Fallout Equestria: Brotherhood

CHAPTER 26: SILVERMANE

"What's up, wastelanders? Boy, have I got some news for you!"

Reaching high into the sky was a massive structure. In both size and design the building was awning. A huge concrete wall, which stood nearly a dozen ponies high, lined the perimeter around it. Cracks, bullet holes and a whole assortment of blast marks painted every inch of the old wall. It almost seemed as though the old concrete barrier had been there for all of time -- withstanding the old war and the wasteland itself.

Behind the wall stood two towers. Both were next to each other, with a crooked white sign hanging loosely from one of them. The tower to the left had been damaged extensively. For it only stood half as tall as the other tower which, minus the sign, was still in one piece. Windows across the many stories that rose high up were cracked and shattered. Yet, despite the devastated exterior, some of the floors had lights that shined distinctly from the other dark, lifeless windows.

A destroyed highway could be seen off in the horizon, with the road leading to the walled towers. Walking down the hill, the group approached the battle-worn wall. Like Arkcannon and Maneton, it too had a gate made of metal sheets. However, this gate was supported with thick black sheets, that were smooth and clean. Not a scratch could be found on the odd metal. And this puzzled Adam greatly.

If the whole wall was covered in battle damage, then what wasn't the metal? Adam dismissed the thought, and looked to the sign that hung from the larger tower. The large weathered words on the sign read, "Silvermane Towers. Premium Hotel and Casino."

As the group came to the large black metal gate, both brothers were shocked to find that not a single pony was on guard. Perhaps this was like all the other towns and settlements, where a gate pony would greet them from along the top of the wall. Once they had got closer to the wall, the brothers noticed Lucy approach what looked like an brass intercom.

Pressing the small dimly lit button, she gestured for Wester to speak. "Hello? Who is it? What do you want?" A deep voice asked from the intercom.

"Wester. Freelancer W-125."

There was a slight pause. "Wester? What the hay do you think you're doing coming back here? Shouldn't you be out kicking raider ass or something? Or did you clean the whole province of them, and decide to come crawling back to Silvermane to chill-ax with the rest of us?"

Lucy pushed Wester to the side gently and spoke up. "Hey listen, asshole, we want to get in. I know all you freelancers help one another out, so do us a solid and open the fucking gate."

"Sheesh, Wester, where did you find a bitch like that? Is she some whore you picked up in-"

"No, she's a friend." He interjected sternly.

"Alright, let's see... Is that all the companions you have with you? Or is there a few more I have to ask the boss upstairs to confirm for entrance?"

Wester looked back at Ally, and the two brothers who stood there watching them deal with the voice on the intercom. "We have three others. They’re non-lethal."

Neo stepped up, "If I may?"

"Go ahead, kid." Lucy replied, making way for Neo.

Clearing his throat, Neo spoke into the round speaker of the intercom. "Uh, hello?"

"Who the hell is this?" The voice on the intercom asked, slightly confused.

"Can you tell Cool Blue that it's Neo and his brother? We followed the map coordinates."

The stallion on the intercom chuckled, "Wow, kid, that's pretty funny. You know Cool Blue? That’s rich!"

In frustration, Neo slammed his metal hoof against the side of the mic, "I'm not joking! We've come a long way, and we've gone through a lot of shit to get this far! So shut up, and tell him!"

Everypony in the group stared at him, wide eyed with contempt. Panting lightly, Neo tried to calm himself. The pony on the intercom briefly remained silent, giving the agitated stallion a moment to cool off.

"Sheesh, kid, calm the fuck down. I'll ask, I'll ask."

"Thanks..." Neo replied, panting lowly.

It was a good minute that the pony had been gone. Ally scratched her brown mane curiously, "Maybe he's verifying something?"

Lucy shrugged. "Most of the freelancers who work here are lazy fucks. Ain't that right, Wester?"

He nodded, "They pride themselves on being the most unproductive ponies in the province. That's usually why I leave. They're also assholes, big assholes."

No other member of the group had a chance to speak, for, just as Wester had finished, the pony on the intercom returned. This time he spoke with a hint of guilty shame. As it was low, and slightly apologetic.

"I'm... I'm so sorry. I didn't know... Please, please come in. I'll open the gate for you now."

Sliding off to the side, the doors parted and the gate opened for them. Wester took lead of the group, and lead them through the main gate into the area beyond the wall.

Inside was a wondrous scene. All around, ponies clad in armor similar to Wester's stood with large burly rifles. A water fountain with small tiny stone pegasi that were posed upright, wings erect, with their wingtips barely touching. Water shot out from their puckered lips, while freelancer guardians leaned on the fountain's side, tossing coins into the shallow water.

Ahead of the group was a set of stairs which lead up into the main hotel. A hug drive-way was paved with lights for ponies to drive up in their carts to enter the casino. Above them, dozens of lightbulbs extravagantly filled every section of the ceiling above. Adam especially marveled at the lights. Just thinking of the hundreds of circuits set his mind ablaze with wonder.

Stepping up the small sets of regal, red carpet covered stairs, they went through a golden-lined glass revolving door leading into the main structure. The entryway was no less visually stunning. Everything was clean and lined with a golden edging. An enormous glass chandelier hung from the ceiling above. Marble tiles of black and white were placed together in such a way that they formed a checker-like pattern on the floor. At the end of the room, two massive staircases, which curved inward, led up to the next level of the hotel. Where it seemed the elevators were.

To the right was a large opened doorway that lead into a massive casino. Adam's eyes grew at the site of all the multi-colored slot machines light up in various colors. Freelancers with, or without, their helmets, sat on spinning chairs playing with dozens, upon dozens of gambling devices. To the left of them was another opened doorway, which lead into a restaurant area. Inside, ponies were grilling seasoned meats, which sent a savory aroma into the air around them.

Wester stopped in the middle of the entryway room. "We need to wait here, they should send somepony down to fetch us shortly. That is, if they can find some pony who isn't gambling."

Adam cautiously made his way over to the casino doorway on their right, and peered at all the machines he could see from afar. He hadn't noticed it before, but there were blackjack tables, and other gambling areas as well. In the far off corner of the casino he could even see Mechers battling against one another. Upon further inspection, it seemed that the casino itself wasn't nearly as full as he initially had thought. Only a few places actually had a pony doing something. Be it gambling, or watching others gamble.

Still, the thought of seeing how the inner workings of the machines made him excited. His brother came beside him, and nudged him playfully. "If we weren't looking for mom I wouldn't mind taking a look inside. I can tell you wouldn't mind that."

Adam shot him both an embarrassed and puzzled look. "What? You mean like gamble and stuff? Like, with chips and-"

"I'm only teasing." Neo chuckled poking Adam, "We wouldn't want to waste the only cash we've got. Although, it would be fun to try blackjack a few times..."

"Yeah," Adam added smiling, "a few times."

There was a faint ding that rang from the elevators up the stairs. Out of one of the shiny, reflective elevator doors came a stallion. A clean beige unicorn, whom, oddly enough, didn’t bare the power armor that the rest of the ponies at Silvermane wore. Instead, he only wore a brown duster that was buttoned up around his slender body.

He trotted down the stairs, with a tired, unnerving look. When he approached the group, he addressed them with a slight stammer in his voice. "Hello..."

"Hello, Tanner. It's good to see you again." Wester replied in a friendly tone.

Tanner directed his attention to Wester, whom he sized up, and frowned in disgust. "Yes... Wester, it's-" He sniffed the air, and gagged, "-good to see you too... Have you been well?"

"Affirmative. I've been well." Wester motioned his hoof to Adam and Neo. "These two want to see Cool Blue."

"Well, let me look at them." Tanner said, slicking back his clean brown mane.

Neo and Adam stepped up to Tanner, who proceeded to pace himself around them, with his eyes peering at them inquisitively. Once he had gone around them he leaned in closely to their faces, and sniffed the air. Instantly, he reeled back, quickly placing a hoof over his muzzle.

"Oh, goodness!" He exclaimed, a tear going down his cheek. "They couldn't of taken a bath first before arriving?"

Neo and Adam frowned at him. "Hey, you try and be clean out there!" Neo replied slightly disconcerted.

Taking the same hoof he waved it in front of his muzzle in hopes of driving away the smell. "Very well... All of you, follow me." He ordered the group to follow before coughing lightly, and sharply turning towards the regal staircases.

Up they went to the next floor, which had a wall lined with gorgeous, golden elevators so clean that one could see their own reflection clearly. Tanner pressed one of the buttons on the nearest elevator and waited. A tiny dial at the top, with a thin black indicator, moved quickly across the numbers that showed the many floors of the towers. Upon reaching the one on the dial, the elevator doors opened, promptly making a sweet ding sound inviting them in.

Tanner stood off to the side, and bowed. Using only one hoof, he extended it toward the door, gesturing for them to go inside. "Please, step inside." He chimed.

One by one, each member of the group went inside the small elevator. An almost blood-colored velvet carpet muffled their hoof step as they crammed their group into the confined space. Above, several small lights shone down onto them, and with the addition of the reflective golden walls, the entire space was filled with light. It was only the back wall, which was glass, that offered any sort contrast to the elevator cabin.

Carefully moving inside the elevator, Tanner did his best to make as little contact with the other ponies as he could. Standing stiffly next to the button panel that controlled the actions of the elevator, he coughed, smelling the thick musty smell that filled the cramped room. Removing a rather extravagant key from his inner coat, he placed it into a keyhole at the top of the control panel. "Going up." He muttered, clearing his throat.

Smoothly, the elevator ascended. Out of the glass wall, they could see the rest of the world reach off far into lands that were split from their view by the horizon. Adam, Neo, and Ally turned to the glass wall, and, looking out into the world as they rose higher into the air, they gasped. It was an exhilarating experience. The peaks of the mountains in the distance pierced the amber cloud cover above and the vast open world stretched far off into the unknown.

"You know," Ally said to Neo, "it's actually kind of pretty..."

Neo smiled, "It does look nice, doesn't it? Just like the time we left for Ironhoof, remember?"

"Yeah, when clouds were a pale orange and the world below looked so still. I can still remember it clearly."

"It was almost like yesterday." Neo sighed, enjoying the moment.

Overhead, a voice spoke from a speaker in the elevator. It was a mare's voice which addressed the ponies in the cabin with a proud, persuasive tone. Oddly, it sounded familiar. Adam thought hard about where he had heard the voice on the speaker before, and listening to the mare, he tried to remember who exactly it was. To him, it sounded oddly like the neatly dressed mare in the video at Stable 43. Was it her? Could it be? Who was the mare in the video? Was she the one speaking now?

"Citizens of our proud province. Our time is nearing, this rain of terror on our land has gone on long enough by the Equestrian government. For too long, we have sat idly as Luna forces our economy and our ponies to produce metals for her war. Well, I have seen enough! We have endured enough! I ask you now, citizens of our land, are we not entitled to freedom? To the sovereignty promised to us by these warmongering demons? Today, you could make a change, sign now for the-"

The mare's voice cut off as Tanner hit the side of the elevator forcefully. "I'm sorry about that, sometimes old recordings still play in these only things."

Hitting it once more, the elevator continued to rise silently. Coming to a smooth halt, the elevator doors parted, once again followed by a charming ding.

"We're here." Tanner chirped.

Stepping out of the elevator, the group made their way into a long, clean hallway. However, Tanner did not step out of the elevator cabin. Instead, he smiled at them, waving.

"This is as far as I go. Have a wonderful day." And, without saying another word, the elevator closed.

While the group was slightly confused, they continued down the hallway trotting lightly. Each hoofstep they made, calmly echoed off of the marble floor through the rest of the narrow hall. A few old pre-war, water color paintings decorated the golden edged crimson walls of the corridor. At the end of the hall were two oak doors with polished brass knobs, and a purple earth pony secretary sitting at a small desk, typing on an old stable-tech terminal.

With a small pair of copper spectacles perched on her petite snout, she typed away, paying no mind to the group approaching her. Lucy was the first to come to her desk. With one leg leaning against it, Lucy cleared her throat.

As though she was completely nonexistent, the smartly dressed mare continued with her work. Lucy cleared her throat once more, adding more vigor to emphasize her existence.

Keeping a rather straight face, the mare pushed her spectacles up on her nose and turned to the pegasus at her desk. The secretary's solid, blue eyes looked at Lucy. She tried smiling at the secretary, but the secretary’s firm, unimpressed stare withheld any effort she made to be friendly.

"Hey," Lucy said, still trying to smile, "what's up?"

Tilting to slightly to the side, the mare looked over Lucy to the brothers standing behind her. Wester stepped up, calmly motioning Lucy away from the desk. "Here," He cordially muttered, "I'll take care of it, Lucy."

Wester stood attentively before the mare, "I'm Wester. Freelancer 1-"

"I know who you are, Wester. I know the names of all the freelancers that come through the tower." The mare interjected.

"Very well,” He added, “I assume you have been informed of our arrival. Is that correct?"

Sitting up stiffly in her chair she straightened her posture. "Yes, Wester. I have."

"Then, ma'am, may we please see Cool Blue now?"

"I'm afraid not." She added earnestly.

"What?" The group asked in unison.

"Only the two brothers can enter. I'm afraid the rest of you will have to wait outside."

Wester leaned slightly toward her, sounding mildly bewildered by her statement. "With all due respect, ma'am, protocol 378 states that-"

"I am well aware of what protocol 378 states. However, these are orders directly from the boss."

Both brothers stepped up. Placing a hoof on Wester's shoulder, Neo gave him a reassuring smile. "Hey, don't worry. We won't be gone long. We just need to ask him some questions, that’s all."

Backing away from the desk, Wester sighed. With a humble bow of his head, he apologized to the secretary. She smiled slightly at his gesture, "Thank you, Wester, I appreciate the apology. Consider it accepted."

Wester nodded, and sat on the ground as he waited. The two brothers moved toward the two doors that lead to Cool Blue. Curiously, Adam pointed to it, "Is it unlocked?"

The secretary nodded, "Yes. Go on in."

Both of them felt somewhat anxious. This was the next big step for them, and, putting their hooves on the stained wooden surface of the door, they went inside. As the door closed behind them, the scene before them took them completely off guard.

The room was large and rectangular in shape. In the center was a massive drawn out map of the whole province. Around the map stood several ponies, dressed in pinstripe shirts and vests, placing pins or markers into various places on the map. Along the walls, ponies of every kind sat at large terminals with radios, and huge black headsets perched on top of their heads. Those ponies who did not manage the map or handle the dozens of radios, dashed back and forth madly pushing papers in carts. Every now and again, a pony would call out orders to some of the others working.

Near the top of the ceiling, fans spun around slowly, stirring the thin layer of smoke that gathered above. The entire room smelt of ink and cigarettes. At each corner of the room there was a door, and each one was labeled. The door to the far off right corner read "Studio" the other across from it "DJ Residence" the right door closest to them read "Filing Room", and lastly the door on the far left read "Music".

Shouting back and forth, the ponies called to one another, "We got raider movement in sector B2! Trade in Ironhoof has increased 3%! Franky, get those copies of the aftermath in Ironstead to the studio, pronto!"

Stopping one of the ponies that crossed them, Neo asked, "Hey, do you know where Cool Blue is? We'd like to speak to him."

Wiping his sweat coated brow, he pointed to the residence room. "They're over there. But you may not like what you see."

"Thanks." Adam said to the pony, who upon hearing his reply continued dashing around the large room.

Moving toward the residence room, they could faintly hear the muffled sound of two voices shouting at each other. Opening the door carefully, the two brothers curiously peeked inside the room. Inside, two ponies were arguing fiercely. One was Cool Blue, while the other was a violet unicorn, with a radio as her cutie mark. Her mane was tied back with a bandana wrapped around her head, acting as a headband. She was pacing herself back and forth quickly, a resonating anger hovering around her.

"I told you! I told not to, but do you listen? NO! You know, you can be dumb, I mean really dumb sometimes. When will you ever listen to me? Huh? When?!" She shouted.

Trying his best to appease her, Cool Blue removed his fishing hat affectionately. "Honey cakes, please hear me out-"

She stopped, and glared at him, fury filling her eyes. "What? WHAT?! Don't you honey cakes me! You could have died! Do you know what the legion would have done if they found out you were Cool Blue? They'd have royally screwed you!"

"I see my mistake, sugar cube, and I'm sorry-"

Once again she cut him off, "You are a real idiot... Just, please, LISTEN the fuck to me next time! And please, don't go out into to a war zone!"

"But I thought I should do some field work of my own, you had things covered here while I was away. I thought a good change of pace would be good."

"Yeah it is, when you tell your wife about it! And at the very least do some field work on kittens, not the goddamn Legion!"

"But the information I found was amazing! Even you thought so!"

"It doesn't matter, you could have been killed!"

"Well, I didn't and-"

They stopped, as the faint sound of a hoof knocking on their door halted their argument. Both of their heads were fixated on the door, and quickly straightening herself out the violet mare called out to the door in a calm, cheerful tone.

"Coming!" She replied in a sing-song tone of voice.

Before opening the door, she looked back to Cool Blue, and, using one of her hooves, she gestured him to smile. Returning to the door, she opened it, revealing the two brothers. When her eyes caught who it was she put a hoof to her mouth and gasped slightly. Opening it further for them, she smiled welcoming them inside.

As they came inside, with rather curious looks about them, she blushed. "Heh, did you two happen to hear any of that?"

Neo looked at Adam, who in return gave him the same look of certainty. "Yeah, just about the whole thing." Adam replied.

Her ears fattened, and she sighed. "Great..."

Trotting up to the two brothers, Cool Blue grinned widely. "Boys," He exclaimed, "you made it! I hope the secretary didn't give you a hard time."

Wrapping both forelegs around each brother, he hugged them tightly. "Was your trip hard? How have you been?" He asked, slightly more excited than the two suffocating ponies expected.

The violet mare stepped up to him, giving Cool Blue a shooing gesture with her hoof. "Let them go! Imagine what would happen if you killed her sons!"

Blinking at her, Cool Blue let go of them. "I'm sorry, cupcake, I got a little excited."

"I'll say you did," she added.

"Oh, you be quiet. I wasn't going to kill them."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Sure you weren't."

Neo cleared his throat, which silenced the two arguing ponies. "Uh, did we come at a bad time?"

The couple looked at them, and shook their heads in unison. "No no no! Of course, not! Here, please take a seat, boys." The violet mare replied, making her way to a brown leather coach in the center of the room.

Patting the top of the couch, both brothers found a place to sit down. Upon taking their seats, Neo and Adam were surprised to find that the couch was incredibly well balanced in comfort. It was neither too soft, nor too firm. The quality was superb, but then again, what wasn't in the Silvermane tower?

Taking a seat in a couch across from them, the couple made themselves comfortable. Cool Blue was the first to speak, and motioning a hoof to the mare at his side he introduced her. "Boys, this is my wife. L'amour."

Smiling, she waved at them. "Hello boys, I’m so glad to meet you."

"Heh, she's a treat." He chuckled.

Leaning over toward them slightly, he placed a hoof to the side of his mouth and whispered, "Though, she can be a real pain in the ass-"

Hitting him in the foreleg, she smirked at him. "You're no walk in the park too, sunshine!"

He flinched, feeling the soreness spread in the area of his foreleg that she hit. Rubbing his foreleg to dull the pain, he continued, "Anyway, how have you been? Was the trip here rough?"

"Heh," Adam chortled, "you could say that."

"Well, I'm glad you're here," Cool Blue said, "if it wasn't for you two I would have probably died in Arkcannon."

"And I wouldn't have been too happy about that." L'amour added, "If he was dead, who else would I have to beat up on?"

Before anyone else could speak a few knocks came from the door. Opening it slightly, a black stallion poked his head into the room. "I hope I'm not bothering you two, but we're back on the air in five."

Looking at the pony, L'amour nodded. "Thanks, Bigs."

Shutting the door softly, she sighed looking to Cool Blue. "It's your turn for the next hour. I'll stay here and talk to them."

"Alright. But don't you go anywhere without me, you hear?" Cool Blue stated as he trotted over to the door. Once he was gone, both brothers sat on the comfortable couch, slightly puzzled at what they were talking about.

"What was all of that about?" Adam asked.

"Oh," L'amour cooed, "you see, Cool Blue, the radio host, isn't run by just him. I'm Cool Blue too."

Scratching their dusty manes, they shot her a perplexed stare. "What?" The brothers asked together.

"You see, kids, the freelancers and a series of other sources give us the information, which is sent to the room outside. All over the province we know what goes on. And gathering it up, we deliver this news to the air waves."

"To take a break, my husband rotates with me between hosting the announcements. He'll do it for a hour sometimes, or we'll do it together, or I'll do it, and so on."

Neo leaned forward, slightly intrigued by the system they had. "How can you host the show? I mean your voice is... well... not that deep."

She laughed, and, pointing to her horn, she said, "You're right. But with my magic I can alter my voice to mimic my hubby’s voice."

"Whoa..." Adam awed.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool. Though, while he was away, I had to take over the whole program."

"It must be hard running this place, huh?" Neo asked.

"Not after a few decades, you get used to the routine. Pon-3 has a similar set up, and boy, does she do a good job in the Equestrian wasteland. When my hubby and I were young and stupid, we found that her radio didn't reach most the province. So we made our own radio. What you see is the product of that dream."

She sighed before chuckling lightly to herself. "Listen to me ramble on. You two probably have questions about your mother, right?"

They nodded at her. "Thought so... Anyway, what is it you want to know?"

Neo started, "Cool Blue told us that if there was any pony in the province that knew where our mother was, it was you."

She lay back on the couch across from them, and nodding in thought she said, "He was right. If there is some pony who would know about her whereabouts it would be me... Sadly, I don't know where she could be. Sorry."

Both brothers lowered their heads, mournfully. "Is... Isn't there anything you could do? Anything at all?" Adam asked desperately, feeling tears build in the corners of his eyes.

Putting a hoof to her chin she thought deeply. "Well," She purred, "did your mother keep her Pipbuck?"

The brothers had to think about it, never once had the thought of their mother's Pipbuck come to mind. "As far as we can tell, yes." Neo answered.

"Well!" She exclaimed, leaping out of her seat, "Let's go see where she is then. There might still be hope yet!"

Parading off toward the door, the brothers were incredibly confused. Though, she said that there was hope of finding her, so regardless of how little sense, or how vague she was they needed to trust her. Following her out the door they went back into the busy info room.

Passing by all of the constituently busy ponies she went into the room at the opposite side. The room was labeled as, "Filing" in black bold letters. Opening the door they came into a small room filled with desks, and terminals. In between each desk were large, tower-like computers, covered in flashing buttons of orange and red. Taking a seat at one of the larger terminals, she started typing swiftly.

"I need to borrow one of your Pipbucks for a second." She said.

Adam put his left foreleg on the table, and watched as she pulled an odd looking cord from the side of the terminal. Plugging the end of the cord into his Pipbuck, Adam became extremely curious about what she was doing.

"What are you doing?" Adam asked.

She went back to typing on the terminal, though as she did she answered him. "Stable-tech made it to where Pipbucks did two things. They all were made to be tracked by the stable, and they all were made to give off an emergency signal."

"So, you're searching for her signal then?"

"That's right," She replied, "and we've got a big ass antenna here so we should be able to find her."

Pressing the enter key on the terminal, she grinned. "There, just give it a sec and it'll find her."

A thought came to Adam's mind, one that caused him to face-hoof. "If that's the case, why didn't I think of that before! That would have saved us so much trouble!"

"Well..." L'amour hummed unsurely looking at the terminal screen, "it says her Pipbuck can't be detected. So it wouldn't have done you any good anyway. She probably manually disabled the tracking feature to remain hidden."

"Great..." Neo groaned in frustration.

"Though, I don't think she knows about the signal... Let's find out, shall we?"

Going back to typing quickly, Neo watched her work. "Aren't the signal and the tracking thing the same? Would it really make a difference?"

"Well, yes and no. Picture it like this; when you're on a ship, an emergency radio helps ponies find you by relaying your position. However, that wave works on a special frequency, and by searching for that frequency we can find where the source of it is. Even if the initial tracking system is offline."

Neo grinned, and nudged Adam playfully, "Wow, she knows even more about Pipbucks then you do."

"Whatever..." He mumbled to himself, his cheeks turning a light red.

A small beep came from the terminal with the words, "signal found" in a text box at the top of the screen. "Haha! Bingo!" L'amour cheered.

Both Neo and Adam's faces lit up with joy. "You found her?!" They both shouted anxiously.

"Yep," She said nodding.

"Where? Where?!" They exclaimed, overcome with joyful emotion.

"Well, let's see." She said, typing.

Pressing enter on the keyboard an image of the the whole province was displayed. On it, a small green blip flashing near a mountain range on the east side of the provincial border. L'amour zoomed in on the blip, which took her closer to the mountains. Although, around the mountains, there was nothing to be found. It was just the mountains. Nothing more. But the signal was strong, and her vitals indicated she was alive and well.

L’amour, scratching her dark purple mane, stared hard at the image in front of her. "This..." She said in slight bewilderment, "... this doesn't make any sense... Why is she there? I know she's a scientist, but why would she be in the mountains? Especially on the eastern side of the province?"

"There's... Nothing else?" Adam asked, sadly.

"Well, there is a road that goes through the mountains near a small lake in a valley... But, other than that, it says she's inside the mountain..."

Neo stared hard at the tiny blip flash on and off, which marked their mother's location. "It's the best lead we've got. Could you upload these coordinates onto our Pipbucks?"

"Sure, give me a sec." L'amour said, taking another cord and plugging it into Neo's Pipbuck.

L’amour plugged in a few commands into the terminal, and the map and coordinates started downloading onto their Pipbucks. "I'm not sure how accurate or where exactly the coordinates will take you both. Maybe you'll run into the side of the mountain, I'm just not sure."

Once the download was complete, both brothers removed the cords from their Pipbucks. Neo nodded at her. And, as earnestly as he could, he said, "I appreciate your concern, but nothing is going to stop us. It's the best chance we've got, and we'll find her no matter what."

Looking at both of them, L'amour smiled. "You both remind me of your parents... I met your mom once, y'know? She was a good gal, when I heard she had kids, I never thought they'd be as cool as you guys."

Both of the brothers gave her a curious stare. "You know our mother?"

"I knew her. But that was a long, long time ago." She answered.

"She's been outside of the stable before?" Adam asked.

"Yeah, she was. I thought you knew that."

Neo shook his head. "She always told us she stayed in the stable her whole life."

"Well, I don't know... You'll have to ask her about it when you find her."

Neo turned his gaze to the floor in thought. "Yeah," He muttered, "we'll have to..."

Standing up, L'amour went to the door. "Come on, let's go meet up with your group and tell them what we’ve found."

The thought of their mother boggled the two brother's minds. She, of all ponies, had been out in the wasteland before? How? Why? Could she be part of something more? Or was there something else? These questions bothered both of them. Even as they followed L'amour to the group, the very concept would not vacate their minds. But they had to move on, because maybe, just maybe, when all of this was over, things would clear up and their questions might finally be answered.

L'amour opened the large two doors that lead out of the info room and into the hallway where the rest of their group waited anxiously for their return. Lucy rushed over to them, curious of the answers they might of found.

"Kids!" She called.

L'amour smiled at her. "They're alive, don't worry."

Ally was just as anxious to find out if they had found anything; and hopping over to the two brothers she asked, "Did you find anything about your mother? Anything at all?"

"Affirmative," Wester agreed, "have you gained any additional knowledge about your objective?"

Raising a hoof, Neo gestured for them to calm themselves. "We did find out a little about where she is."

Lucy cocked her head to the side. "A little?"

"It's something, but the details are vague," Adam stated. "For starters, she's somewhere in the eastern mountains. By the way things looked, she also seems to be fine. Besides that, we're not sure why she's there. Or even how to get through the mountains to the small valley she seems to be in."

Tipping up her fedora, Lucy chuckled, "Well, shit. We're on the other side of the province. Do you even know how far away that mountain range is?"

"I still think we can do it. It might be a rough trip, but we can make it," Ally said.

"Affirmative," Wester commented, "it is possible to make it alive. The chance of survival until we reach the destination is favorable."

"We'll have to leave early tomorrow if we hope to get there soon." Neo nodded.

"We got the coordinates on our Pipbucks, and with some luck, we'll be sure to get there." Adam added.

Lucy smirked at the two brothers. "Sounds like a plan. Wester, you got any idea how long it will take to get there?"

Wester stood there for a second in thought, taking a moment to contemplate her question. "It should roughly be about three days if we move out in the early morning of each day."

"Fantastic." Lucy cooed with satisfaction.

"It's decided then, we'll move out tomorrow." Neo stated, with a hint of determination in his voice.

L'amour motioned her head at the group, smiling warmly, "If you've all decided on that, you'll need a place to stay. How about some rooms here in the tower? It'll be free of charge, my treat."

"Ma'am," Wester said approaching her, "if it's inconvenient for you, you don't have to help us-"

She shook her head at him. "No, not at all. You need someplace to rest well before a trip that long. Might as well be here."

He bowed his armored head slightly to her. "Thank you, ma'am."

Rubbing the back of his neck, Neo smiled at her. "Yeah, thanks. It'll be awhile before we can stay someplace this nice."

"No problem at all. Here, I'll walk you guys down to the main floor."

Taking the lead, she guided them down the long corridor to the elevator at the end. Once again, they were confined in the small space. Guns rubbed and pushed against the cramped ponies in the elevator. Even Wester's large rifle that was slung on his back came close to poking Adam in the eye.

With a quirky, "Going down," L'amour pushed the button taking them down to the base floor of the tower. When the door opened, several well armored ponies stood waiting. Each of the freelancer ponies, stepped to the side for L'amour and her group. As they went by them, she nodded to them courteously.

Adam noticed their legs, which, like his brother's, were mechanical. Catching up to L'amour, he asked, "Who lives here? Is it just the freelancers?"

She stopped when they came to the main entryway of the tower, near the staircases that lead up to the elevators. "Well, yes and no. We used to house traveling wanderers and freelancers alike. Ever since Big Lot has been moving troops around, we've had to tighten security. Sadly, the influx of troops means less wanderers coming through this side of the province. As far as I know, your group is the first group to come through in a few weeks."

"That explains the rude welcome," Lucy said, rolling her eyes.

L'amour sighed. "I know, it sucks. But we've got to protect every pony in here. The province depends on our broadcasts."

"Without you guys, we wouldn't have music, or news about what's going on." Ally stated sadly, thinking about a bleaker world without the radio station.

"Exactly." L'amour concurred sternly, "Now, if you excuse me, I need to get back upstairs. I'll be swapping out with Cool Blue soon."

L'amour started up the stairs, only to stop halfway. Turning back to the group she called down to them. "Oh, and one more thing. If you need anything, ask Tanner. And if he starts acting like a hygienic creep around you, don't feel ashamed to smack him, okay?"

"Thanks, L'amour," Adam replied.

Lucy chuckled. "I like that chick."

L'amour returned the kind smile, and continued up the steps to the elevators. Once she had left, Lucy looked to the casino next to them, listening to the melodious sound of slot machines chime. Smirking devilishly, she rubbed her chin in devious thought.

"You know, I haven't really seen a slot machine in a while... And I've got a few caps to spend..."

Wester shook his head. "Lucky, we're not here to gamble, we need to eat, and assess our situation."

She struck his back heartily. "Lighten up! Who says we can't have a little fun, huh?"

Wester seemed, in some ways, slightly shy about the idea. "Well... I... Uhm..." He stammered unsurely.

Taking him by one hoof, she pulled him off toward the casino. "It'll be fun! Trust me!"

"Help me." Wester murmured, as Lucy drug him off toward the casino.

Ally, Neo, and Adam watched Lucy take him away, and chuckled as he stumbled about the casino with Lucy. It was slightly heartwarming to see the two of them enjoying themselves. After the story that Neo had heard about the two of them, he could almost picture the way things once were for them. Even if he hadn't been there to witness a single moment of it. Yet, with the joyful emotion, there was still an unsettling feeling in the back of his mind, and even in Adam's eyes, he could see it.

Through the smile and laughter, he was thinking of the same thing. How was their mother out in the wasteland before? Why? Hopefully, time would tell, and watching Lucy show Wester how to gamble helped it stay in the back of his mind. He prayed it didn't bother him further, but he knew that regardless of his prayers that it would.

Steam rolled and churned in the cool nighttime air as a massive dark iron train slowed to a halt at a small platform. Dozens upon dozens of wooden cars trailed behind it, each rattling loudly as they jerked forward once the train had come to a complete stop. A few passenger cars were also present, and one passenger car in particular that was nearest to the train engine had Legion soldiers rushing to it.

The platform, which the train had stopped at, was worn by time, showing its age with cracks and dark coal stains. It was five officers, wearing their smart decorated uniforms, that stood at attention near the car's exit. And, from out of the steam that swirled with the gentle breeze, emerged Vladimir. A dark cape hung from his back, and his thick, green armor was stained with small blots of dried blood.

Stepping down from the cart, he sniffed the cool air that smelt of burning coal and rotting meat. "The Dark Mines... I haven't missed this place in the slightest." He sighed, whispering to himself.

One of the older officers, decorated in a larger assortment of metals than the others in his group, bowed respectfully and said, "Your majesty."

Vladimir nodded his head at him, coughing lightly. "Yes, thank you for receiving me, Captain..."

"Ventures, sir." The old green unicorn replied.

"Yes," Vladimir continued, "is the carriage here yet? I've been curious to see how Iron Hammer has been coming along."

"Well, your majesty," The stallion stuttered unsurely, "since it's been moved from Ironstead, the Warden has kept some of us outside of the mines here in the city."

Vladimir stepped further out of the platform, and stared at the massive structures which towered high into the sky. Damaged and beaten, many of the city's largest structures still remain intact. Upon the sides and tops of the buildings, soldiers had built platforms and bridges with dim green lanterns that illuminated the small area the gunners above stood at.

"Hmm," Vladimir hummed, thinking, "then, where is he? Should he not be the one receiving me then?"

Ventures seemed nervous as his speech became muddled. "He was informed sir, I-I can guarantee that he’ll show up. I have no clue why he, of all ponies, is not here to greet you."

"Yes," Vladimir added sternly, "it is odd. It is odd that you were informed hours before my arrival, and yet you come to me, welcoming me without my host and my carriage."

Using one hoof, Ventures loosened the collar of his uniform, feeling his sweat gently trickle down his neck. "My apologies, your grace. I-I was simply doing what I could to make it more-"

With a quick motion he turned to the officer, glaring at him. "Make it more what? Hmm? Make my welcome more comfortable? Or to appease me so that you can have another medal added to your already overloaded collection?"

"N-no, your majesty! I-I did not mean that, I-"

He raised a hoof, silencing him. "Save it. I've heard enough, this is your only warning. If this ever happens again, I'll have you skinned, and give your sorry hide to another of my more competent officers."

Ventures bowed slightly, causing his medals to jingle against one another. Raising his head, he looked up at the crimson unicorn in fear. "Thank you, your majesty. It... It won't happen again. I swear it!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Vladimir saw a stagecoach approach the platform. The massive oak wheels creaked as it bobbed up and down moving up to the platform. A Legion soldier was seated as the driver, leading two heavily armored ponies clad in thick-plated green armor, who pulled it along at a steady pace.

Stopping at the platform, Vladimir smiled. "Speaking of greetings, here's the one that was supposed to meet me."

The stagecoach had a victorian sort of style to it, with golden ivy painted along the corners of the black polished wood. Two wooden claws extended forward near the front, which held old bronze oil lamps. The orange light from the small lights made the dark polish of the wood reflect off onto the surrounding area.

Vladimir approached the coach. Once he had come close to the door, a pony came out from it, taking Vladimir slightly back. The pony who had come forth was a filthy stallion covered in tattered linen cloths that masked every inch of his body. Dark green armor plates covered his legs, and a golden medallion hung around his neck with a W branded onto it. A thick grey gas-mask covered his face, with a long tube trailing from the end of his mask down into his coal-stained tunic. However, for Vladimir, the most unnerving part of the pony's appearance was the glowing green eyes of his mask that stared right at him.

A smile sprouted on his face. "Warden." He purred, advancing toward him.

The Warden's voice was raspy and high, "Your majesty." He hissed, bowing.

"I trust that you are doing well, and hopefully, the same can be said of the mines."

"Yes," The Warden wheezed, raising his head, "everything is running on schedule... That is, if you have the stones and the predators."

Vladimir motioned his head for the masked pony to follow him. "Come, I'll show you."

The two ponies marched down to the next car on the platform, which had several ponies unloading huge wooden crates. He came to one of the crates, marked for Iron Hammer, and removed the pin which kept it sealed.

Stepping to the side, Vladimir patted the top of the crate. "Come and see for yourself."

The Warden walked towards the crate, and lifted the heavy wooden lid. He peered carefully at the contents inside, and laughed. "Very good... Very good, indeed... These will work nicely. Though, I still believe that our mine still yields the stones."

"I'm not sure about that,” Vladimir commented, “the mine hasn't had any since she's been around."

"Heh," the Warden chortled facing Vladimir, "that may be so. But I am still very optimistic about what my mine holds."

"I've brought plenty of them. Whole cars filled with them, straight from the Quantum Mines."

"Sadly, it seems this load does not have any pure stones. I would love so very much to see a real one again."

"Hopefully, you will, but until then you'll have to use these."

"Yes, yes, they will have to do."

With a lanky, slow turn, the Warden pointed to some of the additional crates being unloaded by soldiers. "I assume those are the predators, am I correct?"

Vladimir nodded. "Indeed you are. They're completely intact."

"Excellent... Excellent..." The Warden hummed with a slight wheeze in his voice.

Trotting uneasily to the coach, the Warden gestured his hoof for Vladimir to follow. "We've wasted enough time, there is much work to be done. Yes, yes, much work. Much to see, yes."

The two ponies went into the red cushioned interior of the coach, and sat down. Vladimir rolled up the silk curtains that draped over the windows, and looked out the window. Sitting across from one another, the Warden sighed, relaxing himself. Vladimir however, retained a firm posture as he addressed him.

Once they had been seated, the Warden knocked on the side of the door. The very instant he had done so, the coach started to move.

"Did you have a safe trip? Yes?" The Warden asked.

"I finished the trip without dying, if that's what you mean."

"Ah, very good... Very good. It is just that I have heard that the Steel ponies have been... Attacking Legion trains."

Vladimir looked out the window of the coach into the dark city that slowly passed by them. "We did encounter some minor... Complications, with the Coalition."

"It is good you came out in one piece. Do you have any slaves that I may have? Any prisoners, yes?"

Vladimir continued to stare out the window while speaking to the Warden. As he looked out into the dark, ruined city, he saw lines of slaves chained together, trudging through the mud along the side of the road. Ponies dressed in similar garb as the Warden oversaw the slaves with whips, and bludgeons.

In his mind, he thought only to himself, as he desperately tried to mask his thoughts from it. He did have prisoners, but did he want to subject them to this? To that life, even if he had told them he would.

"No, I don't have any slaves to trade."

"Oh," The Warden added sadly, "so sad to hear, so sad."

Their coach came to a large concrete bridge that spanned over a massive river that ran straight through the city. At the end of the bridge was a tunnel which lead into the side of a mountain. Small pipes and chimneys rose high out of the mountain's side, spewing out large stacks of black smoke into the air.

Slave ponies pulled huge carts of rocks and dumped them off the side of the bridge and into the roaring rapids of the river below. Vladimir watched while the skinny, dark-eyed slaves trembled from lifting the heavy loads. In no more than a few moments, the coach arrived at the stone platform.

The Warden was the first to exit, and with a single hoof, he held the door open for Vladimir. "Please, your majesty, follow me. We have made much progress, yes. Very much progress."

Reluctantly, Vladimir paused, scanning the tunnel around him. From out of the darkness, more shriveled slaves emerged, pulling heavy metal carts toward the river.

Gesturing his hoof quickly, the Warden called for him to follow. "Please, please your majesty. Let us go inside."

A sadness irked itself inside of Vladimir seeing the tired ponies work. It was an odd feeling for him. He had been to the mines a few times before Iron Hammer had moved, but he had thought nothing of the work being done. Now, seeing them, it hurt him. Though, regardless of his feelings, he could not hesitate any longer.

He followed the Warden down the tunnel into a massive circular cavern. It was near the heart of the mountain and the formation itself spiraled down hundreds of feet into the dark unknown. Barrels with fires lit inside provided little light in the mine, where hundreds of slaves of every race and sex hacked away at the rocks. Axles and wheels run by slaves pulled up large crates filled with rocks up to higher points of the mine.

"Come, come!" The Warden called, leading him further, and pulling him away from the scene.

As their walk went on, a small metallic sphere shaped robot floated by. On its speakers, he could hear his own voice call out to the slaves that worked all around him.

"Remember," his voice called out from the machine, "what you do, you do for the greater good. For not only this province, but for all of civilization. It is here, in the caves of these mines, that you will carve out the hope for a brighter future."

Was that... Me? He thought, following the Warden down the narrow rock hallways carved by the slaves.

"Yes," The voice hissed in his mind, "it is. Do you remember? Do you remember the days when we worked together? When I was your partner?"

He ignored the voice, and, after removing the flask from his cape pocket, he took a quick gulp of the red wine inside. Through twisted paths, and massive caverns the Warden took him deep into the farther reaches of the mine. Soon, they came to a large steel door branded with stable-tech's name.

The Warden opened it, exposing a clean metal room filled with terminals, and computers controlled by Legion officers. A long window showed out into a massive, dark cavern.

The Warden pointed to the window. "There it is... Iron Hammer, your grace."

Vladimir came close to the window, gazing out into the dark cavern before him. The Warden motioned his head to one of the Legion officers at the controls. "If you would, please turn the lights on, yes?"

The officer nodded, and, as instructed, he pressed upward on a large lever. With a click lights snapped on, illuminating the whole chamber. A circular exit hole sat above a large towering missile that was connected to hundreds of pumps and wires. Steam poured down from small exhausts near the top, and a control platform with a catwalk stretching out to the missile could be seen near its base.

Bowing to Vladimir, the Warden addressed him. "I must go, your majesty. I must tent to the new slaves... Find me if you need anything, yes."

Vladimir's eyes were wide in awed terror. Without diverting his gaze, he replied slowly and in an almost whisper-like tone, "Yes, yes thank you..."

"Beautiful, isn’t it?" The voice asked.

"I... I made that?"

"No, Little Red. We made it. It is our dream made real off the lives of those with weak souls."

Vladimir was appalled, but the voice went on, "And the best part, Little Red, is that it's almost done... It's so exciting!"

Vladimir felt faint, causing him to stumble slightly. He caught himself on the wall nearest to him with both hooves. His breathing had become heavy, and sweat started to run down his brow.

One of the control officers had noticed his distressed condition, and approached him cautiously. "Sir?" The officer asked, "Are you alright? You look pale."

Recovering his composure, Vladimir reached for his flask, and sipped some of the wine inside. He panted slightly, before straightening himself. Clearing his throat, he responded to the officer as calmly as he could.

"I'm... I'm fine, officer. As you were." He dismissed him with a wave of a hoof.

The officer hesitated at first, but he trusted his leader's word and went on with his work. Vladimir stood there, though, looking out of the window at the large machine before him. It disturbed him to think he had created something like Iron Hammer. And it bothered him that there was a time that, whatever it was in his mind had, once had enough influence on him to manifest such an evil weapon.

What would my father think? He thought. Vladimir wanted the kind words of his father to help him. To tell him what to do; to fix the mess he was in; to help him undo the evil he was creating. He couldn't stand it anymore. Staring at it only reminded him of what he had become, and he hated it.

Pools of tears built up in the corners of his emerald eyes. He couldn't stand to look at the missile. There was nothing more he could say or think. Letting the feeling of guilt take him, he listened to the voice whisper in his ear. It was muffled, and even though he tried to build a mental wall to keep it from speaking to him, it managed to get one sentence to him.

"I'll be over soon, I promise..." The voice fade shortly after that. Taking his flask, Vladimir took several large gulps of his wine.

A harmonious ding signaled the elevator's arrival. The doors parted, and out of the small cabin came the group lead by Tanner. Together, they followed him down a long hallway with round bright lights above them. As they walked, each stepped was muffled by the soft red carpet in the center of the marble floor. Along each wall of the corridor were dozens of doors. Each door was labeled with a number, which started at 300 and reached to 378.

A window at the far end of the hallway gave an outside view of the world. Tiny, almost transparent, beams of pale light trickled in from the outside. It was night time, and the group had spent a good portion of its time down on the bottom floor of the tower. There, they had eaten their fill of food, and drank their fair share of clean water. Between the time spent on strolling through the casino, and watching Lucy clear some freelancer officers of their caps, they had grown tired.

It wasn't difficult finding Tanner, and oddly enough, while their day had went on, he was always there, in the corner of their eye, watching them from afar. Was he observing them? And what was it about them that he found so fascinating? They weren't sure, but Lucy made it clear that if she caught him snooping around her again, there would be hell to pay.

Though as they continued walking halfway down the hall, Tanner stopped. With one hoof he pointed to the door on his left. "This will be Lucy and Adam's room."

Pointing to the room on his right. "This will be Ally and Neo's room."

Gaining a stiff, formal posture he added, "And Wester, if you can come with me, I'll show you to your-"

"No," Wester interjected calmly, "I stay where I can protect them."

Cocking his petite head, he chuckled lightly, "But Wester, sir, there really isn't any reason to. You're all quite safe here-"

"Please," Wester continued, "I... It is my duty."

"Hmph," Tanner grunted, "So be it. Just know there isn't any place for you to sleep if you stay."

"Then I won't be sleeping."

He waved his hoof dismissively. "Fine, fine, you may do as you wish. I certainly won't stop you."

Wester bowed slightly to him. "Thank you."

Raising an eyebrow at him, Tanner looked down at him poorly. "Yes... No problem at all..."

Neo thanked him as well, and briefly nodding to him, Tanner returned to his stiff posture. "Now that you have been directed to your rooms, I must bid you adieu."

Trotting off toward the elevator he left them on their own. Lucy stretched her back, causing her one good wing to erect. Flapping it a few times she yawned. "Well, fellas, I'm off to hit the hay. Come on, Adam, let's go."

Opening the door, she went inside her room. Adam put a hoof on the edge of the door, and smiled at his brother. "Good night, I'll see you guys bright and early tomorrow."

Neo chuckled at him, "Night, Adam."

Wester stood next to the door attentively, "You aren't going to come in, are you?" Adam asked Wester.

He shook his head. "Negative."

Adam sighed. "If you say so. I'll keep it unlocked for you if you change your mind."

"Thank you, Adam," replied Wester.

Wester stood vigilant as the door closed. Neo and Ally looked to each other and shrugged before they too went into their own room. Upon entering the room they had been given, Neo turned the lights on. A few shaded lamps illuminated the room. It was a cozy living space. There was a sink and mirror with a soft velvet carpet beneath their hooves. A few paintings hung on the walls, and an old radio-clock was positioned on a nightstand next to the only bed in the room.

Neo blushed, feeling slightly nervous at the sight of the bed. "Uh, there's only one bed... Where am I supposed to sleep?"

Ally chuckled at him. "We're going to have to share it."

The visible redness on his cheeks intensified into a darker shade. "Share?" He muttered.

"Yep," she added, moving over to the bed's side.

She patted it gently three times. "Come on. We've got to get some sleep, if the trip is as long as Wester says it is, we'll need the rest."

Taking in a deep breath through his nose, he tightened his stomach and joined her. She hopped onto the soft bed, that creaked quietly as she moved on it. Pulling the neatly tucked blanket over her she slid over for him. Neo took off his duster and climbed in with her.

His blush had faded slightly, and once he had started laying in the bed the intense feeling of nervousness started to vanish gradually. The entire feeling of being in the bed with a mare was new to him. Not even once had he come this close to a mare, and as a growing warmth filled him, the once petrifying feeling transformed into that of a more content emotion.

Yet, even with her there, and the ever growing happiness he felt, the thoughts of his mother continued to pester him. As hard as he tried to keep them away, the thoughts bounced around his mind like heavy cargo on a rocking ship. Ally turned onto her side and looked at him worryingly.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

Neo rolled onto his side, and faced her, a look of uncertainty spread across his face. "I've been trying to forget about it... It's... It's nothing."

"Don't say that, Neo. If it's bothering you that badly then it has to be important. "

Neo didn't answer her, but rather, he gave her a silent, unsure pause. She gently rested a hoof on his cheek, and stroked it softly. "Neo... Please, you can tell me."

Neo felt withdrawn, but her voice soothed him, and in a way melted the barrier that prevented his inner thoughts from escaping. "It's about my mother..." He said, tenderly.

She blinked at him. "Is it about her health? I thought you said she was fine."

"She is," he continued, "but... It's about her past."

"What about it?"

"She was out in the world before... For our whole lives, she told Adam and me that we all lived in the stable. No one had ventured out into the world, no one. But she did... Why?"

"Maybe," Ally cooed as she thought carefully about the words she chose, "it was to protect you. To keep you in the stable, where it was safe."

"I don't know, Ally. To think she kept that whole other part of her life a secret from us, it’s... It’s..."

He paused for a moment, then, shaking his head, he rolled onto his back and looked at the ceiling. Placing his metal foreleg on top of his brow, he sighed. "I don't know what to think... Or even how I feel about the subject. I'm just so torn..."

She nudged herself closer to him, and wrapped her hooves around his torso, hugging him. "I'm sure she had a reason for doing it. Even though I've never met her, I know that her intentions were good. A good mother like her wouldn't had raised boys like you and your brother."

"We'll just have to see when we meet her." Using her hooves, she turned him around with a gentle motion. "Until then, we need to focus on the task at hoof."

Their eyes met, and both of them smiled at one another. "Thanks, Ally... You're right, if I even hope on getting these questions answered we need to find her first. And I won't get anywhere dwelling on these thoughts."

She leaned over to him, and kindly kissed him on the cheek, turning his face a bright red. "I love you, and everyone in the group is your friend. Don't keep thoughts like this to yourself, it'll only make you feel worse."

And inside his mind, he felt the great burden lift. Whether it had been the kiss, or their talk, something she had done lifted his spirit. Laying back down, she made herself comfortable. "We need to get to sleep Neo. We've got a long day ahead of us."

Her words were like warm milk stirred with sweet honey. It gave his mind peace, keeping his thoughts under control. Like her, he too made himself comfortable. The soft mattress against his back, and the thick smooth blankets around his body made his eyelids drop. Drowsiness followed, continued by a relaxed feeling, which would soon become sleep.

Across from their room, Wester sat next to Lucy and Adam's door, staring at a locket on his hoof. Inside the small, worn pendant was a picture of him. It was a picture of a unicorn with a long, scraggly mane. A long overcoat was around his body, with a dark dusty pinstripe vest underneath it. In the picture he was smiling, with a small pegasus filly next to him.

Who is this? He thought. Though, try as he might, nothing came to mind. The reflection of the locket glared off of his red visor. Could I have been... More than just a soldier... Whose only directive is to protect and kill? Inside his chest he felt something ache. A hallowed longing that caused him to feel empty. He tried to remember, but only blurred, still imagines came. Not even a face, not even a sound.

The door next to him creaked open as Lucy emerged from her room. She leaned against the doorway, looking down at him, smiling affectionately. "Hey." She murmured.

He turned his gaze to her, before quickly putting the locket inside one of his duster pockets. Standing up, he addressed her. "Lucky, is there something wrong?"

She shook her head briefly. "I was just a little restless. I've got some... Old thoughts, on my mind."

"Do you need anything? I can get you something to help-"

"No, Wester I'm fine." She interjected with a soft tone.

"Then what is it I can do?"

Lucy rubbed her foreleg unsurely. "Well, could you come sleep in the room? I think it would... Nah, it's stupid."

"No, it isn’t stupid," he said, placing a hoof under her chin, "if it will help you sleep, but... Aren't there only two beds?"

"Yes, but there's a coach in there, and I thought that if you were with us you'd..."

"I'd what, Lucky?" he asked.

She didn't feel certain about continuing. "Could you? You know, sleep in there with us? I know you don't sleep much, so if you don't want to sleep that's fin-"

"No, I'll do it. If it will help put your mind at ease."

She chortled slightly nudging his foreleg, "Thanks, Wester, I owe you."

She opened the door for him, and together they went inside to rest. As the two of them found their places to sleep, they dozed off. Just as Wester laid his body upon the soft cushions of the couch, a thought came to him. It wasn't an image, or a face, but a sound. One single sound, which formed into a name.

Closing his eyes he drifted off, muttering the name to himself just once. "Kiddo..."

The entry room of Silvermane tower was busy. Freelancer guardians and local residents alike went about their morning. Some made their way to the grill, where fresh meat could be heard sizzling as the salty juices evaporated in the air; giving the area around the entry room a heavenly aroma. It made Lucy's mouth water while she stared from afar at the tens of ponies that dined on the succulent, steaming food.

Wester had come back from the grill, carrying five small bread slices topped with freshly cooked meat covered in brown gravy. "Ah fuck..." Lucy moaned, her eyes completely locked on the food he brought.

The food was wrapped in a wax-like paper that kept the thick brown gravy from seeping through. Giving her one of the paper wrapped meals she took it. But for a moment, she simply took in the smell of the wondrous scent it gave off. She inhaled deeply, feeling the richness tickle her nose.

Her stomach grumbled, and smiling she licked her lips. "Thank you so much, Wester... I was starving!"

He unhooked the mouthpiece of his helmet and pulled it to the side exposing his red muzzle. Without the mouthpiece muffling his voice, the difference in it’s deepness and pitch was significantly different. His voice was more refined and smooth. Yet, it additionally yielded a hint of calm sincerity.

"Just don't eat it too quickly, Lucky. You'll upset your stomach," he stated, before eating his own portion.

Lucy's cheeks were bulging and her voice had become suppressed with the large amount of food inside her mouth. "You worry too much, I'll be fine." She said, taking another bite of her food.

One of the elevators above the staircase dinged cheerfully as the reflective doors parted. From the small cabin of the elevator came Neo, Adam, and Ally. Neo looked particularly tired, for a faint dark hue had developed below his eyes.

"I really didn't want to get up..." He muttered, stepping out groggily.

"I should say so, you slept harder than a rock last night." Ally added.

Adam nodded. "Yeah, she needed my help to get you out of the room."

"It's just that's the best nights sleep I've had in days, and of all the times I get a good nights sleep this has to be the day I get up early."

They all made their way down the staircase to Lucy and Wester, who watched them eat their meal. "Aaaaw, did Neo-weo need some more sleep? Here, you can climb on my back and I'll carry you to the eastern mountains." Lucy taunted him playfully.

Neo rolled his silver eyes at her. "Ha... Ha, Lucy, your jokes are getting better and better with each passing day..."

She smirked at him. "And if you hope to get as good as me, then you need to listen closely, because I've got plenty more than that!"

"Fantastic." He sighed, lowering his head.

As he sulked, a wonderful smell graced the air around him. Levitating around Wester were three, still steaming, wrapped meals. Neo’s spirits rose and a joyful smile spread itself out across his face. Food... He thought as he trotted over to the delightful meal that floated before him.

Wester finished his own meal, and, placing the mouthpiece of his helmet back over his muzzle, he handed out the other three meals that were left. Neo was the first to take his, and as it floated down into his hooves, he caressed it gently.

Smelling the delicious scent, he opened it and took several large bites of the gravy soaked bread. He trembled, feeling the warm, savory food melt in his mouth. Adam hadn't even taken a bite of his own food, for his eyes were fixated onto his brother, whom he believed enjoyed his food little too much.

Ally leaned over to Adam's ear and whispered, "You know, I think he likes food."

"Yeah," Adam chuckled, "really..."

Near the top of the staircase, Cool Blue and L'amour stepped lightly down the stairs standing next to one another. "Enjoying the food?" Cool Blue asked the group.

Everypony in the room had stopped eating their meal, giving the two ponies coming toward them their full attention. L'amour and Cool blue smiled warmly at them. "It's not the finest food you could have, but at least it's edible." L'amour commented, pointing to the wax paper wrapped food Adam and Ally held.

"It's actually pretty good..." Neo replied, his mouth full of the savory bread.

"Heh, you should see what they serve on tuesdays. I swear, you could see it crawl out of the pot and dance." L'amour chuckled.

Her comment made the group laugh, and as the last of the meals were being devoured, Cool Blue wrapped a hoof around his wife. "Silliness aside, I wish you all the best of luck finding your mother."

"Thanks, we'll need it." Adam responded finishing his meal.

Something had seemed off, for while the energy around them had been fairly positive, a more serious tone was about in L'amours voice. "Listen, I just want to tell you guys one thing before you head off. It's sort of important."

Wester had started collecting the wax paper from all of the other members of the group, it was Neo though who stepped up to respond to her. "What is it?"

"Last night we had some reports that Big Lot has been beefing up the patrols around the border. The Legion's getting more strict with who's coming in and who's leaving. You guys are traveling right along the border, so it might be best to travel a few miles away from it. Just to be safe."

Lucy turned her attention to Wester who was putting the papers he had collected inside his saddlebag. "Hey Wester, isn't Big Lot the pony you had to kill for some mercs?"

He looked at her and nodded. "Yes, that's correct. Though my directive is no longer to kill Big Lot. It is to help the group and the brothers reach their own goal."

"So, you'll keep away from the border, seein' as you don't have to kill him anymore." L'amour said to Wester.

"Negative. We'll still take the route along the border. It is the fastest route."

Adam came close to Wester, with an unsure tone in his voice, "Wester, maybe we should stay away from the border. It’s better safe than sorry, right?"

The armored stallion stood silent for a moment, processing what Adam had said. "It's possible that if we travel a few miles away, our chances of being spotted will decrease dramatically. Likewise, our time would only be affected by a few hours."

"It's probably for the best," Lucy added, "I've heard some nasty stuff about Big Lot."

Ally nodded. "In Maneton, some ponies talk about some of the slave trafficking that goes on there. Though, outside of a few frightening rumors, I don't know much about him."

"It'll be for the better," Cool Blue said, "now if you’ll excuse us, we need to catch breakfast while they're still serving it."

L'amour nudged him, smirking. "And you're paying for it, right?"

He looked back at her, slightly taken back. "Wha-What? Nononono, I believe you're paying, my little honey pot."

She gasped, and, waving a hoof in the air, she replied, "Don't you ‘honey pot’ me! You've got a whole lot of meals to buy! Or have you forgotten your little incident at Arkcannon?"

Cool Blue's ears lowered. "I thought we dropped that conversation..." He mumbled in agitation.

"We'll drop it when I say we drop it! Now, who's going to buy breakfast?"

He sighed heavily, and, keeping his head low, he moped, "I am, babe."

"That's right, you are. Now come on! Let's not bother the nice ponies anymore." She declared, grabbing Cool Blue by the foreleg and dragging him off to the grill.

As he went off he looked to the group in despair whispering, "Save me."

The group simply watched as the wife of the infamous Cool Blue drug him off. Even at the grill, he begged and pleaded for mercy, but for him, there was no hope. Smacking him lightly across the head, L’amour pointed to the grill. He paid for their meal and went about eating his food sadly.

Not long after that, the group gathered the last of their things and left. Through the glamorous doors they marched, passing by the freelancer guardians who protected the tower. And shortly, they found themselves once again beyond the concrete wall, and back into the barren, rolling hills of the wasteland.

Every so often, Adam and Neo would look back. In many ways, the tower amazed Adam. Alone, the tower was something to behold. From the lighting to the structure, it sent his mind ablaze with curiosity. Along their trip, they passed by the old farm homes of ponies long gone. Ancient, blasted wooden buildings blackened by fire, and worn by time. Soon, they came upon an old metal bridge, paved with gravel.

Rust covered the bolted iron supports, and, after arriving at the foot of the bridge, Wester halted the group. He took the folded rifle from his back, and readied it. Scanning the surrounding area carefully, he moved his head from side to side slowly.

"I have a bad feeling about this place..." He whispered, while he continued to inspect the bridge before them.

Everypony drew their own weapons and studied the surrounding area as well. "What do you think it is?" Neo asked.

"Raiders, probably," Lucy replied, scanning.

"No," Wester hummed, bringing his rifle closer to his breastplate, "it's something else..."

"Mutants?" Ally asked quietly.

Adam looked around, all the while paying extra attention to his compass. And nowhere on his EFS did he see any indications of hostile life forms. "I don't see anything on my compass... Maybe it's some kind of animal, or it could possibly be a-"

"Trust me," Wester said, "there's something here. And it's watching us."

They crossed the bridge, keeping tightly together. The group could hear each hoof step upon the gravel as it shifted and crackled softly. Every member of the group did their best to remain silent. It didn't take them long to cross the bridge, and, the very moment they had, their caution faded.

Lucy kept her sniper close, turned to Wester, and asked, "Do you still feel like something is watching us?"

No sooner had she spoke, Wester silently rose a hoof into the air, halting their advance. All of the ponies stopped, awaiting what he had to say. Everypony scanned the surrounding hills, but, just like before, there was nothing. Not a single sign of life in any direction.

"Do you hear something?" Adam whispered to Wester.

"Shh," Wester hissed, "there's laughing..."

"What?" Neo replied, slightly confused.

"Laughing..." Wester muttered putting the stock of his rifle to his shoulder.

All of the ponies listened carefully to the world around them. The dust twisted in the wind, and pebbles rolled along the dry powder-like dirt ground. Ally's ears, however, began to twitch as the faint sound of laughter was carried on the wind. The sound itself was not loud or clear. It was more of a snicker that was muffled by a hoof in an attempt to silence the noise.

With a quick motion, Wester pointed his rifle toward the hill to the left of the group. Aiming down its scope he called out to the hill, as though something was there. "I can hear your stupid laughter! Come out!"

There was a slight pause and a head poked itself out from the top of the hill. "Ha ha! Ya found me!" Laughed the pony behind the hill.

"Step out, and identify yourself or say goodbye to your head!"

With the whole group focusing on the mysterious stranger, the pony came fully out into plain view. He was a skinny earth pony covering in dark green armored plates along his legs, and torso. For a moment, it didn't even seem as though he was wearing armor, as its color appeared from afar to be part of his dark, dusty green coat. An eye patch with a yellow happy face protected his left eye, and a red diamond pattern neckerchief was tied around his scrawny neck.

The smiling, lanky pony scratched his shaggy orange mane. "Aw shoot, ya'll are too clever fer me! Ah really thought fer a secon' that ya really didn't know ah was there!"

"Identify yourself! Now!" Wester demanded keeping the gun locked onto him.

The stranger raised a hoof. "Ah ain't got no weapons on me! Honest!"

"I don't care. Identify yourself!"

The stallion smirked at the armored pony, and, wiping his nose, he replied, "Ponies call me Scooter. Ya'll are ponies right? Cus' if ya'll are, ya can call me Scooter too."

"So be it," Wester answered, "answer my next question. Why were you following us?"

Scooter chuckled, "Well ya see, I got this here employer, who'll get mighty frustrated if'n I don't do my job, y'see?"

"Answer my question if you want to keep your head," Wester responded sternly.

Stepping back, Scooter raised an empty hoof up to Wester once more. "Ya know, big guy, I ain't answerin' nothin’ so long as ya got that huge ass thing pointin' at me."

Wester stepped up to him, keeping his weapon raised. "Answer, now."

He grinned widely at Wester, before letting out a loud guffaw. "Yah see... The only head here that'll get blown to piece here, mah friend, is yours..."

Without diverting his eyes from Wester, he called out into the hills. "Ain't that right boys?"

Frantically, the group searched the area around them, only to find that ponies clad in the same heavy armor plates emerging from the hills. Most of them were heavy, muscled earth ponies, bolstering large gatling gun battle-saddles. There were nearly a dozen of them surrounding the group from every angle. Including the end of the bridge.

Each one of the massive ponies grinned wickedly at them, stepping closer gradually while Scooter stood in front of Wester, chuckling. Wester shoved the end of his gun onto Scooter’s forehead, which did little to stop his unnerving laughter.

"How's 'bout ya put that big thing down, eh?" Scooter cooed, placing his eyes on the group Wester protected.

Neo stood near his brother, shotgun raised, ready to fight off the group that slowly approached them. Through his visor he could see the statistics. The numbers that clogged his vision said it was impossible to win with every pony alive. Deep down inside the armor, he felt he could try, and succeed. Could he? Would he dare to try?

Lucy began to feel panic take her, as a few of the heavily armed ponies were nearly on them. "Who the hell’s your employer, and what the fuck do you want with us?"

"Teeheehee! That's a good question!" He exclaimed exuberantly, "Ah work for the lord of this here land. Goes by the name Big Lot. Ya heard of the pony?"

"Yeah, we've heard of him." Neo grunted while keeping his guard.

Wester stood there, slightly trembling, with his gun pressed firmly against the dirt stained fur of Scooter's forehead. "Good, good..."

Resting a hoof gently upon the top of Wester's rifle barrel, Scooter continued. "Now, ah'll make ya’ll a deal. If ol' lead britches puts down this here big gun o' his I'll talk with ya. How's that soun' t'ya'll?"

He smiled at them with his cracked yellow teeth. "Well?"

Wester fought with himself, fearing for his group’s safety. For his friends. Was there any other choice? If they were armed with weaker weapons the choice would be more clear, but it was there, and now that he needed to make a decision. Trembling slightly, he lowered the rifle from Scooter's head.

Bouncing around lightly, Scooter clapped his hooves together merrily. "Oh, thank ya kindly!"

"Now talk." Wester demanded directly.

Scooter seized his lively mood, and called out to the ponies that surrounded them. "Stop boys, ah got a few words t'say."

As he had ordered, the group halted their advance. Trotting around Wester’s group with a slight swagger in his step, Scooter peered carefully at them. Inspecting them, he hummed quietly to himself, and smirked at Wester.

"Heh," He chuckled, "rev em' up, boys!"

The loud noise of rapidly-spinning gatling gun barrels sent the whole group into a panic. Wester was about to raise his rifle once again to the head of the scraggly pony before him, only to be stopped by his hoof, which he waggled in the air, pouting at him.

"Nah ah ah, ya'll wouldn't do that now would ya? If'n you want to get out of this here predicament, then ya’ll best throw yer weapons aside."

Lucy growled at him. "You stupid fuck, we're not throwing our weapons!"

"Ya better, or may boys might shoot ya on accident. They got' a real weird twitchin' thing goin' on. Sometimes, seein’ new folks makes 'em real excited to the point they get all twitchy. It'd be a real shame to see ya'll ripped to pieces, ‘specially with them guns roarin’ an such. Wouldn't ya say so?"

Wester looked back to the group, then back to Scooter who smiled widely at him glaring mockingly. "What'll it be, son?"

Sighing heavily, Wester tossed his rifled to the side, along with his python revolvers. "Do as he says..." Wester bellowed.

"That's a good boy," Scooter cooed, mocking him.

The rest of the group looked at him in complete shock and bewilderment. "But, Wester..." Lucy murmured, her eyes filled with a confused sadness.

"Just do it!" He commanded.

Neo, Adam, Ally, and Lucy were completely taken back by his decision. Tossing her sniper to the side Lucy glared at Scooter, rage festering in her eyes. "You'll be sorry for this, you little punk."

Neo did the same, tossing his gun away from him along with every other weapon he had in his bags. The rest of the group did so as well, until several weapons lay scattered around the group. Soon, every pony had their weapons gone, leaving them completely venerable.

Rubbing his filthy hooves together, Scooter smiled with satisfaction. "Whoo-Whee! This must be hearths warmin' eve I tell ya what!"

Prancing around the group, he sung to himself. "Ah got me some keepers! Ah got me some keepers! Bwahahahaha!"

Turning his head to one of the closer gatling-stallions, he shouted, "Whopper! Collect all these here weapons! Pronto!"

The stallion nodded to him blankly, and went about performing his task. Trotting over to Adam he roughly seized Adam by the foreleg, and inspected his Pipbuck. "Hey! Let go of me!" Adam shouted, struggling to get free.

Neo grit his teeth and stomped closer to him, readying his mechanical foreleg. "You better let him go! Or so help me!"

"Oh hush, you." Scooter said, "Ah jus' wanna see his Pipbuck s’all..."

Dropping Adam's foreleg he marched off back to Wester, humming a happy tune. "Boy was ah right! Ah got a freelancer! Some feisty bitches, an' some ol' stablelings! Hell, it is mah birthday!"

The pony named Whopper had finished collecting the guns inside a rather large satchel that he carried on his side. Mundanely, the massive stallion looked down at Scooter. "Uh, Scooter. What we gonna do now?"

Scooter patted the large pony's cheek, and cooed, "Well mah friend, we're gonna take 'em back to the boss. Then we'll get rewarded, see?"

"Really?" Whopper mumbled cluelessly.

Scooter nodded, patting Whopper a few more times on his dirt stained cheek. "That's right, pal, really."

Motioning his head toward the group, he grinned. "Ya'll hear that! Ya'll are comin' with us!"

All of their eyes grew wide. Was this all really happening? Just when they had come so close to finally getting to their goal, the wasteland had halted their advance.

Gesturing his hoof to his group, Scooter signaled them to move. "Let's head out, boys! An' all you keep ya traps shut! One peep outta ya an' I'll cut yer tongue out!"

"If I had my knife I'd do a lot more than cut your tongue out..." Lucy murmured to herself.

Snapping his head quickly toward Lucy, Scooter stared at her menacingly. After a few moments, he dismissed her remark feeling that regardless of his big talk she was still much larger than him. And while the ponies marched off, a great sense of uncertainty spread itself throughout the group.

Lucy continued to give every other pony that looked at her a furious stare. Ally, kept to herself while not letting her guard down. She stood ever vigilant against any one of the armed ponies that even dare try to mess with the group. The two brothers stood next to another, and Neo did his best to keep Adam within his sight. Nothing, he thought, is going to hurt him. I swear.

And, despite the fear that had spread itself through him, Adam knew that, as long as the group was together, there was hope for them. Hope, that the whole ordeal would be resolved. For he had faith in his friends, and he had faith is his brother.

Wester shuffled roughly, anger pulsing through his veins. While no pony could see it, a plan brewed in his mind. His objective was no longer to kill Big Lot, it was to protect the group. But the plan that formed deep in the recesses of his mind would work both ways. Big Lot would pay for all the crimes he had committed, and his friends would go free. Cracking his neck, he rolled his shoulder around, popping the tense joints in his foreleg. Out of sight, though, was a large combat knife that had been concealed inside one of his sleeves. He had a plan, and he would see that his friends were safe.

Foot Note: Level up!

New Perk: Ponies Die If They Are Killed: More dead ponies means more loot, why not be the best kind? When you loot bodies you will have a greater chance of finding more caps and better quality items.

Would you like to level up Adam as well?

Yes-

No

New Perk: Ties are Cool: When wearing a neck item, you gain an addition 5% health boost.

Proofread by:

Noakwolf

LyonAzakura

Dannykat

Wayofthepen

(AN: I have to say, I liked writing this chapter. I wanted the towers to be very detailed. Coincidentally, I am trying to improve my environmental description skills, which, overall, this chapter gave me some good practice on. I hope you enjoyed it! Stay tuned for the next chapter!)