Now:

Brutus and I spent the next two hours digging through boxes and crates that Ruby had stuck in the closet when we finally got settled in the hospital. Candy sat in her crib watching us work, sucking idly on her hoof.

“Most of this stuff is kind of worthless...” Brutus said, pulling old drawings, crafts from school, diaries, and the like.

“Yeah, I'm kinda coming up bare too.” I sighed, looking over the various pieces of memorabilia that filled the boxes.

“Hey wait...look at this...” Brutus said, floating a small crate onto the bed. Inside sat a weird metal box about the size of a computer, but with a small satellite dish on the top. It had a computer display on it and all kinds of controls. A star burst marked one side, lime green with a darker green diamond in the middle. On the other side was a sun that had come up over most of a horizon. “These are Ruby's parent's Cutie Marks...Dawn Star,” he pointed to the rising sun, “and Nova Star.” He pointed to the green star burst.

“I just don't understand you guys some times.” I said to Brutus, “when did family naming conventions become so tight?”

“You're whole lineage has the name Cane...” He rolled his eyes. “Right CANDY?” He asked the baby, getting a giggle when she recognized her name.

“My family was very military until my brother and I were born, having a uniform naming system meant when you enlisted your C.O. knew exactly who you were related to without having to ask. It was a military convention, not a standard practice.”

“Well times change. Star, Blast, Storm, it's just the way things end up.” He shrugged. “It's not like my name is Brute Force Shot.” He said, pulling some journals and envelopes from the box.

“True enough.”

“And Firebird is just Firebird, not Firebird Star.”

“I know...”

“And there's Sky Wagon and Bottle Cap.”

“I get it.”

“I know, I'm just rubbing it in as firmly as possible.”

He smirked and pulled open an envelope that had Ruby's name on it. It had been torn open long ago and tucked shut again.

He read over the paper for a moment, his eyes going wide. “Cane...Listen to this...”

He sat down on the bed and started to read the letter.

“My dearest Ruby:

I hadn't planned on this conversation taking place in a one sided method like this, but there are things you need to know and I don't see us getting out of this situation alive. I pray to Celestia I'm wrong and I can just throw this away and come home to you and sit you down and talk face to face.

I know your mother and I have never talked about it despite your burning curiosity, but I'm going to tell you just why we ended up banished from the Enclave.

Long before you were born I worked at a hospital, tending injuries, caring for the sick, making sure everypony was comfortable. One day there was a huge emergency while I was on call. An explosion at an Enclave R&D facility across town had injured dozens of ponies and they were being rushed to us for aid. Most had minor bruises and cuts, some had somewhat more serious injuries.

The worst was the young mare that had caused the explosion in the first place. She'd been caught in the blast and thrown partially through a wall. She had dozens of broken bones, both her wings were broken, and she was in a coma when they brought her in. Her Enclave superiors insisted she be given top priority because she was their most valuable asset, so I was assigned to care for her and her only, but then you know this story don't you? We fell in love and got married a few years later. I can't afford to waste time on irrelevant details.

Your mother worked for the Enclave, but was deeply devoted to the reunification movement. She, more than any pony I knew, wanted us to open the skies again and help heal the world below, but her superiors didn't much care for it so she wasn't as vocal or open about it as others, like your Aunt Firebird say. She had a good job, she was working within the Enclave in the hopes of changing minds that way. Working her way through connections in the hopes of getting to ponies who could make a difference on a massive scale, instead of the protests or rallies that just seemed to more and more often get shut down or raided, but I think over time she influenced more ponies than any of those rallies could have anyway. We started to hear rumours of ponies upset with her for convincing some very powerful ponies to seriously think about reunification, and here's where the weird metal box in front of you comes in...The journals contain a lot of technical details, a lot of explanations, information that a smarter pony than me would need to go through.

Hopefully the collective scientists will be able to make something of it all if we don't make it back, but I wanted you to know the simple explanation...It's the first step to restoring the Wasteland. Dawn calls it the 'Portable Cloud Dispersal Machine.' It can clear the sky Ruby! Not permanently, but so long as it has power and is running it can open a hole in the sky a mile wide. It will allow towns on the surface to get sunshine, maybe even grow crops and start to fix the environment.

The Enclave wanted it for themselves obviously. Somepony 'borrowed' the PCDM from Dawn's lab and 'tested' it on a small village that had been vocally demanding access to the surface in order to collect new types of grains and plant samples in the hopes of mixing up their crops. The whole village was destroyed in the the blink of an eye, in the early morning. Homes torn apart, whole families plunged to the surface below, their lives snuffed out in an instant.

I had done some work for one of the elite military divisions and still had friends within it's ranks. I got a message from them one day that ponies were moving against us. We were to be brought in and questioned on charges of sedition and conspiracy against the Enclave, not to mention multiple counts of murder. Myself, Dawn and your Aunt Firebird all fled to the surface, just hours before they were to kick down our doors. We don't know what came of it, but we left in a hurry. We came down here, using an old map we knew there was an abandoned Pegasus Airfield down here. We arrived and found The Collective operating here. Crackshot, as the head of the council, offered us sanctuary within their ranks, she asked no questions about our pasts and welcomed out talents into their organization.

I'm sorry I'm rambling again. Ruby, you need to protect the PCDM with your life. If the day comes that the Enclave comes looking for it they CAN NOT get it. It has the potential to destabilize the Enclave, and if it falls into the hooves of somepony able to hide their actions it could set off a whole new war between the Enclave at the surface, and the surface would likely not stand a chance.

Last and most importantly...The Blitzwing...They are monsters, the worst of the worst, destroy the PCDM and all the journals if they show up. Don' let them get even one word on them. Their leader Scourge Cloud is the devil incarnate, if he got the PCDM he is smart enough to not only start the war, he's smart enough to topple or overthrow the Enclave at the same time.

I'm so sorry I'm not going to be there myself to tell you this, I hope this makes it back to you Ruby.

Remember your mother and I love you and always will. Don't let Brute Force tease you, and don't go falling head over heels for some buck with more looks than brai...And it just stops there.” Brutus finished, looking up at me and sighing deeply.

“So this...Is the PCDM?” I asked, looking at the weird device.

“I guess so.” He nodded.

“It hardly seems like the kind of device that could break through the clouds.”

“We've seen weirder things than that.”

“True enough.”

“Can it be connected to your computers to be studied?”

“Yeah that shouldn't be a problem...” I said, nodding slowly, looking over the connection ports on the back of the device. They were older kind of obscure pegasus connectors, but lucky for me I had long since swiped large numbers of cables from the old Pyro base, so I had at least two of everything, and upwards of dozens of the more commonly used cords and cables.

“What are we going to do about Scourge Cloud?”

“I...I don't know.” I sighed, taking up the whole box of stuff and starting out of the room again, Brutus taking Candy from her crib before following me into the hall.

////////////

11 Months ago:

“Well well, what have we here?” The chestnut unicorn laughed, standing over our tangled group, still laying in heap on the ground. “You've returned my other Bushwoolies!” She laughed.

“We haven't done shit.” CB said, pushing herself up slowly, moving forward to put herself between us and the other pony while the rest of us struggled to sort ourselves out from the debris and each other. “We're here for the little green guy.” She pointed a hoof at the Bushwoolie across the room, who was clearly still in shock at the sight of our arrival. “You're going to either surrender him to us, along with your supply of killing joke and the poison you're using to infect the village, or we're taking them by force.” She ordered.

“Oh am I?” Karina cackled. “You're a very bold filly aren't you?” She fired a blast of magic out of her horn and knocked CB across the room, sending her crashing into the wall on the opposite side of the green Bushwoolie.

“Hey!” Lily snapped, transforming into a panther and leaping at Karina, swiping massive paws at the unicorn, knocking her to the side.

“That's enough!” Karina bellowed, a wave of energy pushing everypony back. The Bushwoolies pulled themselves into a group against the wall, shaking in terror.

“I'm not done with you.” CB yelled, righting herself. Ruby and I kept back, moving slowly towards the still captive Bushwoolie as CB launched herself at the unicorn, Lily transforming back into herself and rushing her from the other side, both with horns blazing.

“You think I'm scared of a little filly and a Changeling?” She laughed, flashing away, causing the two to collide with each other right where the unicorn had been moments earlier.

She reappeared at the front of the cavern, blocking the only entrance, cackling as Lily and CB righted themselves.

“Aren't you so clever?” CB snapped. “You think you're the only one who knows how to teleport?” Her horn flashed but she stayed in place, as did Lily.

“If you're going to bluff at least do it with something reasonable.” Karina laughed.

“Oh I didn't bluff...” CB flashed and reappeared in front of the Bushwoolies. “I just didn't teleport myself...” Her horn went out and the large bundle of killing joke that had been suspended above the evil unicorn head fell on her, burying her.

I moved quickly now, seeing a chance to make our move. I grabbed the slave collar with my magic, wrapping it tightly and yanking it apart, the collar exploding in my magic field.

“I think that's the best idea.” Lily said, grabbing some of the Bushwoolies in her magic and vanishing in a green flash as an angry groan came from the pile of plants.

“Agreed.” CB said, grabbing Xem and the rest of the Bushwoolies and vanishing.

“And away we go.” I said, grinning at Ruby as we, along with the green Bushwoolie vanished from the cave, reappearing outside where Brutus was, everyone else there too. The green Bushwoolie ran over to his friends and they all cheered and talked excitedly.

“That was so awesome...”

“...CB you're a bad ass...”

“...what took you guys so long to come get me...”

“...Did you guys see that? She was all 'you suck at bluffing.' So I'm like 'who said bluff?' BAM! Killing joke on on her head!”

Our celebration however was cut short as the ground shook. “What the hell is that?!” Brutus cried, pointing to what looked like some kind of sickly green brown smoke billowing out from the hole into the cave we had gone in, not to mention pretty much every single crack and break in the rock face.

The smoke came together quickly, pooling first into a massive cloud, then stretching out into a very pony like shape, and finally solidifying into Karina...only not just Karina...a massive Alicorn Karina, towering as tall as the trees, her voice booming as her laugh echoed across the whole area. “Behold what my beautiful Killing Joke has done for me! It has made me a god!”

A spotlight from the town snapped on and twisted towards her. I could only assume it was Sniper Joe bringing his gun online and turning towards the terrifying voice.

“We gotta go.” I said quickly.

“No shit Sherclop.” CB replied, her eyes lighting up with magic power and our whole group vanished, reappearing in town.

“What's happening?!” Doctor Pepper demanded when we appeared in the town square, the children still helplessly performing their forced talents.

“That thing is what's causing the Cutie Pox.” Brutus said, pointing to Karina as she marched through the forest towards us.

“What can we do?”

“I don't even know where to begin...”

“I think I do...” The voice surprised me. I turned and saw Ike standing behind us, Marcy at his side, still in her Unicorn form.

“What? What can you do?” Doctor Pepper asked.

“I can stop her.”

“No offense dude, but what can an Earth pony do against an Alicorn giant?”

“Sometimes it's not about what race you are, but about what you can do with your talents.”

“You're an archeologist.” Ruby said.

“Yeah, and sometimes archeologists find amazing things hidden away in ruins.”

“Ike please don't.” Marcy cried, grabbing his foreleg.

“I'm sorry sweetie but sometimes you can't put yourself first. I need to keep you safe, and I need to keep all these other ponies safe.”

“But what if I lose you forever this time?”

“I swear I'll be back my little pony. I love you, I'll always keep you safe.” He knelt down and hugged her tightly, both of them with tears running down their cheeks.

Their goodbye was cut short as Karina reached the AA gun's range, which immediately opened fire on her. She howled in pain and hurled a massive ball of magic at the tower. It was the size of a small house. CB's eyes lit up again and an equally massive barrier appeared around the tower, causing the magic ball to explode harmlessly. “Little help?” She asked, looking back at me and Lily.

“Yes ma'am, of course ma'am.” Lily nodded, her green blending with CB's yellow, then my blue doing the same, making the barrier a bright jade green.

Ike took off towards the trees, digging into his saddlebag, coming up with what looked like a golden circlet.

“Oh sweet Celestia...” Ruby said, her voice sounding more horrified than anything.

“What?” I asked her, watching the Earth pony run on without hesitation.

“He has the Snow Tzar’s crown.”

“The what?”

“It's an ancient pony relic. It is said to be imbued with the power of some ancient king...”

He stopped short as the trees came crashing down. He started humming some song to himself as he lifted the crown to his head and put it on.

“What is this? An ant?!” Karina laughed as she looked down at Ike.

He started to laugh too, a loud, high pitched laugh that cut through the noise of the AA gun, which stopped firing after a moment, Karina now too close to town to risk firing.

Ike was shaking with energy as he laughed. His beige coat seemed to turn white before it changed to an icy blue. His laughter rose in intensity, reaching an almost hysterical level. His mane changed from brown to pure white. He sprouted a massive white beard and mustache and shot into the air with amazing agility, his beard flapping like wings. He drove his forelegs into her muzzle and she actually reeled with the impact.

“What is this?!” She roared again, this time in shock instead of contempt.

“You're a horrible monster! You go away! This is my ice kingdom, these are my penguins! You go bug somepony else!” Ike snapped, icy blue magic firing from his forelegs, and forming into ice along her flank.

She cried out and thrashed, shattering the ice and firing a magic blast at him, catching him square in the...well everything, the blast was bigger than he was.

We had stopped shielding the AA tower when Karina had turned her attention to Ike so CB tried to catch him with her magic but he was flying downward so hard that he shattered her magical net and crashed to the ground only a few meters in front of us.

“NO! IKE!” Marcy screamed, rushing forward quickly, sliding to a stop beside him. “Ike get back up!” She demanded, shaking him.

“I'm sorry Gunter...I don't think I'll make it past this one.” Ike groaned, laying back.

“Who's Gunter?” CB asked softly.

“Not now.” Xem replied.

Karina laughed again, her voice booming off the cliffs and buildings. “That's right you idiot! You took on the wrong goddess! Now I'm going to kill you and all your little friends!”

“NO! You stay away!” Marcy yelled at her, tears in her eyes as she stumbled away to put herself between Ike and Karina.

“Marcy no!” Ruby called, running after her, but her horn lit up and Ruby was pushed backwards on her haunches, coming to a stop beside me again.

“Oh? What do you hope to do little filly? Your super powered friend could do nothing to stop me! What could a widdle baby unicorn Jezebel hope to do?” She asked, singsonging the last part at her.

“I'm not a baby! And my name's not Jezebel!” She yelled back, her horn burning with energy. Ike groaned softly and started to right himself, still clearly dazed, but watching the filly intently.

“Of course you aren't,” Karina laughed, “you're a big girl I'm sure.” She leaned down and glared at the red filly. “You're a pathetic waste of space little baby Jezebel. Now move before you get hurt.” She snorted, magic blasting out of her nose at Marcy, but she stood her ground, her own magic cutting through the magical wind.

“My. Name. Isn't. JEZEBEL!” She yelled. “AND I'M NOT A BABY!” She flashed bright green, transforming into her normal form, only stretching and becoming just as big as Karina. “MY NAME IS MARCELINE AND I'M THE CHANGELING QUEEN!” She turned and bucked the shocked unicorn, sending her falling backwards into the trees.

Ike shot into the air, coming to a stop beside the now massive Marcy.

“Come on Ike.” She grinned at the little blue pony. “You know what time it is.” She stalked through the trees as Karina struggled to get back on her feet.

“Not so fast bitch.” Marcy snapped, kicking her legs out from under her again. “Who do you think you are? Hurting all these fillies and colts?! You made them suffer just so you could have a town all to yourself! How greedy are you?” She kicked Karina across the muzzled this time as Ike circled the unicorn, blasting her legs with ice, pinning her to the ground.

“Please! Please stop! I'm sorry!” Karina cried.

“It's too late for sorry.” Marcy pushed up onto her back hooves. She held out one foreleg and started spinning it slowly in a circle. “Do you know what this is?”

“Please...Mercy.” Karina squeaked, terrified by the creature above her.

"Say it again?"

"Mercy!"

"One more time?"

"MERCY!"

“WRONG!” Marcy yelled, making a loud buzzing noise and smashing her foreleg into Karina's frozen back leg, shattering the ice covered limb.

She howled in pain. “STOP! PLEASE! DON'T!”

“Stop?! You want me to stop? After all the things you did without mercy you just hope to get it from me? How dare you!” She smashed down on the other back leg, shattering it too.

“Please don't kill me...” Karina whispered, barely able to speak, but her voice still carried thanks to her size.

“Kill you? I wouldn't waste my time.” Marcy said.

“Aww come on! Killing can be fun!” Ike cackled.

“No, she hasn't wronged us.” Marcy shook her head. “We've done enough damage.”

She dropped back onto all fours. “But I think you've done more than your fair share. We're going to leave you to the townsfolk to decide your ultimate fate.” She pulled up Karina's head with one hoof and actually slid the unicorn's horn through a hole in her leg. “And I don't think you'll be needing this anymore.” She twisted hard and Karina howled in pain one last time as the horn broke clean off in Marcy's leg, the brown mare passing out from the pain.

The de-horned unicorn started to shrink back to regular size, whatever magic that might have helped her now lost. With her defeat the killing joke probably didn't find it funny anymore.

Marcy picked up up her body and started back to the town's edge. She put Karina down and closed her eyes. A pulse of magical energy shot out of her in every direction.

The children that had been afflicted by the Cutie Pox all collapsed, weapons, balls, loop-de-hoops, everything, falling to the ground with them. They all lay on the ground, panting in exhaustion, the Cutie Marks vanishing from their bodies.

Ponies started to rush to their children to get them away from the now stilled chaos of the town square.

“I feel funny...” Marcy said, staggering a little and starting to shrink back to her normal size.

“Marceline!” Ike dove out of the sky, catching her as she returned to normal size. “You did such a good job, I'm so proud of you.”

She smirked a little, reaching up and knocking the crown from his head before passing out in his hooves.

He groaned and slowly changed back into his normal Earth pony form. “Oh Marcy...I'm so sorry...I don't want to turn you into a monster...” He said, hugging her close.

Ruby came over to him, putting the crown on the ground beside him. “I assume you want to keep that?”

“Sadly yes.” He nodded. “I can't trust anypony else with it.”

“I can understand that. But remember, she needs the real you, not the weird...Ice...King...you turn into. He'll take her down some dark paths if you're not careful.”

“I know...I try to only use it in the direst of circumstances.”

“Well if you can help it, don't ever use it again.”

“If I can help it.” He nodded, hugging Marcy close again, muttering apologies.

“Well at least this solves the cutie pox problem...” Doctor Pepper sighed, a young buck asleep on his back.

“Yeah, not exactly what we expected when we set off this morning eh?” I laughed.

“Certainly not.” He nodded. “I need to get my son home to sleep off his exhaustion.”

“Yeah of course. We're not going anywhere until morning.” Ruby said, rejoining our group.

“Good thanks...” He walked off towards the edge of the square, the pony who had met us at the sky wagon waiting for him, looking terrified but relieved.

“How come you didn't turn into a huge monster and help?” Brutus asked Lily.

“Do you know how much energy it takes to turn into something that big?” Lily asked. “I'd need to drain you dry of love to pull off what she did.”

“I guess it really shows how much Ike cares about her.” Ruby smiled, watching him lift Marcy onto his back and start back to the hotel.

“Well it helps that she's a Queen...four times the power, a tenth of the cost.”

“Does it really work like that?”

“Nah, but it sounds cool.”

“So...what now?” I asked, looking at the ponies all around us, helping children, cleaning up discarded objects that had been used to show off talents. Four guards were carrying Karina off towards the town hall.

“Now? We go to bed.” CB yawned, snuggling up to Xem. “I'm exhausted.”

“Me too.” Ruby nodded, yawning as well.

“Think the inn has enough room for us?”

“Well Crackshot is probably still up on the roof with Snipe.” Brutus said. “So I'm sure the Inn has three free beds.”

“Only three?” Lily asked.

“You and me, Ruby and Cane, CB and Xem.”

“Whoa whoa, who said anything about sharing a bed?” CB asked, jumping back from the zebra and blushing.

“Oh come on, grow up.” Brutus said, rolling his eyes.

“Maybe I should sleep with Ruby and Daddy and Xem can share a bed.” She suggested as we started walking towards the hotel.

“Maybe you should just pony up and sleep with your coltfriend.” Brutus said. “there's nothing weird about sleeping in the same bed, as long as it's only sleeping nopony cares.”

“Uhh excuse me? Concerned parent here.” I said.

“You're telling me you never had sleepovers when you were young?”

“Not when I was a teenager, and not with my marefriend.”

“Well whatever, do what you want to do.” Brutus said, going into the Inn, Lily behind him, a coy smirk on her face.

I stopped short of the door and looked at them seriously. “CB...what do you want to do?” I asked her.

“I want to sleep with Ruby.” She said without hesitation.

“Fine, Xem you're stuck with me.”

“I'm still not sure why we can't have separate beds.” He sighed.

“Because it's a waste of space?” Ruby shrugged.

“Let's just get some sleep.” I sighed, heading into the Inn.

Footnote: 75% to next level.