three remaining potions. “Give her one now, the rest – later! Get out of here. Our base is that way.”

After checking her compass, she stretched out her leg. Then she looked at the frozen hedgehog, who was pressing bloody bandages to Cream’s wound and staring blankly at the rabbit, and grabbed him by the shoulder.

“Get out of here!” she shouted in Sonic’s face, and the hedgehog seemed to come to his senses. “Give her one potion! Run back to our base – as fast as you can!”

Sonic stared into space for a few moments, then nodded silently and took the holder. Putting Cream on his knee, he grabbed one of the bottles with his free hand, tore the cap off with his teeth, and poured the purple liquid into the still rabbit girl’s mouth.

Then he slipped the last two potions under his arm and, picking up Cream again, stood upright with her in his arms. He took a step in the direction shown, another, a third, accelerating each time, and then the familiar blue lightning flew off and disappeared into the dense forest.

The statuette of Twilight Sparkle, dropped by the hedgehog, lay on the grass.

Cosmic picked it up and tucked it into her bag. The others put their figurines in the same place.

“And we –” the earth pony grinned wryly and took the carbine from her back “– will follow. And if necessary, we’ll fight.”

Sonic raced across the Wasteland with the unconscious Cream in his arms. He had never run so fast before – the wind blew so hard into his face that he had to squeeze his eyes into narrow slits. But at the same time, he held Cream in his arms as if she were the most precious thing he could have, trying to move as smoothly as possible so as not to do her any more harm.

This little rabbit shouldn’t have come into this cruel world. Why did Sonic even think it was worth coming here to look for replacement artifacts, and instead of going back and finding another option, he had dragged first Tails and then the whole team here!

All the trouble they got into in this horrible parody of Equestria was his fault. If he’d made a different decision to begin with, none of this would have happened.

Cosmic wouldn’t have been condemned for something she didn’t do.

Metal Dawn wouldn’t have shot up her team… though it’s debatable, he seemed to have his own motives.

Tails wouldn’t have lost his tail because they wouldn’t have gone to Spike.

Nor would they have ended up in this forest – and Knuckles’ hands would still be intact.

And finally, Cream wouldn’t have been hurt.

It was all because of him. He and only he, Sonic, was responsible for everything that had happened.

I’ll save you, Cream, he mentally whispered, trying to make out the dilapidated two-story building in the pre-dawn twilight. I’ll fix everything. I promise, you hear me?

But she didn’t hear. Fighting against air resistance and the limits of his speed, Sonic couldn’t even check if the rabbit was breathing or not. And his fear for her fate made him speed up even more.

Finally, in a split second, the right house appeared in front of him – in the middle of the desert. There are mines all around! the hedgehog remembered and veered slightly away from the direction to slow down smoothly without disturbing Cream. But even so, he ran a hundred yards of inertia before he could turn and follow the path cleared of deadly gifts to the door of the building.

It was dark and quiet inside, but that didn’t stop the hedgehog. He flew up the stairs to the second floor, went into the first room he could find and carefully placed Cream on the bed. The bandages he’d used to cover the wound were soaked with blood – and it looked like the blood hadn’t stopped yet. Grunting, Sonic pulled a holder of healing potions from under his arm and poured them one by one into Cream’s mouth. He was tempted to pour one directly into the wound, but the hedgehog wasn’t familiar enough with the magic of this world to do that.

Nothing happened for a minute or more, and Sonic began to lose hope. But then the rabbit’s chest lifted slightly and lowered again. Her breathing became calm and even, and some of the muscles that had been frozen in tension relaxed.

Unable to believe his and her good fortune, Sonic lifted the bandages. The sight of the torn flesh was still disgusting – but now blood was hardly oozing out. And soon it should stop altogether.

Putting the bloody rags back in place, the hedgehog exhaled with incredible relief and sank to the floor beside the bed. After the hellish sprint of a dozen miles, Sonic’s legs no longer held him up.

Griffin! They had a fucking griffin!

A shot rang out, and the tree trunk next to Cosmic’s head exploded in a cloud of splinters. The mare ducked, then looked to the sky and fired a short burst from the carbine clenched in her teeth. Missed. But at least she made the enemy twitch. Meanwhile, she crouched down for a low start and, pushing off with her hind legs, covered the distance to the neighboring tree in one leap.

She hid behind the trunk and sat on the ground for a few seconds to catch her breath. Then she ejected the empty clip and loaded a new one. The second to last. And, after a moment’s thought, she set the safety to single shot.

That way she’d be out of ammo by the end of the battle. And it would be a long way to get more…

If only her little band could survive now.

…They didn’t get far. The path traced by Sonic was clearly visible, and Cosmic almost missed that they were all exposed to the pursuers. At the last moment, she noticed a silhouette against the darkening sky between the tops of the crowns and ordered everyone to spread out.

A firefight ensued. Taking advantage of the fact that the griffin couldn’t strike from above all at once, Cosmic shot one of the five enemy ponies. Another was wounded by Tails, and the one who had dropped out of the fight, to the aliens’ horror, was finished off by his own.

Both groups split up. Tails, Knuckles, and Amy were left alone with their opponents. And Cosmic and Shadow took on the latter.

The griffin, hovering above the forest, was also reloading her huge anti-machine rifle. The earth pony could see the sharp tips on the wings of the enemy. If she hit with one in flight, Cosmic would have no leg or head.

But the mare wasn’t about to be hit by a direct attack. Someone else had to do it instead.

A rope whistled through the treetops beside the griffin. She only had time to turn her head before there was a hiss of gas and a nimble black figure with rectangular swords flew past.

Shadow jumped onto a branch and grinned at his stunned opponent.

“Banzaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai!”

The battle cry echoed across the forest – and the hedgehog, shooting off the rope and puffing again from the cylinder, jumped lightning fast.

Cosmic didn’t even try to understand these aliens anymore – she just took advantage of what they were doing.

The griffin miraculously dodged the slashing blow, almost hitting Shadow with her pointy wingtips. The clip was finally in the anti-machine gun, but the barrel of the giant weapon still stared into space.

Cosmic had a few moments to take aim. And when the griffin’s silhouette came into view, the mare fired. Immediately, she changed position again and rolled over to a neighboring tree.

The enemy’s wing twitched: the bullet struck the sharp tips of her feathers. But that delay was enough for Shadow to change direction again and fly back, swords drawn.

Cosmic’s eyes widened as the griffin dodged the blow. She flapped her wings and flung the hedgehog away. The mare’s heart tightened at the sight of the clumsy body falling slowly between the trees, blood splattering as if seen through the S.A.T.S.

No! Shadow…!

Distracted, the earth pony herself had missed the moment when the griffin slung her weapon behind her back and spun downward, straight at her.

Death seemed imminent. The rows of blades on her opponent’s wings glistened in the last daylight. And Cosmic found nothing better to do than to activate the sight spell on PipBuck.

Time, already flowing slower than usual, almost froze. The earth pony’s Argument was aimed right at the griffin’s chest. The spell estimated the chance of a hit at ninety-one percent. And the numbers kept rising.

But before she took advantage of this temporary bubble and fired, Cosmic had time to notice that something was moving fast (even with this slowdown!) from the side. And without a second thought, she pulled the trigger.

The bullet again bounced off the pointed wingtips and into the void. The blades were getting closer and closer…

Black lightning flashed from behind the griffin – and her neck exploded in a fountain of blood and shards of flesh. The massive body slammed into the mare, throwing her off, and she rolled across the grass, stopping only when her back hit a tree. Argument slipped from her teeth and flew somewhere in the grass.

Groaning, Cosmic pulled herself up and looked around the battlefield. The griffin was sprawled on the ground; there was nothing left of the back of her neck and head. And to the fresh corpse, Shadow approached, covered in blood, both his own and that of others, clutching his broken swords and breathing heavily.

The black hedgehog looked at his blades, shook his head, pulled the levers on the handles, and the flat, rectangular blades fell from the hilts. Shadow snapped the bindings on a few new ones, then looked at the defeated griffin, then at Cosmic, and suddenly stretched into a string and slammed his right fist into his chest, his left hand tucked behind his back.

“Shinzou wo sasageyo!” he shouted and then, unable to bear it, he laughed.

“Why are you laughing?” Cosmic muttered and went to pick up her carbine. “What does that even mean?”

“’Let’s give our hearts.’ The motto of the fighting squads from one anime…” Shadow shook his head with a chuckle. “I know a lot of interesting phrases. For example, ‘Ah, shit, here we go again’, ‘Wait, it’s illegal’, or ‘Hoofington rises’.”

Cosmic gave him a stern look before she picked up her carbine, shook it off, and took it back with her teeth.

“Let’f go helf fe oferf.”

The two of them crept towards the sounds of gunfire and blows.

But the other members of the group seemed to be doing quite well on their own.

Knuckles pummeled the disarmed enemy with his stone fists. The pony struggled weakly, but it was obvious that he was already out of his mind.

Amy hid behind a tree to avoid the gunfire. But after waiting for the stallion with the shotgun to come closer, she jumped out and smashed him in the face with her sledgehammer. The brown earth pony fell with a shake of his head and never moved again.

Still, the firefight between Tails and the last enemy continued. Apparently, the fox was about to run out of ammunition for his revolvers, and the Red Eye soldier came out of hiding to finish off the alien. But when he saw Cosmic and Shadow approaching, he suddenly got scared and decided to flee. The mare shot after him but didn’t pursue. She had enough to worry about.

“You alright?” she asked the hedgehog.

He’d already shaken off most of the blood, but the scratches from the griffin’s blades on his chest looked quite deep.

“I’m fine, at least I won’t bleed to death,” Shadow said. “We need to get to Sonic and Cream. How far is it to where you sent them?”

“A few hours from here,” Cosmic said after checking the PipBuck. “But that’s a long time. She urgently needs a doctor, preferably an experienced one… How many rings do you have left?”

“Eight,” the hedgehog took a handful of rings out of his backpack and looked at the blue earth pony. “Are we both thinking the same thing again?”

“Most likely,” she nodded and held out a hoof. “Give me one of them. We’ll go straight ahead.”

The portal flashed open and closed again, disappearing with the ring into oblivion.

But Cosmic and the aliens were no longer in the forest.

Sonic fell asleep with his back to Cream’s bed, but he woke up as soon as the entire small group rushed into the room after a cry of “Over here!” from Amy, who had found them.

“You’re here!” The hedgehog jumped to his feet, but immediately fell back down helplessly. “You made it out!”

“How’s she?” Cosmic asked, standing at the door with a carbine in front of him.

“Alive, but unconscious,” sighed Sonic and turned his gaze to the motionless Cream. “She doesn’t seem to be bleeding much anymore, but… we need a good doctor right away. Any ideas?”

“From where?” Tails waved his hands in the air. “We’ve only been in this world for a week…”

“Well, but we have the one who was born and raised here,” Shadow smiled and looked at Cosmic. “Let’s ask her. Where shall we go: to New Appleloosa or to Tenpony?”

“What…? How do you…?” Cosmic gasped.

No doubt, the black hedgehog was acting as if he had lived in the Wasteland before. Or at least pretended to know that part of post-apocalyptic Equestria well.

“No time for questions now,” Shadow said abruptly and firmly. “We need a plan. And we await your orders as our leader!”

Cosmic opened her mouth to answer him sharply… but immediately closed it again.

After all, the black hedgehog was right. After only an hour in their company, he immediately recognized who was leading the group’s actions. And was ready to obey to ensure their survival. And so was everyone else.

And though Shadow himself was aware of the nuances of life in the Wasteland, the world was clearly a closed book to others. A book with blank pages.

And only she, Cosmic Valor, could give them all the information. And thus have a key influence on the final decision.

“I have someone in mind who can help,” she said. “But I’ll have to think it over.”

“Just remember, we don’t have much time,” Shadow reminded her. “Eggman has probably finished preparing his attack by now…”

“Shadow, time passes much faster here,” Sonic said wearily. “Since you joined us, Eggman hasn’t even had time to go to the bathroom. So that’s not the main problem right now. Unlike…”

He glanced at the senseless rabbit girl Amy was fussing over.

“Shut up, you!” Cosmic cut them off. “You disturb my thinking.”

The aliens obediently shut up. And the mare went back to thinking about options.

New Appleloosa was two days away. Eight to Manehattan. In that time, Cream could die a hundred times from infection or improper care. Wipe herself with Luna’s tail, they didn’t even have clean bandages left for proper dressing.

They could, of course, ask Sonic to run with the rabbit in his arms again, but that might just as well kill her. And the hedgehog wouldn’t be able to carry the mare that far…

What to do, what to do, what to do…?

The idea suddenly hit her. It was so simple and ingenious that the earth pony was out of breath. For a second, she stared dazed in front of her, as if afraid to scare away this indescribably pleasant feeling, and then exhaled with relief.

We’re saved. If all goes well, I may even find the answers to some of my questions.

Looking at Shadow again, she couldn’t resist a tease.

“You’re thinking the same as me, aren’t you?”

“Huh?” He didn’t understand, but then he did. And frowned unhappily, “Stop, are you serious?!”

“Yes,” Cosmic nodded. “Sorry, but I have no other plan. However, this one guarantees us a favorable outcome – and maybe it will move me a little bit to solve all the crap that’s been going on around me for almost a month.”

“What? What do you mean?” Knuckles asked, sitting with Tails against the wall.

“Same thing,” the earth pony smiled. “I need half of your rings, Shadow. And… you know, it’s kinda hard to say no to a mare with a gun, don’t you think?”

With a curse to himself, the black hedgehog reached into his backpack for the rings.

Get used to it, Cosmic thought, looking at him. You recognized me as your leader. So please obey my orders. Especially those you have no arguments to dispute.

Dr. Helpinghoof’s clinic in Tenpony Tower in Manehattan was the only more or less decent medical center in this part of the Wasteland. The treatment cost a lot of caps, but it was the best one could get for the price. So it wasn’t surprising that all the ponies with problems of one kind or another flocked here.

Most of these were gunshot wounds, but there were also slash and stab wounds, as well as head injuries, broken bones, and gangrene. Nor was it without contamination from the ubiquitous radiation or even Taint. There was also a drug-addicted patient in the clinic now – she was too fond of Party-time Mint-als.

But everyone got help one way or another.

If they were willing to pay for it.

…Darkness fell behind the thick glass of the window, turning the office into a grim and gloomy place where one wouldn’t want to spend even a few minutes. But the white unicorn with the luxurious red mane sitting at the desk didn’t seem to care. By the light of the lamp, he was reading a book thoughtfully. Judging by the average word length of about twelve characters, it was someone’s serious work on magical medicine. And the unicorn was literally lost in his study, oblivious to anything around him.

Even a strange rumbling behind him didn’t make him turn around.

But then came a sound that the host of the room knew well.

The sound of a bolt being pulled.

The unicorn turned sharply in his chair, almost falling to the floor, and stared open-mouthed at the blue earth pony standing across the room, the glowing circle of the portal closing behind her. And at the assault carbine she was holding with her hoof.

“What the…? Who are you?” he muttered. “What are you doing here?”

His gaze traveled down the barrel of the carbine.

“How did you get the gun past the guards?”

“Life Bloom,” she said quietly. “Don’t you even recognize me?”

“You…”

The unicorn looked closer – and his eyes opened even wider.

“C… Cosmic? Cosmic Valor? Is that you?! What… how are you… what are you doing here…”

“I have no time, Life Bloom,” the earth pony interrupted him. “I need your help right away. Well, I mean, not I, but… Anyway, never mind.”

“How did you get here?”

“You’ll never believe it,” Cosmic grinned, but immediately became serious, “Get ready. You have five minutes. Don’t make me force you. And I don’t care that you’re a unicorn. I… I need you. Right now. Or rather, not you, but your skills.”

…Everyone turned to face the door as two sets of hooves clattered down the hallway and Cosmic entered the room, along with a unicorn slightly taller than herself. The bags at his sides dangled as he walked, not the best attached, but they were packed to the rafters.

“Cosmic? Who’s that with you?” Sonic asked, still keeping Cream’s peace by the rabbit’s bed.

“This is Life Bloom,” Cosmic pointed at the guest of their temporary base. “Assistant from the Helpinghoof’s clinic in Tenpony. We grew up together in The Republic. Life Bloom, and this” – she circled her leg around the aliens – “is my current squad. Just don’t ask questions, okay? The main thing right now is to help Cream…”

But the unicorn had already jumped up to the bed, dumping the bag contents.

“How long ago was the injury? Any healing potions used?” he asked, ripping off the dirty bandages and examining the rabbit’s wound.

“An hour and a half ago,” Tails replied. “Cosmic gave Sonic the remaining three potions before we got out of the Everfree Forest…”

“The Everfree?!” Life Bloom turned around with a stunned expression. “But it’s…” Looking at the blue earth pony, he sighed heavily and muttered, “Alright, that’s for later… Now, can everyone please get out of here? Cosmic, stay, you will help me. And put your gun down somewhere, okay?”

“But–” Sonic tried to object.

“Of course,” Cosmic nodded, put the carbine away and pointed clearly to the door.

The aliens, looking at each other, one by one reached for the exit.

As the door closed behind the last of them (it was Knuckles), Life Bloom turned to Cosmic and shook his head in astonishment.

“I swear, you really amaze me.”

“Yeah? And how’s that?” the mare snorted, helping to lay out everything needed: tools, bandages, tampons, as well as syringes and bottles of medicine and alcohol.

“I think that was a rhetorical question…? Give me a flask of water. We need to wash the wound, then remove the damaged tissue…”

In the white glow of telekinesis, the flask flew to Cream and, leaning forward, splashed water, which did not immediately fall on the wound, but was also shrouded in the glow of levitation.

With Cosmic’s help, the unicorn lifted the rabbit and gently washed the wounds on her belly and back.

“It went right through… I’m surprised the internal organs are intact… Still, sometimes it’s better to have one super-healing potion than three regular ones…”

When finished, Life Bloom squirted more peroxide from a bottle onto the damaged flesh, sterilized his scalpel with alcohol, cut off the purple flaps that protruded in all directions, and pointed his glowing horn at the wound.

Cosmic saw an incredible thing happen: the torn flesh, fused as it was by the effects of the healing potions, took on a regular and natural structure, and the skin gradually converged to the center of the wound.

About a minute later, all that was left of the once terrible wound was a rather deep scar. It was as if the bullet had pierced Cream’s body a month or two ago.

The glow of the horn faded, and the unicorn raised his head, breathing heavily after the spell.

“F-fuh… It’s done for the first time,” he exhaled. “Let her rest for now, but then another procedure is needed… I’ll have to look in here again. You…” he glanced at Cosmic. “You’ll bring me back, right? Dr. Helpinghoof won’t be happy if he doesn’t find me at my workplace in the morning…”

“Sure,” Cosmic waved her hoof, but then pointed it straight at the unicorn. “But I’m coming with you. There’s something I need to find out, and I hope I’ll learn at least a little bit in Tenpony Tower. While I’m gone, they’ll take care of Cream,” she swung her head at the door. “For my part, I promise to answer any questions you may have. Well… and I’ll ask you some of mine. We haven’t talked in years, have we?”

“Okay,” Life Bloom said quietly and sat down on the floor. “And by the way, that’ll be two hundred and fifty caps.”

“Take it.”

Cosmic opened one of her bags and used her teeth to pull three small bags out of it, which jingled softly on the floor.

“You can keep the change.”

“Do you have so many caps that you can afford to throw them around?” Life Bloom raised an eyebrow as he took the payment. “Became a mercenary after all, huh? Must be a lucrative business, I guess?”

“Both yes and no… Oh, it’s complicated,” Cosmic sighed and sat down next to him. “And these… I just robbed the one who robbed me. Well, not exactly robbed… and not exactly me… Are you sure we need to discuss it here?”

“All right, we’ll talk in the Tower.” The unicorn rose to his hooves and looked curiously at the blue earth pony. “I’m very interested in how you’re going to get us there. From a technical point of view, of course.”

Note: Level up.

Player: Cosmic Valor. Skill: Medicine – 25%. New perk: Action Pony (level 1/3) – you get 25 action points extra in S.A.T.S.

Player: Sonic. New perk: Magic of Friendship – when you or any other party member’s health drops below 30%, all party members (including you) receive a significant increase in damage resistance. Bonus: Shattering Space – Lightning mode has been upgraded to level 3, which increases movement speed to +4000% and reduces stamina consumption to -65% (followed by a 12-hour cooldown that increases consumption to +130%). When encountering enemies, requires 50% less action points for activation.

Chapter 14. Answers to Questions

Inquiring ponies want to know.

FoE: Project Horizons, chapter 23

“You can stay at my place for now,” Life Bloom said, opening the steel door with magic and stepping inside. “Please.”

Following him, Cosmic entered the apartment – and stopped, looking at the simple decor.

Nothing superfluous: a table with a working terminal, a bed – perhaps a little wider than would be enough for someone living alone; at the side wall – cabinets with books and medicines.

But there was something here that caught the mare’s eye.

To the left of the entrance, a map of Equestria was riveted to the wall, looking pre-war, but with a lot of crayon markings that made it look current. But even that didn’t catch the blue earth pony’s eye. There were two small flags pinned to the map. The inscription next to one read, “Manehattan”, and the other was…

Cosmic blinked to make sure she wasn’t imagining it.

“The Republic.”

“…Also, I have a bathroom, so you can… Cosmic?”

Life Bloom came over and stood beside her.

For a while, the two looked silently at the flag that marked their home.

Then the unicorn sighed and shook his head.

“Yes… sad, of course. But I don’t regret anything.”

“It’s probably easier to find partners for your liking here, right?” Cosmic snorted unhappily, remembering all the talks in The Republic about Life Bloom and his… preferences.

“What? Oh, you mean that…” he jerked his head and laughed quietly. “Amazing how easy it was for everyone to believe that. And even now I can’t wash it off…”

“Wait, what?” Cosmic frowned, turning to him. “What do you mean?”

“I imagine what my father told everypony about me after I left… How’s he there, still running the village?”

“Y-yes, but… what’s this got to–”

“He never understood me,” the unicorn continued, staring at the wall. “Nor anyone else, to be honest. Neither in the family… nor in the whole Republic. Maybe you too, I can’t remember. They all saw me as the new head doctor of their small town. Someone who would fix their bruises from hoof beats, pull light bulbs out of their kids’ mouths, or help them throw up after a bender at the bar. That’s all they wanted from me. But infinitely less than I wanted from myself.

“I told my father many times that I wished I had studied more, that the city had more books in the library than guns in the armory. But he didn’t listen. Didn’t want to listen. Neither did my mother… nor any of the other relatives. You know,” he looked up, “I still think they were secretly jealous of me. Of my desire for something new, while they’d been surrounded by the same things all their lives and had enough of it. So it was easier to tell them that I liked stallions than to try to convince them of the need for change.”

“Wait, so you–”

Cosmic looked at him in confusion.

“Exactly, Cosmic! In that respect, I am the same as you, but my goals and ideals are completely different. You spend all your efforts to survive – I seek to explore. To discover the world. To learn new things. Including helping other ponies.

“And look at this!” he pointed to a bookshelf with his hoof. “This is where I gained access to the new knowledge I’ve been missing. Twilight Sparkle’s Library gives me unlimited opportunities to learn, with so much information saved from the apocalypse that I couldn’t even study in a lifetime on my own! And in my spare time, I work to spread it throughout the Wasteland, hoping to lay the foundation for a new, beautiful world!”

Life Bloom sighed sadly.

“Unfortunately, the process is going too slowly. Many aren’t interested in the whole thing. Most ponies seem to be the same everywhere… But I could at least bring this ray of light to my home township… if I could get some support. And with a mayor like my father, The Republic will never prosper. Sometimes I even think, just for fun, that I wish Murky would finally take power for the first time in twenty years.”

“That’s never gonna happen,” Cosmic shook her head. “Life Bloom… I’m not the same filly with a carbine on my ass who dreamed of defending the town and upholding justice. I think I’ve changed more in the last month than in my entire life. And I do understand you, Life Bloom. I do now.”

The unicorn, who had been staring at the wall, turned his head and looked intently at the blue earth pony.

“Well… all right,” he finally said. “I hope you’ll tell me how things are going. There’s very little information about that part of the Wasteland here. And… I’m sorry, of course, but you have a very strange team. I thought there was supposed to be at least one Republic pony. Snow Vision, for instance. How is he, by the way? He was the only one I remember who didn’t disdain my ideas. Even if he wasn’t very supportive…”

“He’s dead,” Cosmic replied. “And believe me: I really don’t want to tell this part of the story. But it seems I’ll have to.”

“So…” muttered Life Bloom, looking sad and thoughtful again.

There was an awkward silence, broken only by the low hum of the terminal.

Then the unicorn coughed and waved to a side door.

“The bathroom is that way. Don’t waste too much water, it’s expensive. And I should probably get back to my work now.”

Life Bloom listened to Cosmic very carefully. When the earth pony got to the part about Metal Dawn’s betrayal, he asked her to stop for a moment and sat silently on the bed for a while, eyes shut and teeth clenched. Then he came to his senses and asked her to tell him more.

“Well, that’s how we got out,” Cosmic finished her story. The only thing she didn’t mention was that Spike did have the Elements of Harmony. “I haven’t been to The Republic since, so I don’t know what’s going on there now. I think Mayor Silver Star has gone mad with worry… or…” She sobbed suddenly. “Or declared us… all… dead…”

And she burst into tears, covering her eyes with her hooves.

The past didn’t leave her. Again.

The unicorn staggered for a moment at the sight of the crying mare, and then apparently did what he thought was right – moved a little closer to her and gently stroked her head.

And that was the last straw that finally broke the dam of emotions that Cosmic had been unconsciously holding back all this time – even as she cried for her slain comrades in the Wasteland and at the abandoned farm. Both times, her feelings had not been fully expressed.

The mare clung tightly to Life Bloom, nuzzling her face into his chest, and cried out loudly.

“I… we… all the time… since everything… ch-ch-changed… I… go on… and everyone around me suffers…”

“It’s not your fault, Cosmic,” the unicorn replied, continuing to stroke her mane. “You couldn’t foresee everything. On the contrary, even from the most difficult situations you have always come out in the best possible way. It’s just that… no pony can control circumstances. Only Discord was able to do that… You can only act in them, one way or another.”

“That’s just it, Life Bloom!” Cosmic slammed her hooves into his chest. “I cannot change anything myself! Some black streak: no matter what I do – the bad catches up with me again and again! And it’s not just me, but everyone who’s with me! And I can’t do anything to get out of this vicious circle.”

“You know, at one time, even the Princesses couldn’t do that.”

Cosmic found nothing against it. And immediately, she almost calmed down – at least the sobs became less frequent and quieter.

Life Bloom sat next to her. And didn’t move away. Perhaps for the first time since leaving The Republic, Cosmic felt safe. Under someone’s sensitive protection. And this pleasant feeling warmed her heart and filled her soul with peace.

But the wounds still didn’t heal. No “Hydra” could help, let alone Med-X and simple potions.

“Life Bloom,” Cosmic said, no longer crying. “And you… had somepony for all these years? Remember, the last time you treated me, I admitted to checking you out… well, before you left the village…”

“No,” the unicorn replied simply. “I’ve never reciprocated with anyone here. To be honest, I never had time. I put all my energy into working and educating myself to help other ponies. I never had time for anything else. And why do you ask?”

“I’m so tired, Life Bloom,” the earth pony sighed. “Tired of being strong and leading everyone. What if I’m making it worse? This isn’t what I wanted when I took charge of my first squad…”

“Here you can be yourself, Cosmic. You can give yourself a break. You really need it right now.”

“Thank you.” Cosmic buried her face again in the fur on his chest. “And you don’t get tired of your work?”

“Sometimes it feels like I’ve reached the limit of my strength, and my efforts will lead to nothing,” the unicorn shrugged. “But only for the rest of the day. In the morning, I wake up thinking that nothing I’ve done has been in vain. And so I’m back in the fight, saving lives and bringing a better future.”

“You’re lucky: at least you have a purpose in life. And I’m –” Cosmic shook her head “– no longer sure of mine.”

“What was it?”

“Protecting ponies and upholding justice…” The mare grinned crookedly. “That’s funny. I tried so hard to bring my own light, and now that justice has fucked me in every hole. Well, I got what I deserved.”

“Once again, it’s not your fault. Look back – how many ponies… and not just ponies you have already saved, already protected?” Cosmic lifted her head and looked him in the eyes, as if grasping at straws, and Life Bloom continued, “Sometimes you have to look at the successes as well as the failures. Even if sometimes they don’t seem to mean anything.”

“Thank you, Life Bloom.” Cosmic snuggled up against him once more and closed her eyes. “What you said… it really means a lot to me. Thank you. Eh, I’m so tired…”

Her breathing evened out and became deeper. The unicorn gently stroked her back, but Cosmic just fidgeted with her head on his chest, choosing a comfortable position.

Life Bloom smiled slightly. After waiting for the earth pony to fall asleep, he got up and carefully laid Cosmic down, then covered her with a blanket.

And went back to the table where an unfinished book was waiting for him.

“Is it here?” Cosmic asked as they walked up the wide corridor of the Tower to the door of the cheese shop.

The mare had omitted Monterey Jack’s name in her story yesterday, referring to him simply as “the merchant”, but this morning it was as if she remembered him again and asked directly. Life Bloom replied that Monterey had been executed a few days ago for attempted robbery in the Wasteland, which amounted to raiding. Did Littlepip really come here to demand an answer from him? Cosmic thought in amazement.

She felt ambivalent about this unicorn filly she had never even seen with her own eyes. On the one hoof, the blue earth pony was impressed by Littlepip’s determination. But at the same time… if she was happy with the verdict, Cosmic had nothing to talk to her about.

When asked about Littlepip, Life Bloom was silent, and Cosmic decided to close the subject.

As for Lyra Heartstrings, the unicorn didn’t know anything either, but he promised to look for information in the local library, which also served as a data center.

In the meantime, after asking Dr. Helpinghoof for a few hours (there wasn’t much to do with patients anyway), Life Bloom led Cosmic to the shop that Monterey Jack had owned until recently.

Heavy metal shutters were down on the inside of the storefront, and a sturdy lock and “CLOSED” sign hung on the door. Luckily, Life Bloom had got the keys somewhere.

With a soft creak, the square casements opened inward. It was dark and silent inside, but the unicorn shone his horn and found the light switch.

A bright white light flooded the room, making Cosmic blink for a second.

And when her eyes adjusted, she saw a depressing sight.

The refrigerators where the cheese was stored were without power, with muddy puddles spreading out from underneath them. A pile of cheese heads in the display case, which had apparently been the hallmark of the place, had crumbled like a house of cards; some of the pieces lying on the floor had clearly been hoofed. Some of the merchandise, judging by the smell, had already begun to rot. The cash register was untouched, but clearly empty. Monterey Jack had to pay for his own execution and burial as well.

“What do you look for here?” Life Bloom asked, while Cosmic walked around, seeing the same picture of decay everywhere.

“I don’t know. Something,” replied the earth pony. “Monterey had something to do with all of this. First of all, I wonder how he came to have the blueprints that Lyra so desperately needed. This unicorn was hardly the simple merchant he seemed to be.”

“I used to come here sometimes,” Life Bloom muttered. “His cheeses were really good.”

“Sure – for caps like these.” Cosmic just snorted when she saw the penciled price tags.

“This is Tenpony Tower, baby. Nothing is cheap here.”

“Hey, look, what is this?”

Walking behind the counter at the far end, Cosmic stopped in front of a panel that blended in color with the wall and was almost indistinct in outline. It took a closer look to see that there was something here.

“Let’s check it out,” Life Bloom said, standing next to it.

His horn flared, and the panel, moved by telekinesis, slowly slid aside. It hasn’t moved since long before Monterey, Cosmic thought.

Behind the false wall was a real door – solid, metal, painted silver. On it was a relief drawing of a hexagon with the moon in the center and some pictograms on the tops. Looking closely, Cosmic was surprised to see that they were the cutie marks of the Ministry Mares, familiar to her from the statuettes.

On the right side of the door was a slot where something seemed to be inserted. But definitely not a simple key – it was about the width of a hoof.

“What is it?” she asked.

“The sign of the O.I.A.,” Life Bloom replied. Seeing the incomprehension on Cosmic’s face, he deciphered, “The Office of Interministry Affairs. An organization from the Great War. I only found vague references to it in books… I don’t know what they actually did there.”

“We have to open it somehow,” the earth pony tapped on the door.

“I don’t have the right keys.” The unicorn levitated a bunch of keys and rattled them. “And with magic, I’m afraid I can only damage the lock, and then only C-4 explosives will help us.”

“Wait a minute…” Cosmic muttered and turned on the sorting spell in PipBuck.

The strange card taken from the сyberghoul’s body in New Appleloosa was displayed by the device as the “O.I.A. Pass Card”. On the rotating greenish image, Cosmic could now make out the numbers 0174 and a pattern exactly like the one on the door.

“I think we’ll need this,” the mare said, pulling the card out of her bag.

“Where did you get it?” Life Bloom stared.

“From that ghoul merchant who contracted Metal Dawn… Well, it doesn’t matter, okay?! Now step back.”

Cosmic carefully took the card with her teeth and inserted it into the slot.

Nothing happened for a while, and the mare already thought that nothing would work, when suddenly she heard a sound that instantly dispelled all doubts.

The click of the lock opening.

Cosmic pushed the door, but it didn’t move.

“Maybe it opens by pulling?”

“I don’t think so,” Life Bloom shook his head. “Otherwise, only a unicorn with very strong magic could open it. Let’s try together.”

Pushing harder, they managed to open the heavy door.

And found themselves in another small, cluttered room.

Life Bloom’s horn illuminated the mess. The cabinets against the walls were lost behind stacks of documents and folders piled on the desk, where a terminal stood – probably working, just turned off. Cosmic couldn’t help but notice several sealed tubes against the far wall. Just like the one Metal Dawn had taken from Monterey Jack.

The unicorn found the light switch again. But apparently the spark battery in the ceiling lamp had died or gone bad, because nothing happened.

“Try turning on the terminal,” Life Bloom said. “Maybe that’ll make it a little brighter.”

“How long can your horn light up?” Cosmic asked, walking around the table, avoiding the piles of documents.

“Half an hour for sure. Maybe an hour. But then I’ll have to recover, and new patients may arrive in the meantime. So, let’s try to find what you need as soon as possible.”

“Got it.”

Life Bloom started to fiddle with the documents, and Cosmic sat in front of the terminal, illuminating it with her PipBuck. Surprisingly, pressing the power button caused the pre-war device to blink and bring up a loading screen.

With the O.I.A. emblem and a password field.

Well, of course, how could it not?

The mare had no idea what the code combination could be. But while playing in her father’s workshop, she had learned about one of the terminal’s features: two extra pins under the back cover. If they were short-circuited, the password was automatically reset. Apparently, the pre-war ponies were really stupid to have such a "back door" made for them.

But who knows – maybe the security of the Office was much tighter.

And indeed: inspecting the inside of the terminal in the light of the PipBuck’s screen, Cosmic found no evidence of an additional unlocking system. She knew from her father’s technical books and magazines that it was possible to connect from PipBuck and look through the configuration files for the password, but first, that could take hours, and second, Cosmic herself had no experience with PipBucks. So that option was out.

The only thing left was to pick a combination at random. And in this case, they only had four tries.

“Life Bloom, please try to find the name of who worked here,” the earth pony said to her companion. “I doubt that this place was just used as a wastepaper storage, since the terminal was placed here.”

“Well, wait…” There was a rustle of papers being shuffled. “Try ‘Gizmo Poindexter’. He might’ve been some kind of technical expert – some research protocols are signed with his name… I wouldn’t be surprised if he had something to do with the blueprints in those tubes.”

“It fits. The last name, I mean. Seems he was as confident as anyone that he wouldn’t get hacked. Thank you.”

After gaining access, Cosmic began to scroll through the list of files.

Most of them were text records and a few corrupted audio files that could not be recovered. And what might be interesting in them? Probably something work-related as well.

With a hoof under her head, Cosmic began to leaf through the notes, which were a kind of work diary. Most of them were about projects and prototypes, labeled with abracadabra of letters and numbers, and the mare had stopped going into all the technical details – many of which Gizmo had, of course, kept quiet about because of a gag order mentioned in one of the entries.

But the last entry, dated May 13th, 1032, in the pre-war calendar, caught Cosmic’s attention the most.

Entry 261

A new batch of blueprints for projects Sunshine, Rainbow, and Whirlpool has arrived from design offices #44, #67, and #72 respectively. These will soon be transported with O.I.A. stuff to the sites for practical implementation.

Sunshine – May 14 at 12 p.m. – Long Grass – to Stable Pi.

Rainbow – May 15 at 3 p.m. – Dazzling Shine – to Stable 88.

Whirlpool – May 17 at 2 p.m. – Lyra Heartstrings – to RC-13.

“Bingo!”

“Did you find something?” the unicorn asked as he approached the terminal.

Cosmic pointed at the last line.

“It’s the same name I heard from Watcher. A pony who lived two hundred years ago and, as it now turns out, worked for this Discord’s O.I.A., whatever it was… And now, someone with the same name is terrorizing the Wasteland for some blueprints, disabling cyberghouls from afar! What an incredible coincidence, don’t you think?”

“There’s something to it.” Life Bloom rubbed his chin. “On the other hoof, it could really be a coincidence. Or, for example, someone imitating a pre-war image. Either way, it has no bearing on what you’re going to do. Doesn’t it?”

“Well, after that incident, she obviously got her blueprints,” Cosmic sighed. “But with the witnesses, there was a bummer. I have survived. And she probably knows about it from somewhere. And if so, she’s quite capable of sending someone after me. But then,” she grinned wryly, “she’d have to take us all out. Me – and that whole motley crew.”

“I wonder what the names of the projects mean…?” Life Bloom muttered, looking at the terminal screen.

“Does it matter?” Cosmic pressed the off button and the room went completely dark again. “The main thing is that now I know a little more about who is the cause of my troubles. And I’m one step closer to dealing with her one day.”

The mare stepped out from behind the desk, and it was just in time for Life Bloom’s horn to light up again to keep her from bumping into the stack of folders.

“Alright, let’s get out of here. I’ve had enough of these fucking secrets.”

Soon they returned to Life Bloom’s apartment, where Cosmic had left her things. The unicorn didn’t allow her to take Last Argument to the Tower, but he didn’t know about the loyal Dan. Besides, an assault carbine was much more necessary for the aliens, who were actually unprotected in the middle of the Wasteland.

As the two packed their bags and prepared to return to the abandoned house surrounded by a minefield, Cosmic asked, “Do you think we could have… well, been together if you hadn’t left?”

“I don’t know,” Life Bloom shrugged and used his telekinesis to shift the load onto his back. “No, I guess not. You and I are too different, and… I’ve never really been attracted to you. Besides, you weren’t very interested in my desires either.”

“Okay, I don’t care.” Cosmic sighed and snapped her bags shut with her hoof. “Thank you, Life Bloom. For helping Cream… and me too, to be honest.” She grinned. “I think I passed out at the worst possible moment last night…”

“You’re wrong,” the unicorn shook his head with a slight smile. “You looked very… cute. And I just couldn’t help taking care of you. You really… really needed it.”

“I hope you’re not gonna charge me for it?” the mare asked mockingly.

“No. Never.”

Cosmic looked at Life Bloom – and suddenly she was breathless as she saw Snow Vision in him. Coming from the same extended family, the two were much alike in appearance – but so different in mind and occupation.

He sure beats Nightlight at medicine, the earth pony thought.

Metal Dawn, who had visited her on the evening of the day the adventure began, had asked her which of the team she would prefer in his stead. And between Spark and Snow, Cosmic would probably choose the latter. Yes, the knife-wielding unicorn scared her a bit during the battle… but something attracted her, too. However, she’d never had the chance to talk to Snow about any of it, let alone go any further.

And Spark Glider had a girlfriend of his own. And as they said in fairy tales, “they lived happily ever after and died on the same day.” How, this cruel world decided.

Wasteland always twisted fairy tales in its own way.

And now it was as if Cosmic found herself alone with one of her lost companions. As if his ghost stood before her and smiled kindly.

And she did something she never expected to do.

She walked up to Life Bloom and kissed him on the cheek.

The unicorn blushed slightly.

“Really, you shouldn’t have–”

He faltered as their eyes met by chance.

They were standing quite close to each other, so Cosmic could smell his scent. Perhaps for the first time in a long, long time, all the things she was used to fighting for receded into the background, fading away somewhere in the distance where they hardly mattered at that moment.

And unable to hold back any longer, Cosmic leaned forward and sank her lips into the unicorn’s. He unexpectedly responded to the kiss, and the earth pony closed her eyes in pleasure.

The stowed bags flew off their backs and headed for the corner of the room. So did the armor, which in an instant became an unnecessary and hindering obstacle.

Cosmic’s world narrowed to the sensations her body transmitted to her brain. There was nothing else: just a soft bed, herself, and Life Bloom.

Time, which had shrunk to an unbearably pleasant point, flowed again.

“…Well, that was not bad,” Cosmic grinned, stretched out on the bed, and looked at Life Bloom. “I see you’ve held back a long time.”

“You know there is nothing between us, right?” asked the unicorn lying beside her. “It was good for me too, but… I’d like to keep my lifestyle. What happened now doesn’t change anything in our relationship.”

“Yes, working is more important to you than anything else,” the mare quipped.

“I feel like I belong here. Something incredible would have to happen for me to break away and go to the Wasteland. Like you, for example,” Life Bloom added.

“Yeah, that’s right,” Cosmic sighed. “It’s time for me to go back. And you promised a repeat treatment for Cream.”

“Of course,’ the unicorn nodded and sat down with his hooves on the floor. “Let’s not take too long, then.”

Twenty minutes later, they were all cleaned up. Life Bloom even combed Cosmic’s mane with magic after the shower. “So you don’t look like a raider who’s reached the benefits of civilization,” he joked afterward.

Cosmic just smiled gratefully and took the ring she had taken out of her bag with her teeth.

“Well, let’f gho,” she said and tossed the ring into the air with a flick of her head, at the same time imagining a spacious hall of the abandoned building.

The portal opened and the two ponies went through it together.

When they found themselves far from Manehattan, the scene before their eyes was completely different from what they had expected.

Knuckles was strangling Shadow, holding him by the throat above the ground. The echidna’s fingers couldn’t bend anymore, so he had to wrap his straight palms around the hedgehog’s neck on both sides. But because of Knuckles’ immense strength, the effect was noticeable. Shadow was gasping for breath, dangling in a literal stone grip.

“…What are you doing?! Stop it!” Sonic yelled, standing nearby with a nine-millimeter Nige in his hand.

But the barrel was looking past: apparently, the blue hedgehog wasn’t ready to shoot his friends.

“Think about it, Knuckles: if that were the case, why did Shadow help us in the forest?” Tails agreed, also clutching one of the revolvers he had been given.

“To pretend to be our ally, sic Metal Sonic on us, and then help him take us down!” The echidna growled and shook Shadow, causing him to shake his feet helplessly in the air. “You’re not the Element of Honesty – how do we know you’re not lying? What if you are Eggman’s agent after all…?”

“Please don’t!” Amy wailed, running around them. “Stop it, please…!”

And then a burst of gunfire hit the ceiling.

The aliens all shut up at once and turned their attention to the new arrivals.

“What’s. Going. On. Here?” Cosmic asked sternly, letting go of Dan’s mouthgrip.

“So… just figuring something out,” Knuckles muttered and released Shadow under the mare’s stern gaze.

The black hedgehog fell to the ground and grabbed his throat, trying to catch his breath.

“Are you fucking crazy?!” the earth pony hissed, glaring at Knuckles with anger. Life Bloom helped Shadow up, apparently intending to examine him as well. “You’ve had enough of other enemies, now you’ve decided to kill each other?!”

“He is suspicious,” Knuckles said stubbornly.

“I bet.” Cosmic looked back at Shadow, who just nodded gratefully at Life Bloom. “But first, I trust him – as much as I can right now. And secondly, I want to ask him about it myself. In the meantime,” the mare leaned closer to the echidna’s face, “keep your stone fists to yourself, okay?”

“What’s that smell?” suddenly the unicorn’s voice could be heard.

“Huh?” Cosmic turned around and sniffed.

It didn’t seem to smell anything special. The air had the musty scents of dust, crumbling plaster, old wood… and something else.

Something the earth pony hadn’t smelled the last time she’d been here.

Opening her nostrils wide, she suddenly realized what that faint smell was.

The smell of rotting.

Life Bloom turned her head to determine the direction in which the smell seemed to be stronger, and slowly walked across the room…

And stopped right in front of Knuckles.

“What?” he grumbled. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Where is this from?” Life Bloom pointed at the echidna’s petrified knuckles.

“A cocatrix,” Cosmic replied briefly.

“Fuck…” The unicorn swore surprisingly foully. “Can you feel your fingers?”

“No.”

“For how long?”

“Since then… And what?”

“Oh, all clear. Necrosis of the soft tissue.” Life Bloom turned to Cosmic and explained, “Fossilization has stopped the blood flow to the directly affected areas of the metacarpal and the more distant phalanges. Hence the necrosis, which has already begun to turn into decomposition. And only the stone layer, behind which healthy tissue begins on the other side, saves the body from spreading gangrene and sepsis.” The unicorn shook his head. “But still – it is urgent to amputate his fingers.”

“Cut? No way!”

Knuckles put his hands behind his back.

“Then I’m not responsible for your health after you pick your nose and your head rots,” Life Bloom said calmly. “Now I’d like to get back to your friend. Can someone please help me…?” A glance at Cosmic. “…someone with fingers? Working, of course.”

“May I?” Sonic volunteered, putting away his submachine gun.

Life Bloom nodded, and they started to go upstairs together.

“Take my carbine on the way back!” Cosmic called after them.

The blue hedgehog showed her a ring made of two fingers with the rest sticking out - another fragment of alien culture – and winked. Then he and Life Bloom disappeared around the corner of the stairs.

“Well, and we will eat,” said Cosmic, sat down on the floor and began to unpack her bags. “All this research has made me terribly hungry.”

While they ate lunch (Knuckles was helped by Amy, to the echidna’s embarrassment), the earth pony told them what she had learned in Tenpony Tower. To Sonic and Cream, they decided to tell them later.

“Now, to get to this Lyra, I have to go I don’t know where and look for I don’t know what,” Cosmic muttered at the end. “Just what is this… what’s the name… RC-13?”

“Research Center?” Tails suggested.

“Well, that fits… But neither where it is, nor what that bitch is doing there, we never found out. Then there’s the Whirlpool, whatever it is…”

“I think it’s closer to Hoofington,” Shadow whispered. His voice was still a little raspy from Knuckles’ grip. “There’s a hotbed of all the scientific stuff in Equestria…”

Meeting Cosmic’s eloquent gaze, the black hedgehog sighed.

“I’ll tell you all about it. Let’s at least wait for Sonic…”

“…And here we are,” the voice of a blue hedgehog came from the stairs, and everyone turned in that direction.

Cosmic blinked, as if she couldn’t believe her eyes. But it was not a mirage: between Sonic and Life Bloom, carefully supported by the hedgehog’s hand and the unicorn’s telekinesis, the rabbit girl was coming down the stairs, even though she looked thinner and gaunt, but happy.

“Cream!”

Tails and Amy immediately rushed over to them and ran up to hug their friend.

Sonic went over to Cosmic and handed her Last Argument. The mare clutched her trusty weapon: without it, she felt naked even in her armor.

Life Bloom beckoned Knuckles after him, and the two headed back upstairs.

The rest of the aliens surrounded Cream, talking excitedly about something – probably how worried they were about her.

Cosmic stood aside and didn’t interfere. She was just happy to see the happiness of somebody else, so genuine and untainted.

Soon, Life Bloom and Knuckles returned. The echidna looked particularly grumpy, looking down at his stone fists with clipped fingers in confusion.

“So that’s it?” the unicorn said, stopping next to Cosmic.

“As it turns out,” she sighed. “Thanks for everything you’ve done for us. Really. I… I just had no one to ask for help. I don’t even know how to repay you.”

“Nothing is needed,” Life Bloom said with a smile. “Just promise me that you won’t get into any more serious trouble.”

“You know I will, one way or another.”

“I know it. That’s why I’m asking. Maybe when this is over, you’ll come back to The Republic and help make things better.”

“We’ll see,” Cosmic snorted and pulled out the last of the rings she had borrowed from Shadow. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

The ring flew up, spun in the air, and habitually transformed into a funnel that pierced the room.

Life Bloom moved toward the portal, then, as if forgetting something, turned to Cosmic and kissed her. Then he stepped through the portal and disappeared from the dirty old hall.

The mare looked silently at the place where the funnel had been for a while. Then she brushed a drop of unwanted wetness from her cheek and approached the aliens.

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but we have a few unanswered questions. You promised, Shadow. Remember?”

“Yes, of course,” the black hedgehog replied and looked up at the others. “Let’s go upstairs, it’s more comfortable.”

“Let’s go," Sonic grinned and was the first to run up the stairs before anyone noticed. He waved halfway up and then ran off in a blurred silhouette.

The group went up to the second floor and settled into one of the rooms.

“Make yourselves comfortable, ‘cause this is a long story,” Shadow said, sitting down on the bed and taking off his backpack.

The others sat on the floor and Cosmic leaned her shoulder against the wall in the corner.

“I think we should start with this.”

The black hedgehog took something out of his backpack and showed it to everyone.

Cosmic was surprised to see that it was a book. And even in appearance, it was much better made than the pre-war Daring Doo stories or the Wasteland Survival Guide by Ditzy Doo from New Appleloosa.

The cover depicted a short gray unicorn filly with a light brown mane against a backdrop of old houses and Canterlot Peak in the distance. The pony was wearing a blue stable-issued coverall with the number 02 on the collar; a PipBuck screen glowed green on her leg. And in front of her was a sprite-bot – at least very similar to the ones Watcher had used to talk to Cosmic and the aliens.

And at the top, in an empty space, was a stylized inscription.

Note: Level up.

Player: Cosmic Valor. Skill: Science – 50%. New perk: Cool Hacker – you get additional attempts for picking a password. Bonus perk: Sherlock Hooves (level 2/3) – you can make intuitive deductions based on a small number of facts.

Player: Sonic. New perk: Not selected.

Chapter 15. Loyalty

— After that big old send off Ponyville gave me, I just didn’t have the nerve to come home empty-hooved. I couldn’t come home a failure.

MLP, 2/14

“…So, is that Littlepip?”

Cosmic looked slightly surprised at the pony on the cover of the book that Sonic, Tails, and Amy were flipping through with interest. Honestly, she hadn’t expected the unicorn who’d found the courage to leave her Stable to look so… ordinary.

Four more volumes lay stacked on the floor next to the bedpost. Cream was absent: the rabbit girl had gone to another room to rest.

“Ayep,” Shadow nodded expertly, sitting on the crumpled bed. “A PipBuck technician from Stable Two, who’d been out in search of Velvet Remedy, the other unicorn mare who’d left their shelter. The next day, at Watcher’s behest, Littlepip cleared Ponyville of raiders and was shot by Calamity the pegasus as she approached New Appleloosa–”

“Calamity?!” Cosmic’s head buzzed with all these connections. “I know him! We met a few times at the Turnpike Tavern…”

“Really?” The black hedgehog raised an eyebrow. “Hmm… Well, then maybe you know some of these names, huh? SteelHooves, Xenith, Monterey Jack, Spike…?”

“Monterey? He was executed a while back. Spike’s the one we went from to the Everfree. You think we’d have gone there on our own?”

“Wow!” Shadow suddenly jumped. “So we’re at chapter twenty or twenty-one now! I mean, we’re still in the main timeline!”

“What are you talking about?” Knuckles asked.

The black hedgehog sighed.

“If there is Equestria, then there is a cartoon series it was created for. Likewise, if there is Fallout: Equestria, there must be a book to match it. Simple enough, right?”

“Wait, wait, wait…” Cosmic frowned. “So you’re saying that not only the history of my world, but ALL THIS SHIT AROUND THERE” – she hoofed a circle, clearly referring to more than just a single room – “is also fiction?!”

“Umm… yes?” Shadow shrugged. “And why are you so surp–”

“So the war and the apocalypse and two hundred years – TWO HUNDRED FUCKING YEARS! – of darkness and violence and all the crap that I and the other ponies have to live through is just someone’s fantasy for fun?! How could anyone even think of that?!”

“Earth isn’t perfect in many ways,” Tails said quietly, and Cosmic turned to him. “Humans are always fighting for something, and in normal life they sometimes do no better than the same raiders. And they have to build mental shelters to stay sane, imagining someone else feels even worse than them. Just a way to convince themselves and others that all is not lost. And nobody thinks about some of the consequences. Do you understand, Cosmic? They know what happens in such worlds, but they think they’re not real, created either to change the plot for the better… or to be destroyed completely. I’m sorry, but that’s how it works. The reality we were once trapped in.”

“But this is all real!” the mare shouted. “I’m real! Ponyville is real! Spike’s Mountain, Tenpony Tower, New Appeloosa and Canterlot are all real! I’ve seen all of it! How can what is there not be there?!”

“That’s the problem,” Shadow replied. “There are all kinds of worlds in the multiverse. Absolutely. And they all exist at the same time. And those who live in them, most often, cannot choose which one they wanna be in.”

“But… how did you know that we were in this… pony Fallout?” Knuckles asked. “If you’ve been unfrozen just for a week?”

The black hedgehog grinned. Just like Sonic, the earth pony noted… but in a decidedly more mature way.

“If I was frozen, it doesn’t mean I was unconscious. Dr. Gerald Robotnik had managed to connect my mind to a computer before the project to study me was abandoned. It felt horrible at first: I was floundering around in this virtual prison that didn’t even have a proper operating system, and Robotnik hibernated me to keep me from going insane.

“The computer had been connected to the local network, and when it was linked to the Internet twenty years later, my consciousness awoke from its long slumber.” Shadow shook his head with a smile. “You can’t imagine living thirty years in a stream of pure information, eating it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner while the capsule kept my body alive. I was able to study human culture from the inside, learn several languages, and certainly keep up with the latest trends. And I didn’t ignore the MLP fandom, and with it, a little later, Fallout: Equestria.”

“And you didn’t get… ‘washed out’ during your online life?” Tails asked in shock.

“Fortunately, Robotnik made sure that my identity was securely protected from being overwritten. And so,” the black hedgehog grinned, “I now sit before you with an enormous wealth of information in my head, including about this world.”

“Where did you get the books?” Knuckles asked.

“Ah,” Shadow waved his hand, “I stole them from some brony’s house along the way. He also had a printed ten-volume edition of Horizons, but I didn’t want to carry that heavy stuff…”

“So there are other books about this universe?” Cosmic asked.

“Lots of. Even I cannot list them all. And in each one, something changes a part of the Wasteland – or the entire Wasteland at once.

“Littlepip (or Stable Dweller, as DJ Pon-3 calls her) wanders back and forth, trying to find her virtue. Blackjack, or Security Mare from Stable 99, hangs around Hoofington, hoping to get rid of her guilt, like Luna in Season Five. Puppysmile, also known as Pink Ghost, is on her way south on Route 52 in search of her mother. Dazzling ‘Dodo’ Dusk goes to the north in search for the forth wall breaking artifact. Murky Number Seven, a pegasus with broken wings from Fillydelphia, wants to get freedom. Silver Storm, aka Hired Gun, who’s terrorizing Caledonia’s raiders, is just trying to avoid making mistakes. It sucks, of course, but she’s trying anyway.

“There are many kinds of characters, Cosmic. And the most important thing is to find out if you are the protagonist of your own story.”

“Whoa!” Amy’s strained exclamation was heard.

Cosmic turned to see her and Sonic – both blushing intensely for some reason – staring at one of the pages of the second volume, while Tails sat a bit away, flipping through the third book with interest.

“Oh, you stumbled upon chapter 20.5?” Shadow laughed. “Well, come on, come on… share your impressions later… with me or each other…”

“I don’t understand…” the fox muttered suddenly. “Does Equestria really have sixteen hours in a day, not twenty-four? That’s what it says here,” he pointed to the book, “but in the later seasons of MLP, I remember the usual twelve o’clock watches. Do you know why, Shadow?”

“Uh, I’ll try to explain it as a fan theory…” The black hedgehog thought for a while, then continued, “If there were eight-hour clocks everywhere in the first years after Luna’s return, that means that it had been common for a long time, maybe centuries, so it couldn’t have gone away quickly. On the other hand, before the war, Equestria had developed contacts with other countries and races… I bet on the griffins – that the twenty-four-hour division came from them. I guess it was more convenient, but it didn’t have time to replace the old one before the apocalypse. And then it was up to the ponies to decide how to count.

“Although it was naturally easier. The humans had gotten tired of dealing with all the lore of the show when they made it for kids. So one day they’d just dropped some of it and gone back to their usual counterparts.”

“I see,” said Tails and turned to the mare. “And what do you think, Cosmic…? Uh, Cosmic?”

The earth pony froze, looking at the PipBuck screen in shock.

“What’s up?” Shadow asked anxiously.

Instead of answering, Cosmic silently turned her microcomputer toward them.

The black hedgehog and the fox stared at the screen. There were obviously time settings open on the device. The cursor was on the “Format” field, where two lines were displayed in a drop-down list: 16:64:64 and 24:60:60.

The first of them was active, and the side window displayed a note, “A time format widely used in Equestria (the only official one until 1007). Based on a binary system (derived from 22 = 4 pony hooves), now used in Stables 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, and 128, as well as in some settlements.”

“Got it,” Shadow nodded and explained to Cosmic, “Littlepip is from Stable Two. Of course, she will use her usual time.”

“I can’t figure out what’s real here anymore,” the mare whispered and sat down on her haunches with her head bowed. “It’s like the world around me gets rewritten every moment…” She looked down at her hooves. “What if I’m just a character being directed by some writer? And all my actions… all the things that have happened to me… are just someone’s fucking fantasy…?”

“Keep it simple,” Shadow shook his head. “After all, every character has the illusion of free will. Yes, it’s a little frustrating to realize that the way you see the world is put into your head by someone outside, but within the limits you have, you can determine your own actions.”

“I still don’t get it. Equestria was destroyed… for fun. My team was killed… for fun…” Cosmic lifted her head and looked him in the eyes. “How should I feel when my life and my world are destroyed just because someone out there wants to have fun?”

“Every story goes through several stages. And if things are bad, it’s not the end. Things will get better one day – but only if the protagonist doesn’t give up. And by all accounts, that’s you, Cosmic.”

Shadow leaned over and took the fifth volume of Fallout: Equestria from the stack. Then he placed the book in front of Cosmic.

“After you read the epilogue, you’ll find out what will happen to Equestria ten years from now, when (not ‘if’, but exactly ‘when’!) Littlepip succeeds. Believe me, things will be better than they are now. It’s already predetermined – from the author’s standpoint. But not at all certain from here. After all, if the universe is being destroyed… maybe it’s just to show how it can be rebuilt.”

“Wait… do you hear that?”

Cosmic strained her ears.

From somewhere below came a knocking. Something was tapping insistently on the door of the building.

“Wait here,” said the mare and took her Argument with herself, heading for the exit. “Shadow, follow me.”

The black hedgehog made a surprised face but said nothing as he joined her.

They walked down the stairs to the hall and came to the door of the house. The steady knocking was clearly heard from outside.

Listening closely, Cosmic recognized a faint mechanical whirring. And damn it – she knew who (or rather what) it belonged to.

“Stand aside and open the door on the count of three,” she told the hedgehog, standing in front of the door with the carbine in front of her. “One, two… three!”

Shadow leaned back against the doorjamb, grabbed the old wooden handle, and pushed it open.

The door swung open, and Cosmic found herself face to face with the sprite-bot, flying freely into the house.

“Well, hello, Watcher,” the mare said. “Long time no see.”

“I was looking for you,” the sprite-bot replied. “I was able to follow you through the forest for a while, but then you seemed to disappear. I didn’t expect you to return to your base after avoiding all my eyes in the Wasteland.”

“Neither did we. But we had to. Otherwise, we’d all just die. As it is… I think you owe me now, Spike. How about that, huh?”

“I don’t think either one of us is in a position to dictate terms right now. Can you tell me why you think that?”

“Because for us, breaking into your cave and what we experienced in the forest were not comparable. Not so much in the nature of those things, but in their consequences.”

“But did you find out anything? There was a moment when the Elements glowed briefly, and… Could you lower your weapon? Please.”

Cosmic hesitated but released her carbine anyway.

“The Tree is safe now. That;s all you need to know. You can leave this problem behind.”

“Very good, then.” Judging by his tone, he wasn't satisfied with that answer. So he continued dryly, “Then I’d like my statuettes back.”

“Oh, with great pleasure!”

Cosmic reached into her saddlebags.

“Open the rear panel of the sprite-bot. There’s a compartment for extra batteries. Put the figurines in it.”

“How do I open it?” Cosmic snorted, arranging all six statuettes on the ground in front of her. “Do I look like a unicorn?”

“May I try?” Shadow raised his voice as he approached the robot.

“Who the hay are you?” Watcher asked.

“Just a friend.” The black hedgehog picked up the rear panel and snapped it off. “Done, Cosmic. Load those flügegeheimens in there.”

One day I’ll start taking notes after you, Cosmic thought to herself and loaded the figurines one by one into the cavity inside the sprite-bot. Shadow closed the panel – and then Cosmic grabbed her weapon and slammed it right into the hovering robot!

“What are you doing?!” Watcher shouted.

The earth pony continued to swing the carbine. The sprite robot tried to dodge the blows, but Cosmic remained accurate even without S.A.T.S.

“Are you crazy?!” The robot flew out of the open door and hovered some distance away. “You want me to stop helping you?!”

“Helping?!” Cosmic yelled, pointing the barrel of the carbine at the sprite-bot again. “You are the cause of all our recent troubles! If we hadn’t gone into that forest, we wouldn’t be in such despair now! You are the cause of Cream’s injury, so I had to drag a doctor right out of Tenpony Tower! Knuckles lost his fingers in a collision with a cocatrix! Dammit, Tails got one of his tails burned off when we came down your mountain, so he can’t fly on them anymore! We’re just pawns for you to move around the Wasteland at your command! You’re playing with ponies, pretending that you’re doing this for the good of Equestria, when it’s only to satisfy your own personal desires!”

Shadow’s words about the gray unicorn filly suddenly came to her mind.

“You sent Littlepip to clean up Ponyville just because your left heel told you to, didn’t you? Of course, it’s so heroic to send a weak, naive pony right out of the Stable to fight a bunch of enemies! You can cover yourself with your duty to protect the Elements as much as you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that you’re just a manipulator who’s forgotten how to value the lives of others!”

Spoken out, Cosmic breathed heavily and looked at the robot with hatred. Only the knowledge that she had to return the borrowed figurines kept her from firing.

The sprite-bot swayed silently in the air.

He’s thinking up excuses? thought the mare, but then a voice came from the loudspeaker again. Now it was soft and ingratiating.

“You are not right, Cosmic. At least not about everything. Yes, I can’t leave my home, and I can only rely on the ponies I’ve decided to trust. But what can I do? The Wasteland is a cruel place. I can’t be anyone’s guardian spirit; all I can do is give tips and advice. You can’t blame me for sending others to their deaths, for even without that, any of them could be killed at any moment.

“You may not believe it, but you’ve had a great influence on me, Cosmic. Since our meeting, I have decided to open up to the ponies again and lead them to save the Wasteland. These are not empty words – I really do want to change this world for the better! And inspired by your example, I have allowed Littlepip to travel to meet me in person. She’s now on her way from Tenpony. She too has been wondering if I’m playing with her…

“And I can answer her and you at the same time: in the least possible way. I sincerely wish you to survive. Because the Wasteland needs ponies like you. And if you’re endangered, it pains me to know it. I have watched so many of Equestria’s defenders die over hundreds of years that I cannot bear to lose more.”

The sprite-bot fell silent. Cosmic stared at it, speechless. She hadn’t realized what could be so important to the omnipresent Watcher.

She thought of Littlepip again. If Shadow was right and the events were unfolding as in the book, then the unicorn filly had gone to Spike as the story told…

So she, Cosmic, is the cause! She influenced someone else’s line – according to Shadow, even the main one at the time!

A protagonist then, eh? she grinned to herself. Well, that means I have to find my story’s point.

“I have to warn you,” Watcher said suddenly. “As compensation for the inconve... for my miscalculations. I’ve noticed lately that sometimes the sprite-bots seem to be controlled by someone else. Sometimes I couldn’t access a robot’s functions because it was being used at the same time. Or I would suddenly lose control of the bot: it was being hijacked from outside. And my knowledge of programming in pre-war languages developed by Sunburst and Button Mash is not enough to mount a defense. So, I’m asking you… be careful. Lyra may be looking for you. Don’t let her intimidate you.”

“She won’t,” Cosmic grinned. “Well, goodbye?”

“Hopefully, see you later,” came from the loudspeaker.

Then music played from the sprite-bot, and it flew away over the mined area around the house.

“Why do you want to go there?” Shadow asked, watching Cosmic while she was packing. “If you don’t plan to stay there anyway. Maybe better to be thought dead while you’re looking for Lyra?”

“No,” the earth pony replied sharply. She pulled the bolt of her carbine, clicked the safety off and slung the weapon across her back. “I’ve put this off long enough. The Republic needs to know that I survived. The only bad thing is that in the eyes of the townspeople, my troop’s death will be linked to me anyway. Because Metal Dawn is no longer here to answer to everypony.”

“That’s it! Think, Cosmic! What if they kill you…?”

“But why?” the mare snorted mockingly and adjusted her saddlebags. “The Republic has a small population, every pony counts. They might not let me out, but I can deal with that. I may spend the rest of my life inside the walls made of old carriages, but I have a purpose now, and I won’t let anyone get in my way. Anyone or anything. Even the mayor.”

“So what are we gonna do? I mean, we’ve decided to stay with you until–”

“Anything you want.” Cosmic waved her hoof. “You can go back to your world and fight Eggman, or whatever his name is… You have the Emeralds now, and you may not stay with me forever. Everyone around me lately can’t really boast of having a smooth life. Some of them will never say anything else. And will never do.”

“Cosmic,” Shadow said softly. “Remember, you’re talking to the Element of Loyalty, chosen by the Tree of Harmony. And I’m telling you, we’re not going anywhere, but we’ll be waiting for your return. And if anything, we’ll be ready to come to your rescue.” He grinned. “Sonic can get to you in a matter of minutes…”

“Then wait.” The blue earth pony slipped the magazines into the pockets of her armor and took a few steps towards the exit. Then she turned and looked at the black hedgehog. “A one-way trip takes two days. If I’m not back in five, rush to my aid. Although… I think it will be too late.”

“Cosmic, I… must tell you something. It’s very important. Something… about your town.”

The mare didn’t like the change in Shadow’s tone. It was as if the black hedgehog wanted to tell her some very unpleasant secret.

“And what, then?”

“It was mentioned in the book, too. Near the end. About eight weeks after Littlepip had left the Stable, so about a month from now…” Shadow sighed heavily and finished, “The Republic will be destroyed by raiders.”

“What?!” Cosmic’s eyes widened. “How?!”

“I don’t know the details. The author didn’t go into that much… They’ll slaughter the entire adult population and take the foals to Ponyville. Three young ponies will escape and follow them. And when the survivors are in a firefight with the raiders, that’s when Littlepip and her crew will find them.” The hedgehog lifted his eyes to Cosmic. “But where you are in this whole story, I dare not predict. So, I beg you… don’t stay there. Come back to us soon.”

…And now, with a sinking heart, Cosmic neared the village that stood in the middle of the stony desert.

From the outside, The Republic still looked sullen and unfriendly – but if before there had been something native and recognizable about its deliberately serious austerity, now the town seemed to bristle with the anticipation of battle.

Cosmic took out her binoculars and looked at the guards on the walls. They were the same ponies that had been filling in for her squad during their travels. More than that, they had looked to the blue earth pony and her troops as an example to follow. Right now, however, she couldn’t look them in the eye. Not only because she had condemned them to the front line of defense by not discovering Metal Dawn’s plan in time, but also because their former ideal had been defeated.

But there was no other choice. With a heavy sigh, Cosmic shoved the binoculars into her bag and walked towards the settlement, head down and hooves barely moving.

She was spotted, and clearly from afar. “Hey, that’s Cosmic…!” the mare heard somepony shout. But she felt that the guards’ mood was definitely not friendly. The town was obviously going through some really tough times.

It’s not my fault, the earth pony reminded herself. It’s Metal Dawn’s.

“Stop!” yelled one of the guards, a dark stallion with a grayish mane and a white nose. “We have orders not to let anyone in unless confirmed!”

What a paranoia? Are the raiders coming more often?

“You can see it’s me!” Cosmic replied, stomping her hoof on the ground. “So what’s the problem?”

“We thought you were dead!” blurted out the yellow mare standing on top. “The entire Republic cried at a recent meeting! Mayor Silver Star has already ordered that all your houses be turned over to the town!”

“What?! How could he…”

Cosmic bit her tongue.

It was actually a common practice. “We need more ponies,” the mayor always said. But new families needed a place to live, and housing had long been a particularly acute problem in the Wasteland. And certainly no one would leave an empty house unoccupied just because the owner had gone, uh… to the moon. That would just be irrational.

“You’ve been reported,” the white-nosed guy, who had obviously been running somewhere, returned to his place. “They’ll come for you soon. Wait here for now, we’ll open the gate later.”

A pit opened in the blue pony’s stomach.

The foreboding of something bad she had gotten as she approached The Republic grew stronger by the minute. It wasn’t so much what was going to happen to her, but rather the general feeling of distress that hung over the village.

Finally, the white-nosed pony looked down and waved his hoof, apparently giving permission to open the gate. There was a clang as the bolt slid out, and the heavy steel doors opened reluctantly.

Cosmic let out a loud sigh as she saw the ponies come to greet her. It was as if the mayor had made a deliberate effort to pressure her before he even faced her in person.

At the village entrance stood two young white unicorns: a stallion with a bright scarlet mane and a filly with a blue mohawk. Both had assault rifles floating in front of them, aimed at Cosmic. And while the stallion hid his eyes and pretended not to care, his companion stared at the blue pony, seemingly on the verge of pulling the trigger.

And besides, Cosmic knew the filly had her reasons.

After all, she knew both ponies currently standing in the gate.

Sky Bloom, the youngest son of the mayor. Life Bloom’s and Nightlight Twister’s brother.

And Skyshine. The younger sister of Snow Vision.

Both had relatives who served in Cosmic’s squad. And now lay in a mass grave in the Wasteland.

I have no guilt towards them. Although… okay, shit, I’m guilty on some level. But there’s nothing I can do about it. So that’s it, let it go already.

“Cosmic Valor,” the unicorn filly literally spat out her name. “Mayor Silver Star wants to see you right now.”

“I’m sorry, Skyshine,” Cosmic said quietly. “I’m so sorry.”

“Sorry?!”

Depressed by this visit, the earth pony didn’t react in time.

Next thing she knew, she was on the ground, and Skyshine was leaning over her, pointing her gun at Cosmic’s head.

“My brother is dead!” the unicorn wailed, spitting saliva in her face. “Along with everypony who was with you! And you’re the only one who miraculously survived! And now you’re just fucking sorry?!”

“Skyshine, don’t…!” the filly’s companion shouted, but all he got in return was an angry look.

“And you shut the fuck up! Did Snow mean nothing to you?”

“Skyshine, I’m hurt too! But we can’t give in to our feelings right now! Think of the town! What will happen if you open fire first?”

The filly was silent for a while, gritting her teeth. Cosmic even thought she might go crazy, but apparently the voice of reason still prevailed over Skyshine. She let go of Cosmic with a loud gasp and stepped back but didn’t move her machine gun away.

“Get up,” she said, looking down at the blue earth pony. “We were told to bring you as soon as possible. And unarmed,” she pointed at Argument.

Cosmic reluctantly pulled the belt of her carbine from around her neck and removed her submachine gun from its holster. Skyshine magically picked up her weapon, and the three of them finally made their way down the main street toward the mayor’s house.

Cosmic first noticed how empty the place was. Ponies looked out of the windows at their little procession but didn’t go outside. The wind blew dust and scraps of paper along the path. It’s like the whole place is dead, the earth pony shivered.

Closer to the center, two armed stallions stood on either side of the street, each guarding a poster on a house wall: on the left, “Vote for Murky Gray!”; on the right, “All Power to Silver Star!”

The ponies stared at each other tensely. And it looked like they were about to turn their guns on each other.

As Cosmic passed by, she noticed that the lower right corner of the left poster had been torn off (she must have mistaken it for a scrap), and the right poster had definitely been tried to cut across with a knife. And now both sides seemed to be making sure that neither of them broke the fragile truce.

“Guys… what have you done…?” muttered the mare.

Was everything she’d seen here due to this coming vote? Which, moreover, was still three or four months away? Why had everything been peaceful for the last twenty years, and now it was as if everything had gone out of control?

And what if that’s all… because of me…?

Cosmic was distracted from a new round of introspection by that they had finally arrived.

The mayor’s house looked like a real fortress against the background of wooden buildings. The first floor was made of concrete blocks and covered with steel sheets, the second floor consisted of two railroad cars placed side by side, and the third floor was built of wood. The entrance was closed by heavy metal-clad doors, and the windows had bars. Descended from the Appleloosa refugees who had fled to The Republic, Silver Star was clearly wary of the inhabitants of his town.

Skyshine magically opened the door and stepped back, allowing Sky Bloom and Cosmic to enter. As she did so, she couldn’t resist poking the earth pony in the flank with Argument’s muzzle. Cosmic gritted her teeth in humiliation but remained silent.

The house was bright: the lights were on even in the daytime, and behind one of the doors the generator rumbled. On the side, behind a screen, was a real electric stove – a remnant of pre-war Equestria. The ruling family obviously didn’t skimp on themselves either.

But Cosmic didn’t care what the town’s well-earned caps were used for. At least for the time being.

At a huge table in the middle of the spacious room sat Mayor Silver Star. And silently looked at Cosmic from under his frowning bushy eyebrows.

“I’d like to say that I’m glad to see you, but I’m afraid I can’t,” the mare said. “Maybe you tell me what the hay you’ve been up to while I’ve been away?!”

She waved her hoof at the door, behind which the town stood frozen in suspense.

“I wish I could say I’m glad you’re here too, Cosmic Valor,” the mayor said, getting up from his chair and walking toward the earth pony. She even took a step back – Silver Star looked so angry. “But I’m afraid I won’t be understood. You realize that you’ve come at a bad time.

“Do you want to hear what’s going on?” He jerked his chin toward the barred windows. “I’ll tell you. At first, they were just worried about you. But it’s a long way to Manehattan or any other city, so they thought you’d just be stuck somewhere.” He gritted his teeth in anger. “But that all changed when the news came from New Appleloosa.”

Oh, I see Railright did what he promised.

She realized that the sheriff had done it without a second thought, just to let them know she was alive. But apparently that had become the catalyst for The Republic.

“I was reminded of the fact that I dared to accuse you of thievery before you left,” Silver Star continued. “The town is basically split in two. Those who support Murky (and that’s about half the people these days) believe I ordered Metal Dawn to kill you, and the others stood up for you and died. And my allies” – he glanced at Skyshine and Sky Bloom – “believe you killed them all because they’d found evidence of your guilt.” He tilted his head aside. “And what do you think I should do now that you’ve shown up, huh?”

Cosmic stood silently, biting her lip as she thought about how to answer.

Just like that, I will definitely not get out. So, I’ll have to go all-in.

“We are on the brink,” the mayor continued. “Every day, the ponies of The Republic wake up with the thought that any random shot could start a massacre. And this is your fault. Because I have nopony else to blame.”

“I don’t know about you,” Cosmic muttered slowly, “but at least I found the strength to come back. Kept, for that matter, my loyalty to this place.”

“Take your loyalty and shove it up your ass!” Silver Star slammed his hoof down on the table. “All those fine words don’t mean a damn thing when they collide with reality. What should I do now? And what’s going to happen in the fall? If things aren’t settled before the election, no matter the outcome, the town will drown in blood!” He stood up and began to walk around the room. “For the first time in the hundred years of The Republic, we are about to kill each other.”

“We have to survive until the election,” Cosmic said, and he immediately turned sharply towards her. Aha, he’s triggered, so. “Raiders have been plaguing the Wasteland especially hard lately. And I know that sooner or later they’ll turn their attention to The Republic.”

“Oh, really?” Silver Star snorted with malicious sarcasm. “Why don’t they dare to attack now, then? And besides, do you think you can shift my focus with that?”

“Listen to me!” the mare stomped impatiently. “I suggest you stop bickering about me and unite the town against the real threat! Then you’ll be re-elected, and the ponies will stop glaring at each other like wolves!”

“You think I don’t get it?! You think it’s that simple? Don’t we have other problems?” The mayor stopped and stared at Cosmic. “Do you know that the caravan we sent in your absence was attacked on the way and had to return? Grace is lying all covered in bandages, and there are not enough caps in the budget to buy food for the next month! And our supplies are only enough for a week!”

“Grace?!” The blue earth pony was horrified. “What happened to her?”

“Two bullets in the flank and one in the chest,” Skyshine hissed. “Two of our guys were killed covering her!”

“Shine,” the mayor cut her off, “please don’t interfere.”

The unicorn filly snorted angrily but remained silent. And Silver Star turned back to Cosmic.

“So, how do you want me to deal with that, eh? In this tense situation?”

“If it’s just a matter of caps,” the earth pony replied, “then here you are.”

With her teeth, she pulled a heavily jingling sack from her bag and threw it at the mayor’s hooves.

“It’s several thousand here, I didn’t count. But I’m sure it’ll be enough for the time being.”

“Where did you get them?” he asked, levitating the sack to the second floor. “Was the contract that lucrative?”

“No. It was Metal Dawn’s fee for killing my squad.” Silver Star even coughed nervously at Cosmic’s calm words. “After the bastard was shot in New Appleloosa, I got his money. That’s all. Just the law of the Wasteland.”

“And speaking of the Wasteland,” the old stallion interrupted. “Remind me again: what’s the most valuable resource of a growing village?”

“Ponies,” Cosmic replied, remembering an old truism, but immediately frowned. “What are you getting at, Mr. Mayor?”

He glared at his younger relatives.

“Get out.”

“But Uncle…!” Skyshine protested.

“I said get out!” Silver Star roared.

The unicorn filly made a hurt face but headed for the door, not forgetting Cosmic’s weapon with her. Sky Bloom looked sadly at his father and obediently followed Skyshine.

As the thick doors closed behind them, Silver Star continued, “Here’s the thing, Cosmic. You don’t have your own team anymore, and it’s unlikely another team will take you on voluntarily. And even if they do, you’ll probably no longer be a commander. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking. The town has lost several important ponies in recent weeks. Who knows how many more will die. And the new generation is not so eager to make up for those losses. So…” he paused, “I have to make a decision that may not be pleasant for one pony but will benefit the future of others.”

Hay, no! Cosmic twitched as if from a blow.

The mayor’s voice grew hard as steel.

“You must stay in The Republic.”

I knew it…! So, there’s only one thing left to do: go ahead.

“Why should I obey you?” The mare raised her chin. “If I’m such a nuisance to you, just shoot me and be done with that!”

“If you die now, you won’t do any good!” Silver Star bellowed back. “This way you’ll be of some use, you fool!”

Suddenly he jumped up and hit her in the face with his hoof.

Or rather, he wanted to. Cosmic reflexively ducked under his leg and habitually grabbed it to throw him over herself…

But he seemed not to care about her intentions.

Silver Star leaned all his weight on the earth pony, pinning her to the floor. Cosmic was disgusted to feel something hard against her stomach.

“For all the deaths The Republic has suffered,” he whispered in her ear, “you will repay us with foals. As many as we can squeeze out of you.”

His taut end moved a little lower. Cosmic held her breath.

“And it doesn’t matter from whom exactly.”

The mare’s mind suddenly flashed back to how Metal Dawn had tried to get the same thing from her at gunpoint.

No!

Cosmic roared with effort. She lifted the stallion slightly above her and then kicked him below the waist with all her might.

Silver Star gave a yelp and rolled onto his side, cursing at her.

“Maybe… they wanna throw you down for a good reason,” Cosmic said, breathing loudly, and before the mayor had time to recover, she rushed to the exit.

She swung the massive door open with her shoulder, leaped past the young unicorns who were dazed with surprise, then snatched her assault carbine from Skyshine’s magical grip with her teeth and raced for the gate.

Fuck this. Shadow was right. Nothing good is coming my way here. I’ll try to do something with raiders, but it’s not exac–

A heavy blow to the back of her head knocked all thoughts out of her mind and caused the world before her eyes to blacken and fold into a point.

Fuck. I forgot I was dealing with unicorns.

Note: Level up.

Player: Cosmic Valor. New perk: Mighty Kick – damage from your bare-hoof kicks is increased by 50%. Now you can break sturdy and reinforced doors with your hind legs and stun enemies for a short period of time. Or knock away their most valuable possessions.

Player: Sonic. New quest perk: Lore Knowledge – you have been spoilered with events of the near future, causing you to maneuver within it. But you shouldn’t even try to change anything.

Items given: Twilight Sparkle statuette (1 piece), Applejack statuette (1 piece), Pinkie Pie statuette (1 piece), Rainbow Dash statuette (1 piece), Rarity statuette (1 piece), Fluttershy statuette (1 piece).

The quest stage “Return the statuettes to Spike” has been completed. Added a new stage “Save The Republic”.

Chapter 16. The Price of Loyalty

The town of Broccoli was protected by a group of local guards and a couple of squads from the Hired Hooves; not a real army, since nopony was supposed to threaten the town.

FoE: Pink Eyes, chapter 15

Cosmic didn’t move when the heavy basement door opened. Sky Bloom placed some two-hundred-year-old army rations and a couple of water bottles on the floor. It made sense: in a way, prisoners weren’t supposed to eat fresh fruit (considering how much it cost on the Wasteland). It was still a shame, though. Especially since those tasteless briquettes had probably been bought with the caps she’d brought to town.

Her body was ready to straighten up like a spring, to fling the blue earth pony at Sky Bloom, to wrap her hooves around his throat and hold him in front of her as a shield. And as a hostage to get out. But Cosmic knew that Skyshine, standing on the other side of the door, wouldn’t miss. The blue-haired unicorn had good shooting teachers.

Cosmic didn’t move even when Sky Bloom gave her a furtive look, sighed heavily and went outside. A key turned in the padlock. And then two sets of hooves clattered up the stairs.

Only then the mare exhaled and silently slid down the wall she had been sitting against. And raised her head to look at the slumbering or equally lethargic aliens.

She could see how the captivity affected them. Even the always cheerful Sonic and the lively Amy had wilted over the days and stopped reacting to anything. Cream spent most of her time in oblivion, sometimes crying quietly in her sleep; Cheese seemed frozen in the corner next to her like a strange, tear-shaped statue.

Knuckles and Shadow, on the other hoof, seemed to be thinking hard all the time, either coming to their own conclusions or planning their escape. Occasionally, one of them got up and started walking around the room. Cosmic measured time by their steps: she was also stripped of her PipBuck and her weapons.

She couldn’t remember waking up here herself, but she could clearly imagine the day when her friends had suffered the same fate.

The basement of the mayor’s house was the perfect place for a town jail. The entrance was guarded by a hoof-thick door welded of overlapping steel sheets, and the plank walls and floor kept the inside from freezing. The place even had its own latrine, a sewer pipe that ran deep underground.

There was no light, but sometimes the glow from the lamps on the first floor seeped through the door window, so the prisoners didn’t suffer complete sensory deprivation. Although Shadow was probably the only one for miles around who knew such words at that moment.

It was the seventh day since Cosmic had come to her senses in the semi-dark basement. At first there was a bad headache after that blow, then it seemed to get better. Cosmic had nothing with her – no armor (thoughtfully removed while the earth pony was out), no weapons for cleaning to keep herself occupied. There was nothing to write on the walls except her own shit, even though it was pointless, and the mare never liked to talk to herself. So she was bored and cursed herself for the decision to go back to the village.

But at least they weren’t trying to fuck her anymore. It felt like Silver Star had just decided to keep her here until the election. What would happen then, Cosmic didn't want to think about. There was a great danger that The Republic’s ponies would be at each other’s throats regardless of the outcome of the vote.

However, if Silver Star wins again, she will probably be killed. And Cosmic guessed who will do it. Skyshine. With the mayor’s permission, the unicorn would be able to avenge her lost brother and the town on the brink of doom. And she would certainly be happy to take that chance.

So it was better for Cosmic that Murky Gray win, even if it seemed unlikely. The gray stallion has gained a lot of supporters in the meantime – and if he wins, he will probably spare Cosmic. But even then, a quiet life will no longer be possible.

And if the votes are evenly split…

Cosmic shook her head, banishing undesirable thoughts.

Actually, it wasn’t that lonely here. Sometimes Sky Bloom visited her – probably when his cousin couldn’t see it – and they managed to talk a little. From him, Cosmic learned what was going on in the town.

One afternoon she heard an explosion. As Sky Bloom later told her, it was one of the mayor’s supporters who blew himself up while demining the vacant pegasi’s house. The building didn’t survive, of course. Neither did the pony, whose death further inflamed the already turbulent situation.

The Republic was on edge.

Suddenly, Cosmic’s ears heard some kind of movement. An icy claw of panic stroked her heart. Has it really started…? the mare thought, jumping to her hooves and looking at the door, behind which there were sounds of blows and screams.

The noise came closer – and she was shocked when she recognized the voices!

Shadow seemed to have followed her into town to save her.

And screwed up.

The door swung open and those Cosmic shared food and adventure with were herded into the dark basement. Knuckles wanted to kick someone, but the butt of a rifle hit him in the head and knocked him to the ground. Shadow was pushed in next; Tails and the girls went in themselves. Last of all, Skyshine levitated Sonic inside. The blue hedgehog was unconscious, the red plumage of a dart protruding from the short fur on his leg.

“Bastards!” Knuckles yelled at the closing door as he scrambled to his feet.

The lock clicked, and the echidna slammed his fingerless hands against the solid steel. The blows echoed with a metallic thud.

“Come on, stop it,” Shadow told him, sitting on the floor in the corner near the exit. “We’ve lost. Just take it.”

“Daaaamn…”

Knuckles gave the door one last kick, then walked back to the far wall and leaned against it, resting his head on his forearm.

Cream and Amy were tending to Sonic. He looked the worst of all: battered and bloody – but still alive. Alive after all. He hadn’t even been shot with a bullet, just a tranq dart.

It seemed that the town’s arsenal had become more diverse recently than Cosmic had thought.

The blue earth pony sat on her haunches and hit the ground with her hooves.

“For Celestia’s sake, why?! Didn’t you have enough sense to stay out of this shithole?”

“Well, sorry, I couldn’t just leave you here," Shadow snapped at her. “Am I the Element of Loyalty or what?”

“And what’s the price of your loyalty…? Yeah, as well as mine.” Cosmic waved her hoof around the basement. “I also thought that everything was okay here…”

“Never mind. We’re already in a deep hole. Now we must think how to get out.”

“How did you guys get here anyway?” asked the mare.

“We were spotted as we approached,” Tails answered. “Shadow tried to dig a tunnel, but he hit a rock, so we had to go on our own. But we didn’t have any invisibility cloaks or StealthBucks. The guards found us. We asked them to let you go, but they turned us down. Sonic and Knuckles disagreed… Eventually the guys simply got fed up and opened the gate and grabbed us. Sonic was neutralized with a dart so he wouldn’t run away… and that caused us to surrender. Knuckles and Shadow could move almost as fast – but what was the point if the girls or I got killed? We tried to fight back…” He shook his head. “You saw what happened. We just got ourselves trapped.”

“And now we have no chance to get out of here,” Cosmic finished sadly for him. “At least until the raiders really come. And then, hopefully, we’ll be released at least to help the inhabitants survive the attack.”

“Even with the reception you got, you’re still gonna fight for them?” the black hedgehog asked her.

“Being an asshole is no crime, Shadow. And certainly, no excuse to be doomed to die just because somepony destined you to. So separate the terms. My loyalty is not to Silver Star or Murky Gray – it is to The Republic.”

“You realize you can’t change the basic plot, right?”

“The future is not set in stone, Shadow. There’s no fate but what we make for ourselves. I can at least try.”

…More than three weeks had passed since then. Cosmic hadn’t lost track of time, thanks to the aliens who kept her from shutting down and ignoring everything. If she’d stayed alone like that, it would have been a sure way to go mad.

Surprisingly, the books hadn’t been taken away from them, so they had gone through all the volumes of FoE together, making a complete timeline. There were no exact dates in the novel, and the day (or rather, night) of the attack on The Republic could only be roughly determined. But time passed inexorably, and each day Cosmic felt more and more like she was on pins and needles. Apathy and boredom from the longread did their work, killing hope for the future and the will to fight.

Cosmic no longer cared about Littlepip and her crazy odyssey to bring sunshine and rainbows back to Equestria. She no longer cared about Life Bloom’s orientation. And she cared even less about her own fate which she had ultimately ruined by coming to her hometown.

…It was another day of waiting to happen. Late evening actually: the rations Sky Bloom had brought with him turned out to be dinner. The company was fed twice a day, and always at different times, so it was hard to tell what time it was.

But now time seemed to have stopped. The minutes turned into a sticky syrup that washed over Cosmic’s clouded mind. The taste of pre-war food lingered in her mouth; her legs were stiff from sitting in the same pose. Thoughts rattled lazily in her head; freed from the shell of words, they formed into an abstract regret.

Then a sound came from above.

It wasn’t a single mine blast followed by the clatter of collapsing planks as it had been nearly a month before. It was a far more powerful explosion, sending vibrations through the walls. And then there was the sound of ripping metal.

As if not the house was blown up, but the outer town wall.

Cosmic lifted her head – and noticed that the others were waking up or coming to their senses. A string tightened in her heart, ready to burst.

And as the mare looked at each of the aliens, she realized that what they had waited for and feared had come. But… what was it?

Slumber faded, leaving determination and eagerness in its place.

Another explosion shook the room, making the floorboards creak. After the dust settled, there was a jagged crackle of gunfire.

Cosmic sprang up and dashed for the door. Hooves pounded on the dull iron panel.

“Open up! What’s going on in there? Hey! Open…!”

She turned and kicked at the door with her hind legs. It made a metallic clang, but of course it stayed closed.

“Damn you all! Are we just gonna stay here like this?”

“Did you expect something else?” Shadow asked unhappily. “Just feel like Edmond Dantes, mare…”

Suddenly, somepony stomped on the stairs and the key went into the lock.

Cosmic immediately turned to face the door and took a step back, ready to leap aside. However, anyone could come in now.

The steel door was pushed inward, and Sky Bloom entered, all their weapons floating in front of him. Cosmic easily recognized her Argument, submachine guns, Metal Dawn’s revolvers, and Shadow’s swords. On the unicorn’s back was his own assault rifle.

“Sky Bloom! What the hay’s going on up there?!” the mare asked.

“Dunno!” he replied sharply. “The town is under fire! Seems like grenades and rocket launchers…”

“What?!”

“That! Whoever they are, they’ve already blown up one railcar and are about to destroy the gate! If we don’t hurry, we’ll all be dead!”

Sky Bloom gave everyone their weapons with telekinesis. Cosmic lovingly stroked her carbine with her hoof and hung the belt around her neck. Nige went to Sonic as before, Tails took the revolvers, and Cream hesitantly twirled Dan in her hands. Amy pulled the red, intimidating sledgehammer out of nowhere, and Shadow quickly secured the ODM to his belt and checked the blades.

“Here. I’ll help.”

Cosmic’s armor appeared in front of her. Quickly, with well-honed movements, not a single one of them unnecessary, the mare slipped into the straps. Sky Bloom magically helped tighten the buckles.

“Let’s go.”

The unicorn magically lifted his assault rifle and waved for everyone to follow him up the stairs. Cosmic and the aliens followed.

The house seemed empty. A light on the first floor was flickering, as if the generator was running erratically.

Running out into the street, Cosmic stopped and opened her eyes in disbelief, staring open-mouthed at what was going on around her.

Several houses were burning; the flames from the fires dispersed the darkness. Bodies lay on the ground here and there. The earth pony’s heart clenched as she recognized one of them as the white-nosed sentry.

Fallen, the name came to her mind. His name was… Fallen Leaf…

And indeed, lying on his belly with his legs tucked under him, the young stallion really did look like a fallen autumn leaf from a distance, black with dirt.

Cosmic looked around The Republic and couldn’t believe her eyes.

Ponies hid around the corners. Peered out of the windows of the surviving buildings. Climbed to the rooftops.

And it was as clear as day.

They were ready to shoot not only at the invisible enemy attacking them.

But at each other as well.

The low spit of shotguns and machine-gun bursts could be heard from the side streets to prove it. Another explosion came from the right and a new column of flame and debris rose above the houses.

Cosmic froze for another reason. So did everyone else.

Skyshine was standing in front of them, her rifle drawn. The unicorn’s mane was disheveled, and her eyes burned with hatred. The barrel of the weapon pointed straight ahead, somewhere between Sky Bloom and Cosmic.

“Freeze,” Skyshine hissed. An angry look flickered between the two ponies in front of her. “I didn’t expect this from you, brother. I thought I could trust you.”

“Don’t be silly, Skyshine!” Sky Bloom called out. “We’re here for help! Where’s Dad?”

“Mayor Silver Star is with the others, defending the wall. I should be there too, but I thought I’d follow you in case you did something… unexpected.” Her lips curled into a smirk. “And I wasn’t wrong.”

“Now is not the time, Skyshine! The town needs every defender it has! Cosmic has more experience than both of us, she can help…!”

“I don’t care. You are a traitor, brother.” The muzzle of her rifle was pointed at Sky Bloom. “And you must die with them.”

The white glow of magic touched the trigger. Disbelief and belated terror froze on Sky Bloom’s face.

Cosmic tensed her hind legs to leap forward…

But before she could blink, a familiar bluish glimmer flashed past.

Skyshine’s weapon flew aside, slipping out of her telekinetic grip. And the unicorn herself was sprawled on the ground, belly up.

Sonic stood over her, his needles glistening in the firelight. Now he did look like a real “blue justice”.

“Enough fighting,” said the hedgehog, looking down at the recovering Skyshine. “You’re not helping anyone with that.”

“Let’s get out of here,” Cosmic said. “We have to find out what’s happe–”

Her voice was drowned out by the roar of a nearby explosion.

A cloud of flame rose over the western part of the town, and a column of gray-black smoke erupted into the sky. There was a distinct smell of burning in the air.

“Our fuel storage!” Sky Bloom shouted and coughed. “They destroyed it…!”

“Oh, fuck,” muttered Cosmic and turned to the others, also coughing. “Why are you frozen? Get out of here!”

Along the main street they ran to the eastern gate.

Three ponies galloped toward the explosion site. Cosmic and her motley companions paid no attention to them.

Another sign of how bad things really were.

A large number of townsfolk were gathered at the gate; everyone had some sort of weapon. Some had brought crates of ammunition from the armory, and they were lying on the ground here and there like full-fledged members of the gathering. A few ponies had climbed on top of the crates, peering down at what was beyond the wall. The rest just stood still, all guns pointed at the gate.

Two more explosions rang out at the other end of the village.

“Hey, it’s Cosmic…!” a whisper went through the crowd.

Many began to turn around, and the blue earth pony felt uncomfortable.

Mostly because all these “defenders” of The Republic were now doing nothing but staring at the closed gate.

They might as well shoot at me instead of the enemy…

Cosmic gritted her teeth. Inside her, anger began to grow.

“Why are you standing still?!” she shouted. “Do I have to teach you all how to fight?! Quickly launch the flares! At the same time, each of you take a grenade between your teeth! On my command, if you see anything, throw it over the wall to cover as much area as possible!”

“Why should we obey you?” Some stallion pointed a rifle at Cosmic. “You shouldn’t even be here!”

“But I am here,” the mare replied coldly. “And now let me help you defend the town! After all, that’s what you need, right?”

“Let me hit him.” Knuckles twisted his stone hand expressively, looking at the stallion with disgust.

“We must not fight each other!” Cosmic continued. “But with those who threaten to kill us! So let’s put aside our differences and stand together, a united front!” She stretched a hoof forward. “Well, do you agree?”

Ponies began to look at each other. Time was passing, filled only with crackling fire and the dancing orange glow. And every second could be the last to anyone.

But more and more of the crowd turned back to Cosmic. And there was a grim yet proud determination in their eyes.

“Fuck you,” the stallion spat out and looked at the gate. “Come on, do what she says!”

“Look, there’s a flash–” one of the watchers shouted.

And in the next moment, a wall of fire and the shockwave of the explosion threw Cosmic away from the gate and onto the ground.

Her consciousness faded briefly. When her senses returned, all she could feel was pain. Her skin ached with burns, and her croup throbbed from the impact with the ground.

Groaning, Cosmic moved. Her body refused to obey, like it was made of wood.

Where… came a lethargic thought. That’s… I’m…

Turning her head slightly, she looked over to where her friends had been.

They’d also been knocked down by the explosion, but they’d gotten away easier than Cosmic. And now they were hiding behind crates scattered everywhere, with Sky Bloom driving them on.

Cosmic looked at the gate and caught her breath.

The heavy steel plates were torn to shreds, hanging from their hinges with a fringe of twisted metal scraps. It seemed that one of the ammunition boxes had exploded nearby as well: the fence off to the side was no longer there either.

And then Cosmic saw them.

Out of the night gloom, ominously lit by the fire, the raiders were making their way toward the town.

A mob of ragged, ghastly-looking armed ponies ran through the blown gates, shouting and hooting. They scattered, firing indiscriminately at everything.

Cosmic covered her eyes and held her breath. If she pretended to be dead, she might fool the raiders, who were obviously stoned out of their minds.

A bullet grazed her armor. The shot had missed, so the plan must have worked.

The screams and laughter faded as the raiders moved deeper into the settlement. In return, the cries of pain and despair of The Republic’s residents joined the hellish cacophony.

Now. It’s time.

Cosmic abruptly jumped to her hooves. Black flies danced in front of her eyes, but the mare ignored them. She grabbed her carbine and blew the head off the nearest attacker with a short but precise shot.

The blue pony felt a rage boiling inside her that gave her strength. As soon as she spotted one of the raiders, she fired and killed him mercilessly. The raiders’ armor was poor, so a few bullets were enough to pierce it.

But there were too many of them.

Everything got jumbled in Cosmic’s head, remembered only in blurry fragments.

A blue electric flare flashes off to the side – that’s Sonic dodging one of the attackers’ blows.

BANG! BANG! That’s Tails lurking behind a crate, sending his opponent to Tartarus.

A mare’s body flies aside as Knuckles uses his stone fists.

“How do you like that, Elon Musk?!” Shadow slashes through the neck of one of the raiders as he hovers on ropes above the burning village.

“K-keep aw-way…!” Cream babbles, standing with the submachine gun in front of the approaching enemy, then squeezes her eyes and pulls the trigger.

CHAWK! Amy crushes someone's face with her sledgehammer.

Ponies are shooting. Ponies are running. Ponies are falling… and dying.

But at least the people of The Republic weren’t shooting each other now. They had a common goal again – to survive by fending off an attack of unprecedented power.

Running past the bar, Cosmic even spotted two former adversaries, Silver Star and Murky Gray, firing back-to-back at their enemies. Both were wounded, but they continued to fight.

Foals, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind. Shadow said the raiders wanted to take the foals away to torture and then sell them… Bastards! If I see them, I won’t let them get away!

Cosmic kept running, glancing around. Both to be the first to notice if she was about to be attacked, and to prevent the thirty-eighth chapter of Kkat’s book from happening. To make a difference, to prevent at least one death… if she could.

The wall of carriages and steel sheets that the ponies of The Republic were so proud of (though secretly jealous of New Appleloosa, which had a much stronger perimeter) had ceased to exist. Some of it had been blown up by grenades and rockets, some broken by the hooves of raiders as they stormed the town. The rest had collapsed by itself.

And now the Wasteland around the burning village could be seen from almost anywhere.

But where did the raiders get those weapons…?

As Cosmic turned her head, killing another enemy in the process, she finally saw what she was looking for. And all thoughts of how such an attack could have been staged instantly vanished from her mind.

Three ponies in burnt and bloodied armor were dragging more than a dozen foals into the Wasteland. Some of the little ones struggled, being pushed along with kicks and curses. The rest looked unconscious as the raiders carried them on their backs.

The solution followed at the same moment.

With an angry growl, Cosmic sprinted towards them. Her strong legs pushed off the ground, carrying her young, wiry body forward. The blue earth pony had exactly three targets in front of her eyes, and she paid no attention to what was happening around her. It just didn’t fit into her universe.

A sideways blow to her chest knocked her to the ground. The mare plowed through the sand with her muzzle and only slowed down when her head hit the wall of the house.

Cosmic had time to hear a shot before her mind dissolved in the blackness.

…Just a moment of nothingness - and now someone was already shaking her by the shoulders.

“Cosmic…! Cosmic…!”

She opened her eyes.

Painful burns and the ache of her tired body didn’t let her concentrate. The right side of her chest felt like it had been hit with a hammer. Before her eyes everything was floating, and the words came as if from behind a membrane.

Cosmic blinked. The blurry silhouette above her took shape, revealing itself as Sonic, now looking down at her with concern.

“When you ran, you were shot, but your armor stopped the bullet…” the hedgehog explained confusedly. “The one who shot you was taken out by Tails, but you were lying there, and we–”

Memories exploded in her mind like a sharp flash, and Cosmic opened her eyes abruptly.

Our town! Raiders! I must…

She tried to stand up. Her head was spinning, and a nasty lump of nausea rose to her throat. Cosmic swallowed, pushed away the hedgehog who tried to help her, and squeezed her eyes shut for a second, regaining her balance.

Looking forward again, she saw three distant figures in the approaching dawn, running away into the Wasteland.

I must stop them…

She leaned forward and grabbed her Argument with her teeth. Pointing it in the direction of the retreating ponies, she took a step…

…but immediately fell again, crushed to the ground by someone else’s body.

“Don’t you dare!” Sky Bloom’s voice hissed in her ear. “Those are our guys! They survived and went in pursuit of those–”

“In pursuit…?” Cosmic muttered through the carbine in her mouth and let go of her weapon, causing Sky Bloom to dismount.

Then she realized what he meant – and turned in horror to see her hometown.

And screamed.

Almost nothing was left of the village. The outer wall had been gone at the height of the battle, and the houses were now nothing more than smoldering ruins. The only exception was the mayor’s house: the third, wooden floor had burned down, but the lower ones (the carriages and the concrete blocks) were only covered in soot. Amid the devastation, ponies lay shot or burnt. Some of them looked as if they had been eaten.

The Republic was destroyed completely.

As Cosmic continued to scream, she fell onto her croup and wrapped her forelegs around her head. Tears streamed from her eyes.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! NOOOOOOO…! WHY?! Why…?”

Sky Bloom stood nearby, not looking up. And around her, one by one, the aliens began to gather.

“I’m sorry, Cosmic,” Shadow whispered. “That was inevitable.”

“WHY?!” she wailed, turning around. “Why is it that whenever I try to do better, everything goes wrong?! Why can’t those damn writers come up with a good story about us?! Why?!”

“I don’t know!” replied the hedgehog sharply. “Why are you asking us?! Do you think we’ve been watching all that stuff being created on Fimfiction and Equestria Daily and then being spread around the world from there?! We didn’t create this reality, and we aren’t empowered to change it! But we can see the crumbs of good that have been put into it! In a few hours, Littlepip will spot those raiders and The Republic’s ponies! Her team will eliminate the raiders, free almost all the foals from Fluttershy’s Cottage on the outskirts of Ponyville, and then send them to New Appleloosa! Almost everypony died here – but they… but they’ll survive! We will survive, Cosmic, just as we have now! Think about it! Just think…! And you’ll see,” he exhaled tiredly, “that life doesn’t end here.”

“G-guys…” Sky Bloom muttered. “W-what are you two talking about…?”

“Just don’t ask questions,” Cosmic waved her hoof. “You won’t understand anyway.”

She rose and staggered off in a random direction.

“I need to be alone.” Her voice sounded muffled, as if through a layer of absorbent cotton. “Don’t follow me please.”

Her hooves kicked up the dust that had mixed with the ashes overnight. Cosmic didn’t look back; she knew no one would follow her.

A while later she lifted her head to see what part of the destroyed settlement she’d come to. And a chill ran down her skin, overriding the burning.

Surrounded by dead bodies in the small square in front of the charred hulk of a bar were two living ponies. Silver Star and Murky Gray.

The mayor was lying on the ground, carefully covered with a blanket that was heavily stained with blood around his chest. Dried red trickles were also coming from the unicorn’s mouth. There was no doubt that the long-time leader of The Republic was on the verge of death.

Murky, on the other hoof, looked almost unharmed except for a bandaged leg and bruised body, but much more depressed. The barpony sat with his head bowed on the doorstep of his home, a shotgun in his hooves, its stock smashed to dust.

“D-did… anypony else… s-survive?” Cosmic asked softly, approaching them.

Murky Gray turned his head.

“No,” he replied in a colorless voice. “Only Sky Bloom and those three… We tried to do something, but…” The stallion circled the image of the massacre with his leg. “As you can see, it didn’t work. All those ponies chose to protect us instead of saving themselves. And we had no choice but to accept their sacrifice.”

“And…” The name took more than a second to come to mind. “Skyshine?”

The barpony pointed somewhere off to the side.

Cosmic looked there and saw the white unicorn lying among the other bodies.

Her acid-blue mane was half-burned, and a few strands of hair had been torn out. Her horn was broken; its white tip, with its spiral groove on the side, lay in the dust like some beast’s fang. But the filly’s face was forever covered with a contented, soft smile.

Rest in peace, Skyshine, Cosmic thought. You fought honorably… and you deserve a rest. Unlike me.

“C-kh… Cosmic? Is that you?” came the weak voice of the mayor.

“Lie down! You cannot talk!” said Murky. “I didn’t put that much healing potion in you just to have you die!”

“Look around, Murky…” Silver Star pulled up the corner of his mouth in a bitter grin. “Everything we… created… and maintained for so many years… is now destroyed. Nothing… no one’s life… makes sense anymore. Neither mine… nor yours. Mine especially.”

“And mine too?” Cosmic asked quietly.

“I don’t know,” he sighed and coughed. Bloody droplets flew from his mouth in all directions. A little recovered, he turned his head back to the blue pony. “Cosmic… sorry…”

He started to cough again.

The mare covered her eyes. On her tongue, the salty taste of tears mixed with the sharp taste of ashes.

“I forgive you,” she whispered. “You did what you thought was right.”

“One more thing… Murky,” the mayor called in a fading voice.

His horn glowed faintly in the twilight.

Murky Gray looked up at him.

“Die, you bastard!” Silver Star growled in sudden fury.

The barpony’s eyes widened. But it was too late.

The pistol the mayor had levitated with his last ounce of strength shot Murky in the back of the head. The gray stallion collapsed to the ground. His head was now nothing more than a bloody mess.

Cosmic froze, staring in shock at another corpse at this death party.

Silver Star grinned – no longer desperately, but victoriously.

“Goodbye… Cosmic Valor…” he exhaled and closed his eyes.

The only one left alive in the square was the blue earth pony.

Feelings were gone. It was as if some relays in her brain had burned out. Without any emotion, Cosmic wandered off at random – and soon ran into the smoky wall of the bar.

Her legs gave out. The mare sat on her croup with her back against the wall.

She wanted nothing more. Neither to live, nor to die… nor to remember.

A few things were scattered nearby. When Cosmic angled her eyes, she saw her record player, which had unknowingly appeared here, and a wireless earphone lying next to it. The other one was a little further away and had apparently been crushed by someone’s hoof.

Obeying some hidden desire, Cosmic picked up the surviving earphone and stuck it in her ear. Her hoof pressed the play button.

If there was an escape from reality, at least it was to a world worth it.

The intro of an electric guitar started to play. Cosmic recognized the song but couldn’t remember its name. The record player didn’t offer her that title very often.

Meanwhile, the stallion’s voice sang in her ear.

The candy wrappers scattered by the night,
And stars will laugh on heaven.
Shoot, my black pistol, many, many times
As cold and serious weapon.
Celestia, I don’t want to exchange
My love just for the kisses.
If you’ve a meeting not with me arranged,
You may go – I’ve no wishes…

We watched turning on the lights,
Kissed each other the whole nights.
But don’t tell me little white lies, basta!
I want nothing, I don’t wait.
Break the plates, I pay today.
And I’m leaving like a lonely gangsta…

I know all your secrets, light and dark,
Your passwords and card number.
But I need neither money nor the hearts:
I’m gangsta with no gamble…[1]

Gangsta… The word sounded pre-war. Like “raider”, but more attractive.

Could there be anything good about raiders – besides the reason that made them do horrible and disgusting things? It seemed not, but… What if the bad thing that makes the raiders what they are were taken away? Wouldn’t that make Silver Star… or Skyshine… Littlepip or Blackjack, whoever they are… or maybe Cosmic Valor herself?

What was pre-war Equestria like? Probably a lot better and kinder than the Wasteland, if there was room for love, even if it was tainted by jealousy, as in the song. And one didn’t have to worry every day about the lives of friends, which were much harder to find here.

For the first time, Cosmic thought that she really wished she could have lived in that peaceful era. Even if the ponies had been as stupid then as they were now for allowing the war to happen.

It doesn’t have to be like this. Bringing the apocalypse to our world was a mistake. A terrible, huge, unimaginable mistake! And an unfixable one… Or not?

Cosmic lifted her head and looked out at the burnt ruins of her hometown. Then the blue pony’s eyes filled with pain again, and she slumped back down.

If by some miracle Littlepip can change the Wasteland, I’ll help her. I don’t know how, but I’ll try. I’ll do better. Smarter. And no one – no one! – will ever die around me again.

The chorus (“…we watched turning on the lights…”) was repeated a few more times, and the song ended. As the last chord sounded, the mare turned off the player.

“Cosmic…” Sky Bloom’s soft voice came from beside her, and she turned her head.

The unicorn was standing nearby, something floating in front of her.

The PipBuck! Cosmic realized, taking a closer look.

“I found it at Dad’s house. He must have given away the rest of your things, but he decided to stash this one…”

“Thank you,” the blue earth pony murmured, taking Spark Glider’s PipBuck with her teeth and pulling it onto her leg. Sky Bloom, who had left for a minute to get tools, returned with a tech kit, and helped tighten the fasteners.

Turning on the device, Cosmic was surprised to see a yellow incoming message icon flashing in the corner of the screen. What the…? she thought, using the buttons to point at the stylized envelope.

The PipBuck blinked, highlighting the text of the message, along with the address of the sending terminal and the date. The sequence of four numbers meant nothing to Cosmic, but the date made her frown in confusion. Twenty-five days ago? When I was already captured…

She pushed away the unpleasant memories and read the text.

Hi Cosmic,

I’ve been poking around the library and after a few days I came across something that might interest you. Remember the entry where Gizmo specified where to send the blueprints for the projects? Well, I found a wartime database with coordinates of all Stables and research centers. I even had to use the ID card you left behind to access it. I was going to give it back to you, but I figured you’d come back for it if you needed it.

You’ll find all the data in the attached file.

Good luck with your search.

Life Bloom

There was an attached document icon at the bottom.

Cosmic found her lips curving into a smile.

“Sky Bloom,” she said, and the unicorn turned to her. “I think I know where we’re going now. Will you join me?”

“What else can I do?” he sighed. “There’s nothing left for us to do here anyway.”

A gloomy dawn rose over the ruined town. But Cosmic thought that even in this endless shroud of clouds, she could see rare glimpses of sunshine.

Note: Level up.

Player: Cosmic Valor. Skills: Survival – 100%, Stealth – 100%. New perk: Armored Hide – bullet resistance increased by 15%. Bonus perk: Dealy Criticals – +40% to critical damage of any weapon.

Player: Sonic. Skill: Survival – 75%. New perk: Faithful Friend – your presence gives an additional 5% damage resistance to all squad members.

The quest stage “Save The Republic” has been failed. Added a new stage “Find Lyra”.

[1] The translated and a little ponified version of the song Gangsta by the Russian band Маяковский (Mayakovsky).

Chapter 17. The Battle of Steel and Flesh

— This operation is a disgrace. And any pony involved in it does not deserve the title of Steel Ranger.

Fallout: Equestria, chapter 28

The fire was burning brightly, devouring the bodies.

It took a lot of work to drag all the corpses to the center square. Cosmic wanted to vomit when she touched dead flesh with her teeth, but she held back, reminding herself that it would all be over soon. But she did throw up a few times when she came across the bodies of foals. Trampled, shot… caught in the fire or by the hooves of others.

Sky Bloom and the aliens had it easier: the unicorn had his telekinesis; the others could use their hands. But even they shook themselves off for a long time after the job was done.

And then Sky Bloom set the pile of corpses on fire with magic.

Now the whole group stood in the middle of the ruins and watched the fire, which did not care what it turned into ashes. Dawn had long since come, and Cosmic felt unfamiliar: the daytime bonfire seemed to be something strange to her. But she didn't want to see any more faces of those she couldn’t protect. Her mind was already balancing on a fine line.

No one spoke a word. Everyone looked depressed. Cream had no face; standing dazed, the rabbit girl was hugged by Amy. Chao Cheese looked as if he had completely withdrawn into himself, holding onto Cream’s hand. Like a drowning one grasping at straws in a sea of evil that had swept the whole village with its dark tide.

Cosmic turned back to Sky Bloom. He was frozen in place with his eyes closed, seemingly deep in thought.

“I’m sorry, Skyshine,” he whispered suddenly. “If only I could have saved you…”

The unicorn shook his head. Tears welled up in his squeezed eyes.

“Somehow we both blame ourselves for all this,” Cosmic replied softly. “Although the fact is that we’ve done everything that was up to us.”

“I know. But shit…!” Sky Bloom clenched his teeth with suppressed sobs. “How could this be…?”

“Now you can imagine how I felt after my squad died. But I got through it then… And we’ll get through this now. No doubt.”

“B-but how…?” The unicorn sobbed, and Cosmic suddenly realized how young he still was. “H-how c-can we c-cope with this…?”

“I don’t know. But you can just stop dwelling on it. We have to move on, remember?”

“Y-yes, of course…”

Sky Bloom exhaled, calming down, and furtively wiped his eyes with the dangling strap of his vest.

“Cosmic,” Tails called the mare quietly.

“What?”

She turned around. The fox was holding out a clump of dusty, pale gray cloth – Metal Dawn’s invisibility cloak.

“Keep it for yourself,” she shook her head. “I don’t need it right now. And speaking of moving on… Shadow, you still have your books, don’t you?”

“Yes.” The black hedgehog turned to Cosmic. “And why do you…”

He paused and the mare nodded.

“Right. You know why I want to do this. You saw… last night you saw everything.”

“Will it make you feel better?”

“If you want to see it like that. And besides… I’m going to build the fourth wall for myself again, or whatever you call it… Maybe the future is determined just because its course is set by something in this world.”

“They cost twenty bucks a volume…” Shadow muttered but went into his backpack anyway.

“Are you going to burn Fallout: Equestria?” Tails asked. “Right here? Now?”

“You have already read it,” Cosmic said with a sad grin. “And Shadow has learned it almost by heart. And on top of that…” She turned away and looked at the fire. “It would just be symbolic.”

The black hedgehog finally took the books out of his backpack and handed them to his friends. Then he turned his head to Cosmic.

The mare nodded. And the aliens, starting with the first volume and finishing with the last, tossed the books one by one into the fire.

The flames began to consume the pages. Cosmic watched as the post-apocalyptic history of her world shrank, charred, and felt the steel vise that had gripped her heart for so long slowly loosen.

Ashes to ashes, she thought. Rest in peace, The Republic. Burn in hell, Kkat. And all your fucking FoE.

They stared at the burning fire for a while. Then, as the flames began to die down, Cosmic seemed to awaken from the helpless despondency that had possessed her.

“Let’s go,” she said. “There is no reason for us to stay here any longer.”

Rocks and sand habitually lay beneath their feet and hooves.

The team, joined by Sky Bloom, was going nowhere on a dry, lifeless plain.

Cosmic had never been to this part of Equestria before (judging by the compass on the PipBuck, their destination, the mysterious Research Center #13, was somewhere to the side of Hoofington) – and frankly, she was wary of these places. Fillydelphia, where Red Eye did his terrible things, wasn’t that far away, but Splendid Valley, with its hellhounds and its storage of dangerous magical waste, was even closer. Who knows what kind of crap might have crawled out of there. Alicorns, for example.

But so far it was quiet. They had enough food and water for a few days, about the distance to their destination according to the map. And then they’d be sure to find Lyra’s trail – and maybe they could resupply.

Sooner or later, it would have to be solved.

Cosmic sighed. For the past month she had tried not to think about the future at all.

I’m going to kill Lyra, to avenge her for the death of my friends. Probably accompany Sonic and his crew back to their world… and then what? What’s next? The Republic has been destroyed, so I have nowhere to settle down. And neither does Sky Bloom. Why don’t I go to New Appleloosa? Or to Junction R-7? Oh, what does it matter now? I just need to get through this first…

Suddenly, her blank stare caught something in the landscape, and she looked up.

A sprite-bot was drifting past them like a lost voyager. But a rather strange one.

Cosmic didn’t even realize what was wrong with it at first. But then she noticed.

It was not playing music.

So, it was being controlled by someone at that moment.

As if in response to her thoughts, the little robot turned towards their group and flew a little closer, looking at them with its camera.

Cosmic stopped. So did the aliens and Sky Bloom – they were obviously just as surprised. The sprite-bot hovered in place as well, facing their recently enlarged group.

“W-Watcher…?” the blue earth pony asked cautiously.

But from the loudspeaker came only mad laughter. And it wasn’t Spike’s.

Cosmic broke into a cold sweat. The dragon’s words about someone else having learned how to access the sprite-bots immediately came to mind.

And then the little flying robot spoke.

“Well, hello, Cosmic Valor.”

The voice seemed to belong to a mare. And, judging by the hissing of withered vocal cords, a ghoul.

Looking at the others, Cosmic realized that they were stunned as well. And Shadow in particular.

“Who are you?” she asked sharply, moving the carbine from her back to her side and aiming at the hovering bot. “And how do you know my name?!”

The feeling of ignorance made her really angry.

“I know a lot about you, Cosmic…” laughed the ghoul mare again. “And for that matter, you know something about me. Guess, hmm?”

“Lyra,” Cosmic growled. The puzzle in her brain came together. “It was all you… It was you who hired Metal Dawn through a fake merchant to steal from Monterey Jack the blueprints from Tenpony Tower and then get rid of the witnesses. And you succeeded in the first part. But with the second,” the earth pony grinned, “you failed.”

“Yeah, it was unpleasant to find out that you were alive. Especially seeing it through the eyes of my cyberghoul, who was cowardly enough to tell you my name.” The hiss changed from triumphant to angry. “I had to deactivate his brain implant, which triggered the self-destruct module–”

“You are a monster!” Sky Bloom exhaled. “Why are you doing this?!”

“Let’s just say I have some interests of my own.” Cosmic had no idea what Lyra Heartstrings looked like, but she was sure there was a smirk on her lips right now. “But we are distracted.”

The sprite-bot turned back to Cosmic.

“It was not easy to track you – but I managed. True, a few times I came across bots that were already controlled by someone… is that the Watcher you were talking about? But that’s not the point. You went from one end of the Wasteland to the other, but you ended up back where you started. In The Republic.”

“W… what do you know about The Republic?!” Cosmic shouted on the verge of a breakdown.

The hoof was on the safety of Argument. A few moves – and bullets will tear the sprite-bot to shreds.

“I’d thought a lot about how to get you out of there. And finally found a simple but effective way.”

“So you were the one who brought the raiders to the village?!” Shadow shouted, pointing his finger at the sprite-bot. “And gave them grenade and rocket launchers so they could breach the wall?!”

“Raiders? No, no, no. They came on their own. I just timed it so that I could bring my little army up ahead – and make it easier for them, so to speak. But I never thought that you would survive again. Bravo, Cosmic. I can’t wait to meet you.”

Meet me…?

Suddenly, Cosmic had an idea. Carefully releasing the carbine, the blue earth pony touched the PipBuck buttons with her hoof – and began to press them discreetly.

“You knew!” Tails said. “You knew the raid was coming! How?!”

“Well, I have my sources,” Lyra murmured. As much as that could be said for a ghoul’s voice. “You don’t need to know about them.”

“But… you must be dead!” Shadow blurted out. “Your skeleton is stuck to a street bench in Canterlot!”

“Have you been there too?” The ghoul mare chuckled… but with a hint of desperation. “No matter, though. Oh, Bon-Bon… In the last years before the end, she had adopted my favorite sitting posture.” There was bitterness in her voice. “It’s a pity that things turned out this way.”

“I’ll kill you,” Cosmic said through her teeth, looking directly at the bot to distract Lyra from her own actions. “I’ll hunt you down and kill you. And then let everything go up in flames.”

“Sunshine and rainbows are coming, Cosmic,” the ghoul laughed again. “It’s just a matter of time… Oh yes, I want to warn you about something. Soon it will be quite hot here. So try to get out of here before the explosion. Adieu.”

And the sprite-bot, which had finally started to play music, slowly flew away.

“Explosion…?” Shadow muttered and suddenly slapped his forehead. “Right! How could I forget!”

And he took off, gaining unimaginable speed and disappearing in the distance in a few moments.

Sonic and Knuckles looked at each other and silently ran after him, melting away in a flash of blue and red.

“And… what was that?” Cosmic said in confusion.

“Chapter Thirty-Nine,” Tails replied, turning his head towards her. “Littlepip is blowing up Maripony.”

The episode from the burned book immediately came to the blue pony’s mind.

“Fuck! Why the hay did they go there…?”

“I think…” The fox looked at Amy and Cream, clearly stunned by his guess. “Shadow has decided to destroy Chaos Emeralds.”

The barren landscape flashed around him faster than any kaleidoscope. The wind whistled in his ears, and he had to squint his eyes all the time. Shadow couldn't run at the speed of sound like Sonic, but he could at least outrun a car.

He had taken the Emeralds out of his backpack while running, and now he held them tightly in his hand. If he loosened his grip, they would be scattered all over the Wasteland. On the one hand, that would be good: Eggman wouldn’t be able to find them here... but on the other hand, wouldn’t they bring dissonance to this world and cause an even worse conflict, like the secret Project Horizons?

No. Then let nobody have them. And the best way to do that is to blow them up with a megaspell. Although… the black hedgehog grinned, what if they can’t be destroyed in such a “primitive” way?

Shadow imagined where Maripony was located. Seriously, he wouldn’t be himself if he didn’t look at the markers when Cosmic turned on the map. A few minutes of racing, and there would be no need to worry about these gems.

Just as long as he didn’t get hit by the explosion itself… or by the paw of a hellhound.

Turning his head, Shadow noticed two flashes – blue and red – that were rapidly catching up with him.

Yeah, looks like I’m a little out of shape after half a century in the freeze… It’s okay, they can’t change my mind. I must do this. It’s the only solution now.

Sonic and Knuckles made one last dash – and suddenly found themselves on either side of him. And ran forward at the same speed.

Shadow snorted and accelerated even more. So did they.

There was no escape.

The black hedgehog snorted. “Shit, are you guys gonna follow me all the way like this…?”

He cut himself off.

His voice should have been distorted by the speed and carried backwards by the wind. But somehow the words sounded clear and steady, as if he was standing still.

It was like a cartoon where the creators bypassed physics a bit to make the moment cinematic.

We’re also characters in the same franchise, so to speak. And Sonic is the main one in it. And I’m playing my usual role as trickster and pseudo-antagonist…

But wait… Shadow slowed down a bit. Then there must be a version of Earth where we’re just fictional characters! It doesn’t make sense that in every fandom the characters go to a world that doesn’t know them… How many worlds are there really, huh…?

“Shadow, listen!” shouted Sonic, running to his left. “You don’t have to do this! As soon as we help Cosmic complete her mission, we’ll go straight back to Earth and use the Emeralds to defeat Eggman for good!”

“But what if he somehow manages to get his hands on them again?” The black hedgehog shook his head. “No, I’m not gonna risk the whole world! The Emeralds are too dangerous!”

“We’ve been fighting for them for thousands of years!” Knuckles spoke from the right. “You can’t just dispose of them as you wish…!”

“Oh, so I can’t…”

Shadow braked sharply, plowing furrows in the sand with his sneakers. His pursuers went a little farther away, but immediately came back and stood in front of him.

“Listen,” the black hedgehog said, calming down a bit. “I understand that you want to have this trump card on your side in the battle against Eggman. But…” He shook his head. “You know how easily this weapon changes its owner. It’s not the same magic as the Elements of Harmony. It doesn’t care who controls it. Yes, maybe we don’t deserve to use the Elements themselves, and we’re left with the Emeralds... but they’re far more dangerous. And unpredictable. Precisely because of their impersonal power. Tell me, are you willing to take that risk? Knowing that we’ll never have the right to make a mistake again?”

“As if we ever did,” Knuckles grumbled. “But these Emeralds are an important part of the universe. Destroying them would unleash a terrible force that could destroy this world forever.”

“Many here would be rather happy about that! Look around you – what do you see?!” Shadow’s hand circled the lifeless wasteland. “And by the way… The headcanon storyline continues, no matter what! You saw Cosmic try to break the timeline to save her village. It didn’t work! It all turned out to be part of a different, more global story! Equestria won’t collapse because of the Emeralds! It collapsed two centuries ago! We can not change anything here! And out there,” he pointed behind his back, referring to Earth, “we can still make a difference! And the best way to do that is to tie Eggman’s hands! Yeah, we won’t have an ace up our sleeve, but we’ll be together – and Robotnik will be alone! All he’ll have with him is his right hand, Agent Stone, and Metal Sonic! And we’ll have the whole world behind us! And your family, Sonic!” The black hedgehog turned to the blue one. “They’ll be with us too! And you think some gems –” Shadow opened his palm to reveal the Emeralds “– are more important than all of that?”

Sonic and Knuckles were silent, their heads bowed. Sonic was probably thinking about Tom and Maddy; and Knuckles probably about the tribe of Echidnas that had wiped out the Hedgehogs but had also perished into eternity.

Finally, Sonic sighed. “Okay, Shadow. Do as you wish. I won’t stand in your way.”

Knuckles nodded. “Allow me to reunite the Emeralds so they won’t scatter.”

Shadow hesitated for a moment. What if this red was just waiting to take the gems and run back to Cosmic with them?

But in an instant, the black hedgehog felt ashamed of such thoughts. After the cheap demagoguery he had used to tug at these two’s heartstrings, it would be low to suspect impure intentions, knowing that Knuckles was the Element of Honesty after all.

Shadow slowly held out the Emeralds to the echidna. Knuckles took them carefully, covering them with his fingerless palm, and a light of magical power shone from beneath his hands. His tribe was more adept at handling these artifacts anyway.

After a while, the light faded, and Knuckles unclenched his hands. In his palm lay a rather large, deep green crystal that seemed to glow faintly from inside.

“Here you are,” the echidna handed the Master Emerald to Shadow. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

The black hedgehog nodded gratefully and sped off again, trying to get to Maripony in time.

The Wasteland stretched all around him, empty and silent.

As Shadow ran, he glanced around to make sure he didn’t miss the buildings. Meanwhile, he caught a few glimpses of the drama unfolding there.

A sky wagon flying over the desert, pulled by a rust-coated pegasus with a red mane – that was Littlepip’s party on their way to Splendid Valley to deliver the Black Book of Canterlot to the Goddess… and then destroy them both.

Here was a white mare with a black and red mane taking aim with a sniper rifle while the bleeding body of a purple alicorn lay nearby. Blackjack and Lacunae, and Blackjack was about to kill Littlepip.

And in the sky, airships were flying toward Maripony – it was the Enclave coming to make an alliance with the Goddess.

None of them knew about the black hedgehog, and he was not interested in them either.

Soon a half-ruined facility appeared on the horizon.

I wonder if a normal dosimeter could measure the magical radiation of this place? Shadow thought, speeding up even more. It would be foolish to go through so much - and die of magical radiation poisoning.

He threw the Master Emerald into a large puddle of the transformation potion called Taint and sprinted back the way he had come.

It would be very hot here soon.

Squinting, Shadow saw Sonic and Knuckles ahead of him. They were waiting for him, and when he rushed by, they ran to his side, just as they had before.

They had all read the book and knew what was about to happen.

But then the colorful frozen figures came into view: Cosmic, Sky Bloom, Tails, Cream, Cheese, and Amy. They stood and stared off into the distance, waiting for the other three to come back to them.

“We’re done…!” Shadow shouted as the three of them braked their sneakers on the ground, approaching the group.

And then the poisonous green bubble of a balefire bomb explosion rose up in the distance.

Everyone covered their eyes to avoid being blinded by the flash. A pale pink glow flickered around them as Sky Bloom created a faint shield against the shockwave.

The bubble grew larger and larger, filled with a second, low-hanging sun. A gust of radioactive wind hit the shield – but not strong enough to knock anyone off their feet. Sky Bloom just grimaced and pumped more magic into his spell.

The PipBuck on Cosmic’s leg began to click. But the mare paid no attention.

The glow faded a bit, and she stared at the explosion with all her eyes, as if imagining the apocalypse of two centuries ago.

After a few minutes, the column of magical fire faded into a dark cloud of smoke. All that could be seen was the glow of the land, contaminated for many more centuries… or until the Gardens of Equestria would be used.

“Farewell, Master Emerald,” said Shadow. “Farewell, Goddess.”

“I’m coming for you, Lyra,” Cosmic whispered.

They stood in silence for a while longer. The dosimeter on the PipBuck reached the yellow zone, and Cosmic gave everyone RadAway from the supplies she had bought in New Appleloosa.

Then the squad moved on.

The next day, the terrain started to change.

Instead of lifeless plains, green hills and sparse groves began to appear, and there was something other than sand and stone underfoot. Everyone cheered up a bit, although the scenery around them was still pretty bleak.

So was the mood of the entire team.

The knowledge that it wouldn’t be long before they reached their destination didn’t make anyone happy. Cosmic and Sky Bloom were reliving the destruction of their hometown in their minds, and the aliens were following them more by inertia, catching the general wave. After all, they were no longer the naive anthropomorphic creatures who had first entered the world of the magical Fallout.

Time dragged on slowly. But it dragged nonetheless.

The numbers of distance ran evenly downward on Cosmic’s PipBuck. And each time she felt particularly bored, she reassured herself that they had less and less to go.

Lyra would get hers. And no matter that she was the canon character.

…They reached the village in the afternoon of the PipBuck’s time. Cosmic had left the sixteen-hour format – it was more familiar to her and Sky Bloom.

The settlement was clearly abandoned. Even from a distance, the buildings looked as dilapidated as the house halfway between the Republic and New Appleloosa, and the place seemed as if no one had been here for two hundred years.

The large openwork building on the northern edge was particularly eye-catching, with several turrets tightly wrapped in pipes. Another pipe – a much thicker one – ran away from the building and disappeared somewhere beyond the horizon.

“What is it?” Cosmic asked, looking through the binoculars at the unusual structure.

They were now standing on a low hill, and the village was plainly visible from here.

“Probably a refinery,” Sky Bloom shrugged. At the mare’s puzzled look, he explained, “An oil refinery. It’s from the war. See that pipe? It was used to bring oil into the plant, and then it was refined into gasoline and other products. And then the bombs fell, and nopony needed it anymore. And those who had worked here either ran away… or just died of starvation and radiation.”

“Gee, that’s creepy,” Sonic shuddered.

“Just a typical story,” said the earth pony. “It was like that everywhere else. Why should it be any different here?”

She jerked the bolt of the carbine at her side with her hoof. “Let’s go. We’ll check it out and stay there until tomorrow.”

The group descended the hill and soon entered the settlement.

Up close, the place seemed even more dismal. All the houses seemed to be made of brick with metal cladding on the outside. Cosmic had no idea why they had done it this way (nor did Skybloom, for that matter), so she just walked up and down the main street, looking at the buildings.

Most of them weren’t interesting, just ordinary houses, though reinforced for some vague purpose. But there were a few that stood out.

First of all, a formidable-looking fortified building in the middle on top of a hill… most likely the town hall. On one of its thick, round towers was a flag that Cosmic didn’t recognize. The earth pony was struck by the fact that from here it was possible to control the defense of the entire village and, in general, to successfully fire back during a siege.

In fact, the “town hall” was a real fortress that would not allow the enemies to take the town… but all that might was powerless in the face of limited supplies and deadly, pervasive radiation.

But Cosmic stood for the longest time, staring at the huge metal-clad stallion’s head hanging from the roof of what was obviously a local bar. The memory pricked her heart: this was where Murky Gray would have loved to be… if he had bothered to look back in time.

And anyway – if The Republic were simply destroyed without killing most of its inhabitants, the survivors might well come here and start their lives anew.

Cosmic blinked back tears.

But there was no going back. All that remained was to move forward, without repeating the same mistakes as before.

She turned to call her friends and find a place to sleep… but the words stuck in her throat.

From behind the houses, Steel Rangers were coming out.

At the sight of the grenade launchers, Sky Bloom and the aliens retreated slowly to the center of the square where the blue earth pony stood. Apparently, they, too, had been taken by surprise by the sudden appearance of this faction’s fighters.

“Uhm… hello?” Cosmic said uncertainly.

She tried her best not to even look at her weapon so as not to make these super soldiers nervous. Rumors said that they were ready to kill for any pre-war technical device.

A figure in armor emerged from the ring around them.

“You are trespassing on Steel Ranger territory,” came a harsh mare’s voice, distorted by the helmet. “That alone is reason enough to eliminate you all. But we will be more lenient. Leave all your equipment here and you can go wherever you want.”

“Why don’t you at least introduce yourself?” Shadow snorted nervously.

“Paladin Lillipad Candy, East Wing of the Manehattan Contingent,” the armored pony replied. “We’re not interested in your names. Only the technology you use, which we are here to preserve. Crusader Rain,” she turned to one of the Rangers, “search them.”

He nodded, waved his hoof, and the ring around the travelers began to tighten.

Cosmic drew in air noisily.

PipBuck! I can’t give it to them, there’s a map in there! How else am I going to get to Lyra…?

She looked back at the Rangers coming closer and closer – and a decision came to her all by itself.

“Follow me!” she shouted, and was the first to run back, faster than anyone realized.

Pushing off, Cosmic jumped onto the back of one of the fighters and, falling sideways just in case, dashed toward the “town hall”.

WHOOSH! – a grenade launched by someone flew past and shattered the facade of a small house.

Looking around, Cosmic could make out the colorful, blurry figures of aliens who were also rushing towards the “fortress”. They must have managed to escape as well – and now Knuckles was carrying Cream and Cheese in his arms, and Sonic was holding Amy. Shadow and Tails tried to keep up; the black hedgehog was pulling the fox, who was the slowest of them all. Sky Bloom galloped beside them, also saving his life.

Explosions rang out behind them. Fountains of earth sprayed up from the sides, and bricks and shards of steel flew from the houses along the street.

These soldiers really knew how to destroy.

Cosmic accelerated – so much so that her lungs almost burst from her chest. The last few yards…

The company flew into the open gate of the first floor. Stopping abruptly, they all fell, rolling forward on the smooth floor. Turning her head, Cosmic noticed the lever on the side of the gate – and with all her might, she hit it with her hoof.

The sealed doors slammed shut. An armored plate fell from above, further blocking the entrance.

And immediately after that, a grenade blast came from the other side of the door.

One of the Rangers had finally thought to take aim before firing.

But it was too late.

The gate had held. And apparently was able to stop many more hits.

With a sigh of relief, Cosmic slid down the wall to the floor. Looked up…

And barely held back a strong curse.

From the small hallway, corridors led off to the sides. And right in front of the door was a staircase leading up, branching off after the first stairwell.

And it was full of Steel Rangers.

Covering each other, they aimed all their guns directly at the squad that ran inside.

Many, many guns.

Cosmic even ran her eyes up the stairs, counting her opponents.

They had positioned themselves on the landing, hanging over the railing at the top…

No.

This is not the end!

“Follow me!!!”

Cosmic darted to the right, praying to the two Goddesses – the real ones, as opposed to the one Littlepip had blown up – that the others would have time to come after her.

In the next moment, the space behind her was drowned in the rumble of explosions.

And as Cosmic turned her head, she almost screamed with joy.

Everyone was alive. Yes, Sky Bloom had his bright scarlet tail smoking, Tails was tucked up on his right leg, and blood ran down Shadow’s face – but they were alive. And still running after her, Cosmic.

They. Are. Alive.

And the realization of that instantly banished all the panic from the blue pony’s mind.

Looking forward again, Cosmic saw that the corridor ended in double doors. Accelerating with aching hooves, she flew through, sticking her shoulder out if they were locked.

But they weren’t. Cosmic fell into a room and rolled across the floor. Her shoulder hurt from the impact with the door, but the pain only gave the mare strength now.

The others ran inside after her. Sky Bloom slammed the doors shut and telekinetically lowered the powerful deadbolt, which was conveniently located on this side of the doorway.

It’s obvious only paranoids lived here, Cosmic thought. Then she lifted herself up and looked around, catching her breath.

They seemed to have jumped into a circular vestibule, which was also a technical room. The mare’s keen eye could make out some old mops and a fire extinguisher, probably empty, lying against the wall… and another door, with a sign taped over it, marking the entrance to the stairs.

The corridor was still rumbling. The Steel Rangers apparently had nowhere to go with all their grenades.

But after a few moments, the explosions died down and another, no less dangerous sound was heard. The approaching rumble of armored hooves.

The doors were being pounded on. They bent inward from the blows, but the deadbolt held firm. Though it was clear that such defenses wouldn't last long.

“Any idea how we’re going to escape?!” Sky Bloom shouted. “Not only are they here, but the building’s surrounded…”

“Shadow, you still have the rings, don’t you?” Tails asked suddenly.

“Yes, three of them,” the black hedgehog replied. “And what?”

“Gimme two! I’ll go to Earth and get us some help!”

“What help?! Where are you gonna get help?!”

“Shadow, Tails has an airplane!” Sonic yelled.

“What? Oh, right… Then let’s do it. But wait,” Shadow frowned, “doesn’t time flow much faster here?”

“I know! I’ll try to make it as fast as I can! And you’ll hang in there, okay?”

“I promise.”

A couple of rings moved from hand to hand.

Tails tossed one of them into the air, waved to everyone, and disappeared into the portal.

“An airplane?” Cosmic muttered, and just shook her head in surprise. “Okay, all the talk later. Go there –” she pointed to the far door “– and shoot those from above!”

The bolt was already bent and looked like it was about to break. Cheers came from the corridor: the Rangers were caught up in the excitement of chasing down a defenseless target.

Cosmic and the others ran to the stairway entrance, and the mare swung the door open.

Fuck the damn Luna to all her holes!

Another Ranger stood in front of them. He’d obviously come to the noise – but taken a slightly different route than his comrades. And froze, not expecting to see such company.

Cosmic, on the other hoof, hadn’t forgotten to act quickly. Taking advantage of her opponent’s hesitation, she pushed off the step and slipped right between his legs, running straight up to the landing.

A moment later, the crowd of aliens literally knocked down the hapless Steel Ranger and rushed upstairs after Cosmic. The last to run was Sky Bloom, who simply jumped over the fallen, armor-covered body.

At that point, the deadbolt failed and broke, and the Rangers stormed into the room. Heavy hooves clattered expectantly up the stairs.

As the squad ran up, they passed through an open hatch and found themselves in a large circular room with a panoramic window, on the top floor of the tower with the raised flag. A door in its wall led to an open gallery that served as a “fortress wall,” and on the other side was another tower, one floor higher. That’s where the Steel Rangers might come from, if any of them took the detour.

Cosmic gritted her teeth.

Why is it so bad?! No matter how hard we try, we’re still trapped!

I don’t care. We must survive. And get to Lyra. Whatever it takes!

With a swipe of her leg, the mare slammed the hatch shut and jerked her head, pointing Sky Bloom to the round, heavy table in the center of the room. It looked like this was where conferences used to be held.

The unicorn nodded and magically lifted the table, dropping it onto the hatch with the top down. Then he sat down there himself, adding more weight.

Just hope the grenade launchers don’t start firing. Otherwise, this place will collapse on their heads.

There was a bang on the hatch cover from below.

“Surrender! And maybe we'll keep you alive!” came a booming voice from the stairs.

Yeah, of course we believe you, Cosmic thought and turned to her squad.

“Listen carefully! Our job is to hold out until Tails returns! Sky Bloom, watch the hatch; those idiots can fire a grenade if they want to! Sonic to the door, cover the other tower with fire! The rest of you, to the windows…”

She didn’t get a chance to finish.

“They’re in…!” came from outside.

And then the ceiling above their heads and the walls around them exploded in a rain of glass, brick splinters, and shattered metal.

Everyone fell instantly to the floor. Those near the walls tried to crawl to the center of the room.

Pressing her whole body against the smooth surface and covering her head with her hooves, Cosmic imagined the remaining Rangers outside firing their cannons at the building.

They want to kill us just for disobeying them. Well, we all have a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Suddenly the explosions stopped, and from somewhere above and to the side came a rumbling sound Cosmic had never heard before.

Rolling onto her back, she saw the sky above her. The shells had completely demolished the roof of the tower, along with the flagpole, and even cut the height of the walls in half. The ponies and aliens were now like microbes in a round laboratory beaker.

And there was an airplane plummeting from the sky. A real one. Flying.

Cosmic’s heart pounded faster.

Tails! He’s back! Then we have a chance!

But… how did he manage to do everything so fast…?

Machine guns rattled on the belly of the red flying machine, firing rapidly through the crowd of Steel Rangers. Screams were heard, some frightened, some in pain.

Cosmic crawled over to the wall, pulled herself up with her hooves, and leaned over the melted edge to see what was going on down there.

Several Rangers lay motionless on the ground. The rest of them were busy firing at the plane as it gained altitude for a second approach. Careful, Tails…!

The huge anti-machine rifle on someone’s built-in battle saddle rang out loudly.

The red machine immediately tilted to starboard, and smoke billowed from under the engine cowling. The plane flew away – clearly for an emergency landing.

“No!!! Tails!!!”

Cosmic turned her head. It was Sonic who shouted, also looking at the downed machine with despair in his gaze.

The mare closed her eyes.

I hope he survives. Otherwise, I’ll be haunted by another heavy memory for the rest of my days.

The screaming continued. The Rangers continued to fire, as if for the last time – but already at something on the ground.

Cosmic opened her eyes to see a dark blue shadow, blurred by speed, running toward the crowd of armored soldiers…

And then the beatdown started.

The Rangers couldn’t shoot anymore for fear of killing each other. But their defenses made them too sluggish. The figure spun around, dodging attacks and tearing bodies to pieces with ease, as if they were covered in some kind of foil instead of armor made of the strongest steel.

Cosmic felt sick at the sight.

“What the hay is this?!” she yelled, turning her carbine to the carnage below.

“It’s Metal Sonic!” Shadow shouted back, also looking at this strange dance of death. “He must have lurked in the house after he almost caught up with me, and when Tails showed up, he went after him!”

“Oh, crap,” muttered Sonic. “Eggman got to us after all…”

“Maybe while he’s mowing down those guys, we can sneak away?” Sky Bloom suggested quietly.

Cosmic was silent. She didn’t know what to do. The desire for justice told her to help the Rangers deal with this enemy. But on the other hoof, the Rangers themselves just wanted to tear them apart into a bloody backdrop for the townscape. And besides, there would be no way to complete the mission…

The mare was saved from having to decide by the appearance of the rest of the Steel Rangers from the other end of the “fortress wall.”

“Look, they’re here!” yelled the soldier in front, aiming his grenade launcher at the squad…

…only to fall two stories to the ground a second later, blood spurting from a hole in his helmet.

“Danger! New enemy!”

Some of the fighters immediately dived back into the tower, while the rest turned in the direction of the shot.

Cosmic also glanced there, trying to find out who was helping them now. Squinting, she could make out two figures in long cloaks at the top of the refinery. And it looked like one of them had an anti-machine rifle.

And the other…

“Fire!” commanded the Ranger.

But neither of them had time to do it.

A stream of light smoke streaked through the air in a straight line – and the top of the tower, along with half of the walkway and the Rangers standing on it, ceased to exist, dissolving into a fiery cloud of a massive explosion.

Rocket launcher. The other one has a rocket launcher!

Now already terrified, Cosmic looked back at the towering refinery in the distance. But there was no one there now.

Gone. But where? Did…

A shiver ran down her spine.

After the Steel Rangers, the main target in the town was themselves.

Meanwhile, Metal Sonic had finished his bloody work. Standing on the blood-soaked ground amidst the scattered bodies with severed limbs and heads, he slowly moved his head as if scanning the area with his video sensors.

Finally, he looked up – and Cosmic met his gaze.

There was nothing in the monster’s eyes. Only the willingness to execute his program.

The mare screamed and fired a burst from her Argument at him.

But it didn’t help. Turning into a blur again, Metal Sonic dodged all the bullets. And was already preparing to push himself off the ground to jump towards them in one fell swoop…

And then he blew up.

“What the hay’s going on here?!” Cosmic shouted, watching the robot’s parts fly in all directions.

“Look, there!” Amy said, pointing off into the distance.

The blue earth pony looked closer and saw who was shooting.

Another cloaked silhouette was walking down the main street towards them, carrying a grenade launcher.

“Quick, let’s get out of here!” Cosmic said and ran to another half-destroyed tower to go down…

…but stopped when the muzzle of an anti-machine rifle peeked out from behind the collapsed edge of the wall.

“Stay back,” someone’s voice whispered.

Cosmic obeyed – and stepped back to her friends. She already understood nothing here.

Meanwhile, two figures in dark brown cloaks with hoods pulled down over their heads entered the gallery. On their backs were huge rifles, aimed at the mare and her troop, leaving no chance of escape.

Swallowing, Cosmic looked back down. The hilltop with the “town hall” was surrounded by the same faceless silhouettes of ponies, each carrying some sort of weapon. And the ring kept shrinking.

We’re in deep trouble. The earth pony glanced furtively at the table-covered hatch. Maybe…

“If you move, we’ll shoot you,” the same hissing voice warned. “It’s useless to go down, there are a lot of our ponies there. You’ll only complicate things.”

“Who are you?!” Knuckles asked angrily.

“Soon you will know.”

Cosmic remained silent. She understood. She understood everything.

Ghouls. And if they’re from Lyra, that means they’re cybers. The mare gritted her teeth. She’s outplayed me after all.

Eventually, the cloaked ponies completely blocked off the building, and a few more went inside.

Negotiations? Or an ultimatum?

Soon, another pony appeared from behind the ghouls with rifles, wearing a light green cloak instead of the brown or black of the others. A horn could be seen under the hood pulled over her eyes. And how could it not be, when a small, needle-shooting pistol was floating nearby in a telekinetic field.

After taking a few steps towards Cosmic, the pony stopped and said, “Well, hello, Cosmic Valor. Now we meet again.” And then she pulled back her hood, revealing her own face of a ghoul.

No – a cyberghoul.

The once mint-green coat had faded to a pistachio ice-cream shade[1], and the white and green mane stuck out in ragged, short strands. One ear was missing: it looked as if it had been chewed off… or sloppily torn off.

But the creepiest thing were the eyes. One was amber yellow, and at least it wasn’t crossed like Ditzy Doo’s from New Appleloosa. But the other one…

Cosmic even blinked to make sure she wasn’t imagining it.

The other eye was cybernetic – and glowing blood-red from within.

I wonder if Red Eye got the idea from her, or if she got it from him.

The earth pony’s jaws clenched painfully.

She recognized this voice. And the appearance Sonic and Shadow had told her about in detail.

“Lyra… Heartstrings…” she muttered. The carbine at her side swung towards the unexpected guest. “Die, fucking bitch!”

Before anyone could react, Cosmic had emptied the rest of her magazine into the unicorn cyberghoul responsible for both the death of her former squad and the destruction of The Republic.

A pale-yellow glow flickered in the air, and the bullets simply bounced off the magical shield and rained down in pieces of melted metal.

Lyra laughed. And since she was a ghoul, her laughter sounded especially creepy.

“Oh yeah, it’s me. But do you really think you can do anything to me? Hah, how naive.”

She laughed again. The needlegun shook in her magical grip.

“This is all you…” Cosmic growled. “You are the reason Metal Dawn turned traitor and killed my entire former squad! You sent your cyberghouls to The Republic with orders to destroy the wall to make it easier for the raiders to kill everyone! You are a monster!”

“Me?” the unicorn raised the rest of her eyebrow. “By Wasteland standards, we’re all just angels. Take the Goddess or Red Eye… Ah yes, I forgot: the first one is already finished, and before the truly horrible end of the second one, there are still four chapters left…”

“How do you… know…?” Shadow gasped in surprise.

Laughter again. “Oh, I see your fourth wall is already broken. Well, here’s more for you.”

The cyberghoul smiled at Cosmic. “Hasta la vista, baby.”

The needlegun twitched.

Squinting, Cosmic saw a needle sticking out of her nose. Immediately she wanted to sleep.

Hate… you… she had time to think before her legs gave out.

The world tilted, and then everything seemed to be veiled in black cloth.

And in this darkness, there were no dreams. At least that was what Cosmic could tell for sure.

Note: 50% of the next level.

Thе quest stage “Find Lyra” has been completed. Added new stage “Survive”.

[1] And no, it’s not Shadow’s influence: Mayor Silver Star once ordered an entire box of ice cream from Manehattan for the town’s founding anniversary.

Chapter 18. Underground

— Time, my friends. The time has come.

FoE: Time Turner, chapter 8

The hardest thing was to open her eyes.

Cosmic was floating in the middle of a vast void where there was no light, no sound, no thought. This nothingness enveloped her from all sides, hobbling her mind and not allowing her to come to her senses.

But gradually, somewhere on the edge of the sensations, a small light seemed to appear, and with each passing moment, it flared up. It grew larger and larger – and soon filled everything, pushing away the gaping emptiness.

And then Cosmic realized that this flame was herself.

And she awoke.

Gulping air with her mouth wide open – like a fish thrown onto the shore. It was like a nightmare – of which she remembered nothing.

Her eyes made out gray concrete walls and a low ceiling with dim halogen lamps. Her legs ached from her recent (but was it recent?) run. With a twitch of her hoof, Cosmic found herself chained to the wall by all four limbs – and an attempt to shake her head revealed that a steel hoop had been placed around her neck as well.

Her breath caught as the events of the last day before she’d been knocked out flashed before her mental eye. But… how much time had passed?

Cosmic tried to look at the PipBuck – the leg with it was just off to the side above her head. But unfortunately, its display was turned towards the wall, and it was impossible to look at the time on the device.

Lyra… came the restlessly rushing thought. She shot me with a tranquilizer needle! Then she must have packed me up and stuck me in here…

Suddenly a fright pierced her soul.

And my team?! What did she do with them?!

A chill ran down her skin.

What the hay… I won’t forgive myself if anything happens to Sonic or Sky Bloom or anyone else! They’re really in trouble because of me this time!

A small part of her mind began to convince her that it was all an accident and Lyra couldn’t have known they would go to that settlement… but Cosmic didn’t really believe it.

She planned the whole thing. She knew we’d be going there! There must have been no other towns along the way…

But… where’s everyone?!

Somehow Cosmic turned her head and exhaled in relief. The others were here – also chained to the wall and unconscious. Even little Cheese had been shoved into a hoop.

All of them… except Tails.

I guess they didn’t find him… An uneasiness mixed with hope stirred in her heart. At least he’ll be safe. I wish he hadn’t come here to rescue us.

The earth pony listened to her senses. She was no longer wearing her armor, and her saddlebags and all her weapons were gone. It was understandable on one hoof, but still unpleasant and… uncomfortable to feel defenseless.

Opposite her, under the ceiling, was a screen – like a terminal, only better. Cosmic immediately remembered the huge screen Twilight Sparkle had seen her brother through in the memory orb. This one was smaller but looked even more futuristic. It was off now – but it could light up at any moment.

What’s this thing doing here? Does the cyberghoul unicorn want to taunt us before finishing off…?

Cosmic curled her lips. As far as she had time to understand the spirit of the stories from Earth, such a move by Lyra was very likely.

I’m the protagonist, the earth pony reminded herself. And she’s just a villain, and a villain so low-grade it makes me want to spit. If our story is being written, then it shouldn’t end with the worthless deaths of my unfortunate team.

The door was the farthest away. She had to squirm to see it out of the corner of her eye. In the side wall, iron – and obviously thick. It would take a lot of effort to open it… let alone get to it first.

A cough and the clanking of chains came from the side. It was Sonic, the first of the others to regain consciousness.

“Uh-oh… kh… where are we…?” he hissed through a dry throat.

“Where we were going,” Cosmic grinned. “In the RC-13.”

Little by little, the others came to their senses.

Knuckles roared with rage, trying to break free of his shackles. Cream was crying. Cheese was sobbing too; the little Chao was the most pitiful of them all.

“From one mess to another,” Sky Bloom sighed. “Yeah, that’s not what I’d hoped for, to be honest.”

“You know, neither had I,” Cosmic hummed. “But we have nowhere to go. There’s no easy way out of this shit.” She shook her hooves, chained above her head. “We have to wait until Lyra herself or someone else deigns to honor us with their attention.”

“Oh, you won’t. I’m already here.”

That familiar hissing voice. But this time electronically smeared.

Lyra.

The screen lit up, revealing a pale green unicorn with a cybernetic eye.

She stood in a large room with metal-clad walls, surrounded by terminals and consoles. At the edge, part of the steel casing of a large machine could be seen, the purpose of which remained to be guessed.

This time, Cosmic was able to get a closer look at Lyra. Without her cloak, she looked like an ordinary ghoul… forgetting the implants embedded in her body, probably after death. Cosmic was amazed to see that the unicorn’s legs above the knees were made of steel. Is she really impersonating Blackjack? the earth pony hummed to himself, remembering Shadow’s stories.

“You’ll pay for everything!” she yelled, shaking her bound hooves. “You won’t get off that easy!”

“Oh, and how are you gonna make me?” Lyra grinned. “All you can do now is hang in chains spewing curses. That’s not so much, is it?”

She gave a feigned sigh.

“And all I can do is play something for you.” The unicorn smiled again. “As a requiem.”

She pressed a button with her telekinesis, and a synthesizer keyboard slid out of the side panel. Lyra walked over and stood behind it on her hind legs – and out of her front hooves came… fingers.

The unicorn squeezed the steel tips for a moment, as if preparing, and ran them over the keys, which emitted a melodic minor arpeggio.

“What should I choose? Maybe something by Mozart? Or Beethoven? Yes, I suppose the Fifth Symphony would be good…”

She played a short, sharp motif that gave Cosmic goosebumps. As if fate is knocking at the door, thought the earth pony.

“…Oh, I forgot: in this world, all names must be twisted to suit its specifics,” said Lyra as she continued to play. “Manehattan, Dr. Whooves... even the word ‘facehoof’ is just a cheap calque…”

“What are you on about…?” Cosmic muttered and shook the chains again. “What are you gonna do to us? Why us? Why did you need the rings?! Why the blueprints?! Why all this?!”

“So many questions…” Lyra shook her head. The melody under her fingers grew stronger, taking on a powerful, truly epic sound. “And you really think I’m gonna answer them so easily? Reveal all my plans to you as a third-rate villain in a final monologue that will be so long that you, as ‘positive’ heroes,” the unicorn’s voice was filled with undisguised sarcasm, “will be able to find a way to defeat me at the last moment? No, thank you. I didn’t spend two hundred years hatching my plan so that some mercenary from the Wasteland and a bunch of cartoon characters would dare interfere with it.”

“What? We’re not–” Sonic opened his mouth, but Shadow interrupted him as he turned to Lyra.

“You’re losing nothing but a few minutes. We just want to know the background of this whole story.”

The cyberghoul unicorn pondered for a while. Then she abruptly cut the music with a jarring, dissonant chord and slid the synthesizer back into the panel with a swipe of her fingered hoof.

“Okay. I’ll satisfy your curiosity.” She grinned, either gleefully or victoriously. “After all, you’re going to die anyway. And so you won’t be able to influence anything.”

“What’s the RC-13?” Sky Bloom asked. “And what blueprints did you get from Manehattan?”

“Oh, you found out about that too…?” Lyra chuckled. “You’re quite persistent. Consider it my gift… an act of mercy, if you will.” She smiled again. “A reward for your curiosity, which has touched me.”

“Well, don’t drag it out!” Cosmic sneered. “Tell us!”

“You know, I can change my mind,” the unicorn reminded her. “All right. I hope you’ve heard of… the O.I.A.?”

“The Office of Interministry Affairs?” Shadow clarified. “The invisible organization that actually ran Equestria behind the Ministries’ backs, and where a pony named Goldenblood carried out his secret projects?”

“You’ve read Horizons, right? All the better. The O.I.A. had secret research centers all over the country, and each one served a different purpose. I only knew about this one when I was ordered to go to Manehattan two hundred years ago, pick up a package from the local office and bring it here…”

“You worked at the O.I.A.?!” The black hedgehog’s eyes bulged. “Really?!”

“You didn’t know?” Lyra raised her missing eyebrows. “Well, turns out the pony fiction writers managed to cover my trail in the wartime Equestria. Bon Bon helped them out perfectly…”

“You were in Canterlot? Did you see that skeleton on the bench with your own eyes?!”

“Sixty years ago, and I can’t say I was too happy about it. But since I’m here, it can’t have been me, can it?” grinned the unicorn.

“Wow…” Shadow shook his head. “Just the brain churns with such revelations.”

“That’s only the beginning, you fool!” Lyra laughed, and Cosmic was skewered by that vile, ear-splitting, rustling laughter. “There were many other projects in the O.I.A., but the one being developed here could eclipse them all in its prospects – including Horizons now being revived.”

The cyberghoul stepped closer and leaned toward the camera.

“Here they were building a time machine.”

“Wait…” Sonic frowned. “But there was already Star Swirl’s time travel spell in the pony world! Twilight had used it, and Starlight had modified it…”

“Pfft, a spell…” Lyra snorted. “Try that with technology! Besides, only unicorns have magic, and for the purposes of the war, it was necessary to make the equipment available to all races. At Goldenblood’s request, Starlight Glimmer created a matrix of the necessary spell from memory. All that remained was to embody it in metal… and give it enough power. A whole! Fucking! Lot! Of power!”

Lyra turned the camera to a huge steel casing jutting out of the wall.

“The RC-13 is essentially an underground bunker, its entrance hidden in the middle of the desert near Hoof. It was here that Equestria’s first reactor was created, powered by star metal and moonstone. When the two combine, they release unimaginable amounts of energy, and it was here that they first found a way to control it. The problem was,” she grinned wryly, “it still wasn’t enough. To move through time, it required a single momentary impulse, an order of magnitude greater than the power of the reactor. And there weren’t enough crystals to absorb all that energy and release it all at once on a million planets like Equus.

“That’s why the Center’s scientists needed those blueprints. On them was an elaborate scheme of crystals that would create a F.A.D.E. shield where energy could accumulate. And at a certain moment, a narrow channel would appear in it, from which the energy would flow into the matrix. Of course, it would evaporate from the charge, but that’s minor.

“And then from here,” she turned the camera to a perfectly round large platform, “the pony or any other cargo would be transported back in time – to the desired point in time and space, set by the terminal.”

“And how do they get back?” Amy asked. “Would those who went to another time stay there forever?”

“That would be the default, but fortunately they had developed special wristbands that would communicate with the machine even through time and return the wearer to the starting point at the push of a button.

“However,” Lyra tried to breathe, apparently forgetting that she had long since become a ghoul, and only a terrible wheeze escaped her throat, “the spell was never tested. The very day I arrived in Manehattan, the bombs fell. And the blueprints remained in the O.I.A. office in Tenpony Tower. Meanwhile, I was crushed by the debris and the radiation turned me into a ghoul.”

“But… how did you find this center?” Sonic asked. “And why did you wait so long before sending someone to get the blueprints?”

“If you were all unicorns, I could have given you memory orbs in which I recorded my memories from that time… and while you watched them, let a gas into the room from which you wouldn’t wake up.” A smirk returned to the unicorn’s face. “Let’s say I wandered the Wasteland as a ghoul for fifteen years before I came to this place. It was just an accident. And I remembered the blueprints recently when I needed them to finish what I’d started.”

“You mentioned the scientists who were here,” Shadow said. “Tell us, were they the ones you turned into your army of cyberghouls?”

“Bravo, you came up with that too!” Lyra stood on her hind legs and applauded with her steel hooves. “But they’ve always helped me here, the ones who agreed to accept the implants and obey. For the outside expeditions, I have other ghouls I recruited from the Wasteland, giving them new superpowers in exchange for loyal service. And those of the scientists who’ve struggled… I guess you can see for yourself what happened to them.

“Oh no,” the unicorn laughed indulgently again, “you’re not like that, how could you think of such a thing… Most of them are still in my service, but now as the Robobrains guarding the Center.”

She stepped back and typed some commands into one of the terminals.

“Watch this.”

An image appeared in a separate window in the corner of the screen. A robot, remotely shaped like a pony, rolled down the corridor on small tracks. On its “chest” was some kind of weapon – as Cosmic remembered from the fourth chapter of FoE, a discharger that shot lightning. And yes – instead of the robot’s head, there was a container with a brain floating in it.

Of course, Cosmic recognized this monster as one of those that had attacked Littlepip during her raid on the Ironshod Firearms factory near Ponyville.

“You… turned… other ponies… into this?!” the blue pony gasped in disgust. “You’re crazy!”

“Not all of them.” Lyra seemed to ignore her emotions. “I left one of them for last. So the others can see what disobedience can lead to.”

She moved to another terminal.

The air shimmered around the camera, spun by telekinesis. Now the wall to the left was in sight, where, obeying the commands entered, the doors of a niche opened and a cylindrical tank slid out, a pony’s body rippling in the murky sludge.

Though to call it a body was a stretch. Mainly there was a head of uncertain color with electrodes at the temples and no eyes; remnants of a faded mane dangled in all directions, and a mask with tubes running to mouth and nose covered the face. Below the neck there was almost nothing, except for a piece of spinal cord with wires attached. A cable ran from the mask to a speaker mounted on a smooth glass surface outside.

And from it came hoarse, ragged breathing.

Amy and Cream screamed. Sky Bloom, Sonic and Shadow all visibly twitched at the sight. Even Cosmic could barely keep from flinching.

“Please meet,” Lyra waved her hoof toward the tank. “The former director of this place, Professor Sample Dample.”

“What… did you do to him…?” the earth pony squeezed out, looking stunned at the body floating in the tank.

“The pony-in-a-jar meme has reached a new level,” Shadow muttered. “Professor Zodiac would approve.”

Lyra laughed out loud, as if at a good joke.

“Oh yeah, at least someone here understands the postmodernity of the situation… Impressive, huh? I drained him of everything he knew, every last bit of information. And then,” she grinned bloodthirstily, “I took away all the extra stuff. And every day since, I’ve been reminding him of his mistake.”

The unicorn walked over to the panel on the far left and pressed a large red button.

An electric crackle sounded, and the professor’s body writhed, convulsing. The liquid in the jar rippled with the movement of the submerged stump.

A hoarse, snarling shriek came from the speaker, and there was no emotion in it – just relentless, absolute, unbearable pain.

“I kno-ow, Sample, you can he-ear us,” Lyra continued, holding the button down. “And you reme-ember why you’re in this glass. How’s the voltage today? You like it? How about a little more?”

She pushed the lever sharply up as far as it would go.

The shriek rose a few more octaves, then stopped and turned into an inarticulate mechanical wheeze. Only the unnatural, ugly twitching of muscles showed the life that still lingered in this body.

“Shit, he’s out,” Lyra shook her head and released the button. Then, with a command from the terminal, she sent the tank back into the wall. “He was fast today. Usually, he’d last at least five minutes…”

“You… all this time… every day… electrocuted him?!”

Cosmic couldn’t wrap her head around the scale of this insanity.

“One hundred and eighty-five to be exact, but that doesn’t matter,” the cyberghoul shrugged. “In the past, when I was particularly bored, I used to leave him under the power for an hour…”

“But you can’t do that! He’s a pony, just like you!” Sky Bloom exclaimed. “How can you do that?!”

“Tell me that everypony’s lives matter,” Lyra snorted and walked across the room. The camera, captured by the telekinesis field, spun to follow her. “I haven’t decided what to do with him yet. I think I’ll leave him like this… until I get bored. Maybe when I’ve been here for two hundred years, I’ll kill him. Although…” she grinned again, “if my plan works out, I won’t give a damn about this piece of bio-waste.”

“Your plan? What plan? Time travel? But why?!” Cosmic asked. “Do you want to prevent a war? Or bombs falling? To save Equestria from the horrors of the end of the world…?”

“Yes. But first…” The red cybernetic eye flickered for a moment. “I’ll. Destroy. Earth.”

“What? But… how do you know about it?!” Sonic gawked. “Cuz… you’re just a–”

“…character – is that what you mean?” Lyra narrowed her eyes. “And a well-liked one in the fandom.” She shook her head. “Fuck, how sick I am about this.”

“Hmm, if the original FoE and Project Horizons are true…” Shadow muttered. Suddenly, he lifted his head and stared at the unicorn. “…then maybe Anthropology[1] is real too!”

“Bravo, Sherlock!” Lyra gave the hedgehog the thumb of her steel leg. “And you know what that means, don’t you?”

Shadow’s eyes rounded. “You… you…”

“Just explain to us what you two are talking about!” Cosmic shouted, jangling her chains.

Lyra squeezed her eyes shut.

“Ah, naive MLP-fags who have no idea about all the variety of fan art that has turned out to be material in reality… I’m a human being, get it?! I’m a human, I was born on Earth and came to Equestria as a baby and Celestia turned me into a pony so no one would ask any questions! And I thought I was a pony, but somehow, I knew about humans, that they existed, even if not here, not in this world! Nobody understood me, but I knew the truth!”

“No… body?” Cosmic repeated and looked back at Sonic and his friends.

The aliens also preferred to say “nobody” instead of “nopony.”

“I was teased about it, even by Bon Bon,” Lyra continued, not paying attention. “But I kept on doing anthropology, and when the truth came out, I became the de facto link between the two worlds. I – and another human, Bellerophon Michaelidis, who came to Equestria as an adult and settled in Ponyville like me…”

“Fucking hell, and Xenophilia[2] too…!” Shadow whispered dazedly, throwing his head back.

“Everything was fine for a couple of years, and then the war started. I was invited to work for the O.I.A., while Bon-Bon became a counterintelligence agent, and we barely saw each other after that. Ahead of the inevitable question: no, she and I did not have a relationship, it was all a dirty lie spread by my detractors in the Office to discredit my anthropological research. Yeah, yeah, not everypony was cool with what I was doing. And I too,” a grimace of disgust appeared on the unicorn’s face, “don’t want to remember it anymore. After all, I’m the one who basically ruined Equestria.”

“You?!” Sonic frowned. “But how…?”

“Atomic bombs, hedgehog! What was created in the human world inevitably came to Equus when war broke out, and at some point, ideas of ‘doomsday weapons’ that would ensure complete and final victory by the mere threat of their use began to emerge. And I –” the cyberghoul tipped her chin “– became the local Einstein and came up with the idea that set the whole world on fire.”

“Well, at least you weren’t Oppenheimer,” Shadow snorted.

“I’d rather be Oppenheimer!” Lyra yelled and started pacing the room again. Her steel legs thudded on the floor. “Because then I’d have a good reason to die, to at least pretend to atone for a guilt that cannot be atoned for! And so it would be as if I had done nothing, and no one could even blame me – but I, I remember everything!”

She stopped. Her disheveled white-green strands covered her face, and only the light of her red cyber-eye shone through her mane.

“It’s all my fault, when you think about it, for the megaspells on Equus. Not Goldenblood’s – he’d only passed my idea on to the Ministry of Peace; not Fluttershy’s – she’d just developed them and given them to the Zebras; not Luna’s, under whose nose it had all been done with half-blind approval. But mine.

“Fluttershy was a foolish and naive mare; she thought she could change the course of the war with her kindness. But she was wrong. Kindness can’t save the world. It can only lead it to destruction.

“And so,” Lyra grinned wickedly, “I began to search for the original source of that ‘kindness.’ Someone I could blame. And repay with my own kindness.”

“But… how did you get to Earth?” Sky Bloom asked. “It’s not like you had portal rings like they did…”

“A spell. Initially, Celestia moved me, but then when I came into regular contact with the human world, the princess left me a matrix – a sample, so to speak – that I could use repeatedly.

“And that’s what I noticed one day…” She raised her head and looked into the camera, as if directly into the eyes of Cosmic and the others chained on the other side. “It was as if time had begun to slow down on Earth. Whereas here it was going faster and faster.

“I didn’t pay much attention to it at first, and later I couldn’t understand why it was happening either. And my research, as I realize now, nobody was really interested in it at that time. But any problem that is not clear whether it can be solved at all, is usually preferred to be pushed away. So, I was left to deal with it alone.

“And then,” Lyra’s eyes flashed again, “the bombs fell. And time got off the leash.”

“What do you mean?” Knuckles asked.

It was the first thing the echidna had said in the whole conversation.

“Literally. It sped up immediately (I tried to calculate how much, and it came out dozens of times faster), and it’s still accelerating. But that’s not the weirdest thing. Sometimes, when I traveled to Earth, I found myself at an earlier point in time than the last time I traveled!”

“How’s that?” Knuckles frowned.

“Yes, really, how is that possible?” Sky Bloom asked.

“I couldn’t figure out how either,” Lyra said. “But then I realized one small but important thing. Equestria does not exist.”

Cosmic had a strong sense of déjà vu. Just as she had learned similar revelations about her universe from Sonic and Tails. Shocking only the first time. Now, nothing inside the earth pony trembled. It was like hearing a joke she’d heard before.

“…doesn’t exist on the level where humans live,” Lyra continued. “On worlds like ours, the lower, subordinate levels, time is malleable to those above. That’s why centuries passed in an instant here when they needed to. We had time to catch the fever of war, to die by being blown up – burned alive…! – and to experience two hundred years of hideous postmortem.”

“They?” asked Knuckles.

“Humans. They’re addicted to this kind of fiction.”

The unicorn began pacing the room again.

“All of Equestria, all of our world, is one big fiction. And so are you,” she turned to the camera, apparently addressing Knuckles, “and all of them, each and every one! What’s more, you think the ponies are fictional, while you don’t even realize that you’re all characters too! And no less famous than we are…!”

Lyra laughed. Her laughter echoed eerily through the room – and, distorted by the microphone, into the ears of aliens and ponies.

After she’d had enough, the cyberghoul continued.

“More than anyone else in the universe, I am grateful to one person… a woman… named Lauren Faust. It was she who made it possible for our world to exist as it was two hundred years ago, before the war began.” Suddenly Lyra gritted her teeth. “And most of all, I hate the other one… hiding under an ugly nickname… for what she did to Equestria. She ruined our land, destroyed our hopes, killed most of us, and condemned the rest to suffer – now a dozen generations of ponies and all other species. And many on Earth have supported her and taken up her work as well. Killing us in their twisted fantasies, over and over again, in ever more horrific ways.”

“Are you talking about Kkat?” Shadow asked. “So it’s all about her?”

“Not only.” Lyra’s voice dropped to a whisper. “My parents… my human parents… they… they…”

She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth tighter. If she were alive, she would probably be crying.

“They were killed… during the riots in 2020… Their house was attacked, and they were just shot! Scum, how I hate those who did that… I found out about it when it was fifteen fucking years after the bombs fell here. And since then, I’ve been hatching my plan. The human world doesn’t deserve to exist on a par with ours.”

“And for that you want to destroy their world? Make the big bada-boom happen to them too?” Sonic asked.

“Judging by the latest news about what’s going on there, they can handle it themselves. I want their world to cease to exist, neither in the present, past, nor future. As if their universe had never been created.”

“And how are you gonna do that with just an ‘ordinary’ time machine?” Knuckles asked with a chuckle.

“Correction,” the unicorn raised her index finger, “it was ordinary. And that’s exactly what I’ve been doing here all these years. I just…” Lyra started to laugh hysterically, “replaced… the matrix!”

She laughed at the overwhelming triumph.

“I’ve had a lo-o-ot of time for research here… I think I’ve even become more skilled in magic than Twilight Sparkle…! I’ve created… a new spell… that should just… erase the existence of this planet from the information field of the universe!

“But…” the cyberghoul added, calming down a bit, “that would require so much more energy than a time travel of even a million years, that I don’t even know such numbers! That’s why” – she grinned again – “I’ve been searching all this time for a truly absolute power source. Over the years, I’ve built up a network of ghoul merchants who work for me, and I’ve given them cyber upgrades with control mechanisms. Anything strange that appeared for sale in the Wasteland came to me. But none of it could help me. It was just garbage with only historical value. In other words, nothing.

“However,” she raised her finger again, “that all changed when my agent in New Appleloosa reported that some earth stallion was trying to sell him… rings. What’s more, the guy claimed the rings had incredible power! And I kept trying to figure out why that description sounded familiar. And then,” Lyra smiled, “I remembered. The Sonic X cartoons and movies with 3D characters that came to life. How simple.”

“You mean we’re also… not real?” Sonic asked, his voice dropping.

“Exactly, hedgehog!” Lyra laughed. “And you especially! I guess you just haven’t been shown any content with ‘you’ in it…”

“I’m sorry, Sonic,” Shadow lowered his eyes. “I didn’t want to tell you…”

“…And so I got the rings,” the unicorn continued, pacing around the room. “But the question remained – how to extract the power from them? Simply destroy them by magic? Not an option. What if the energy could not be focused? And if it could be released at all…?

“But” – another grin – “I knew who might come for them. So, I just waited. Sooner or later, you would have found me. I planned to get rid of you, Cosmic Valor, and take only one of your group alive. And luckily, I succeeded.”

Lyra was looking at the camera, but somehow everyone noticed that the unicorn was staring directly at Sonic and glanced at the blue hedgehog as well. He looked so miserable now that Cosmic thought, I never should have brought them into my adventure.

“Now I don’t even need your useless rings. Here, take them!” She used her telekinesis to pull out a pouch, loosened the ties, and tossed a handful of rings into the lens. With a soft clatter, they scattered to the floor. “Oh… you can’t do that! What a pity… Instead, I have something better. This.”

Lyra’s horn glowed. Slowly, very slowly, something floated into the camera’s view from below that Cosmic couldn't even recognize at first. And when she realized what it was, she went cold.

In Lyra’s magical field was floating Sonic’s blue needle.

“No…” muttered Sonic. “No, no, no, no, no…!”

“You’ve lost, hedgehog!” laughed the unicorn. “And even before you knew it. Now nothing will stop me from doing what I’ve been waiting for all these years. But you –” she looked at her captives with feigned pity “– will not be able to see it.”

She walked to the console, which was somewhere to the side of the lens, and magically turned the camera to herself.

Cosmic swallowed. Something told her that from there, the cyberghoul would be perfectly capable of killing them. And would probably even tell her how.

“When I press this button, the room you’re in will be filled with gas. You’ll just fall asleep and never wake up.”

“But if there’s no Earth and everything else, won’t that mean that we’ll disappear too?!” shouted Cosmic. “All of us, including you, Lyra?”

The unicorn paused for a moment before answering.

“On the one hoof, it would be better for everyone. But if not, then I’m going to undo everything that’s happened in the last two hundred years. To restore Equestria to its ‘default settings.’”

“I don’t get it…” Shadow shook his head. “Is the world we exist in as characters and the one we came from the same reality? Or different ones? And which one is Equestria ‘subordinate’ to?”

Lyra thought for a moment. Her eyes stared into the void.

Finally, the unicorn spoke.

“A thought forms the universe. But thoughts can be different and even contradict each other. But they’re all materialized, no matter what they are. And this materialization, which can be observed here and now, is only determined by the ratio of quantum probabilities. And a thought is all the more real the more context is pumped into it from the world of a higher level. This is the point: for example, lies in the media don’t change the world itself, but only its emotional perception, while it takes something from above to control the fundamentals of reality.

“At the same time, there’s only one thing that’s real, and a lot of parallel, alternate timelines as well.” She grinned unhappily. “Maybe in one version of pre-war Equestria, an alien from Earth is banging Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle, and my doppelganger is watching them with quiet interest. Maybe I was once trapped in Ponyville by the curse of loneliness, forgotten by everyone I cared about. But I just don’t remember it because it was with me – and at the same time, with me it wasn’t.

“Moreover, for each observer from a high-level world, a different moment of our timeline is real. All moments and variants of our history exist for them simultaneously. So I’m talking to you now, and at the same time, somewhere (or rather, sometime – or even in some of the possible ‘sometimes’), Celestia is defeating Nightmare Moon, Twilight is becoming an alicorn, bombs are falling on Equestria, Daybreaker is breaking free, and in the distant future, unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies are building a new, peaceful society.

“After all, the fourth wall doesn’t really exist. It’s no more real than the horizon that divides the earth from the sky.

“But neither the past nor the future can be changed, because they cover the full range of possibilities. You can only change the probability of being in any one of the presents. And so I want –” she gritted her teeth again “– to be in the one where the war didn’t start. Where the G4 Equestria has passed peacefully into G5 or even G6. Where the humans hadn’t put their twisted hands on it so much.

“Oh, hu-umans… Pe-eople…” she stretched out contemptuously. “I used to admire them. And now I hate them so much that I wish with all my soul that they never existed! And while I could accept their existence before, simply because they created our world and let it live according to the plot logic, after the apocalypse I lost faith in my ideals. The last straw was when my human parents died. And I finally realized that this ugly race, their whole fucking world…! – didn’t deserve to exist.”

Now the unicorn spoke through her clenched teeth. And each of her words in Cosmic’s mind became another nail in the coffin lid. Not only for the prisoners – but for the whole of reality.

“Neighthoven, Marezart… how many of their greats have they brought here, twisted into ponies? Our world is a distorted one of theirs, into which they shove what they’d like to see in their own… or wouldn’t! Instead of experiencing the horrors of the post-apocalypse, humans… play them! Forcing to suffer and overcome not each other, but fictional characters! And one day, their wicked hands had reached Equestria.” Lyra squeezed her eyes shut. “But the characters can also feel pain.”

She lowered her head. The skin on her face cracked, and pale ichor oozed from the wound.

Instead of the tears she wanted to cry but couldn’t.

“I don’t want to be human anymore. All I have left is to be a two-hundred-year-old undead pony with fingers sticking out of hooves. And I guess it’s my destiny to bear and carry out the sentence of their world. For what they have done to ours.”

Her hoof rested on the console. The cyberghoul’s voice trembled.

“But first I’ll take care of you. You already know too much of my plans. What I told you now was simply my need to get it out before anyone. And a gesture of goodwill to the doomed. It won’t change anything.”

“No…” Cosmic whispered. Only now did she realize that death was only a hoof’s distance away. “Please, no…!”

Lyra looked at her for a long time – and then said a single word, “Farewell.”

Is it really going to end like this?! Cosmic thought, closing her eyes. Tears ran down her cheeks. Were all the deaths along the way for nothing?! Spark, Stream, Snow, Nightlight… heck, even you, Metal Dawn…! A cyberghoul in New Appleloosa… Those ponies we killed in the forest… The Republic! The whole Republic! Was it all for nothing?!!

Bitterness and pain from realizing her powerlessness corroded the soul harder than any acid. But at the same time, Cosmic knew there was nothing she could do.

I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, ponies… I screwed up. I failed to change Equestria for the better. If I die, then there’s no other choice. Then whoever’s writing my story is a total creep and a weirdo. Then let him die, too. Like everyone else. Like me.

Go ahead, Lyra. It’s better to let it be nothing at all. At least then no one will be offended.

Because there will be no one else. Ever.

All these thoughts ran through the mare’s mind in the brief moment when she braced herself for death. She took a deep breath – one last gulp of breathable, clear air – and tucked her chin. So that at least she could face the promised execution with her head held high.

And then came a sound she hadn’t expected to hear.

A low, alarming wail of a siren reached her ears.

Cosmic opened her eyes in surprise.

Red emergency lights were flashing on the screen with Lyra in the background.

The cyberghoul herself, as if oblivious to her captives, was apparently giving orders to her subordinates through her implants.

“…Illegal entry? Locate and capture the target, you sons of mules…! Randy to the cameras, Flock and Richards to me.”

Suddenly she saw Cosmic staring at the screen in astonishment, and the unicorn’s face twisted in disgust. “Oh, and you…” she hissed and tapped the button.

It was as if two ponies and the bunch of aliens had instantly gone from being target number one to a small, irritating nuisance.

Cosmic opened her mouth wide in shock and sucked in air, her eyes searching for the vent on the ceiling. And yet the gas can go silent! realized the earth pony. And yet be without color and smell!

She glanced at the door, begging it to unlock and let her out. In those seconds, Cosmic even forgot that she was chained.

And the door… opened.

Just moved aside. And the mini-terminal embedded in the wall next to it displayed the message, “Depressurization. Gas supply system deactivated.”

Cosmic froze, unable to believe what had happened. She stared blankly into the void between them and the exit.

And then the void pulled down the hood of the cloak. In the light of the lamps, the grinning face of Tails appeared. “At last, I’ve found you. Don’t worry, I’ll help you out.”

“Tails…!”

Cosmic finally burst into tears from the emotions that overwhelmed her. But this time – from relief and absolute, unquenchable happiness.

Meanwhile, Lyra was furiously hitting the button with her hoof. The unicorn’s face turned into an ugly grimace of rage, covered in scars oozing pus.

“FUCK!!!”

She smashed her forelegs against the panel with all her might. A red glowing eye stared directly into the camera lens.

“Damn you all…! You had me in a monologue and you were just waiting to be rescued! Oh, what a cliché…” And again as if through a built-in headset, “All available soldiers and robots to Box 217! Don’t let them escape!”

Tails had already taken out a bunch of keys and started unlocking the chains.

The fox hesitated about who to release first, but then he chose Sonic.

“Glad to see you, buddy,” the hedgehog winked at him, waiting until all four locks were open, and then jumped to the floor, stretching his stiff muscles with glee.

Next, Tails freed Cosmic. Then it was Cream and Cheese, Amy, Knuckles, and finally Sky Bloom’s turn.

All the while, the screen on the small terminal kept flashing red, “Remote control system. Access denied.”

“What does that mean?” Cosmic asked, pointing at the terminal with her hoof.

“She’s trying to close the door with a command from the central console, but I hacked the node and switched it to local control,” Tails explained, releasing Sky Bloom’s hind legs. “I had to break it manually and at random, so the alarm went off. Sorry.”

“We don’t mind,” Sonic replied. “You really came at the right time, mate.”

“You know where our armors and weapons are?” Sky Bloom asked.

“In a closet two corners down the corridor. But there’s a turret there, so I gotta carry them one at a time in my cloak.”

“Anyway. We need to get out of here faster,” Cosmic said, coming to the door.

“Someone said ‘faster’?” Sonic’s mocking voice sounded.

The mare barely had time to recoil when a blurry blue silhouette flew past her. And as if several times: out, in, out again…

She blinked, and the blue shadow turned back into the hedgehog, who stood with his hands on his knees, bent over, grinning as he caught his breath.

There was only one difference between the two moments. On the floor near the group was now a pile of items and weapons.

“Great. Then let’s go!” said Cosmic.

With the help of Sky Bloom, who’d already put on his own bulletproof vest, she put on her armored suit, tied on her bags, and slung the strap of her trusty Argument around her neck.

The others also sorted out their weapons and supplies in a matter of moments.

Now they had to decide what to do next.

Freedom is freedom, but I haven’t reached my goal yet, Cosmic thought, looking out into the corridor as the unicorn tightened the PipBuck on her leg. And now I want it even more.

“Any idea where that green bitch is hiding?” she asked Tails.

Under the cloak, Amy and Cream and their Chao were able to huddle together with the fox.

“I’ll show you,” Tails replied. His face was the only thing visible from the cloak. “Are you sure you have to go there?”

“Sure,” Cosmic nodded and pulled the bolt of the carbine with her teeth. “I’ll grind Lyra into meat myself. Let her finally die for real.”

The fox didn’t answer, just pulled the hood of the invisibility cloak.

Cosmic glanced at the PipBuck’s locator and zoomed out to the minimum.

“Somepony’s approaching.”

“Must be robots,” Tails said. “I saw a few on the way here. Robobrains mostly, but there’s been some more dangerous ones…”

“Well, better than cyberghouls," the earth pony snorted, and when the two red marks came a little closer, she poked her head cautiously into the corridor.

And stepped back immediately.

They were indeed robots – the same ones Lyra had shown them. Cosmic didn’t want to know if they’d originally belonged to the security system or been made of Sample Dample’s followers, but it didn’t matter. She was disgusted at the very thought that someone’s brain could have been taken during the war just to be stuffed into an emotionless machine.

I can see why you want to replay the whole thing, Lyra, she thought. Sweat broke out on her forehead from the tension. But you’re making a big mistake with your methods. You are no better than those you want to fight. And you must pay for your crimes.

“On the count of three,” Cosmic said hoarsely. “I pop out and rip them to shreds, and we run straight to the control room. We must stop Lyra before she casts her spell.”

“She has my needle,” Sonic reminded her. “If she finds a way to plug it in, she can start at any time.”

“Just hurry up. Maybe she’ll put all her resources into stopping us now. Okay, one… two… three!”

Cosmic grabbed her carbine with her teeth and looked out into the corridor.

The robots were very close, no more than a few meters from the entrance of the room. Luckily, they were moving slowly enough.

The first shot blew one Robobrain’s head off, and it froze into a useless mass of metal. The second managed to shoot lightning, but the discharge hit the doorjamb – Cosmic was no longer there.

Because she was in the corridor itself.

While the remaining robot was recharging its weapon, the mare had time to leap at him and roll across the floor to the Robobrain’s back.

A precise blow with the buttstock and another tank with somepony’s gray matter was shattered.

“C’mon!” she hissed through the carbine’s mouthgrip between her teeth. “Tailf, leaf uf!”

The fox nodded. He threw off the hood of his cloak so that Cosmic and the others (except Amy and Cream, who were under the cloak) could see him, and ran down the corridor.

The rest of the group followed in his wake.

The corridors with identical metal-clad walls, lit by the dim flicker of red emergency lights, looked a little eerie. Cosmic thought that this was roughly what a Stable might look like from the inside. Anyway, this bunker did not give the impression of scientific grandeur that would be typical for a research center. Instead, it made her want to run as far away from here as possible.

But Cosmic could not leave her mission unfinished. Now she felt some excitement, trying to imagine herself as the hunter and Lyra as the prey.

However, the earth pony was still worked up. The way through the dark underground corridors was not an easy one, as the team had just been able to see for themselves.

Every few steps she glanced at the E.F.S. The red dots were wandering somewhere in the distance, at the edge of the small device’s field of view. But she realized that here, because of the interference from those identical, pressing walls, the enemies might not even be visible around the next corner.

Tails was running pretty fast. He appeared to have a good idea where the control room of this place was. But given the fox’s experience and ingenuity, he could basically get control of all the systems from anywhere.

However, the Center’s guards and its crazy mistress would hardly be happy about that.

The invisibility cloak hid those underneath it perfectly from sensors, so the turrets that hung from the ceiling in some places turned first to Cosmic and the others. And the mare almost always managed to destroy the mounted guns with a precise burst from her carbine before they opened fire. And even if they did, she successfully dodged, and Sky Bloom’s assault rifle finished the job.

Ahead was a fork in the road. The corridor went straight – and at the same time took an angle to the left. Cosmic hadn’t seen any ghouls yet, and there didn’t seem to be any robots in sight either, which made her a little uneasy.

Well, things just could not go that smoothly. Especially now, when their fate was about to be decided.

When the branch was literally a few steps away, Cosmic looked at the E.F.S. again. And went cold.

Just around the corner appeared a cluster of approaching red dots.

“Stop, Tails!” she said in a loud whisper, slowing down.

But it was too late.

Tails stopped abruptly, causing his hood fall off.

Right in front of what the PipBuck thought were enemies.

A barrage of gunfire threw the fox’s body back against the wall. Squealing, Cream and Amy scrambled out from under the cloak and hid behind their friends’ backs.

A pool of blood spread rapidly beneath Tails, who was barely covered by his torn cloak.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!” Cosmic heard someone yelling right above his ear.

And turned around.

She wanted to scream in disbelief and fire a whole magazine back at the shooters. Tails had been with them almost from the beginning – and without him, they certainly wouldn’t have gotten this far! What’s more, they would have all died a few minutes ago! It couldn’t end like that for the fox! It was just unfair…!

But the blue earth pony was overtaken.

A familiar hand snatched Dan out of her holster and a couple of extra magazines from her pouches – and with a furious roar, Sonic, two submachine guns in his hands, sprinted to the fork in the road and headed towards the enemies.

“Stop, you idiot!” Cosmic yelled, running after him.

And was stunned when she saw the scene of another battle from the corner of the corridor.

Four cybergouls in armored vests were dropping magazine after magazine from their automatic rifles at Sonic. The bullets buzzed through the air like a swarm of angry bees, ready to sink their steel stingers into the alien’s flesh.

But the blue hedgehog didn’t seem to care. Snarling with desperation and rage, he marched straight for the ghouls, firing his submachine guns at them with both hands. Sonic’s needles glowed with bluish electric flashes, making the hedgehog look eerie in the corridor’s darkness.

His figure flickered repeatedly, appearing here and there like a hologram: using his natural ability to speed up his personal time, Sonic dodged the bullets in one fluid motion.

While continuing to fire at the targets himself.

The ghouls’ heads exploded with shards of flesh and the viscous liquid replacing their blood. The bodies fell to the floor with a thud, completing the design of the corridor.

Time flashed one last time with bright blue lightning, and then it went on again.

On the floor, among the nearly decapitated pony corpses, now dead forever, with unloaded submachine guns in his hands, Sonic crouched, sobbing quietly.

Then the hedgehog lifted his head and wailed again, “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

Soft sobs were heard again. “Tails… how’s that… you–”

“He’s alive,” Shadow’s voice came from behind him.

Sonic turned sharply, his eyes wide open in disbelief.

The black hedgehog sat over the fox, who was lying in a pool of blood and whom Sky Bloom hastily bandaged with his telekinesis. The bandages, found in the ruins of The Republic, were quickly getting wet and soaked red.

In a flash, Sonic was at their side, clutching Tails’ palm in his hands.

“He’s breathing,” Shadow continued. “But he’s already lost a lot of blood – and unless we do something miraculous now, he probably won’t survive.”

“There are… medical… capsules…” the fox whispered suddenly and coughed.

A spray of blood from his mouth splattered the white fur on his chest.

“Shhh! You can’t talk!” Amy shouted.

Cream, clutching Cheese to her chest, was just sitting next to them crying.

“Where?” asked Knuckles in a low voice.

“There… ahead and to the right… the third… door…”

“Where do we go? Where is Lyra?” Cosmic asked.

Please, not now…

But the fox didn’t have the strength to speak anymore. Another clot of blood escaped from his mouth, and the thin hand in the red-stained white glove rose for a moment, pointing to the side corridor at the fork…

And then it fell, never to move again.

“No! Tails…!” Sonic cried, resting his forehead on his friend’s chest.

Cosmic watched them – and the gears in her head were turning as usual. The mare realized once again that she was the leader of the group – and responsible for everyone who stayed with her.

There was no time to hesitate. Every second could cost the fox his last chance of survival.

“Sky Bloom!” Cosmic called, turning to the unicorn.

He understood her right away. He simply nodded, picked up Tails’ light body with his magic and galloped down the corridor in the direction given.

The rest of the group stayed where they were, waiting for Sky Bloom to return.

There was an oppressive silence at the fork. Everyone was standing or sitting on the floor with their heads down. Sonic covered his face with his hands and was trembling.

Soon, the unicorn returned, and all eyes were on him.

“I put him in the capsule,” Sky Bloom said quietly. “He’s floating in the biogel now. I don’t know how much it will help. We can only hope.”

Cosmic nodded and turned to Sonic. “Are you okay? Can you keep going?”

“Y… yes,” the hedgehog said and rose to his feet. His eyes blazed with the green fire of revenge. “We can’t leave it like this. She must answer for everything!”

“Now you understand why I was so eager to come here,” Cosmic said and stepped into the side corridor where Tails had pointed. She turned her head to the others. “Let’s go. We don’t need to be attacked again.”

…They broke through.

Ten ghouls with assault rifles and plasma guns. Four Robobrains with electro-emitters and even a Protectron, a pony-like robot on four legs with a laser weapon.

All were swept away, crushed, destroyed by the barrage of fire from Cosmic and her team. In return, a laser-burned furrow appeared on the mare's armor, and Sky Bloom was rubbing the plasma burn on his neck.

The blue earth pony was especially pleased that they had managed to get some ammunition, so they would definitely have some left over for the battle with Lyra. Amy and Cream had to take the “vacated” guns that fired green plasma clots; these strange-looking, angular weapons were powered by ordinary spark batteries.

And now the girls poured scalding plasma onto the heavy steel door of the RC-13 control room. Cosmic and the others stood nearby with their weapons drawn.

So that when they were done, they could storm in and put an end to the atrocities of the ancient cyberghoul. And to save the whole world from destruction, which, after all, according to Lyra’s story, was the one that gave life to Equestria.

How ironic. Cosmic grinned as she watched Cream and Amy work. To win, we break a wall. The fourth wall. Which, as Lyra said, doesn’t exist. Well, it’s time to break it for real and burst onto the stage from the auditorium for once.

“What if we’re too late?” Sky Bloom asked suddenly. Cosmic turned to him with an annoyed look. “No, seriously. While we were on our way here, she could have done whatever she wanted a thousand times over.”

“I don’t think so,” Sonic shook his head. “She’d have to control everything now here to catch us again. And besides, Lyra, like Eggman, still has to connect my needle to her machine. Judging by her showing off for us, she–”

“…might’ve had everything ready for us when we woke up,” Sky Bloom finished. “Do you have any idea who you’re up against? I don’t, to be honest, not completely. You can expect anything from her, every possible trap.”

“No matter,” Cosmic said. “Now we have only one way. Inside. And whatever comes. At least we’ll do what we have to.”

…or die, Sky Bloom’s gaze read.

But the unicorn remained silent, and Cosmic was grateful. There was no point in sowing uncertainty with so much at stake.

Finally, a hole with melted green edges became visible in the door, and Amy and Cream immediately began widening it with more shots. The girls stood on the sides of the doorway so they wouldn’t get shot accidentally.

Cosmic stood low, clenching the trigger guard of her carbine with her teeth.

Just a little more and she would be able to pay Lyra back for all the crimes the unicorn had committed.

Pew… pew… pew… pew…

When the hole was big enough for a pony, Cosmic took off and rushed in. The others followed.

The room they found themselves in was even larger than it appeared on the video feed. The walls of the huge, high-ceilinged room were lined with various terminals, consoles, and control panels. There were also doors to the left and right, currently closed. On the right side was a platform that served as the starting point for the time machine.

Opposite the entrance was the very metal casing behind which the experimental reactor was obviously running. To the side, Cosmic noticed a section of bare wall with shackles attached – just like where they had escaped from. The concrete, uncovered by steel plates at that spot, was speckled with time-blackened, ominous splatters. This was most likely where Lyra had once killed those who dared to oppose her.

The unicorn herself stood near the casing, using her telekinesis to carefully fix Sonic’s needle between the two contacts in the glass flask.

“Surrender, Lyra!” Cosmic shouted through the weapon clenched between her teeth. “You’ve lost!”

Her squad, also aiming their barrels at the cyberghoul, stood in a semicircle, cutting off Lyra’s chance of escape.

“Really?” the unicorn replied, backing away from the hull to face Cosmic.

The blue pony’s fur rose at the sight of the triumphant smile on the ghoul’s face.

The needle slid into place. It glowed blue-white and a dancing lightning bolt flickered between the contacts. A humming sound filled the hall, followed by the crackle of electricity.

Lyra laughed out loud.

“As if to say! I’ve won, you morons!” Her horn glowed again, and she magically pressed a few buttons. “You better turn around or you’ll become a sieve.”

Doors clanged open at the sides, and Cosmic’s blood froze in her veins. Slowly, as if her neck had gone wooden in an instant, the earth pony turned her head. And her eyes widened in disbelief and horror.

The ghouls were entering the hall. There were clearly more of them than those the squad had slaughtered on the way here. And every one of them had a weapon pointed at Cosmic, Sky Bloom, or the aliens.

The earth pony’s eyes widened at the sight of such an army; by the third dozen, she had lost count. The enemies were too numerous. And even if she went on a desperate attack now, her friends would definitely be killed.

Clang! The plasma rifle that Cream had dropped clattered to the floor.

Lyra’s grin grew even wider.

“See? You underestimated me, and badly. Did you really think I would let you just come in here? Hook them up,” she added to the ghouls.

In the crosshairs of dozens of guns, Cosmic and the others were pinned to the wall with shackles and, despite their resistance, placed in rusty steel hoofcuffs. Before that, their weapons were taken from them.

The earth pony even kicked some ghouls in the face – but the butt of the gun nearly knocked out her eye, and deprived of her trusty Argument, she focused on how not to go mad from the sharp, throbbing pain.

Opening her other eye, she looked sideways at her entire squad chained to the wall on her right.

Sonic, Knuckles… Amy… Cream and Cheese… Shadow…

Some, like herself, seemed to disbelieve what was about to happen and stared blankly in front of them, including Sonic and Cream; some, on the contrary, were still trying to fight back, like Knuckles, who was shaking his hands in his bracelets with an angry growl; others seemed to have already accepted their unenviable fate, simply hanging in chains with their heads down. Like Sky Bloom, who had fallen silent to her left with a lost look.

A tear slid down Cosmic’s cheek. Tickling her chin, it fell to the floor with a soft drip.

I failed them after all, came a distant thought. All of them. No one deserved what Lyra had in store for us. But I tried… I at least tried to protect them. And so…

The earth pony raised her head.

…I forgive myself. And I know who is really to blame.

The ghouls lined up before them in two staggered rows. Two for each prisoner. The rest of them guarded the exits and Lyra – who came closer with her dainty needlegun and stood directly in front of Cosmic.

“Did you think you could outplay me?” the unicorn spat, leaning closer; like the other ghouls, she smelled like a corpse… which she had actually been for two centuries. “I am the one who outplayed you! And now…” she drew back, grinning again, “I’ll destroy you.”

Then Lyra lowered her gaze and touched Cosmic’s armor with her hoof.

“What do we have here…? Ah…” The unicorn shook her head. “Seriously?”

Her cybernetic eye flashed – and the red laser beam that came out of it went through the seams of the reinforced clothing. Cosmic froze, afraid to move. She smelled the stifling smell of burnt fur. Her own fur.

Soon the laser went out and Lyra’s horn glowed yellow. A slight flick of her telekinesis was enough for the armor, almost cut in two, to fall from the blue mare’s body.

The unicorn then did the same to Sky Bloom’s armor.

Accompanied by four cyberghouls, she stepped out of the line of fire – and caught Cosmic’s hateful glare.

“No one will save you this time,” she hissed, then turned to her soldiers, who were standing with their weapons at the ready, and ordered, “Fire!”

Now Cosmic’s whole life really flashed before her eyes. The moment stretched out like a rubber band. Amazing how much can be packed into such a small amount of time.

There was no escape. She knew that.

They all knew that.

But they didn’t want to believe it until the very end.

The cyberghoul before her grinned wickedly. An orange-brown earth pony with shabby skin, disfigured by Lyra’s augmentations all over his body.

Then he touched with his teeth the cables of his battle saddle with two assault rifles on it.

And the shots rang out.

But… not quite from the expected direction.

Cosmic watched with an absent gaze as the heads of the ghouls opposite her and Sky Bloom exploded in a spray of pale and viscous goo – and the bodies fell to the floor under the inertia of the bullets.

Somewhere thousands of miles away, Amy’s scream and Knuckles’ gasp broke off.

Plasma flashed several times, and the three of the “firing squad” standing closest to Sonic were instantly reduced to puddles of green slime.

Mouth agape and eyes bulging in amazement, Cosmic turned her head – and saw herself and Sonic on that very round platform where no one had been before!

The other Cosmic was wearing her own armor, but as if Lyra hadn’t cut it with her laser! In the hands of the second Sonic was a plasma rifle, firing scalding greenish clots.

Disbelieving her eyes, the earth pony jerked her head to look at the “original” Sonic. But the chained blue hedgehog, who, like Sky Bloom and Cosmic, had been untouched by the gunfire, stared at his exact – but, unlike him, free – copy with the same stunned expression.

The ghouls’ attention immediately shifted to the newcomers. Those of the undead ponies farther away managed to fire a few bullets at the defenseless prisoners, and the floor was covered in blood.

The second Cosmic was shooting furiously. Constantly dodging bullets and rolling across the floor, she occasionally had time to press the button to activate the E.F.S. – but even without it, she remained deadly accurate. The earth pony’s head twitched time and time again as the weapon clenched between her teeth fired. The ghouls fell one by one – even though some of them definitely had a sight installed in their brains. They didn’t stand a chance against such fierce fire.

Meanwhile, several plasma clots flew toward Lyra. The unicorn created a shield in front of her and tried to aim her needlegun at the second Sonic. But the blue hedgehog threw his rifle away – and then lunged at Lyra in a blurry silhouette!

The small pistol that had fallen from her magical grip flew away. There was a deafening thud as Sonic slammed Lyra into the metal-clad wall at full speed.

Now the hedgehog was standing over the seemingly unconscious unicorn, her crumpled body sticking out of a deep dent, and breathing heavily. Suddenly he thrust his face up to the ceiling and cried out as if in unbearable pain. Seeing his friends’ bleeding bodies, Cosmic realized he had reason to despair.

And then something happened.

The rings, which had been lying scattered on the ground, all of a sudden began to glow. The glow grew stronger and stronger, and then they flashed with a bright white light! From each ring, a thin thread of light darted to Sonic…

And the hedgehog was transformed.

His needles were no longer blue, but glittering gold. And his huge eyes – even bigger than Cosmic’s and the other ponies’ – looked out at the world with pupils that had not green, but red irises.

Super Sonic. That’s the form he used to defeat Eggman last time. Tails told me…

The now golden Sonic’s howl of despair had imperceptibly changed to a furious growl. The hedgehog slowly brandished a fist in a blood-stained white glove, clearly intending to drive Lyra into the wall once and for all.

Cosmic held her breath. Could this be the time when it would finally be over…?

But her hopes were premature.

Super Sonic’s fist smashed into the wall with a force many times greater than a sledgehammer. Concrete chips and metal shards flew in all directions.

But Lyra was no longer there.

At the last moment, the unicorn dodged the blow and jumped out of the dent made by her own body. The golden hedgehog, snarling, immediately turned to face her. And jumped.

What started next, Cosmic could not call it anything but a dance. With dizzying speed, the hedgehog and the undead pony came together in a melee. Lyra let her fingers out of her steel hooves again, and now she was fighting hand-to-hand with Super Sonic.

Each blow was so powerful that it would have ended the fight immediately, so instead of a bloody brawl, the eyes of the original Cosmic saw a spectacle of unimaginable maneuvers, grabs, and dodges. The figures of both became blurred shadows; the blows came so fast that Lyra didn’t even seem to have time to cast a shield. It was up to the endurance – or cunning – of the combatants to decide the outcome.

Meanwhile, the second Cosmic continued with the ghouls. When she ran out of ammo for her carbine, she didn’t hesitate to pull her weapon belt off her neck and pick up the plasma rifle dropped by the second Sonic. Hiding behind one of the consoles, the mare fired at the ghouls, keeping them away from her. The crackling of the bursts was deafening; the terminals shattered one by one under the assault of stray bullets.

And the prisoners, still in chains, watched all this from the front row.

“You’re a good fighter,” Super Sonic said, landing after a backflip to dodge Lyra’s telekinetic bullets and lunging at the unicorn again.

“The Still Way[3],” she breathed out, and responded with a series of blows. “Lets you… focus on your goal and… go for it… no matter what!”

And she swung her steel hoof at the hedgehog’s waist in a spinning leap.

But he avoided the blow and managed to grab the unicorn’s leg. With a growl of exertion, he tried to lift her into the air with one hand and slam her to the ground, but Lyra obviously had other plans.

She turned her laser back on. The red beam streaked across the room above the floor, causing Super Sonic to jump up and lose his concentration for a moment.

But it was enough for the ancient cyberghoul.

She wrenched her leg out of the hedgehog’s grasp and kicked him in the head with her hind hooves, sending him flying far across the hall.

“Noooo!” yelled the “original” Cosmic and Sonic simultaneously as they watched Super Sonic’s body fly away and bounce off the floor.

Soon he came to a stop. The golden glow that had enveloped the hedgehog’s body was gone, and the rings no longer glowed. Super Sonic was back to normal Sonic, lying motionless on the ground.

Right in front of the second Cosmic.

Not a single ghoul was left around her. The plasma rifle was aimed at Lyra.

Puff! – a green, scalding blob burst from its muzzle…

And spread across the magical shield put up by the unicorn.

The second Cosmic did not fire again. Both mares stood, breathing heavily, and looked at each other.

Lyra snorted. The corner of her mouth curled up in a sneer.

“And you think… you’ve traveled through time… and that’s why you can defeat me?!”

Suddenly, she lunged forward, pushing off the ground with her steel hooves. Cosmic fired a few shots, but the unicorn’s magic simply swept the plasma away. The rifle flew sideways from the force of the impact, finally slamming its barrel into the belly of one of the slain ghouls.

The two ponies collided and rolled to the ground.

“No! Cosmic…!” Sky Bloom shouted.

But shackled, he could do nothing to help his companion’s doppelganger.

Lyra raised her heavy hoof and struck the second Cosmic in the face. Then again, and again.

Blood spurted with a muffled slurping sound. But the blue pony didn’t fight back.

And that was the worst of it.

The steel leg rose again – and stopped in mid-air.

“Brace for death, Cosmic Valor!” Lyra hissed and punched Cosmic in the face one last time.

Then she stood up, towering over the earth pony. The unicorn’s cyber eye flashed red again.

Cosmic – the “original” one – froze with her mouth open, unable to breathe.

Except her gaze wasn’t on Lyra. She was looking somewhere slightly behind her.

The gunshots crackled dryly. The unicorn straightened up, her mouth open as if in terrible pain.

And then she collapsed sideways.

For behind her, with a bloodied forehead, was Sonic on a knee, clutching Argument. An exact duplicate of Cosmic’s carbine – but from another time. The magazine sticking out of the weapon was clearly taken from one of the ghouls.

The “original” Cosmic’s eyes widened as she realized it.

Last Argument totally justified its name.

Suddenly, there was a soft chuckle that soon turned into an uncontrollable laugh.

It was the second Cosmic.

She clumsily rose to her hooves, smiling broadly with her bloody face. Then she walked over to “her” Sonic, and he put the weapon belt back around her neck.

“Yes, Lyra,” the mare whispered, spitting up blood. By the sound of it, along with another tooth. “I traveled, so I knew you’d lose.”

Slowly, unhurriedly, like a judge pronouncing sentence and an executioner responsible for its fulfillment, the second Cosmic approached the still twitching unicorn, who stared upward with a mad, glazed look. Then she stood over Lyra, aiming her carbine at the cyberghoul.

“I must give you credit – you’ve made some impressive progress in magic. To have waited for so many years for the right time to finish what you’ve started is truly remarkable. But…”

The blue earth pony shook her head.

“You’ve miscalculated, Lyra. I don't know what your ‘Still Way’ was, but you’ve clearly forgotten some important principles of your teachings. You let your hatred throw your mind off balance, and now you’re reaping the consequences of your own actions. And I’m sure… you were lonely. You even blabbed your plan to us, your victims, because you had no one to talk to… except your own minions. And Sample Dample. He’s the one who really didn’t deserve his fate.”

Carbine barrel pressed into the cyberghoul’s forehead, just below the horn.

“You’ve done much bad. And it’s time to pay for it.” Cosmic moved her mouth closer to the trigger. “Farewell, Lyra.”

Her tongue habitually went to the trigger.

But then Lyra’s red eye lit up – and the laser beamed upwards again!

The blue earth pony jumped back with a fresh, smoking scorch on her armor. With a face contorted with rage, the unicorn tried to get up…

But Cosmic, apparently having entered the E.F.S., emptied her remaining clip right into her head.

Not even the shield Lyra had created with the remnants of her magic helped. Three bullets bounced off the yellowish transparent field that appeared in the air – but then at least ten went straight into her skull.

Lyra Heartstrings was dead. Completely and utterly.

After standing over the body for a second, the other Cosmic turned and ran toward the prisoners. Her companion was already there – using a key borrowed from someone else to free the unconscious aliens from their bonds.

“Knuckles…” the ‘real’ Sonic sobbed quietly as he looked at his bullet-riddled friends. “Amy… Cream… Shadow…”

“They must be put into medical capsules immediately!” his double replied, grunting as he laid the black hedgehog on the ground, pulled from his chains. “We’ve wasted enough time already…!”

The second Sonic began to free himself.

Cosmic, meanwhile, stared at her own copy standing in front of her.

“Remember, I’m you, but twenty minutes later. Once we get your… our friends to the infirmary, Sky Bloom will replace the spell matrix in the machine, and you’ll be transported back in time. You won’t have to work very hard to do it exactly the same way: I did what I thought was right, and so will you. After all,” the second Cosmic smiled, and her ‘original’ shuddered at the sight of herself with blood dripping from her chin, “we certainly think alike.”

The ‘first’ Cosmic nodded tensely, then frowned. “And the armor…?”

“Sky Bloom will fix it,” the doppelganger said, but after a moment’s thought she turned to the white unicorn. “Remember Life Bloom. Remember what he taught you. Got it?”

“Yes,” he nodded and looked at the other Sonic, who, having finished with the ‘initial’ himself and Cosmic, began to free him. “I never thought I’d need this.”

“Everything comes in useful in life,” the second Cosmic remarked. “The main thing is to wait for the right moment.”

“Ugh…” Sky Bloom fell out of the shackles on the floor and stretched his hooves. He looked at the emotionless aliens and sighed, “Each of you take one of them and follow me.”

His horn lit up, and Shadow’s body, enveloped in the pale glow of telekinesis, rose above the ground.

Finally, already on her way to the exit with Knuckles slung over her croup, Cosmic looked back at Lyra. The unicorn lay on her side, her muzzle torn by the bullets. Only her upturned horn and huge yellow eye, frozen wide open in disbelief, made it possible to recognize her as the same light green pony. And it seemed as if she might wake up at any moment, eager to finish what she had started.

Cosmic stopped, then ran up to her. Raising a hoof, the blue earth pony gently lowered Lyra’s bloodied eyelid.

The cyberghoul would certainly not awaken now.

Cosmic stood still for a second, pondering what had prompted her to grant Lyra this last courtesy. Why hadn’t she done the same for Metal Dawn? Was it really about feeling sorry for her enemy? And if so, why now…?

Shaking her head, Cosmic walked back to the door where the others were waiting for her. Her doppelganger from the future was carrying Cream, Sky Bloom – Shadow and both Sonics – Amy.

Doesn’t matter. If someone is writing this story, they just picked the right clichés.

After all, Metal Dawn was just scum.

And Lyra was scum with a backstory.

Minutes later, after placing the wounded in medical capsules, two Cosmics, two Sonics, and Sky Bloom returned to the control room.

The blue hedgehog and his doppelganger from the future looked particularly depressed. Not without reason – their entire team had almost been killed in less than half an hour! But Sky Bloom reassured them that with enough biogel, they could be back on their feet in a week or two. Besides, the capsule autosurgeons had already removed the bullets, so all they had to do was wait for the wounds to heal and the blood loss to be replenished.

Cosmic also appreciated the capabilities of the medical unit. The robotic surgeon injected her doppelganger’s gums with anesthetic, quickly inserted dentures to replace knocked-out teeth, and also flooded everything with biogel. The healing potions in the fridge had long since turned from healing purple ambrosia to smelly brown stuff, so the earth pony from the future just washed the blood off her face and put an enchanted bandage on her broken nose.

Naturally, Lyra needed no medical supplies for her cyberghouls. They didn’t use combat drugs, and any injuries could be healed by biogel, which was available in abundance here, or by radiation. Especially for this purpose, barrels of radioactive waste were stacked in one of the back rooms, visible through a window in the thick leaded door, and the PipBuck strongly advised Cosmic not to go inside.

Entering through the hole back into the spacious room, the earth pony looked around in amazement at the carnage. The floor was littered with corpses and covered in blood; broken terminals sparked here and there, and splinters crunched underhoof.

“We’ll clean it up later,” the second Cosmic said, noticing the change in her “original’s” expression. “First we must send you back in time to do what we did.”

“That’s some kind of time loop,” Sky Bloom shook his head and walked over to the reactor casing, where Sonic’s needle was still sparking in the flask. “A paradox that shouldn’t exist…”

“But it does. Which means it’s something to be reckoned with.”

“Yes, but… what about the spell matrix?” asked the “original” Cosmic. “Lyra had to replace it to carry out her plan–”

“But she had to leave the old one somewhere,” her doppelganger objected. “And the most logical place was here, in this room.”

“Wait, don’t you know where?” frowned the “original” Sonic.

The pony from the future grinned.

“Apparently, this part of the paradox is what I avoided.” She waved her hoof, circling the hall. “Spread out here and search. Must be one somewhere.”

“What does this… matrix even look like?” Sonic asked. “Like some microchip?”

“Yeah, like that,” replied the second Cosmic, probably considering his technical illiteracy. “Like a very, very elaborate microchip.”

The group dispersed across the hall.

A few minutes later, as she pulled the drawers out of the consoles’ bases and dumped their contents on the floor, the “original” Cosmic heard the voice of the doppelganger behind her back, “Aha, there it is!”

And she did it on purpose! the mare suddenly realized. So that I from the past couldn’t see where she had found it and couldn’t know what I would find out in the future!

She turned around. The second Cosmic was sitting on the ground, carefully holding something in her hooves that looked like a square circuit board about half a meter across. Only instead of chips and transistors, the metal plate had magic crystals and other smaller matrices soldered to it, connected by tracks and wires.

An impressive device. One that could really send you through time.

“And the place to plug it in is probably… here!”

The pony from the future pointed to a shaded, almost invisible window at the bottom of the casing. Behind the thick glass was a similar circuit of the same size.

“Sky Bloom?”

The unicorn nodded, his horn glowing. After a while, the door slid aside.

But something interfered with the removal of the “altered” matrix and the insertion of the “normal” one. A reddish force field, blazing in a half-dome around the circuit.

“So… what now?” asked the “original” Sonic. “How do we turn this thing off, does anyone know?”

“Of us – no,” smiled the second Cosmic, looking at “her” blue hedgehog. “But we seem to know someone who does.”

“Uh… what do you mean?”

The pony from the future didn’t answer. Instead, she walked towards one of the terminals.

The “original” Cosmic’s eyes widened as she realized what her copy was about to do.

“Well… look at the logs… aha, here’s the right command…” she muttered as she tapped the keys. “Type it in… A-a-a-a-and… done!”

The tip of the hoof pressed Enter.

The familiar niche in the wall opened again and the tank with the pony’s body slid out of it.

“That nitwit, playing a dictator, even forgot to log out of her account…” muttered the second Cosmic and turned to the pony floating in the jar. “Erm… Professor, can you hear me?”

“Yes,” shrieked the loudspeaker built into the glass tank. “I can hear everything.”

“Good. Then could you tell me how to deactivate the force field around the matrix? We want to replace the one Lyra made with a standard one.”

“Access the system from terminal seven–”

“I’m afraid that’s impossible,” said the “original” Cosmic, looking at the smashed monitor with the number 7 in the upper right corner. “It’s broken.”

“Then try number three. I’ll tell you how to connect to the right circuit…”

After a few minutes, the protective barrier was removed.

Sky Bloom carefully pulled out Lyra's matrix (which, by the way, looked even more elaborate) with telekinesis and placed the correct circuit board in the holders. The “original” Cosmic closed the window, and her doppelganger – also following Sample Dample’s instructions – turned the force field back on.

“There’s just one thing left to do,” said the pony from the future, “how to start it.”

“Terminal one,” the professor replied at once. “The launch button is also there on the panel.”

Both Cosmics turned their heads and looked at the only reinforced terminal in the room, next to which there was a big red button behind the glass.

“But to unlock it you need a special code – and fortunately I know it. That’s my personal access key – the only part of the system Lyra hadn’t been able to reconfigure for herself.” A bitter chuckle came from the speaker. “That’s why… she made it so I couldn’t physically get to the control panel.”

“Professor,” said the second Cosmic. “Lyra is gone. And her army too. There are only us. Her creation, of course, is brilliant in its own way… but also terrible. Like megaspells. But no… many times worse. Possessing what was essentially a time machine, but without the means to start it, Lyra didn’t bother to remove the only obstacle before her. Instead, she wanted to destroy the other world first – and only then fix her own. But it doesn’t work that way! You can’t come to good by planning the crime first. And so we’ll strive to use the fruits of your labor only for good purposes.”

“Dostoyevsky would’ve appreciated that…” the second Sonic snorted. All eyes turned to him. “What? Sometimes Shadow could say even weirder stuff…”

The blue pony from the future went to adjust the terminal settings. Cosmic from the present went to the other half of the room, where Sky Bloom and “her” Sonic were.

The unicorn was sitting on the floor, leaning over the ruined armor and muttering something. The tip of his horn glowed from time to time.

“No luck?”

“Can’t focus,” he sighed. “Life Bloom was my first… and only mentor in magic… until he left. We were supposed to forget him. Because he’s–”

“Don’t worry, he’s straight. They just didn’t understand him. So he went to a place where he’d be understood. And everypony came to their own conclusions.”

“And I wondered why we always felt like we weren’t being told something,” the unicorn grinned.

“Relax. Just let go of whatever’s in your way and remember what he taught you. I’m sure you can do it.”

“I’ll try,” Sky Bloom said, his horn glowing again.

Leaving his friend to work on the armor, Cosmic approached Sonic, who was standing over three plasma rifles stacked in a row, thinking hard about something.

“…These two were here,” he pointed to the two rifles on the left. “And this one” – now to the right – “I brought from the future. But how do I know which is the right one? What happens if I choose the wrong gun?”

“An interesting question,” came the voice from across the room.

The mare and the hedgehog looked over – and it took Cosmic a lot of effort not to take a dump right there. Sample Dample stared at them from his tank with his pale, empty eye sockets.

“Before this, the whole theory of time travel was largely speculative,” he continued. “Any conclusions could only be drawn from the two documented cases of Princess Twilight traveling back a few days to herself, and then following her future assistant, Starlight Glimmer, to Cloudsdale… But now I have the third, more substantial case of a complete time loop, which seems to be possible within the same universe. No doubt I can greatly enrich my calculations… But back to the point. I think that if you take another rifle from the past, a new time loop will be created. Everything will change according to the new chain of cause and effect. But if you take the weapon from the future…” the professor paused to let everyone, so to speak, feel the situation. “…the consequences may be unpredictable. A locked time loop will be formed – which will probably separate from the main thread into a loop anomaly, and the events here will go on as if they never happened at all…”

“Thanks, we don’t need that,” Cosmic said.

If she doesn’t come to her own aid, there’s a hundred percent chance she’ll be dead. And moving to another version of the present will not be possible.

She turned to Sonic. “Look at the serial number. It’s on the barrels on the left.”

“Oh, indeed,” he replied, sitting down and looking at the rifles. “Well, here is 253438… this one has 259671… and this one too!” The hedgehog beamed at Cosmic. “Looks like we’ll avoid the paradox now!”

“And thanks to Celestia,” said the mare. “Alright, I’ll go get some ammo for my Argument…”

Suddenly, she almost choked at the thought. She was going to kill the ghouls with their own ammunition from the future!

Each magazine had to be checked for ammunition and thoroughly cleaned of flesh. But it was worth it: after a quick reload, Cosmic looked at the eight full clips on the ground in front of her. Enough for a platoon of enemies.

“It works," she suddenly heard Sky Bloom’s voice.

The unicorn was all tensed up, his glowing horn could almost be used to light a cigarette – but he had an incredulous, joyful smile on his face.

Cosmic approached him – and realized what he was looking at. There was a short seam on the blue pony’s laser-mangled armor, as if it had been re-soldered.

“I remembered…” the stallion murmured. “Life Bloom… I’m sorry. I miss you so much…”

“He’s in Tenpony, working at Helpinghoof’s clinic,” Cosmic said. “He’s doing well. And in bed he’s good too.”

Sky Bloom looked up at her in surprise. The glow of his horn faded.

Shit. Just slipped out.

Cosmic put a hoof on his shoulder.

“Someday, I promise, you’ll be able to see him again. Because The Republic is us. As long as we’re alive, we can do anything. Now, come on,” she pointed to the armor. “Do what you have to. And whatever comes.”

Sky Bloom nodded and tensed again, his eyes and teeth clenched in effort. Sweat beaded on his forehead, but within moments, the strip of the armor’s mending seam stretched farther away.

Cosmic watched it in silent awe. Having no magic, the blue earth pony still saw it as a miracle deep inside.

Finally, both armors were back in one piece.

Sky Bloom breathed heavily and wiped the sweat from his face with his hoof. Cosmic even began to feel a little sorry for him. But on the other hand, by staying here in the future, the unicorn wasn’t putting himself in as much danger as she and Sonic were by going to fight Lyra again.

“Thank you. You really helped us out,” she said to the unicorn, putting on her armor. Then she turned to the hedgehog. “Are you ready?”

“Yes,” he replied, clutching his plasma rifle. There was a grim determination in his face. “I’m gonna take that scum down. You saw how.”

“I saw,” Cosmic nodded. “That’s why I know we can.”

“But only…” Sonic scratched the back of his head. “I still don’t get it: how did the rings turn me into Super Sonic? I mean, Shadow destroyed the Emeralds–”

“Yes, but their power could have gotten out,” the other Sonic said as he approached them. “And since you and I are the only ones here who’ve ever used it, it could have gotten into us, mixed with the energy in the needles. And the rings acted as an activator to awaken it.”

“You sound just like Tails,” the “original” grinned. But then he grew sad, remembering his friend.

“Now she’s for him,” the double waved his hand towards the second Cosmic, who was dealing with the terminal. “And we’re all the others.”

“Right.”

Two identical blue hedgehogs high-fived each other, and one of them – the one with the rifle – followed the “original” Cosmic toward the platform.

Above the metal disk, mounted on an intricately constructed pedestal, hung some sort of funnel – obviously the one that provided the transfer.

Cosmic swallowed. This was the first time she was about to go on an adventure like this.

But hadn’t she already been through an unimaginable chain of trials? Surviving wounded in the Wasteland, attempted suicide, Spike's sprite-bots raining down? The Everfree Forest, then imprisonment – and the devastation of her hometown? The battle with the Steel Rangers… and the deadly hell of Lyra’s dungeons.

Having been in trouble before, she was ready to face another.

If she was the protagonist, she would succeed.

The second Cosmic smiled at her and Sonic from her seat. Then she entered the code and pressed the start button.

The hum of the reactor went from quiet to overwhelming in an instant. The flask with the blue needle shimmered with lightning. Even through the dark glass, an unimaginably powerful charge of energy could be seen gathering over the spell matrix.

The funnel above their heads lit up with a steady blue glow. Immediately, an unbearably bright beam of light struck the matrix from above the reactor chamber!

“Let’s go…” came the voice of the second Sonic to the travelers.

And then the world disappeared in a bright flash.

Note: Level up.

Player: Cosmic Valor. Skills: Energy weapons – 50%, Science – 75%. New perk: Soldier’s Luck (level 1/3) – your critical damage chance is increased by 5%. Bonus perk: Sherlock Hooves (level 3/3) – adds eloquence to your thinking skills, allowing you to solve any mystery.

Player: Sonic. Skills: Survival – 100%, Energy weapons – 25%. New perk: Power of the Rings – now you can store the energy of the Chaos Emeralds and awaken it through the rings.

The quest stage “Survive” has been completed. Added new stage “Go back in time and defeat Lyra.”

[1] The fanfic by JasontheHuman, which reveals the fan story of Lyra Heartstrings.
[2] The fanfic by an anonymous author about the erotic adventures of a man in Equestria.
[3] Reference to the universe of the fanfic Xenophilia.

Chapter 19. From You, Two Hundred Years Ago

To understand ourselves, we must look to our own past. To our memories.

Fallout: Equestria, chapter 31

Memory Orb #1 – Rainbow Dash

She was a pegasus.

It determined her entire destiny, her entire life. Her wings gave her what had once been most important to her. Flight. The sensation of unimaginable speed beneath her feathers. And the pride that no pegasus had ever been born in Equestria who could fly faster.

Then everything changed. The country was plunged into war, and instead of enjoying a carefree life, she had to not only fly, but fight. Saving some lives, taking others. And hoping that at least tomorrow would bring less suffering and grief.

Then came the Ministry. She had little idea what to do in her high position, so she continued to do what she had learned in the war. Trying to make sure that Equestria, suffering in the technological race, would live at least one more day.

Eventually, an insight came to her, and she proposed the Single Pegasus Project. A weather control system that, it turned out, could be used as a weapon. Or as a key to her race’s survival when the world beneath the sky was burned to ashes.

And they survived. But chose to shut themselves away, in their illusory reality above the clouds. She tried to persuade them to help those left below… but in vain. After all, back in Equestria, she was a Ministry Mare and one of the most powerful ponies – but in the Grand Pegasus Enclave, actually led by her longtime rival Lightning Dust, she was just one of many.

So she had left. Flew away, determined to go it alone. They tried to kill her, and in some ways they succeeded. But no matter what, they could not extinguish her desire to help those who, unlike pegasi, could not hide behind the clouds. Albeit belatedly.

After all, she had once embodied the Element of Loyalty. And just as she couldn’t abandon her friends before, she couldn’t abandon Equestria now. Even if there was nothing left of Equestria. She simply couldn’t do otherwise.

She said all this out loud to the two ponies standing before her on the radiation-scorched plain beneath an impenetrable cloud cover. A dark brown stallion with a shotgun and a pale coffee-colored mare with a pistol, both wearing makeshift armor of scrap metal, their coats scarred from skirmishes with raiders. Both were refugees from a rural area unaffected by the megaspell blasts, recently overrun by a gang from around Hoofington.

Rainbow stumbled upon them that morning, circling aimlessly in the skies above the Wasteland. Hiding behind rocks, they were firing back at some stragglers, and the pegasus had picked a side in the fight. A few shots from the beam rifle and two of the raiders crumbled into pink ash, while the others scattered in terror.

It seemed wrong to abandon the survivors: who knew what else might happen to them.

“We understand,” replied the stallion named Shadow Runner. “So, if you don’t mind, we’d like to go with you.”

“Is it okay that I’m actually a ghoul? Aren’t you afraid that I’ll suddenly go crazy and grab you by the throat?”

“But you’ve saved us,” said Sandy Twirl, his companion. “It’s safer with you now. Besides, we have nowhere else to go,” she smiled a little embarrassed. “And about you being a ghoul… You’re a good ghoul for now. And if something happens… well, we’ll figure out how to escape you.”

The pegasus pondered for a few seconds before deciding.

“Alright. Let’s go. I usually hang out here around Hoof. Not many survivors in this area, but the ones who did make it, they’re acting like crap.”

“Yeah, we’ve noticed. Then if they attack, we’ll give them a lesson in manners.” Shadow Runner snorted and adjusted the shotgun on his back.

The trio headed onward across the barren desert.

With no goal, no hopes, and no dreams.

“…What is it?” Sandy asked, tilting her head to the side.

They were standing before some kind of structure rising from the sand and rocks around them. It looked like a small, windowless house with a low, rounded roof, all metal, with a heavy iron door and some kind of construction on top.

There were many ruined or dilapidated buildings around, but they were of no interest: no one lived in them, and there was nothing of value.

But this one was unclear.

“A bunker of some sort,” Runner said, and gave the door a light tap with his hoof. “Could it be one of those Stables we heard about before the war?”

“Nah, I don’t think so,” Rainbow shook her head, hovering in the air. “Then there must be a cogwheel-shaped door with a number on it… Though…” she pondered, “what if it’s inside…?”

“Well, I guess we won’t find out,” the stallion grinned. “You can’t even blast that thing with a tank!”

“And even a Sonic Rainboom probably won’t work…” the ghoul pegasus muttered. But immediately she perked up again. “Although, maybe try another way…?”

She flew up and hammered her hooves and the butt of her beam rifle against the solid door.

“Hey! Anypony in there?! We just wanna talk…!”

Suddenly, several panels on the seemingly flat steel wall slid aside, and Rainbow jerked back. An intimidating looking turret came out and stared at the three ponies. The superstructure on the roof also turned towards them, revealing itself to be a tank cannon and two machine guns.

“Wow, I was just kidding about the tank…” Runner muttered.

A creaky, electronically distorted voice came from an invisible speaker, “You are attempting to enter a restricted facility. Please leave and you’ll stay alive.”

It didn’t sound like a robot. It meant they were being given a chance, and they wouldn’t be massacred for nothing.

“Okay, okay, we’re leaving…” the stallion said and turned to get out of here with Sandy…

But the pegasus was not so easily intimidated.

“What the hay is a regime facility when the country’s been in ruins for fifteen years?! Who are you hiding from?! How are you even talking to the Minister of Awesome?!”

“We have security protocols that we still adhere to,” the voice replied evenly. “After losing communication with the center, contact with the outside world became even more impractical. If this is really you, Miss Dash, you should be aware of this. Confirm your identity – state your personal ministerial code.”

Rainbow glanced at her companions and said, as if reluctantly, “MA20PCI10SF.”

Ministry of Awesome. Twenty percent cooler in ten seconds flat.

So simple – and yet in her style.

For a while there was no action. Runner and Sandy huddled together, frozen in place, looking warily at the bunker. But Rainbow stood in the crosshairs of a dozen cannons, hooves spread wide, head held high and proud, gazing straight into the dark muzzles aimed at her.

Finally, the voice spoke again, this time a little confused.

“I’m sorry, Miss Dash, you don’t have the necessary security clearance. Nor does your escort. I can not let you in. I’m sorry.”

“And if I don’t leave? What, you’re gonna fire the whole damn thing and kill your Minister? Why don’t you say something, huh? Well, try it…!”

“We don’t report to you, Miss Dash, but to the Office of Interministry Affairs. You have no right to be here.”

“And where is that Office now? Wake up: the war is over, everypony has lost…!” The pegasus’ voice trembled with choked back tears… but everyone knew that ghouls couldn’t cry. “Celestia, Luna… they’re gone too. Just like the Ministries. Just like this bucking Office!” She stomped violently. “Nopony bucking needs you anymore! If someone isn’t dead, or dead but not quite like me, they’re busy surviving, not spying on others’ secrets! So… go to hay!” Rainbow turned and looked at the two ponies she had saved. “And we’ll move on. Find another place to rest for ourselves.”

“Wait,” the voice said suddenly.

Runner and Sandy looked up in confusion, and Rainbow turned back to the door.

“All right,” the voice said. “You’ve convinced me. Wait here, I’ll be right out.”

With a whirr of servos, the turrets retracted into the wall, and the tank cannon and machine guns on the roof curled back into small bulges.

A gust of wind stirred the dust at their hooves and ruffled their hair. The three waited in silence for the door to be opened.

At last, a clanking sound came from the bunker, and a short time later, the thick steel door swung open.

Standing on the threshold was an elderly lilac unicorn with a disheveled gray mane. His laundered lab coat was scorched in several places, and one lens in his scotch-taped, square, black plastic-rimmed glasses was cracked. His blue eyes, however, sparkled with life and passion for his work.

“I’m Professor Sample Dample,” he introduced himself. “Welcome to the O.I.A.’s Research Center Thirteen.”

Surprisingly, the bunker (or as the inhabitants called it, RC-13) turned out to be quite a decent structure.

The bright white light of the lamps flooded the corridors where the professor and the three surface ponies were walking. The whole place was clad in metal, and the flooring echoed with every step.

But the entire atmosphere of the place still felt dead.

“We’re scientists, not soldiers,” Sample Dample said. “The project we were sent here to work on was so secret they didn’t even give us pony guards. Just artillery from the Ministry of Wartime Technology at the entrance, and turrets and robot sentries from Robronco. Like this one, for example.”

He pointed with his hoof to a niche in the wall. There was a pony-like robot with a laser emitter where the eyes should have been.

“I guess you have Robobrains too,” Rainbow said.

The professor nodded. “Yes, and lots. Twenty, perhaps. A few Ponytrons, like this one. And that’s the end, unfortunately. We had been promised Mr. Gutsies and even Equidroids, but after the construction there wasn’t much money left for security. The rest, I think, was siphoned off in Canterlot.”

“Robobrains…?” Sandy repeated, apparently unfamiliar with the word.

“Robots with a pony brain instead of a central processing unit,” Sample Dumple explained calmly. “They started being used a few years after the war began. But they’re slow and with not very powerful weaponry – a laser or a stun gun…”

“But… that’s terrible!” exclaimed the mare. Her round eyes darted between the professor and Rainbow, who remained perfectly calm. “How can you use somepony’s… brains… ugh…”

“What do you think happened to the criminals who got the death penalty, for example?” The pegasus grinned wryly. “Their organs were transplanted to severely wounded soldiers – or used for other purposes, including robotics. So that they could serve Equestria and Princess Luna, at least in that form.”

Bitter sarcasm was clearly evident in her last words.

Sandy Twirl looked utterly shaken. “I think I’m gonna throw up…” she mumbled.

The professor stopped and silently pointed to a door they had just passed.

The mare rushed through it, which turned out to be a toilet, and a few seconds later the sounds of emptying stomach reached the others.

“Watch what you’re saying,” Runner grumbled unhappily. “If you hurt her, I’ll–”

Sample Dample turned to him and, without saying a word, pointed to the ceiling of the corridor, where a plasma turret looked out.

“Damn you…” the stallion muttered but did not pursue the matter. For his own good.

They walked in silence for a while. Then Rainbow asked, “What are you researching here that you’ve been locked underground? But of course, you’ll say it’s a military secret and blah blah blah like that…”

The professor smiled. “It is. Fifteen years ago, we lost contact with the center, and the surface sensors picked up a spike in the magical background that made us think something very serious had happened. But we couldn’t get outside to find out the details. Despite this, the secrecy protocols have not been lifted… until today. Consider it my personal responsibility to grant you a security clearance,” he added with a smile.

“Fifteen years… And you’ve been living here all this time!” Sandy marveled. “How did you get food…?”

“And by what bucking miracle did you keep your staff in line?” Runner muttered. “I mean, there must’ve been some crises here…”

“My friends, look around you,” Sample Dumple said, circling the minimalist interior of the corridor with his hoof. “We are in a well-functioning underground shelter with reliable protection from external shocks and magical radiation, and most importantly, an autonomous life-support system. So we’re actually in a Stable – just with a different name… and something else. Everything here is recycled from waste into something useful – including food and water.”

“Aw, what a gross…” the mare muttered.

“Of course, Canterlot realized that we would to be here for many years, so they picked a team that was as psychologically compatible as possible, so we wouldn’t fight. That’s why we continue our research even now, despite everything.”

“You’re avoiding the question,” Runner said. “Why the heck? The bucking war is over, even if there’s no formal peace treaty – just no one left to sign it! Everypony has lost! Those who could, hid in the Stables. And the rest of us are struggling to survive. So what’s the point of all this?!”

Without turning around, the professor raised his head as he walked.

“The war may be over. But if we succeed…” He was now looking not at the end of the corridor where it forked, but somewhere in the future, hidden by the texture of reality. “…we can still win it.”

The three ponies glanced at each other. Runner and Sandy’s faces showed that they were stunned by what they had heard. Rainbow was dazed as well, judging by her expression.

No one said another word the rest of the way.

From time to time, other scientists came by, wearing white lab coats just like Sample Dample’s, but often cleaner and more intact. The professor greeted them with a silent nod, while Rainbow and the others received surprised or curious glances. Many of the ponies they met were as old as the head of the Center, and only a few looked the same age as Runner or Sandy – another confirmation that they had been hiding here for years.

Eventually, the group came to where Sample Dample had led them.

The last of the corridors ended in a sturdy automatic door that was obviously a little easier to break through than the one at the entrance to the bunker. The professor lifted a hoof and tapped the key card dangling from its strap against the scanner, and the door slid aside.

“Please, ladies and gentlepony,” he waved his hoof dramatically, pointing inside.

Rainbow gave him a feigned curtsy in the air before flying into the room first. Her two companions and the professor himself followed.

“Whoa…” came Runner’s whisper.

“This is the holy of holies of our project,” Sample Dample said, pointing with his hoof at the numerous terminals and control panels that lined the walls of the spacious room. “This is why we’ve spent so much time away from the remains of the world – which we may yet be able to save.”

“And what is that?” Rainbow snorted skeptically, circling the strange-looking circular platform in the corner of the room. “Could it be some kind of tricky time machine that could send someone back in time to, say, finish off the Caesar of Zebrica?”

The professor walked over to the huge steel casing jutting out of the wall opposite the entrance and touched it with his hoof. Then he turned and looked at the pegasus with a smile.

“You shouldn’t be laughing, Miss Dash. You are right.”

“…So you’ve had a time machine all along, capable of transporting ponies to the past, or even, for Celestia’s sake, to the future?!”

“You can say that,” Sample Dample nodded, a little hesitantly. “At least the basic circuitry should be fully functional.”

“So why the hay didn’t you use it?!

Rainbow slammed her hooves into the ground with all her might.

The professor looked at her with a sad smile. “It’s all about the energy. It takes so much to move that even this experimental reactor can’t generate enough.” He pointed at the metal casing. “Well, it can, but not fast enough, and we don’t have the batteries to store it all. In fact, it’s the only thing keeping us from running the test.”

“So, is there no… uh, workaround, y’know?” Runner asked.

Sample Dample sighed. “We’ve been working on it for the last few years. But to no avail.” He thought for a moment. “I remember once we were supposed to get some blueprints that might help us solve this problem, but then all communication went down and we didn’t get anything…”

“And you don’t know where those blueprints are?” the pegasus grinned sarcastically.

“Alas,” the professor shrugged. “I only know that Design Bureau 72 helped us with the research… but not where it’s located. Besides, the blueprints could have already been taken out of there, in which case they were left in one of the O.I.A.’s departments or disappeared somewhere along the way…”

“Holy crap…” Rainbow said through her clenched teeth, but suddenly grinned from ear to ear again. “Well, while you’re at it, you might need an extra security team, hmm?”

The professor squinted at her with a grin.

“Offering yourselves? But can you live underground for long? Keep in mind that I won’t be opening the outer door very often, so that the radiation won’t get in… And… what would your companions say?”

He stared curiously at Runner and Sandy.

They looked at each other and the brown stallion said reluctantly, “We’ve got nowhere to go anyway. At least we’ll have something to do.”

“Excuse me, do you… have any fresh or at least canned food?” Sandy asked.

The professor raised his eyebrows. “Actually, we do have some supplies… You know, the canned food from the Ministry of Peace is eternal…”

“Then it’s settled,” Rainbow stomped off. “We’ll stay – and help you reach your goal. After all, Equestria is our home too.” She grew sad and sighed heavily. “And I’ll do anything to get it back.”

< (¤) >

Memory Orb #2 – Sample Dample

His hooves clacked softly on the keys as he typed more and more numbers into the program. The results on the screen were disappointing: the calculated values were far from those that could solve the problem.

“Dammit…” Sample Dample muttered, tapping his hoof on the table as the terminal gave the final answer after a moment’s thought.

He spun around in his swivel chair and took a few sips of coffee from the cup he held with his magic. A bitter taste spread over his tongue.

Goddesses, this recycled coffee is truly awful…

The screens of many terminals flickered, some on standby, others showing camera feeds. They showed what was going on, not only in the corridors, but in the three hundred and sixty degrees around the entrance to the bunker.

“Runner turned out to be a good technician after all. Now nopony can get to us unnoticed…”

The professor sighed and propped his head up with a hoof.

“Though… anyway, who needs us here? We’re doing nothing – and for what…” He shook his head. “But getting out of here is much more dangerous. And just as pointless…”

As he moved his chair over to a nearby terminal, Sample Dample began to flip through the camera feeds.

Some of RC’s staff slept in their rooms, some ate nonchalantly in the cafeteria, others sat in front of the terminals counting something. The maneframe, where all the lines converged, was built into the wall of the main control room on the other side of the reactor; behind the workstations one could see wires running into the sockets. If necessary, the professor could connect to the database and see what his colleagues had calculated, but he knew the results would be far from desirable.

Rainbow was somewhere in the corridor, her rifle on her back, making faces at the turret hanging from the ceiling. The professor’s lips curved into a smile.

Runner and Sandy were in the infirmary, apparently talking about something; a crossed-out speaker icon blinked in the corner of the screen. He could, of course, turn on the sound and hear what they were talking about, but the professor didn’t. Instead, he opened the list of cameras and displayed the image from the one hanging right above the entrance.

“Well… now it’s getting interesting…”

There was a pony on the horizon. A very strange pony.

She was stumbling as if she had been walking all day before. Zooming in, she was covered in wounds, sores, and boils, and her mane was hanging down in torn strands, making it hard to tell what color it originally was. She was also missing her right eye, a hole in its place that the pony tried in vain to cover with her hair.

As the stranger came closer, one could guess that she was a unicorn. Her saddlebags swayed as she walked – they hardly contained anything heavy. And that was weird.

“It’s about five days to the next inhabited place… Where are you coming from, my dear…?”

But that didn’t matter now.

Because after walking a little further, the unicorn simply sat down on the ground not far from the bunker and fell on her side. Her remaining eye closed.

The professor was already calling Rainbow.

“Yeah, Prof, whassup?” came the voice of a pegasus from the terminal’s speaker.

“We have a visitor. A unicorn, badly injured. She’s lying by the door and not moving. You can find Sandy and Runner – they’re in the infirmary now – and take her there. You know the unlock code.”

“Got it!”

The connection broke off.

Sample Dample sighed, then turned off the terminal and rose from his chair.

Just like last time, he had to meet the new pony in person.

The unicorn was not breathing. She reeked of blood and decay as she was dragged to the infirmary, and her body seemed frozen in the moment when it had just begun to turn into rotting pulp.

Yet, in spite of it all, she was still alive.

“I can’t believe it…” the professor shook his head, looking at the closed medical capsule.

Beneath the transparent lid, the body of the wounded stranger was floating in biogel. She looked like she’d been chewed by a pack of Hellhounds before the pony could make it to the bunker. By all appearances, she should have been dead – but despite her lack of breathing and her slow, faint pulse, the brain activity monitor was showing cheerful, jagged curves.

“I think she’s a ghoul like me, Prof,” Rainbow said, standing next to him. “You can believe me, right?” She grinned. “So don’t worry, she’ll wake up. Maybe later than we’d like. It would be nice to talk to her anyway.”

“Do you know her?” Sandy asked.

She and Runner stood on the other side of the capsule and looked at the unconscious guest with some suspicion. The sight of the wounded (and, as it turned out, probably dead) unicorn must have disgusted them.

“Sure!” Rainbow said. “That’s Lyra Heartstrings. She and I lived in Ponyville long ago, before the war, and I think our paths crossed sometimes. I guess she moved there from Canterlot… But I can’t say that we knew each other or were close friends…” She grew sad. “I had my own friends back then, after all. Twilight was more in touch with her…”

“Can we trust her?” Runner asked. “Could she do something to get us all into trouble?”

“Calm down,” the pegasus said. “Lyra’s a normal pony… well, actually she was… I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

“Alri-i-ight…” He hesitated for a moment. “Um… There’s something Sandy and I wanted to tell you.”

“And what is that?” The professor raised an eyebrow.

“Well…” Runner looked at his marefriend, then took a deep breath and said, “Sandy is pregnant. We… we’re having a foal!”

“That’s great! Congrats!” Rainbow saluted with her rifle. “Thought of a name already?”

“Uh, not yet,” Sandy said with an embarrassed smile. “Maybe we’ll decide later.”

“And how far along are you?” asked Sample Dample. “I need to adjust the schedule…”

“Four weeks or so,” Runner said. “That would be almost as soon as we got here…”

“Well, then I’m not worried about that Stables system. If it really does help maintain the population, then even if our project fails, Equestria will eventually recover–”

Suddenly, there was a sharp cough, and everyone immediately turned toward the capsule.

Lyra had regained her senses – and was now frantically swatting away the biogel, her hooves banging on the lid from below.

Sample and Rainbow rushed over to the capsule in a heartbeat. Tilting his head, the professor used his magic to unlock the seals and open the capsule, while the pegasus lifted the floundering patient by the shoulders and helped her to sit up. Suddenly, Lyra jerked to the side and folded herself in half over the edge of the capsule, vomiting biogel mixed with some kind of nasty stuff.

“Are you okay?” Rainbow asked when the unicorn seemed to be feeling better.

The professor was using the terminal to call for a cleaning robot.

“Y-yes…” Lyra said in a weak voice. “But… where am I? Who are you all…? How long has it been?” Her eyes widened abruptly. “My bags! Where did you put them?!”

“Don’t worry, miss,” said Sample Dample as he approached the capsule again. “Your things are in storage; we’ve hardly touched them.”

He pointed to a large closet against one of the walls, where tattered saddlebags lay behind the glass door of one of the containers.

“Thank you…” Lyra suddenly went limp and slid back down the side of the capsule. “I… what happened? I was walking, then I stopped to rest, and then–”

“And where did you come from, I wonder, walking like that? And more importantly, where were you going to?” Rainbow squinted. “It doesn’t look like all this,” she circled the unicorn’s wounded, festering body with her hoof, “and that you’ve lost an eye is just ‘cause you’ve turned into a ghoul.”

“I was… attacked… by… diamond dogs… in Splendid Valley. They… tore my eye out and… almost bit my leg off, but…” Lyra lowered her gaze to the deep scar on the inner side of her thigh. “I was able to teleport to the nearest crater and recover a bit, thanks to the radiation. Then I moved on, towards Hoofington. But one day…” She was silent for a moment. “My strength simply left me. Not physical, but mental. I saw no point in going on. The pain was still terrible, and I still hadn’t reached my destination…” The unicorn lifted her head and looked around at everyone. “If it weren’t for you, I probably would have died there… forever.”

“You’re welcome, miss. We just did what we had to do,” said Sample Dample. “And we can fix your eye, that’s no problem. Our library has materials on cybernetic enhancements… By the way, what were you carrying that you didn’t even want to leave behind to escape the Hounds?”

“Matrices. Spell matrices. I really need them. I… used them… intensively… back in the war.”

“Interesting. What do they do, then?”

Lyra turned her head to meet his eyes.

“They are the link between Equestria and the other world. The world I was born in.”

“What world?” asked Runner, frowning. “Are you kidding or–”

“Earth. Its name is Earth. And I’m originally not an equine at all. But a human.”

< (¤) >

Memory Orb #3 – Lyra Heartstrings

Magic flashed and the hooves hit the plastic covering of the platform in the corner of the main hall. Several scientists, including Professor Sample, were sitting at terminals, counting something as usual.

The cybernetic eye highlighted information on each of them, but the transparent lines immediately disappeared, obeying the mental command. In the bottom corner of the view, the current time appeared briefly.

The professor and some other ponies turned to her, clearly wanting to ask her about the results of her trip. But her left, normal eye burned with tears she no longer had, and her face was frozen in an expression of despair and anger.

“Lyra? How did it go…?” Sample Dample asked, but hesitated when he noticed her emotions.

“Leave me alone!”

She had to inhale to shout. Ghouls didn’t need air to live, but it would be difficult to speak without it.

In three leaps, the unicorn crossed the hall and ran out into the corridor, where she sprinted at a brisk pace.

When Lyra reached her room, she rushed in and pushed the lock button with all her might. Standing in the middle of the chamber with her legs spread wide, she gasped for air and wailed, “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

She jumped over to the closet, swung the doors open, and magically threw all the things out.

“HOW?!”

The desk lamp, caught in the telekinetic field, smashed into the wall and shattered.

“DARED?!”

The terminal keyboard also flew off the desk.

“THEY?!”

The terminal itself followed, hitting the wall with a thud and falling to the floor. The screen shattered, showering the floor with shards after the lamp.

Lyra stood in the middle of the trashed room – and if she had been a normal pony, she would have been breathing heavily with rage. But even that had been taken away from her.

Ultimately also because of humans. Or rather, because of one particular person.

But right now, the unicorn was focused on something else.

“What have we done to them?! What…? How is this possible?! Why?! Why-y-y-y?!!!”

Her body suddenly felt like lead. Lyra staggered to the corner of the room and collapsed on the bed. Her shoulders trembled with silent sobs.

“What kind of world do they have…? Why are they doing this?!”

Her boil-covered leg slammed violently into the pillow. Then again. And again.

“They don’t have enough of their own… But why are they doing this to Equestria?! What have we done to them?!”

Lyra rolled onto her back. Her eyes focused on the dull gray metal ceiling.

“And I still loved them… studied them… saved their world from Discord…[1] Well, they’ll pay for everything… All of them… their whole fucking world…”

The corners of her mouth parted slightly.

“I’ll wipe them all out… so they were never even born! But how?”

She closed her eyes.

“Well, of course… a spell. No, a megaspell. All I have to do is design a matrix… and feed it with power. Lots and lots of power.”

Now the unicorn had a smile on her face.

“And I think I know where to get it.”

“What?” The professor’s glasses slid down his nose.

Lyra repeated.

“I just need your help. That’s all.”

“No, Lyra. That’s out of the question. I will not help you with this. Even if what you’re suggesting is possible.”

Sample Dample shook his head and adjusted his glasses.

Apart from him and Lyra, there was no one else in the room. The professor’s living quarters were furnished rather simply, if not ascetically. But as a scientist’s home should be, they were a bit cluttered, considering the sheets of calculations, the tools for soldering matrices, and the uneven battery of coffee cups lying around. But compared to what Lyra had done in her room, this place was the epitome of neatness and order.

“But why?!” The unicorn stomped. “The power of the reactor isn’t enough for your purposes anyway, but with this, we don’t know that yet! Besides, my plan could also save Equestria! If we remove the cause of the apocalypse from where it came, we will create a different future where there will be no war! Ponies will live in peace, just like they did half a century ago, and–”

“And what? Unlikely that Princess Twilight will return to the throne,” said Sample Dample. “After all, we don’t know exactly when the bifurcation point was, or how changing the line of events might affect it. Our plan is to simply travel through time and alert Celestia as soon as we find the necessary power. Yours is emotionally driven, and therefore insane and adventurous, and while I partially understand, I can’t help you. I’m sorry. I suggest you get some rest and think it over.”

“So this is your answer?” Lyra growled. “Well, Professor, you’ve made your choice. But don’t expect me to give up so easily. The matter is not closed, and I–”

“I think it is,” the professor replied, pointing to the door. “You may leave, Lyra. There is nothing left to discuss here.”

The unicorn glared at him and gritted her teeth. Then she walked angrily towards the exit.

She turned back at the door and said, “You will regret this…”

“Let’s see,” the professor said with a glint in his glasses.

There was no place to fall in the dining room. The automation had dimmed the lights as night fell, but on the walls the shadows of the crowd could be seen, like a chain of hills and mountain peaks.

Lyra towered over them all, standing in the center on a sturdy steel table, apparently waiting for the noise to die down.

Finally, it was quiet enough. Lyra looked around at all the ponies and began with a slight chuckle, “I have called you all together to tell you an unpleasant piece of news…” She waited until literally everyone’s attention was on her. “Professor Sample Dample should consider resigning as the head of the RC-13.”

A whisper ran through the crowd.

“Why? What makes you think that?” asked one of the ponies, a dark red unicorn with a yellow-green mane and a name tag with the name Water Melon.

Lyra let out a feigned sigh.

“Unfortunately, the professor had proven himself to be completely incompetent, both as a scientist and as a leader. Tell me, how long have you been stuck in here fighting over the same problem? Ten years? Fifteen? It’s like beating your head against a wall. And yet you keep at it. Whereas a real scientist must look at a problem from every angle and try every possible solution.

“Besides, we don’t get any news from the world outside the walls of this place. Tell me, could somepony suddenly appear who would dare to take over the bunker? Why not? And just like me or Rainbow, they’d be unexpected. Because we don’t have a single byte of information about the balance of power in post-apocalyptic Equestria so many years after the fallout. Yes, the radiation is still strong – but there must be some areas unaffected by the blasts, right? And there could very well be ponies who are a danger to us.”

“And how do we solve the problem of power for the spell?” Melon persisted. “Are you going to be in charge of everything? Or are you suggesting that we go outside?”

“Well… first about the research.” The unicorn was silent for a moment, probably choosing her words. “I have a plan that might work. I shared it with the professor, but he didn’t even want to hear it and basically sent me away. I know the idea might seem a little crazy…” she grinned again, “but I think not for ponies who’ve seriously built a time machine.”

She spoke her thoughts briefly. “…So with their world gone, ours can finally live in harmony.”

“But… wouldn’t the destruction of a superior reality cause our universe to disappear too?” asked one of the scientists. “If it was from there that the development and existence of Equus as a whole was initiated, then–”

“Everything in the multiverse is real. Absolutely. All that will change is the likelihood that Equestria will face such a future. But it will be enough to prevent war. Because before it, all the processes of pony history were objective. The war, and the ‘end of the world’ that followed, is something artificial that should never have happened. And we just have to fix it.” Lyra lowered her head. “Sadly, the professor won’t listen to me. Perhaps you can change his mind.”

“Yes, but what about the second question?” Melon interrupted again. “How do you see us getting out? We’re unprepared and could easily die. This way we have at least some protection…”

“I don’t think it's impossible. Rainbow, Runner, Sandy and I have survived all this time in the Wasteland. And as for dying…” The unicorn snorted. “It’s a natural process, after all, and there’s no escaping it. Almost not.”

She lifted a hoof.

“But look at me. I survived a balefire bomb blast just a few miles from the epicenter. Wandering through the scorched desert that Equestria had become, I was ready to stop fighting, but my cyber-implants gave me the ability, and more importantly, the strength, to live on. And you can have them too. All the power you need is in the infirmary. All we have to do is make sure that stubborn ass Sample can’t stop us. What’s more,” she smiled softly, “inside the bunker walls you’re still mortal. But the radiation outside can not only kill you – it can make you live forever.”

A flurry of discussion broke out. Lyra looked at the scientists arguing and smiled.

To complete her thought and add fuel to the fire, she added, “Make up your minds, ponies. After all, your future depends on it.”

Suddenly, the door opened, and everyone turned to the doorway in silence.

Rainbow stood on the threshold of the cafeteria, her usual rifle at her side. Behind her, Sandy and Runner shifted in the corridor.

“Could somepony tell me what’s going on?” asked the pegasus with a frown. Then her stern gaze fell on the instigator of the unscheduled meeting. “Lyra, by order of Professor Sample Dample, you are to be isolated. You will come with us of your own free will…” Rainbow placed a hoof on the barrel of her rifle, “or we will use force.”

In the ringing silence, Lyra slowly got off the table and walked with a smile to the door. Everyone parted in front of the unicorn.

Turning one last time before following the ‘guards,’ Lyra spoke, “Think carefully about what I’ve said. It’s up to you now – and your will. Make up your minds, ponies. I’m hoping for you.”

…Lyra lay on the bed, her forelegs tucked under her head, staring up at the ceiling.

The door to the room was locked and two ponies were guarding it from the outside. The unicorn had cleaned up a bit during her isolation, but the scattered splinters on the baseboard and the remains of the shattered lamp and terminal on the table reminded her of her recent outburst.

Now, however, a satisfied smile spread across her face.

“I wonder how long it’ll take these fools to throw Sample off? And if they ever would. Oh, some of them do. The seeds of doubt I’ve planted in them must sprout in at least someone. Otherwise,” she sighed, “I really can’t change anything here.”

Her smile was suddenly replaced by a grimace of anger, and her hoof slammed down hard on the mattress.

“But there’s probably no place else in Equestria with that kind of power! If I want to change the past, I need this Center! And I’ll get it, one way or another. Even if…” she gritted her teeth, “even if I have to kill everyone here.”

Suddenly, voices came from behind the door. The soundproofing in the bunker was as good as in any Stable, which meant they were speaking in raised tones and very close.

Lyra propped herself up on an elbow and listened.

Someone said something indistinct, and then there was shouting and the sound of scuffling, as if a fight had broken out. A metallic clang – someone’s head had been slammed into the door… and then bodies falling to the floor.

The door suddenly slid aside and Melon burst through it, breathing heavily. An assault rifle dangled from a belt around his neck.

Lyra stood up. “What is it…?”

“Split opinion,” Melon reported. “About sixty percent are on your side, and the rest support the professor. We’re now massing in the infirmary, where two technicians are already printing implants on a 3D printer. Those for Sample are gathering in the cafeteria. We checked his quarters, but he wasn’t there. Looks like he’s in the control room now.”

“And Rainbow and her minions?”

“Same place. But I think they’re on their way here,” the stallion grinned.

“Understood. Where’s that from?” Lyra pointed at the weapons with her chin.

“We’ve looted the armory. The professor’s followers did their best as well… Anyway, we’re all armed now.” Melon shook his head. “And how did we get to this point…?”

“We’ll be back on track soon,” Lyra smiled and jumped out of bed. “Let’s go. No time to waste.”

They ran out into the corridor and trotted towards the medical room.

Instead of the pleasant white light, the interior of the bunker was now flooded with the flickering red emergency lights. An uneasy feeling lingered in the air, sending a shiver down their spines.

They rounded a few corners, but suddenly came to a halt. Two Ponytrons came around the corner and stood in the middle of the corridor, blocking their way and aiming lasers at them.

“Don’t do anything stupid, Lyra!” came the professor’s voice from the loudspeaker. “Go back to your room and I promise no one will get hurt!”

“I’m afraid it’s too late!” shouted the unicorn, raising her head. “You didn’t want to listen to me, so maybe I can at least make you do it this way!”

“Well,” Sample Dample sighed, “then–”

And the Ponytrons opened fire.

Lyra barely had time to throw Melon to the ground before the red, scalding bolts of fire shot through the air above them.

“Fuck!” Melon fired a burst that blew one robot’s head off.

Lyra, meanwhile, fused the other’s sensors with a laser from her cyber-eye.

Doo-doo-doo-doo-doom! – and the second robot fell to the ground in a pile of metal.

“Come on, quickly!”

They hurried along.

On their way, they encountered two more Robobrains. But these robots were easier to fight than the Ponytrons: just smash the tank on their heads to stop them.

A crowd had already gathered outside the infirmary. Some were just waiting for their turn, others went inside one by one, and those who came back out into the corridor looked at their new cybernetic limbs with interest or touched the steel plates in their heads.

Many had weapons; there weren’t enough for everyone, so some ponies carried whatever they could find. Some stallion had even brought a microscope, which he obviously intended to use to smash heads.

At the sight of Lyra, all eyes turned to her and the chatter died down.

“Proceed,” the unicorn nodded. “We need to be ready as soon as possible. It’s time to change the rules here and take our Equestria b–”

“Watch your back!” Melon yelled to her.

Lyra turned around. A group of several Robobrains and Ponytrons appeared in the corridor, their weapons aimed at the crowd. Another group approached from the opposite direction.

The newborn cyborgs were now in a trap.

“They’re trying to block us in!” Melon shouted, opening fire on the robots.

They began to fire back. But they were clearly outnumbered.

The head implants the scientists had put in their heads definitely had S.A.T.S. built in. The recent eggheads, who simply had no experience with weapons, were shooting with astonishing accuracy. One even threw his microscope with his telekinesis, and it spun several times in the air and crushed a Robobrain’s head.

“Take that!” An earth pony with a cyberleg swept past Lyra, knocked a Ponytron to the ground, and smashed its metal skull with two blows.

The unicorn swung her laser back and forth, cutting off the robots' limbs and built-in weapons. Her eye flashed red from within.

Soon the robots were nothing but shattered steel.

“Everypony okay?” Lyra asked.

It turned out that three of them were injured. They were quickly dragged to the infirmary and loaded into capsules.

“Great," the unicorn said, looking at the army of cyberponies massed in front of her. “Now let’s go! It’s time to settle this once and for all!”

They whistled and stomped in support.

“But before we go… do you have any spare weapons?”

The rifles and plasma guns had all been taken, but the ponies were willing to share with Lyra. She refused firearms and energy weapons, however, and took a nifty little needle pistol and a pack of medical needles. Using telekinesis with her new toy was such a pleasure.

The group of about twenty ponies made their way to the main hall. There were no more robots on the way; apparently the professor had decided to save the mechanical defenders, especially since they were completely useless against cyborgized ponies.

But they encountered a living force.

The main corridor of the RC-13 approaching the control room was blocked by a crowd of Sample Dample’s followers, led by Rainbow Dash and her surface companions. Though they were slightly outnumbered, the experience of the Wasteland fighters equalized the strength of the sides.

The two armies stood facing each other, barrels aimed at their opponents. No one fired yet: everyone realized that any bullet or plasma charge would be the point of no return, and nothing could save the formerly peaceful lives of the bunker dwellers.

Rainbow Dash and Lyra glared at each other. But while the pegasus gazed at the unicorn with undisguised hatred, Lyra couldn’t even hide her own smirk.

“Lyra, you’re walking on bucking thin ice,” Rainbow hissed. Her hoof tugged at the trigger of the beam rifle. “What the hay are you doing?! And what, all this ‘cause of some freakin’ study?!”

“You don’t understand.” The smirk faded from Lyra’s face and her gaze grew tense. “Don’t you fucking understand?! The world I was born into killed my real parents! The world that created Equestria later destroyed it! Humans are evil. They must pay for everything. I don’t care how much time and effort it takes for me to succeed. Stay out of my way, Rainbow! Otherwise–”

“You can still get out of the game,” the pegasus interrupted. “Tell everypony to lay down their weapons, and we – that means me, the professor and the others – give our word that no one will get hurt. You’ll have to leave the bunker – but at least you’ll keep your life. Even if it’s just this one. Dang, you should be thankful that we saved you back then!”

“Oh, I do appreciate it, of course,” the unicorn smiled again. “But if I remember correctly, you weren’t supposed to be here either, were you? You know, I really don’t want to kill you. Honestly. But I can’t give up either. It’s a matter of principle, so to speak.”

“You’ve got some pretty shitty principles, betraying those who saved you so easily and pitting innocent ponies against each other.” Rainbow spat contemptuously. “But you forget one little thing. I’m still an Element of Loyalty, albeit a former one. And unlike kind-hearted Sample, I never forgive betrayal.”

Lyra’s grin grew even wider. “Then catch me up.”

Suddenly, the needlegun in her magical grip twitched, sending several needles toward Rainbow.

The pegasus ducked – but Lyra seemed to be waiting for it.

“Follow me!” She turned to her fighters and charged forward, straight at the enemy squad.

Melon and other cyberponies rushed after her.

Jumping high and pushing off the wall with her hooves, Lyra mowed down two ponies with her laser, dodged the beams of the sparkle guns, and raced down the completely empty corridor to the door of the main hall. Two of her companions also made their way through Sample Dample’s followers and ran after her. Bullets and laser beams shot out after them but were shattered by the shield that the unicorns had set up.

Rainbow soared above the crowd and flapped her wings, speeding up to pursue Lyra. As if to attempt her Sonic Rainboom in the bunker’s corridor.

At the same time, a massacre began behind them. The ponies, who had been a team for years, were going crazy. They were knocking each other down, smashing their hooves into each other’s faces. Shooting their recent friends and colleagues at point-blank range.

And with each passing second, there were fewer and fewer of them left. But the cyborgs had the advantage, thanks to their S.A.T.S. and implants.

Lyra reached the door first. The next moment, Melon and his companion were there, and the crimson unicorn pressed his own keycard against the scanner.

The door slid sideways, and the three of them piled into the hall. Finding the lock button on the wall to the right of the exit, Lyra pressed it with her telekinesis, and the solid metal door began to close.

A blurry silhouette was already visible in the doorway, approaching the hall faster than wind. Rainbow Dash clearly didn’t want to lose out in speed to the bunch of upstarts.

She missed by a fraction of a second. The door slammed shut with a soft thud, and the pegasus crashed into it at full speed. The sound of the impact was heard even inside the room.

“Lyra?”

The unicorn and her companions turned around, immediately aiming their weapons in front of them.

Opposite them at one of the consoles sat Sample Dample, and at his sides stood two unicorns in skewed armor vests, also aiming at the newcomers.

The professor himself, however, was unarmed.

“How are you… well, never mind.” He sighed and looked at Lyra. “Can we all put down our weapons now and talk about this again? Things have gotten pretty far, and I don’t want a scientific and ethical argument to lead to bloodshed.”

“Too late, Professor,” Lyra shook her head. “It has already happened. And it’s not just an argument, it’s a very real personal matter. One you happen to be interfering with. And in my years on the Wasteland, I’ve learned to destroy what gets in my way, not to cowardly step aside.”

“Lyra, wait!” Sample Dample’s glasses slipped down his nose. “Maybe there’s some way we can–”

“No.”

Lyra glanced at her comrades, and they opened fire.

The two scientists who had been covering Sample Dample fell to the ground, their heads blown off. Neither had time to do anything.

The professor was left alone against the three.

“Listen, Lyra!” he wailed in a falsetto, raising his hooves. “Alright, I surrender! I agree to your terms – just please stop this senseless slaughter…!”

“Too late, Professor,” Lyra cut him off and slowly approached him. Clinging to his wheeled chair, Sample Dample, a look of horror on his muzzle, began to slide back towards the far wall. “You should have thought of that earlier. What you ended up with is entirely the result of your own actions. If you had listened to me from the beginning, none of this would have happened.”

“But your plan is… a crime! Against… against the whole world! How could you even think of such a thing?”

The back of the chair hit the cold metal.

Turning around and seeing that he had nowhere else to retreat, the professor looked at Lyra, who was coming closer and closer to him.

“Don’t make another mistake, Lyra! My death will do you no good. It will only turn everyone against you…!”

“You’re right about one thing, Professor,” the unicorn grinned. “I really have no reason to kill you. But you are wrong about the other. Because of those who were for you, there’ll soon be nothing but corpses.”

“Why’ve you become like this?” the professor shrieked, pushing himself against the wall as hard as he could. “Rainbow spoke well of you for the pre-war times…!”

“That’s right – pre-war. Everything that was then is irrelevant now. The world that was then is gone. And everyone who lived through it is not the same pony they were. Unlike you, trapped in some kind of Stable even before the apocalypse. You’ve seen nothing. You know nothing. You fucking know nothing!”

With telekinesis, Lyra threw the professor out of his chair and towered over him, drilling him with an angry glare. Sample Dample slumped to the floor, breathing heavily and staring at Lyra; his eyes were ready to pop out of their sockets and a puddle began to form beneath him. Given the unicorn’s appearance, though, with boils all over her body and a glowing red cybernetic eye, it was obviously something to be frightened of.

Lyra grimaced. “How pathetic. You can’t even lose properly.”

She slashed at the side wall with her eye laser. A wreck of a panel fell to the floor, revealing some cables behind it.

“Accept your fate. As punishment for your stubbornness.”

She cut one of the cables with her gaze and brought the sparking tip to the professor’s face. He howled and jerked away, but Lyra’s companions standing nearby pushed him back toward her.

“You will long remember how you refused to accept my arguments… if you have any brains left by then. You will beg me to spare you… but it’s all too late now.” Lyra ran the cable along the professor’s body without touching him, and he twitched as sparks fell on his skin. “You have chosen your fate. Then accept it in full.”

She thrust the end of the cable sharply into his side. A cry of pain escaped Sample Dample’s throat, and then the professor writhed in convulsions.

Lyra held the cable for at least a minute before the former head of RC-13 went limp. Then she yanked one of the switches under the panel, causing the cable to stop sparking, and tossed it aside.

“What are we gonna do with him?” Melon asked, jabbing the barrel of his assault rifle at the professor’s body.

Lyra thought for a moment. Then she picked up the cable with her telekinesis, cut it with the laser on the other side, and gave it to Melon.

“Tie him up for now. We’ll deal with that later. Right now, we have a more important problem…”

She sat down at the terminal and displayed the feed from the camera above the entrance.

Runner was attempting to hack the hall door. The lines on a nearby monitor showed that he was close to unlocking it. Sandy was trying to melt the door with plasma from her weapon, and Rainbow, hiding in the alcove where the robots had been stationed before, shielded them both from the fire of the “rebels” who were about to massacre the professor’s followers.

With a few commands, Lyra nullified the stallion’s efforts, making him scowl in the picture. After that, she apparently had an idea.

The unicorn turned on the speakers and drew a nearby microphone to herself.

“Surrender, you idiots,” she said. “All right, I’ll let you go. But only if you stay out of my way.”

She activated the speaker to hear the reply.

“Kiss my ass!” Runner growled, re-entering the control codes. “You’re gonna answer for this, you friggin’ bitch!”

“Oh, really?” Lyra rolled her eyes and tapped buttons on a nearby terminal. “And how about you?”

One of the ceiling turrets turned and fired a long burst.

The mare with the plasma rifle staggered. The weapon fell out of her hooves. She pressed her forelegs to her belly and stared at the blood dripping copiously onto the floor.

Runner’s eyes widened as he turned to his pregnant marefriend.

“SANDY!!!” he yelled, leaping over and gently picking her up before she collapsed to the ground.

The stallion lifted his head and sucked in air – but he didn’t have time to say anything. A second burst tore through him and he collapsed next to his beloved.

“No!!!” Rainbow blew up the turret and, with redoubled fury, began firing lasers at the cyberponies hiding in the alcoves and corners of the corridor. “No, dammit, no!!!”

“Yes, Rainbow, yes. Your loyalty is what have brought you down. Look what it’s done to those who walked in lockstep with you. You’ve lost, Rainbow, and now you just refuse to accept defeat. I’ve won. And there’s nothing you can do about it.”

The second turret turned its deadly pupil toward the pegasus.

“Die, Rainbow. It’s the only thing you got left.”

Suddenly, Dash leapt out of the alcove, and the bullets rattled idly on the metal.

Spreading her wings, the former Minister of Awesome flew up to the ceiling and darted away, dodging the fire of the cyberponies.

Lyra began switching camera views one by one, tracking the pegasus’ flight.

Maneuvering at breakneck speed, Rainbow raced through the dark corridors like a prismatic blue comet. Every turret in her path fired at her, but Dash either dodged the shots or blasted the automatic defenses with her own beam.

Eventually, she found herself in the anteroom, which was littered with scrap metal, fire extinguishers, and other technical junk. Apart from that, there was only a large, slightly corroded console and a solid door leading outside.

After destroying the last turret, the pegasus pushed a lever on the console, and with a loud creak, the door began to open.

Without waiting for it to fully open, Rainbow leapt out of the bunker into the dusty and silent predawn darkness of the Wasteland.

Lyra didn’t shoot after her. There was no point in it anymore.

Rainbow Dash flew away. And with her flew the hope that the past would change peacefully.

Note: 50% of the next level.

The additional stage “View Memory Orbs” has been completed (+50000 experience).

[1] The events of the fanfic Anthropology.

Chapter 20. Eternity

— Time travel? Please. Entertaining as that may be, when has that ever worked?

FoE: Project Horizons, chapter 65

…The memory dissolved, and the image of the real world reassembled before her eyes.

Cosmic blinked a little as she came to her senses and removed the recollector from her head. Sky Bloom took the last memory orb from the slot at the top of the device and magically sent it to the box with the others that Cosmic had already looked through.

After dealing with Lyra, they dragged the bodies into one of the storage rooms, slept for a while, and then decided to search the bunker. In one of the rooms, which they thought belonged to the unicorn, they found memory orbs – as well as a note about what memory each contained.

Two of them lay separately – Lyra had wanted to use them as references to check how the future would have changed. In the first, the unicorn had attended the funeral of Big Macintosh, who had saved Princess Celestia from an assassination attempt at the cost of his own life; in the second, Lyra had placed the balefire bomb blast in Manehattan, which she had witnessed firsthoof.

Cosmic twitched as she remembered it.

Lyra – even after all she had done – certainly didn’t deserve such a fate.

The other three orbs contained memories of a different kind – and lined up in some sort of story about how Rainbow Dash, the former Minister of Awesome, and then Lyra herself had stumbled into the bunker and how it had eventually turned out. Shadow said that Rainbow was now in Hoofington, in Shadowbolt Tower; well, it was nice to know that at least somepony was safe.

A recollector was also found; explainable, considering that not all RC-13 personnel were unicorns. The events themselves stretched over days, but Lyra somehow managed to “glue” separate episodes of memories within one orb – or did something like rewinding, Cosmic didn’t know well. So it only took a few hours to go through the entire archive – and there was still plenty of time to figure out what to do next.

Meanwhile, Sonic sat at the terminal, surfing the local network for something interesting and occasionally asking Sample Dample for advice. Cosmic wondered if the professor was sleeping at all, or if he had to stay awake all the time – but she hesitated to ask directly.

The hedgehog had carefully collected the rings that Lyra had scattered, and now they were back in the pouch on his belt, just as before.

“…Are you alright? After such a marathon,” Sky Bloom asked, removing the box of orbs and the recollector.

“Uh, more or less…”

Cosmic rubbed her temples, recovering from the amount of data she had looked through, and spoke briefly about what she had seen.

“I thought it would turn out like this.” Sky Bloom shook his head. “If she had her mind and energy for good, maybe they’d have invented that crystal scheme on their own–”

“Maybe they would, maybe not,” the professor replied from his tank. “Such solutions are basically quite simple, but it can be very difficult for a small team to come up with them.”

“Why should we regret it now?” Cosmic snorted. “We’re not even gonna–”

…change anything here, she wanted to say, but stopped herself, remembering what they had just been through, and looked back at the casing of the reactor with the connected magical matrix.

“Um… Cosmic?” Sky Bloom wiggled a hoof in front of her eyes. “What’s the matter?”

“Wait a minute…” She waved him away and went back to thinking.

We have a damn time machine! If we knew where – as well as when – to move to, and most importantly what to do next, then–

“Well, never mind,” she shook her head and turned to the blue hedgehog at the terminal, “So, you found anything interesting there?”

“I think so,” Sonic said, turning around in his chair to face the others. “This Lyra seems to have spent years collecting data garbage from all over Equestria. But there are some pretty intriguing files in that heap… Like this one, for example.”

He flipped through the folder’s contents and pressed a button.

A strange metallic voice came from the loudspeakers.

“EMERGENCY MEMORANDUM: ALL PEGASI ARE TO ABANDON ALL GROUND POSITIONS IMMEDIATELY AND RETURN TO THUNDERHEAD. DROP EVERYTHING YOU ARE DOING! COME HOME NOW! LUNA IS DEAD. EQUESTRIA IS FINISHED.”

“What the…” Cosmic said as the recording ended, then waved her hoof. “Aw, whatever. It’s sad, of course, but it has nothing to do with us.”

“Or maybe it does?” Sky Bloom said.

Cosmic frowned at him.

Is he really thinking the same thing…? Well, then there’s nothing to hide.

“So, you’re suggesting we go back in time and save Equestria?” She grinned wryly.

Suddenly, she realized she wasn’t kidding. Besides, the unicorn was dead serious about it too.

“Why not?” He shrugged. “After all, we can hardly imagine anything worse than this. And we have nothing to lose but our own lives.”

“It’s you and Cosmic who have nothing to lose!” Sonic held out his hand, pointing his finger at them. “But I have a family! I have my friends that we came here with! Hell, there’s even a whole world we’re responsible for! Just because Shadow has stolen the Emeralds doesn’t mean Eggman will back down! Even considering how fast time passes here, he might have thought of something else – and even launched an attack! But–”

The hedgehog sighed and looked down at his palms. The once white gloves were now stained with blood and dirt. And the hands themselves were trembling slightly.

“I can’t leave my friends, you know? They’re completely defenseless in these… healing coffins. What if someone tries to break in? Or…” he winced and clenched his fists, “what if they don’t… don’t–”

He sobbed and turned away.

“Believe me, young friend,” Sample Dample said, apparently addressing Sky Bloom, “you can always imagine something worse. Even if it doesn’t seem possible.”

“I see,” he sighed heavily. “What are we gonna do now?”

“Duh, what? Same thing we decided,” Cosmic said, throwing the belt of the assault carbine over her shoulder. “Go back to the past to change the future. Even though Lyra said that everything is real at the same time, at least we can be in a different version of the timeline.”

“I’m staying here,” Sonic muttered. “I wanna… I wanna be the first one there when… when someone wakes up.”

From the looks of it, he was clearly struggling not to say “if.”

Cosmic walked over and put a hoof on his shoulder.

“We understand,” she said softly. “But… also realize that you can be useful to us. No one in the Wasteland, let alone ancient Equestria, can match your speed. Your friends will stay here, protected by a layer of earth, iron walls and locks – not to mention robots and turrets. And we won’t be gone for long. There’s gotta be a way to get back to the starting point. Isn’t there?!”

She raised her head and stared at Sample Dample.

He couldn’t see her with his empty eye sockets, but he could tell from the general tone that the question was directed at him.

“Of course,” the scientist replied. “We wouldn’t be so good if we hadn’t thought of that. There should be a box of special bracelets in the storage room. The crystals in them are synchronized with the spell matrix, and thanks to the theoretically calculated phenomenon of intertemporal resonance, it creates a kind of ‘thread’ through which you can return to the starting point at the push of a button. But it has never been tested, unfortunately, due to known events. At least it should work in theory.”

“Let’s find out.” Cosmic twitched her cheek and turned back to the hedgehog. “If we succeed, everything will be different here. There’ll be no war, no bombs falling…” She almost gasped at the sudden thought. “Your friends won’t even get hurt, because there won’t be any conditions for that!”

Sonic looked up at her. A glimmer of hope flickered in his eyes.

And the blue earth pony continued, “Together, we’ll end up in a new world, where there’ll be an Equestria familiar to you and your friends, and they may find the Elements of Harmony on their own, or even negotiate with their bearers. And you can find your way back and finally defeat your Eggman. And if we don’t,” she closed her eyes, “well, at least we’ll have tried.”

“All right,” Sonic said deafly. “I agree. I’ll go with you. But you must realize the responsibility. Besides…” he sighed heavily, “I can’t do anything to help them yet anyway.”

He turned back to the terminal and opened another file, this time a text one.

And his eyes immediately went wide.

“What?! Seriously…?”

“What is it?” Sky Bloom craned his neck, trying to see the text over the hedgehog’s shoulder.

Sonic wrinkled his nose, pulled the cursor back to the beginning, and began to read aloud.

“‘Top secret, of special importance. Delete before reading. Ministry of Morale, April 25th, 1016 Harmony Era. Report…’ In a nutshell, the story here is that shortly after the war began, the statue of Discord was evacuated from… Area 51 in Nevada! The operation was supervised by Pinkie Pie herself. Then come all sorts of details… And the signature: Bellerophon Michaelidis.” The hedgehog turned around and looked at the two ponies. “The same man Shadow and Lyra had been talking about.”

“I wonder if he was the one she said was Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle’s lover before the war…?” Sky Bloom said, but under the sharp glances of Cosmic and Sonic, he smiled sheepishly and retreated a few steps.

“What’s clear is that nothing’s clear.” The blue earth pony shook her head. “And as long as we stay here, it won’t get any clearer. To find the point of no return after which everything went to Discord, we must start acting.”

“And what do you suggest?” asked the unicorn. “Jump two hundred years back in time and go to Canterlot to see Celestia and tell her about the war that wouldn’t have happened yet?”

“Wrong,” Cosmic grinned. “First, like the professor said, it would be good to test these bracelets – well, and the machine itself – at a gap of more than twenty minutes. But I’m afraid,” she sighed, “that we mustn’t play with time too much. Otherwise, we’ll get to the point where there’s no way to fix it. And besides… Equestria is one thing, but The Republic doesn’t deserve its fate either. Neither does the RC-13 itself.”

The blue pony lifted her chin. Her eyes shone with determination.

“And that’s why we’re going to this very same bunker. To stop Lyra in the past.”

…The bracelets turned out to be exactly as Cosmic had imagined: strips of shiny black plastic with a wide blue stripe down the middle, a built-in diamond-shaped crystal, and a red button to return. The earth pony was suspicious of the latter, but Sample Dample reassured her that the button had been made very tight on purpose to prevent it from being pressed accidentally.

It was decided to move to the day before Lyra had gone to Earth and learned of her parents’ death, into the same control room – the professor himself had insisted on it. It was also to show the scientists that their work was not in vain, and perhaps even to distract Lyra from her plans.

“Furthermore, you can tell us where to find the blueprints,” Sample Dample added from his jar. “So we can get them ourselves and finally finish the project.”

“You be careful out there, okay?” Sonic said, sitting down in front of the terminal with the settings window open. “I don’t wanna be stuck here without you. I got my rings back on now, but I don’t know if I can handle it if something happens to you.”

“We’ll be fine,” Cosmic replied and stepped onto the flat, round platform. Sky Bloom climbed up after her. “Run it.”

“Okay, now…” The hedgehog tapped on the keys and entered the settings and then the access code. “Done. Well, let’s go, then?”

His finger froze on the start button.

“Let’s go,” Cosmic nodded and glanced at Sky Bloom.

The unicorn nodded back silently.

Well, traveling through time again isn’t scary at all. Interesting, maybe. She looked down at the bracelet on her leg. Especially knowing that we can come back at any point.

The reactor hummed, generating just the right amount of power. The glow of the blue needle in the flask came into view – and then it all melted away. To reassemble.

Cosmic, however, squeezed her eyes shut: the flash of light around her simply didn’t allow her to see what was happening at the exact moment of the transfer. When she opened her eyes, she saw a completely different picture.

It was as if she and Sky Bloom were inside a memory orb. The room was brightly lit by tubular mercury lamps, unlike the “future” where half the lights were on at best. Ponies in lab coats sat at terminals; workstations were littered with charts, calculations, and coffee cups.

But the general businesslike hustle and bustle of the constant brainstorming that had clearly been going on here a second ago seemed to have stopped. All conversation ceased in an instant, and all eyes turned to the two armed and armored ponies standing on the platform of the time machine.

Cosmic cleared her throat.

“Um… hello,” she said. “We’re from the future.”

For a while, the work stopped. The scientists, many of whom were already of a solid age, jumped and squealed like foals at the realization that the work they had spent so many years on would one day come to an end.

Of course, there were many questions: how did the staff of the facility deal with it, who would continue the research after them, and in general - how much time had passed? And above all, what was Equestria like in this future?

Cosmic had to upset everypony by telling them that even after two hundred years, there was lawlessness and anarchy on the surface, and that the scientists themselves had turned from radiation into ghouls. She decided to leave out the fact that barely half of them had survived, and even those had become obedient cyber-puppets, as well as the blueprints from Manehattan, referring to some instructions about their possible influence on the future.

Lyra also came out to see what was going on. But the strangers’ story didn’t interest her much; her ears drooped, and the unicorn ghoul returned to her quarters.

Unlike Rainbow Dash, who just bombarded them with questions. How had the world changed? Did they remember her and how awesome she was? And most importantly, how was the Enclave?

Finally, after all the explanations, Cosmic and Sky Bloom managed to get a private talk with Professor Sample Dample. Of course, only after they both surrendered their weapons.

“…Let me get this straight: there is something else that the other employees of the Center are not supposed to know about?” asked the head of the RC-13 as he closed the door to his room behind them.

He looked exactly as he had in the memory orbs: lilac fur, tousled gray mane. Nothing compared to what he became later. Cosmic even shuddered as she saw this horrible contrast with her own eyes.

The professor sat in his swivel chair, Cosmic and Sky Bloom on the bed. Rainbow stood at the exit with her beam rifle, like a watchful and faithful sentry, making sure nopony could overhear them. Although the soundproofing should have been good in here.

“Yes,” Cosmic replied, pulling the memory orb from her saddlebag. “All of you are in danger. The danger we are here for. Here are Lyra’s memories of the events that will begin tomorrow,” the blue pony sighed, “and that will change the lives of the bunker’s inhabitants forever. Or rather, those of them who’ll survive it all.”

“And you want me to look through this memory?”

The professor carefully levitated the orb to himself and set it down on the desk, holding it with his hoof.

“Yes. And as soon as possible.” Cosmic glanced at the azure pegasus. “And you too, Rainbow. Because you, Sandy, and Runner will be affected as well.”

“Oka-ay…” Rainbow Dash stretched out and frowned. “But if you’re gonna pull some kind of stunt like frying Prof’s brains with your orb…” Sample shuddered. “…you know it won’t work!”

“We mean you no harm.” Sky Bloom sighed. “We just want to save you. I guess that kind of impulse is valued less than nothing in the Wasteland.”

Rainbow’s cheek twitched at the rebuke, but she remained silent.

“Maybe I really am too gullible – so gullible that it’s going to ruin me,” the professor said, turning to the pegasus, “but I do trust them, Rainbow. Just like I trusted you and your companions, remember?”

“And like Lyra,” Cosmic remarked. “She’s the only one with a gateway to the other world – and she’s unpredictable. Her pretty horned head can come up with anything. And we’re here to prevent it.”

“Well, let’s see what you got here…”

Sample Dample tilted his head, touched the orb with the tip of his horn… and froze in place, his eyes closed.

“How long does the record last?” Rainbow asked, looking anxiously at the unconscious professor.

“About two hours,” Cosmic remembered. “I don’t know exactly; I was inside the orb at that time.”

“Two hours and twenty-three minutes,” said Sky Bloom. “But it’s ‘clean,’ since Cosmic saw it–”

“By the way, why didn’t you want to?” asked the blue earth pony.

“I don’t know.” The white unicorn gritted his teeth. “After everything we went through in the bunker with Lyra… I don’t want to stick my nose (or rather horn) in her shit.”

“Um… am I… missing something?” Rainbow inquired, shifting her gaze from one pony to the other.

“Unfortunately,” Cosmic nodded grimly. “But there must be a recollector somewhere in the RC, so it’s fixable.”

“All right.” The pegasus glanced at the electronic clock above the door. “If he’s not awake in two hours and twenty minutes…” She narrowed her eyes and glared at the strangers; her rifle slightly raised in her hooves. “…then I've warned you.”

…The time passed slowly – probably because the three of them had nothing to do. Of course, there was an option, but each of them thought it inappropriate in such an environment.

Instead, they tried to make up for the long wait by playing word games – but Rainbow started making toxic comments every time she missed her turn or someone else mentioned something she thought was too complicated, so the game quickly died down.

But as for the future, the pegasus was eager to find out as much as possible.

“You know, I… knew the bombs would fall,” she said. In response to the stunned looks, she grinned and continued, “Pinkie told me. She was really stoned on those Mint-als of hers, and at first I took her words for drug-induced delirium, but… well, by some bucking miracle, she convinced me. And I didn’t even dare tell anypony about it! And when it happened, that wasn’t what really surprised me. It was how easily, literally with the flick of a feather,” she demonstrated what she meant by actually flicking her wing feathers like fingers, “pegasi left Equestria to die in its own radioactive shit. And I… ever since I flew away from them, I’ve been trying to do the right thing. To make this bucking world a better place. Even if” – she snorted contemptuously – “it’s not friggin’ worth it. I want to know what happens next, so I don’t make any more mistakes.”

“Believe me, it’s unlikely to save you.” Cosmic shook her head. “Rather, only upset.”

The Republic. This mistake the blue pony would never forget.

Although… what had been the mistake? Even if she and the aliens had come to defend the town, what could they do against an entire army of cyberghouls and a gang of raiders? There wouldn’t be much left of The Republic anyway.

Finally, the professor woke up.

The lilac unicorn removed his horn from the orb and raised his head, panting and looking ahead with bulging eyes.

“Well, what is it, Prof?” Rainbow asked. Then she frowned worriedly. “Are you… okay?”

“It’s… even worse than I thought. It’s… just unthinkable,” Sample Dample exhaled and looked at Cosmic and Sky Bloom. “I’ll talk to Lyra. Tonight. We cannot let her do anything.”

“I guess it’s my turn now?” Rainbow said.

“Yeah… I better go get the recollector.” Sample Dample rose from his chair.

“One moment, Prof," the pegasus stopped him and pressed a few buttons on her PipBuck, then brought the device to her lips and said, “Runner, could you please come to room 113 right away? Yes, it’s urgent. All right, I wait.” She turned to the others and explained, “Now that things are moving like this, you’ll all be under guard from now on. Consider it my personal order.”

“Even in the bathroom?” Sky Bloom grinned.

“Especially in there,” Rainbow replied deadly serious. “I can’t let any of you get hurt. This is my way. My loyalty to you and to this place.”

Loyalty is only worth it when it comes from both sides, Cosmic thought. And sometimes it goes along with betrayal. It just depends on which side you look at.

The blue pony squeezed her eyes shut.

The Republic… The memory of home still wouldn’t let her go. Reminded her that some things simply could not be influenced. Like a basic plot already written for the world to follow.

But I’m the protagonist. After everything we’ve been through, I have to hoofle it… right?

The author of the story didn’t answer. And Cosmic wondered with bated breath what that might mean.

Soon the day came to an end. Everyone finished their scheduled work and went to their rooms, and the corridors grew noticeably darker.

But there was a new feeling in the bunker now. A sense of change that was coming in an unstoppable wave and could not be avoided. It was only possible to integrate and go with the flow.

The professor sat in front of the terminal in his room. A black window of an open document glowed in a green frame on the screen. The cursor flickered invitingly, as if begging to fill this gaping void with text.

I must think of something, thought Sample Dample. I already have a plan of action with various options, but how to explain it to the others… It’s going to be harder than presenting a thesis.

He tapped a few keys and propped his head back up with a hoof. “Appeal…” the typed word appeared.

But no ideas came. Maybe it was because before telling others, he should have formulated it for himself first.

Uh-huh, I could use Rainbow’s help right now.

The professor sighed and saved the document, leaving it open just in case.

The pegasus had also watched the memory orb – and for several minutes afterward, she had cursed fiercely, threatening to tear Lyra to pieces with her bare hooves. Only the three of them had been able to hold her back then. The mint-green unicorn ghoul didn’t know anything yet – which meant it was wrong to mess with her at this point.

I’ll talk to her first. If I can convince her, maybe it’ll all work out. But if not… He shook his head. How do I know I won’t make things worse? What if that’s the main reason–

A knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts and made him turn toward the metal panel.

That must be Lyra. Though… it wouldn’t hurt to check out.

Rising from his chair, the professor walked to the door and displayed the image from the outside camera on the small terminal in the wall.

Yeah… everything’s fine.

His hoof pressed the unlock button and the solid steel door slid aside.

“Come in, Lyra,” he said, letting the unicorn in. “Thank you for finding the time. Have a seat.”

“Tell me, Professor, why did you call me here?” Lyra asked, sitting down in the chair with some awkwardness, while Sample Dample remained standing. “Does it have something to do with my work? Or” – she narrowed her eyes – “with my planned visit to Earth tomorrow?”

“I’m afraid so, Lyra. The latter.”

Now is the time… But how, how do I tell her everything?! One way or another I’ll have to weave between the meanings...

He turned and walked across the room. He stopped at the wall without looking at Lyra and said, “You should stop tinkering with those spells. It’s… distracting you from your work. Especially now that we’re one step closer to a clue, thanks to our theory being confirmed.”

“I don’t understand…” Lyra shook her head. “We’re still stuck with the problem of the crystal configuration for the accumulation circuit… How could the appearance of aliens from the future give us a clue?”

The blueprints in Manehattan, Cosmic’s words came to the professor’s mind. But that’s not something Lyra needs to know. No, I shouldn’t tell her.

“At least we’ve learned that there is a solution,” he sighed. “And in general, I’m speaking figuratively. But we have to throw everything we have at finding the best pattern. There is no time for… excuse me, nonsense.” He turned and looked at Lyra. “Please. I’m begging you. Help us regain our Equestria. And then… you can do whatever you want.”

“Okay, Professor, I heard you,” Lyra replied and stood up. Her and Sample Dample’s eyes met. “But you must hear me as well. I’m not your employee, and you can’t tell me what to do. Let me remind you, I’m still a yellow-cleared member of the O.I.A. under the pre-war chain of command. And stay out of my personal life!” She stomped her hoof violently. “I’m the one who decides what I do. Especially something you have nothing to do with! Is that clear to you, Professor?” She literally spat out the last word.

And with her head held high, the unicorn turned and left the room.

Sample Dample looked after her. It was hard to make out the expression that flashed in the scientist’s eyes for a moment.

Then he shook his head, lifted his PipBuck leg, and entered Rainbow’s PipBuck code on the radio tab.

“Dash, it’s me. Sorry, I failed. Yes, we’ll go with the backup plan. Take Lyra into custody and confiscate her matrices. Keep an eye on the staff. If anything happens, report to me immediately. That’s all. Good luck.”

The old unicorn turned off the connection and looked at the swivel chair where Lyra had just been sitting.

Is there really no future left for us other than what has already been determined? While we are now one step away from changing it completely? He closed his eyes. No. I must have faith. We must have faith that we can do this. For knowledge is a power in itself, and the knowledge of what will happen is a double power. And that’s reason enough to keep hope alive. Nothing else remains for us to do now anyway.

...Cosmic stretched sleepily, yawned, and spread out on the bed. The darkness in the room was a sign that it was still night. But her body didn’t seem to know when to sleep and when to wake, due to her disrupted regimen and the stress of the past few days. A quick glance at the electronic clock by the door told her it was four in the morning. There was still time to rest and prepare for a new day. The day when the future of RC-13 would be decided.

Sky Bloom was snoozing next to her. Smiling, Cosmic didn’t deny herself the pleasure of leaning closer and inhaling his scent with pleasure. Of course, she had thoughts of snuggling up and playing some dirty games, but… Discord, was she really going to get involved with Life Bloom’s sibling because of her attraction to the dead Snow Vision? No-o, she couldn’t afford such… weirdness a second time. So, with perhaps a slightly frustrated sigh, she rolled over and tried to go back to sleep.

But sleep didn’t come. On the contrary, her body was contracting like a spring, preparing for a possible mess. Now everything depended not so much on them, but on the coherence and coordination of the professor, Rainbow and their subordinates. And also on what Lyra would do. In fact, there were only two main points in the case: would the unicorn be able to travel to Earth and learn the terrible truth about her parents – and if so, would such a small security force, together with the strangers from the distant future, be able to prevent the rebellion she would raise?

That was what worried Cosmic the most: the uncertainty. The timeline in which they found themselves was no longer planned back and forth, but was being put together… no, rewritten! – literally on the fly. And the realization made her skin crawl.

If she and Sky Bloom wanted to stop Lyra, they had to do it now. Before it was too late.

Suddenly, hooves rapped on the steel door of the room, and Cosmic shivered in bed at the sound. Sky Bloom stirred, clearly awakened by the sudden intrusion.

Her PipBuck came to life and gave the trill of an incoming call. With a heavy heart, Cosmic opened the desired tab and pressed the answer button.

“Cosmic? It’s Dash!” came the agitated voice of the pegasus from the small speaker. “Open up, I’m outside!”

That alone sent a chill down the blue pony’s spine.

She jumped out of bed, ran to the door and unlocked it.

The heavy panel slid aside, and Rainbow Dash flew into the room, causing Cosmic to jump back. If the former Minister of Awesome could spin like a rainbow hurricane even in her ghoul form, what was she like in her youth?

I’m sure Sonic wouldn’t miss a chance to compete with her, Cosmic thought.

Then she noticed that Rainbow was clutching not one, but three weapons in her hooves.

“Here you go!” The pegasus passed Cosmic her Argument and threw Sky Bloom’s assault rifle at the stallion, so that he barely caught the weapon with his telekinesis inches away from his head. “Sample wants us in the control room. Runner and Sandy are in the corridors now, making sure nothing goes wrong…”

“What happened?” Sky Bloom asked, rising from the bed and magically fastening his armor.

Cosmic was putting on her armor as well.

Rainbow jerked her head, and her answer made the earth pony’s heart sink.

“What else could it be? Lyra’s gone.”

The professor had obviously not slept at all that night. His lab coat was crumpled as usual, but the bags under his eyes were certainly indicative of his condition.

“Around eleven at night, I called Lyra in for a talk,” he said, sitting at one of the workstations in the main hall, with Rainbow, Cosmic, and Sky Bloom clustered around him. “I tried to talk her out of the whole travel thing… but she didn’t listen.” He shook his head. “Instead, she accused me of restricting her. Then she left, and I asked Rainbow–”

“I went to Lyra’s to get the matrices around midnight,” Dash continued. “She took the news of her preventive arrest calmly, but damn, her look made me shudder! It was like she was about to cut me in half with her laser…!” The pegasus sighed. “I took the matrices to the storage room, put them on the back shelf and sat on guard at the entrance to make sure nopony came in. No, it had to happen so that Lyra could teleport! When I heard a strange noise behind me, I turned around and there was this green bitch and her stuff disappearing in a flash of magic. Obviously, she couldn’t have escaped that far, so we started looking for her all over the place. And then Prof guided us with the cameras.” Rainbow could barely keep from spitting angrily. “She’d gone to this Earth of hers right from her room. A perfect escape, to say the least. And now there’s no telling where exactly she’ll return to.”

And that was really scary.

When the pegasus mentioned teleportation, Cosmic’s mane stood on end.

Yes, I know Lyra’s undoubtedly a powerful magician, but to wield such power… According to Sonic and Shadow, of all the characters in G4, except for the Goddesses and Discord, only Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer could teleport with their magic! Did Lyra really get that close to them at power level? Well, I’ll have to rack my brain to calculate possible combat options.

But… then why didn’t she use teleportation to finish off Sonic and me? Was it simply a matter of vanity and two hundred years of ego-boosting that caused Lyra to naturally show off to her would-be victims?

Or… had that detail been trivially not invented in the story at that point?

Cosmic and Sky Bloom looked at each other. The unicorn’s face also showed that he wasn’t at all happy about the new discovery.

“And that’s not all,” the professor spoke up again. “About a third of the cameras are out of order for unknown reasons, so we can’t see some of the staff quarters from here, as well as the infirmary and the cafeteria. Runner and Sandy went to find out what was going on. Soon,” he glanced at the time on his PipBuck screen, “they should be back with a report.”

“Should we go after them?” Sky Bloom asked, pulling the bolt of his assault rifle with magic. “What if something’s wrong?”

“We’ll wait for the checkpoint time,” Rainbow said. Although she looked like she’d been thinking the same thing for a long time. “By five o’clock, we’ll know what to do next.”

She pulled two pass cards from her armor pocket and hoofed them to Sky Bloom and Cosmic.

“Here you go. Just in case we have to come back here.”

Then she turned to the professor.

“We need to alert the staff. Tell everypony who’s on our side to gather here in the hall. The armory’s already open, and I’ve moved what I can over here,” she waved a hoof at the pile of weapons and ammo boxes in the corner of the hall, “so let’s get ready to hold the fort. The problem is,” the pegasus grinned bitterly, “we have no idea who we can trust here.”

“I’ll try to track down their PipBucks,” Sample Dample said, taking a seat at the terminal. “Those who are asleep can be woken up one by one and brought here. But if many of them have gathered, they’re obviously up to something…”

“They might be on our side as well. At least some of them,” Sky Bloom argued. “So we should wait until we have more accurate data before drawing any conclusions.”

“But the others are still better called here,” Cosmic said. “If things go as far as we fear, we could use our own army of ponies.”

The professor nodded and began typing some commands on the keyboard.

The minutes of waiting passed even slower than the more than two hours of Lyra’s memories. Everyone was sweating from the tension; Cosmic’s knees trembled nervously from time to time. She wanted to get out of her seat and shoot the hell out of this breeding ground of traitors and squealers – but she realized: she could not. It was just the wrong time.

Not every problem could be solved with a bullet. And the ones that could, might just cause more trouble.

One by one, the disgruntled, sleepy ponies came into the room, summoned by Sample Dample via PipBucks based on the location of markers on the bunker map in the terminal. They were quickly briefed and, with a change in their faces, agreed to help, after which they received their weapons and took up positions along the walls of the room.

Still, it felt like nothing was happening. And that was partly true: the real battle was yet to come.

But then, with only five minutes to go, something finally happened.

There was a thud as the door slid aside. All the ponies immediately turned to see Sandy burst into the hall. The mare was standing on the threshold, breathing heavily; her blonde mane was disheveled, and her gun belt was tangled between her front legs.

“There’s… such a… Well… it’s…” she panted. Then she took a breath, drew more air into her chest, and blurted out, “Lyra’s back!”

Everyone looked at each other sharply. Each of them realized at that moment that it was impossible to delay any longer.

“Where’s she?” Rainbow asked, flying closer.

“In her room. She came out of the portal somewhere in the corridor and went to herself,” Sandy explained. “Runner followed her, blocked the door, and started guarding the entrance. The ones for Lyra are in the mess hall right now, I’m coming from there. They’re discussing something; apparently Melon’s in charge…”

“What a bastard,” said the professor. “And he is one of my best employees… was, anyway. Well, now he will definitely be, so to speak, fired. To the surface. Along with his companions.”

“We have to defeat them first,” Sky Bloom said. “And then we can throw threats around.”

“Let’s go already,” Cosmic said impatiently, getting up and heading for the door. “It’s time to end this play.” Suddenly she stopped and turned to the professor. “You won’t lock the doors, will you?”

“Probably not,” he shook his head. “So you can come back in case of an emergency. Although,” the stallion sighed heavily, “it seems to have ruined the other me. But I won’t leave you. You are the only ones who can change everything for the better.”

Cosmic did not answer – just nodded silently. And following Sky Bloom, Sandy and Rainbow, she walked out into the semi-dark, ruby-lit corridor of the Center.

But with each step into the dark corners of the pre-war bunker, the blue pony felt the darkness thicken around them, taking away not only their confidence, but the very possibility of their victory.

They reached Lyra’s room quickly enough; they were a little out of breath, perhaps from the excitement.

But another surprise awaited them.

Runner was lying in front of the door, his assault rifle underneath him. A pool of blood was slowly spilling onto the floor.

“NOOOOOOO!!!” Sandy screamed, and before anyone could do anything, she sprinted over to the stallion and dropped to all four legs beside his body. “Runner, wake up! Wake up! Please–”

She didn’t finish.

From around the corner, a series of bullets flew into her chest and face, causing her to spurt blood from her pierced throat and collapse sideways beside her lover.

“Stand back!” Cosmic yelled, firing back a line of bullets from Last Argument.

From the corner, a chain of armed ponies appeared, barely recognizable as RC-13 scientists.

“Go on, I’ll cover you!” Rainbow said.

The pegasus flew to the ceiling and, hiding behind a turret, began firing lasers from her rifle.

Fleeing from the barrage of lead, Cosmic and Sky Bloom retreated around the corner and began staggering toward the main hall. Rainbow’s shouts could be heard from the corridor off to the side.

“Ha, is that the best you can do? Here I am, try to hit me…!”

Short pew-pews of her beam weapon were interspersed with the dry crackle of gunfire.

And then Cosmic heard something that made her jump like an electric shock.

Gunshots. Somewhere behind…

Shooting in the main hall!

No… no, no, no, no, no...!!!

“Hurry!” the earth pony shouted as she ran backwards as fast as she could.

Sky Bloom rushed after her.

The painfully familiar steel door loomed at the end of the corridor, coming closer with each desperate, vein-racking leap.

Just make it in time, just make it in time…!

Sky Bloom slapped the key card in his telekinetic field on the scanner as he ran. The door opened, and the two ponies charged into the spacious room at full speed…

And stopped abruptly, their hooves sliding across the floor.

All the ponies that had gathered here to fight Lyra and her henchmen were dead! Cosmic’s breath caught in her throat at the sight of blood-drenched corpses lying all over the hall.

And then she saw them.

In the middle of the room, pointing the barrels of their assault rifles at the new arrivals, stood Melon and another turquoise unicorn – looking like a crayon of a different color from the same pack, as if all the constituent shades of fur and mane had been reversed. It was these two who were with Lyra in that memory orb.

Lyra herself stood between them and slightly ahead. In the magical glow of her horn swayed the familiar needlegun.

With a glance to the side, Cosmic spotted Sample Dample in the corner – sprawled on the floor, clutching his shot front leg. The professor’s broken horn was also lying there.

“Ah, there you are. At last,” Lyra said. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

Cosmic turned to see Rainbow catching up to them. The pegasus had apparently dealt with some of the cyberghoul unicorn’s fighters and was now speeding through the air along the corridor, her wings almost touching the walls.

“Oh yeah. I forgot.” A yellow glow touched the door lock button. “Divide and conquer, as the saying goes.”

Cosmic watched in horror as Rainbow dashed straight for the thick door slamming shut in front of her – unable to stop.

The impact was terrifying. The solid steel plate shook and rattled but stayed in place. The pegasus was cut off from those she was trying to protect.

Again. Just like the other version of the past.

This can’t be happening...!

With a face contorted with rage, Cosmic turned back to Lyra and raised Argument with her hoof – only to find the muzzle of the magically held needlegun at her nose.

Lyra and her allies stood behind the yellow shield the unicorn had created – and their weapons hung in front of it.

“You scum… you’ll answer for everything!” Cosmic growled.

At the same time, she tried to discreetly raise the carbine so that she could grab it in her teeth in an instant.

“Are you sure? No, it’s you who will answer for everything,” Lyra said and slightly tapped the earth pony’s nose with her needlegun… like a naughty foal. “Don’t even try, we’ll be faster anyway.”

“Guns down! Quickly!” Melon yelled, swinging the barrel of his assault rifle with telekinesis.

Cosmic glanced at Sky Bloom. The unicorn looked at her too. His eyes were filled with regret: he clearly realized that everything was over for them. But he wasn’t going to give up just like that either.

The bracelet! Cosmic suddenly remembered, feeling the thin plastic hoop on her leg. We can go back and try again! One more minute earlier and we can start acting right from the doorway! We just have to–

But what if things repeat themselves over and over again? How many failures will we suffer before we can change the situation for the better? And wasn’t it me who said that we should interfere with the flow of time as little as possible…?

No. Running away is not an option. We need to fix this here and now.

So that we can fix Equestria itself later.

“How long should I wait?!” Melon’s shout rang in her ears. His voice was high and hysterical, like that of an unstable filly. “Or do you want us to start with him?!” He jerked his head towards the professor.

Slowly, very slowly, Cosmic bent over and, removing the belt of her carbine from her neck, dropped the weapon to the floor. Sky Bloom did the same using his telekinesis.

Now she’ll make another speech while we play prisoners. And then, when she’s ready to kill us, we’ll… I don’t know, we’ll think of something. We will, won’t we?

“Great. You did all the work yourselves,” Lyra remarked as she magically tossed the weapons stacked on the floor aside.

Her needlegun suddenly twitched twice, and Cosmic was stabbed in the cheek with a needle. Soaked, apparently, with the same sedative that had been used in the nameless town two centuries later.

No! This shouldn’t have happened… thought the blue pony and started to run away… But her body did not obey her anymore. Her legs twisted in an unimaginable somersault, and Cosmic collapsed to the floor.

Sky Bloom froze beside her. The unicorn had even raised a pinkish wall of shielding in front of him, but his magic was weakened by the effects of the sedative, and he wobbled more and more.

The bracelet… I need to press the button… a thought moved through her fading mind. But Cosmic had no strength left to move a hoof. She could only watch – and wait for her fate.

Lyra smirked victoriously.

“And now die.”

In the next moment, the bursts rumbled.

Suddenly, Cosmic felt something heavy and warm. She looked up and saw Sky Bloom above her. The unicorn’s eyes were bulging as if in unbearable pain, and his body was twitching in time to the bullets. Drool mixed with blood dripped from his open mouth onto the floor.

No! Sky Bloom…!

The mare wanted to scream… but a lump suddenly rose in her throat, and she couldn’t make a sound.

The unicorn’s hoof shifted – and landed on the return button on her bracelet.

No!!! Not like this…! I… I just can’t… without–

“Cos… mic…” Sky Bloom wheezed so quietly that the earth pony rather figured it out by the movement of his lips.

And then he pressed the button.

Noooo– was the last thing the mare thought of.

That was all she had time for. Darkness came over her again, illuminated for a moment by a dazzling flash of light.

“I’ve remembered. Now I’ve remembered everything,” said Sample Dample.

“Not remembered. You’ve known.” Cosmic sniffed. “It’s just that the memories themselves… have changed.”

She was no longer crying. Well… almost. At least the tears were no longer streaming, just little drops at the corners of her reddened eyes.

And that was only because she had no tears left.

…She woke up with Sonic shaking her by the shoulder like a huge plush toy. Her consciousness returned slowly, reluctantly, but she was able to pick up something from the hedgehog’s rambling. Something about how he and the professor had guessed about the sedative, and there was an antidote in the infirmary, which Sonic had injected into her, so everything would be fine now, but wait, where’s Sky Bloom, wasn’t he with her–

The mention of the stallion was the last straw.

Cosmic was weeping, literally flailing hysterically on the ground – and could not calm down. She was burning from within with the unbearable, incredibly bitter realization that she had lost another friend.

“Why?! WHY-Y-Y…?! It couldn’t have happened! It couldn’t…!” she screamed, lying on her belly and slamming her hooves into the floor. “Why… why now…? We… we defeated Lyra! In this time…! Discord had me trying to do more…!”

Instead of crying, an angry growl suddenly escaped her throat.

“Oh, nooo… it’s not Discord – especially since he’s still locked up in his metal prison! It’s you, author, isn’t it?!” She looked up at the ceiling, as if someone out there might be watching her. “It’s always you who make me suffer new horrors! Why are you torturing me and my friends?! There are almost none of them left…!” The mare sobbed again. “I don’t have a home anymore! I have no–”

…no one I can rely on, she wanted to say, but remembering Sonic, she put it differently.

“…no one familiar! And it’s all you, whoever you are! What is this sick addiction to killing?! If everyone else dies just ‘cause they’re minor characters and I’m alive ‘cause I’m the protagonist, then kill me too! End it all! Throw this story in the trash and write another one, about the Equestria of long ago, without the Wasteland bent on massacring every fucking inhabitant! Without all the fallout and cupcakes and rainbow factories and whatever else humans, I don’t even know what you look like, have come up with over there! I don’t want! To live! Like this…!”

She coughed and sat down on her haunches, wrapping her forelegs around herself. Tears flowed from her eyes again.

“Why me…?” Cosmic whispered, her shoulders trembling. “Why is this happening to me…? I wanted a normal, boring life in The Republic… a peaceful old age in my own home… maybe a pack of foals would be not a bad option. Why should I have such adventures? I can’t even wipe myself with them, for that would mean betraying the memory of those who died… Wasteland has enough characters made up. Why create another one? No – a whole bunch of them… What the hay are you doing that for…?”

The words were gone. So were the tears. As well as the feelings.

Cosmic sat with her eyes squeezed shut, rocking back and forth. She no longer felt anything at all. There was nothing left of the willing, confident mare she had been a month ago. And she didn’t know what to do next.

What to do when my world was literally torn to shreds? Keep racing through time, hoping – for the umpteenth time! – to make things right? What if it doesn’t work? What if it doesn’t work?! What if it’s just a universal vicious cycle that can’t be broken? Will I be able to bring peace to Equestria if I can’t save anyone around me?! No, not even that – if I’m not allowed to…?!

What to do? Where to go? For miles around there’s nothing but barren land, contaminated by radiation and dried out by the sun. Go back somewhere near New Appleloosa? Who would want me there, with my current background? And if I keep going, one day, if I’m lucky, I’ll get to Hoofington… where no one would give a shit either.

Better to be forgotten here in the middle of nowhere.

Defeated. Broken. Devastated.

What a pity that medical capsules only heal the body – but not the soul, Cosmic thought aloofly, frozen and staring at a point in front of her. Maybe I should ask Sonic to take the plasma rifle and… no, he’ll refuse, of course, but if I insist–

Suddenly her eyes widened. Cosmic even raised her head, as if afraid of missing this brief glimpse of insight.

If the universe was being destroyed… perhaps it was just to show how it could be rebuilt.

Littlepip. Go through the fire.

Blackjack. Do better.

Puppysmile. Find her mother.

Silver Storm. Be a hero.

Dazzling Dusk. Reach the goal.

Murky Number Seven. Become free.

Finally, she, Cosmic Valor. Travel back in time. Save Equestria.

No matter how hard things got, she always survived. Overcoming one obstacle after another and forging ahead.

Defeating the enemies who stood in her way. One by one. Again, and again.

Everyone had fallen before her, including Lyra Heartstrings. And Sky Bloom’s death was only a consequence of her attempting the impossible.

The first death Cosmic was truly guilty of. And it would remain the only one.

Sky Bloom died covering her with himself. So that she could live again.

A time machine fell into her hooves. So she could change the past.

So many ponies have given their lives for her to be here now. And she must finish what she started, chasing the mystery that once tormented her. Otherwise, there was no point in all of this.

Suddenly, Cosmic opened her mouth and looked up at the slightest hint of a new thought. Someone else’s thought!

Without knowing it, she addressed an angry rebuke to what was now one of the gods of her world.

And she was answered.

Yes, it’s me. It was my will that you went through all your adventures, lost friends and gradually came closer to figuring things out. Said and thought what I put in your mouth or in your head.

I’m sorry about that. Maybe I did go overboard… more than once. But the world isn’t fair. I’m not fair. But your example shows me how to live and fight. To face the chaos around you and not let it consume your soul.

Admittedly, even I didn’t expect some of the things you’ve done. For example, you made the decision to go so far back in time to save not only The Republic, but also the bunker, instead of traveling back a year with Sonic and trying to kill Lyra. But your failures are a consequence of the fact that you’re still just an ordinary earth pony. That despite all your trials, you’re still you – even though you’ve changed. And that’s what I admire about you.

There are some things you cannot change, no matter how hard you try. You just have to look for a loophole where you have a chance to make a difference. Try over and over again – and not be afraid to fail. Accept your mistakes and keep going.

I could say that everything you’ve been through has really been to get you to where you are now. But you’re the protagonist, Cosmic. And you have your own free will. Your future is a blank page on the screen of my… uh… terminal. And even I don’t know it completely.

You can do it, Cosmic. I believe in you.

You are the hero I – and Fallout: Equestria itself – have been missing.

The Seventh Element of Harmony.

Justice.

The voice in her head was gone, but Cosmic sat staring dazedly at the ceiling for a long time. As if waiting for the author, whoever he was, to come back – or to do something else. Like resurrect Sonic’s friends. Or Lyra. Or Sky Bloom. Or just take them back to where it all started. Revive The Republic – or make the bunker explode.

But none of that happened. The reactor and the terminals hummed as usual, and the lights on the ceiling shone brightly, and the flask with Sonic’s needle glowed softly blue.

The time machine was waiting for its new hour.

It didn’t immediately dawn on the blue pony what had just happened.

She had just yelled at a god.

And the god had apologized.

Someone’s hand rested gently on her shoulder, and Cosmic turned sharply.

The blue hedgehog immediately retreated a step or two, apparently frightened by what flashed through her eyes at that moment.

“How… are you?” he asked cautiously.

“Shitty,” Cosmic exhaled and wiped away her tears. “But what does it matter now? It won’t bring Sky Bloom back anyway. And I really don’t seem to have anything left to do but hang around and try to do something about Equestria. I may not be able to bring peace to everypony around me, but maybe the others can help.”

“I’ve remembered,” Sample Dample said. “Now I’ve remembered everything.”

They were silent for a while, and then Sonic, sitting back at the terminal, spoke again.

“Can’t you… well, I don’t know…” he waved his hand in the air, “try again? The time machine is needed to save everyone in the past, right? Why don’t you go back in time and fix everything?”

“It won’t work,” the mare said in a flat voice. “Things had gotten so bad that there was nothing I could do. And how can you imagine that? I didn’t see myself until–”

Suddenly she paused, afraid of missing an idea that had been glimmering somewhere on the edge of her mind.

“Wh… what happened?” Sonic was alert. “Are you up to something again?”

“I’ll save him!” Cosmic sprang to her hooves. “I… I know how! I just… have to time it right…”

Her face now lit up with inspiration and hope. The darkness of despair that had gathered around her, almost enveloping her, receded slightly.

Cosmic looked at her PipBuck. In the corner of the small screen, green numbers were changing, counting up the seconds ticking away into the past. For some reason, the sight of these constantly updating numbers fascinated the blue pony; with her mouth agape, she watched the device on her leg count off the time.

Except that the numbers on PipBuck were quite different from the system clock on the terminals.

Cosmic blinked.

“Time…” She suddenly smacked her hoof on her forehead. “Of course! Time!”

As it turned out, the PipBuck counted time as if the blue earth pony had stayed in her present. Knowing the exact moment of the transfer thanks to the log of operations, it was easy to calculate how long Cosmic had been in the past, and thus to determine the new “destination.”

The interface allowed setting the transfer location to the accuracy of a foot and the time to the second. And that was exactly what Cosmic was going to use.

“…No, sweep me a little more to the right!” She removed her hoof, and the tape measure they used to calculate distances on the floor immediately rolled back up. “The guns are almost up to the platform! I need to be right there, so I don’t waste any extra seconds!”

“What’s the problem?” Sonic grumbled from across the hall, typing in the new coordinates on the keyboard. “Just grab some weapons from the arsenal and pick up yours before you get back.”

“You don’t get it. Argument is for me –” Cosmic twirled her hoof in the air “– even closer than a friend. Like… like a battle buddy. I’ve been through so much with it… you’ve seen some of that yourself. And most importantly, it’s never let me down. And neither have you. Without my carbine, I’m–”

“…just like without your hooves, I’ve got this,” Sonic finished for her and leaned back in his chair. “Done. If Tails were here, he’d have figured it out in no time…”

“You learned a lot from him,” the mare said with unexpected warmth, and the hedgehog looked a little embarrassed.

Cosmic put the bracelet on her leg (the crystal on it glowed green) and climbed onto the platform. She turned to Sonic and shouted, “Launch!”

“Yes, ma’am!” the hedgehog replied cheerfully and pressed the button.

A flash of light and the blue pony was back where Sky Bloom had saved her.

Or rather, when.

The crackle of gunfire reached her ears. Blinking quickly, Cosmic saw the deadly scene from the side: the unicorns stood behind the shield, and Sky Bloom shielded her from the fire of the floating assault rifles. Some of the bullets bounced off his armor, but more and more stayed inside, penetrating deeper each time.

In this situation, unarmed, pinned down by the stallion’s body, Cosmic could do nothing – not even press her bracelet’s return button herself.

But now she wasn’t going to hesitate.

The weapons, hers and Sky Bloom’s, were right next to her hooves. She and Sonic had made no mistake in their choice of coordinates after all.

However, while the earth pony would have bent down to pick up the Last Argument, Sky Bloom would have taken at least five bullets. So Cosmic quickly assessed the situation, lifted her hoof with the PipBuck, and entered the S.A.T.S.

And the world slowed down.

The sounds of gunfire faded to a muffled rumble. Lyra and her minions were just beginning to turn – but Cosmic had already tossed her carbine, caught it in her teeth, and fired a long series of shots in the direction of her opponents. They were unprotected from the side, and even if they could react in time with the cyber-enhancements, they would need to be distracted from shooting their opponents.

Wasting no time, Cosmic grabbed the weapons by the straps with her teeth and dashed across the fire. Her legs felt like squeezing through thick jelly; her muscles would definitely ache when this was over.

But was soreness and pain a high price to pay for saving someone’s life? Especially someone dear?

In the corner of her greened field of vision, the charge scale of the spell was rapidly melting. A few seconds – and the head start Cosmic had gained with technomagic would be over.

She couldn’t afford to be late.

Not now. Not again.

Lyra had created a shield on the side as well, so the bullets from Argument ricocheted off the yellowish field of magic. The unicorn’s eyes widened, clearly surprised to see a second Cosmic in her S.A.T.S. rushing to the aid of the first.

At that moment, Sky Bloom pressed the button on the mare’s bracelet. Cosmic’s body – her own self, just a few subjective hours earlier! – disappeared in a flash of light, and the wounded white unicorn fell to the floor.

In this timeline, all he had to do was die.

Or not?

Was Cosmic creating a new branch of reality – or altering an existing one?

The blue earth pony didn’t have time to wonder about such questions. All she cared about now was Sky Bloom – and the tiny chance of saving him.

Standing between her wounded friend and the trio of scum, Cosmic fired the rest of her magazine at them. To think – now she was doing for Sky Bloom exactly what he had done for her! Paying the unicorn back in the same coin.

And at the same time, her hoof hit the button of his bracelet.

Cosmic looked Lyra in the eye – and grinned at the sight of the cyberghoul’s twisted face. And then she pushed down with her hoof as hard as she could, sending Sky Bloom back to the future.

And then, as the unicorn almost literally vanished into thin air, the spell ended.

The blue earth pony gasped as the bullets flying at Sky Bloom hit her in the chest and threw her to the floor. The armor had held up, but there would definitely be a bruise.

Cosmic had nothing more to do here.

She grabbed the straps of Argument and Sky Bloom’s assault rifle with her teeth again, rolled onto her stomach, and pushed the button on her bracelet with a sense of accomplishment.

She did it.

She fixed the mistake she’d made herself.

Or… had the author said that on purpose to encourage her? Then how was it all part of the plan again?

What the hay does it matter, to Discord?! What matters is that she actually resurrected her friend.

And Lyra and her minions can die watching their bullets pierce a void.

“…I still don’t get it,” Cosmic said, looking at Sample Dample. “Now that I’ve been to the distant past twice, it’s clear how Lyra knew I would come. But I wasn’t in her memory orb at the beginning! How could she know so much about me in that version of reality? And, in her words, be on my trail from The Republic itself?”

The three of them met again in the main hall – and the professor had not even left. The blue pony was not wearing armor now; instead, her chest was tightly bandaged. Sonic sat at the terminal as usual, stroking the keyboard thoughtfully with his finger.

The two of them couldn’t even drag Sky Bloom to the corridor exit – but luckily, Sample Dample had come up with a more elegant solution. So the unicorn rode to the infirmary on the back of a miraculously surviving Protectron of the bunker’s robot guards.

Together, they removed Sky Bloom’s pierced body armor. It was bad, but not fatal: several bullets had lodged in his back muscles, luckily not hitting his internal organs, and only one had scratched his lung. That had caused the unicorn’s mouth to bleed as he had covered Cosmic with himself.

The capsule they had put him in was the last one – all the others were occupied by Sonic’s friends. The blue hedgehog didn’t even look like he wanted to be here, so he bandaged Cosmic’s bruised chest in one of the living quarters.

“Don’t forget, Lyra could hack sprite-bots too,” Sonic replied. “Plus, she had a network of spies who fed her all the info about what was going on in the Wasteland. Metal Dawn could drunkenly spill everything about you and your team, including the town you came from. And all she’d say was just a show-off to make it creepy.”

“I prefer the term ‘posturing,’” the professor remarked. “It’s been a hundred and eighty-five years, Miss Valor. Do you think it’s hard to forget something, however strange and unusual, when your mind is blinded by a thirst for revenge – not against you, but against the whole other universe? It’s not like Lyra was doing Project Whirlpool; she needed the reactor for her megaspell.”

“I guess it’s not that hard,” Cosmic sighed. “But I have another thought. What if the events as I saw them didn’t happen at all? Could she have recorded an ‘edited’ version of what happened in the memory orb – with the intention that if she suddenly decided to be merciful, she would show it to me, send us back in time and finish us off when we returned? To keep it logical, as it were.

“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Sample Dample said in surprise. “As far as I know, only real memories can be written into orbs… But again, don’t underestimate Lyra’s abilities. The fact that she was able to upload multiple memory fragments into one orb is already a major breakthrough. I wouldn’t be surprised if she also found a way to record the simulated images…”

Suddenly, there was the sound of a door opening and Cosmic and Sonic turned around.

Sky Bloom stood on the threshold and peered hesitantly inside. The unicorn, like the blue earth pony, was naked and disheveled, clots of biogel dripping from her fur onto the floor.

“Um… and what does all this mean?” he asked in confusion. “Have you seen my armor, Cosmic…?”

He had barely finished when the mare broke from her seat and ran up to him, embracing him as soon as she was close enough.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered in his ear. “I won’t let any more ponies get hurt because of me. Neither you nor anyone else. I don’t want to lose you – and I won’t let you die before your time.”

She bit his ear lightly and exhaled softly, “I promise…”

“…But why Littlehorn?” Sky Bloom asked. “Why not the case of the Zebra pirates which started the war? What is so important about this school, and… where is it even located?”

They were sitting in the main hall again – the four of them now. After Sky Bloom had washed off the biogel, his wounds appeared to be almost healed. Still, wartime technomagic could work wonders – and this time, it had put the nearly point-blank shot unicorn back on his hooves in less than a day.

But even now he looked embarrassed, clad once again in his body armor. Of course, he was – he’d recently had his life saved… ignoring the fact that he’d done the same thing first.

After recovering from the shock, they began to discuss a new plan: what to do next? Since the RC-13 could not be saved, it was clear that they had to try something else, without dwelling on the failure. Like changing the history of Equestria itself. After all, if there was no war, or at least no catastrophe at the end of it, then the bunker wouldn’t need to be saved. Most likely, it wouldn’t be built at all.

The only thing left to do was to choose the moment to move.

“Because that’s when the war went through… well, the point of no return,” Cosmic replied. “After what the Zebras had done, the ponies had no sympathy for them. Equestria was willing to fight to the last soldier to revenge the murder of her children. And the Zebras wanted to destroy Nightmare Moon, as they saw her in Princess Luna. And they ended up screwing the whole world.”

“But that’s not what Shadow said happened in Project Horizons." Sonic scratched his nose. “The refugee zebras were shot by the school’s defense systems, and Goldenblood, who was a geography or history teacher, ordered to take care of the survivors. And among them was one of the Starkatteri tribe, who carried a talisman that was a gas bomb. The rest of them might not have even known about it! And then Goldenblood became head of the O.I.A. and hatched his own plan to make sure that power would eventually go to him. And he basically started the end of the world when he sent Jetstream the pegasus, through his subordinate, to the capital of Zebrica with a megaspell talisman, and when the city was destroyed, the balefire bombs rained down on Equestria…”

The hedgehog looked up to find Cosmic and Sky Bloom staring at him, stunned.

“What? I just remembered what Shadow said. And… put some facts together. That’s all.”

“So…” Cosmic cleared her throat. “So, the task is simplified? We don’t have to kill a whole bunch of refugees, but just one striped asshole with an amulet? Nice.

“But… there’s only one problem.” Sonic scratched his nose again. “This zebra has a talisman inside him that gives him immortality. Even if he gets melted by a plasma gun, the talisman will allow him to regenerate.”

“And… what should we do?” Cosmic was clearly confused.

“Well, actually, the main thing is not so much to kill him (although that’s impossible), but to defuse the talisman with the Pink Cloud. Then the ponies were literally a second too late before the villain came back to life and activated the bomb–”

“So one of us will have to get a plasma rifle,” the blue pony said, and looked at the unicorn, “What do you think, Sky?”

“Is this really gonna help stop the war?” Sky Bloom snorted skeptically. “The battles would still go on, and without fanaticism they could last for fifty or a hundred years…”

“Anything is better than two centuries of radiation, chaos and thick clouds,” Cosmic snorted. “Besides, all wars end sooner or later.”

“By the way, with less escalation, a ceasefire becomes more likely,” Sample Dample added. “Unless there is an unresolvable ideological contradiction such as Princess Luna’s power, or, as Lyra said, the value conflict between East and West on Earth, the war could be over in a few years, and relations with Zebrica could be restored. After all, the original confrontation was over resources: Equestria needed coal, and Zebrica needed gems. But the war gave an unprecedented boost to progress: the ponies discovered oil and natural gas and learned to make synthetic crystals, and the Zebras somehow managed to solve their problems with magical storage material. In fact, the war simply accelerated the scientific and technological processes that would have led to the result one day. However, due to the changed paradigm of the conflict, they could not be used for peaceful purposes. And it’s unlikely to be possible in the foreseeable future.”

“Because this future we do not have yet,” said Cosmic and rose. “Then we gotta create it. We need only two things. First, the exact date of the attack on Littlehorn. And second, the coordinates of that place.”

“Everything is in the database,” replied the professor. “So it all depends on you. And… on your luck.”

“Luck comes to those who know what they’re doing,” Sonic grinned. “It’s okay. We’ll get through this. Should we at least get lucky once more? Right, Cosmic? C-Cosmic…?”

The mare did not answer. She stared silently at the ground – and seemed unwilling to discuss the matter further.

Suddenly, a hoof touched her shoulder and dragged her to someone’s furry side.

Once in the warm embrace, the blue pony looked up at Sky Bloom in surprise.

“Don’t be afraid,” the stallion whispered in her ear. “The main thing is to believe that we’ll make it. And if we don’t… well, it’s never too late to fix it. From now on – and forever.”

Cosmic nodded and buried her muzzle in his long scarlet mane.

Indeed… Everything will be fine. We just have to want it – and make an effort.

Suddenly there was a tangible shudder on the floor, accompanied by a low rumbling from somewhere above and beyond, and the ceiling lamps flickered for a second. The very walls of the bunker, designed to withstand the blast of a megaspell, seemed to quiver.

“Wh… what is it…?” Sonic muttered, staring at the ceiling.

But Cosmic already had a guess. And she did not like it very much.

“Quickly!” she shouted, rushing to one of the terminals. “Cameras…!”

The hedgehog didn’t need to be told twice. Having already learned from his experience with the local computer system under Sample Dample’s guidance, Sonic immediately entered the surveillance system’s menu and brought up an image of one of the cameras on all the displays.

Except it wasn’t the camera above the bunker entrance. There was no signal from it at all! And it was clear why: the camera in the vestibule leading to the surface showed that the heavy outer door, no doubt made by Stable Tec, had been blown up along with the front wall! That just couldn’t happen – and yet it did.

It looked like someone had used a lot of explosives.

Worst of all, two ponies and a blue hedgehog saw who did it.

The Steel Rangers were coming into the shelter in a neat line.

Sky Bloom cursed foully.

“…Buck, they were all killed by the cyberghouls in that town!”

“Don’t forget, we’re already in a different timeline,” Cosmic replied. “Besides, it might be other Rangers who found the remains of them and traced the route. Since a few days have passed… that is… ah, you know what I mean!”

“D-damn, there–” Sonic said, jumping up from his chair, but Sky Bloom held out his leg in warning.

“You’re not gonna save anybody out there now, just get yourself killed! No matter how fast you are, those assholes will blow you up!”

“But they’ll kill my friends!” stomped the hedgehog in anger. “Now that they are in the capsules, they can’t do anything! I must protect them!”

“Professor, how can I lock all the doors at once?” Cosmic turned to the tank with Sample Dample floating inside.

“In the service directory there is an executable file,” the scientist replied. “Scroll down… right there, between the folder for reports and the system log. It’s password-protected, the code is the same as the one used to start the time machine. Then again, that was within my power…”

But the blue pony had already run across the keyboard and was about to hit the enter button.

“No!!!”

There was a blue flash – and Cosmic’s hoof was in the firm grip of hands in blood-stained gloves.

“You can’t…” whispered the blue hedgehog as he looked into her eyes. “They’re gonna die in there…”

The mare slapped him across the face, and he fell to the floor a few meters away.

“We don’t know that!” she blurted back. “It had been so long since the battle with Lyra that the capsules should have almost healed them! If any of them could wake up and crawl out, they’d get the others out and come up with something together! Otherwise, the Rangers would just leave them in the capsules, afraid to touch the ancient technology!”

The earth pony fell silent, breathing heavily. Sonic lay propped up on his elbow, rubbing his aching cheekbone. His eyes, which read a pleading expression, were fixed on Cosmic.

Sighing, the mare rose from her chair, walked over to the blue hedgehog, and sat down beside him.

“Listen,” she said softly. “I know you’re trying to fight for your friends on your own right now. But believe me, they’re capable of something as well. Even if not in their current state… Have faith in them, faith in their strength. Remember how you fought back together… they can stand up for themselves too, right? And if we succeed, they won’t be in any danger. Neither will you. Nor will we. Nor Equestria.”

The hedgehog took a long look at her, sniffed, and said reluctantly, “Okay. Lock the doors.”

He didn’t have to say it twice.

Cosmic immediately jumped back to the terminal and smacked the enter button with her hoof.

“Done!”

“Great,” said the professor. “Now these Rangers will have to break through all the lowered corridor bulkheads. Don’t worry, it’ll be enough to hold them off for a while…”

As if on cue, all three travelers looked at the plasma-eaten door of the main hall.

“Hurry up!” Cosmic pulled a drawer out of the desk and shook out three bracelets on the floor. “Sonic, enter the coordinates! We need to sync this stuff…”

A moment - and the hedgehog was sitting at the screen, navigating the ancient menu. Meanwhile, Cosmic and Sky Bloom put on the bracelets.

“Ready!” Sonic shouted, and the crystals on the return devices flashed green. He turned and stared at the third bracelet, slightly confused. “You… want me to go… with you, too?”

“For Celestia’s sake, just move and press the button, that’s all you need!” Sky Bloom blew up, carrying his spare magazines. “If I understand right, we’ll be thrown into the same reality anyway! Move it!”

“Stop pushing me!” Sonic shouted back.

Blue discharges ran through his needles. Standing in front of the two ponies, the hedgehog looked exactly as he had when he had saved Cosmic from Metal Dawn. Only now, it was as if Cosmic herself was standing in Sonic’s way, along with Sky Bloom.

The silent scene lasted for an indescribably long moment, interrupted by the professor’s cautious cough. If, of course, that sound, distorted beyond recognition, could be recognized as a cough.

Without a word, all three of them turned to the screens that displayed the images from the cameras. Judging by the images, the Rangers had already searched about a third of the bunker and were now enthusiastically cutting through the bulkheads blocking their way with auto-axes.

Sonic seemed to wilt and sighed quietly. White sparks flew from his needles, disappearing into the ground with a slight crackle.

“You’re right,” the hedgehog murmured in a colorless tone. “We… we need to do something. I… should be with you. Because… because…”

He shook, ready to cry at any moment.

Sky Bloom magically fastened the bracelet to his wrist.

“Trust us,” the unicorn said softly. “We cannot be divided now. If we change history globally, we could create a paradox like Lyra’s memory orbs. But you can’t be seen there, or things will really go wrong. You and your friends, you’re… too unusual for this world. And… like Shadow said,” the stallion grinned wryly, “you weren’t mentioned in the original Fallout: Equestria. But that doesn’t mean you’re useless. You just have a different role – which you all fulfilled to the best of your abilities.”

“Thank you.” The hedgehog sniffed. “You… all of you… it means a lot to me. I’m sorry, whatever it is. After all, besides them… I have you now. And I have to make a choice. A right choice. Even if it’s a bitter one.”

Sky Bloom nodded and turned to the platform. “Let’s go, then.”

“Wait,” the professor’s voice suddenly sounded behind them.

“What the heck!” Cosmic stomped irritably.

“There, in the far corner… in the bottom drawer. A spare matrix… just in case.”

“Seriously?!” exclaimed the blue pony. Sonic was already at the other end of the hall, pulling the second matrix out of the drawer. “B-but how…? Why…?”

“Well, we couldn’t keep such an important element in a single copy.” An eerie chuckle came from the speaker. “This matrix is portable, which means it can work without a platform, moving itself and all objects within a few meters in time… if only a powerful enough power source is connected to it. However, it’s not programmable. Several default points are encased in small crystals on the central circuit, a special slider activates one of them. And over there on the side is a chip that records their coordinates.” Sample Dample sighed. “I designed this solution for the future, so I didn’t have time to anticipate everything… And then I didn’t have the chance.”

“Look,” Sonic said, walking back over to his companions, “there was also a flask of some sort… just like–”

He stopped and, holding the spell matrix in one hand and a glass cylinder and a bundle of wires in the other, he looked at the reactor casing, where the blue needle in the same vessel was shimmering with blue-white sparks.

Cosmic and Sky Bloom looked at each other. Smiles spread across their faces.

“Then we’ll take it,” the mare said, turning to the professor while Sonic carefully placed the items in her saddlebags. “Thank you. For... for everything. I’m sorry that we weren’t able to help you. What happened to you… it shouldn’t have. I’m sorry.”

“I’m used to it,” Sample Dample replied from his jar, and for the first time there was a real two-century-old bitterness in his voice. “I suppose I deserve my fate. I was so naive then… didn’t see what the world outside the Center had become. I didn’t realize that I couldn’t trust everyone. I just wanted to help a wounded, in some ways even dead mare… Except that I didn’t think she was morally dead either.”

“Everyone makes mistakes,” Cosmic sighed. “No one here is an exception. Me, you, Sonic, Sky Bloom… The important thing is that after each mistake, we get back up – and either fix it, or just find the strength to move on.”

“Miss Valor… can I ask you something? As a farewell, so to speak.”

Cosmic went cold. The professor’s tone was deadly serious.

Nevertheless, she controlled herself and answered, “Y-yes, of course. If I can–”

“Please disconnect my life support system.”

“W… what?”

The blue pony was taken aback. Not by the request itself – no matter how unthinkable and sacrilegious it was! – but rather by how casually and calmly it was said.

“Please… While your friends in the capsules have no choice, I do have one. I’ve had enough of what Lyra has done to me. And I don’t want to become a living (yet) plaything for those Rangers!” His voice rose to a shout, then dropped to a barely audible whisper. “I don’t want to… tell them anything. The code is only in my head, without it they can’t use the machine… I’m in pain… I’m so tired… So much pain – why, in so many years? I… I cannot… Please, give me a break from all this. I’m… so tired…”

If Sample Dample had been a normal pony, tears would have come to his eyes.

But instead, it was Cosmic who was crying. Sonic was also furtively wiping something from his eyelids. And only Sky Bloom turned away, staring into space with a stone face.

“No…” the blue pony whispered. “No, no, no…! We… you can’t–”

“Please… time is almost up… Soon they will come here, and only Discord knows what will happen then! I helped you with the system… grant my last request as well…”

Cosmic closed her eyes. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her voice turned to a stifled gasp.

“H… how…?”

“Terminal nineteen. There is the control interface of this tank.”

Seeing almost nothing through the wet veil covering her eyes, Cosmic walked slowly to the correct workstation.

The “jar” control menu was easy to find. In fact, it was the only one there. And the last item in the list of commands was a simple phrase: Terminate power.

Silently shaking with suppressed sobs, Cosmic selected a line in the menu. A dialog box appeared with a single question, “Terminate power? Y/N”

At this point, Cosmic couldn’t stand it any longer and wailed out loud. Her legs gave out and she collapsed onto her haunches where she was standing. Her whole body was shaking, and tears dripped from her chin onto the butt of the carbine hanging on her belt.

Someone’s hooves tapped on the iron floor. Then paused nearby. It was Sky Bloom, no doubt, who had decided to do what she hadn’t dared.

A few seconds of silence – and then the slight clang! of a button being pressed.

Done.

The professor didn’t scream in excruciating pain, didn't twitch in agony, stirring up the clear, viscous liquid with his legs. Not even sighed. His long-suffering body ceased to live in an instant.

Sky Bloom leaned over and touched the blue pony’s shoulder.

“Get up, Cosmic. We have to go. The Rangers will be here any minute. We must save Littlehorn, remember? End… or even prevent the war that is still going on to this day. We must, Cosmic. Because if we don’t, who will? Get up… please. This world needs you. But most of all, we need you.”

“Okay.” Cosmic sobbed one last time and rose to her hooves. “Come on.”

They made their way to the platform waiting for them at the other end of the hall.

The mare could barely move her legs, which had become as wooden as her entire body. Her eyes were still wet with tears, but a seemingly forgotten command pattern had already been triggered in her brain.

She must be strong. For her own sake. For Sky Bloom and Sonic. For her friends who were no longer with her.

And finally, for the sake of Equestria.

Suddenly, a noise came from the corridor, getting louder by the second. And it wasn’t difficult to recognize it.

Whoever heard the rumble of the Steel Rangers’ armored hooves would never forget it.

Damn it! We were too slow!

Cosmic and Sky Bloom exchanged a quick glance and rushed towards the platform together. Leaping onto the smooth plastic surface, the blue pony turned and looked up to find Sonic still sitting at the terminal.

“Sonic, hurry!”

“Now!”

The blue hedgehog entered the confirmation code, pressed a button, then transformed into a blurry silhouette, and was on the platform in the next instant. In the meantime, he had actually managed to grab one of the plasma rifles from the wall.

Cosmic watched with bated breath as the magical energy limited by the F.A.D.E. shield gathered over the matrix behind the dark glass as the advance party of Steel Rangers raced down the corridor to the molten door of the room.

It seemed as if the three of them were too late, and they would all be killed in a few moments…

But a second before the armored ponies would have burst into the hall, the accumulated energy hit the transfer matrix with a blinding beam.

Will we return to this present? Cosmic had time to think. Or will history change so drastically that we won’t even recognize the world we’re in? No matter. The important thing is that everything is reversible. Any mistake can be corrected. It’s just that some of them are very, very hard.

And then the familiar white flash went off, and the three of them came to in a completely different place… and time.

Littlehorn Valley…

Cosmic’s breath caught as she opened her eyes. The landscape spread out around her in the bright moonlight. She had never seen anything so beautiful and majestic. Yes, the crescent-shaped banks of the canyon were not the thick and lush forests she had expected to see, but even the stern, silent rocks towering up and the slow river flowing through the gorge made her Wasteland-hardened heart tremble.

This world… was so much like the Equestria the aliens had told her about. The one Professor Sample Dample so desperately wanted to resurrect – so much so that he’d willingly entrusted a time machine to random travelers.

Goosebumps ran down Cosmic’s back.

And something’s about to happen that will eventually affect the school and the whole country. The whole fucking world.

She sighed and made Argument more comfortable on her back. She didn’t take Nige and Dan with her anymore: Sonic had used up all the ammunition in his desperate attack on the cyberghouls. But there were plenty of 5.56s in the bunker instead.

The three of them fell out of the time jump onto the shore of a lake in the widest part of the valley. A river meandered between the rocks and flowed into the lake. A huge waterfall cascaded down the cliff nearby, pouring its own moisture into the stream.

And directly in front of them stood a castle of black marble, carved into the rock itself. The rounded walls cast a matte sheen, and one might have thought that Canterlot had somehow been miraculously transported halfway across Equestria… were it not for the color of the magically polished stone. The tall spire rose like a lone sentry over the valley, and it seemed to be some kind of antenna, sending up secret, unknown signals.

“Whoa…” Sonic’s quiet exclamation reached her ears.

Cosmic turned around. The hedgehog was staring at the magnificent building with his mouth agape, just as she had been a moment ago. It was one thing to see Canterlot Castle in the cartoon, and quite another to see a replica of it with their own eyes, even if it wasn’t an exact copy.

The gates in front of the school were open, and in the spacious courtyard, the outlines of striped figures could be seen on the ground. They must have been the unfortunate zebra refugees.

“I hope we’re in time,” Sky Bloom muttered. “The main thing now is to sneak in unnoticed.”

“Hmm…” Cosmic looked at the zebras. “Maybe we can get around them somehow?”

“Sure,” the unicorn snorted and used his telekinesis to rummage through his bag, pulling out…

The blue pony gasped as she realized what she was looking at.

Floating in the faint glow of magic was the translucent invisibility cloak, barely visible in the night.

“When I dragged Tails to the infirmary, I decided to take the cloak as well, not to leave it to Lyra,” Sky Bloom explained, unfolding the seemingly weightless fabric, white sparks glimmering in the moonlight. “I hid it there for the duration of the battle, then – before we started jumping back and forth in time – I took it back and patched it up. Thanks for your help, by the way: without the spell you made me remember, we’d be in a lot of trouble…”

“And how do we both fit in there?” Cosmic chuckled. “It seems to be designed for one–”

“Without trying – won’t know,” Sky Bloom smiled in response.

“Uh… here you go.” Sonic handed the two ponies the plasma rifle he had brought with him, and Sky Bloom nodded gratefully as he picked it up with his magic. “Well… goodbye then?”

“See you in the future,” Cosmic said.

“Maybe a brohoof?” the hedgehog suggested.

The blue pony grinned and held out a hoof, which Sonic lightly poked with his fist. Then Sky Bloom did the same.

“Good luck, anyway.” Sonic sighed. “I hope you’ll be able to make things right.”

“We will,” Cosmic corrected him. “You’ve been with us too. But thank you. We could really use some luck right now.”

The hedgehog pulled up the corner of his mouth in a grin, showed a ring of two fingers – and then pressed a button on his bracelet and disappeared in a bright flash.

“All right,” Cosmic said, “let’s go this way. Unfold your cloak; let’s see how far it stretches.”

“Our cloak,” the unicorn replied with a smile, and covered them both with a thin, flowing cloth.

“Starlight Glimmer approves that," the blue pony giggled.

Contrary to expectations, the cloak was large enough for two ponies to hide under. They had to walk close together, but Cosmic didn’t mind. It was so pleasant and cozy to feel Sky Bloom’s soft fur and warm body against her side that the mare didn’t even notice as they crossed the courtyard full of zebras and found themselves in front of the tall doors of the building.

The unicorn silently opened the massive oak door with magic, and the two of them went inside, finding themselves in a decent-sized lobby. There were wide staircases with carved railings on either side, and elevator cabs lined the entrance. In the far wall were office doors – and from behind one of them came hushed voices.

The soft glow of spark lamps allowed them to see enough to know where to go. During the day, the interior of this place must have looked like a real work of art – but now Cosmic didn’t have time to admire the stucco and other things that would remain nothing more than beautiful, pretentious words in the future. It was necessary to act.

“Well, where do we go now?” Sky Bloom asked in a quiet voice. “Any ideas?”

“Let's go up there.” Cosmic pointed to a large, fenced rotunda where the stairs converged. “From there, we’ll have a better view and be able to run in any direction if we need to.”

They walked up the marble steps, careful not to clatter their hooves too much. The rotunda was even larger than they had seen from below, with a vat of plants in the center and two doors on the far side that looked like the colt’s and filly’s bathrooms.

With nothing better to do, the two ponies, hidden by their cloaks, just stood against the wall. Cosmic listened to the tense silence of the school, but all sounds were drowned out by her own breathing. A drop of sweat slid down her neck, tickling her skin.

We can’t be discovered before our time. Otherwise, we won’t be able to explain anything.

Her leg was gently touched by Sky Bloom’s hoof, and Cosmic lifted her head. The stallion silently jerked his chin forward, toward the hallway.

Where the voices were now coming from.

“Let’s check it out,” she whispered, and they crept toward the rotunda fence.

The lobby wasn’t empty now; it looked like some kind of meeting, the echoes of which the time travelers had just heard at the entrance, had ended, and everypony was leaving one of the offices. Two ponies led a zebra back into the courtyard; the others, all unicorns, split into two groups and headed in different directions.

“We’ll take the north wing,” said the orange mare, who, accompanied by a white unicorn with a golden mane, trotted off to the right toward a passageway that disappeared into the darkness. “Everypony is nervous.”

“They’ll get the refugees out in the morning, and the children can have an early break…” her companion replied.

They entered a side corridor and disappeared from sight, their voices fading into the distance.

“I guess that’s Goldenblood,” Cosmic said. “He’ll be the only one left alive after the impact of the Pink Cloud…”

“So we’ll try to prevent the Cloud from appearing at all,” Sky Bloom said. “The school won’t be affected, and everything will change.”

“I hope so,” the blue pony sighed. “I really hope.”

They moved away from the edge of the rotunda and stood where they had been.

It was quiet again. Sweat trickled down Cosmic’s face – maybe from excitement, or maybe just from the heat under the cloak, heated by the two bodies. Sky Bloom didn’t smell like violets either.

The monotonous, exhausting waiting was beginning to make the blue pony’s eyes sleepy. What a joke: to be dragged out of the past at four in the morning, to experience the death of a friend and his “resurrection” in one day, and then to have to flee back into the past to escape a crowd of armored schizophrenics! This would make anyone want to take a nap… or not wake up at all…

Suddenly, a sound jolted Cosmic from her half-sleep, and she pricked up her ears. Hoofbeats were coming from the corridor above, leading into the rotunda from the side where Goldenblood had gone. What’s more, they were getting faster and faster.

Cosmic and Sky Bloom looked at each other. The unicorn nodded slightly, and the earth pony returned the favor.

Are we finally lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time?

After a bit of jostling, they pulled their weapons from their backs, Cosmic her trusty carbine, Sky Bloom his plasma rifle.

And just in time.

A zebra ran out of the corridor, one hoof clutching… something that looked like a crystal wrapped in wires. He slowed for a moment to look around, and then, ignoring the signs, he slipped into the filly’s bathroom.

The invisibility cloak immediately flew aside. With their guns drawn, Cosmic and Sky Bloom ran through the door, following the zebra. The striped stallion was just beginning to frantically connect the wires to his talisman.

“Drop it!” Cosmic yelled, taking aim at the zebra. “Hooves up!”

He turned sharply. His eyes narrowed at the sight of the two ponies pointing weapons at him.

In the next subtly quick movement, he jumped up and charged at them, swinging his hoof for a crushing blow…

Cosmic barely had time to dive into the S.A.T.S. and program a series of bullets to fire at his face. But she couldn’t dodge herself.

A powerful blow to her chest threw her to the floor, knocking all the air out of her lungs. But the bullets hit their target. Zebra, hovering over Cosmic, screamed in pain and stood on his hind legs, grabbing his face with his front legs. There were scarlet, bloody wounds where his eyes had just been.

The striped stallion staggered to the side… but he was not allowed to fall to the floor.

A scorching blast of plasma struck his flank, enveloping his entire body, and the zebra literally sank to the floor in a green puddle.

No… there was something else.

Cosmic took a closer look. In the slowly evaporating slurry floated a dark green gem, which seemed to contain a small black dust.

Hoofsteps sounded behind her, and the blue pony turned around.

Several teachers ran into the bathroom, frozen at the sight of two armed intruders and a puddle of plasma.

“Who are you?” Goldenblood asked, frowning. “What are you doing here?”

Following some kind of intuition, Cosmic pulled from her armor pocket a key card from the bunker, given to her by Sample Dample in another version of the past, and waved the pass in front of the teacher’s nose.

“Calm down,” she replied coldly. “We’re conducting a special operation to capture a dangerous Zebra saboteur. There were reports that he had infiltrated a crowd of refugees to prepare a barbaric terrorist attack in the area. The suspect resisted capture and was eliminated. Thank you for your vigilance.”

Goddesses, I’m talking like Sheriff Railright when he gets his ass kicked.

“Who do you work for? What right have you to come in here?!” yelled a dirty yellow unicorn with a gray mane. On his suit hung a name tag that read “Bitterbrew, Dean.”

“Top secret,” Sky Bloom cut off, apparently also deciding to accept the rules of Cosmic’s game. “Look, we want to help. The most important thing right now is to deal with the gas bomb he was about to activate.”

“With this?!” Bitterbrew sneered, pointing to the talisman. “What’s there to deal with, just cut the red wire – and that’s it…!”

“I see you don’t know a Discord thing about it, so shut up,” said Cosmic and sat down on the floor next to the talisman. “Unlike you, I have some experience as a technician… Aha, well… Looks like some kind of industrial–”

“It’s an industrial strength lye generator, ma’am,” the orange mare clarified. “And it’s overcharged because the wires are connected to capacitors…”

“So we can’t cut any of them, so it won’t be activated by accident…”

A green flash flickered, and the talisman that could change the fate of all of Equestria turned into a puddle a few feet to the left.

Everyone in the crowd seemed stunned, and Cosmic’s jaw dropped. Eyes bulging, the blue pony glared at Sky Bloom, who was still holding the plasma rifle.

“Are you crazy?! W-we could’ve all died in here!”

“Sorry,” the unicorn grumbled. “Next time I’ll ask permission before I shoot…”

“What the hay is that?” Bitterbrew asked, looking at the green stone in a pool of plasma.

Cosmic broke into a cold sweat.

Oh, shit! We totally forgot about him!

She jumped to her hooves.

“Quick, we have to destroy–”

Suddenly, the gem glowed, and flesh literally began to grow on it. First the spine and all the other bones appeared from nowhere, then twisted bundles of muscles. Eventually, the entire body was covered in striped skin.

The teachers on the doorstep huddled together, eyes wide and mouths agape. The blue pony herself went numb at the sight.

The just melted zebra rose from the dead in a matter of moments.

Cosmic and Sky Bloom fired at the same time – but both missed. The zebra easily dodged the bullets and the plasma blast, as if his brain had S.A.T.S. like a cyberghoul’s, but an order of magnitude more powerful.

The earth pony had no time to think. With a swift movement, the saboteur swept toward them, throwing the plasma gun and Sky Bloom in different directions with a powerful kick of his hind hooves… and then she herself was sprawled on the floor, crushed by the zebra’s weight.

“You made a terrible mistake, pony!” he roared in a strange accent straight in her face. His mouth smelled of rot. “The future is not set in stone just because it has many different branches! But only one of them has to come true! It is not in your power to try to change it!”

“No!” Cosmic shouted, kicking the stallion away with her legs. With a murderous grace, he jumped aside and glared at the blue pony with hatred. “All versions of the future and the past exist at the same time! We just want to make the one we want a little more likely! And so that other ponies can live in a world without an apocalypse!”

The zebra grinned. “Well then, let’s see which one of us is right. The future will be our judge, Security.”

Suddenly, he dashed for the exit, scattered the teachers like bales of hay, and leapt out of the bathroom.

“Get him!” Cosmic shouted and raced after him. “Don’t let him go…!”

She ran back into the rotunda. The zebra was already near the railing…

Is he getting ready to jump?

Suddenly he became invisible. As if…

No! Invisibility cloak…!

Cosmic jumped to the edge of the rotunda – but too late.

There was a muffled sound of falling below, followed by hooves clattering towards the door. It opened ajar for a moment, letting in a gust of wind…

And everything went quiet.

Only the green slime on the bathroom floor hissed softly as it evaporated.

No… No way… We lost him…

A hoof touched Cosmic’s shoulder, and she turned around.

Sky Bloom was standing beside her. But there was no doom in his eyes, just a slight annoyance and… relief?

“We did it after all,” he whispered. “The school is saved… for now. Things will definitely change now. And if anything, we can always go back and hunt the bastard down.”

“But what prevents him from making a new talisman and trying again?” Cosmic objected. “What if we still haven’t changed anything… or just made things worse?”

Sky Bloom leaned toward her. His breath tickled her ear.

“There are no mistakes that can’t be fixed. You already showed me that by bringing me back from near death. It’s just that sometimes mistakes overlap, and to get things back to the way they were, you have to eliminate the bigger one.”

“Uh… And what was that?” Bitterbrew’s shrill voice sounded behind them.

The time travelers turned around. The teachers stood in a crowd in front of them, cutting off their escape routes.

“What were you talking about?” Goldenblood asked. “And… is it my imagination, or do you know that zebra?”

“Identify yourself!” stomped the orange mare. “Otherwise, we’ll have to arrest you…!”

Sky Bloom and Cosmic’s eyes met. The unicorn tilted his head slightly – and both of them pressed the buttons on their bracelets sharply.

I wonder… did we make it?

Goldenblood’s eyes widened… and then everything disappeared in a bright flash.

The return was harder than the previous one. Not feeling the familiar platform underhoof, Cosmic crashed from a small height onto the worn stone.

Wait… stone?!

Cosmic jumped to her legs. It was dark everywhere, so she turned on the flashlight on the PipBuck and looked around. And what she saw now made her blood run colder with each passing moment.

No, it was the same place – otherwise they’d just been thrown out somewhere else – but the room itself looked different. There were no more rows of terminals (just a single one on a table, and it looked like it hadn’t been activated in two hundred years), no more reactor casing. Even the “jar” containing Sample Dample’s remains was gone.

So was the platform.

Cosmic turned around – and was dazed. The time machine, which was the heart of the bunker, did not exist in this version of reality! No trace of it. Nothing at all.

The lamps didn’t work either and the PipBuck’s flashlight was the only source of illumination in the room.

Only the shackles welded to the wall gave the place any semblance of Lyra Heartstrings’ former lair. And the skeleton of a unicorn beneath them was even more gruesome.

“No…” the blue pony heard Sonic’s voice.

Without another word, the hedgehog took off, speeding into the corridor before Cosmic or Sky Bloom could stop him.

“Where are… we…?” muttered the unicorn.

He dropped both rifles, the regular and the plasma one, and strode through the hall with a dazed look on his face.

“Same place as before,” Cosmic said slowly and walked over to the table where the terminal stood. “Just in a different version.”

The zebra did not lie. They really changed something drastically. And so much that it made everything look so… dead.

I hope we can at least find out what it is.

With a trembling hoof, Cosmic pressed the power button.

The terminal flashed and lit up, revealing the standard archaic interface. Without too much trouble, the mare found what she was looking for. Namely, the camera feeds.

Like everything Stable Tec had created, the surveillance system still worked after all this time. It had simply gone into hibernation mode long ago, deactivating the data storage on the mainframe. Of course it had; in two centuries, so much data would have accumulated that no amount of storage would be enough.

With a few commands listed in the attached help file, Cosmic displayed the image from the camera above the entrance on the monitor. No signal.

The camera wasn’t working… or it wasn’t there anymore.

A shiver ran down Cosmic’s back. However, she continued scrolling through the list and finally came to a working camera, which, according to the metadata, was located quite close to the first one.

The blue pony immediately expanded the image to full screen…

And was stunned.

Instead of a radiation-scarred desert with at least some hills, rocks or sparse grass, the mare saw a flat, stony landscape with no signs of life.

But that wasn’t the worst of it. In her home reality, Cosmic could raise her head and see, if not the sky itself, then at least the curtain of clouds hiding it – but here, from above, there was nothing. Only blackness, in which the stars did not even twinkle. Maybe it was because the sun illuminated the rocky wasteland from somewhere off to the side, casting sharp shadows over the edges.

It seemed that the time travelers were now on... the moon.

Except that it wasn’t the moon. Logically, it was their home Equus.

“Wh-what happened here…?” Cosmic mumbled, twitching.

Sky Bloom walked over to her and looked at the screen as well. The sight of the lunar landscape made the unicorn’s teeth clench.

“Discord!” He slammed his hooves down on the tabletop with great force, nearly breaking it. “How could this happen?! We prevented Littlehorn! We did it…!”

“Then something else happened…” Cosmic said. “Something we couldn’t have imagined in our worst nightmares.” She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Let’s do this way: I’ll look in the terminal while you search here. If we find something, we’ll deal with it together.”

“Okay,” Sky Bloom replied and stepped back to look around the room.

Cosmic began to click on every directory in the catalog, trying to find at least some indication of what had become of the world in this version.

But it was as if someone had deliberately deleted all non-system files. Moving from one folder to another, the blue pony saw only a single line with two dots to return to the level above.

This place was obviously cleaned up before the planet turned into a copy of its satellite. I wonder who made them do it? Did they really think that someday – after all that’s happened! – someone would come here?

“Found it!” Sky Bloom said suddenly from somewhere in the corner.

Cosmic pulled herself away from the screen. The unicorn returned to her, carefully floating two… memory orbs?!

“They were next to that pony,” he explained. The smooth glass orbs rolled to the side as soon as he placed them on the table, so Sky Bloom had to hold them down with his hoof. “I think she had recorded them before she died. Apparently, she managed to get out of the shackles somehow, and then she died… I think she was shot.”

“Yeah? How?”

“There’s a stain underneath her skeleton. It’s long dried and almost invisible, but it’s definitely blood. I’m sure if you examine her bones, you’ll find a bullet in them.”

“Ugh…” Cosmic grimaced. “Are you serious?”

“Yes, it would be unpleasant for me as well, but… after all, my brother is a doctor, and–”

He hesitated, realizing that he had said something wrong, and gritted his teeth.

“We gotta make things right. Make the fucking world live. And Life Bloom too! I didn’t even get to see him after he left…! We gotta get it all back!”

“I know,” Cosmic nodded. “And we will. Sooner or later – but we will find a way. We just have to keep the hope alive.”

“Yes… you’re right. Well, let’s look for a recollector then?”

“Why don’t you take a look at these memories and tell me what’s in them?”

“No, I’ll pass.” He shook his head with a grin. “You’re the one who’s the expert on investigations and shit like that, right? I’m here just to protect you.”

“Thank you. For not leaving us despite everything.”

“Likewise, Cosmic. You at least gave me a purpose…” he gloomed, “after The Republic had died.”

“It lives as long as we do. Even if there are only two of us on this planet now, and the town itself was probably never founded, but… Never mind. It’s too complicated a subject right now.”

Together they stepped out into the corridor – as dark as the hall they had fallen into five minutes ago. But in the glow of PipBuck’s flashlight, it was clear that the structure itself was completely different.

The floor, for example, was not clad in metal, but carved in stone. Instead of hermetically sealed bulkheads, there were regular steel or louvered doors. The bunker did not look like a research center, but more like… a prison. The kind where ordinary ponies who got into a fight in a public place or stole a basket of apples from the market wouldn’t go.

Surprisingly, many of the offices were unlocked. Some of them even contained pony skeletons. They hadn’t been cyberghouls when they had been alive, so they had obviously all died a long time ago. Probably after the thing that ruined this world happened.

The papers in the desk drawers and the folders scattered everywhere had decayed and crumbled to dust at any touch, including telekinesis.

They also found a recollector in one of these rooms.

“Should we go back or look for Sonic?” Sky Bloom asked as they stepped back into the corridor. The unicorn levitated the device, and the earth pony took the plasma rifle from him in return.

“He probably ran to the infirmary and–” Cosmic stopped suddenly and looked worriedly at Sky Bloom. “Oh… We don’t know what happened to his friends!”

“Wait…” the unicorn lifted his hoof. “Do you hear that?”

Cosmic’s ears pricked up.

From the depths of the corridor came a sound. It was as if a distant scream was echoing off the walls, changing eerily.

“Sonic!” they exclaimed at the same time and rushed to the source of the scary sounds.

Rounding the corner, the two ponies ran into a room with a red cross painted on the wall in glossy paint. Or the blood of one of the prisoners.

The door was open.

As they ran in, Cosmic and Sky Bloom did not see the rows of medical capsules in which the aliens in the RC-13 lay. Along the walls were shriveled beds with rotting sheets, off to the side was the entrance to the operating room – and in the middle of the room, squeezed into a lump, Sonic sat on the cold floor, crying.

“They’re gone…” the hedgehog squeezed out, wiping away his tears. “Where are they… WHERE ARE THEY?! Why? How… I… further… why at all–”

He shook, unable to stop another burst of sobs.

Cosmic slowly walked over and sat down beside him. She touched his shoulder gently with her hoof and was silent for a while, searching for words. But there was nothing to say – and how could it help? It was like rubbing salt into a fresh wound.

“We’ll find them,” she said finally. “We’ll search all the time branches, but we’ll find them. Right after we bring peace back to Equestria.”

“And if we don’t?” Sonic hissed. “Then what? How am I supposed to look Tom and Maddie in the eye…?” He pounded his fist into the floor. “Why did we even come here to look for artifacts?! Why didn’t we choose another world without this Fallout crap?!”

“You couldn’t have known that–”

“Enough!” The hedgehog jumped to his feet and glared at the two ponies, gritting his teeth. “I don’t need your empty consolations! We followed you, we trusted you, and you couldn’t even–”

Suddenly, he stopped speaking and put his hands over his mouth. A look of fear flashed across the huge green eyes.

“No… I… I almost… blamed you? But… I didn’t mean to… I didn’t think… damn, how did that–”

“We understand,” Cosmic replied deafly. “We all have a hard time now. Maybe this is the author going crazy again. By the way, he could also make you stop half a word on purpose. Make us feel the line we’re not allowed to cross.” She grinned. “And even make me say it now.”

Sonic swayed and sat on the floor again, clutching his knees.

Cosmic moved closer to him.

“We don’t know where your friends are, that’s true. But… you shouldn’t think that must be bad. If we changed history instead of creating a new branch… though Lyra said they were all real – so we just made one more likely… then when your company came to this world, they shouldn’t have found anything and would have come right back.” Sonic lifted his head and looked at Cosmic. Hope flickered in his eyes, and the blue pony continued, reassuring not only him, but also herself, “Yeah, maybe nothing happened to them here! And Shadow stole the Emeralds from Eggman anyway, so you and he should have a draw… But we don’t know,” she saddened again. “Maybe there’s another you out there who didn’t go to Equestria, and you yourself will disappear once you get back to Earth. The universe is too complex to know for sure. We can only guess.”

“So… what should I do now?” asked the hedgehog uncertainly.

“It’s up to you. We’ll accept whatever you decide.”

“Then…” He thought for a moment. “I’ll stay with you. I can always get back to Earth in time – given its different speeds… And this world, however, is still waiting to be fixed.”

“Thank you,” Cosmic nodded. “Together we’re stronger. And that’s why we will win.”

Sonic grinned faintly with the corner of his mouth and raised his hand in front of him. The blue pony smiled back and tapped his fist lightly with her hoof.

“Let’s go,” she said and stood up. “We’ll decide what to do later.”

The hedgehog nodded silently and rose to follow her.

Together they returned to the main hall. Sonic began to look around the room idly, and Cosmic sat down at a table with a terminal and put the recollector on her head.

Sky Bloom placed the first memory orb into the slot.

“Good luck,” the stallion said before pressing the button.

Cosmic only closed her eyes… and the world dissolved again.

<========ooOОOoo========>

Canterlot was weeping.

The sky was thick with clouds – pegasus weather teams had done their best. Many ponies made their way to the main square, treading heavily on the growing puddles. There was a look of sorrow on everypony’s faces; some couldn’t hold back tears. Posters and banners with Celestia’s portrait were everywhere in the crowd. Here and there, black ribbons fluttered in the wind.

The unicorn, who had decided to record these memories, walked with the others. Her horn tinkled faintly, and the same portrait of the Princess floated in the magical field nearby.

Finally, the pony entered the square and took her place in the countless rows of citizens. No matter how large the paved area in front of the castle gates was, it could not accommodate all the visitors today. So many ponies turned to the nearby park or gathered in the neighboring streets.

Her ears picked out a few colorless fragments from the faint chatter of the crowd.

“…a sniper…”

“…there should have been more guards on the Shattered Hoof…”

“…two shots. One killed Big Macintosh, the other the Princess…”

“…Zebras will pay for this…”

And how desperate almost all the phrases sounded, made both the bearer of memories and Cosmic watching it shudder.

“…will soon carry the body out…”

“…walk from the castle through the city…”

“…make a detour and bury Her in the park…”

“…Big Mac’s probably been taken to Ponyville…”

There was no longer any doubt as to what was about to begin.

It was Princess Celestia’s funeral.

The wait dragged on, and from time to time a murmur could be heard in the crowd. The unicorn also looked around from time to time, as if trying to figure out what was going on.

Suddenly, shots rang out from the castle, followed by the deafening rumble of an explosion. And then another. Screams erupted. And then one of the side towers collapsed as if it were made of shortbread cookies; the rubble fell into the courtyard behind the white stone wall, sending a cloud of dust into the air.

The noise in the square started growing. The ponies raised their voices in confusion, shouting over each other, and the occasional nervous stomping could be heard. The portraits of Celestia no longer hung above the crowd; some posters now lay underhoof.

“…where is Princess Luna…?”

“…where are the Ministry Mares?! Will someone explain something to us?!”

“…had the terrorist zebras gotten here…?”

Minutes passed one after another. Half an hour, an hour… A strange tension hung over the capital; the ponies stood in the same place, wondering where to go or what to do.

But everypony suddenly fell silent as a stallion clad in the golden armor of the Royal Guard appeared on the balcony of the castle. He was a blue-gray unicorn, quite young, but one of his eyes was covered by a bandage, and the thick plume of his helmet matched the captain of the guard.

He stepped to the edge of the balcony, looked down at the thousands of ponies below, then coughed and hesitantly called out, “Citizens of Equestria…!”

But it was as if he didn't know what to say next. Or had trouble articulating it.

The crowd clamored again.

“…where’s Luna?! What’s going on?!”

“…what was that explosion?! Is Celestia’s body intact?!”

“…just tell us what’s happening!”

“SILENCE!!!” the guardspony shouted, his cry echoing across the square like the Royal Canterlot Voice of the Princess.

Everypony immediately froze, preparing to listen to the speech that would set everything straight.

“Upon hearing the news of Princess Celestia’s death… Princess Luna… turned into Nightmare Moon.” The crowd gasped in unison. “And… gave the order to unleash megaspells against Zebrica, destroying major cities and industrial centers. To prevent a global catastrophe, this order was deemed criminal, and Princess Luna was stripped of her title as ruler of Equestria… and eliminated for resisting arrest. The captain of the royal guard who defied her was killed with her. I have now been appointed to this position. My name is Solemn Force, and I am authorized to read today’s proclamation.”

The square fell silent. Everypony was shocked – to say the least! The unicorn mare muttered something under her nose – but Cosmic could not make out what it was, although she felt as if her lips were moving.

A large ceremonial scroll hung in the air in front of the guardspony.

“For the sake of preserving the country after heavy losses, for the sake of achieving peace as soon as possible for further reconstruction… Equestria declares surrender!”

Well, this was serious.

The crowd exploded with indignant shouts. It seemed as if the angry ponies were going to storm the castle!

However, Solemn Force continued to read in a trembling voice, breaking the clamor.

“The territory of the country is placed under foreign administration. The Director of the Office of Interministry Affairs, Goldenblood, has been appointed head of the provisional government. The megaspell launch chambers will be unilaterally sealed by tomorrow evening. All military development will be suspended. Any attempt to protest or sabotage will be violently suppressed. All those who oppose this decision will be eliminated.

“Despite the popular belief that Big Macintosh and Princess Celestia were killed by Zebras, Goldenblood believes you should know the truth. The sniper who fired the two fatal shots turned out to be a traitorous pony named Psalm, who served alongside Big Macintosh. She has now been captured and sentenced to execution by disintegration.

“Princess Luna is recognized as a war criminal and officially stripped of her Goddess status. The heads of the Ministries are arrested for various war and state crimes. A special Canterlot Tribunal is currently being held in secret to bring them to justice. A few verdicts have already come down.

“Twilight Sparkle has been found guilty of crimes against the ponykind, specifically illegal experimentation and multiple abuses of power. Sentenced to execution. Along with her, scientific employees of the Ministry of Arcane Sciences Mosaic and Gestalt are sentenced to the same punishment for aiding the experiments.

“Pinkamina Diane Pie has been found guilty of organizing torture, including mind control, premeditated murder and abductions, mass violation of the privacy of citizens, deliberately spreading false information, as well as illegal possession and trafficking of narcotics. Sentenced to life imprisonment.

“Applejack has been found guilty of corruption, sabotage, and extremism. Sentenced to life imprisonment.

“Rainbow Dash has been found guilty of organizing genocide against civilians and terrorist activities. Sentenced to execution.

“Rarity Modens has been found guilty of conducting illegal experiments that resulted in the deaths of many ponies, and of deliberately spreading false information. Her accomplices, Ministry of Style employees Snips and Snails, were also arrested. All three will be sentenced this evening.

“Fluttershy has been found guilty of treason, conducting illegal experiments, and violating the memories of citizens. The verdict will be delivered this evening.

“All death sentences will be carried out in this square tomorrow morning at ten o'clock.

“Ministries have been declared disbanded; the establishment of new authorities and the terms of a peace treaty with the Zebras will be announced shortly.”

Solemn Force rolled up the scroll and sighed heavily.

“That was the end of it… May Celestia’s soul protect us.”

<========ooOОOoo========>

…In the second memory orb, the setting was very different. And, Discord be damned, it was eerily familiar.

It was the same bunker-prison hall where the time travelers had found themselves the last time, only in its working state, so to speak. The lamps on the ceiling were on, and the terminal on the desk hummed softly. But that was the extent of the differences. The rest of the room looked just as unfriendly and uncomfortable.

Whether because of the sickly gray and green tones… or because the unicorn, whose eyes Cosmic was looking through, was now struggling in the same shackles attached to the wall. She was the only one here and seemed to be chained recently. Cosmic felt a real sense of déjà vu as she watched this pony’s futile attempts to free herself on her behalf.

And that feeling was only intensified by that unicorn being Lyra.

If at the funeral, which Cosmic had seen in the same way, Lyra had preferred to pay attention to others instead of herself, now there was no one else in the room. And Cosmic could not mistake this mint-green fur, not yet covered with scars and sores, for anything else.

Lyra hissed through clenched teeth. The unicorn must have tried to use magic, but with the blocking ring on, it was useless. Sweat trickled down her forehead and her eyes squeezed shut with the effort.

Soon, Lyra exhaled sharply and relaxed. Then she muttered softly, “Buck you all, what more do you want from me…?”

And then the hall door opened.

Lyra immediately lifted her head and stared at the newcomers.

Cosmic knew them too. Well, at least one of them.

Goldenblood, dressed in a black funeral suit, approached Lyra and stood opposite her. He looked down at her naked body and spoke in a flat tone, “Lyra Heartstrings, you are accused of extremism and calling for the overthrow of the government. I would like to speak with you now to determine the extent of your guilt and the danger your thoughts pose to the state.”

“Do I have a choice?” Lyra snorted. “I see you chickened out of coming alone, so you decided to call your minions?”

She glared hatefully at the two unicorns standing beside Goldenblood.

Sonic and Tales had told Cosmic enough in their time for her to be able to tell which of the cartoon characters was in front of her.

The lilac mare with a green stripe in her purple mane held a clipboard and a pen with her telekinesis. Her blue eyes looked at the prisoner appraisingly and impassively, as if she were a patient in need of counseling. Well, Starlight Glimmer had indeed changed since she had become the principal of the School of Friendship.

The red-haired, orange unicorn with glasses and a navy-blue cape embroidered with stars looked at Lyra with awkwardness and almost sympathy. Just as Sky Bloom had looked at Cosmic when she'd had the misfortune to return to The Republic. And hopefully Sunburst would be kinder to Lyra than Goldenblood had been to Starlight.

“It’s your own fault for ending up here, Lyra,” the lilac pony sighed. “We’ve tried repeatedly to convince you not to rock the boat. And not to try to undermine the already explosive social situation.”

“Didn’t you bring this on yourself?!” Lyra shouted. “Oh yes, of course, Pinkie Pie’s balloons were very handy for shooting demonstrations! And these new stealth-bots with stun guns – formerly sprite-bots – are just fabulous…!”

“You wouldn’t understand,” replied Goldenblood. “If we hadn’t stopped Luna, Equestria would have been wiped out that very day. But at least we gave the land a few more years of life. Yes, a hard, unpleasant, hungry life, but a life nonetheless.”

“Should I kiss your ass for that?” Lyra thrust her chin forward defiantly. “What’s keeping you? You’re the new god here, even under the occupation government! What’s stopping you from unleashing your megaspells and wiping Zebrica off the face of Equus, retroactively winning the war you cowardly gave up six years ago?”

“Conscience. There is no preemptive strike in my concept, only a retaliatory one. But with a force that would make the universe tremble.”

“You and conscience?” snorted the unicorn. “Don’t be ridiculous. After torturing Pinkie and Rarity to death? And that judgment too… Seriously – five thousand counts? Either I’m crazy and delusional, or you are. At any rate, this is the most farcical thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Do you want to revise the results of the trial?” Goldenblood raised an eyebrow. “All right. Miss Glimmer,” he turned to Starlight, “could you please–”

She nodded silently, and a folder of documents appeared in front of her in a flash of magic.

“Thank you.” Goldenblood nodded and intercepted the folder with his own telekinesis. “So… let’s start with the most serious one. Pinkamina Diane Pie, 4379 counts. She was acquitted on one hundred and twenty-two of them, mostly because her Ministry had worked very cleanly in those cases: no evidence, and we also failed to prove a few things about the possession and trafficking of Party Mint-Als.

“Want to hear the rest? Go ahead.

“Twilight Sparkle, 296 counts. Found guilty on all of them. Tried to justify that she was doing her experiments for Equestria, to stop the war… well, she failed – I stopped the war anyway. And all that was left was tons of toxic waste and the bodies of those they’d killed after turning them into monsters.

“But… you helped her! Discord, you and your O.I.A. helped them all – and then you betrayed them!”

“And you betrayed me,” he retorted, and Lyra jerked as if struck by a blow. “Yes, some of the responsibility for the Office’s research had fallen to her. But she was so obsessed with the idea of creating magical weapons for victory that she was actually complicit in what my department was doing. And there was no place for Twilight Sparkle in the world after the war – no matter the outcome: defeat or victory… especially victory. Not for her, not for the rest of the Ministry Mares. They were the very coin that Equestria had needed to pay to bring the war to an end. What a bitter irony, don’t you think?”

He sighed.

“But let’s get on with it. Applejack, seventeen counts. All in all, harmless stuff that would have been overlooked in peacetime: just some sloppy financial reporting, a bit of nepotism, a few attempts to mess with her own Ministry, and a few careless remarks that happened to be in the memory orbs. Found guilty on all counts, pleaded not guilty. What a pity. You might say she was just unlucky.”

“Unlucky?! You put her in a prison for the rest of her life! I saw her a few times when I was escorted past her cell. Applejack is depressed, no longer the determined and brave pony she used to be. You broke her. I won’t be surprised if she commits suicide one day.” Lyra gritted her teeth. “You’re a monster, Goldenblood. And the only one here who’s really a traitor.”

“Rainbow Dash, 142 counts. Yes, you are right: I was the one who suggested she do the sabotage the Zebras’ territory – but I didn’t expect her to go this far. Contaminating clean water sources, some of which feed the outskirts of Equestria? Shooting down civilian townships from raptor airships? If I am the monster, then who is she?”

“She just wanted to do something cool – about twenty percent cooler than the rest of us. And you fooled her. You got her into this whole thing. At least she faced her death with dignity.” Lyra grinned wickedly. “I wish I could learn to look at you the way she did before she was incinerated.”

“Rarity Modens, 468 counts. Not many - considering she was doing the same thing as Pinkie and Twilight combined: messing with ponies’ heads and studying dark magic at the same time. Did you know that she split her soul into forty-three pieces just to make sets of figurines of their six? Indestructible figurines. Rarity is also responsible for the deaths of many innocent ponies. Her Ministry became as much a scourge to Equestria as the Ministry of Morale. And she paid the price.”

“Allegedly choking on a muffin by accident?” Lyra spit on the floor. “There you go, murderer… But Fluttershy… Why did you pardon her alone?! Was she happy to be the only one spared the hoof of your ‘justice’?”

“Fluttershy–” A shadow ran across Goldenblood’s face, as if an old pain had stirred within the stallion. But he regained control of himself and continued, “Seventy-eight counts. Found not guilty on twenty-two of them, pardoned by special decree on the rest, and released from custody in the courtroom.”

He hoofed the folder back to Starlight, and the mare teleported it elsewhere in an instant.

Goldenblood shook his head and looked glumly at Lyra.

“I loved her. And I made one unforgivable mistake in my time with her. I wanted to make it right. But… I couldn’t. She was pregnant when she injected herself with thirteen doses of Med-X while I was away. She didn’t have time for more… I didn’t just lose my beloved; I also lost my unborn daughter. And you cannot blame me for what I did wrong. Especially to somepony who betrayed not even me, but the country by giving megaspells to the Zebras.”

His voice sounded so dull, as if he was speaking through a thick membrane. But that membrane now seemed to be inside him.

“My mistake was that I was too late to stop them. And I had to pay a terrible price. Basically, all I’m left with is trying to fix a bilge hole in a sinking ship with duct tape. And your eloquent speeches and pamphlets of condemnation, which you have been tirelessly uttering and publishing since the O.I.A. was disbanded, will only cause more water to break in.”

Suddenly there was heavy pounding on the door. Sunburst and Starlight glanced over, and the red-haired unicorn pushed the handle after Goldenblood nodded approvingly.

A panting earth pony in an officer’s uniform burst into the hall.

“D-Director…” he blurted out. “It… it happened…!”

“What exactly?” Goldenblood asked. His eyes narrowed into small slits.

“Zebras… they… launched the missiles! In a few minutes, the whole place will be blown up!”

“No-o-o-o…” the white unicorn whispered. But then he looked at the earth pony, who was trembling with fear, and said, “Go back to your room. Let’s hope this place is sufficiently protected even against a direct hit.”

The guard just hiccupped nervously and darted out of the door, which swung shut after him in the airstream of his run.

Goldenblood turned his gaze to Sunburst and Starlight, who were frozen in place.

“You two may go as well. I suppose the interrogation can be postponed indefinitely.”

The two did not immediately recover from the shock of the unexpected news. Then Starlight nodded and they both left the hall.

Goldenblood turned to Lyra. She shuddered at the cold in his eyes.

The Director’s horn suddenly glowed. The shackles holding Lyra opened abruptly, and the unicorn slumped belly-down onto the floor. The ring on her horn opened and came off, rolling to the side.

“What… are you doing…?” she stammered, lifting herself up…

And then she froze.

In Goldenblood’s magical grip was a pistol, aimed directly at Lyra.

“I have no time to deal with you right now,” the stallion replied with a completely blank face. “So, you’ll have to die trying to escape.”

Lyra had no time to do anything.

The pistol banged loudly and a hard, painful blow to her chest threw her back to the ground.

Lying cheek to cheek on the cold stone in the rapidly spreading pool of her own blood, Lyra could hear the words Goldenblood muttered to himself as he fiddled with the terminal.

“…EC-1101… launch… Horizons… erase all data…”

Then his hooves trotted toward the exit. The door slammed shut with a metallic clang.

Lyra was left alone to bleed to death.

But it was as if she had her own plans for how to spend her last moments.

Her horn ached mercilessly – which, compared to the bleeding wound in her chest, felt no worse than a slight itch. Drawers slid out of the terminal table and then flew outward, scattering their contents across the floor.

Lyra’s gaze fell on two empty memory orbs. She pulled them towards her with her weakening telekinesis and pressed her horn against one of them…

That was the end of the memory.

But Cosmic had already found out enough.

<========ooOОOoo========>

As she came to her senses, Cosmic looked around the room again. It was a little eerie to be in a place where a pony had been murdered about two centuries ago (and it felt like just now).

But not as much as on the surface, where many, many millions had died.

Hugging each other’s shoulders, Sky Bloom and Sonic sat against the wall and looked at the strange structure on the floor in front of them. A flask with a sparkling blue needle was connected to the time travel matrix. The wires formed a kind of circuit, and if the three of them squeezed in, they could fit inside.

Cosmic coughed, and her two companions turned to her.

“Oh, it’s over already?” Sky Bloom said, magically helping her remove the recollector. “So, what terrible secrets would this place tell us?”

“I’m afraid the secrets are indeed terrible,” she replied, and briefly recounted the memories from each orb.

At the news of both Princesses’ deaths and the capitulation, the unicorn swore, but the hedgehog just sighed heavily and shook his head. The prison episode, on the other hoof, didn’t impress Sky Bloom much, unlike Sonic.

“I think I get it,” the alien said as Cosmic finished her story. “After the Zebras launched their missiles, Goldenblood decided to destroy everything – and somehow, with the help of Equestrian Command 1101, he turned on his own superweapon, called ‘Horizons.’ Anyway, a chunk of rock came from the moon, hit a piece of star metal in the center of Hoofington, and… boom!” Sonic even showed his hands what a “boom” was. “The whole world is in pieces. Just not to waste time on small stuff.”

“Shadow, I remember, told us something…” mumbled Cosmic. “Shit, I still can’t get rid of the idea that all that’s happening is some twisted, altered plots from the books… And that zebra at school called me ‘Security’ for some reason… That has a special meaning too, right?”

“He must have mistaken you for Blackjack in his glimpses of the future,” Sonic chuckled. “Or maybe he just wanted to make an easter egg.” Seeing the confusion on both ponies’ faces, the hedgehog explained, “Well, it’s kind of a joke in the form of an unexpected reference.”

“Okay, we can talk about all the fun stuff from Earth later,” said Cosmic, pointing her hoof at the matrix. “What are we supposed to do with this?”

“As I found out,” Sky Bloom replied, “Sonic’s needle is the main source of energy here. But the energy is only enough for the transfer itself, to activate the matrix you need a magical impulse. It’s a good thing I’m a unicorn,” he grinned, “otherwise we’d be stuck here forever, unable to fix anything.”

“Yes, we’re very lucky to have you,” Cosmic said. Suddenly she came over and hugged Sky Bloom herself. He tensed at first, but then relaxed and hugged the earth pony in return. “Thanks for not leaving us. And for not thinking that I’m a total loser.”

“That’s a title that has to be earned,” the unicorn smiled. “And you, time after time, strive for the opposite. You are a good friend, Cosmic, and I wish I had realized that before.”

“You’ve done a lot for my friends, too,” Sonic said and sighed heavily. “And I hope they really are all right. In this version, back on Earth, they may not remember all the horrors that happened, but we do. In a way, we’re protecting them.”

“You both mean a lot to me. And I will always be grateful for your help. And now,” Cosmic raised her head, “we’ll try to make Equestria a little better. Sky Bloom, don’t you mind?”

She poked her hoof into the center of the matrix, where a small chip slot was hidden in the tangle of energy channels.

“Sure,” the unicorn nodded and carefully removed it from the slot.

“Thank you.”

Cosmic inserted the chip into the PipBuck and displayed a single file on the screen.

It turned out to be only a few lines. But what was written in them made the earth pony sigh happily.

1) October 30, 1 before Harmony Era, Canterlot. The War of the Two Sisters.

2) June 22, 1000 Harmony Era, Ponyville. Nightmare Moon’s second coming.

3) August 9, 1005, Canterlot. Twilight Sparkle’s coronation.

4) September 4, 1008, Canterlot. Princess Celestia re-enthroned.

5) July 18, 1012, territorial waters of Zebrica. Hostage rescue operation.

6) May 19, 1018, attack on Princess Luna’s School for Gifted Unicorns in Littlehorn.

7) April 21, 1022, Shattered Hoof. An assassination attempt on Princess Celestia.

“We have several options for where to go,” Cosmic said hoarsely. “But the last two are no good – we need a deeper change. The first one as well: it’s too long ago. On the ship with the Zebra pirates, we have nothing to do; the war there obviously can’t be prevented. That leaves three… I think we should try the fourth one on the list. Equestria will have changed by then, and our arrival could be a new starting point.”

“We trust you. Fourth is the way.” Sky Bloom used his telekinesis to move the circular slider to the position below the desired number. “Hopefully we’ll be able to do something.”

“How many tries do we have?” Sonic asked. “Isn’t it only three?”

The earth pony grinned. “So far, yes. But if we can somehow reprogram this thing… we’ll have an eternity.”

“Stand inside the circle,” Sky Bloom requested. “We’re going.”

Cosmic and Sonic did as he said.

Sky Bloom stood next to them and tilted his head. A burst of energy shot out of the tip of his horn; when it hit the center of the matrix, the blob of white light instantly spread through all the channels, and the crystals on the copper platform glowed brightly. Lightning danced around the needle in the flask.

And then there was a dazzling flash.

And the world changed.

Many, many times.

Note: Maximum Level.

Player: Cosmic Valor. Bonus perk: Soldier’s Luck (level 2/3… no, 3/3) – your critical damage chance is increased by 15%. New quest perk: Time Lord – constantly jumping through realities has taught you a better understanding of paradoxes.

Player: Sonic. New quest perk: Energy Lord – you have become the most powerful walking accumulator in the universe. Your needles contain the energy of a small supernova.

The quest stage “Go back in time and defeat Lyra” has been completed.

The story part of the game has been completed.

Continue the game? Y/N

Epilogue

Past

Everything in Canterlot’s Castle Square was a reminder of the celebration. Flags fluttered from the towers and spires of the castle, confetti covered the cobblestones in a thick layer, and fireworks flashed in the sky.

At one of the tables outside, six ponies, one with a crown on her head, were laughing.

“That was something,” Twilight Sparkle said, wiping away tears from her eyes.

“I was just about to say the same thing,” a voice came from nearby, and all the ponies turned at the sound.

Starlight Glimmer and Spike were approaching the six Elements of Harmony, the little dragon holding something wrapped in paper and tied with ribbon behind him.

“I know maybe it wasn’t the coronation you planned,” Starlight continued, “but it’s good to see all of you laughing.”

“We wanted to give this to you before you left Ponyville,” Spike went on, “but… things got a little hectic…” He held the prepared gift out from behind his back.

“Since you’re moving away, we thought if you missed any of us or Ponyville, this might help,” Starlight added.

Twilight hopped down from her stool and ripped open the wrapping with her magic.

Inside was an ornate album with a gold-embossed cover. When she opened it, the Princess of Friendship found herself looking at moving pictures of herself and her friends. Lots and lots of pictures.

Twilight couldn’t hold back a sigh of delight.

“It’s a book of memories!” Pinkie exclaimed, standing beside her.

“And we all chipped in some,” Applejack said.

“No matter how much things change,” Fluttershy said, “you’ll always have this to look back on.”

“I love it,” Twilight replied as she put the album away. “Thank you so much. But I don’t want to only look back. Obviously the coronation wasn’t perfect, but that doesn’t matter. It’s our relationships that really count, and we have to maintain them.”

“But now that we’ll be living in different places, I’m not exactly sure how,” Rarity said worriedly.

“I am,” Twilight said with a smile. “I suggest we meet once a moon. In fact, my first royal decree as ruler of Equestria” – she raised a hoof in the air – “is to establish this Council of Friendship!”

Everypony responded with cheers and laughter.

Suddenly there was a coughing nearby, and the seven mares and dragon turned to see the captain of the guard approaching.

“Your Highness,” the brown stallion in armor addressed Twilight. “Their Highnesses Princess Celestia and Princess Luna request that you and your friends come to the castle immediately. An urgent matter of national importance has arisen, requiring your presence.”

The friends glanced at each other. They all had a look of utter bewilderment on their faces.

“I’ll wait for you here,” Starlight said with a slight smile. “Maybe it’s something really important.”

The six followed the captain to the castle’s main gate.

Celestia and Luna were waiting for them in a small side hall. In front of the two alicorns, a blue chest with six locks stood on a dainty table, and six differently shaped keys lay around it. Both princesses looked worried, but it was unclear whether it was the appearance of the chest or what it might be hiding.

The guard let the six ponies and Spike in and, after bowing, stayed outside the door.

Celestia pointed to the chest.

“This had just been delivered from Everfree Forest. The graduates of the School of Friendship were spending time in the cave of the former Tree of Harmony and found this item. I have ordered the keys to be taken from the chamber, as they may fit the locks, but if not, I’m afraid we are all in for a new challenge now.”

“Hmm… Well, let’s have a look,” Twilight said, walking over to the table. “Wait…” She blinked suddenly. “There’s some kind of inscription here–”

“Yes, we have noticed that too,” Luna said, pointing to the white letters on the side of the chest. “But what could it mean?”

“HASBЯO…” Twilight read and shook her head. “It doesn’t make any sense. Any ideas?” She turned to her friends.

“Let’s just open it!” Rainbow suggested. “And then we’ll figure out what to do about it.”

“Okay,” the Princess of Friendship nodded. “That’s what we’ll do.”

Together, the mares inserted their keys and turned them all at once.

There was no flash of magic or anything like that. The lid of the chest simply split into halves, which immediately fell apart, revealing the contents.

“W-what is it?” Fluttershy mumbled in fright, her hoof covering her mouth.

In the glow of Celestia’s telekinesis, six statuettes from the chest landed on the table.

Each figurine represented one of the ponies, and the polished wooden stand bore the inscription.

“Be Pleasant,” “Be Smart,” “Be Strong,” “Be Unwavering,” “Awareness! It was under ‘E’!” – and finally, “Be Awesome.”

Present

The central maneframe flickered brightly with amethyst light. The humming of the giant machine and the ordinary maneframes connected to it was deafening. Green columns of numbers and lines of logs flashed across the displays at an incredible speed, reflecting the processing of a unique request.

The launch of the Gardens of Equestria megaspell.

But the six ponies standing around the supermaneframe, as well as the unicorn present as a hologram, were not looking at the machine that was supposed to cleanse their world of Taint and radiation. Their eyes were on another pony who was hovering in a sphere of white light above the spire of the maneframe, pointing to a hole in the ceiling of the cave.

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!” The pale green alicorn mare’s thunderous laugh echoed through the room, and everypony fell to the ground, covering their ears. “I FEEL THIS POWER! THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY ARE SERVING ME! EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!”

Around her, six crystals of various shapes, removed from the golden frames that now lay on the floor as useless trinkets, spun rapidly. A star, an apple, a balloon, a lightning bolt, a jewel, and a butterfly.

“No!” shrieked the black unicorn, whose white mane was streaked with yellow and red. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at the rust-colored pegasus beside her. “Calamity, tell me there’s something we can do…!”

“Ah wish Ah knew, Velvet!” he replied. “That freakin’ skank took all the crystals! Can’t ya just telekinetize one of ‘em out?”

“Are you kidding? They’re spinning so fast that I can’t concentrate–”

“You can’t anyway – her magic is keeping them close to her!” shouted a gray unicorn with a blue mane, standing on the other side of the maneframe. Her horn glowed brightly with tension, as if she were trying to pull a boxcar toward her. “We won’t make it that easy!”

“How the fuck are we supposed to run the fucking spell?!” The yellow pony with the leather wings sewn to her back snapped at her. “We didn’t fight this long to give it all to that bitch now…!”

“Apex, I’ll put all Blackjack’s debts on you!” the young filly blurted out, glaring at the alicorn. “You’ll owe me for every pony, for every bullet we spent a year ago to save the Wasteland…!”

The gray ghoul pegasus wriggled on the ground, shaking and curling her hooves around herself. “Pls don’t quarrel…” was scribbled on a nearby chalkboard.

“BOW DOWN TO ME, MORTALS!!!” roared the alicorn, and the light around her grew even brighter, making it painful to look at. “NOW, WITH THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY, I CAN DO ANYTHING, AND NOPONY CAN STOP ME ANYMORE!!! ACCEPT THE REIGN OF YOUR NEW EMPRESS, APEX. RADIATION AND TAINT WILL POISON EQUESTRIA FOREVER!!!”

“No!” came from the speaker in the holoprojector. A short unicorn mare in an armored Stable barding gave the impostor a hateful stare. “Come on guys, remember who you are! You are the Elements! Don’t let her take control of you!”

Calamity looked at Velvet Remedy, Charity at Whisper, and Ditzy Doo at Homage. Something unknown glimpsed between them all at that moment, but there was no longer fear in the eyes of the six. Instead, a faint hope flickered in them.

“Alright, Littlepip…” Homage hissed with a strain. “I’ll do whatever you say… Apex!” she shouted. “You were not artificially created but born of a pegasus stallion and a unicorn mare! Yes, they were injected with the first prototypes of the Impelled Metamorphosis Potion to affect the genome, but you were born a living pony! Your parents were killed by O.I.A. officer Trueblood to hide evidence! But then the bombs fell, and you were frozen for two hundred years until Whisper liberated you! You’re not a higher being, you’re just an ordinary pony! It’s not too late to stop and let us finish what we started!”

“YOU THINK I’LL LISTEN TO YOU?! WITHOUT RADIATION, MY RACE WILL DISAPPEAR FROM EQUUS WITHOUT A TRACE! I CAN’T LET THAT HAPPEN!”

“I understand you, Apex… and I forgive you,” Velvet said softly. “But please don’t make a mistake. We'll definitely try to work something out…”

“Take the whole fucking Wasteland!” Charity yelled. “Just call off those monsters of yours that are crawling all over the place! Don’t let them kill anypony else, that’s all! And what about us? We’ll survive, just like we’ve done for two hundred years! Take it, I don’t care! Take it all!”

“I’m going into a coma,” the holographic Littlepip warned. “I’ll try to use the Single Pegasus Project against the radwyrms…”

Her image blinked, distorted, and disappeared.

“Muffins?” Ditzy Doo wrote on her chalkboard and showed it to everypony. Velvet and Homage giggled hysterically.

“And Ah…” Calamity stammered, then closed his eyes and hugged Velvet. “And Ah just won’t leave y’all… whatever happens to us.”

“That’s enough, Apex!” Whisper shouted as she rose into the air on her thestral wings. “I liberated you, so I will destroy you! Together, we will stop you now! Equestria belongs to everypony, and the Gardens were meant to give life, not destruction! And we will do it whether you want us to or not!”

“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!” The alicorn laughed again. “WHAT MAGIC DO YOU HAVE AGAINST MINE?! ADMIT YOUR FAILURE ALREADY!”

“There is such a magic!” Whisper replied, spreading her forelegs and looking around at all those standing around Crusader. “And this is friendship!!!”

A new burst of laughter erupted…

And suddenly, something changed.

The crystals of the Elements of Harmony stopped spinning and, as if of their own free will, threw themselves into the air from the alicorn to the six ponies. In a flash of magic, they transformed into golden PipBucks on each one’s leg, bearing the images of their cutie marks.

Around Apex, the light turned from snow-white to reddish, and the column of the supermaneframe shimmered with different colors.

“WHAT?!” The alicorn’s eyes bulged and she flapped her wings, but some force held her still. “THIS IS IMPOSSI–”

A glow enveloped all the six and lifted them into the air. Rainbow beams burst from the PipBucks and swirled around Crusader’s spire in colorful ribbons, hiding Apex's figure in a small hurricane.

On one of the displays, the relentless flickering of text stopped. The last line of the console read:

Activation complete.

And more were added.

Preparing magical circuit... 100%. Complete.

Launching...

And then the accumulated energy shot a huge rainbow column through the hole in the ceiling of the cave. Shards of stone flew in all directions.

An invisible wave of the megaspell swept in all directions from the lonely peak, cleansing the earth of what had poisoned it for so many years.

For a brief moment, the entire land turned green… though it wilted immediately.

But now, Equestria was alive. And could share that life with everypony.

Future

“…Big and scary, you say?” Zipp raised an eyebrow, hovering above the ground with her smartphone on her hoof. “Hmmm…”

“Yes! I went for a ride today – you know, to get some inspiration… and there it was!” ranted Izzy, driving her Unicycling Cart off to the side of the group.

The scooter rolled silently through the grass that covered the meadow. In the distance, a lone, huge tree with pink leaves could be seen.

“Maybe it’s the entrance to some ancient dungeon with terrible secrets!” said the lilac unicorn in a loud whisper, blinking and even taking her front legs off the steering wheel, but she immediately shrieked and clung back.

“Whoa, sounds dangerous,” Sunny said, walking in the middle of the whole fivesome. “But hopefully there’s nothing in there that can hurt us.”

“Another adventure-e-e-e-e!” Pipp sang into her device and raised it above her head. “Ah, well, why is the coverage only good in the city…? That way, I’d be able to keep my pippsqueaks happy with new content from all over Equestria!”

“Whatever it is,” the white pegasus pulled her VR goggles over her eyes, “Detective Zipp will investigate it!”

“Oh, come on,” Hitch brushed it off. “What’s so big and scary that… Uh-oh…”

The five ponies stopped and looked at what was in front of them.

In the middle of a flowery meadow stood a strange-looking structure with no windows and a low, rounded roof. The front wall, clad in a thick layer of metal over reinforced concrete, had been torn open; a heavy steel door hung on a hinge. On the inside of the door was an unusual drawing of a crescent moon surrounded by six pictograms, and just above it was a red, jagged inscription written like a hoof: RC-13.

The doorway gaped darkly, inviting the five ponies to step inside and touch the gruesome secrets of bygone centuries.

THE END

Author's Note

My special thanks to Kkat, Somber, and everyone else who created and extended the fictional universes of FoE and MLP:FiM.

Chapter 1. Stranger in Wasteland

– Where are we?!

– The future. Or rather, the present.

– But there’s nothing there!

MLP, 5/26

The wasteland stretched in every direction as far as the eye could see. It was a vast, flat expanse, almost entirely covered in sand and rock, interspersed with sparse, stunted forests and groves struggling to survive under the impenetrable veil of clouds. The wind howled thinly, lonely, blowing sand and swaying crowns everywhere.

Not a living soul. In fact, who would seriously stay here, in the middle of nowhere, with only a limited supply of food, a canteen with no place to fill it, and a dosimeter that clicked nonchalantly? Bad company, to be honest.

On the other hand, solitude was not the worst choice. It was possible to meet ones who would make the rest of a hapless traveler’s life more miserable than hunger, thirst, and radiation combined. Fortunately, those who could do that seemed to be elsewhere at the moment.

To the north, the dark hulks of the mountains loomed on the horizon, jutting out of the plain like the fingers of a giant paw into the sky. On the almost sheer slope of one of them, if one looked closely, one could see the ruins of a once majestic city, the former capital of a forgotten empire, shrouded in a pink haze.

Nothing seemed to disturb the emptiness and silence of the area, as it hadn’t for many years. In fact, it had been a long time since the last time a raider had chased some loser in the wrong place at the wrong time. Except for the occasional passing sprite-bot, following the course set by the program.

But all things come to an end.

And on one of those cloudy, windy days – and every first day was like that – something happened.

A shining circle appeared in the air – and immediately spread out and became a thick golden ring about two meters in diameter, floating above the surface like a huge coin on a rib. Inside the ring was a different landscape, so different from the windswept wasteland; there was clearly more life on the other side than there was here.

And then a foot in a worn-out sneaker emerged from the portal and stepped on a sand-covered rock.

He stepped out from behind the infinitely thin transparent membrane that connected these two so different worlds and looked around in amazement, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

What happened here? a thought ran through his head. Everything should look completely different… Where is everyone? Where is everyone? Or am I just in the wrong place? But we've calculated everything exactly…

“Oooooooooooow!!!” rolled across the barren plain, a lonely cry filled with confusion and despair.

There was no answer. There was no one to pay attention to the sound that was not peculiar to this place – a call for contact that faded into the void.

The portal closed behind the unexpected visitor, leaving him alone in the silence.

His steps left footprints in the sand that the wind immediately picked up. The alien had chosen a random direction and was now walking through the wasteland, not even realizing how strange his lone figure looked to this world.

I don’t understand… his thoughts swarmed in his disproportionately large head. I saw it… It’s supposed to be different! But how… damn it, how did this happen? What kind of apocalypse did this dimension go through…? He thought for a moment. And then where do I look for what I came here for?

A thin hand in a spotless white glove reached for a leather pouch hanging from his belt. Pausing, the traveler loosened the straps and peered inside. The pouch contained a scattering of golden rings, just like the portal, but small enough to fit the alien’s little finger.

Maybe I should go back and try something else. You can’t just fixate on one solution… I wish I’d brought the detector – it was too big… I’d have known where to go right away.

Shaking his head, he tied up the pouch with the rings and prepared to continue on his way – but then a more appealing idea apparently came to him.

“Well… since I don’t know where I’m going,” he said, “I need to look around. And as soon as possible.”

The alien smiled contentedly – and leaned forward slightly, right in front of the invisible starting line.

Gotta go fast…

In the next instant, his lanky figure took off, racing forward at lightning speed. And behind him stretched a bright blue smeared trail, sparking with electric flashes.

An hour later, the runner stopped and bent over, hands on his knees. Heavy breathing came from his chest.

“It’s been… a long time since I… ran a marathon like this,” he muttered. “My energy is infinite, but my legs aren’t made of iron… and neither are my shoes.”

He lifted and turned his foot, looked sadly at the scuff marks on the sole, and shook his head.

“When I’m done, I’ll have to ask for new ones. And I think I’ll be walking a lot soon…” He looked ahead and sighed tiredly, “At least we have a place to start looking now.”

The alien was about a quarter of a mile from the first settlement he had found here. Behind a sturdy fence of wagons and iron beams, topped with barbed wire, houses were visible, and guards walked along the improvised city wall. As the traveler approached, he saw their weapons: revolvers and rifles, some of an unfamiliar design.

“Had I really arrived at the right place? How could everything have changed so much…?” He frowned and clenched his teeth. “Well, I’m gonna find out.”

The alien came within a hundred meters of the township and circled it to find the gate. There were two gates on opposite sides of the village, both large sheets of steel, obviously locked from the inside with a heavy bolt.

A fortress, not a village in the middle of nowhere.

We’ll take care of that, too, the alien said mentally.

Heavy thoughts took over his mind. Standing to the side of the village, the traveler looked into the distance, at the vast, lifeless wasteland. There was only pain and incomprehension in his big eyes. Even the unanswered questions faded in the face of the desolation, replaced by sadness and loss.

After standing there for a while, he sighed again, turned around… and faced the barrel of the carbine between his eyes.

Note: New game.

New perk: Feet Like the Wind – +2500% to movement speed, -50% to stamina consumption.

New quest perk: Uninvited Guest – -3 luck, -5 reputation.

Chapter 3. The Very Strange Tale of the Blue Alien

“What are you doing here? Are you a spy?”

Fallout: Equestria, chapter 22

“What are you saying you’re doing here?” the mayor’s voice rumbled.

Sonic sighed quietly. He thought that very few ones would take his confused explanation seriously from the first time.

There were ponies all around. There was no meeting hall in the town, so for lack of a better one, everypony who could, crowded into Murky Gray’s bar. However, almost the entire population of The Republic had gathered to see the newcomer, so the street outside was also filled with a crowd of onlookers. After all, it wasn’t often in their rather monotonous lives that such surprises happened.

Surrounded by a mass of mares and stallions, Sonic sat on a stool at the bar, swinging his legs. Next to him, as the one responsible for his appearance in the village, stood Cosmic. Across from them towered Silver Star – a powerful-looking middle-aged white unicorn with a faded gray mane, wearing a cowpony hat with a horn cutout. It was rumored that the hat had been made from the skin of the raiders he had once eliminated. Cosmic wanted to cringe under the mayor’s sharp gaze – but the hedgehog didn’t seem to care at all that his fate was literally being decided now.

“I already told you. In the world where I came from… however, that’s not where I was born, but it doesn’t matter… now trouble came. An evil scientist, Dr. Robotnik, nicknamed Eggman, has long wanted to establish his sole authority over the entire planet. We fought off his previous attempts, but this time he tried something new.

“Eggman discovered a base with an old secret project called ‘Shadow’ – its essence is that scientists of that world once captured a hedgehog like me, but black, named Shadow. It seems they tried to study him, but one day they got tired of it, and they just froze him. Eggman freed Shadow and forced him to serve him. On his orders, Shadow stole Chaos Emeralds from me and my friends – powerful artifacts that can be combined to form the Master Emerald, giving absolute power over the universe… and disappeared. Meanwhile, Eggman has created a new army of robots and is about to take over the Earth…”

“Earth… is that the name of your world?” asked the mayor. “Ridiculous name for a planet, don’t you think?”

“I don’t give a damn,” the hedgehog shrugged. “Well, that’s it… Since my friends and I were out of Emeralds, we decided to look for other artifacts whose power we could use against Eggman. If necessary, then in other dimensions.

“My friend Tails invented a detector to find such artifacts. And in searching for the most powerful one, the device pointed to your world,” Sonic looked up at Cosmic and Silver Star, “the world of ponies.”

“Wait…” the blue earth pony interrupted him. “How did you know about the ponies before you moved here and found us?”

“You won't believe it anyway,” the alien shook his head with a grin.

Silver Star frowned. A shiver ran through Cosmic’s skin. The mayor could be very convincing when he needed something. Answers to questions, for example.

Sonic apparently decided not to run into the unicorn’s heavy hoof – or, more likely, telekinetic grip – and hurried on to continue.

“The thing is, Tails created a neural network that sifted through all sorts of information on the Internet and somehow (honestly, I’ve no idea how it all works) recons… tried to reconstruct the reality where she should have gone.” The hedgehog sighed heavily and drooped. “It painted a world full of friendship and magic, where ponies enjoy life under the rule of an alicorn princess, and order is guarded by six keepers of these artifacts – Elements of Harmony.”

Sonic closed his eyes and shook his head again.

“Nothing like where I ended up.”

The alien’s slip of the tongue didn’t escape Cosmic’s ears. He obviously knew something – something that he was trying his best to hide from them. Though… maybe he just really misspoke.

Silver Star gave a short whinny.

“It seems to me, kid, that’s right, your net did think of it. Just missed it by a little over time. By about two hundred years.”

Sonic jerked his head up and stared dazedly at the mayor.

“But how…?” the alien’s voice sank. “It can’t have been that long…! How’s that possible…?”

“Somehow, as you can see,” the unicorn replied. “Your friend probably knows better how it can be there. You’d better tell me this: how did you get here yourself?”

“With this.”

The hedgehog untied the pouch he was carrying with him and took out… a ring. Outwardly, it was an ordinary trinket for which a few dozen bottle caps could be obtained from a not too greedy merchant. But Cosmic was already familiar with the truth: not everything is as it seems at first glance.

She noticed a strange look on the face of Metal Dawn, who was standing off to the side in the crowd, when he saw the ring. The stallion seemed to be thinking hard about something, hypnotizing the round metal rim with his eyes.

Cosmic had no time to develop an idea of her own.

“I won’t demonstrate the process, they are one-time,” Sonic explained, taking off the ring. “But in general, it goes like this: I imagine in detail the place where I wanna go, and I throw the ring. It expands to suuuuuch a size…” – he spread his forelimbs to the sides – “no, even bigger… and then the portal is ready, all you have to do is walk through it.”

The hedgehog became sad again.

“I tried to imagine your reality in the best possible way, but… it didn’t help.”

Suddenly something clicked in Cosmic’s brain.

“Elements of Harmony…” she muttered and turned to Sonic, getting more and more angry. “You mentioned the artifacts that you have never seen before! How, Celestia, could you find out what they are called when all you know is that they are fucking somewhere in the Wasteland?!”

The alien was taken aback by such pressure. Ponies’ gazes shifted first to angry Cosmic looming over him, then to himself.

Then the hedgehog shrugged and smiled disarmingly:

“The neural network prompted. Think of it as some kind of magic.”

“Let’s say,” muttered Silver Star, “let’s say that everything you said is true. Of course, we can’t help you with your search because we don’t know a damn thing about your Elements and what they’re supposed to do. What are your plans? What are you gonna do now?”

“I don’t know,” Sonic breathed. “I think I’ll stay here for a while, and then I’ll go wherever my eyes look. If I can’t find any artifacts, then I’ll go back to my world, and we’ll try something else… There’s almost no time left. I must act quickly. And this may be the only thing I can do.”

“What can you do?” The mayor narrowed his eyes. “Specifically?”

“Run faster than sound. If any of you saw blue flashes today, it was me. That’s the trail I leave behind when running. Of a blue lightning.”

“Huh. Interesting… But I think I’ve come up with something better than you, sitting on our necks.” Silver Star’s hoof pointed at Cosmic. “Tomorrow you’ll go with her squad to New Appleloosa. Perhaps you’ll learn more about what you need there.”

“Uh… what?"

Cosmic was surprised, to say the least, by what happened. Scrolling through the events of the day in her mind, she realized that she hadn’t even remembered Nightlight’s words about a new contract when she wanted to "capture" Sonic. Ooh, why is she doing this…?

“Well, you brought him to us – now you have to take care of him,” Silver Star remarked reasonably. “Besides, there’ll be an opportunity to check how he is in a real case. Whether he can only run or do something useful…”

“Maybe I didn’t say it quite right,” Sonic said. “I meant that I could move faster than anything else. Faster than bullets. Faster than missiles. And knock them off their original course. Unless, of course, they were self-guided. I don’t think it’ll work for lasers, but I can get to everyone in the battle before I show up. The only downside is that I have to rest later. More like a day or two. Although the energy in my needles has no limits, the rest of my body is the same as any of yours. I may want to eat, drink, go to the bathroom, or sleep. I don’t wear armor, so a single bullet can kill me. My entire defense is speed.”

“I see…” the mayor drawled. “And what about your personal qualities?”

He looked at the alien searchingly.

“How would you react to, let’s say, a cowardly escape? Or injustice before your eyes, when you can change something? What will you choose in a moment of danger?”

“After I settled on Earth, I tried to bring justice,” Sonic said, looking away. “But Tom… a human I befriended… once told me that it’s not the hero who chooses the moment, but the moment that chooses the hero. And I’m sure I’ll be able to figure out when that moment comes.”

The hedgehog looked into Silver Star’s eyes.

“I’ve never left anyone. I caused problems, got into adventures… but I never gave up. And when I saw something bad, I tried to fix it. Believe me, I won’t hide. It’s just not my style.”

There was a moment of silence in the bar. The only sounds were the pounding of hooves and the creaking of floorboards.

“Well…” the mayor said after a moment’s thought. “Then it’s decided. Have a good trip.”

And he turned around and headed for the exit. The crowded ponies began to part before him.

“Wait!” Sonic exclaimed suddenly. Silver Star turned around. “May I ask… what’s the name of your world? I mean, the whole world. More than this Wasteland of yours.”

“Equus. According to legend, Equestria got its name from that word.”

“And what does it mean?”

“I dunno. But I hope it’s something good.”[1]

Clouds were gathering over The Republic, and it was growing darker by the minute. Another day in the heart of the Wasteland came to an end.

Cosmic continued her shift until the end, but without a drop of the positive mood she had in the morning. The mayor’s order to take that blue weirdo with them on the mission was an unpleasant surprise for her. But there was nothing she could do.

At the top of the town wall, rare torches were lit, which dispelled the darkness of the night at least a little. When it rained, they would be extinguished and taken away. Cosmic had only heard of night-vision devices in the tales of the merchants; according to the tales, the mysterious Steel Rangers possessed this technology. In the village, a supply of flares and incendiary rounds was stored in case of an attack under the cover of darkness. However, restocking them would be problematic.

Metal Dawn tried to impose and escort Cosmic to her home, but she refused. Now Sonic, who had been shown around the town during the day, was trotting behind her, chewing carelessly on a piece of cheese given to him by Grace.

“Why did I get involved with you…?” Cosmic said, turning into a side street. “Couldn’t you have shown up in New Appleloosa or Manehattan…?”

“Well, it’s not my fault that you had an apocalypse here,” the hedgehog spread his hands and took another bite of the cheese head. “Listen, I tried to imagine Ponyville the way it was supposed to be, but such horrors opened up in the ring that I decided to try something else and…“ Sonic rubbed his nose with his finger, “it seems I accidentally imagined the landscape from the second part of ‘Cutie Re-Mark’[2]–”

“What a…? You!”

Cosmic pinned the hedgehog to the wall of the nearest house with a single movement. The alien wriggled convulsively and tried to breathe, squeezing the hoof pressed against his chest.

“What! Are! You! Hiding from us?!” the mare shouted in his face. “Tell me!”

“Let go…” croaked Sonic. “I’ll… tell… everything…”

Cosmic jerked her hoof away, and he fell to the ground like a sack, clutching his chest and trying to catch his breath.

“What I hate most,” the earth pony said in an icy voice, “is when I’m not told something. And that’s what you’re doing right now.”

“Believe me… it’s too serious to… tell you or anyone else… right now. You’ll definitely… know everything, I swear… but later,” Sonic stood up. “When the time is better for this.”

Cosmic said nothing. Silently, she turned around and continued on her way.

The hedgehog, rubbing the bruised place, moved after her without meeting a shout: ‘Don’t follow me!’

Although the mare wanted to yell at the uninvited guest and send him back to the Wasteland. She was angry, and only the self-control she had acquired during the service prevented her from saying everything she was thinking.

Also, a part of Cosmic understood that the hedgehog was really her area of responsibility from now on, and so she should just take it and do what she was told.

They reached the right house at dusk. The earth pony pulled the door handle and went inside, barely resisting the urge to knock Sonic with this very door.

The alien stood at the threshold for a while, apparently not daring to go in, then he got over himself and stepped into Cosmic’s apartment.

She had already turned on a spark battery lamp mounted on the ceiling with a button by the door. The room was flooded with a steady white light. Ignoring the hedgehog, the earth pony proceeded to the chest in the far corner of the room and began to undress.

Sonic watched as she took off her weapons and armor, looking around the simple decor of the house.

Rough plank walls and floor – it was immediately clear that they were built as it turned out, the main thing was that they should stand. In each wall there was a window, barred with thick wire; under the one opposite the entrance there was a table and a crude stool. Two chests: the big one Cosmic was standing by, probably for weapons; and another, smaller one in the other corner, maybe for her personal things. Finally, a low bed with a crumpled sheet and a huddled blanket against the side wall.

The interior, matching the place.

Cosmic unloaded the disassembled armor together with the saddlebags on the floor, took out of the chest and spread out an old, battered oilcloth and began to clean and lubricate the weapons on it, still ignoring Sonic.

He sighed, put the rest of the cheese in his mouth, walked to the back of the room and sat down on a stool to watch the pony work.

“It’s humble here,” he remarked, obviously trying to start a conversation.

“As it is,” Cosmic snapped. Sonic was silent, forcing her to fill in the pause herself. “Luxury makes no sense in the Wasteland. Either too many resources have to be spent on it, or it can be created, but at the expense of durability or safety. No one here will dare to do either… unless, of course, they can think of something.”

“Will you tell me what happened to your world?”

Cosmic wanted to tell the annoying hedgehog to back off, but words full of pain seemed to fall from her lips all by themselves.

“A long time ago there was a war between ponies and zebras. No one remembers who started it first, but it seems that they didn’t share something with each other. Gradually, the fighting grew fiercer, new weapons were invented… until the appearance of megaspells, capable of destroying everything for miles around with their explosion.”

“Like atomic bombs…” Sonic whispered, receiving another sharp look from the earth pony.

“And once they were used. Equestria was turned into ruins and infected with magical radiation, and the survivors began to fight for leftover food and clean water.” Cosmic shook her head. “I just hope that we struck back by taking those striped bastards with us to Tartarus.”

“And…”

“I don’t like to talk about it. And remember, I have a gun in my hooves. And it can shoot sometimes.”

Sonic fell silent, but after about a minute (the mare had just finished with Argument and took up Nige), he spoke again, “Maybe you can tell me about yourself? And then to spend the night under the same roof with a stranger doesn’t appeal to me somehow…”

“Then go back to the Wasteland! What are you clinging to?!” Cosmic exploded. The hedgehog stared at her in amazement. “You came yourself, gave everyone here a headache, and now you’re bothering me with questions! Shut up and buck off!”

Sonic hung his head, got off the stool, shuffled to the opposite corner and sat on the floor, hugging his knees.

At the sight of this, something inside Cosmic trembled, and she felt ashamed of her outburst of anger. She suddenly realized that the hedgehog was also a victim of circumstances; but perhaps much more was demanded of him than of her. And at the very least, it was not entirely fair to blame him.

She put Nige in the chest, picked up Dan, and said:

“Okay, I'll tell you. But only if you tell me your story.”

“Nice,” Sonic said. “So, where to start… well, probably with the fact that in one of the worlds lived a tribe of Hedgehogs who helped the tribe of Owls fight the Echidnas for the Chaos Emeralds. But the forces were unequal, and there was almost nothing left of our tribes. Fortunately, the Master Emerald, made up of all seven artifacts, was safely hidden.

“I don’t remember my parents. Since childhood, I have lived on a warm tropical island, where I romped and ran for fun. I was cared for by Long Claw, the last Owl who knew the secret of the Emeralds.

“And one day…" the hedgehog’s voice was full of pain, “I made a mistake. Long Claw told me to hide my powers, but I didn’t listen… and we both paid for it as a result.

“One day I was once again running around the island at my usual transonic speed. And when I returned to the house…” Sonic breathed heavily and covered his eyes with his palm. “We were attacked by echidnas. Long Claw gave me rings and a map of the neighboring worlds and told me to run. I wanted to stay with her… but I couldn’t. And I… ran away to the Earth.”

The hedgehog paused for a moment to recover from the heavy memories, then continued.

“I spent ten years there, living in the forest and hiding from prying eyes. You have no idea how lonely I was there. To entertain myself, I began to follow the life of one man. His name is Tom Wachowski, and he’s a cop, and he also has a beautiful wife, Maddie. In fact, they became my family without even knowing it themselves.

“Then I… gave away my presence in that world. I just snapped and started running in circles around the baseball field, speeding up each time. So… I threw away some of my power, blacked out the entire West Coast.

“Some people started chasing me, and I broke into Tom’s house to hide. And got him involved in all of this. But we made it out. And I used a ring to throw Eggman, who was chasing us, onto a planet full of mushrooms.

“I thought he would stay there forever, but he was able to call Knuckles, the last of the Echidnas, to his side. They came after me again – and almost caught me, but –” Sonic grinned “– Tails saved me. That little two-tailed fox tracked me down just to warn me of danger. And it just so happened that he became my new companion.

“Meanwhile, Eggman learned about the Master Emerald from Knuckles and decided to find it so that he could take control of the universe all by himself. Tails and I set out to find the Emerald so that Eggman wouldn’t get it. The Doctor tricked Knuckles and, when they found the Emerald, subdued him, gaining power over matter itself. However, we were able to return the Emerald and defeat Eggman… or rather, we thought so.

“But he came back – even stronger and angrier than before. And then Shadow showed up… and everything went wrong. You know the rest. Now I’m responsible for the whole world… and maybe –” he sighed “– for the whole universe.”

“What the hay is going on there,” Cosmic chuckled. She was listening so intently that she completely forgot she was cleaning the weapon, so she began to rub the half disassembled submachine gun with redoubled energy. “Things are usually much simpler here: you’re born, see enough of the Wasteland horrors, make foals if you’re lucky, and then you die. Mostly from disease, radiation, or bullets. Few ponies live to old age here. Well, nothing great has happened in a long time. Our battle was two hundred years ago… and as you already know, there were no winners.

“I was born and grew up here in The Republic. My dad was a unicorn and worked in an armory, but his main passion was all sorts of tech stuff like StealthBucks, hacking modules and other ‘defurculators’… which, by the way, the town was getting good caps for. My mom worked in the kitchen – and died of dust fever when I was little. And a few years later, when I got older, Dad was bitten by a radscorpion that had slipped into the town unnoticed.

“I was left alone, and I had to look for something to do with my life, because I still didn’t have a cutie mark. I’ve been attracted to guns since I was a filly, and while Dad was busy with some other technical crap, I played with pistols and rifles. Luckily, I didn’t shoot anyone around me.

“And that’s why I decided to go into security. Silver Star was against it (of course, it’s always unpleasant to lose a profitable source of income!), but I managed to convince him. Since then, I have accompanied ponies on trading trips and stood on the town wall to prevent possible attacks from the Wasteland. In so many years, raiders came here only twice – but on the way, you need to keep your eyes open, so as not to be robbed.

“Later, I gathered a group of ponies I could trust. By the way, don’t mess with unicorns: they are relatives of our mayor… Sometimes we’re allowed to take third-party contracts that also bring caps; and tomorrow we’ll go just for such one. Because there’ll always be a need for those who can replace your breasts with theirs and fire enough bullets in response so that you don’t fucking die before you pay off.”

Cosmic put Dan in the chest, wiped her mouth and hooves with an oilcloth, folded it in half and threw it in the same place.

“I see…” said Sonic and looked at the door. “Hmm, I don’t understand: don’t you have any locks at all?!”

“We used to,” the mare shrugged. “But the keys were such a hassle that… And the mistrust between us was just too great… In the end, we gave them up. After all, there are only a few of us here – a hundred and a half at the most, everyone knows everyone, and everyone is in the public eye. A thief is always found – and banished to the Wasteland. And there haven’t been any cooler crimes in a long time – and there are no opportunities here. But!” she lifted a hoof. “Residents who have cutie marks vote for all punishments. And the decision is made by the majority. However, there has never been a time when someone was spared despite all the evidence of guilt.”

The earth pony got to her hooves.

“Okay, enough chatter for now. Let’s have a snack.”

She went to the dropped saddlebags, rummaged through one of them and pulled out two apples. She tossed one to Sonic and bit into the other with pleasure.

For a while, the only sound in the room was soft chewing of jaws. Finally, when only a core remained from Sonic’s apple (Cosmic had eaten hers whole), the hedgehog asked again, “Really? I mean, bottle caps are in use here, right?”

“Yeah. Somehow –” Cosmic moved her hoof, choosing the word “– historically happened. So, what’s up?”

“Turns out that you buy almost all the food? I was shown pots of soil in one of the buildings today, and it even looked like something was growing there, but this is clearly not enough for everyone, is it?”

“Right,” Cosmic admitted. “Almost nothing grows here: the earth is contaminated with radiation, the rains don’t come that often, and the wind just blows sand everywhere. You must buy – and believe me, it’s not cheap at all. You have just gobbled up fifteen caps that the ponies of The Republic have earned with their honest labor. You’re going to end this?”

Sonic looked at the apple core in his hand (the pulp had already begun to turn yellow) and threw it back. Cosmic caught the rest of the apple with her mouth on the fly and crunched it in one bite.

“I hope they showed you where the latrine is,” she said, approaching a smaller chest. “Just in case, I say, so that there are no surprises here.”

“Walk through half the town,” Sonic got sad. “Um, yeah, in this respect, I liked Green Hills a lot better…”

Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

“Who else is there…?” Cosmic muttered.

“Are you waiting for someone?” Sonic asked with interest.

The earth pony shook her head.

“Cosmic? Can I come in?” Metal Dawn’s voice came from outside.

“You know I’m not alone here,” the mare rolled her eyes.

“I hope you’re not tongue kissing there?”

“Dawn, are you really a… dawn, or pretending?”

“He can take a little walk.”

And you’re stubborn, Cosmic thought and looked at Sonic.

He spread his hands, as if to say, they say, this is your business, not my concern.

The earth pony went to the door and opened it. Metal Dawn, standing at the threshold, barely managed to jump away, or she would have hit his face.

“What do you want?” Cosmic asked in displeasure.

“May I come in?” the stallion asked.

He was without armor and saddlebags, but at the same time wearing a belt with holsters. And one of them was not empty. And it seems that Metal had stopped by Murky’s bar for a couple of drinks before coming.

“Just be quick.” Cosmic stepped aside, letting him pass. “I’m not gonna look at your face all night.”

The stallion went inside and glared at Sonic with disgust. He made a facepalm (the mare almost thought "facehoof" out of habit) and stomped to the exit.

Metal Dawn watched the hedgehog go and slammed the door behind him with a kick of his hind hooves. And then he turned to Cosmic.

“What are you doin’?” she asked. “You want me to kick you out of the team? The fact that you fucked me a few times while we served together doesn’t mean anything. I have no feelings for you, and you know it perfectly well. And that doesn’t make you any better. Just the opposite.”

“And who do you run to if not to me when it’s time, huh?” His voice was deep and threatening. “To Snow? Or maybe to Spark? Or both at once? Oh yes, it must be so exciting to be wrapped in wings…”

“Don’t be silly.” With each passing second, Cosmic disliked this conversation more and more. “I hoofle it all myself. And you go sleep it off. After all, we’re leaving tomorrow.”

“In The Republic, you know, there are so few ponies…” the stallion spoke unexpectedly charmingly. “To resist external enemies, we need to increase the population. And there’s only one way to do it… wouldn’t you like to do it yourself, hmm?” His tone became harsh again, “Or do you wanna suffer the same fate as Life Bloom?”

“What’s he got to do with it…?” Cosmic groaned and looked at Metal Dawn not even with disdain, but with pity. “You know, in other situations I wouldn’t mind having foals. For example, when I get bored with security. But not now. And not with you, you drunken bastard. Go away. Otherwise, I’ll tell Silver Star everything. What do you think he’ll do to you?”

“No, you won’t tell anyone,” Metal Dawn shook his head with a grin. “You will be ashamed to expose yourself in front of everyone as a weak filly who can only hide behind others…”

Suddenly his grin turned evil. He slapped the button on his holster with his hoof, tossing the gun away, and caught it in his teeth.

The muzzle of the revolver rested against Cosmic’s neck. Immediately, powerful hooves landed on her back, pinning her to the floor.

The mare took advantage of this – she fell sharply and rolled to the side. Having lost his balance, Metal Dawn fell to the ground – but immediately jumped up with an angry growl through the weapon clenched in his mouth.

Meanwhile, Cosmic was already at the chest. Open the lid, snatch out the necessary – and now the ten-millimeter pupil of a much faster firing gun was looking at the stallion. And most importantly – loaded too.

He seemed confused. But Cosmic was more than determined.

Drilling Metal Dawn with a look that didn’t bode well, she took a step toward him. Then another one, coming very close… and drove her hoof into his face with all her power, knocking the revolver out of his grip along with a couple of teeth.

The stallion was thrown a few steps away; he fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

“You’ll regret this…” he hissed (after all, not the most important teeth were knocked out) and, with a bloody mouth, picked up the revolver and trudged to the door.

It swung open – that was Sonic, apparently, who had decided to have a look at the noise.

Metal Dawn pushed the hedgehog aside; he finally turned, giving Cosmic a look full of malice, and disappeared into the darkness of the coming night.

Sonic looked at the mare. She was breathing heavily, clutching a submachine gun in her teeth, and looking somewhere into the void.

“Can you… explain what’s going on here?” the hedgehog suggested calmly.

Cosmic dropped the submachine gun from her mouth (fortunately, it didn’t fire) and just fell on her stomach, spreading her hooves. She wanted to scream about how sick she was of it all, but she had no strength to do so.

And most importantly, she no longer felt safe with her team. If, of course, they were complete.

Note: Level up.

Player: Cosmic Valor. New perk: Sherlock Hooves (level 1/3) – you notice small but probably important details, but are not yet able to build your own theories based on them with far-reaching conclusions.

Player: Sonic. The quest stage “Ask about the Elements of Harmony” (+1000 experience) has been completed. Added a new stage “Determine the location of Elements”. New quest perk: Truth for Truth – during a dialog, you have a 20% chance to gain a temporary bonus of +1 reputation.

[1] "Equus" means "horse" in Latin.
[2] This refers to the final, 26th episode of the 5th season of the MLP: FiM series.