I awoke with a start as the bed beneath me rocked suddenly. The thick haze of sleep still clouded my mind as I rose my head up from the pillow and blinked in the near total darkness. My ears twitched to the steady clickity clack of steel wheels rattling under the floorboards and my bed... no, my seat swayed gently to the rhythm of the cabin and suddenly I remembered where I was. I was aboard a train on its way across the country and I was far from home.

My eyes shifted from the cushions of the seat I’d made into a bed to the passenger compartment of the train car in which I was. The dim lighting from the lamps flickered as the wheels ran across uneven sections of the track. Despite the lack of lighting, I could still make out over a half dozen ponies laying about the train car. Most of them, like me, had found someplace comfortable to catch up on their sleep. No, not all, a single dark shape stood at the very end of the car near the doorway. His dark coloring helped him blend in with the shadows around him. His armored back was to me, head turned towards one of the windows nearest him while, most likely, watching the moon. It had been a long seventy two hours since leaving Canterlot, and much had happened in that time.

After a few more moments of staring at the dark figure, I looked away and rose to my hooves, working the kinks out of my lower back and neck. It seemed the train’s seats had not exactly been meant for use as bedding and had not been very kind to my body. As I rubbed a hoof along my shoulder, a thought popped into my head and I smirked. Father would say I was getting soft if he saw me now, and I suppose in a way I was. The beds my sisters and I had shared while growing up had not been the most comfortable things in the world, nor was life on a farm an easy thing. Especially not the type of farm my parents ran. Had it really been almost fifteen years since I’d last been home? When I was used to being up early in the morning to begin my chores alongside my sisters? Most of the work kept us busy in the fields until supper, and after that it was a bit of schooling followed by sleep. My thoughts of home were interrupted by a bit of movement out of the corner of my eye.

Turning my head, thankfully with little to no pain, my eyes fell across one of the dark windows along the train car’s walls. The lamp light behind me reflected off the glass, making it almost impossible to see anything beyond it. Not that there was a lot to see anyway, just flat seemingly unending desert for miles around. It wasn’t the movement of the landscape that had caught my attention, but the reflection of a mare, her image waving in the glass as telephone poles sped past.

A light gray earth pony face stared back from the window, light purple eyes blinking slowly. Her slender face was framed by her long, straight dark gray mane. She wore a dark blue jacket which hung over a bulky black armored security barding. It looked out of place on the mare, along with the sidearm she had holstered on her right foreleg. A simple semi automatic pistol, small caliber. Her head turned slightly to the side, revealing a number of small cuts along her cheek and jaw and an even nastier looking scar on her neck. As she turned her head back around, her long mane dropped across the scar and hid it from view once more. Beyond the signs of recent fighting, she looked tired and worn out, but she had every right to be. It had been a long, hard trip and nothing had gone as it should have.

I looked away from my reflection in the window to look over the half dozen survivors of my guard detail... my squad mates... no, my friends. It was hard to imagine that three days ago I’d not known any of the sleeping forms scattered about the train car’s many empty seats, but in that time we’d shared so much. Jokes, food, laughter, and loss. We’d started off with twelve, but the damned zebras had been on us nearly the whole way and would likely continue to hound us until we reached our final destination. Again, my eyes wandered to the proud. dark figure seated at the other end of the train. His back was still to me as he stared out into the night, likely to the moon. It was full tonight. I bit my lower lip as I briefly thought of going to him, but a voice to my right gave me a start.

“Isabella?”

“Everything’s fine, Midnight. I was just going to go check in on our prisoner. Go back to sleep,” I answered the owner of the voice, a dark furred unicorn. Her blue eyes opened just a bit, sleep once more overtaking them as she nodded her horned head. Laying it back atop a pillow, she slowly drifted back to sleep. I looked back up towards the end of the car and arched a brow. The dark figure was gone, having slipped out while I’d been distracted.

I turned away from the car and took several light steps towards the door. Pulling it open, I hurriedly stepped out between the cars before the noise could disturb anypony else. Warm night air flowed across my face, blowing my mane and tail about as I took a deep breath of the fresh air. Thoughts of my parents’ farm returned to my mind as I moved across the narrow platform between cars and onto the next. The only sounds were the dull roar of air rushing past as the train rocked over the tracks and the steady clanking of the wheels. Reaching a hoof out to the door of the second car, I pulled it open and stepped inside, allowing the door to shut on its own as I looked about. Almost at once, I noticed something wasn’t quite right.

It was empty, nearly completely dark, and it felt wrong somehow. I stood for a moment in the darkness and let my eyes adjust. The only source of light was a single lamp still flickering near the back of the car. The light of the full moon shone in through the few windows where the shades had not been pulled down. Once I began to make out the shapes of the seats, I began looking for Thunderwing. It was likely his turn at watch, but I saw no sign of the pegasus anywhere... maybe he’d fallen asleep? A trained soldier in the Equestrian military, who’d seen combat, falling asleep while on duty...

Without even realizing what I was doing, my mouth quickly lowered to the pistol strapped to my over large security barding. With a slight tug, I quietly pulled it free. The unfamiliar taste and weight of the firearm filled my mouth as I nervously clicked the safety off with a flick of my tongue. Beyond firing it a couple times wildly, I’d not really used it. Still, some part of me was telling me I was going to need it.

Taking a few steps away from the doorway, I scanned the rows of empty seats while looking for any trace of the dark blue pegasus. As I went, I noticed it was growing brighter behind me and quickly glanced across my shoulder to look towards the windows on the left side of the car. A massive billboard had been built along the tracks on a hill and we were rapidly approaching it. Its lights were bright enough to even shine inside the train car’s shaded windows. I turned away and took another step and stumbled, nearly falling into the floor as something caught my right foreleg. Looking down, I saw a blue furred limb sticking out from between a row of seats along with a pool of dark liquid that I didn’t need light to tell me was blood.

“Bad timing, pony,” a voice whispered from the shadows. I jerked my head back up just as the sign outside reached the car I was in. In the all too brief flash of light that traveled the length of the passenger car, I saw a dozen zebras shimmering into existence from beneath their stealth cloaks. Silenced pistols, submachine guns, and rifles held in their hooves and mouths. The one that had spoken held a serrated knife in between his teeth, blood still dripping from it.

Oh fuck... I was so very dead. I took several steps back towards the door, but I knew I’d never make it. They’d reach me before I could even touch the doorknob. Shouting for help might alert the others... but it could be muffled over the train’s own noise. I felt tears running down my cheeks as the zebras began closing the distance. The knife wielding stallion was in the lead, a wicked grin on his muzzle. I opened my mouth to scream, but what happened next surprised us all.

The window a few steps to my left exploded inward in a shower of sparkling glass shards as something large and pony shaped slammed into the zebra wielding the blood soaked knife. The striped equine went down without a sound as clawed horseshoes slashed across his throat, turning whatever he’d been about to say into little more than a gurgle. As the zebra bled out beneath him, the large dark shape flung out it’s right foreleg. Something flew out from the motion, slicing through the air between two stunned zebras to smash into the remaining lamp. It burst, snuffing what little dim light it had been producing in a spray of oil and bits of glass. Darkness settled over the train car, but that was quite alright. My saviour had no need of light to see and, for a moment, I almost felt sorry for these poor bastards.

My rescuer’s head snapped upward. The moonlight was shining in from the broken window behind him and reflected off his golden eyes with their narrow black slits, like dragon eyes. He rose to his full height, towering over the zebras as they slowly recovered their wits. However, their courage once more fled them as the figure’s wings snapped open. Unlike most ponies wings, his had no feathers but a thin tattered membrane of leather stretched out from the joints. Honestly, it made him resemble something from a nightmare.

The zebras shouted in alarm at the beast among them, for it was not just something from anypony’s nightmare... it was their nightmare, or rather one of her nightmares who had just appeared. A creature of death and darkness.

The moonlight danced across his silver armor as he moved far more quickly than a creature his size should ever be able to. The zebras’ legendary reflexes and quickness seemed to forsake them in the face of their most hated foe. The flashes of gunfire they managed to snap off briefly illuminated the scene before me, as the single shape slid easily between the infiltrators. As another zebra was struck by the razor sharp claws, he squeezed the trigger of his weapon. The resulting flash of light from the pistol’s muzzle showcased the killer.

The shape and size was that of a large pony stallion. A large snout, wide eyes, ears, mane, tail, and hooves all where they should be. However, there were a number of differences from your average pony, quite noticeable in the burst of light from the pistol’s muzzle flare. His coat blended in well with the darkness, being midnight black in color. Long sharp fangs gleamed in the light as the stallion snarled, his long ears ending with tufts of fur laid back flat against his skull. The normally wide eyes of a pony were narrowed to slits in his anger, drawing attention to the glowing golden irises that filled them. Pupils that were slit like a cat or dragon, unlike the rounded ones found on most living creatures. He was a member of the rarely seen fourth tribe of ponies, a negasus. Personal guards of Princess Luna and born warriors and killers.

He wore the armor of his office, silver plate trimmed in dark purple covering his large chest and forelegs. Upon his head was a helmet of similar craftsponyship with a dark purple and midnight blue striped crested fin. Upon each hoof he wore silver armored shoes that came up over them, the front pair tipped with claws; claws that were already stained red with the blood of the zebras and were even now slashing downward. The zebra’s pistol flared to life once more, the bullet flying harmlessly into the ceiling of the train car as the razor sharp claws of the hoof armor struck him. Crimson painted the nearby windows of the car as those claws sliced neatly through flesh and bone, severing arteries as it went. More gunfire lit up the scene as the downed zebra’s comrades opened fire upon the negasus.

However, he was already moving, the bullets skimming across his armored flanks to embed themselves into the passenger car’s walls or shattering the windows. A few struck the already dead zebra as he dropped to the floor, blood pumping from deep cuts in his throat.

His bat like wings flapped once to give him a boost to the ceiling, where he deftly twisted about to bring his hooves to bear upon the roof of the car. With a flash of sparks, his armored hooves kicked off from the wood and metal ceiling to propel him downwards into the midst of the zebras where he lashed out with both front and rear hooves.

A zebra caught by the slashing claws staggered back, his face mostly missing and his submachine gun dropping uselessly to the floor. His hooves flew to his face to attempt to stop the flow of blood. The zebras closed in around the winged stallion, some dropping their weapons in favor of drawing knives and similar close combat weapons. One of them leveled his pistol towards the silver armored pony, ready to end the fight with a shot to the skull. How he knew, I’d never know, but somehow he did. With a kick any earth pony would be proud of, the negasus slammed his forehooves into the floor and lashed out with his rear.

The metal shod limbs connected with the zebra’s jaw, causing him to pull on the trigger and fire a round. The shot flew just in front of the pony who had ducked down with the kick. The bucked zebra flew back from the force of the blow, striking the door at the back of the car with enough energy to break the lock and force it open. The zebra crashed through the doorway and out onto the walkway between cars and lay still below a pair of hooves standing near the next car’s door. My eyes jerked up as the door began to close back and I caught sight of the pair. Zebras, one kneeling down beside the doors many locks. Most of them were now open with the last being probed by a long piece of metal held in the striped stallion’s mouth. The other had been standing watch, her assault rifle swung over her shoulder. A stealth cloak was quickly brought up as the body of the prone zebra came to a stop beside them. She looked from him to the door and me. Our eyes locked and she smirked.

Shit...

“Look out!” I shouted and lunged into the pitiful cover that a row of seats would provide as the zebra mare opened fire with her rifle. High caliber rounds tore through the train car, shredding the cushions of the seats and sending stuffing into the air. I heard rounds striking flesh and heard the familiar sounds of zebra voices yelling out in pain. Covering my head with my fore hooves, my pistol laying on the floor in a pool of blood, I screamed in fear as the rounds drew closer to hitting me. Opening my eyes, I saw the silver clad hooves of the negasus as he rushed towards the door before they disappeared as he took to the air. The firing stopped and I heard another shout of pain, followed by a door slamming shut.

Blinking, I slowly began to rise from where I lay beside the body of Thunder and peered over the tattered remains of the seats. A dozen bodies lay scattered about the car, claw marks and bullet wounds flowing red with blood. A few twitched or moaned, but I doubted they would for very long. My eyes followed the trail of death towards the far end of the car and the armored pony standing there with a zebra mare impaled on his claws.

The stallion stood on his hind legs, a number of cuts and wounds along his body from the fight. His armor was stained with blood, nearly all of it somepony else’s. One clawed forehoof was pressed into the chest of the mare, pinning her to the door of the train car several so high up off the floor that her hind legs dangling in the air. The stallion’s free front leg was pulled back, ready to drive the blades of his clawed shoe into her face.

For her part, the mare glared hatefully at the negasus, her forehooves wrapped around the limb holding her in place. Her ears folded back against her skull as her orange eyes glared into the golden orbs of her killer. The remains of her assault rifle’s shoulder strap dangled uselessly from around her neck, the weapon itself half broken on the floor below her hooves. The mare bared her teeth and muttered a couple words in her native tongue to the pony.

“Shetani shujaa weusi na kifo...” teeth bared, she hissed out in her native tongue as blood ran down her chin. The negasus merely smirked, flashing his row of sharp fangs to the mare.

“Yes, I am...” he said in response to whatever she’d said, before slamming his free hoof into the mare’s face.

I closed my eyes and turned away at the bloody sight, ears folding back as I heard the sounds of flesh being ripped and the mare’s gurgled last breaths.

“...your death.”

The bat winged stallion let the lifeless body of the zebra slide down to the floor before him, slumped over against the door to the passenger car. The pony dropped to his hooves and scanned the room slowly, golden eyes looking over the fallen bodies of his foes before stopping upon me.

“Are you alright?”

“I... yes... I’m fine.” I managed to say, stepping over a slain zebra stallion. His eyes stared lifelessly up at the ceiling as his blood pooled out around him. The thick liquid flowed slowly around the dropped submachine gun he’d not had a chance to reload before having his throat ripped out, “Better than Thunder...” I glanced over my shoulder at the dead pegasus before a thought struck me. “The prisoner!”

With a quick nod, my rescuer turned and pushed the dead mare out from the front of the door before pushing it open. The howl of the night air rushed into the compartment, rustling my mane and tail as the negasus stepped over another dead body to reach the next car. Behind us, the door to the car we’d all been resting in burst open. Midnight, along with most of the others from our team, came in with drawn weapons.

“What the hell...” the mare began, the soft glow of her horn flickering as she saw the devastation.

“It was a zebra strike team... they must have snuck aboard at our last stop.” The unicorn simply nodded her head before her eyes stopped upon the prone form of Thunder.

“Oh no...”

A slender, red coated earth pony mare pushed past Midnight, making her way towards the still form of Thunder. Her saddlebags were marked by a trio of pink butterflies. She was our medic, Rubyheart. I turned away from the sight of the mare examining the pegasus. I knew he was dead, there’d been too much blood around him for him not to be. As I turned, one of the prone bodies rose up quickly and I screamed in fear.

Blood flowing down the wounded zebra’s scalp, he shoved the barrel of his gun into my face and pulled the trigger...

With a gasp, my eyes snapped open and I was suddenly awake once more... or was it for the first time? Jerking my head up from the pillow I was laying upon, I blinked rapidly and attempted to get my bearings on just where I was at. My heart was racing and I was surprised to find myself somewhat out of breath as if I’d just run a race... or been fighting for my life. I’d never had a dream quite like that one before, it’d been so real. The smells and sounds. The taste of cold steel as she’d held the pistol in her mouth, the feeling of the recoil as the weapon fired. It had almost been as if I’d actually been there, like I’d been that mare... which was perhaps the oddest thing of all.

I’d had dreams before where I’d been somepony else, who hasn’t really? A famous hero from history who held off waves of zebra soldiers, a beloved character from a story about pirates and lost treasure, or the stallion who saves the day in one of those cheesy horror movies. But in all those dreams over all these years, I’d never once dreamed of being a mare and not a stallion... and what's worse... I could feel the differences. I had been that mare, right down to the changes in body parts and that was a bit extreme for a dream.

What's more, those ponies I’d seen seemed familiar, like somepony I’d seen years ago, but that was impossible. I’d never seen a batpony before, and he’d be fairly obvious in a Stable. Also, it’d looked more like life before the bombs had fallen. At least, I’d gotten a sense it had been before then. Ugh... this was getting me nowhere fast.

Pushing away those thoughts, I once more focused on my surroundings as I noticed the dim light from earlier had grown brighter and was coming from a doorway just across the floor from where I lay. Reaching a hoof up, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and blinked a couple of times until the living room of the apartment came into clearer view. I then realized I’d slept on the couch all night. No wonder I was having crazy ass dreams. The couch was nice, but it was hardly the most forgiving thing to sleep on. I could already feel a couple kinks in my back. Huh... what time was it anyway?

As I began to turn my head towards the side to see the clock hanging on the wall, a sharp pain ran up my neck causing me to wince. Yep, not forgiving at all. I snorted softly and rested my head back down on the couch’s armrest and stared up at the off white ceiling, waiting a few seconds for the pain to ease up. Once it had, I lifted my right foreleg up to my face and checked the time on my Pipbuck. The green glow of the screen highlighted my face and the couch I was on. The darker green digital numbers displayed that the time was seven thirty-six on a Friday. Well, it was a good thing neither Tiny nor I had anywhere to be this morning, otherwise we’d both be running a good deal behind.

With the army coming home and Nightmare Night tomorrow, the government had issued a citywide holiday for the weekend. Thus, all the ponies with family returning could meet them and spend the day with them. The three day weekend would begin for most this afternoon, and for the rest this morning. I was lucky enough to be in the latter group as was Tiny and every other foal in the city. School had been canceled for today.

Of course, not everypony had family in the army. None of us from 45 did, though in another couple months we just might if Bright and a few others were intent on joining up. Nor could every business in the city be shut down completely for three whole days. While the factories were normally closed on the weekends, a couple of ponies from maintenance would still be working for a few hours today, even including a couple from our Stable. The police and guard would of course still be on duty, although they might be slightly under strength, as would the doctors and nurses of Princess Cadence’s Hospital for Foals (the largest hospital that was within the walled sections of San Ponsisco), since so many of their numbers would be staying at home with friends and family. The shops would be open for a few hours today as well, before shutting down for the weekend and the holiday.

Thinking about the holiday reminded me, I needed to head into the market district today and pick up a few things. Spearmint said we were running a bit low. I needed to get cleaned up first and as I began to rise I felt a light weight pressing down on my chest. Blinking I looked down and noticed a lump under the blanket in just about the right spot. Reaching my right hoof out, I took ahold of the cover and lifted it up. The worn green blanket barely got a few inches up when I saw who was laying there.

A pink ball of fur, hooves, and curly mane and tail was pressing herself tightly to my chest, rising and falling slowly as she slept peacefully. Her head was still using her bedtime story book as a pillow. Seems neither of us had made it to our beds last night. I smiled at the sight of my niece, contently sleeping there with a smile on her small face. At least my chest seemed more comfortable than the couch.

As carefully as I could, I wrapped her sleeping form up in the blanket and slid filly and all off my chest and onto the couch. Rising to my hooves, I heard a light murmuring come from her mouth as she snuggled into the blanket and drifted off to sleep. Pushing a lock of her solid pink mane away from her face, I watched her sleep for a moment more before stepping away from the couch.

Once I’d reached the bathroom, I set about getting ready to shower before making breakfast and waking Tiny up. My bundle of endless joy would need to come with me to the Market District today, seeing how Spearmint would likely be busy helping Doctor Kindheart with the overflow from the hospital. Reaching a hoof into the tub, I twisted the knob marked for hot water.

While the water warmed up, I checked my reflection in the mirror over the sink. Running a hoof over my chin, I noticed I was getting a bit scruffy there and would need to trim up my coat soon unless I wanted to end up with a beard or mustache. I snorted at the thought, and of Ebony’s suggestion I grow one.

Some mares dig facial hair, my sister had said in one of her many attempts to get me married off to one of my co workers or ANY mare in the Stable. I chuckled at the happy memory and reached out to the mirror to open the door it was on. Behind it was a small medicine cabinet built into the wall of the bathroom. It was where I kept my shaving supplies along with a few other things. As I took out a few things, a random thought popped into my head. I found it odd that we called it a medicine cabinet when it rarely, if ever, held any medicine.

With my shower and shave complete, I opened the door to the bathroom and braced myself for the Sugar Rush that was sure to await me beyond it. To my disappointment, the hallway beyond lacked any sign of the hyperactive pink filly of happiness. Walking out, I retraced my steps to the living room and found my niece still happily curled up in the blanket, sleeping away the morning. I chuckled softly and decided to allow her a few more minutes of sleep while I fixed us a quick breakfast. I could do without the audience waiting for something to burst into flames.

Moving away from the couch, I entered the kitchen and prepared myself for the epic struggle ahead. Standing in the doorway, I glanced over the only room in our home I spent little time in, at least recently. The olive green kitchen appliances all sat humming with electricity in their places within the row of cabinets. Was it just me, or was the stove glaring at me? No... it was just the shadows created by light forcing its way past the curtains and onto the metal frame. At least I hoped so...

Stepping away from the doorway, I trotted over towards the cabinets above the stove and pulled out a medium sized pan from the bottom shelf and sat it atop the counter. Then I went to the pantry that covered a section of wall between the kitchen and living room. Opening it, I looked about the few boxes we had inside until I found what I was looking for: a round plastic container marked Oats. Hmm, Spearmint was right, we were running low on a lot of things.

Shutting the pantry door and with container in mouth, I turned back to the counter beside the stove and sat it down. After filling the pan with water from the tap (and making sure it didn’t click with a pass of my Pipbuck), I sat it atop the stove to boil. It didn’t take long, the stove was quite good at getting things hot, as I’d found out a number of times before. Adding a good bit of dry oats to the water, I replaced the lid on top of the container and waited for the mixture to finish. Oatmeal, the breakfast of champions... and lazy stallions. Still, mom had fixed it often enough for Ebony and me, and she’d always spiced it up with some cinnamon.

While the oats soaked up the boiling water, I returned the plastic container to the pantry and retrieved a couple of bowls, cups, and spoons from elsewhere in the kitchen. As I sat the pieces out onto the small kitchen table, I was reminded of how ramshackled life on the surface was. One bowl was yellow, the other pink (Sugar had of course claimed that for herself), both were faded with years of being exposed to the elements. Some pony had likely found them in the ruins of the city, or somewhere else out in the wasteland. The cups were two different sizes, one made of glass and the other blue plastic with flowers. The glass cup had a small crack running down the inside, but not all the way through. I wondered if it had been caused by a megaspell blast or simply poor handling. Even the silverware was mismatched. Still, it was better that it worked than it looked pretty. I suppose if it bothered me that much I could have always gotten a set we’d brought from the Stable.

Celestia knows everypony was insistent on letting me get first pick on anything in short supply we’d brought with us from there. They all seemed to think they owed me for saving their friends and family, but I’d turned them down in favor of giving those things to ponies who could actually use it. Well... ‘almost’ everything...

After retrieving a small shaker of cinnamon from the top shelf of the pantry, I began scooping out the finished oatmeal into the bowls and carrying them over to the small kitchen table. With the table set, I then set about getting my morning coffee ready, filling the pot with water and rummaging around the cabinets until I found the packets of instant coffee. Seems there’d been a whole warehouse of the stuff found outside the walled sections of the city. Thank the goddesses for small favors.

Stopping to get the last bit of milk from the fridge, I trotted back out into the living room and towards the still sleeping form of my niece. Somehow, in the space of time it took me to fix breakfast, the little filly had gotten herself all wrapped up in the blankets and had her hooves and tail spread out in every direction. Her head was even hanging off the edge of the couch.

“Tiny... Tiny, it’s time to wake up,” I called out, gently unwrapping the end of the blanket from around her right hind leg. The filly twitched and mumbled in her sleep. My ears perked towards her, but missed whatever it was she’d said. As the last hoof was extracted from the cover, I sat my niece up and gently poked her in the belly with my nose. “Come on, Sugar, it’s time to get up.”

“Uncle... Shadow?” came a reply to the poke as she laid back on her side and yawned before opening one bright golden eye to look about the room. It stopped its slow scan when it landed on me, the other opening a bit to join the first at looking up at me. A moment later, a wide smile spread across her face. “Good morning, Uncle Shadow!” she chirped happily as she sat up on the couch, rubbing her eyes with her fore hooves before letting loose a massive yawn.

I chuckled and waited a few more minutes for her to wake up fully before reaching down to snag the scruff of her neck in my teeth. Lifting her up from the couch, I deposited one yawning and giggling filly onto my back. She promptly flopped over onto her side and stretched out as I carried her back towards the kitchen. As we neared the door, she leaned back and lifted her muzzle into the air. Sniffing and sitting back up on my back, her ears perked up right and she blinked.

“Did you fix breakfast without me, Uncle Shadow?”

“Yes, Tiny I did. But you didn’t miss anything, there was no fire this time.” We stepped into the kitchen, the bowls of oatmeal still steaming.

“Awww....” Pouting, she folded her forelegs over her chest and slumped on my back. I chuckled and trotted on over to the kitchen table, pulling out a chair so that she could get down. “But I like helping you cook.”

“I know, Tiny, but you can help me fix dinner since Spearmint’s busy tonight.” I turned towards the chair and, with a hop, my niece dropped down from my back onto the dark green seat of the chair. Placing her fore hooves upon the table, she reared up and peered up at her bowl of oats. Ah, I almost forgot, the chairs in the kitchen were shorter than the dining room. Looking to the wall beside the window, I trotted over and retrieved a sturdy plastic box for just such a situation.

“Aunt Spearmint’s busy?” she asked, cocking her head to the side before turning around to watch me bring her makeshift booster seat over to her. Scooting back, she waited until I’d placed it on the edge of her seat before hopping on and allowing me to slide it fully in place.

“Yes she is, she’s normally so busy with work and taking care of me.” To this, Sugar giggled as I expected. She was actually more busy with my niece, but I didn’t want her thinking she was a bother to anypony. “And doesn’t have a lot of time to herself. She’s made plans to go out with a friend tonight.” In truth, it was a bit more of a date than going out with a friend.

The kind hearted unicorn had meet the stallion at the market a week ago while shopping with Sugar Pie. He was a local and, according to Wendy, cute. I’d take her word on it. I was happy for Spearmint. She’d found herself a nice pony, and I’d hoped he’d make her happy if things turned serious. However, it was a bit soon to be thinking that way. At least I thought so... Wendy and Tassles seemed to think otherwise.

“Out with a friend? Why can’t we go with them?” Sugar asked as her horn sparked to life. In a glow of light pink, the cinnamon floated slowly over towards her from across the table. I watched, a bit worriedly, as the shaker jerked and dipped a few times in midair threatening to spill the rare spice across the floor. Finally, it lowered closer to the table and she added a fair amount to her breakfast.

“Well, she already spends so much time over here with us that she doesn’t get a lot of time with her other friends...” I began, trotting back towards the kitchen counter and the coffee maker. It was still making a pot, so I simply switched out a mug for the half full pot. As it finished filling, I replaced the pot and turned back to find Sugar once more with her head cocked to the side and looking at me. Oh... I know that look... it was a look Ebony got whenever she figured something out I was trying to hide...

“She wants to spend time with her other friend alone...” Her ears twitched a bit as she thought about it. A second later, her smile grew once more and she looked up from her bowl to me. “Aunt Spearmint’s got a coltfriend!” she giggled and clapped her forehooves together happily. I stumbled a bit on my return to the table.

“I suppose so...” I answered, not really wanting to get into that subject with my young niece. “Who told you about coltfriends?” I asked, walking back to the table carefully with my mug of coffee. It was still quite hot after all.

“Aunt Wild did!” came the answer.

Of course she did...

Wildfire.

“It must be that nice pony she met at the market! He’s really nice and gave me a few oranges for being a good filly!” I snorted softly. My niece would like anypony who gave her free food. She continued talking about the stallion as I sipped my coffee. “He seemed kinda shy though. Oh... oh... I bet after dinner they're going to go home and ‘do it’! Aunt Wild never said what that means, but she said it’d make you feel better, Uncle Shadow. Maybe you should go join them.”

…

“Are you okay, Uncle Shadow? Was your coffee bad? I’ve never seen you spit it out all over the place before! Oh! Are we dancing now? Yay!!”

Coffee was even hotter when it was sucked down the wrong pipe, my lungs were less than happy.

Also, it tended to burn a lot when you spilled a mug of it on your crotch.

You are so dead, Wild...

After breakfast was finished and after explaining to Tiny that we weren't to use ‘do it’ in conversation, I managed to corral my now fueled bundle of energy into the bathroom. Getting her cleaned up resulted in me taking a second bath, since my small pink niece seemed intent on splashing me quite often. A fact not helped when I returned the favor. In truth, I needed to clean up again anyway, seeing how my hind quarters smelled like coffee and I really didn’t feel like trying to explain that. With the bathroom cleaned up of spilled water, my niece took it upon herself to comb my mane and tail. Luckily, I managed to convince her that neither needed to be braided. As we trotted out of the bathroom, I sent her off for a couple pieces of paper and a pencil from a small table near the front door.

With my assistant following closely behind me, we set about making a list of things we would need for the month. Starting in the bathroom, we worked our way through the apartment looking in closets, cabinets, and the refrigerator. As I called out something we needed, my niece would scribble it across the paper, her horn glowing brightly as she worked. Of course to ensure it was legible, I helped spell out a number of things for her. While there were a few cleaning supplies, personal items, and general everyday things on the list, a good deal of it was food. Despite Tiny’s best efforts otherwise, there were only a small number of sweets on the list. Once the list was finished, I checked to make sure we hadn’t forgotten anything, and I erased the notes on why we needed four dozen cupcakes from the bottom of the paper. Gently, I rolled it up and shoved it into my saddlebags.

Opening the door to the apartment, I turned to the sound of small galloping hooves and smirked. Tiny was rounding the corner of the hallway to our rooms and skidded a bit across the hardwood floor. Spinning around a few times, she came to a halt when her slide brought her into contact with the dining room table. Both table and filly scooted another inch over before coming to a stop. Shaking her head to clear her vision and regain her balance, Tiny ran up to me. Her own saddlebags bounced against her sides as she jumped out into the hallway with a happy little giggle. Smirking, I took ahold of the door and closed it, making sure to lock it before we set off. As I passed my niece, I ruffled up her mane and chuckled at the long drawn out complaint that followed.

“Uncle Shhhhaadddoooww!” A small, pink hoof swatted at my own as I headed for the stairs.

After taking the first few steps down, I heard a shout and the scurrying of hooves before my niece landed upon my back in a flurry of pink and laughter. Luckily, I’d expected the move, and had already braced myself for the assault. My hooves spaced a bit on the steps to take the sudden increase in weight (as little as she was.) As she got comfortable between my saddlebags, I merely snorted and continued on my way down the steps. Unsurprisingly, we saw little sign of the other inhabitants of our building in the stairwell. Most either were still asleep or simply relaxing in their homes. Tassles had already left for her own job earlier most likely, though she’d be getting off around noon to enjoy her holiday weekend. Wendy and her foal were both likely still sleeping.

Reaching the ground floor, we made our way through the silent lobby and out through the front doors. As we set hoof out into the street, we found even it was almost deserted save for a couple of ponies. They appeared to be heading off to do some shopping, judging by the looks of their empty saddlebags. Looking around, I noticed something odd about the day. It was brighter than any other I’d seen since coming to the surface. Glancing skyward, I saw the thick grey cloud cover hanging over the city was a bit lighter today. It was a sign that the storm last night had likely blown away some of the pegasi’s thick cover. Seems not even the legendary weather controlling power of the pegasi could keep such a massive layer of clouds in place forever. I suppose they’d get around to replacing it sooner or later, lest us muck ponies should see a bit of blue sky. Ah well, enjoy it while we can.

“So, where to first, Tiny?” I asked, as I turned to start trotting down the sidewalk. I nodded to Mr. and Mrs. Copper, an elderly couple that used to teach in the Stable’s school. In fact, they’d taught Ebony and me when we’d been foals. They smiled and nodded in return as they passed me.

“The candy store!” Came the cheerful response from my niece, followed by a giggle as I groaned.

“Don’t you think you’re going to get enough candy this weekend, Tiny?”

“Enough candy? There’s never such a thing, Uncle Shadow!!” My niece sounded shocked that I’d said such a thing and I snorted.

“Celestia forbid...” I smirked and started to suggest we start our shopping at the general store when a voice called out from just ahead. I came to a halt as I realized there was a pony a few steps ahead of us.

“Come on, Harvestgold... I’m sorry, but somepony has to check in on the crops...” It was Green Hoof, sitting on the sidewalk with his head tilted back towards the apartment building that stood beside my own. I followed the green earth pony’s gaze up the brick and mortar eight story building to it’s fourth floor. A window was opened and a yellow coated mare was sticking her head out, looking down to the sidewalk and the stallion.

“It was supposed to be your day off, Green! It’s our anniversary today. Or have you forgotten... again!” Harvest yelled back down to her husband, orange eyes narrowed. Harvest was a well liked mare back in the Stable, and even here. She had a way with plants, just like Green Hoof, and it was this that brought them together. Both had helped me immensely when I’d first discovered my special talent. Green Hoof had showed me everything he knew about plants and how to care for them, and Harvest had encouraged me to take up the role of Stable gardener.

Over the years, however, things had become more difficult for the two. Running the Stable Orchard did not leave them a lot of time to themselves. A sudden change to the Orchard could spell disaster for the entire Stable. One broken light, one flare up of some plant disease, one faulty water pipe and we would have been facing food shortages. Both had wanted children. I think working with me as a young colt had made them see that. Sadly, neither had had the time to work on having them.

Recently, I’d overheard Harvest and Tassles talking about foals while we’d been going to work. The older mare had hoped she might finally have a chance to become a mother with the responsibilities of safeguarding a Stable full of ponies lifted from their shoulders. Even after Green Hoof took the job at Green Acres Farm, it still seemed highly likely the middle-aged couple would get to have at least one foal. But then Green Acres discovered just how much Green Hoof could offer...

“I know, Harvest, I’m only going to be gone an hour at most. Once I’m finished, I’ll be heading straight home,” the unhappy stallion called back up to his wife, eyes hopeful that she’d calm down.

“And then something else will come up and you’ll stay another hour... and then another hour!” she yelled back. Before Green could even open his mouth, the window was slammed shut, seemingly ending their discussion completely.

Green sighed and lowered his head back down to the pavement and his hooves, his shoulders slumping a bit. Well... it could have gone worse... at least she didn’t throw a lamp at him this time.

“Wow... overreacting a bit, isn’t she?” I asked, trotting up to my friend and mentor, offering the stallion a smile. He looked up from the sidewalk and arched a brow.

“Word of advice, Shadow... never, ever, ever say that to a mare.” This drew a giggle from my back, and Green looked from me to the tiny bundle of pink as she sat up on her hind legs to look at him from over my head.

“Like... Duh! Even I know that, Uncle Shadow!”

“Well, my lack of social skills with the opposite sex notwithstanding,” I responded with a roll to my eyes and a slight smile from Green, “Wasn’t somepony else supposed to go in this morning to check on the crops? Why’d you suddenly have to go in?”

“Yes, Gensien was supposed to go in this morning, but her mother came down with a bad flu yesterday and she just found out before she left for the day. She has nopony to watch her foals and her mother is going to have to be hospitalized for a few days...”

“So you volunteered,” I reasoned and the stallion nodded.

“Yeah, nopony else seemed interested in giving up their day off. Even for an hour and for a good reason.” He glanced back to the window where his wife had just been and sighed once more, shaking his head slowly. “I didn’t think Harvest would take the news so badly. Like I said, it’s just for an hour... but I suppose I’ve said something similar before.”

“She has to know you wouldn’t just run off on her unless it’s important.”

“She does, but she’s really been looking forward to finally starting a family, like we used to talk about when we first got married.”

“Yeah, I’ve come across a couple of the mares from the Stable and her talking about it.” I felt bad for him. He’d given up a lot for the Stable, and now for the city. Time that others normally got to spend with their families. “I wish there was something I could do, Green.” I really wished there was, but Sugar had been looking forward to this weekend for a while. While I had more time than I did running security, we still only got a few hours a day to spend with one another.

“You can help Mr. Hoof out, Uncle Shadow!” my niece said, scurrying up a bit further up my neck until she could lean over my head to look at me upside down.

“I’m not sure, Sugar...” Green started to say. He knew, as did most ponies from home, how much my niece meant to me. Even more so after Ebony’s death.

“I am, Mr. Hoof. He’s already wanting to help you out a bunch, I can tell!” A pair of golden eyes shifted from my face to Green’s. “I like going to where Uncle Shadow works anyway... I love playing in the tall green plants!” she giggled and wrapped her fore hooves around my jaw and hugged my snout to her face. “We can go shopping afterwards anyway!”

Green looked from my niece to me, a slightly hopeful look in his eyes. She was right, I did wanna help out my former mentor. He’d taught me a lot and had given a lot for everypony in the Stable. The grip on my snout loosened as Sugar leaned away from me, lowering her voice to whisper to the green earth pony.

“Besides... maybe I can convince Uncle Shadow we need more cupcakes before we go to the stores.” The fact she was just a few inches from my ears had made her attempts at secrecy pointless.

“Hmmhmm...” I snort and toss my head back slowly, feeling the pink ball of fur slide down my neck, giggling as she came to a stop beside my saddlebags. “Still, she’s right. I could go to the farm instead and check up on the crops. An hour won’t matter much for our shopping,” I added before a thought popped into my head and I glanced back to my niece with a small smile. “Although I suppose they could run out of cupcakes at the bakery if we wait too long...” the response was almost instantaneous.

“Run OUT of cupcakes?! Can they do that??” Tiny sat bolt upright at that comment, eyes wide and blinking rapidly as she thought of such a thing happening. Her mouth formed an ‘O’ as the full force of what I said came crashing down. She brought her fore hooves up to her cheeks and fell back onto my saddlebags once again. “The horror! The horror!!”

“Well... if you’re sure it won’t cause a problem...” Green said with a chuckle at my niece’s antics who, after a few more seconds of twitching and muttering ‘the horror’, sat back up.

“I’m sure it isn’t a problem, Green. After everything you’ve done for us, it’s the least I can do,” I answered, glancing back to my niece as she slumped on my back. Snorting softly, I gave her a quick nuzzle to the side. I earned a few giggles before turning back to my friend. “Now, I think we’d better get going, lest somepony miss her chance at cupcakes. Plus, you’ve got a wife to make up with... I believe Miss Blossom just down the street may have some spare flowers.”

“I think she does...” Green had already begun trotting on down the street as he spoke, waving a hoof back to us.

Quickly waving a goodbye, Green Hoof rushed off for flowers to help smooth things over with his wife while we continued on our way down the street. Despite the time of day, there were still few ponies out and almost no wagons rumbling down the streets. It made it much easier and faster to cross, so we made good time across the block and onto the next. As we crossed the street, Doctor Kindheart’s clinic came into view. Unlike yesterday morning however, there was no sign of Spirit Walker outside. Instead, a young earth pony colt was attempting to do her job for her.

Dusty was doing his best to sweep off the couple of steps that led up to the front door of the building. He was holding a broom tightly in his teeth. The problem was that the broom was nearly as twice as tall as him, and he was forced to hold it about midway up the pole. Unfortunately, he had to stand higher up off the ground, leaving his fore hooves to grip the broom tightly. Still, he was making a good try of it... at least until he spotted Sugar Pie waving happily to him.

The young colt attempted to wave back, and lost his balance as the broom handle shifted in his mouth. Flailing his fore hooves he stumbled down both steps and nearly face planted himself on the sidewalk. Luckily, a bit of fancy hoof work and the broom kept that from happening. Spitting the handle out, he wiped off his brow and waved once more to my niece as we trotted up.

“Heya, Dusty! How’s it going?” the pink filly asked as she leaned over my back to look over at the colt. For a moment, I wasn’t sure if he was going to answer her with me being there. He’d hardly said a dozen words to me since he’d been hanging around Sugar, but he surprised me this morning.

“Mornin’ Sugar. It’s goin’ well, Ah think.” He had an accent similar to Stone’s and the tone of a young pony yet to his puberty. “How are ya and Mr. Shadow today?”

“We’re on our way to Uncle Shadow’s work. I’m gonna help him make sure nopony missed out on corn!” She clapped her hooves excitedly and I chuckled. Only Sugar could get excited about anything.

“Oh... so, are ya still goin’ Trick or Treatin’ with me?”

“Of course! I’d never dream of missing Trick or Treating with my bestest best pal!!” The colt blushed and looked down to the sidewalk, kicking at the ground with a fore hoof. “It’s gonna be a lotta fun!”

“So, what’re you up to this morning, Dusty?” I asked, causing the young pony to look back up from the ground.

“Ah’m just helpin’ Spirit with her chores this mornin’... her and Doc Kindheart are busy with a pony that came in last night with a bad case of somethin’. They’re expectin’ a couple more in a few hours.”

“Spearmint said it’d likely be busy for them today,” I responded, looking back up the street. “Well, we better let you get back to work. It’s almost lunchtime and we still have a ways to go before we reach the farm.”

“Yeah, and the bakery might run outta cupcakes if we don’t hurry!”

“Right, and there’s that. Tell Spirit and the others we said hello, Dusty,” I said as I turned to make my way down the street, my niece waving back to her friend.

“Ah will, Mr. Shadow,” the colt answered, picking the broom that had fallen beside him back up and getting ready to return to his own morning tasks.

“See ya tomorrow night, Dusty!”

“Looking forward to tomorrow night, Tiny?” I asked as we made our way along the sidewalk, passing a few ponies as they stepped outside to begin their late day.

“Yeah, it’s gonna be whole lotta fun!! Plus there’s a whole bunch of new ponies to meet and get candy from!” She giggled for a moment before going silent, causing me to blink.

“Tiny?” For a moment she said nothing, until I felt her shift a bit and scoot closer to my neck, tiny pink hooves wrapping around me.

“I wish mommy was here with us...” It was said so softly, I almost missed it over the sound of my hooves clopping across the pavement. I faltered a bit, but quickly pressed on, ears flicking down.

“I know, Tiny. I do, too.”

Nightmare Night was a special day for our family, always had been. It and Hearth’s Warming Eve would be the hardest for both Tiny and myself. Ebony had always made such a big deal out of both, especially after having Sugar. It would be the first year that she would not be there with us. While we’d been doing better over the past two weeks, it was still going to be sometime before the pain fully passed.

Turning the corner of the street we’d been walking along, Green Acres Farm finally came into sight. The twin massive warehouses were half hidden behind the fence that separated them from the rest of the block. Like everywhere else, the streets here were largely deserted and I wasted no time in getting us to the gate.

While all the workers had been given the day off, a pony was still expected to be stationed at the guardpost just beside the gate. Obviously making a job already dull and monotonous into an even longer one. I was surprised to see who was stepping out of the small building beside it, a slender unicorn mare smiling towards Sugar and myself.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite pair of visitors,” Roseart called out in greeting, horn lighting up as she lifted the key ring from her side and began shoving one of the worn metal keys into the rusted padlock. With a click, the lock opened and was gripped in the mare’s magic, sliding free and releasing the gate to open.

“Morning, Rose. I’m surprised to see you here, I thought somepony else would be watching after this place today,” I said to the red unicorn. She pushed the gate open, letting us trot past before following us in, shutting and locking the gate behind us.

“I could say the same of you. I thought Green Hoof was supposed to fill in for Gensien this morning?” she asked as she hurried to catch up with us, light green eyes wandering from me to the filly on my back.

“He was, but we ran into him as we were heading for the market...” I began, but Rose quickly cut me off with a snort. I arched my brow and glanced over to the mare as we neared the first building.

“Harvestgold was yelling at him again, I take it?” she noticed the surprised look on my face and smirked a bit. “She’s stopped by a couple times to retrieve him when he’s forgotten the time.”

“Yes, he has a habit of losing track of everything while working on something.” A habit that had helped Stable 45 a number of times over the years, and caused most of the problems for him and his wife.

“Not many working here stay as late as him. Hell, even my own parents are out of here as soon as it's quitting time.” Once more, a glowing set of keys floated out from the mare and slid into the lock on the door. With a flick, the lock was undone and the door creaked open a bit. “Though I think its more due to them running all over the city, trying to keep track of everything.”

“I suppose I can relate. I’d rather much rather deal with problems myself than have somepony else do them for me.” I followed the mare inside. The room was mostly dark with the only light coming in through the windows that were scattered about the entrance room. It was also silent, and a bit eerie if I was honest.

“I think it has more to do with them being too cheap to hire ponies to manage the other farms for them.” Rose chuckled softly, shutting the door behind us and locking it as well. The mare shifted and flicked a hoof over the light switch beside the door. At once, the room was filled with light, though the warm white glow did little to dispel the silence.

I took a few steps into the room before looking over my shoulder at the uncharacteristically silent filly laying on my back. She had scooted closer to my neck during my talk with Roseart, and had her face hidden in my mane. The white locks of hair practically swallowed the pink filly’s head up. I sighed softly, the thought of her mother had darkened our happy little morning. While I felt about the same as my niece did, I knew it would do neither of us any good to dwell on it. Beside me, Roseart had noticed the silent filly as well and was looking at her worriedly.

“Here to help your uncle with the crops, Sugar?” she asked, a red hoof coming up to brush some of my mane away from Sugar’s face. The little filly blinked up at the mare and turned her head away after staring at her for a minute.

“I guess...” came the muted response.

“Well, I sure hope you can, Tiny. I can’t do this all on my own after all.” I trotted slowly towards my locker, spinning the combination lock around a few times to open it. The only response from my back was a sniffle and I flicked my ears to the sound. Carefully as I could, I turned my head around and unbuckled my saddlebags from around my flanks. Taking hold of them with my teeth as they slid off, I dropped them into the bottom of my locker.

With that done, I turned back around and gently clamped onto Sugar’s small bags and lifted her up off my back by them. Four pink hooves and a limp, fluffy tail hung loosely in the air as I brought her down to the ground before me. As I had with mine, I unlatched the bags from my niece and deposited them atop my own.

Meanwhile, Roseart had remained largely silent as I removed the saddlebags. The mare eventually left us for a moment to go unlock the door into the hallway and remained beside it to give us some privacy.

“Now, is my assistant going to be able to help me with this?” I asked, nosing Sugar’s cheek gently. The filly sniffed and glanced up at me.

“You really need my help?” she asked, ears turning up from their sad downcast state. I smiled warmly and placed a hoof upon her back, pulling her closer to me.

“I sure do. After all, there’s cupcakes on the line.”

“Okay, Uncle Shadow...” A small smile appeared on her muzzle as she wiped a hoof over her golden eyes.

“That’s my girl... now, lets go get ready.” Standing up, I started towards Roseart and the door beside her, lighter hoof steps following hurriedly behind me. Roseart had her own responsibilities to see to, and left us at the door to the showers. She would finish inspecting the second floor office, along with all the windows and doors of the building. She’d then rejoin us in the ‘field’ and help where she could, mostly by keeping Sugar busy.

For her part, Sugar remained largely silent and withdrawn as we trotted into the shower room. The only sound within the room was from our hoofsteps on the tiled floor. I was a bit worried about her, since it’d been very hard to help her adjust to a life without her mother. Likewise how I was having to adjust without having my twin sister. In the end, it was only through the help of my friends that I was able to finally get Sugar to begin interacting again with those around her. Going to school and making friends had helped as well.

After finishing our second shower of the day (and my third), we walked back out into the small hallway. In time, we made our way down to the double doors leading out into the main floor of the warehouse. Stepping hoof out into the ‘field’, Sugar slowly began exploring the rows of pale green plants, being careful to mind her step as I asked her. Step by step, she poked gingerly around clumps of dirt and fallen leaves. As she went, my niece’s mood began to improve and when Roseart finally joined us once more and asked if we’d like to share our lunch with her, things got much better.

The pair began to laugh and talk about anything that came to mind. When the subject of colts came up, my niece declared them to all been gross. ‘Cept for her Uncle Shadow and best friend Dusty. And ncle Stonehoof and Brightblade. And Cousin Ballfire... and... well, by the end of the list, it seemed only a few colts were actually gross.

In the end, it took us almost two hours to fully inspect the two warehouses for any signs of problems. Mostly due in part to chasing a giggling filly around the large open rooms and the parking lot outside. By the time we began trotting back towards the gatehouse, we were all panting , sweaty and tired. However, the pink lump laying across my back was smiling brightly and tiredly waving her hooves about and laughing with Rose who walked beside me.

“Thanks for the help, Rose.” I glanced back across my shoulder to Sugar, who was slowly sitting back up from being sprawled out across my back.

“No problem, Shadow. I’ve seen a few friends have to go through what she did... it wasn’t easy for them either, but it gets better, in time,” the mare said, her horn glowing as the chain link gate slid slowly open on its squeaky wheels. As I began to trot past her, Sugar hurriedly jumped up and hugged the unicorn mare around the neck, giving her a nuzzle on the cheek.

“Thanks for the fun games, Rosey! It was a lotta fun!”

“You’re welcome, Sugar. Maybe next time you come with your uncle to work, we’ll get another chance to play.” Rose returned the nuzzle and gently patted the filly on her back, before she leaned back up onto my back.

“I’d like that.” Wide yellow eyes turned to look up at me, a pout on her lips. “Can I, Uncle Shadow? Huh? Can I?”

“We’ll see, Tiny. For now, we need to go get our shopping done before all the stores close.” Smiling down to my niece, I looked back up to Rose and nodded my head. “Thanks again, Rose. See you at work on Monday?” I asked.

“Yep, same time as always I imagine,” she responded with a grin, horn glowing once more as she trotted back a few steps and closed the gate back, locking it in place.

Turning away from the mare’s retreating backside, we finally began our journey towards the Market District of the city. Only a few hours behind schedule, of course. Luckily though, there were a number of places we could buy the things we needed, and I doubted all of them would be closed.

By the time we arrived in the Market District, it was a little after two in the afternoon and a good many of the stalls and smaller shops had already closed for the day. A couple of them were places where I’d normally buy my things from, but no matter. Most of the larger stores were still open, if a bit busy with other last minute shoppers. Ponies, zebras, donkeys, and griffons were coming and going all around us. Their packs were stuffed with everything from common household items to special treats for tomorrow’s trick or treaters. I was once more thankful Sugar was riding on my back. In a crowd this size, she could have easily become lost.

“Alright, Tiny, you’re in charge of the list, so what’s first?” I asked over my shoulder as I stepped aside for a large stallion to pass us by. I felt my pink passenger lean over my side and open the flap to my saddlebags, retrieving our shopping list in a soft pink glow of magic.

“Hmm... we need some more soap, shampoo, detug... detar... um, soap for clothes!” A giggle followed the failed attempts and I chuckled as well. “And food of course.” As she spoke, she scooted back up to my neck and peered around my head at the stores and shoppers.

“Well, we’ll save the food for last since a few items we need should be kept cold,” I answered as I scanned the storefronts along with my niece. After a few seconds, I caught sight of a general store that Spearmint and I had gone to before to buy a few things when our usual shops were out. It was run by a family of zebra, and their prices were quite low due to them making much of the things they sold themselves. I’d been thinking of giving them more business, and it seems now I would get the chance.

“Aww... but what if they run outta cupcakes before we get to the bakery?” my pink filly asked, wrapping her tiny legs around my neck and hugging me.

“Then we’ll simply buy the items we need to make our own,” I answered with a chuckle, setting off for the corner store while trying to keep from bumping into anyone.

“Oh yeah...” the grip on my neck loosened as Tiny sat back on her rump.

Stepping into the store, I was not surprised to see it mostly empty, despite the amount of traffic that was out on the street. Like I’d noticed before, zebra run stores tended to get less business, than say a griffon run store, with the pony population of San Ponsisco. Still, there were a few other ponies inside the aged brick building, browsing the aisles or checking out near the register.

“Can I help you find anything?” a voice said from my right. As I turned to look, I spotted Xenia, the daughter of the store’s owner. She helped usually by welcoming customers into her parent’s store. In addition, helping them if they needed something or thanking them as they left. Like her family, she was a zebra, but looked and sounded more like a pony. Most likely, that had to do with being born in the city. Her family had escaped the land of their birth from what I’d managed to piece together. Like Equestria, the Zebra’s Empire had been all but destroyed by balefire spells. Xenia’s mother and father had wanted their first born to have a chance at more than just endless warfare and had come to Equestria to try and find it.

The striped mare lacked the thick accent of her parents, though she spoke both languages fluently. She also lacked the mohawk that most zebras from their homeland wore. Instead, her mane was cut short, coming to just half way down her neck. It still had the familiar white and black stripes to it, though there was more white than black. She did wear the gold neck and leg bands her mother wore, polished to a bright shine, and a pair of jade earrings that she’d told us had belonged to her grandmother. While zebras called them something different, and it was hardly as colorful as a pony’s, her cutie mark was a smiling zebra with outstretched forelegs in welcome. Fitting, given her name meant ‘welcoming’ in her native tongue.

“Nia!” The weight on my back was suddenly gone as Sugar lept across the open space between us and hugged the smiling zebra mare.

“And a good afternoon to you, Sugar Pie,” Xenia, or ‘Nia’ as my niece called her, said to the pink filly happily hanging from her gold neckbands. “It’s good to see you again. Out helping your uncle with some shopping?”

“Yep! Uncle Shadow would be totally lost without me helping him around!” my pink small guide said with a grin. Black hooves reached up and lifted her from the mare's neck, sitting her down on the ground. “Are you ready for Nightmare Night tomorrow? Huh? Are ya??” Fortunately, Tiny missed the sudden shift of the zebra’s eyes to her father near the back of the store. Nor did she hear the unhappy snort and stomp of hooves that followed as the striped equine went into the back of the shop for something.

Ponies weren’t the only ones with long memories in the city. While nearly all the zebras living within the walls of San Ponsisco had little issue with ponies, most, if not all, had a special dislike for Princess Luna and anything associated with her. Such as Nightmare Night. I was still a little unclear on the how’s and why’s of it, nor had I really asked any of them I’d met. All I’d learned had come from a bookish unicorn mare we’d met a few days after arriving. She worked for a organization called the ‘Integration Department’, funded and run by the government to help newcomers when they first settled in the city.

The mare said that while it wasn’t an official rule, it was best not to mention Princess Luna in front of the zebras, or to try to get them to come to anything related to Nightmare Night. It was something most older zebras, and those raised in their ways, disliked speaking of as a whole. Still, she had said it wasn’t uncommon for a few more open-minded zebras to be seen out with friends on the Princess of the Night’s holiday.

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to go tomorrow night, Sugar. I have to help my parents with some things here at the store,” came Nia’s expected response to my niece’s question. Of course, this resulted in a pout from Sugar whose golden eyes widened up at the mare.

“But... but... all the free candy you’re going to miss... and the games...” I could already see Nia’s resolve cracking. No one was immune to my niece’s pout.

“I... I’m sure there’ll be plenty of candy on Hearth’s Warming Eve, and games to play,” Xenia said as she attempted to ease Sugar’s unhappiness at the thought of someone not getting to enjoy Nightmare Night. “I’m sure we’ll even get a chance to play a couple games together as well... and in the meantime...” The young mare looked back to where her father had disappeared, then over to the counter where her mother and aunt were busy checking a customer out, before she looked back down to Sugar. “I’ve already got me some candy for Nightmare Night.”

With only us watching, Xenia turned and retrieved a small bag from behind a counter near the door. It was a simple thing, no bigger than a money pouch, with draw strings at the top. Pulling it open, she shook two pieces of candy from inside and hoofed them over towards Sugar whose eyes grew as wide as saucers at the sight.

To Xenia or I, the candy was just that: candy. Nothing special that you couldn’t buy from a few stores in the Market District, even her own. Xenia’s mother and Aunt were both skilled alchemists and cooks, making everything from cold remedies, love potions, cough drops, hair regrowth tonics, dried fruits, herbs, and candy.

To Sugar Pie, however, these were simply no ordinary candies. Oh no, these were special candies, meant for a special night that came only once a year. Nightmare Night. No other candy could taste as good, as sweet, or as sugary as Nightmare Night candy. These were candies crafted by the goddesses themselves. Or so my young niece thought... and so had I at her age. I could still fondly remember my father sneaking Ebony and I a few treats from mom’s kitchen.

The filly’s horn sparked to life and the two wrapped candies floated from the zebra’s hoof towards Sugar’s wide yellow eyes. A smile replaced the frown that had been forming just seconds ago. Then she blinked and looked back around the shop, as if expecting somepony to be staring at her... or rather her special treats. With a sudden flare of her horn, one of the candies floated up to me, while the other was unwrapped... more or less. It took her several tries, but she eventually got the small square piece of chocolate free of its paper wrapper and into her mouth. Seeing her reaction, I chuckled softly and offered her back the candy she’d given me.

“Well, I hope you know what you’re in for,” I began, as my niece happily took the candy I offered back to her. In a flurry of wrappers, hooves, and magic, the candy was freed and tossed into her mouth. “Sugar on a sugar rush isn’t a pretty picture.”

“It wasn’t THAT bad Uncle Shadow!” Sugar got out between chews. By the smell of it, the candy was chocolate filled with maple. “I helped clean all the soap bubbles out of the Atrium...” this earned a confused look from Xenia to which I simply explained.

“Ponies were sliding around the place for weeks afterwards... and I swear anything on the tables tasted like dishwater...” Sugar giggled and blushed a bit.

“Well, I think we will survive a couple pieces of candy.” The striped mare’s eyes went from my niece to me, a smile forming on her snout. “Now, as nice as this is, I believe you stopped by for more than just a chat.”

“Yep!” Sugar stood back up and retrieved the list she’d dropped in her hurry to hug Xenia and floated it up to the mare. “Uncle Shadow put off grocery shopping again!”

“Oh... did he now?” Xenia arched a brow as her green eyes scanned over the list, seeking the items that we could easily find in her store.

“Work’s been really busy... it just slipped my mind...”

“Well, lucky for you, we still have just about everything on your list in stock... though I believe we are out of unscented shampoos... and why do you need three pounds of taffy?”

“Sugar...” My eyes dropped to my sheepish looking niece.

“Um... it’s for your birthday?”

In less than ten minutes, Xenia helped us gather the items we needed from around the store. A good thing, too, for there seemed to be little rhyme or reason to the system her father used to display his goods. She mentioned her mother and aunt were working on fixing that tomorrow, hence why she was going to be busy for the holiday, though I still doubted her parents would approve of her celebrating it anyway. Both had been raised in the ‘old ways’, as Xenia put it.

Bringing the basket to the counter, we quickly got checked out by her mother, Nefrit. The older mare was not as vocal as her daughter or sister, but she was still far friendlier than her husband. She was dressed similarly to her daughter, with gold neck bands and leg bands, a tradition of her tribe. Like her daughter, her cutie mark was a mix of black and white stripes forming a picture. Her’s was of a mortar and pestle, tools used by those working with herbs, minerals, and other ingredients to make potions and the like. I’d found out during my first visit to her store that it was a skill all the mares in her family had been taught.

The total came to around sixty caps, a reasonable amount for what we’d gotten. All the items were naturally made from local ingredients and made by hoof here in the store. Still, it was cheaper than buying the same type of items in the other stores. Those were made en masse by ponies all across the Confederacy and, while still cheap, cost a few caps more in price.

“My, my, aren’t you a big helper?” Nefrit chuckled softly as my niece pulled the items into one side of my saddlebags with horn and hoof. Sugar beamed up to the older zebra and dropped a couple bars of soap into the bag.

“Yep! Somepony’s gotta take care of my Uncle Shadow!” was her response, as she pulled my money pouch from the other bag and dropped it on the counter before me. I snorted softly to my niece and began retrieving the caps from inside.

Nefrit flashed the filly a smile before reaching below the counter for something. Placing her hoof back atop the counter, she slid it over towards Sugar and lifted the black tipped limb up. Below were two more wrapped pieces of candy.

“If I am not mistaken, my daughter has already shared a couple with you. Have two more, for being so good.” There was the expected giggle as the candies floated up from the counter and away from my field of vision.

“Thank you, Mrs. Nefee!” This was followed by the expected leaping hug, which the older mare thankfully knew was coming. Laughing, she hugged my niece before sitting her back atop the counter, where she climbed back atop my back.

“Your niece is a treasure, Mr Shadow. I have met no other with a heart so pure,” Nefrit remarked as she slid the caps from the countertop and dumped them into the till of the register.

“She is at that,” I answered, glancing across my shoulder as Sugar tucked her two newest pieces of candy into her saddlebag. Feeling eyes upon her, she looked up and over towards Nefrit and I, giggling a bit as she took her place between my saddlebags.

“Well, if you need anything else, don’t hesitate to stop by again,” Xenia hurriedly said as the sound of another customer entering the store reached her ears. The striped equine turned and went off to greet the newcomer, leaving Sugar and I to say our goodbyes to her mother before stepping out.

The streets of the Market District were beginning to thin out a bit as everyone began finishing their shopping. It was still packed, but at least now there were open paths between the stores and stalls.

“Hopefully there’s still some milk and eggs left...” I began to say before I heard something from further down the street. My ears twitched and I turned my head towards it. It’d sounded like somepony yelling...

“Shadow!!”

The shout had also caught Tiny’s attention. The little filly was standing up on my back, ears perked towards the source of the noise, but like me she was having no better luck. The crowd had closed in around us from that direction. Unlike me, she had a answer for that problem. Small pink hooves began pulling the unicorn filly up my neck with practiced ease. I stopped my looking and instead focused upon where the last shout had come from as Sugar climbed atop my head. Sitting down between my ears, she began scanning the crowd for whoever had shouted for me. After a few seconds of looking, the filly lifted a hoof up to point at something, or rather someone, I couldn’t see.

“It’s cousin Ballfire!” she said excitedly, hopping up and down on my head and completely ignoring my suggestion to calm down. I winced at every jump, having gone a whole two weeks without any blunt force trauma to my skull... it’d been a good two weeks for my head.

When the excited filly finally stopped bouncing upon my head, I turned towards the direction she’d been pointing and noticed a gap beginning to open up in the crowd. Through the narrow open space walked a familiar looking green unicorn, a smile on his snout as he spotted Sugar and I standing near the store front.

Speaking to the ponies around him, he quickly made his way towards us. I noticed he was wearing the olive green uniform of the C.S.E. army. He must have gotten in last night sometime, or else earlier this morning if he’d had time to change out of his combat armor and weapons. Well, most of his weapons. The twin revolvers bounced against his chest as he trotted, in perfect shape as always. I noticed he still wore the cowpony hat he’d taken from Buford’s head, tilted slightly to the side at what I’m sure he thought was a jaunty angle. Following close behind, came somepony else who I’d mistaken for simply another pony in the crowd. However, as the rest of the crowd parted around them, it quickly became apparent she was actually following him.

She was a bright yellow, slender-shaped mare. Her coat was far more bright a color than any I’d ever seen before on a pony. Even though I’d never seen it before, it made me think of sunlight. She had a long, rich purple mane, tied back along her neck in a ponytail by a number of light blue bands. As she looked from the crowd over to Sugar and I, I blinked. Her eyes were the most beautiful turquoise blue I’d ever seen. It became even more apparent she was with Balefire when I noticed the similar uniform she wore. It looked far better on her, than on him. Unlike the unicorn, she did not appear to be carrying weapons. As the pair broke free of the crowd, I noticed something else about her: a pair of bright yellow feathered wings were tucked closely to her sides. She was a pegasus.

As they came closer, I could also make out more details about their uniforms. I noticed the C.S.E. patch upon both shoulders of their shirts. The twin alicorn princesses surrounded by a number of stars for every Stable in the Confederacy. Balefire had yellow corporal stripes upon his left sleeve, where the mare had none. Instead, she had a single silver bar on her collar, marking her out as a First Lieutenant. I arched a brow, wondering just who this mare was. I noticed both wore a unit patch on their right shoulder, just below the C.S.E. patch. A red circle with a pair of assault rifles crossed over one another, over which a pony skull sat. Upon the skull was a combat helmet in desert camo pattern, and written above it was, ‘1st Rangers’ on a scroll. Another scroll near the bottom read, ‘Paving the Way for Harmony, in Blood.’

So, it’d seem Balefire hadn’t been overstating his role in the army. Rangers were among the toughest of ponies in the Equestrian Army, and I imagined the Confederate equivalent would be no less rugged. Beyond taking on the role of pathfinders and forward scouts, the Rangers also worked deep behind enemy lines, often on missions to kill enemy officers or destroy targets too well defended for a larger force to assault. This was according to the books and films I’d seen, and not all of them were made up. I was just about to step forward and greet the pair, when my niece decided she’d much rather do it for me.

“Pretty winged pony lady!!” she happily shouted, right into my ear as she once more began jumping up and down on my head. A second later she was hurrying down my neck, almost falling off my back as she slid down. I quickly turned my head around to steady her before she could go face first onto the pavement. This, of course, resulted in my face being used once more as a step, only this time to reach the ground more quickly.

When pink hooves struck the sidewalk, she rushed towards the yellow pegasus in a fit of giggles. The mare stopped her advance and was smiling down towards my niece as she approached, before standing suddenly still and shooting a salute to the pink filly.

Sugar skidded to a halt before the mare, almost tumbling over as she lost her hoofing. As she righted herself, she stood up straight, thrusting her chest out and returned the salute as best a small filly can. She managed to stay still for all of a minute, a new record for her before she dropped her foreleg and tackle hugged the mare’s front leg in a fit of giggles.

“Hey there, Junior Ranger,” the mare greeted the hugging filly with a warm smile and a pat on her head with her free hoof. “How have you been doing?” she asked when Sugar finally released her.

“I’ve been doing great! Uncle Shadow had me go to the school here and it’s a lotta fun! I made me some friends and beat up some bullies, just like my Uncle Shadow does!” Tiny smiled happily up at the mare, waving her fore hooves around to emphasize a few points in her story. Meanwhile, Balefire had come to a stop beside the pair and sat down, putting a pout on his face as he looked down to Sugar.

“Wha... doesn’t cousin Ballfire get some love, squirt?” the green buck asked. In a blink of an eye, Sugar launched herself from where she’d been sitting in front of the mare and was now firmly wrapped about the stallion’s front limb in a ‘crushing’ Sugar Pie hug. “Celestia’s shiny plot, Squirt, that grip’s gotten stronger since the last one I got!” Balefire arched a brow and narrowed his red eyes on the filly. “You been working out?” At which Sugar merely giggled.

“Ballfire, hmm?” the yellow pegasus asked, looking over to the unicorn with a widening grin. The mare’s ears swiveled towards me as I began trotting after my little filly, her head turning to regard me as I settled down nearby. I waved a limb over to Balefire and my niece.

“Better watch out, Balefire. She’s had candy today.” The unicorn stallion simply chuckled and ruffled Sugar’s mane with a fore hoof before letting her go.

“So, you must be ‘Uncle Shadow’, the pony my brother’s been talking about so much these past few weeks,” the pegasus said, arching a yellow brow over a bright blue-green eye. She began to look me over more closely and I shifted a bit on my hooves at the scrutiny. I felt like I was suddenly a rookie security pony, under the harsh eye of Twist. After a few more seconds of staring, she finally sat back on her haunches and opened her mouth to speak. “Not much to look at, are you? I was expecting a pony taller than my brother... according to the stories I’d been hearing anyway.”

“Sorry to disappoint, I’m no super pony and some of those stories have gotten blown out of proportion,” I said back. The comment had caught me a bit off guard to be honest. I mean, how was one supposed to react to that? It seemed to do the trick, as she looked from me to Balefire. The stallion freed his hoof from my niece so he could walk over beside us, Sugar giggling as she skipped around him.

“Shadow, I’d like you to meet my sister, Sunburst.” He waved a hoof to the yellow mare. So, this was his sister? The one he’d spoken of a couple times while we’d been traveling. The daughter of the president was an officer in the army? Balefire continued the introductions as I mulled this information over. “Sunny, this is Shadow. The pony who not only saved my flanks, but those of all those civilians from and around Tombstone and Kanter City.”

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet the pony who saved my little brother from those raiders.” Sunburst offered me a hoof in greeting, which I took. She had a surprisingly strong grip for such a slender mare. “I take it you’ve given up the hero game?”

“Nice to meet you, Sunburst. Balefire has had nothing but good things to say about you.” I smiled to the mare as I lowered my hoof back to the pavement. She snorted softly to that, eyeing her brother for a moment. “And yes, I’ve hung up my guns... I have a niece to raise now, and there’s nothing left for me beyond these walls.” Sugar skipped happily around us as we spoke, finally coming to a halt between Sunny and I.

“Oh! Uncle Shadow! Maybe Cousin Ballfire and the pretty winged pony lady can come with us to finish shopping?” the pink bundle of joy asked me, golden eyes going from Sunny to me.

“I think both Balefire and Sunburst have more important things to do than helping us shop, Tiny. Besides, Balefire’s going trick or treating with us tomorrow, remember?” I answered my niece with a chuckle, nuzzling her cheek when she pouted at the answer.

“Actually, we just got back into the city this morning and have nothing planned for the moment,” Sunburst spoke up, having seen the pout and, like everypony else who comes across it, was powerless against its effects. “Besides, I wouldn’t mind hearing more about my brother going trick or treating again.” She flashed Balefire a grin and started trotting forward, Sugar bouncing along beside her and telling her about ideas she had for Balefire’s costume.

“I’ll never hear the end of this tonight,” Balefire said from beside me, as he watched them trot off ahead of us. He quickly chuckled, however, and started to fall into step as I followed them, “How have you been, boss?”

“Balefire, how many times do I have to tell you, don’t call me ‘boss’.” I snorted softly as we made our way through the crowd. “I’m nopony’s boss. And I’ve been alright, taking it one day at a time.”

“Good to hear.” We walked in silence for a few moments as Sunburst and Sugar spoke ahead of us. The pegasus allowed my niece to jump up onto her back and settle in between her wings. “How have things been going for the others from your stable?” he asked finally as we turned a corner and ‘Mrs. B’s Corner Market’ came into view.

“They’re adjusting,” I answered, “It’s easier on some than others.” Mostly those who hadn’t lost anypony on the journey here, or in Kanter City. “Bright seems to be doing a bit better, though I haven’t spoken with him since he’d gathered up the surviving ponies from security.”

“Hmm... the wasteland has a way of changing ponies, mostly for the bad,” my dark green friend said as we walked through the front door of the grocery store. Unlike the zebra run shop we’d left earlier, there were a larger number of ponies inside the brightly lit building. The main floor of the store was divided up into aisles, where different food products could be found in cans, boxes, or bags. However, there was more shelf space than there was things to fill them with. At the front of the aisles where we’d came in were three registers, but only one was open. The other two hadn’t worked since the building had been found and reopened by the elderly bovine, Mrs. Bloom. However, she prefered to be called Mrs. B. A pair of ponies worked inside the store for the kind hearted cow, stocking the shelves and running the register.

Ahead of us, Sugar was floating out her shopping list and directing Sunburst towards the aisles where the items we needed could be found. Sugar had been here often enough with Spearmint or myself to have the entire thing memorized. I smiled and simply let my little filly lead the way.

“The wasteland does change a pony. I can vouch for that much,” I finally said, ears folding back as I thought of my journey through the hell that was Equestria. We turned a corner in the store and stepped out of the path of an older mare and her three arguing foals. “I’d seen things out there I don’t think I’ll ever forget.” Nor should I.

“It’s gotten worse out there.” The unicorn stallion looked away from the mother and three foals, his own ears flicked to the side in sorrow. I arched a brow to my friend, not recalling a time when I’d seen him like this. Then again, I’d only known him a few weeks.

“Balefire? Are you alright?” I asked finally, glancing back ahead to make sure Tiny was still in sight.

“Do you know why I left the city?” he asked instead, causing me to shrug my shoulders.

“Given your unit patch, and what I heard on the radio, I’d guess it had something to do with the returning army.” Rangers were known to be scouts for the larger army, finding paths and clearing the way for rest of the ponies behind them. Balefire nodded his head, red eyes flicking back up to his sister as we walked.

“You're smarter than you look.” A hint of a smile formed across his face and I snorted a bit.

“I have my moments.” I glanced from my niece to the unicorn. “Did something happen out there?”

“Our unit was sent to help guide the First Corps back to the city. We were simply to ensure there were no surprises for them between there and here. They were all tired, on their last legs, and low on just about everything.” He held back a step, letting the girls get ahead of us and I slowed my walk to match him. “On our way to them, we came across a number of caravans of ponies fleeing the east. Some of them had been destroyed, but a few had survived and spoke of the increased raider attacks. Whole settlements have been destroyed just beyond the Confederacy’s borders.”

“I’d heard a bit about it on the radio... I thought you’d said this sort of thing happened every so often. Whenever the raiders’ numbers grow too large they start seeking out new places to sow their chaos.”

“I thought it was just that... but I’m just not so certain anymore.” The stallion looked away from me, his red eyes focusing on his sister as she helped Sugar lift a gallon of milk from a working cooler. “It was the same story, no matter who I spoke with. Settlements miles apart, attacked by different bands of raiders. All of them talked about how organized the raiders were that attacked them. How they had weapons and machines nopony had ever seen before. How they were being led by ponies in black armor, like that worn by Steel Rangers, yet adorned with spikes and body parts. I don’t like it, Shadow... something’s building out there in the wasteland.”

“Black armor?” I blinked, remembering what Tassles had told me about meeting the pony who led the raiders responsible for the attack on our Stable. Responsible for the attack on a number of places all across the wasteland. Her body guards wore Steel Ranger armor, painted black as night and decked out with spikes and the bloody trophies that raiders loved so much. That there were more of them out there was unsettling... that they could be the same ones Tassles had seen in Kanter City was worrying. The edge of the Confederate territory was hardly next door to Kanter City, but a fair distance away... perhaps a few hundred miles? Maybe less.

“Yeah, you heard of them before?”

“Tassles told me a little about them. They were the personal guards for the mare calling all the shots in Kanter City,” I answered, ears folded back. The mare who’d sent raiders to my Stable, and who’d been responsible for killing my sister.

“I had the misfortune of meeting them in Kanter City, not long after I was captured. I’ve seen raiders in power armor before... it’s not exactly that uncommon really.” I nodded in response, I recalled seeing the big buck in the ruins of a hotel kitchen back in that damned city. At the time, I thought his armor had been hardly whole, or even working. “They either recover it from Steel Rangers they somehow kill themselves, or from the bodies of those killed by something else.”

“They’re not exactly that common, Bale,” Sunburst called back from a few steps ahead of us. The yellow mare turned to look at her brother while Sugar checked over the list. “You’re more likely to see them using the Ranger’s battlesaddles than the armor itself. Power armor is not exactly easy to destroy. By the time you do, it’s almost always worthless unless you know how to fix it. That’s not something raiders are known for... fixing things.”

“That’s what I was about to say...” The green buck folded his ears back and glared at his sister who merely wing shrugged and returning to helping Sugar with whatever else we needed for the apartment. “For there to be anymore than a hooffull running around is unheard of... and all in the same group?” Balefire shook his head. “Hell, even the Super Mutants are gearing up for something.”

“The Super Mutants? I thought you guys had them on the run or something?” I asked, taking my place in line with the others.

“Barely,” the other stallion answered, “They’ve been getting help from somewhere; better weapons, better armor...” before he could say much else, he was cut off by his sister.

“Balefire!” The mare whirled around on the unicorn, her ears laid back as she glared angrily at her brother. She glanced to the other ponies around us, who’d looked up at her sudden outburst, before looking back to us and dropping her voice. “That’s not something we’re supposed to be talking about!”

“Oh, stuff it, Sunny. I’m not blabbing this to everypony on the street,” her brother shot back, his own ears laid back as he stared at his sister. “Besides, I think they're going to notice when we start retreating from the mountains.”

“Father’s not going to let that happen... him or mom will figure something out before then...” The mare sounded unsure of that, and it showed in her eyes as they dropped from her brother.

Any further argument was cut off by a bright pink filly standing up on Sunburst’s back and hugging the mare tightly around her neck, smiling towards Balefire and I.

“Silly willies! Stop fighting with each other and pay the nice pony for the food so we can go get everypony cupcakes!”

I looked from the siblings to the pony checker who was giving us all an odd look. I then looked behind me at the line of ponies waiting to check out, some of them giving us similar looks to the checker. A few just looked angry at being held up in line. I smiled sheepishly and reached for my money pouch.

After paying for the groceries and placing them either in my saddlebags or in plastic bags the store provided for a small fee (you could at least reuse them), we walked along the sidewalks of the Market District in silence. After a few minutes of trotting, the bakery came into sight and we made our way towards it. Luckily they were still open, and still had a few cupcakes left to sell. While it helped improve the mood of everypony around, the talk of Super Mutants and black armored raiders was left closed. At least for the moment.

I was still thinking on it, even as Sugar got Sunburst and Balefire to talk about Nightmare Night. As the sister and brother spoke with my niece, I munched on my slightly stale snack in silence.

Was it really possible something was happening out there in the wasteland? Carrion had said he’d found evidence that the raiders were uniting under a single banner, evidence that the local military did not believe. As Balefire had told me, it wasn’t uncommon for large bands of raiders to pop up from time to time out there. They were due for it, so this talk of large groups laying waste to settlements was expected. It’d work itself out in time, as it had before.

Or would it?

What if these bands of raiders was actually a single band. United under a single pony, with one goal. Hundreds of armed murderous cannibals assaulting one of the few cities still left standing in Equestria...

I set the half eaten cupcake back down atop the table, finding myself suddenly not hungry.

Pushing the door open to our apartment, I made my way inside and allowed the door to swing shut behind us and latch itself. With a flick of a switch, the overhead lighting kicked in and cast a dim, warm glow over the living room and the two tired ponies standing before the entrance. As I turned to lock the door, a brief flash of lightning lit up the darkness beyond the kitchen window. This was followed by a rumble of thunder as a storm moved into the city. My ears twitched as the click of the lock slid home and I turned back to make my way towards the dining room table. Once there, I set the plastic bags I’d been carrying in my mouth down atop it, thankful to get the odd taste of the handles out of my mouth. I glanced back towards the doorway to the kitchen, as the sound of rain striking the kitchen window reached me. Seems we’d gotten home just in time.

We’d left Sugar’s favorite sweet shop just an hour earlier, saying goodbye to Balefire and Sunburst before making our way to the final store on our list. It’d been closed, so we’d had to backtrack to another store who luckily hadn’t yet sold out of fresh bread. Turning away from the kitchen, I began reaching back for my saddlebags when I heard a soft murmur come from their direction. I smirked and glanced across my shoulder to my niece, who was still happily sleeping upon my back just between the bulging saddlebags and my neck. Right where I’d put her when she’d begun to lag behind a few blocks back. It’d been a long day for us both, but the filly had worn herself out from all the excitement and running around she’d done. Her back rose and fell with every breath and a slight smile was on her lips as she slept peacefully.

Careful not to disturb the bundle of pink fur, I unbuckled my saddlebags and gently sat them upon the floor beside the table. I winced as the weight of the stuffed bags caused the floor to groan. I’d have to see about fixing that loose board sometime. As I pulled away from them, I noticed the flaps barely remained closed on my packs. No surprise from the things we’d bought today, which included three dozen cupcakes. I made sure they were still safe and unmashed, before smirking. I couldn’t say no to those wide golden eyes and that pouty lip... sue me. I looked back to my niece and chuckled softly before heading towards her room. I’d put the groceries away after getting her to bed.

Rain drummed against the filly’s bedroom window as I pushed open the door and trotted inside. I left the light off, as there was plenty of light coming in through the open door from the living room. Careful of any toys laying about the floor, I made my way over towards the left side wall and her overly large bed. At least overly large for her age, she’d grow into it.

Pulling the covers of the bed back with my teeth, I turned and gently lifted my niece off my back with a hoof and nose, before getting both fore hooves under her. I slid her onto the sheets, resting her head upon the pillows. Another soft murmur escaped her as she wrapped her forelegs around her stuffed purple pony and snuggled her close. The smile she’d been wearing widened a bit before she drifted back to sleep. Pulling the covers back up around her, I brushed a stray lock of mane from her face. I smiled back to my sleeping filly, but now that I was alone, my thoughts once more drifted to what Balefire had been telling me, and what I’d been thinking of myself.

Was San Ponsisco really as safe as I thought it was? As everypony else said it was?

I glanced up to the curtain covered window as a flash of lighting outside lit up the darkening city. The dim light from Hope Tower was being washed out by the steadily increasing downpour. The weather outside seemed to be mirroring my worsening mood and I shook my head, running a hoof through my slightly damp mane.

Maybe the city wasn’t as safe as I’d thought, but it was better than being cornered in an underground death trap should the raiders return. It was still safer than anywhere else in the world. There was no point in dwelling on things you had no control over, on things that were not certain.

Stepping away from my niece’s bed, I made my way back towards her bedroom door and the hallway beyond. I took one last look inside at Sugar’s happily sleeping form, and quietly shut the door.

Tomorrow was our holiday, and I wouldn’t let it be ruined by dour thoughts of raiders and what the future might hold. Those things could wait at least one more day to trouble me. I just wanted tomorrow to go off perfectly for Sugar.

Nightmare Night.

It was finally here. Outside the apartment, dozens of parents rushed off with excited foals to begin their trick or treating before the big city wide party in one of the reclaimed parks. The morning and afternoon was spent getting the last pieces of my costume ready while Spearmint helped Sugar with hers. The filly still refused to tell me what she was going as, and had made me promise to stay in my room while she got ready. I had chuckled to that, wondering if this was how her teenage years would be.

As for me, my costume was hardly amazing and was in fact quite simple. I’d simply not had the heart to do much this year, given that Ebony and I had spent every last Nightmare Night planning our costumes together. Even after we’d both grown up. Sometimes I wondered if I’d even have bothered to go at all, if it wasn’t for Tiny.

I glanced over to myself in a floor length mirror Spearmint had found in the apartment somewhere and had put in my room so I’d not need to use the bathroom mirror. I was dressed in a simple black shirt, with a red stripe down either sleeve, it was a bit similar to my old Stable Jumpsuit, though the colors were different, as was the position of the stripes... hmm, maybe it wasn’t that similar after all. Beside the red stripe, the only other decoration was a letter and number where my old suit would have had my name, along with a red triangle sitting on its side. Both letter and number were in white and were simply, ‘N7’.

I smirked at the logo in the mirror. It was a special forces unit in the ‘Magic Effect’ book series I was reading to Sugar Pie, a series I had been read to as a foal. Having nearly finished the first of the trilogy of books to my niece, I’d quickly found myself remembering bits and pieces of Commander Shepard’s adventures. Almost to the point that I’d already finished reading the first book, and was starting the second.

Beside the black top, I’d affixed a piece of orange plastic to my Pipbuck to match what the Omni tool was in the book. It worked in a lot of ways to the Pipbuck, only it could form a blade out of thin air that the Commander could use to impale her enemies’ heads... something I’d likely have to reword when it came time for that part of the story for Sugar.

I was adjusting the plastic blade when a knock sounded from my door and I mumbled ‘come in’ as I worked the piece back into place with my mouth and free hoof. As the door was opened, I glanced up and saw Spearmint poke her head inside to look for me. A smile appeared on her face as she finally spotted me in the corner of the room.

“Having trouble?” she asked, trotting on inside my room. The medical pony was dressed as a famous mare from early Equestrian history, judging by the flowing white robe she was currently wearing. Though from when and where, I was unable to say. More recent history was my thing. The robe was trimmed in curving black lines along its edges. Located where a pony’s cutiemark would be on their flank, was a very old symbol for medicine and medical ponies. A pin crowned with feathered wings opened wide and on either side were two alicorns rearing up, with their horns touching the top of the pin. Atop the mare’s mane was a crown of green laurels held in place by a fake gold ring and glass ruby. I’d never seen her put so much effort into a dress, and I wondered if her coltfriend would be joining us tonight.

“Stupid glue won’t hold...” I answered, hiding a smile at the thought of Spearmint dressing up for somepony. I returned my focus to my own costume before finally getting the wobbly piece of plastic to stay in place long enough to let the glue dry. “Sugar almost ready?” I asked, sitting my right fore leg back upon the hardwood floor.

“Almost, she has a couple more things to do before she’s ready to show you her costume, but you're free from house arrest.” The green mare smirked at that and pushed the door open to my room, allowing a bit of a cool breeze to blow inside. The storm last night had brought with it a fresh wave of heat, and I’d just discovered that my bedroom window didn’t exactly open.

“Hmm, it doesn’t normally take her this long to get ready for Nightmare Night.” I smirked as I started walking towards the door, careful not to shake my plastic Omni blade from my Pipbuck. “Something to look forward to in a few years?” I asked as I passed Spearmint. The mare laughed and followed me into the hallway.

“Perhaps... but as I recall, Ebony hardly spent much time on getting ready for anything. Besides, I believe Sugar’s going to be taking a bit more after you.”

“You saying I primp? I thought that’s what Bright used to do...” We both chuckled and walked into the living room.

“How is he doing anyway?” she asked, before sitting down upon the couch to wait on my niece.

“I haven't spoken with him since the gathering at the Double Rainboom. I think he’s avoiding me.” I’d been meaning to go check on him as soon as I had some time and, in fact, I’d started to his and Goldmane’s apartment earlier today. Unfortunately, nopony was home. “Perhaps he’ll be at the party tonight. I’ve never known Bright to turn down free booze or a chance to dance with Gold.”

“He took their deaths hard, Shadow... he thought he was letting both them and you down whenever we lost somepony.” Spearmint sighed softly and looked towards the kitchen and the window out into the city.

“I know... I suppose if it’d been me, I’d have done the same thing.” I had done the same thing. With those I’d lost along the way to Kanter City, and again on the trip back to my niece. However, this wasn’t the best subject to be talking about tonight. This was to be Sugar Pie’s special night, her favorite holiday. I wanted it to go well, and for her to enjoy herself as she had the few times we’d celebrated it as a family since she’d been born. At this rate though, it seemed that same filly was going to be late for her own favorite night.

“Tiny!! Are ya almost ready to go? We still have to pick Dusty up from Doc Kindheart’s place!” I yelled down the hallway, checking my Pipbuck/Omni tool for the time. We’d really have to hurry to make it over to Kindheart’s office if we didn’t want to be late. I heard a muffled sound come from her room and looked back up towards her door, ears perking up a bit. “What?”

“I can’t get this last piece on!” was the response, followed by a very un-Sugar Pie grunt of anger.

“Well, maybe I can help.” Without thinking, I started towards her room, pushing it open as I stopped beside it. What I saw inside made me freeze in place and my eyes go wide. Sugar Pie sat in the center of her room. While it was hardly ever clean, it was even more chaotic with the mess it was in now. However, it wasn’t the scattered bits of cardboard, empty glue and paint bottles that had stopped me. It was the pink filly and what she was wearing.

Over her tiny frame, she was wearing what appeared to be black combat armor, made from strips of cardboard and painted black. It was held together by a mixture of glue, tape, and string. Under this was a foal sized stable jumpsuit, blue trimmed in yellow. Along her forelegs were split open paper towel tubes, painted as black as the armor. Though upon her right foreleg was a smaller piece. It was grey, with a green square across it. A Pipbuck. Around her neck, hanging from a piece of string, was a toy gun, home made by the looks of it. The barrel was another towel roll, the drum a couple pieces of cardboard glued together. There was even a cardboard stock and mouth grip. She was also wearing her saddlebags over her flanks and a battered, old foal sized hat atop her head. She looked like a short, pink version of me.

“Uncle Shadow! I wasn’t ready to show you yet!” my tiny copy of myself shouted, tossing her forehooves into the air. An empty glue bottle and bent paper star went flying and she folded her ears back in despair. “I ran outta glue... the star won’t stay in place...”

I stepped around the leaking bottles of paint and glue, careful not to slip on anything. As I made my way over to my niece, she slumped on the floor and folded her ‘armored’ forelegs across her chest as she pouted at the misbehaving paper star with it’s foalish written ‘Murshell’ across it.

“So this is the costume you’ve been working on in secret?” I asked, sitting down beside her. While it was crude, and basic... it was good work for what she’d used to make it. She nodded her head and kept staring at the floor.

“Yeah... I’ve been digging around for weeks finding everything I needed... but it’s ruined without the star...”

“Why’d you dress up at me? I thought you wanted to dress up as your hero Commander Shepard this year?” I asked, placing a hoof under her chin and lifting her head up to look at me. She wrapped her forelegs around my hoof and hugged it.

“You’re my hero, Uncle Shadow.”

I smiled down to my niece and wrapped her in a hug, feeling a few tears forming in my eyes. I’d wondered sometimes if she’d have blamed me for not bring her mother back, but now I felt a bit silly for even thinking it.

“But it’s ruined... how can I be you if I don’t have a star?” she asked, voice muffled by pressing her face into my leg.

How indeed.

Leaning down, I pulled her up off the ground and placed her upon my back, careful not to tear her costume. She blinked and cocked her head as I stood up and started trotting out of her room. Instead of turning towards the living room, where Spearmint stood watching us, I walked down the hall to my room.

The door was still open and I made my way over to the cabinet where all my gear had been stored. Rearing up onto my hind legs, I searched around the dust covered cabinet top until I felt something metal brush my hoof. Sliding it to the edge, I took ahold of the key in my mouth and dropped back to all fours. I’d need to find a better hiding place for it later, but for now this was too important. Pushing the key into place, I twisted and heard the lock click as it was opened.

As I sat back on my haunches, I pulled the cabinet doors open and glanced over my weapons and armor briefly before finding what I was looking for. A bit of silver sitting on a shelf near the bottom. Sitting the key down beside it, I took ahold of the badge I’d found in Wastefall Gorge’s saloon and shut the doors.

Sugar Pie said nothing and simply watched from my back until I motioned for her to jump down. As she did, I turned around and carefully pushed the pin from the badge through her cardboard armor and into the small blue stable jumpsuit she wore under it. The material would hold it more securely than the ‘armor’ would after all.

“There. Now you’re a proper lawpony,” I said, sitting back and admiring my hoofwork. Tiny gazed down at her chest and the shiny silver badge pinned to it.

“Oh... thank you thank you thank you, Uncle Shadow!” she shouted with joy, once more hugging my fore hoof with her two smaller ones, grinning happily up at me. “So... do you like my costume?” she asked.

“I love it.” I cleared my throat to avoid choking up before continuing, “Now, what do you say we go pick Dusty up and get to Trick or Treating, hmm?”

“Yay! Free candy!” She began tugging on my foreleg as she rose up, attempting to get me to stand.

Chuckling, I stood up and began following her before stopping to glance over my shoulder at the slightly ajar cabinet door, and the black riot armor hanging up inside. Shutting the bedroom light off, I turned and hurried after my filly, who was ready for her favorite night.

Leaving the apartment, the three of us made our way quickly down the stairs and out into the early evening. The heat was beginning to fade, coming up off the pavement in almost visible waves in some places. The street lights were just starting to come on as the forever overcast sky darkened above. Beyond a few puddles here or there, there was little trace of the storm from last night.

All around us, ponies were going to and from homes as they took their children out for trick or treating. Most of the apartments on our block were dark. A small number of adults had stayed behind on the steps or in the doorways of their buildings to hoof out candy to the foals skipping ahead of parents. A half dozen fillies and colts rushed past us on the way to the neighboring building to knock rapidly on the door. As the ponies inside opened the door, I heard the all too familiar lines of the holiday chant.

“Nightmare Night! What a fright! Give us something sweet to bite!!”

This, of course, was followed by gasps or awws from adults, depending on the costumes the foals were wearing. Usually followed by hoofing candy into their bags. The group would then scamper away, giggling and laughing as they rejoined their parents and went for the next home.

Though we were running a bit behind when we left home, we managed to make up most of it by quickly working our way through the busy streets towards the clinic. As we rounded the corner, we spotted the large form of Spirit Walker giving out treats to a large group of children. All of them jumping up and down around the buffalo. Standing beside her was a small brown colt, attempting to hide from the other foals.

At first it was hard to make out what the young colt was dressed up as, but as the swarm of brightly colored and costumed children began to thin out, I could better make out his costume. He was dressed up as one of the royal guards that had once protected the Princesses. Like Sugar, his armor was made of cardboard and a few bits of plastic that had been painted yellow and trimmed in red. His head was covered in what looked like a hoofball helmet with a brush glued to the top of it. To complete it, he had a slightly crooked plastic spear sitting beside him. As we got closer, his eyes brightened upon seeing Sugar.

“Sugar! I was beginning to think you’d forgotten about me...” he trailed off as my niece ran up and hugged him, lifting him completely off the ground.

“I’d never forget my bestest best friend!” she practically screamed into the colt’s ear, before sitting him down. “Ooooo, I love your costume! Its sooo cool!” the earth pony colt blushed and kicked at the ground with a hoof.

“He worked on it for the past week,” Spirit said, looking from her ward to the armored filly, her smile widening. “And who are you, Sugar Pie?” she asked, eyes shifting from my niece to me.

“I’m Uncle Shadow! Wasteland Marshall!” she said, proudly thrusting her tiny chest out to rub a hoof over the silver badge. “I’m gonna bring all them bad ponies to justice!”

“Well then, I imagine you will be needing some energy to do all that.” Spirit reached into a small bag hanging around her neck and withdrew a number of sweets. She dropped them into the plastic candy bag that my niece was carrying in her mouth and then some into Dusty’s bag. The pair grinned and thanked the buffalo before Sugar began tugging on her friend.

“Come on! We got like a buzillion more houses to go too!” The young colt waved to his caretaker and was pulled away by the hyper pink filly as Spirit watched him go.

We quickly said our goodbyes and hurried to keep up with the excited pair of foals. I had a feeling my niece’s estimate on the number of homes we’d be getting dragged to was correct.

We made a very thorough circuit of our block, hitting any building that even remotely looked like they might be giving out candy. Sugar seemed to have the nose for sniffing out chocolate and sugar coated sweets. After twenty minutes of walking, we began making our way out of our neighborhood, Before we’d made it a dozen steps, however, somepony called out for us to wait.

Looking back, I saw a darkly dressed stallion rushing over towards us. At first I didn’t recognize the pony, due to his costume. His face was painted to make him look pale and he had a pair of fake fangs in his mouth that hung down over his lower lip. A black tattered cloak fluttered behind him as he galloped towards us and he seemed to be wearing a suit beneath it. It wasn’t until he got closer that, what I’d mistaken for contacts, was in fact his natural eye color and I caught hints of dark green fur under his outfit.

“Hey guys... sorry I’m late, had to finish a bit of paperwork for my slavedriver of a sister,” Balefire said, slightly out of breath from having ran across the block to catch up with us. “Hey, nice costume, squirt!” he called out to Sugar Pie as she hugged him.

“Thanks, Ballfire! I worked extra hard on this one for Uncle Shadow... and look he let me borrow his shiny star!” She tapped her hoof against the marshall badge upon her ‘armored’ chest, grinning proudly.

“I see... well that just makes it look all the more real!” the unicorn turned vampire said, before greeting Spearmint and Dusty.

Once everypony was ready, we set off once more. Walking slowly along the street, we passed by numerous foals running this way and that, laughing all the while. It was really a wonderful holiday for them and I smiled over to the two skipping ahead of us. After another four homes, I looked to Balefire and his costume.

“I didn’t expect you to go for one of the classics, Balefire,” I commented. Vampires were one of the most common outfits for Nightmare Night; right up there with ghosts, clowns, Daring Doo, and the Princesses. I’d half expected him to go dressed as a pimp given his way with mares. I guess that wasn’t really fair to him though, there was more to him than just trying to get under the tails of mares.

“I wanted to try something new this year,” he said to me as Sugar and Dusty ran up to a couple of adults on the street corner. A number of ponies in the nearby buildings had gathered under one of the street lamps to give out candy to all the foals rather than forcing them to go up to several buildings one at a time.

“The suit looks good on you, Balefire. Is it your’s?” Spearmint asked, keeping a careful eye on our foals as they jumped up and down while awaiting their turn for treats.

“Yes, actually. Mom got it for me after I graduated from school.” He chuckled at Sugar as she began talking excitedly to the foals around her, “I don’t often wear it though. Not exactly practical out in the wasteland.”

“Come on, Sugar, we don’t want to be late for the party later!” Spearmint said as she noticed my niece spending more time talking with the other foals. The green unicorn mare trotted over to collect her and Dusty as it was her turn to do so. I had to practically drag the filly away from a mare giving away cupcakes to the children a few houses down. The sugary treat had quickly disappeared in the filly’s mouth, and I think it’d already begun to affect her. As Spearmint collected the two foals, Balefire leaned in near me to whisper.

“As for the costume, I don’t often go for vampires, but there’s a book series all the mares are reading lately about vampires. One of the wastelanders found it out in a library beyond the wall. Apparently it’s a bit of a turn on for them.” He grinned and winked once before leaning back up as Spearmint trotted over to us.

Of course it is...

We spent the next hour and a half being taken from one end of the city to the other. Well, perhaps not that much, but it seemed close to it. Finally, with both foals’ saddlebags overflowing with treats, we parted ways with my fanged friend.

Seems his unit was having a party nearby with a couple of squads of new recruits. His sister was supposed to meet him there, and they were going to check up on their training (and in Balefire’s case, check up on any female recruits). He’d promised his sister and friends to catch up with them later after he’d spent a bit of time with Sugar. He may be a ladies’ stallion, but he kept his promises and he really cared for Sugar. But then, I don’t think anypony who’d met her didn’t love the little scamp.

We began making our way from the rows of apartment buildings and homes to a part of town I’d not often been to: the Woodland District. It was hardly deserving of the name after a hundred and fifty years of radiation and neglect. Most of the trees that had once lined the streets were little more than stumps, and most of those had been pulled up for firewood or for the few scraps of wood they could recover. The homes here were large things, some covering more than twice the space a single normal home would. These had been the homes of the rich and famous of San Ponsisco. A few had been burned to the ground, likely during the chaos of the final hours of the city. Those that survived were currently in use. They were homes for important ponies in the government, and all were behind fences or walls, watched over by hired guards.

These homes, while fancy and impressive looking even after all these years, were not the reason we’d come here. It was for the party being held in the center of the district, a city wide party, and it sounded as if everyone in the city had showed up.

By the time we arrived at Park Square, the festivities were in full swing. A number of booths had been set up around the edges of what had once been one of the city’s public parks. Everything from bobbing for apples to ball tossing was open for anypony willing to spend a couple caps and the skill to win one of the prizes hanging behind the counters. A number of ponies were already trying their luck and, judging by the number of shouts, more than a few were winning.

Near the center of the park, a space had been cleared off for ponies to dance, dressed in their costumes. Ghouls, vampires, wereponies, and any number of other types of creatures were happily trotting about with their partners. At the front of dancers was a small stage, where a pony was busy playing music over a set of mismatched speakers. Thankfully the sound was good, and I’d heard the music from a block away.

Between the dancers and the booths, other ponies were simply standing around in groups. Most were speaking to one another, sharing drinks and food as they enjoyed one another's company. I was happy to see that beside the brightly colored coats half hidden behind costumes were a number of striped equines, as well as a few griffons. Looking closer, I noticed that some of the ‘monsters’ were actually ghouls, dressed up to look a bit more spooky. A few even appeared to be dressed up as normal ponies.

Between Spearmint and myself, Sugar and Dusty were twisting this way and that, trying to take everything in all at once. Small pink and brown hooves stomped across the hard packed earth as they darted between our legs to see what this sound was or that bright flash. I chuckled, happy to see my niece so relaxed and enjoying herself. I’d been worrying she’d miss her mother so much that she’d not be able to enjoy herself. After all, Nightmare Night was a special night for our family, something we had celebrated since I was a tiny colt.

“Take it easy you two, otherwise you're going to end up spilling your bags of treats and you’ll not have enough to give Nightmare Moon her share,” I called out as the duo hopped up and down in front of a game booth. As expected, that stopped them and Dusty hurriedly checked his bag of candy hanging off his side.

“Oh gosh, I almost forgot!” the little colt said as he insured the strap on his bag was secure. “I don’t wanna run outta candy before we give Nightmare Moon her share.” He glanced worriedly towards the sky.

“Yeah, otherwise she’ll gobble ya up and I won’t have anypony to play with!” Sugar exclaimed, golden eyes wide in alarm as she too checked her bag, then made sure Dusty’s was good.

“You don’t think she’s gonna come early, do you?” Dusty asked, swallowing hard as he edged closer to Tiny. His eyes darted about at the shadows surrounding us, his crooked plastic spear shaking as he held it in his hoof.

“Nah, Uncle Shadow said she can only get out of the moon at midnight,” she answered with a smile before once more looking around the brightly lit booths. After checking out a couple, she stopped and stared at one. “Uncle Shadow! Uncle Shadow! Lookit, lookit!” The little pink filly bounced away from Dusty’s side, causing the colt to yelp and fall to the ground.

I smirked and helped him back up onto his hooves before we all followed after the skipping pink pony whose path was about to collide with a ball toss game booth. The mare standing behind the counter grinned at my neice as she drew near and gave the rest of us a nod.

“Well hey there, cutie, wanna try your luck?” the mare asked. Sugar attempted to jump up onto the countertop, failing twice before catching the edge with her forelegs. Her tail and hind legs wiggled about as she struggled to pull herself up.

Before she lost her grip and hurt herself, I lowered my head down and gently nudged my niece up fully onto the counter. The pink filly rolled once before she came to a halt with a happy giggle. Beside me, Dusty rose up onto his hind legs to look over the counter at Sugar and the prizes hanging up at the back of the booth. Spearmint trotted to a stop just behind me.

“Yep! I’m gonna win me that big stuffed pegasus pony there!” A small pink hoof pointed up at said prize: a bright yellow plush pony with wings folded out. Like most stuffed animals, it had a bright smile on its snout. It also appeared in good shape which surprised me. So many things I’d seen throughout the wasteland were hoof me downs, like Sugar’s purple unicorn. The mare working the booth perhaps saw my look and spoke up.

“You're not seeing things, it hasn’t been salvaged from some kid’s room out in the city. It’s brand new! My family has been making toys here ever since we came out of our Stable.” I looked away from the toy to the mare. She was a light orange unicorn with a turquoise mane and tail, both smooth and long. Her cutie mark was a teddy bear and red ball with yellow stars. Still wearing the same smile she’d had since we arrived, the mare turned her attention to my niece who was still excitedly waiting upon the counter. “Now... I believe somepony wishes a try.”

“Oh! Oh! Me! Me! I wanna try! I do!” Sugar said, lifting one hoof in the air and waving it about wildly even though nopony else was waiting in line beside us.

“Alright, cutie, that’ll be one cap for three tries.” the mare said with a chuckle at the foal’s antics.

Sugar blinked and cocked her head a bit at this news before she turned and rummaged in her candy bag, pulling out goodies she’d gotten from trick or treating. Sticking out her tongue, she continued to rummage about. Her upper half all but disappeared inside the plastic bag. I arched a brow and peered up over her wiggling tail, getting hit by a few pieces of hard candy as she tossed them out in her search.

Shaking my head as one fairly large piece struck me right between the eyes, I snorted and clamped onto my niece’s curly tail and pulled the filly out of her bag. Her face was smeared with chocolate and sugar. Upon seeing me, she offered me a sheepish smile as she swung back and forth by her tail. She pointed a small hoof to her candy bag.

“I had to make room so I could look for caps...”

“Uh huh,” I said calmly, placing my fore hooves upon the countertop so I could more easily sit my niece back down atop it. With her tail free of my mouth, she sat down atop the counter and gave me a pitiful look with huge gold eyes and pouty lip. Agh!

“Uncle Shadow... can I pwease have a cap?”

With a sigh, I shook my head and looked away from the filly with the heart melting pouty lip. It could no doubt drive raiders to renounce their life of bloodshed and force radscorpions to stinging themselves. Tugging the flap open to my saddlebags, I reached inside to find my money pouch. After only a second of rummaging, I found it and gripped the strings in my teeth, pulling it and my head back out. Sitting back on my haunches, I opened the bag and withdrew a single cap which I slid towards the mare. She took it and began dropping rubber balls atop the counter. I was just about to drop the pouch back into my packs when Tiny waved her hooves frantically.

“I wanna pay for it!” she said, folding her fore legs across her chest.

I sighed and rolled my eyes, looking back to the mare who simply arched a brow at the scene. I reached a hoof over and slid the cap I’d just given her back to me, before sliding it over to Tiny who sat beside me. With a giggle, the filly picked it up in her mouth and held it out to the mare to take.

“Here ya go!” she said around the cap, which the mare took and dropped back where it’d been. She smiled down at the filly who reached out to pick up one of the balls... which was almost as big as her hoof. I could already see how this was going to end and leaned up against the counter.

“Go for it, Sugar!” Dusty yelled excitedly as he continued to stand up on his hind legs. His helmet was pushed back from his face and almost fell off before he scrambled to keep it in place.

With a determined look on her still candy smeared face, Sugar took a few steps back on her hind legs while her front held onto the ball. Slowly, she lifted it up over her head to throw it. Only it slid through her small hooves and dropped to the ground... by way of Dusty’s head. The helmet he’d just been adjusting bounced off his head and landed on the ground, followed by the colt a second later.

“Ow!” the colt yelped as he fell back, rubbing his head with a hoof.

“Dusty! You made me miss!” Tiny said with a huff, peering over the counter top at the colt

“Sorry...” he said, ears drooped as he rolled back onto his hooves, grabbing for his slightly dented hoofball helmet.

“Now I only got two more tries.”

“Sugar, would you like your Uncle to try for you?” Spearmint asked as she stepped up to the other side of my niece.

“No! I can do this on my own! I’m a big pony now.” She turned back to the two remaining balls and reached out to lift the nearest one up with her hoof and magic this time. The red rubber ball glowed a soft pink in her magical grip as she eyed the pyramid of blue cups at the back of the booth. Sticking her tongue out, she took a hopping jump forward and tossed the ball with all her physical and magical might. And what a throw it was... going all of half a foot as she face planted into the countertop. “Okay... maybe Uncle Shadow can have a try...” she replied, her voice slightly muffled.

“Alright, Tiny.” I smirked and helped her back up onto her rump and reached a hoof out for the last ball, giving it a couple tosses into the air. As I got a feel for its weight, my eyes fixed on the blue cups. Oddly, it felt like I was about to attempt some desperate shot, like the grenade I tossed into the mouth of that radioactive gecko back near Crossroads. This was just a game, not life or death. Besides, this shouldn’t be too hard, it didn’t seem like a difficult throw. Though I had a feeling those cups were far from hollow and if I missed, oh well, I could always try again. A single cap was hardly going to break us.

“No using S.A.T.S.” the mare called out, noticing my Pipbuck.

I simply nodded my head and began to pull back my hoof to toss the ball when I noticed Tiny sitting nearby. The filly was leaning forward on the counter. Her ears were perked up right, eyes wide and tail swishing back and forth excitedly as she waited for me to make my throw. Hmm... perhaps not life or death... but I wasn’t about to let Tiny down... not after she came dressed as her ‘hero’.

I drew back my hoof for real this time and tossed the ball as hard as I could. The faded rubber sphere sailed through the warm night air, spinning slowly as it closed the distance to its target. Tiny gasped and went still and I heard Dusty urging the ball onwards. With a crack of rubber meeting plastic, the ball struck the tower of blue cups dead center and sent them tumbling to the booth’s floor to roll about wildly. I grinned slowly as I lowered my hoof back down to the ground, letting out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. Hmm, not bad...

Beside me, Sugar reared up on her hind legs and cheered loudly, drawing the attention of a few nearby ponies as they trotted past and a laugh from the mare in charge of the booth. Dusty waved a single fore hoof in the air, a wide smile on his snout as bounced around as best he could. Even Spearmint clapped her fore hooves at the sight, a wide smile on her lips as she watched the excited foals in front of her. I simply looked to the side at Sugar and grinned, giving my tiny counterpart a wink which earned me a hug from the pink filly.

“Well that was a good throw there, mister, now would you like to claim your prize?” the mare asked once the foals had settled down and I was free of a pink mini me. I nodded my head once before pointing over to Sugar who’d settled back atop the counter. At once, a pink hoof shot out to point towards the yellow stuffed toy pegasus, which was nearly as large as her. The mare grinned and nodded her head. “Good choice, my mother made that this past spring.” Stretching her body out to reach the top shelf, the mare picked the toy up by her teeth and placed it before Sugar.

With wide gold eyes, the filly threw her front limbs around it and gave it a might squeeze. A fit of giggles followed as the sizeable toy toppled over onto Tiny, nearly sending both to the ground before I lifted a hoof to stabilize them. Deciding to not take another chance, I lifted the pair down from the counter and back beside my hooves as I thanked the mare. A muffled shout from below cut off whatever she was about to say, muffled due to the owner’s face being buried in bright yellow fluff.

“IT’S SO FLUFFY!!!”

As the four of us stepped away from the booth and back onto the path through the park, I looked over at my niece and smiled. Any fears I had that she wouldn’t enjoy herself this year seemed baseless, and I was thankful. Meanwhile, Dusty came up to Sugar, grinning happily at his friend and her new toy.

“That sure is a swell stuffed pony, Sugar.”

“Yep! Miss Sparkles will finally have a friend.” Golden eyes blinked as she looked past her friend and around the park before she gasped, “Come on, Dusty! Lets go see what else Uncle Shadow can win for us tonight!” She tossed the stuffed pony across her back where it rested against her saddlebags. Snagging her candy bag from the ground in her mouth, she proceeded to scamper off towards the nearest game, a small brown colt in tow laughing along with his friend.

“Oh my... you’ve created a monster,” Spearmint said as she hurried past to keep up with the pair. I chuckled, shaking my head.

Somehow, I got the feeling it was going to be a long night until it was time to give ‘Nightmare Moon’ her share of the candy followed up by bedtime. A shout from ahead snapped me out of my thoughts and I perked my ears towards a booth with toy guns loaded with darts that Sugar was climbing onto a stool to play. Actually, I doubted I’d get much sleep tonight.

And so that’s how the rest of the night went. Going from one booth to another, playing games until the dynamic duo got hungry (again) and we stopped to grab something to eat. Luckily it wasn’t completely coated in sugar so there was a slim chance I might actually get a bit of rest tonight. Very slim. After a few more games, and a couple photos taken so we could remember our first Nightmare Night on the surface, it was time for the candy sacrifice to the Princess of the Night which would be held at one end of the park. The end with the fewest working lights, which I had a feeling was intentional for the festivities.

Somepony had made a rather convincing statue of the Mare in the Moon. Whether it’d been before or after the war I wasn’t sure, but it was in remarkably good shape in either case. It stood about twice as tall as an average pony, about the height of one of the Princesses in fact. the mare was posed to appear standing over her subjects/victims awaiting their offering of candy.

Foals lined up to dump a bit of candy out before the scary statue, most doing so hurriedly as the few still standing dead trees in the park swayed in the breeze. The creaking branches added to the mood and caused more than a few fillies and colts gave out startled yelps at the unexpected noise. I expected Sugar to ask me to go with her, but she said she was a big pony and big ponies like me weren’t scared of anything. I smirked and stood back with the parents and guardians as their foals went up.

When it was Sugar’s turn, I was surprised to see the tiny pink filly escorting Dusty towards the statue. The colt looking nervously up at the dark statue as the pair approached it, his teeth all but cutting through the strap of his candy bag. His ears were laid back and tail tucked between his legs. For her part, Sugar put on a brave face, though I could see a slight shake in her tail and ears as she got closer to the sharp toothed mare. I saw her say something to Dusty, but over the noise of the gathered ponies I wasn’t sure what it’d been.

Whatever it was seemed to calm the colt as he sat his candy bag down on the ground to toss some of the hard won loot out before the statue’s hooves. Meanwhile, much to my amusement, Sugar had taken her ‘combat shotgun’ into her mouth and was standing guard over her friend as he finished and picked his bag back up. Sugar’s horn sparked to life as the ‘weapon’ floated from her mouth to her side and she dumped a bit of candy on the growing pile.

With the deed done, the pair hurriedly made their way back towards us, giving the statue a couple of quick glances to ensure it wasn’t attempting to gobble them up while their backs were turned. The first one back was Sugar who threw her hooves around my leg and giggled, if a bit tiredly, followed by Dusty who was dragging his tail along the dirt.

“Well, now that all the important business is finished for the night, I think it’s time for all good little foals to get back home and get to bed.” Of course, this was met with the expected comments.

“Aww... but Uncle Shadow... do I have too? I’m not even...” Her complaint was cut off as she yawned and blinked her yellow eyes a couple times. “... tired. There’s still so much to do!”

Spearmint chuckled and shook her head as she went over and picked the near sleeping colt up off his hooves and placed him upon her back. Despite the late hour, and his half closed eyes, the young pony held onto his candy bag with a death grip. I looked back to Sugar and her pleading eyes before an idea came to me.

“Well, of course you can, Tiny... after all, you're a big pony now.” She clapped her hooves excitedly and hugged my leg once more while Spearmint arched a brow towards me. I winked to the unicorn and lowered my head down towards Sugar, lowering my voice to a whisper that the old green mare could still hear. “But Dusty looks like he’s had it, he’s not as old as you are you know.” The pink filly’s ears twitched and she looked back over to the colt who appeared nearly asleep.

“Yeah... he does look...” Another yawn. “...pretty tired.”

“Now, I still need to talk with Brightblade tonight before I head home, but Spearmint’s gotta take Dusty home. While the city’s safe enough during the day, I’d hate to see a single mare and foal get robbed by somepony on their way home.” Sugar’s eyes got real big at this and she nodded her head quickly. Seeing I had her attention, I went in for the kill. “I’d want somepony I can trust to walk them both home, keep them safe.”

“Oh! I can do it, Uncle Shadow!” the filly yelled excitedly, fumbling with her cardboard shotgun for a moment before shouldering it and giving me a salute. “Officer Pie ready to escort the civilians home!”

I managed to hide my smirk and hold the laughter in as I sat down on my rump and returned the salute.

“Very good, Officer Pie, see to it they both get home safely. I’ll expect a full report when I get home.”

“Yes, sir!” she answered in her best serious voice before grabbing my leg in a hug once more and turning to Spearmint and Dusty. “Alright citizens, nothing to see here, let’s move along.”

“Of... of course, Officer, lead the way,” Spearmint said between giggles and holding a hoof to her mouth to try and hide the smile she was wearing.

With Sugar Pie in the lead, her ‘combat shotgun’ sweeping the shadows for any suspected muggers, Spearmint took the tired foals back down the street for home. No doubt Dusty would be sound asleep by the time they got to Doctor Kindheart’s place, and Sugar would likely be dragging her ‘weapon’ the last few steps to the apartment building.

I chuckled and turned away from the three to scan the still sizeable crowd around me. While it was indeed getting late, a little past midnight, most still seemed in the mood to enjoy the night with friends and family. A good deal many were wearing army uniforms in place of costumes due to the lateness of their return to the city. However, I didn’t see the one pony I was looking for.

Bright and I hadn’t spoken much since the gathering at the Double Rainboom, and I was a little worried. While we’d left on better terms than we had the first time we talked about me ‘giving up’, it was still unusual for the large red stallion to not spend a few hours chatting with me. At least, it had been before our journey across the wasteland.

After searching the park, I moved out into the nearby streets where a number of small parties had begun. Dancing, drinking happy ponies and zebras were everywhere around me and, for the most part, ignoring one another's differences. As I trotted between them, I noticed a bit more adult oriented entertainment set up in the darker corners of the street, along with the alleyways.

Finally after another thirty minutes of searching, I decided to just give up and head on home. It’d just be easier to wait until the morning and head over to their building across the street. It wasn’t as if he lived half way across the city. I was just beginning to turn around when a strange light caught my attention. Turning back, I noticed the almost black light was swaying from a dark colored tent set up at the end of the street I was on.

The rough canvas tent had been dyed a dark blue color, almost black, and had a number of silver stars sewn onto its surface. Beside the stars, there was also different images of the moon with all its different phases carefully displayed between the stars. The swaying black light seemed to cause the silver images to glow in darkness and, as it swung back towards what appeared the front, it also lit up a sign hanging above the entrance.

Madame Pinkie Pie.

I arched a brow at the name and took a few steps towards the tent, noticing as I got closer that there didn’t appear to be anypony else around. Still, my curiosity was peaked and I called out to whoever maybe inside.

“Um, hello? Anypony home?”

“Please, come in,” a voice called out from within the tent. It was a mare’s and seemed familiar somehow.

Taking a few more steps closer, I lifted a foreleg and pushed the flaps of the entrance way aside as I ducked my head and trotted inside. As I scanned the dark interior for the owner of the voice I had heard, I saw that it looked similarly inside as it had on the outside.

Those same silver stars and moons were sewn onto the gently swaying walls and a dark tattered purple carpet had been thrown over the pavement of the street. A round table sat in the center of the open space, a tablet cloth with a lighter shade of blue than the tent covering it. Upon that, rested a crystal ball of all things. It sat snugly atop a red pillow and reflected the images of two ponies inside it. The first was myself, the lights from beyond the tent flap outlining me in the orb. The other was sitting just opposite of me, half hidden in the shadows.

I recognized the striped equine at once, Second Sight’s almond shaped blue eyes sparkled in the rainbow colored lighting reflecting off the crystal ball. As they had been during our first meeting, her eyes were fixed on me. Her mane was tucked neatly under a dark purple hat, tassels swaying gently in the breeze from the open tent flap. The zony’s dark cloak had been replaced by a dark blue and black robe with those same stars on them, which I found odd. Zebras distrusted anything having to do with the night sky, a fact I’d discovered while speaking with some of the shop owners. It had also been a reason why we’d gone to war when Luna became the leader, beside the coal and gems.

“Come in hero of the light and dark, of your future we must remark.” She waved a hoof towards a red velvet seat cushion near the table, a match for the one she herself was resting upon, her tail wrapped about her flanks.

I arched a brow at her, but remained standing where I was.

“I don’t think we have anything to discuss, at least not about my future. I already know what my future holds, I don’t need some fortune teller to tell me. I’m going to raise my niece here in this city and I’m going to continue to grow food for the rest of my life. Maybe someday I’ll even manage to start a farm somewhere nearby. If I’m lucky, I’ll even have a couple foals of my own. Grow old and die a happy pony.” I turned to leave, but her next words froze me to the ground.

“I wouldn't be so sure, my friend. Your story has not reached its true end. These events you have already begun, when your sister’s end was done. A hard thing for anypony to do, especially for one so close to you.”

“How do you know about my sister?” I all but growled out, turning my head back towards the strange mare as my ears swiveled back against my skull.

I’d never told anypony what happened in the tunnels under Kanter City. Wildfire and Stonehoof were there, but I found it unlikely they’d go tell complete strangers about it. Tassels and the others had been there, but had been far too sick to really know what had happened. What I’d been forced to do for my sister...

“As you may have been told, and may now know, my tribe sees much of what is yet to be so. Many future events and great, some of which to you and I relate. Come then, and sit beside, and I will tell what we have scried.”

I glanced down to the cushion she had once more indicated with a nod of her head, then back up to the odd mare sitting calmly across from me. I should just turn around and leave. Anything she had to say was likely made up or heresy. There wasn’t any reason for me to stay... but still, I found myself sitting down upon the seat and placing my fore hooves upon the table.

“Alright... lets hear what you have to say,” I said evenly, eyes fixed on the striped mare who merely smiled and nodded her head.

“All beings have a destiny; be they zebra, gryphon, or pony. Simple then are the destinies of most; in them they can rarely boast, for always will come one greater still, their destiny achieving for good or ill; some fates as horrible as war, oft' not seen ‘til but storied lore.” She smiled towards me as she said that, and I simply arched a brow. Undaunted she continued, “Rarely does one know his destiny; foreknowledge can change what is meant to be. Cutie marks are all one has most often, with a pony’s talents giving purpose, then.

"Rarer is foreknowledge of another’s fate, if foreknowledge of self danger does create, what more could knowledge of another’s make? Possible maybe to steer for one’s own sake.” At this, a look of sadness crossed her face as she looked to me. “It is not my plight I fear, to judge whether it is wrong or right to so interfere."

“Rarest still, the destiny of one so great, so that with it others have an entwined fate. Some gates entwined long before this being’s birth. So important they impact the whole earth. Often is so great their role, it is labeled as a miracle.”

In such a way your fate is set, to a pony who is not born yet. Such strength and kindness she will give, it will reshape the world in which we live. Some thing Equestria had lost before, forever lost, she will restore.” As she finished speaking, the crystal ball flared to life and sprang forth an image of a rather ordinary looking unicorn mare with an odd cutie mark, a Pipbuck.

I sat in shock. I’d seen images created by unicorns before, I’d seen video projections in the Stable... but never had I ever seen something so life-like. The mare before me seemed to float above the table, yet her hooves were placed firmly upon some flat surface. She was wearing a stable jumpsuit, though I couldn’t make out the number on the collar. Across her back was a saddlebag and she was loaded down with a variety of weapons and bits of gear. In short, she looked like a pony well accustomed to the wasteland. However, what happened next made my eyes widen.

“She, however, is just the start. It will take more ponies to return it to its heart.“

A path of light spread out from the mare’s hooves, branching off in different directions around the room. Where the lines stopped, another image burst to life while more lines spread out from them. Most of the images were of ponies, but there were zebras, gryphons, mules, diamond dogs... almost every race in the world was appearing. My eyes scanned over those nearest.

Another unicorn mare stood off to my right, her coat was a pure white with a red and black striped mane and tail. She must have come from a Stable, as she bore a Pipbuck on one leg. She was taller than the first mare, with playing cards on her flank as a cutie mark. She appeared to have been through alot, as parts of her body had been replaced with robotic replacements.

Movement to the mare’s left shifted my eyes from her to a unicorn stallion. Like her, he appeared mostly white in color with a bluish mane and tail. He bore a number of ugly scars upon his face. Also like the mares, he wore a Pipbuck on one foreleg and some odd set up on his hind legs. They appeared to be shotguns, did they trigger when he lashed out with his hind legs? Nasty.

A hulking form near my left caused me to turn quickly. My ears shot upwards in surprise at the wall of muscle and mare standing before me. She was a huge gray earth pony with a short cut pink and white striped mane. Her front limb was missing, a robotic replacement attached to her shoulder and appearing quite sturdy. For a pony her size, it’d have to be up to the task. Her cutie mark was oddly fitting: three stones. She likely felt like a mountain when striking with her hooves. She had a wound across her face as well, as if hit by acid or a close range energy shot.

More and more glowing images of wastelanders began appearing around me. All of them armed, bearing scars from numerous battles with everything the world had thrown at them... I’d begun collecting a few of them myself.

“All these heroes bound to only one, their deeds will fix what was undone, and reconnect the world’s fractured plain, that then harmony and peace again might reign.”

A tall unicorn stood with her back to me, her tail and mane braided tightly back. Across her flanks were a pair of medical saddlebags with the symbol of the Ministry of Peace upon the flaps. Her upper body was covered by a long flowing trench coat with something odd upon them. Wait... were those feathers on her sides? Sweet Celestia, was she an alicorn? As if sensing me looking, she turned her head towards me and I blinked in shock as her eyes came into sight. Her pupils were slit like that of a snake.

A few steps away stood another alicorn, her long flowing green and purple striped mane flowing in some unseen breeze. She was a deep purple color, with wide sad red eyes. Around her throat was what looked like a slave collar and upon one foreleg was the familiar shape of a Pipbuck. Her feathered wings were spread open wide as she stared off to something only she could see.

“Before you lays a path, hero of light and dark...”

As I watched, I noticed a glow coming from below me. I lowered my eyes to see a line running from the first mare to me, causing me to suck in my breath. I pawed at the light as it surrounded me before I noticed lines beginning to spread out to the others around me.

"...you were born for a purpose, mark. Two beings this mare did foresee, and so entwined your destiny. One being wishes her to be destroyed, lest she make the darkness void. The other wishes the other way, so that the light again holds sway.

"And yet, the choice is yours to make, the past you trod is yours to take. No god or goddess can force it be, only you control your destiny. I cannot tell to take which way, for such knowledge is not for me to say."

The glowing mare turned her head towards me and locked her eyes upon me. A jolt of energy seemed to race through my body at the visual contact and I slowly stood up, facing the short unicorn.

"Within her hooves Equestria’s future lies, and within yours, it lives… or dies."

The ghostly pale image before me lifted her hoof to me, and I found myself doing so as well. Seconds before either limb could touch, the mare before me winked out of existence. As did the pale glowing pony shapes behind her. With them also went the light and everything around me was plunged into shadows.

I yelled out in surprise and attempted to find out where I was. Had I been returned to the tent? Was I even in the city anymore? The blackness around me was so complete that I couldn’t even see my hoof as I waved it in front of my face. And it was so silent. Second Sight had only seconds before been speaking, and now there was nothing.

Sitting back on my haunches, I lifted both fore hooves up to my face, grasping with my left to try and find my Pipbuck’s light. Once again, my surroundings changed in a blink of an eye. Literally. I blinked, and I found myself once more at the end of a street in San Ponsisco, sitting out under the night sky... alone.

Standing up quickly, I slowly turned around in a circle and looked around the deserted street and the dark silent buildings around me. There was no sign of the tent I’d just been sitting inside. No soft red cushion I’d sat down upon, or table with its glowing crystal ball. There was also no sign of a striped mare who’d just suddenly vanished along with everything else. Along with all those others. What had she called them... heroes to come?

I blinked once more and wondered if perhaps everything wouldn’t change back. But it didn’t, and I was left to try and figure out what the hell had just happened. As I sat there thinking, I noticed it wasn’t just the street I was on that was silent... but the whole city seemed completely quiet, where minutes ago there’d been the sound of ponies partying just down the street.

Lifting my right fore leg once more, I looked to the clock on my Pipbuck and cocked my head to the side at the unexpected time. I’d been sitting here for over an hour and a half? It couldn’t have really been so long... could it? It’d felt like just a few minutes ago that I’d first walked up to the tent, and started my conversation with Second Sight. Looking about the deserted street, I sat my fore hoof back down atop the pavement with a soft clop.

Well... given everything that just happened, I suppose I shouldn’t be that surprised. Very little of what I’d just seen and heard made a whole lot of sense to me and standing in the middle of a dark street wasn’t getting me anywhere either. I should really be getting back home to check on Sugar, she might be worried about me being gone for so long. Spearmint was likely still with her so at least she wasn’t home alone, but the mare had to be at work tomorrow... er, later today.

Shaking my head, I turned away from the dead-end street and began trotting back up the sidewalk. I’d need to retrace my steps to find my way out of this part of the city, but it shouldn’t be too hard. If I got lost, I could just use my Pipbuck’s auto map feature. I managed to find my way back to the park at least, so it shouldn’t be that hard to find my way home. As I passed them, I noticed most of the stalls had simply been left where they were. Likely most ponies would return later to tear them down... though why some still had things to sell was a bit worrying. Surely nopony would leave their merchandise out on the street all night.

Rounding a bend in the road, I began to hear something beside the clopping of my own hooves on the sidewalk. Raised voices drifted towards me from the direction I was going. I began to increase my pace, wondering what I’d missed while under the odd zony’s tent. Within a few seconds I began to see a large crowd standing out front of one of the fancy homes we’d passed earlier tonight. The tall iron wrought fence kept them at bay, along with a small number or armed ponies in green olive uniforms.

The majority of the crowd were ponies, but like at the party a hour before, I saw that there were several zebras, gryphons, and ghouls mixed in with the colorful equines. Most were still dressed in their Nightmare Night costumes, but none looked to be enjoying themselves in the slightest. Judging by their raised voices, I’d say more than a few were angry. The guards appeared to notice this too, and had already drawn their weapons. The barrels, for the moment, were pointed at the ground though their faces betrayed their nervousness as their eyes shifted about. A lot of them appeared young, likely new recruits given an easy assignment to ease them into their new jobs. An assignment that seemed to have turned overly hard in a matter of an hour. As I drew nearer, I saw a pair of familiar ponies on the other side of the fence with the guards, one still dressed up as a vampire.

Balefire had wiped off most of the face paint he’d been wearing earlier tonight. His fake fangs were nowhere in sight as he spoke with the uniformed winged mare beside him. Sunburst glanced from her brother to the crowd, the mare’s blue green eyes flicking from face to face, concern written across her face... but not just for her soldiers, but the citizens as well. As Balefire spoke with her, she kept turning to say something to the young ponies near her. Whatever it was, it seemed to be helping them as they began to fidget far less.

“You’ve got to do something!” someone shouted from within the crowd.

“How can you just stand there!?” a female voice screamed.

If I was going to make any sense of this, I’d have to try and reach Balefire. I doubted they’d just let me inside the yard, but maybe he would if he saw me near the edge of the fence. To that end, I slowed my approach and began working my way as close to the crowd and the fence as I dared. A couple of armored and armed ponies gave me worried looks, to which I simply offered them a small smile and nod of my head, hoping to ease their tension somewhat.

Drawing closer to the crowd, I spotted a single mare hanging back from the rest. Her back was turned to me as she watched the goings on. I approached her on the chance I could learn something about what’d happened while I’d been... wherever I’d been.

“What’s going on?” I was nearly forced to yell the question to the mare, the noise from the crowd seeming to increase. The pony... or rather the ghoul turned to regard me, eyes glowing a soft green in the dim street lights. Like Carrion, she’d decayed in spots across her body, though the worst seemed to be around her snout where most of the flesh was missing. It was left mostly bare with white bone exposed.

“Where th’ hell ya been, stranger? Didn’t ya hear th’ broadcast an hour ago?” she asked in an accent similar to Stone’s. She turned her head back towards the fence, eyes narrowing with what flesh she had left on her forehead. “Raiders attacked Old Oak again. Th’ survivors are holed up in their Town Hall and are radioin’ for help. Th’ signal was picked up at th’ party and somepony played it over th’ speakers. It wasn’t pretty...” She shut her eyes and shook her head, the remains of a dark blue mane flowing around her face.

“It was horrible... all those ponies screaming for help... the gunshots...” another mare beside the ghoul said, tears in her green eyes.

Old Oak? I frowned and thought that name sounded familiar... wait, it’d been attacked the other day. I’d heard Three Horns talking about it on the radio back at the farm. It’d sounded as if there had been little left for the ponies that’d survived the first attack to do but leave. However, it seemed they’d not done so in time. From further in the crowd came more shouts and yells, confused, angry and upset. The iron bars of the fence rattled as somepony pushed against it, and the guards on the other side raised their weapons in response. This was quickly getting out of hoof... someone was going to end up getting hurt...

“Stand down! Stand down!” a stallion’s voice rang out over the crowd, quickly followed by a dark green unicorn rushing up to the soldiers from behind to stand before them. He waved a hoof frantically to calm them down. Balefire snorted loudly, ears folded back against his skull as he trotted along the armed ponies. “They aren’t getting in, guys, so just relax. Please.”

Before I could get his attention though, a loud sound shout out from in front of the crowd and I looked over to see what had caused it. It’d sounded like feedback and, after a moment, I discovered it was just that. A unicorn near Sunburst had cast a spell, his horn glowing a dim red as he used a spell I’d seen Ebony cast before. I knew this because she’d often used it to surprise the hell out of me with the sudden noise. More commonly, she used it in public gatherings for the entire Stable when the speakers were on the fritzs.

“Attention citizens!! Please remain calm, there is no need to panic! I assure you everything that can be done, is being done for the ponies of Old Oaks, but you must all go home!! Gathering outside the President’s home is going to do nopony any good! She’s not even here! She’s with her staff discussing the attack and what we can do!” The crowd quieted for a moment before they began shouting once more.

“There ain’t no help for them trapped ponies,” the ghoul I’d spoken with before said quietly, her tattered ears folded back in regret. “Ah don’t think th’ Confederacy can aford ta be sendin’em help.”

“She’s right you know,” Balefire said even quieter and I turned my head towards the fence to see my friend. He must have noticed me while I’d been looking towards Sunburst and had trotted over to stand beside me on the other side of the iron bars.

“What?”

“We can’t send them any help,” the green buck said sadly, red eyes looking from me to the crowd. His voice was low enough not to be heard by the frantic yells of the others, continuing, “There’s nopony to send.”

“What about the First Corp you just escorted back?”

“They’re in no shape to help anyone, they’re half dead on their hooves. I expect most wouldn’t even make it across the wasteland to the Old Oaks, let alone save the town. The City Guard are only assigned to patrol the walls of the city, they won’t go out there on their own. Not willingly anyway, it wasn’t what they signed on to do and if mom attempted to order them... well... we’d have another riot on our hooves.” He shook his head sadly and pawed at the ground with a fore hoof, looking away from me and over towards his sister.

I looked away as well, shoulders slumping as voices rose in pitch. Demanding something be done, yet not willing to do anything themselves.

“Please, we’ll do everything we can...” Sunburst looked over the crowd, wings wilting as her voice was drowned out by the angry crowd. Even from where I stood, I could see the despair forming in the mare’s eyes. She knew she was lying to them. She knew they had nothing to send to help the town and it was tearing her up inside, despite her attempt to appear a hard nosed soldier.

“You’re not going to do a damn thing to help them... they’re not even a part of your Confederacy!” a stallion yelled back, “You’re going to let them die just because they’re outside your borders! It’s happened before... it happened to my home... well, this time you’ll have to listen to it happen!” the crowd went silent as the stallion spoke, stepping away from him to reveal a ragged unicorn buck with a Pipbuck. His horn coming to life in a burst of tan light before his radio began to play.

“... please we need help! Raiders have attacked Old Oaks... we’ve held them off as best we can, but they’re inside our town’s walls... killing us. Please... somepony... anyone send help!!” a frantic mare cried out of the silence, gunshots and screaming coming from the back ground. Somepony in the crowd near me began to cry.

Sunburst deflated and slumped to the ground beside the unicorn, his horn going out as he let the spell fade and attempted to help support the mare.

“Please... we have young foals... somepony help us... they’ll kill them... please... someone has to help us...”

I looked away from the crowd, feeling tears coming to my eyes. Balefire moved away from the fence, making his way towards his sister. Nopony was willing to go to their help... or couldn’t. The military was stretched too thin. The citizens were not trained for it, nor willing to leave the safety of the city walls. Everyone was upset about what was happening, but wanted someone else to fix it for them.

Old Oaks’ cry for help would go unanswered.

As I began making my way from the crowd, I passed a stallion who was slumped in the middle of the street and crying into the mane of another as he was attempting to comfort him. While most of what he said was unclear, I made out enough.

“My sister’s there... whos going to save my sister? Who...?”

I’m not sure how I got home really. I just remember walking away from the crowd with my tail dragging in the street. I remember walking with my head hung low to the ground, only seeing the hooves of ponies as they walked past me. Whether they said anything to me or not I couldn’t say. If they had I didn’t hear them... or maybe I did. I don’t know.

I vaguely recalled walking up the stairs back to my apartment. The entire building was silent, either asleep or still out somewhere in the city. How many knew about Old Oaks? Was it broadcast all across the city? Making my way across the floor to my door, I fumbled with my keys before finally managing to get them pushed into the lock and opening up the door.

Inside, I found Spearmint asleep on the couch with Sugar Pie held tightly to her chest. Wads of tissues were scattered about them on the floor and both appeared to have been crying. Had they heard the news? Had Sugar been leaving the party just as the first call for help played out?

I left them to sleep, trudging down the hallway to my room and dropping into bed. I left my clothing on as I closed my eyes and tried to get the cry for help out of my head.

How long I lay in the darkness of my room, I couldn’t say. I didn’t have the desire to look at the clock on my nightstand, or the one on my Pipbuck. I simply lay atop my bed, eyes staring straight ahead at the shadows of my room.

The darkness and silence of my bedroom was disturbed by the soft creak of the bedroom door opening. A shaft of soft white light dispelled the darkness that surrounded me. I blinked my eyes a couple times to adjust them to the sudden light and lifted my head from my bed to look towards the doorway. I expected perhaps to see Spearmint, maybe waking up sometime after I’d gotten in and come to check on me. However, it was not the elderly unicorn. In fact, the silhouetted shape that stood in the light was small, the size of a filly, and one still wearing her costume.

As my eyes adjusted slowly to the light coming in from the hallway, I could more easily see my young niece standing there in her Nightmare Night costume, her bag of candy missing. The hoof made cardboard and plastic security armor’s black paint reflected the light from beyond my room. It was looking a bit rough after being worn for so long. Around her neck was the combat shotgun she’d made, its paper towel roll barrel pointed towards the floor.

Her wide, bright golden eyes stared up at me from the floor with something held in her mouth. The light reflected from it’s smooth, metal surface. My ears perked forwards and I rose my head from my forehooves and the blanket.

“Tiny?” She didn’t answer me, but simply began trotting towards the bed and me. Her small hooves lightly clattered across the hardwood floor. The closer she came, the more clearly I could see what she was carrying in her mouth. It was my Marshall badge I’d given her to wear.

As she reached the bed, she stood back on her hind legs and attempted to haul herself up by her fore legs. Clearly, she was not intent on speaking until she could sit down beside me. I reached down and took hold of her foal sized jumpsuit, just above the cardboard armor across her neck, and lifted her up onto the bed beside me. She quickly pressed herself up against me, her tiny body trembling. Wrapping her up in my forelegs, I pulled her to my chest.

“Oh, Tiny...”

As she turned to grab ahold of me, the badge she’d held in her mouth dropped out and landed on the covers beside us. Placing my head atop hers, I looked over to the bit of silvery metal. Gently, I reached a hoof over to pick the badge up. Turning it over, I looked more closely at the writing and designs etched across it’s smooth surface. ‘In Harmony We Trust’ stood out.

“On the way home... we heard something come over the radio. Some of the other kids from school heard it too and started to cry,” she said suddenly, resting her head against my foreleg. “Their mommies and daddies are in trouble from those bad ponies that attacked our home. The bad ponies who took mommy away and hurt our friends.”

My eyes went from the badge back down to my niece. So it had been played all across the city... at least in places with radios to pick it up. Sugar shifted her head and looked back up to me, wide yellow eyes locking with my own. Tears loosened at their edges, but held at bay for the moment.

“Nopony should lose their mommies and daddies. Mommy said you’d want to help them, but you didn’t wanna leave me.” I opened my mouth to respond. To say something to reassure my niece that everything was going to be alright. But I couldn’t. How could I when not even a officer in the army could tell a crowd of strangers everything was going to be alright? “You can save them, Uncle Shadow... I know you can.”

I blinked once more, as her words hit me. Neither of us spoke after that and time slowly ticked by as we sat holding onto one another. Finally I looked away from my niece, my eyes settling upon the wooden cabinet with its lock still unlatched from earlier. My armor and weapons were tucked away within. Like Pip, I’d never really expected to use them again...

Could one pony really make a difference out there? Could one pony save the lives nopony else would?

Who would look after those ponies beyond the walls of the city? Beyond the reach of the C.S.E?

My eyes dropped back to the silver six pointed star. The ring around it emboldened the words, ‘To Protect and Serve Equestria. In Harmony and Friendship we Trust.’ where both had been engraved. I closed my eyes and remembered the words written upon a scrap of paper. Words from a pony who’d been very much like me.

Friendship and Harmony. Defend those weaker than us, and serve those who defend the weak.

Defend those weaker than us...

Defend...

...who will save my sister?

My eyes snapped open and I took a deep breath.

I had to try!

Ears folding back, I looked down to Sugar as she sniffed and nuzzled into my chest. What was to stop the raiders once they’d finished with places like Old Oak? Tombstone? Crossroads? Was San Ponsisco any safer? Was Sugar safer?

For Sugar’s future... I had to try.

Placing my fore hooves upon either side of my niece’s body, I gently slid her away from my chest and rose up from the bed. My eyes fixed upon the cabinet where my gear was stored. She lifted her head and watched me as I stepped away from the bed, my mind made up on what I had to do. Whether it was my destiny or not... it was the right thing to do.

For everypony’s future... I had to try...

Sitting down in front of the cabinet, I placed my hooves upon the handles and pulled the doors fully open. The lock fell from where I’d placed it on the shelf inside earlier that afternoon, clattering to the floor between my hind legs. It wouldn’t be needed anymore after tonight.

For everyone's future... I had to...

As the worn oak wooden doors creaked open, my black riot armor greeted me, hanging from a hook I’d placed inside the cabinet just for it. On either side of my armor were my weapons. Both were oiled and cleaned before being put away for what I’d thought would be forever. I’d reached the end of my journey... or so I’d thought.

You're not dead, little brother. It’s not your time yet. You still have much to do.

Reaching inside, I withdrew the armor and began sliding it on piece by piece. The feeling was familiar, even comforting. The weight of thick kevlar padding brushed across my black jumpsuit and exposed coat. With practiced ease, the buckles snapped into place on every piece, locking them on my body. With the final piece in place, I reached for the leg holster and the Raging Buck still tucked inside it. As I did, my hoof brushed up against the hilt of the heavy revolver. It’d been the first thing I’d found in the wasteland and had saved my life more times than I could count. It’d also been used to take the life of the mare closest to me, besides Sugar. Though the ammo for it was scarce, it packed one hell of a punch. However, I had scored a number of spare rounds in Oddwick off the body of a dead stallion slaver. The leg belt wrapped easily around my left hoof, where I’d worn it since finding it in Lonesome Hoof.

If you’re listen’n, lone gunpony, good job. You saved a whole lotta ponies with that.

Looking up, my eyes landed upon Luna’s Ruse, Pipsqueak’s personal combat shotgun. The smooth black metal reflected the light that spilled across my body into the cabinet. The dark wooden stock was still whole and mark free as the day it’d been made. My hoof took ahold of the weapon’s shoulder strap and withdrew it from its place on the hook. With a flick of my hoof and a snap from the latch, the drum feed opened smoothly and revealed the softly glowing runes of magic that somepony had cast upon it so long ago.

Ain’t no pony helped another just because.

I found the box of shells sitting on the shelf near the top of the cabinet, right where I’d left them, and began loading it. With each shell sliding into its slot, I recalled the number of times this weapon had saved my life and that of my friends’. How it had came to be in my possession and what it had likely done for its previous owner as he’d fled into the desert to escape the end of world. Finally the weapon was loaded and I snapped it shut, ensuring the safety was still on as I hung it over my shoulders.

We’re taking everybody with us. No one gets left behind this time.

Lastly, I withdrew my hat and lowered it down upon my mane. My ears slipped easily through the holes on either side and flipped upright. Stepping back from the cabinet, I looked at myself in the mirror near the door. A familiar looking pony looked back at me. A pony who’d set out from his former home on the chance to save his sister. A pony who’d ended up helping others, doing what a pony was supposed to do. Looking away, I turned towards the bed and my niece. However, I found her standing before me, horn alight with magic as she lifted something up to me.

We don’t get many strangers willing to lend a hoof to others around these parts anymore.

The Equestrian Marshal's badge floated up to my chest and slid into place where I’d worn it weeks ago. The silver star seemed to shine as bright as the light from Hope Tower.

Wasteland could use a good Marshall to clean it up.

Sugar smiled up at me, wrapping her small fore legs around my right one. I returned the smile and brushed a hoof over her mane as I looked back up to the mirror.

It was time to take back our home... it was time to take Equestria back.

Once again, I found myself trotting down the stairs from my apartment room. This time, though, my hoof steps were a bit more heavy. Due mostly in part to the armor, weapons, and saddlebags I was wearing, but also in what I was about to do. Despite this, I still managed to reach the first floor without running into anypony, or waking anypony up. For that, I was thankful. I’d left the apartment without waking Spearmint, knowing the old mare would likely have attempted to talk me out of what I was doing. I suppose it did seem foolish.

A single pony, setting out alone to fight off a horde of raiders attacking a distant town. A town that would likely take me days to reach by hoof if I couldn’t find a faster means of transport. But I had to try. Just as I had to try and save Ebony.

The clip clop of my hooves across the first floor hallway echoed loudly to my ears, and I attempted to both quicken and soften my steps. I glanced to the door to Wendy’s apartment, hearing no sound coming from behind the wooden barrier. Wendy would likely have understood why I was doing this. Why somepony had to do this.

Pushing the doors to the apartment building open, I stepped out into the early morning air. It was still slightly humid from the previous night's storm. The thick, sticky air reminded me of my time out in the wasteland. Folding my ears back, I took the stairs leading down from the front door quickly and paused to glance back up to the building. My thoughts drifted onto Sugar and on what I was about to do.

So... this was it then? Once more into the breach... alone.

“Well, we reckon’d ya’d try somethin’ stupid and here ya are,” a thickly accented voice called out from the shadows of an alleyway next to the steps.

I blinked and turned my head quickly towards that patch of shadow, as a pony stepped out from the narrow path between my building and the one next to it. A familiar, grey coated stallion walked out into the glow of the street lights. A battered cowpony hat was perched atop his brown mane, a smile on his lips and dark green eyes fixed on me. A well maintained hunting rifle was slung across his back between two large saddlebags. Bags deep enough to store a Stable’s entire supply of spare parts and ammo should he take a mind to try. At once I smiled, despite being a bit confused as to why he was here. And why now?

“Stone? What are you doing here?” I asked, taking a few steps towards my friend, only to have him start walking down the street away from me. I blinked once more and quickly fell into step beside him, before something he said struck me. “Wait... we?” The large earth pony didn’t answer me, simply glancing over as we walked to the end of the street and turned the corner. I was about to ask him again when he came to a stop and stared straight ahead. I turned and froze, eyes wide on the scene before me.

A sleek black shape was parked across the street, the rear of it sitting slightly raised on the curb. Standing in front of it, hitched to the armored sky chariot, was Wildfire. Her own armor was recently polished and gleamed in the dim light. Her battle saddle rested comfortably across her back, the barrels of the rifles tucked back. Her blue eyes were looking towards me, a devilish smile on her face.

But she wasn’t alone. Movement from the doorway to the chariot forced me to look away from my winged friend’s grin to see a large shape standing at the ready. Spirit Walker filled the doorway to the passenger compartment, her medical bags slung across her broad back and her slender looking rifle hanging from about her neck by a colorful band. She nodded her horned head once to me and glanced to her left.

There stood two other familiar ponies. Balefire, in his C.S.E. olive green uniform, was leaning against the hull of the chariot. His holstered revolvers stood out on his chest and his unit patches had been removed. He too wore saddlebags across his flanks, and a zebra made assault rifle across his back. He winked to me from below his cowpony hat, still a bit battered from when the head it had belonged to had been blown away.

Beside the young unicorn stood Carrion. The ghoul pony’s once filthy, faded combat armor had recently been cleaned and repainted a darker green than Balefire’s. His assault rifle rested against his side, the shoulder with a new strap, and he had a number of grenades affixed to his belt and chest. His glowing orange eyes were fixed firmly upon my face and he stood at attention, as if waiting for something.

I looked slowly back over my friends and sat down hard on my flank. What... how? The heavy tread of large hooves announced Stone’s presence beside me before the earth pony spoke.

“We reckoned twas ‘bout time somepony stood up for what's right in th’ world. Figured ya’d be the pony to do it... so we’re gonna be there ta help.” He offered me a hoof up, a smile on his face as he watched me. “What d’ya say?”

I looked up into the face of my close friend and down to his offered hoof before I scanned the waiting faces of the others. They’d all somehow known what I was going to do.

Trust in your friends; in this new world we live in, friendship is more powerful than any gun. Treat them well and together nothing can stop you.

My hoof rose up and took the larger one before me, Stone hauling me upright onto my own four hooves once more. I smiled back to him, feeling a bit of moisture run down my face.

“I say... saddle up, partner... we’ve got a town to save.”

“Good morning Wasteland! Now before Ol’ Three Horns begins the day, she has a special message for all you folks holding out at Old Oaks. Hold on just a bit longer... help is coming!

It’s not the whole Confederate Army, nor is it the Steel Rangers. It ain’t no Princesses come back from on high to save all our collective asses either.

No, it’s better than all that...

A few weeks ago, I talked about a pony chargin’ across the wasteland. A pony who had everything taken from him, who was fighting to save his family, and who eventually found safety behind the walls of a city.

Now, normally that’s where our story ends... but not this time.

That same pony is giving up everything, but this time willingly. This pony is setting out to fight for complete strangers for no other reason than because they need help. He’s heading back out into the wasteland. He’s coming to help.

It’s been a long time since I spoke about hope, kids. But this pony might just give it back to us.

So... hold on, Old Oaks... a pony is coming to help...”

The DJ’s voice broke for a moment, but whatever else she was going to say was interrupted by another voice coming in much louder, along with the sound of rushing air as the chariot’s intercom drowned out the radio broadcast.

“There’s raiders swarming all over the town, Shadow! Doesn’t look to be a safe place to land anywhere inside the walls!”

“Land us as close to them as you can, Wild... we’ll have to fight our way to Town Hall!” I said back into the mic, lifting my eyes from my Pipbuck and shutting the radio off with my free hoof. I looked to the ponies and buffalo gathered inside the passenger compartment with me. All looking to me. “Alright everyone... lock and load!!”

The click of weapons safeties being switched off echoed within the compartment before the grinding of the door panel drew our attention. Stone stood holding the door open, the wind blowing at his hat.

“It’s time to go be heroes...”

Welcome to Level 16!

Perk Added: Master Trader: Your two weeks in San Ponsisco has left you with a better understanding of how the new money system works. As a result, you have mastered one aspect of bartering - the ability to buy goods far cheaper than a normal person. With this Perk, you get a 25% discount when purchasing items from a store or another trader.

Author's Notes:

Well, all I can really say is, sorry it took me so long to get this out! Guru would also like to tell you all he's sorry for the lateness of this chapter and he does so below. However, as Captain of this ship, I have to take the blame as well. I should have really made double sure they'd all have the time to check this between school and work.

At least I hope it was well worth the wait, as we touch on some interesting things in this story, Shadow's destiny and that of many other wasteland heroes.

Also, for those interested in what the zebra says to (who I've taken to calling) batpony in the opening, the translation is below. It's swahili, though I couldn't find a word for 'of'. This is what she says to him, "Demon warrior (OF) darkness and death."

Lastly, before Guru's turn to comment comes up, I'd just like to share with you the fact that it was him, not I who did the amazing job of getting all of Second Sight's lines to rhyme. Over 400 words in fact of rhyming. I'd just like to point out to all the single mares out there, he is single.

Editor Guru’s note:

If you’re wondering why this chapter is a little late, it’s my fault. I buggered the editing, and I am sorry. Don’t blame Storm, blame me. For the record, the other editor had it done on time. I didn’t.

Editor and Chief: TheGamefilmGuruman

Editor: Avi

Pre- Reader: MagicLlama

Pre- Reader: Bronyken

Original Cover Art: TimeForSP

Current Cover Art: MisterMech Go. Worship his work.