Irradiated Changes

***

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By the time Chrysalis and Elder Lyons had gotten the last details of their plan drawn up, most of the Brotherhood had awoken and begun to go about their daily tasks and duties.

Steel woke before the rest of his siblings, immediately checking over himself to ensure that nothing had happened in the late night, and that no damage had occurred that adrenaline had prevented him from feeling. Satisfied, he quickly grabbed his Infiltrator and slung it across his chest. Grabbing his backpack as he went, the Commander changeling quickly trotted through the Citadel on his way to the Mess Hall, slipping between Knight Captains and Paladins as he went.

Who’s awake and faking it? he asked over the hivemind, earning a burst of ‘mental static’ or cluttered thoughts and dreams in return, So that’s a no from both of you then.

He sighed and kept walking, giving quick salutes to the Brotherhood members who stood at-attention near doorways. It took him only a few more minutes to find his way to the Citadel’s Laboratory, as the sign read. The voice of his queen echoed through his skull as he passed into the massive room, Oh, Steel, you’re awake.

Sadly before yourself, Your Highness. My apologies. he replied, a tinge of shame in his thoughts as he walked down the metal steps towards her location.

No trouble at all. I didn’t exactly have a peaceful sleep, so I got up early to explore. And you can drop the ‘Your Highness’ bit if you wish. You’re one of my children, not a drone brought in from another Swarm. You know I prefer to be lax in my command of the Swarm’s military. the Queen replied dismissively.

I would prefer to keep it. You chose myself to lead your Elite Guard. It seems only right that I do so. he shot back, a bit of unease coating his curt thoughts.

Very well, Steel. Could you join me down here? I feel that since you are the second-in-command that you should hear it personally, instead of via relayed thoughts. she replied calmly, able to fully understand his position.

It was a comforting feeling that the Commander was in need of in times such as these, Heading in now.

Just as he finished the thought he had passed through the first doorway to the Mess Hall, already able to hear the conversation between the Changeling Queen and... the Brotherhood Elder. His mind processed this new information as he ears swiveled towards the voices’ origins.

“So we are in agreement then. You’ll have full access to our armory’s stock, as well as sleeping quarters and any supplies that aren’t immediately needed. This includes being trained in the wearing of Power Armor, though, granted, you’ll have to get a suit modified for Changeling use.” the Elder spoke as Steel passed through the second door. The man was just as he had seen through the hivemind; an aged, wizened human who carried as much burden as he did respect.

“Agreed. In addition, we’ll help James out on his duties across the Capital Wasteland until either of our respective groups can find anything relating to getting us back to Equis.” the Queen of the Changelings noted with a small nod.

“I feel that I should warn you now; James has a habit of getting into... unorthodox, situations.” the Elder noted cautiously.

“Like the Pitt, or the Aliens?” the Queen asked.

“Amongst other things, yes.” he replied wearily. Clearly such things had a habit of occurring to the man known as The Lone Wanderer.

“We’ll manage. So long as we can consider the Citadel our port in the radiation storm, the details are minor.” she nodded to Steel as he moved by her side, standing stock-still, “Owyn, I believe you’ve yet to meet the Commander of my Elite Guard. This is my son, Steel.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Elder Lyons.” he replied calmly, flying up enough to be at the same height as needed to shake the man’s hand.

Despite his old age, the Elder was surprisingly strong with his grip, “The pleasure is all mine, Commander Steel. I trust you are aware of the details?”

He nodded fluidly, voice still smooth as ever, “Yes. My team and Her Highness are to be treated as honorary members of the Brotherhood of Steel similar to Knight James. We help him, both sides look for a way back to Equis, and in the meantime the Citadel is considered a safe haven that we may return to in order to rest and resupply. For the caps, in regards to the later, of course.”

The Changeling Queen then turned to a man in dark red robes, “Speaking of supplies and caps. Reginald, you were saying something about offering us supplies in exchange for a bit more information relating to changeling biology?”

“Granted you had the time. From your explanations, I’ve found your species to be a fascinating race that could serve further study. Perhaps even help with understanding how things like chems and stimpacks would affect your kind.” a different man, apparently the Senior Scribe of the Brotherhood, explained.

“It would be appreciated. Our methods of healing would be far more taxing than without proper medical equipment of Love in order to feed off of. Given that I doubt most of the Raiders and scum that we will likely be encountering in the wastes would have much, any other methods of healing would be preferable.” she shrugged, already moving to follow him out. She tapped the rifle slung over her back, “Besides, its not like we aren’t armed for bear already with what we have from the ship we took here. The armory and such can wait until later.”

“Shall I wake Cocoon and Cicada, Your Highness?” Steel asked as he followed after.

The Queen shook her head, “Let them rest for now. I doubt that we’ll earn such a luxury once we depart. Do as you see fit, but if James arrives before Hacksaw or Moth is within range of the hivemind, let me know.”

The Commander saluted, “Of course, Your Highness.”

***

“So, y’all ‘er headin’ out ta some place called Oasis?” Applejack questioned, turning to look up from the red delicious apple she’d been tossing between her hooves.

Sergeant Ramirez nodded, “Standing orders are that it’s recon; scout out and mark the area, then leave. If we get attacked, we’re weapons free until either the enemy retreats, or we run out of ammo.” at the last phrase, he clicked the Microfusion Cell back into his rifle, sliding it onto his back to hook up to the magnets on it.

“Ya think yer gonna need ta fight off dem varmints around th’ Wastes?” the country mare asked as he picked up his Heavy Incinerator.

The Hellfire Trooper checked the gas tanks, “Probably. Likely radscorps or Deathclaws, since we’ll be heading near Old Olney. We’ve never scouted out Oasis before, so it could be anything, honestly. We could use the fertile grounds for produce and such, since our Raven’s Rock base was destroyed.”

“Well, ifin’ y’all ‘er just scountin’ th’ place, y’think I could tag along? I jus’ don’t feel right, being’ cooped up in ‘ere so much.” she noted with a slight shiver and a nervous glance off to the side, where an Enclave scientist was sketching out something whilst standing a fair pace from Fluttershy, who was tending after a few vegetables.

“I’ll be leading the mission, so I have no problem with it. I’ll need to check with the Colonel first, though. Security reasons and such.” he explained, twisting the valves to ensure that it was ready to be fired at a moment’s notice. He turned to her, “You’ll also probably need a weapon. Likely a plasma pistol or a handgun, considering your stature. Self-defense and all.”

“I ain’t one ta carrya weapon.” she noted. The two locked gazes for a moment, “But I s’pose Rarity would use tha phrase ‘When in Roam’ ta describe tha situation, so I’ll deal with it.”

Ramirez nodded, setting his Incinerator aside and standing up from the supply crate he’d been sitting on while he donned his weapons and armor that morning, “I’ll be right back then.”

***

“Wait.” he turned, seeing the country-accented mare rubbing the back of her head nervously, “Look, I’m justa might curious here, but... most of the Enclave doesn’t seem too friendly, and the Colonel seems like he ain’t givin’ us the full truth here... but you’ve been right kind and up-front with us since day one. I’m just wonderin’... why?”

The Hellfire Trooper sighed, moving to sit down, “Mind if I tell you a story?”

Applejack shrugged, a bit more relaxed, “I s’pose.”

Ramirez situated himself atop a supply crate across from her, “When I was a kid, I was living the Enclave life with my father and mother at a base called Navarro on the west coast of America. They were a pair of scientists working to develop the new suits of powered armor. Not the ones you see all of the Troopers here wearing, or even mine, but an actual improvement on the Tee-Fifty-Ones we had before the war that turned America into... well, what you see now. One day, my father told me that we were being transferred to a different Enclave outpost. I was... about fifteen at the time, and being the ornery teenager I was, was rather pissed that I was being forced to leave my home. Yes, it was a home in which you were basically bored nearly every day, with nothing to do unless you were an adult, but it was my boring home.”

He chuckled, “I snuck out the same night my dad broke the news to me. I wasn’t going to run away at first, but... well, let’s just say the Wasteland has a way of bitch-slapping you sometimes and leave it at that. The point is that in the span of a week or so I’d been captured by slavers, sold to abolitionists, and wandered around this Pre-War city called San Francisco for about a day before I got myself a job as a courier. Long story short, I ended up finding this holotape, its like a video or voice recording, on one of my runs.”

He seemed to be staring past her as he spoke, “Turns out it was a kids show from before the war; some two season set of this show called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It was like a show that had... what are the male versions of your kind called?”

Applejack, somewhat shocked by what she was hearing, had her jaw open when he finally focused on her again. When she finally recovered enough of her senses, she managed to say, “Uh... stallions?”

“Right, thanks. So it had these six stallions dealing with all sorts of problems in their lives and showing lessons about just generally being a good person and an even better friend. I found it a bit childish, but I was guilty of watching a few Captain Cosmos episodes on holotape, so by that point it didn’t really matter. It had good, wholesome american values and drew a few parallels between the world it was set in and the United States, so I ended up keeping it.” the Hellfire Trooper went on.

“Wait, so, how did you end up here?” the orange mare asked, trying to block the crazier subject out of her mind for the moment.

Ramirez shrugged, “Eventually I went back to Navarro, then ended up here when Colonel Autumn called for our moval to Raven’s Rock. I never found my folks after that, but, well, I’ve got a feeling they’re okay. We still had quite a few outposts in operation at the time.”

He shifted his position on the crate slightly, “Anyway. To answer your question; I act the way I do because you seven reminded me of the show, somewhat, so I figured; what the hell? They can’t be all bad if something like them actually exists, right?”

Applejack opened her mouth to answer, but then closed it. She opened her mouth again, attempting to form some clear sentence to be spoken, but closed it a second time after only a moment of thought. Finally, she had progress with the third time, saying only, “Ya’ll humans ara weird bunch, that’s fer shur.”

Ramirez chuckled, “Yeah, I guess we are. Still, given that you’re from another planet, and there was talk of alien activity years ago, it doesn’t seem that far-fetched. That, and of all the crazy shit that’s happened in the Wasteland, this isn’t the weirdest I’ve heard or seen by far.”

The country-accented mare chuckled, “I guess t’ain’t any crazier than th’ stuff we dealt with in our own lives.”

The two shared a laugh, before the man stood up, “You still up for going on the mission?”

Applejack smiled, “Aw, I couldn’t pass up spendin’ time with a feller with some hospitality in ‘im ‘round here. Besides, I’ve been goin’ stir-crazy somethin’ fierce in the past couple days. If yer just doin’ some scountin’, I s’pose I could help.”

Ramirez nodded, then gave a quick salute before walking off.

***

The walk to the Colonel’s office was short, leading the Sergeant just past the pony known as Princess Celestia during her leave from the Colonel’s office. He gave a quick nod to the two troopers stationed outside of the door, then proceeded inside. Shutting the door behind him, he spun on his heel and gave the Colonel a salute, “Sir.”

“Sergeant Ramirez. I was just about to call you in.” Colonel Autumn noted, setting down the pen he’d been using moments before to work on a particular document.

Ramirez paused, “Sir?”

“Sit down, Sergeant. We have an important matter to discuss.” he gestured to one of the seats that had been moved into the room. Despite the bulky armor, the Sergeant managed to sit without any groans from the furniture, or lack of comfort, “I’ve spoken with Princess Celestia regarding our endeavors on-base, and while she’s agreed to aid us in ensuring that Fort Constantine is brought to working order, she’s agreed to lend aid in expeditionary endeavors. Therefore, I’m assigning one of her retinue to your squad on its scouting mission.”

“Sir, if I may suggest?” Ramirez spoke up.

“You may, Sergeant.” the Colonel responded calmly.

“The orange country mare, Applejack, has shown some interest in accompanying us. Since she is apparently a farmer back on her own world, I would assume she would be a valuable asset in determining if this ‘Oasis’ is suitable for our purposes, sir.” he replied quickly.

“My thoughts exactly, Sergeant. Miss Fluttershy will also be accompanying you as well. Something about having exceptional skills with animals was mentioned in the conversation between myself and the Princess, and since we have little intelligence relating to the area, she might prove useful if the local wildlife has taken up a residence.” the Colonel added.

“Yes sir. Are we to arm them?” he questioned, sensing their conversation was drawing to a close.

“With anything that is not a heavy weapon, yes. The standard amounts of ammunition as well.” they both stood and Ramirez saluted after his commanding officer finished.

As the Hellfire Trooper turned to leave, the Colonel spoke again, “And Sergeant Ramirez.”

He turned, seeing that Colonel Autumn stood with his hands behind his back, “If either of them turns out to be violent towards our cause if any... human, contact is made, I am hereby ordering you to terminate them and cover their deaths up as an unfortunate casualty of the Wasteland.”

“Sir?” Ramirez questioned, doing his best to keep his voice even.

“Despite our alliance, I do not fully trust these Equestrians. They are aliens just as much as they are wastelanders. If they prove to be an enemy of the Enclave’s interests with their beliefs of peace and nonviolence, then it would be, in turn, within our best interests to eliminate them before they become a problem. Do you understand?” the Colonel explained clearly, as if it would be obvious.

“... Yes, sir.” he replied after a moment, “Am I to alert the men of these orders?”

“No need. I have informed each member of your squad personally. I wish you luck on your mission, Sergeant. Our food stores are low enough as it is.” the Colonel replied, sitting back down and picking up his pen to begin writing within the multiple documents spread out on his desk. He glanced up again, “Though it would also be a valuable asset if their corpses were recovered for our scientists to dissect and learn from.”

Ramirez nodded  quietly and left, a ball of ice weighing heavily in his stomach, Well, shit.

***

“So what it boils down to in terms of reproduction is that Swarms have Breeder units that carry the genetic material of the ruler, as opposed to the insect’s common method of having the Queen being an egg laying machine...” Steel thankfully lost focus of what the Queen was saying as she and the Senior Scribe ascended to the second floor of the laboratory.

While the Commander didn’t consider himself squeamish of embarrassed of it, the more... reproductive methods of the hive made him somewhat uncomfortable. While it wasn’t the sole way of creating new changelings, it was the way that Drones and Commanders were created, and knowing that he wasn’t born directly made Steel feel... odd. Jealousy came to mind as the emotion, but he had no reason to feel it.

He brushed it off and checked his sidearm, turning it in a levitation spell before tucking it into the side pocket of his backpack. Normally, he would attempt to resupply and prepare for whatever their next mission or engagement would be, but with the lack of details, or even a real objective, he was in the dark. As such, the technical Elite Guard’s leader and more often sidelined second-in-command found himself with nothing to do.

Steel’s eye twitched. In his nineteen years at the Queen’s side, there was always something of great importance to be done. Yet, with Knight James an unknown distance off and his siblings either gone or sleeping, Steel quickly realized that he was without a task...

The Commander blinked, then buzzed his wings and flew up to the second floor opposite the Queen, passing a pair of Scribes casting glances at his sudden arrival. He paid them no mind, instead passing into one of the nearby rooms. His choice was random; one of disinterest as much as it was examination. With nothing of great significance to busy himself with, he was free to do as he pleased...

It brought on a mixture of emotions within him that Steel found... exhilarating. A cocktail of curiosity, fear, confusion, and... happiness. Was this really what it was like to be without duties? To have free will to do as one desired, and to let the weight of command be lifted, if only for a time?

Though he didn’t show it visibly, a calm mirth filled Steel as he looked around the room in a new light. The Smithy, as the place was apparently named from the sign, was a relatively simple room, with a few machines either built into the walls or set up against them. Along the long counter, which seemed as if it were to divide the room in half, was littered with tools, coffee cups, spare parts, and a plethora of arms and armor like much of that wielded by the Brotherhood. Surprisingly, other weapons, such as rifles with glowing green components, were also strewn about the large counter.

The only two humans in the room were, in fact, a tall woman of dark complexion, with short-trimmed hair and a Super Sledge on her back, while a Laser Pistol sat against her waist. She was looking over a few of the weapons, most notably one of the green componented rifles while she worked on some sort of internal mechanism. The other was a scribe of equal complexion, though his black hair was nearly shaved down to his scalp. Likely due to his position, he carried only a simple 10mm Pistol.

Out of curiosity, Steel hopped atop the chair on his side of the counter and sat down on his haunches, watching the two work between one another. Whether they noticed him in turn, he did not know, as they seemed too preoccupied in their work. He didn’t really care all that much, however, as the weapons they were working on fascinated him much more.

Finally, his curiosity got the better of him, “Might I inquire what that weapon is? I fear I’ve only seen the Laser Rifles of your organization.”

The Scribe looked up at him then, jumping slightly upon seeing the Commander changeling. The woman, however, barely gave an upwards glance before looking back down at her work. When she spoke, it was with a calm authority that Steel found impressive in tone, “It is a Plasma Rifle, scavenged from Enclave corpses by Brotherhood forces. I am to believe that you are Commander Steel of the six changelings, correct?”

“Correct.” Steel answered curtly, “I am the leader of her highness’ Elite Guard and technical second-in-command of our current forces. I am to assume then that Elder Lyons has been able to brief you in the short time frame between his leaving and my arrival?”

“I am Star Paladin Cross, Elder Lyons’ personal body guard. I was able to hear you. My implants allow my senses to far exceed that of a common humans.” she stated, “Though I am surprised that Elder Lyons and Senior Scribe Rothchild were so quick to dismiss their early morning training. Ordinarily they are awake before much of the Brotherhood, in order to practice combat drills in the peace of the early morning alongside Knight Captain Gallows.”

“Star Paladin Cross is a cyborg.” the Scribe explained, “Following critical injury out in the field defending the Elder. I’m Scribe Bowditch, Order of the Shield. Though I suppose for now I should be considered a member of the Order of Equipment Repairs.”

Steel chuckled lightly, “Clever. I take it that you are adept at such things, given your title?”

Bowditch shrugged his shoulders slightly, bending over again to continue his work, “I do what I can to keep the Brotherhood’s damaged gear refurbished for use again, though Cross has been aiding me in recent weeks.”

“I find the need to better my repair skills for field work.” she explained aloud, though it didn’t seem to be directed at either of the two specifically.

“Excuse me, but I’m looking for Commander Steel?” Steel turned at the third voice, seeing a much younger man standing in the doorway. A suit of light metal and leather armor covered him from neck to toe as much as it identified him as a Knight, “Knight LeBlanc has radioed a request for his presence at the Bailey.”

Steel mentally sighed, but nonetheless hopped down, “At ease recruit. You didn’t screw up and pick one of my siblings.”

The Knight seemed to relax slightly. The Commander changeling paid it no mind as he turned his head enough to look at Bowditch and Cross, “My apologies, but I must depart from your company for now. If I can’t find any in the Armory, I would love to purchase that Plasma Rifle once you’re finished repairing it.”

Not waiting for a response, Steel buzzed his wings and took flight, zooming past the Knight and towards the Bailey.

***

Celestia looked over the Enclave Trooper’s hand slowly, rotating his entire arm so as not to disturb his wounds. He was apparently lucky; his comrades had been killed following the arrival of another soldier, now detained and placed in Bomb Storage a few rooms from Armor Storage. The details of this apparent killer and possibly mentally unstable Trooper were spoken of in hushed whispers amongst the other Troopers, however, so beyond being a caucasian male wearing Winterized Combat Armor, Celestia had nothing to go on.

The Trooper winced slightly as she rotated his arm back, “What did your doctor provide you with, Trooper?”

The man, Asian in decent and thin outside of his power armor, glanced over at the four scientists on the other side of the L-shaped room that served as the camp’s medical office for less-than-lethal injuries. One of them nodded, not even looking up from his clipboard. The Trooper wet his lips, “Med-X, ma’am. Stimpack supplies are low, so they just bandaged me up and gave me something for the pain.”

Celestia nodded, though she didn’t betray her feelings towards the scientists with a show of emotion, “Twilight, what injury can you see here?”

The lavender mare by her side winced as she stepped closer, looking over the princess’ shoulder for a better view. As Celestia had hoped, a more restful sleep had worked to keep the mare at peace when she woke up, allowing the solar diarch to ask her student to accompany her through the base. It was a welcome respite from the loneliness she usually had to endure with her sister sleeping on a different schedule from her own.

COMPLETED (Twilight): Get some shut-eye

Twilight looked over the wound more closely, despite her obvious squeemishness, “Broken wrist and minor lacerations across the digits and knuckles... likely smashing them into something?”

The Trooper coughed, though it seemed to be to hide the look of shame on his face, “I twisted it in combat. My knuckles were damaged when my suit’s glove was compromised. They might be broken, but the doctors don’t know for sure.”

“I see. At the very least you have the standard medical equipment to apply a splint and proper bandaging.” she noted dryly. The solar diarch continued on regardless, “However it will be unnecessary once I set the bones properly. Maybe disinfection with alcohol and some fresh bandages, if that. I’d suggest whiskey.”

“Whiskey, ma’am?” the Trooper asked.

Celestia tilted her head to the side slightly, accompanied by a shrug of the shoulders, “Or vodka, if you prefer. I like a shot of vodka on occasion.”

She looked up from examining his hand, seeing that the quartet, Twilight, and the Trooper were all staring at her as if she had just said she was from another universe, “...What? I enjoy the beverages of my little ponies...”

The quartet went to scratching upon their clipboards again, earning an eyeroll from the princess. She supposed, given that they were the only ones with any experience likely related to diseases, general medical treatment, and drug usage and withdrawal, they had to make notes of such things. It didn’t make her any less cautious around them, however. Nor did it make her any less nervous about being in the medical portion of the offices, with the two offices on either side of this one housing six other scientists; five as surgeons and one as a drug research, testing, and development officer.

Each was apparently a godsend for the Enclave, as all ten scientists had some form of degree in medical science before joining the organization, as well as previous medical experience in the field. Still, they seemed much colder than such individuals she’d been around before. More methodical and organized than any similar group like them that she’d encountered.

They were also highly interested in Celestia’s healing abilities when she had offered to help with the wounded. The Trooper she was dealing with now was currently the only one, but from what she understood of the situation, the four other men present didn’t care. In fact, the entirety of the Enclave’s scientists seemed extremely interested in almost every aspect of the Equestrians, regardless of their immediate aid.

It almost made her want to take her little ponies and leave now, but she knew that it would not end well. Best for her to play the part of the caring ruler and keep a hoof on her revolver.

Celestia looked up at the Trooper again, “This might feel a bit painful. I’m going to attempt to set the broken bones in your hand as best I can. I would heal the more minor injuries, such as the cuts and bruises, but simply re-wrapping your hand and forearm would be much simpler.”

The solar princess swore she heard the click of four pens in perfect unison as the Trooper blinked, “Ma’am?”

Celestia levitated the bandages from the man’s arm, setting them on the desk he was seated on, “Thank of it like a stimpack, forcing cells to replicate while I set the bones properly.”

“I didn’t know you were skilled in healing spells, your highness.” Twilight commented as the faint sound of pens scratched paper.

Celestia sighed, though it was mostly to herself, “A necessary skill when I personally went out to defend the kingdom,Twilight. Though a bit dated. I believe the Royal Guard designed a more practical series of healing spells a few decades ago.”

She saw the unicorn mare nod out of the corner of her eye, “I’ve read a few books on the subject, though Nurse Redheart has proven to be quite capable of proper medical aid in Ponyville without the use of medical spells.”

At the mention of Redheart, Celestia tensed slightly, a memory of the white and pink medical mare resurfacing for a few moments before she forced it back down. Her voice, thankfully, lacked any quaver or show of emotional distress, “I will admit that this could be easily fixed with the proper equipment and time, but consider this a lesson as well, in case of emergencies with yourself and your friends.”

“I suppose so, given the dangers of this place. Thank you, your highness.” Twilight gratefully accepted.

The solar diarch nodded a moment before her horn glowed, weaving the spell required to mend the man’s bones, earning a wince of pain from him. The process took only a moment, and by the time he was able to flex his fingers with only a slight wince, Celestia was already levitating the splint and bandages to be reapplied to the remaining wound. She spoke as she began wrapping his hand back up, “The bones may be set, but you’ll still need to recover. This should make it so that you no longer require further doses of Med-X, however.”

“Of course. Thank you, ma’am.” the Trooper responded politely. Celestia felt a small twinge of happiness she hadn’t experienced from healing, let alone doing any healing at all, in a long while.

“Oh, hey, there you are Miss Sparkle. I’ve been searching for you.” the solar diarch turned, seeing another trooper in a more modified, energy-inclined suit of powered armor poking his head in through the doorway.

Celestia turned her head back to Twilight, who seemed somewhat happy to see the Trooper, “Oh, Mister Hughes! Nice to see you again. Princess, this is the Enclave’s Quartermaster.”

The princess gave a respectful nod, which Hughes returned in kind with a simple, “A pleasure, ma’am.”

He then turned his gaze back to Twilight, “If I might steal you away from your leader, Miss Sparkle, I believe your assistance could prove useful. It seems a pair of your friends have been asking to accompany one of our scouting missions.”

He cast a quick glance at Celestia, “Assuming that you’ve approved of giving your companions weapons, ma’am.”

Celestia had not, actually, but she did not voice it in her latest meeting with Colonel Autumn. Far from it, actually. She had avoided the subject as best she could when the idea came up to let a few of her little ponies see more of the Wasteland in a protected, guarded manner. They, or at the very least a few of them, needed a break from the Enclave.

She considered telling Hughes that she did not, in fact, approve of giving her little ponies outside of the royal guard weapons of any kind. It would certainly make things easier, both on her conscience and in keeping things peaceful and innocent for the six. Times had changed in the last few thousand years for Equestria, meaning that any ordinary pony couldn’t simply pick up a weapon and cope with the act of killing anypony or anyone else...

Yet, the growing sense of doubt regarding the human Enclave and its true purpose in befriending the seven of them spoke up within princess’ mind again. It whispered to her that, perhaps, it would be best to remove the sense of innocence around the six mares essential to protecting Equestria from its greatest threats...

Celestia nodded, “I do. Please, ensure that they are properly equipped for the Wasteland, Mister Hughes.”

The man nodded as Twilight looked to her mentor, “Princess, if we’re done-”

The solar diarch pressed a forehoof to her student’s lips and nodded. Twilight smiled sheepishly before trotting out after the Quartermaster. Celestia hoped that she was right in her decision.

“So,” she said as she turned back to the Trooper, “How did this happen, if I might ask?”

The Trooper glanced at the scientists again, three of which shrugged as the fourth was still writing. The man turned back to her, “Some crazy soldier came bursting onto the base, shouting about killing ‘commies’ and liberating Chinese occupation. We lost two guys already, and since I had a Power Fist at the time...”

The man chuckled, but it seemed forced, “I tried to hit him, maybe kill him or at the very least knock him out, but he just caught my fist and, well, you can imagine the rest. He didn’t even seem human with how strong he was.”

Celestia mulled this over as she nodded to him, “Despite your opponent’s damage, then, I think you will make a full recovery.”

She turned, walking out, “If you’ll excuse me, gentlemen, I need to get a drink.”

***

“Well, that was certainly an interesting phenomena.” one of the four scientists quipped as the Trooper left the room after the Equestrian princess.

“Indeed. It seems that their powers and abilities extend far beyond that of forcing crops to grow at an accelerated rate.” the second  noted.

“It would appear that now they’re also able to heal injuries with only a thought. Perhaps we should focus our attention more on the unicorns than their pegasi and normal subspecies.” a third suggested.

“Agreed. They might also be capable of other feats of their so-called magic with their knowledge of how to operate their natural abilities.” a fourth added in.

“The princess is obviously out, then. Perhaps if we were to follow them back to their home and acquire more like her, then we could make an attempt to garner more information from those that have both a horn and wings. She seems too close to the violet unicorn as well, on account of almost always being near one another...” the first explained.

The third spoke up, “That would leave the white one, which is almost always alone during the past two days she’s been here. The colonel would likely give the green light for her capture and study, given his orders to learn all that we can from them.”

“I was tending to our wounded Trooper when the order was given. Did he allow us to dissect and experiment on any of them?” the second asked.

“Yeah. Of course it gives us full right to perform autopsies as well. Can’t say I blame him. Those ponies are too cheery and innocent to be natural. They’re hiding something. It wouldn’t surprise me if they’re as dangerous as Deathclaws under certain circumstances...” the fourth expressed with a tinge of fear.

“We’ll sedate the unicorn then; make sure she doesn’t become a problem.” the first offered, “Then we just need to keep her on regular dosages until she expires...”

***

“So, Ramirez is taking you girls out into the Wastes, then?” Hughes asked as he began digging through a crate of what Twilight saw was small energy cells.

He flicked the radio next to him to the Enclave’s station as he searched through the crate, “Huh. Guess someone managed to salvage our radio equipment from Raven’s Rock after all. How about that... Anyway. You were saying, ladies?”

Applejack nodded, though upon seeing that the man’s helmeted head was turned, spoke up instead, “Yeah. Fluttershy ‘nd Ih’ll be headin’ out fer some place called Oasis... Ih figured its better ‘en sittin’ on my flank ‘round here.”

Fluttershy spoke up quietly a moment after, “Um, well, I’m generally good with animals... and, well, to be honest, most of the Troopers here seem rather... um, mean...”

Realizing what she’d just said, they yellow pegasus backpedaled, “Oh, um, not to say that all of the Troopers are. It’s just that, um...”

The Quartermaster waved a hand dismissively as he pulled out a laser pistol and inspected it, “No harm done by it Miss Shy. The boys are just jaded after Raven’s Rock and Adams.”

He tossed the pistol at Twilight, who easily caught it in a burst of levitation and telekinesis, rotating it around to check the weapon over and ensure that it was both clean and undamaged. Satisfied, she levitated it onto the counter that separated herself and Hughes from her friends. Said man also set down a few cells next to the weapon, “For you, Miss Shy, an A-E-P-Seven Laser Pistol. Single shot with thirty shots per cell. Accurate, reliable, and common enough that we keep them around as backups in the case of lost Plasma Pistols.”

Twilight, upon seeing her friend’s slightly fearful look, hastened to explain the weapon, “It’s actually low-power, so at most you just have minor burns. It’s probably the most non-lethal weapon the Enclave has.”

Gulping, the yellow pegasus nodded and picked up the rather large pistol, sliding it into the saddlebags Twilight had fashioned for both herself and Applejack. Twilight levitated the other cells inside as Hughes turned to Applejack, “I don’t suppose you would have any ideas as to what you want?”

The country mare shrugged her shoulders slightly, “Jus’ anythang that’ll keep the varmints away.”

The Quartermaster nodded, pulling a Plasma Rifle from the rack of its fellows and tossing it to Applejack as she held out a hoof to catch it, “Twelve single-shot bursts before it needs to have the cell changed. Fires Microfusion cells, which are a bit more common in high-population areas, but still. A bit of a pain to repair, but it’s a good, strong weapon, “

“Thanks.” the orange mare said simply as she held it in both hooves, balancing on the counter and pointing the weapon at a bare patch of wall.

Twilight levitated a few extra cells into her saddlebags, giving a small smile, “You two going to be okay?”

Applejack nodded, “We’ll be fine Twih. Jus’ scoutin’ after all. What could possibly-Mmph?!”

Hughes kept his hand firmly on the country-accented mares snout as he spoke in a small, fearful whisper, “Don’t. Ever. Say those words. It’s like asking the Wasteland to rain all kinds of Hell on you.”

The three mares all simultaneously gulped at the sudden change in the normally polite and cheery man’s demeanor. He seemed somewhat scared at Applejack’s phrase. Sighing, he turned back to the gear, picking up a clipboard and writing a few things down as he glanced over the armory’s stock, “Just... good luck, and come back safe.”

The two nodded as they and Twilight shared a quick goodbye hug. They said nothing more, simply walking out as the unicorn and man went back to working on their task at hand...

That being, of course, figuring out how the hell they were going to take stock of all of this when neither of them had counted how much ammunition they’d given the two mares, “Fuck.”

***

Cicada was staring at the case long before Cocoon woke up, simply keeping the device in her gaze as she sat on her back legs. The heavy ordinance drone levitated her sheets back onto the bed and pulled on her backpack, then trotted over to her sister, who still hadn’t moved. She seemed to be lost in thoughts all her own, many of which were so random and volatile Cocoon did her best to tune them out as white noise.

She waved her hoof in front of the excitable changeling’s face, finally getting Cicada to blink, “Whuhza zwahhhhh...? Oh, hey sis. ‘Sup?”

“Cicada... did you sleep at all last night?” Cocoon asked concernedly, looking between her sister and the case. While the jumbled thoughts of the other drone had tapered off, she continued to speak aloud.

Cicada nodded, “Yep! Just got up after Steel and have been... Iunno, thinking, I guess.”

“About the case?” at her sister’s nod to the question, the heavy ordinance drone rolled her eyes, “Why don’t you just open it and see what’s inside?”

“...Huh. Didn’t think of that.” the other drone noted with a hoof to her chin innocently. Cocoon smacked her forehead with her own hoof.

Cicada snickered, “Aw, I was just kidding sis. I was waiting for you to wake up! You were the one that found it, y’know.”

Cocoon nodded, “Yes, but you’re the one that pulled it out. Keep it. I’ve got enough weight on my shoulders as is.”

She levitated her Missile Launcher for emphasis. Cicada nodded, then placed the case down onto the bed properly and flicked open the latch in a burst of telekinesis, lifting the lid to reveal the contents within. What lay inside were a pair of objects, the most obvious being the one kept inside of a foam insert on the left of the rather large rectangle interior.

It was obviously a knife, though of what kind the two drones had no idea. It actually appeared similar to that of a knife used in the kitchens of ponies, though it was decorated along the silvery blade with many swirling and inter-connected vines. The handle seemed to be equally as elegant, though it was a dark, metallic bronze color with curves and images of silver. What stuck Cocoon as odd, however, was the clear impression of a button set into the handle’s center, as decorated as the rest of the handle and clearly meant to be pressed by the user’s tongue.

Cicada levitated the blade out, giving it a few practice swings away from her sister. She then moved the knife into her mouth and pressed the button with her tongue, seeing what it would do.

With a crackle of magical energy, the blade emitted a field of high-powered magic that seemed to burn the air around it in a harsh red color, the edge of the blade turning an almost evil black. Cicada removed her tongue, spitting out the blade as she caught it in her levitation again, “...This... is...”

“Insane?” Cocoon offered.

“Cool!” Cicada grinned, levitating the blade back into the case.

Cocoon face-hoofed again as her sister levitated out the object on her right. Unlike the blade, this took up the entire right side, being the pieces of an outfit of exceptional quality.  The entire piece was clearly meant to cover most, if not all of the body.

It consisted mainly of a black dress with a white, frilled collar at the neck, a brown leather apron forming the stomach of the flank-length skirt, and a slit cut along the center-back to allow the wearers tail to move about unobstructed, yet weighted as to cover the flanks and rear. Accompanying that was a waist cincher of the same colored leather, with a trio of buckles and leather straps emulating that of a changeling queen’s stomach stripes.

Cicada moved this aside, setting it down on the bed, giving Cocoon time to glance over it as her sister levitated out the next items of the ensemble.

These were clearly for the hooves, or at least the back ones.The job was accomplished by a pair of green-black striped stockings and a pair tall, knee-high boots with leather straps and buckles like that of the cincher running along their length. At the front hooves, the attire was done with a pair of foreleg guards with, again, more buckles and straps running their length, yet without any at the joints for free movement.

Cicada set these down at each side of the dress as she pulled out the final piece. It seemed as if it was either an afterthought, or possibly to complete the look. The item in question was a bronze-trimmed circle of glass formed the center of a bow. Instead of something attached to the circle, however, the tail ends were that of a pair of leather straps. Coupled with a set of bat wings sticking out of the circle, it was likely meant to either lay against the owner’s own wings, or simply float freely behind them.

Cocoon whistled, looking over the outfit, “Fancy. Reminds me of those dresses that white mare made for the wedding. What was her name?”

Cicada put a hoof to her muzzle in thought again, “Um... Purity or something? Iunno.”

The drone looked back to the dress, “I think I’m gonna wear it.”

Cocoon snapped out of her thoughts, “...You’re kidding, right? We’re in the Capital Wasteland Cicada, not a Canterlot garden party.”

“So? It’s not like the Brotherhood’s armor is invincible either. Dress or armor, I’m still going to hurt like hell if a stray round gets me.” Cicada countered.

The heavy ordinance drone sighed, “Normally I’d argue logic, but you’d not listen regardless, would you?”

“Nope!” the drone noted cheerfully, “Now come on and help me into this. Cicy wants to look good for the homecoming!”

Cocoon shook her head with a sigh, though a smile still turned up the corners of her lips, “You’re crazy, sis...”

She moved to levitated the dress again, but paused upon noticing something else lying in the case, where the outfit had been lying previously. Inside, a tattered, aged note sat underneath. Curious, Cocoon levitated the note to her hooves and read it over within her mind.

Gunner, she read to herself, not bothering to notice if anyone else was listening in.

In all honesty, she didn’t really care if anyone else heard the note, I can’t hold onto this old thing anymore. It served me well enough in the wastes with the servos and enchantments, but given my new body, it just reminds me of what happened when I was there. Of... well, you know. Burn it, copy it, use it, regift if; I don’t care. Just take the thing. I’m also sending you over my Vorpal Blade. Figured I owed you after what happened during the Discord incident with your Swarm. I doubt you can reproduce the exact spell matrix that keeps up the magical energy fields in either of them, but it shouldn’t be hard to make a lower power version.

The name seemed faded with time, but Cocoon could just make out the letters in the decent lighting, Cheery... Tune. Huh. Maybe a singer?

Cicada shrugged, smirking No idea, though I think someone is about to eat her words when we figure out what she meant by servos and enchantments.

If you girls are quite done, Moth, James and I are going to need your help. Hacksaw’s voice and mind suddenly clicked back into the hivemind’s more instant-thought range, We’ve got a lot of toys from our residential Lone Wanderer, and I think I’ve got something that we all can use...

***

“Hey, Rarity, can you run back to our bedroom and grab my saddlebags? I’m gonna need way more balloons and streamers in order to have this place decorated properly.” Pinkie asked, balancing on a ladder as she tried a set of streamers along a bed frame of what the two were fairly sure was the recreation room for the Troopers.

“Certainly, Pinkie, though you’ll excuse me if I don’t, ugh... run. I’m low enough on beauty supplies as it is.” Rarity answered, but nonetheless began trotting down the stairs leading towards their shared bedroom.

“Okie dokie lokie!” the pink mare tossed the odd phrase out, quickly going back to preparing the room.

Rarity sighed as she descended the stairs, the solitary of the passageway letting her collect herself, The least these Troopers could do would be to pick up all of this junk lying around...

She levitated a few cans lying around into a neat pyramid as she walked. If the unicorn had the time, she would likely spruce up the entire base and restore it to some semblance of its former glory, military base or not. Alas, her time here was undetermined, and the last thing she wanted was a job half-finished, either having to leave her friends behind or leaving the Enclave on a sour note.

“So is the curse of being the Element of Generosity, I suppose.” she noted aloud.

“I don’t suppose you would be generous with a bit of medical research, then, would you?” she nearly jumped as she turned a corner, finding an Enclave scientist standing at-attention with his hands clasped behind his back.

Rarity composed herself quickly, “That would depend upon the research, darling. I’m afraid that Twilight would be a better candidate for such things. My talents are more in that of fashion than medicine.”

“I assure you, ma’am; you would be the perfect candidate.” the man replied, the golden bulb of his helmet obscuring her vision of his face.

A sudden prick of a needle caused her to actually jump this time, turning around as the offending object was removed. She found another scientist waiting for her, holding a now-empty syringe in his hand, “There. Should sedate her quickly.”

“W-What?” she backed up, the room beginning to spin around her. She reached for her magic, attempting to teleport, to levitate the needle and possibly threaten the men with it until she could get away...

It refused to answer her call, as if cotton had filled her skull to the brim and clouded everything in a thick coating of fluff and weightlessness. The room began to spin more as Rarity’s legs gave out from under her, causing her to land rather hard and roll onto one side with a groan.

The voices of the men began to fade as her vision slowly went out, despite the unicorn’s attempts to fight it, “Good. Take her to the operating room. Time we figure out what makes these unicorns tick.”

***

Chrysalis arrived at the Bailey shortly after Cocoon and Cicada did, the Changeling Queen’s gear bag now weighed down with the weight of a few hundred bottle caps and medical supplies. It was a decent supply, both Rothchild’s generosity, and selling off the weapons and supplies they had all gathered from their first encounter.

The exchange between herself and the Senior Scribe had been a fairly uneventful, if helpful, conversation regarding how changelings reproduced, what their various sub-races were, as well as the social aspects of the Swarm itself. It wasn’t exactly important information, but it had satisfied the man’s curiosity enough to where he was comfortable with running a few tests on blood samples, as well as given her a bit of information regarding the Brotherhood. So far, the only results were that Mentats and Buffout seemed psychologically non-addictive. They even had a much more muted list of withdrawal symptoms.

The Changeling Queen mentally reminded herself that the drug Jet didn’t seem to affect them at all, and that alcohol, Med-X, Psycho, Stimpacks, and radiation drugs like Rad-X and Radaway all worked the same for changelings as they did for humans. She wasn’t too keen on taking something akin to downing sixteen ounces of pure rage in chem form, but at the very least it was notable enough to warrant having a dosage in reserve, if only for emergencies.

Speaking of which. she popped an Orange Mentat into her mouth as she stopped at the center of the courtyard, offering one to Sarah as the Sentinel arrived shortly after. The woman declined, prompting a shrug from Chrysalis as Cicada levitated out one of the chems for herself.

So, how did it go? she directed the question to Hacksaw, knowing that he and the others would be walking through the doors to the gates in mere moments.

Mission accomplished and objectives safe, as expected. Moth replied simple.

We also picked up extra equipment before we left, as I stated previously. Had to make a few deliveries in the west, but they were just quick runs and nice target practice thanks to some batteries giving us a few extra boosts. I didn’t know James could drive that precisely going over seventy miles per hour. I think we actually lost Moth a few times. Hacksaw added, prompting a few mental chuckles.

Moth physically snorted as he opened the door, Unlikely. I had full view of the vehicle the entire time.

COMPLETED (Hacksaw): Get to the Citadel

Nonetheless, the topic dropped as Chrysalis caught sight of the pegasus trailing behind the man and two of her children. She didn’t bother to match Sentinal Lyons’ gaze as she watched him, seeing him stare eyes forward and walking directly at the Changeling Queen.

Hacksaw had informed her of the odd pegasus the moment they’d been in range for a more real-time conversation, instead of just long bursts of mental feedback from one to the other. The medical drone had no idea what to make of the situation. If she were to be honest with herself, Chrysalis didn’t either. The stallion obviously knew them if he knew Hacksaw’s name, but everything about the pegasus; his body, his knowledge, even his being in the Capital Wasteland at all, didn’t sit right.

The thick leather suit and gas mask, not to mention his large array of melee weapons, made him appear like a ghost of some ancient group of the living dead. His movements were jerking slightly, but strong. While he didn’t take his time, the pegasus moved towards them, or probably just Chrysalis, with as much haste as he apparently deemed appropriate.

When he spoke, it was smooth, yet slightly crunchy at the same time, like he was developing a slight cold, “Chrysy. Can’t say I’d imagine you ending up in a Wasteland like this, er, at all, actually.”

“Who are you?” she asked simply, standing her ground as he stopped just inside her personal space.

The pegasus didn’t seem to care, “Well, since you and Hacksaw, probably the others too now that I think about it, don’t recognize me, I suppose I can indulge. Name’s Brass Cloud. Y’know, the same guy who helped you out after dealing with Discord?”

Chrysaslis’ mind drew about as much of a blank as her children did, a chill running up her back as she quickly came to a realization, “...No, I don’t... but you’re not lying, either.”

“Nope!” the pegasus noted cheerfully, maybe a bit too forcefully so, “So the way I see it, you’ve got a memory spell holding you back from remembering everything, including me, and the treaty you broke fucking up Canterlot. Funny how memory spells work like that.”

The Queen of the Changelings rolled her eyes at his sarcasm, but internally she was buzzing with questions. She knew nothing of a treaty of any kind, and while he wasn’t lying, the pegasus was hiding something, “All I know is that it’s an emergency ‘break this in case of a need to kick ass’ switch in my mind. So, what, you’re it?”

Even though she couldn’t see behind the mask, the pegasus seemed slightly taken aback by her words, “...Well, that would explain why Long Shot knew something was wrong without the Magical Eye. How deeply did you bury your memories, I wonder, to not remember even the slightest flickers at their mention? More importantly, how much did you even bury?”

“Can someone here please explain what’s going on? I’m lost.” James noted dryly, earning an agreeing nod from Sarah.

“I think mother buried a few memories and this guy’s trying to get her to bring them back?” Cocoon offered, “Though I don’t know why. I suppose he has his reasons, though I can’t fathom them. I can’t seem to recall seeing him before either.”

“Same.” Steel noted, “Though the attire seems familiar. Maybe it’s just the green glow, but it reminds me of something...”

“The natural burden, or perhaps blessing, of being a changeling leader, I suppose.” Brass Cloud noted as he rubbed his hoof against his suit and inspected it, “What happens to the king or queen’s mind affects its children, or something along those lines. Would explain why I’m a virtual unknown as well as why you only think that it’s power. Not to criticize, as it might have been the intention, but it’s like you wanted to think like a villain out of a foal’s storybook..”

“Am I the only one who thinks it’s a bit odd that what you’ve been inferring as a member of an enemy nation is speaking more bluntly than James?” the Sentinel cut in.

“As I stated to the Lone Wanderer and his vehicular entourage, I see no reason to lie when I play to keep everyone alive.” Brass Cloud stated simply, “That, and it’s not like you can fool a species that reads and eats emotions, nor expect them to fully understand what they consume.”

“Point taken.” Chrysalis noted, “So, what, you want me to break the spell for...?”

She then blinked, realizing what Brass Cloud had just said about the six changelings, and more broadly their race in general. For some indiscernible reason, however, Chrysalis didn’t actually feel angered by the comment. She didn’t even feel annoyed. Rather, she felt... ashamed. Like some small part of her should feel guilty, or at least a lot more guilty than she already felt for what had happened in Canterlot.

For both sides. she realized with a touch of dramatic irony.

“Let’s just say that it’ll become painfully, and I emphasize painfully here, obvious for why that is.” the pegasus turned to Sentinel Lyons and the Lone Wanderer, ignoring the Changeling Queen, “You might want to have the others clear the area and get on some eye protection. Changeling spells can be bright as Celestia’s spanked flanks.”

“Too much information for someone I don’t even want to know about.” James stated as he wrinkled his nose behind his sunglasses. Regardless of his opinion, the Knight ran off with the Sentinel to evacuate the Bailey. He’d seen just one bolt from Chrysalis’ magic before with the plasma blast near the car fort. He didn’t want to know what it would do on a much larger scale.

“...We’re going to have no idea until I remove the spell and remember why I placed it there in the first place, are we?” Chrysalis asked the encased stallion.

Brass Cloud nodded, “Sadly, yes, and it would actually be a good idea for you to so we can get everything worked out. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that my ‘boss’ is Celestia, so I take it you knew the moment Hacksaw got into range of each other?”

“I had thoughts about it, but I haven’t had contact with Equestria for a few decades, so I wasn’t on the up-and-up on the kingdom’s politics. I had my own problems to deal with.” she noted bitterly as memories of starvation creeped into her mind. Those memories, at least, she remembered.

The Changeling Queen sighed, having a feeling that while their conversation held nothing but truth, she had reason to be nervous about doing such things. Brass Cloud had explicitly put emphasis on how painfully obvious... whatever it was she had done would be once she tore down the spell. Apparent stranger or no, she could read him like a book, even under his attire. He had both been telling the truth then and concerned, she guessed, with how it would play out. Maybe even a bit hopeful.

“...Fuckit.” she muttered, “No use prolonging the inevitible, right? I don’t have anything to lose except a splitting headache and a few reasons with a pony wasting my time...”

The mental lock and seal wasn’t difficult to find, nor was it hard to unlock. As the mental barriers slipped away, Chrysalis noticed a faint glow forming around her horn...

And then everything exploded into green light as pain slammed into her like a charging Paladin going mach speed. In full Power Armor. On Jet.

***

Applejack reloaded her Plasma Rifle as she ducked behind a rock, sliding a new microfusion cell in with her teeth and knocking the cell back into place with a click. Behind her, the humans the scouting party had encountered chipped away pieces of her temporary cover.

They were just coming up on the Oasis before a group of humans in dusty, earth-colored robes  had opened fire on the group, a lucky headshot managing to fell one of the Troopers. Ramirez had been spitting out globs of fire when Applejack and Fluttershy had taken for cover along the narrow path that lead up to Oasis proper. With two other Troopers doing a good job of protecting the pegasus and returning fire with their own Plasma Rifles, the orange mare had begun to work her way closer up the path. She had already run through her first microfusion cell, only managing to take down one of the humans.

They aren’t even humans, Applejack. she attempted to assure herself.

One thing that Ramirez had told her about was raiders. Chemmed up, violent, psychotic creatures less than human now due to a life of sadism and drug addiction. He’d described them much differently, but had given the warning of raiders all the same when the sound of gunfire burst out of the ridges..

Applejack had quickly decided that she had no qualms with humans that took lives just for the supposed fun of it. To the country mare, it wasn’t about revenge, or anger, when she pulled the trigger again, managing to catch a man’s hand and cause him to hiss in pain, back up from the ridge..

It was justice for what they had done to others.

Applejack fired on two more, causing one to cry out in pain and the other to yank her to safety. She didn’t bother to check on the downed raider woman, instead lining up her shot and sending three more bursts of plasma at another pair trying to flank the Enclave Troopers. One of them, a man with a rifle different from the mare’s own, dodged the shot and fired wildly between herself and the troopers.

The earth pony crouched down with a wince, a bullet having gotten close enough to slice the skin of her cheek open. She heard the sound of another body on the Enclave side of things falling into the ground, either from the wild spray of the first man or his partner.

A bullet tore over Applejack’s cover before she realized what happened, burying into her shoulder and earning a cry of pain from the mare. Her rifle dropped from her hooves, warm blood oozing out of the wound as she scrambled further away.

The bullet hadn’t gone very deeply, but it prevented her from using that foreleg without feeling pain, forcing her onto three legs. She felt lightheaded, color beginning to drain as a Trooper pulled her back behind the cover he and now only Fluttershy hide behind. Applejack glanced around sluggishly, seeing that only a wounded Ramirez and three other troopers were still standing from their total of seven.

Apparently seeing her friend injured was the last straw for the terrified mare. Applejack’s ears rang as the pegasus flew up into the air, “STOP IT! Stop it!”

Surprisingly, the shots died and attentions, from the Enclave side at least, focused on the yellow pegasus. Applejack jabbed a hoof at the Trooper and pointed to the laser pistol at his side during the lull in combat, to which he nodded silently before handing it to her.

“You should all be ashamed of yourselves!” Fluttershy continued, “Killing each other like monsters instead of figuring out if you could actually help one another, or even if the other side was going to hurt you at all! Do any of you have any shame?!”

Ramirez, who had switched to his Plasma Pistol sidearm due to the bullet wounds in his right hand, seemed to pause at the pegasus’ words. He turned his head, Applejack barely following his gaze up to the men and women above, all of which were staring at Fluttershy in awe.

The Hellfire Trooper turned, looking at the Tesla Trooper beside him, “Get the others and scavenger the gear. We’re leaving.”

“What?!” the Tesla Trooper looked at his commander as Fluttershy flew down to Applejack again.

The pegasus began pulling out one of the healing potions Celestia had given them before their departure, as well as a pair of tweezers. The Trooper beside them offered her his Laser Rifle’s stock to bite down on as Fluttershy began to dig the bullet out. Applejack was grateful for the distraction, keeping her cries muffled as painful tears rolled down her cheeks.

“I said we’re leaving, Jameson! We’ve got no right to start shit again after Adams!” Ramirez yelled, causing Applejack’s ears to fold down.

“You actually believe that fucking pony bitch?” the Tesla Trooper, apparently Jameson, yelled back, “You’re out of line, sir!”

Suddenly everything around them went to Tartarus. Applejack barely registered Ramirez shouting again as all of the weapons from the apparent raiders above them opened fire. She glanced up just enough to see Jameson fall as Ramirez clutched his side, horribly burnt and part of his armor bubbling from the point-blank plasma shot. The fourth trooper turned his Minigun towards the Trooper offering her his rifle, his head just starting to turn as he heard the mechanical sound of the weapon spinning up...

Applejack opened fire, her hoof yanking desperately to hit something. Most of the shots went wide, but a few struck home, causing the trooper to yell a curse and drop the Minigun from the laser burns on his hands. The country mare barely had time to think before the healing potion was all but thrown down her throat in a rush of air. A pink and yellow bullet slammed into the Minigun-wielding trooper then.

The district crackle of glass and burst of rainbow color alerted the orange mare that Fluttershy had literally performed a Sonic Rainboom straight into the hostile man from only a short distance away, the raw energy in her movement pushing her wings faster than Applejack had ever seen from the timid pegasus before.

As the healing potion went to work and began to quickly close up the wound, Applejack stood up and trotted as quickly as her aching body would allow. Fluttershy was punctuating each slamming of her hooves with a word as she beat the Trooper, “You. Do. Not. Hurt. My. Friends!”

She kept punching him long after her hooves began to turn red, the pegasus pony not even registering what was going on around her as the man’s helmet caved in and blood ran down his body. Pure, painful, retributional rage had seemed to overtake the normally peaceful mare, giving her a newfound strength that Applejack didn’t think she was even capable of attaining.

Finally, the country mare had made it to her friend, pulling her away from the dead man and wrapping her in a tight hug. Instantly, the rage and righteous fury faded, replaced by wailing sobs and shuddering cries of a different sort of pain as wings and forelegs returned the hug. Applejack did her best to whisper comforting words to Fluttershy, “Shh, shh shh shh shh... It’s okay Fluttershy...”

Applejack, despite her words, knew that no, things were very much not okay now.

***

James sighed as he pulled the strapped bag over to him, reaching inside and rummaging around in the bag.

He idly glanced over at Moth and Hacksaw, now unconscious along with the rest of the changelings following Chrysalis’ spell and subsequent blacking out that followed in the six of them. It had actually been Rothchild, who had been speaking to the Changeling Queen before the Lone Wanderer’s arrival, that had pointed it out to him.

Changeling Princes. Fucking Changeling Princes is what they actually were. Slightly taller, different horns, and other features hidden by their own shapeshifting magic as part of the spell that had affected them in turn. They were the only ones, the others being somewhat different from their standard forms in even more minute and noticeable ways, but at least they were still drones. Specialized drones, but not Changeling Princes!

The Knight rubbed his temples with one hand, the modified Pip-Boys and gear bag set out at the edge of his bed in the Citadel. He didn’t care. His mind was still trying to comprehend that he was now completely in the dark about what his new alien companions were, now that what they’d done to themselves was reversed.

James pulled the object from the bag, turning it one way and then back again in his grip. It looked like a terminal, if terminals were made of two thin metal pieces and glowed a poison apple green instead of the more calming colors of black and green. At the very least the keyboard and text were the same, as the device had apparently been left on in its case. What struck him as odd was the small pad along the center-bottom of the device, but he ignored it in favor of fully ensuring that he had everything he could get from the container it was found in.

The Knight glanced inside of the bag, only managing to find a power cable and a fission battery. No note, no holotape; just what looked like a portable terminal and a power cable.

James sighed, setting the terminal on his lap, beginning to type and select commands. The changelings would likely not be awake for a while, leaving the curious man to explore his new toy. A single thought sparked through his mind, At the very least this misadventure finally got interesting...

Perk Added (James): World Wide Multiverse

-One way or another, you’ve just hooked into a communication link with all that ever was, is, or will be. Though limited through a terminal, you now have a list of infinite possibilities at your fingertips! You are now able to breach the gap between your universe and others through your portable terminal, though you can not physically leave the universe you inhabit.