---

Days.

I had been here for a few days and my hope was draining away, the longer I spent here, the more my hope continued to drain. I had gotten here because of my mistakes, not anypony elses and even if it was my companion’s fault, I couldn’t blame them. And each passing day made me worry more about the companions I may never see again, but I would at least try not to give up on hope of seeing them again. Handsome Charmer was all I had, and if I was to lose him while being here, I’d be nothing more than a weak shell of nothingness. I felt lost just thinking about it and it shot me in the heart to even think about it.

I was the one to blame for most of the incidents that had happened in recent days and weeks. I killed ponies. I wasn’t innocent, but I tried my hardest to make up for the mistakes I had made and now that I was here, there was no doing that. Handsome Charmer and I had our fair share of punishments and I believe I deserved every single punishment. Every. Single. One. And I wouldn’t ever want them to stop, no matter how much they hurt. I wanted to be cleansed of the sins I had committed out in the Wasteland… even if I had killed ponies who deserved it, I still killed ponies. I was still taking lives.

At night, I couldn’t stop thinking of Dodge dying in my arms. His bloody carcass lying in my hooves as he let out his last breath, the bloody wound all over his neck and shoulder area, deep and bloody. The severed hole inside of his neck leaking with the thick red liquid. And because of these memories, I always woke up, crying to myself and cradling myself every night, in an attempt to make myself feel comfortable. It hurt… but it helped me wash the guilt away.

---

“Good evenin’ my listeners! How are you on this fine evening? I myself feel great as usual…

“You know what time it is, listeners, story tiiiimmmmme! Tonight’s story is a true story. It’s a story that is based on what is happening right now, today, in real life. It’s about where heroes fight for the good of the Wasteland, and villains fight for the good of themselves. It’s a story about war and how it won’t ever change, how we will be stuck in this cycle of having to start pointless wars, time after time!

“This story my listeners keeps writing itself and it has been for the past two-hundred years. The first sentence of this story was written on the day when the bombs fell, on the day when all of Ponykind was said to be extinct if not, maybe even during Pre-War times. And for generations, this story has carried itself out, as it keeps writing itself, giving us what I like to call ‘A Neverending Story’.

“Now, listeners. If this story bores the living crap outta you, then it’s not meant to be super duper epic or anything. This story is what it is, and I cannot tell it any other way without sounding like a grade A liar.

“Don’t worry, I won’t start from the beginning. Well, I will, but I’ll start at the more recent chapters as I’ve not been around for over two-hundred years, haha!

“Let’s begin, shall we?

“The Wasteland. A place where the word ‘hope’ echoes in our minds, despite hope being so far away. The Wasteland: ravaged by war and tainted with the blood of the fallen. The ponies of the Wasteland soon became selfish and began to stop helping others and instead, they began to kill other ponies for the sake of themselves -- their twisted minds, neverending.

“Littlepip: she did so much for us, despite having attacked Arbu and blowing up Maripony, she was our Wasteland hero. But those days soon decayed, and now with the Wasteland without their needed hero, all hope began to drain once again. The word ‘hope’ because nothing but a word now, a phrase we use to comfort those who we cannot save. Hope is not real.

“Or at least, things seemed that way. Four weeks ago, our Little Blue Buddy rose from the ashes of Stable 30 and guided himself towards the light. Instead of whining and bitching about the Wastes being deadly, he pushed on. He may have one goal, and he may only one intention and when he reaches his goal, he may stop saving us all together. But I trust in this buck, I believe he will do the right thing… even if he makes the wrong decision. The Enclave are said to be looking at taking him in and signing him up, but I know this buck will do the right thing and refuse.

“This guy is who we need. Despite the Wasteland being beyond repair and the amount slaughtered every day, we need him. He’s our french lover, that guy who’s perfect in our eyes no matter what he does. But right now, he needs us more than ever. He’s been taken in by Slavers to work at Flower Berry Gardens, and I… I’m distraught and if I had the power and weapons to march in there guns blazing, I would. Just to save him from captivity.

“Crystal, Violet, Swift and Cyber. If you’re listening right now, he needs you more than anypony else. And he needs you now. I know you all have intentions to help Sunnyvale, I know all of you mean to do good, but you need to let that wait a little bit. You need to go back for him, I really do hate to say these things, but you need him. He is the sun and the moon in your lives. He is what guides you through the Wasteland, and despite some of his stupid decisions, you have to admit, he helped you in times when you needed it. Why not return the favor?

“Tornado is needing you all more than ever, and if you just leave him there, he may never be able to get out of that hellhole. No offense there, Blue Buddy. I believe he is capable of getting out himself, but if he even tries that, it may kill him. It’d be easier if all of you invaded, as you all have the firepower and the brains to do so.

“As our young Wasteland heroine once said ‘I would fight to make that bright and innocent past our future once again. Even if it means dashing myself against the evil and cruelty of this wasteland until there is nothing left of me. And then, when I am too broken to go on, I will float my dying body right down the throat of the darkness and make it choke on me.’ She forced herself through the harsh times she had been through. Tornado is that kind of pony, you need to go back and save his ass before it is too late.

“Please. For the sake of his life and the sake of his sister, save him. Besides, I wouldn’t want to know that I’d never meet him…

“What you do in your current situation is your decision, but I think I speak for us all here in the Wasteland, that you need to get him out.

“And that, friends, was my last broadcast of the night. Tune in tomorrow where I’ll be giving updates and heads up on what the situation is here in Sunnyvale.”

---

Little Blue Buddy.

Those three words echoed inside of my head for a little while, constantly reminding me of my new nickname. Little. Blue. Buddy. I smiled, as I enjoyed the small nickname I was given. And I really had not been given a nickname before, other than a shortened version of my own name, but I didn’t count that as a nickname.

It was late. Not too late, but it was late nonetheless. The only light that was on inside of this small and almost claustrophobic room was from the lamp. The lamp let off a dim, amber light, as the lamp shade that hung from the bulb, lopsided, allowing the amber light from the bulb underneath it shed some light into the room. The scarred and broken walls that made the living quarters were visible and so was the decaying bed I was sitting on. The counter in the far corner by the door was almost consumed by darkness however, but it was still visible. And the door itself was only just visible too.

Hearing the small radio broadcast from my PipBuck gave me some hope that I would be rescued, though I didn’t count on it. In fact, I know Violet would rather help her Steel Ranger teammates instead of help a small, poor, defenseless buck like myself and no doubt, without me there, she was the new party leader. And whatever she says no doubt, will go. Even if it is: leave the blue fucker behind, to Sunnyvale we travel!

Handsome Charmer was all I had as a friend in here. And no doubt, I was his only one and even if I wasn’t, I’m sure he didn’t like this place either. Even if it was his choice to why he ended up here, I’m sure he regrets that choice now… I however had no choice. I was dragged here and separated from my friends, and that moment is when my whole world began to crumble even more. As if the world around me wasn’t crumbling enough.

I held onto hope the best I could though. I was hoping at least one pony from outside would come to my rescue, and maybe the rescue of Handsome Charmer. He deserved freedom as much as I did, and I had promised him the previous day that I would help get him out of this place, even if it kills me. Which it probably will. My original plan would anyway, which of course my original plan was kill all the guards despite not having the firepower to be able to do such a thing.

If my job was to protect others out there, then right now, I wasn’t doing a good job. As much as I wanted to die from all the pain and guilt I had experienced, I wanted out to help those who were in the middle of a warzone. I wanted to help those who were struggling to survive, I wanted to help them survive a little longer… but right now, ponies were dying because I wasn’t there to help them.

Hours of my sleepless night passed, and they passed a lot quicker than I had thought. It had been this way for a few nights now, mainly due to how uncomfortable the beds they supplied us with were. And also the fact that I couldn’t stop having visions of ‘the bad’. My friends dying without me out there, Dodge’s death… Crystal’s cause of injury. I didn’t see it, but I could picture it. And I heard her screaming my name, as if she was blaming me for what had happened to her and personally, I couldn’t blame her for doing so. My stupid decisions forced them all to carry me to a hospital facility, which of course got Crystal injured in the process.

We can only hope that she’ll make it, the voices of the doctors echoed in my mind and each time they did, I felt a throb of pain in my skull, as if even my conscience was blaming me.

I didn’t like it at all, no matter how much I deserved it. No matter how much I deserved this.

Bangbangbang!!

I heard my door get punched violently, the metal door letting the sound echo from the walls as they bangs emitted. With no response from me, the banging started again, only this time seeming louder than before.

BANGBANGBANG!!

“Hey worker, you’ve had enough time sleeping, it’s time to get to work!!”

“And the boss wants to see you!”

The sound of two stallions beyond the door pierced their way through the door’s thin metal surface, and as I heard the second one speak, my eyes widened and my heart sank. Fear began to develop on my heavy heart, and has another three slams of the same volume were applied to the door, I lifted myself from the bed and soon dragged myself towards the door. As I trudged along, my hoofsteps echoed softly off of the broken and torn apart stone walls.

I reached the door, soon opening it slowly and at my door stood two Slaver Guards, heavily armed with a Spark-Hook dangling from their neck. They were both Unicorns and wore nothing but armor made of torn leather and bent steel which was applied to all four of their legs. And the leather straps hugged them around the chest and back.

They were both covered in dry blood and their coats a degrading brown color. Their manes were spiked up in violent ways, the one of the left having a mohawk of which had slightly blunt spikes. The other buck had it spiked in many sorts of shapes and forms, some of the spikes curling over while some still sharp and upright. They both had glares of what looked like anger and impatience, and I did not even show any anger back at them.

I felt them drag me by the mane, before throwing me down the small set of steps and onto the brick floor outside of my house. I groaned as I hit the cold and hard surface, before groaning and wincing at the sudden frenzy of pain that flooded into my face. I felt blood trickle from a small cut created on my right cheek, and as I rubbed it with my hoof, I noticed blood was there indeed.

“The boss doesn’t like it when she is kept waiting!”

I scowled as I looked back at the abusive guards who had thrown me onto the floor. And as I was now outside, the active sounds of the workplaces in the foundry echoed loudly throughout. The sound of furnaces and cranes being used, as ponies cried out in agony whenever they were punished for not doing their work. The humid conditions were already making me sweat… the only cool thing there was out here was the floor, and that happened to be extremely uncomfortable…

The floor was nice. At least for the most part.

“Get up!”

I lifted myself onto my hooves, before glancing back at the two ponies who soon trotted their way down the two steps by the door. The Spark-Hooks they were carrying were armed and were even stained in blood slightly from anypony else who had felt their wrath. I looked away from them, hoping not to get shot at. Dying here was the last thing I wanted.

“Alright. Stay close, we’re going to take you directly to her!” I heard one of the voices call from beside me. I looked at him. “She’s been wanting to talk to you for some time, worker. I suggest you give her your full, undivided attention, making the wrong move just might get you killed!”

It didn’t take long for us to arrive at where she was. We took a completely different route than the alleyway, a much quicker route if anything. The large doorway I was greeted with was made with all sorts of leftover parts. The arching doorway was made of different parts of scrap metal, such as rusting pipes and bits of sheet metal all crammed into a bit of fencing that had been curled up to make the arch. Inside of the arch where the sheet metal sat, also sat bits of rock and stone jammed in-between the metal to ensure it held a firm shape. The large, daunting double doors were made of broken wood, with large cracks inside of them which revealed part of of the room beyond it. On the doors were two, rusty and golden door handles which had no locks on them whatsoever. And above the door was a pony’s skull… stained in fresh blood and above that was a sign. The sign was rusty and aged and it was to a point where the rust covered some of the writing, though I could make out what it was.

Warchief’s Throne Room.
“Work hard, and live free!”

Seriously? That was the quote? I doubt living free is what they do here. In fact, they live without liberty.

I felt a nudge against my flank, and I looked back seeing the two guards who brought me here. They had encouraging looks on their faces, showing their crooked and bent teeth inside of their insane filled smiles. I cringed at the sight of it, but then turned away, before proceeding towards the doors. The doors was fairly easy to open, with just one push, the doors swung open slowly and as they opened, a loud creaking sound which echoed throughout the surprisingly big hall of the room beyond them.

I was greeted with a torn and dirty red carpet which ran along the floor and up the large staircase at the end of the hall. The room itself was mainly made out of stone, most of it chipped and cracked with age. Tall, arching columns stood tall at both ends, meeting at the top of the room once they curved over. There were about four on either side, before they ended at the staircase. The stairs contained about seven steps, and the center of it was draped with the red carpet which had golden edges. The large chair at the end of the hall was made of all sorts of unusable weapons, all of which were attached together with Magical Bandages that were damp and blood covered. Two guards wearing Power Armor with the Steel Ranger helmets were heavily armed with Miniguns on their armor, both of the large cannon like weapons were loaded with the ammo they needed.

Sat in the chair made of different guns and weapons was a female Pegasus, her coat a dark brown color, while her mane long and elegant. Her mane was a bright beige color like Dodge’s mane, and her eyes had the most beautiful shade of blue in them. She was wearing her own custom made Power Armor, where the aging and scratched armor she wore had a tint of light brown in the obsidian colored armor and upon the chest area was war paint of a pony’s eyeless skull, leaking blood from the mouth.

She looked down at me with a glare, and as I trudged along the red carpet, hearing my hooves echo in the room, the door soon shut behind me with a loud slam and now the cold and surprisingly fresh air of this open room flooded in my way. It sent a chill down my spine, but I only shivered slightly before continuing on. I soon reached the bottom of the steps and as I did, the guards spun their Miniguns. My eyes widened.

They began to approach me, and then kept their eyes (or their visors) on me at all times, as their metal hooves slammed and echoed violently in the stone crafted room. The mare soon raised her hoof to cease the ponies, but since they couldn’t see her, she had to call out.

“Hold it!” She called, her voice smooth and young. “I believe this is… him.”

They stopped spinning their guns and looked back to her. She stared deeply into their eyes with a stern look on her face, before the guards slowly backed to where they were stood previously. They turned their attention to me again and I slowly walked up the stairs, but as I got about half way, her voice boomed at me like a command.

“That’s close enough, worker,” she lifted a hoof from one of the steel arms on the chair. “I don’t want you coming here, and then attempting to kill me. Then again, even if you did lay a hoof on me, I’m sure my guards would have you torn to pieces.”

I scowled and she grinned. “Okay, whatever. Why did you summon me here? Of all ponies, why me?”

“Why you?” She echoed, but in a slightly confused tone to her elegant voice. “Have you forgotten the things you have done for the ponies beyond the walls of this foundry? You were a hero to them, an icon… and all I want to do is talk.”

That’s it? That’s all she wanted? That lifted some of the tension, some of it of course. I still had the two guards aiming their Miniguns down at me as if they were ready to rain hell on me. And I tried not to feel intimidated by the bulk they wore.

“My name is Midnight Shadow and I am the Warchief of this foundry we call Flower Berry Gardens,” she grinned as she spoke them words. “I already know who you are, but you are my worker, therefore you live under my rules and not your own.”

I blinked.

“And you said you wanted to talk, so I suggest you don’t waste my time!” I scowled, before realizing what I said and then covered my mouth. But I was too late to stop the words from leaving.

She grinned. “Ooh, feisty. I like feisty.” She slipped out a sly wink as she spoke, before leaning back in her chair. “However, being feisty will get you nowhere, especially when you’re in the presence of Midnight Shadow!”

I blinked and sniggered lightly in my thoughts, but I tried to prevent even a quiver of a smirk to work its way onto my face. She sat forward yet again, and then glared down at me with pure anger and impatience. I gulped and then soon cowered away, as if she was going to command her guards to kill me. As if she was going to command them to tear me to shreds until I was nothing left. As if it amused her to see ponies get shot down and torn apart in a matter of seconds.

I didn’t speak, nor whimper. I just remained silent, but then the silence was soon broken by her voice again, and she sounded stern.

“What I am offering is a chance at freedom, but you have to be willing to work for it,” she said to me, lifting a hoof.

“Why?” I groaned, looking to her yet again and then raising a brow. She stared down at me, and then she looked away. Her head soon went down and as she stared at the floor, she looked like she was having trouble finding the words she needed to say.

Eventually, the young Pegasus managed to squeeze it out. “I heard the radio broadcast. Your friends could be on their way as we speak, and when they get here, no doubt they’ll blast their way in. It’s not about numbers, to say six ponies traveled the Wastes and still remained in one piece is remarkable. I cannot afford to lose all of what I… what we have achieved!”

Five actually, though I didn’t want to call her out. Again, she’d no doubt have me killed for that. However, she was right, we had all been through a lot and all of us (or rather most of us) remained intact the whole way. And I wanted to keep it that way. At least for now.

“And what about Handsome Charmer? If I go, can he go too?” I asked with hope. Hope that he’ll get released when I do.

She inhaled a deep sigh, though the sigh was of no negative emotion. “I don’t know… Handsome Charmer is not as important as you, nor does he work as hard. He doesn’t act like he wants freedom, and personally, if a pony doesn’t want freedom, they won’t get it.”

I didn’t say a word. But I knew he wanted freedom, he just found it nearly impossible to work in the conditions we were in. And I knew how that felt, but I tried to push my way through it because I was desperate to get out there. She looked towards her guards and then back towards me.

“However, if any of your companions are seen near Flower Berry Gardens, I cannot and will not stop my guards from stripping them down and bringing them in. The more workers I have, the better and the more I live up to the promise of rewarding good workers with freedom, the better!” She let out a frown that soon turned into a grin, “but, if I happen to capture your companions, you have to promise not to come here again. Never. Again.”

As she mumbled the words never again, she pointed her hoof at me, putting emphasis on both words. I stood there in silence, before looking down. I understand that she was doing her job, but I didn’t want her to hurt them… if I saw my friends injured to a point where it was nearly impossible to save, then I wouldn’t want to live the life I had been given. I had seen too much, too many ponies who I considered friends getting hurt. And one of which getting killed. And I still felt like it was my fault, which of course my friends tried to make me feel less guilty. It didn’t work though.

“I’m offering you a chance at grabbing your freedom, my little blue friend,” she said to me, lifting a hoof from the throne made of different sorts of weapons. “But if you truly want it, then I can give it you!”

My excitement was beginning to build up and I could soon no longer contain it. I tried to not act like a little foal in front of the Warchief, because if I did, no doubt she would think I’m… a child. And to say I’m well know to be a brave buck who throws himself into blizzards of shrapnel, then I had to remain mature. At least for now, but the little pony inside of my head was screaming at me, telling me to celebrate and hug her with all the strength I had. Luckily, I chose to ignore that and just popped out a small smile.

“But… you have to do something for me first,” she called out, looking down at me. And then my excitement died. “And if you successfully perform and survive throughout the job I’m giving you, then we’ll talk about your freedom with a little more… depth.”

I grimaced, not liking what she said. “A-alright…” I simply responded, looking back to her. My nerves were hanging by a thread, and I had nothing to protect me at all if it was going to be dangerous.

“I need you to gain control of the Enclave’s mainframe, so I can use their own weapons against them,” she grinned in delight. “It might take a few days for you to complete said task, but nonetheless there is a reward for you. Oh and by the way, if you even think about trying to escape through any air-ducts or windows then you can think again. The last pony who attempted that got torn to shreds, I almost feel sorry for the poor mare. You have a few days and that’s it.”

“W-where might I find this… mainframe?” I raised the question and the mare’s eyes widened as if she had forgotten completely.

“R-right. It’s in the lower levels of the foundry, this used to be one of the Enclave’s strongholds,” she giggled with a sinister tone to her voice. “And if there happens to be any of the Enclave bastards waiting for you, I’d suggest you take this for the sake of your life!”

A large energy rifle was soon thrown down in front of me. The wooden stock at the back was chipped, but also smooth, while the wood on it was made of surprisingly fresh mahogany. The long steel barrel was a dark obsidian color, while some of the nearly black paint applied to it was scarred, revealing the bright sliver coating of the gun’s original design. Towards the end of the thin, cube-like barrell were holes as if it was an exhaust pipe. On top of it was a short scope, the same color as the barrel, and the lense was a bright green color. And a large circular magazine sat close to the stock. The weapon had a neck strap on it so anypony who used it could let it hang from their neck.

Crystalline Pulse Rifle: this weapon is powered entirely by Crystal Energy and the crystal within the drum mag can usually use eighteen shots before having to reload. The actual shots themselves are powerful discharges that can normally reach up to about ten feet. Be sure to use it wisely, as Crystal Energy is a rare ammo source to find. My PipBuck informed me as I collected the weapon, before placing it over my head and around my neck.

I was wandering around the foundry, searching for the entrance to the lower levels of the foundry and unfortunately, it wasn’t easy. Not that I ever expected it to be. I was rather worried about the task ahead, but if it meant freedom and a chance to see my friends again, I was willing to do it. But there was one thing I needed to do before I even considered going into the lower levels and getting my flank kicked, I had a promise close to my heart and I wanted to let that promise go to the stallion who had kept me alive here. He deserved it after all and he even stopped this place from being as bad as it sounded.

Handsome Charmer. He deserved freedom more than I did. He was a good, and strong hearted pony… but that’s if I made it back alive. If I didn’t, he stays here and if I made it back alive, he’s free. Or at least that is what I wanted to do. I wanted to free him of his shackles, I wanted to give him back the dignity he once had. I wanted to be a good pony…

My intentions were not to cause bad, even if my choices endangered the lives of those I love and care about. My intentions were to do good and maybe become a pony who would see beyond another pony’s mistakes and forgive them. I was holding onto that though. Violet was a complete and utter bitch, but nonetheless I forgave her for being one. She was too lost inside of her Steel Ranger history to realize how harsh she was being on all of us… but I looked passed it. And I intended to do the same. Other than the Enclave, Raiders and these Slavers, I’d probably forgive anypony for their own mistakes.

I was back where I started, or somewhere near to there. The large furnace I was working at from day one was back into view, and the many dull and multicolored ponies working around the large fireplace were working to the best of their ability while heavily armed guards watched over them with glaring eyes. The bricks along the walls and floor were large and black and some were even covered in the ashes from the burning coal. I stood down a lone alleyway, opposite the one I started in and I stared at the buck who I considered a friend, waiting for him to take notice.

“Tornado!”

I heard Handsome Charmer’s voice ring out from in front of me. I glanced to him as I was just standing there, seeing the filthy buck who was covered in ashes from the smoke of the flames that had come out of the furnace. He wiped his face and then dusted himself down before eying me up and down, looking slightly confused.

“Nice gun?” He stammered as he looked at the large rifle hanging from my neck. “J-just don’t shoot me with it, alright?”

“W-what?!” I gasped and raised a brow. “Why would I shoot you with it? I’d never do that…”

He chuckled nervously and then hung his head low. “You’re moving stations… right? Something to do with killing things?”

It took me a while to respond and I avoided eye contact with the stallion, looking to the dusty brick floor that I was standing on. The humid conditions were not making it any easier for me to speak at all, in fact, they were making me more tired than anything. I looked to the stallion, making sure that the gun wasn’t pointing towards him before finally managing to squeeze words from my dry lips.

“Y-yeah. Something like that,” I wheezed. “Look, if I get released through this, I’ll try and free you too.”

His expression brightened up with a wide smile on his imperfect and dirt covered face. I smiled back and soon nudged him slightly. He looked down at his leg and chuckled weakly as if he was about to collapse, however from the soft impact, the buck did sway slightly and nearly fell back into a group of ponies who were working by the large furnace he had been stationed at for what seemed to be weeks on end. At least that was my guess.

“Do you think we’ll be getting out any time soon…?” The buck asked, sounding desperate to get back out into the Wasteland. “I would prefer to be hunted down by Raiders than work in this place. I should never have chosen to come here…”

“Look,” I began. “The Warchief has offered me a job to get me out of here, of course that is if I survive it. I promise you, I’ll try and talk to her about it… and if she says yes, I’ll give you a few caps if I manage to retrieve my belongings and then you can start a new life…”

“Can’t I travel with you?” He asked, looking to me. His ears went down as he asked the question and this only made me feel more guilty.

“It’s too dangerous for you…” I mumbled, turning away and then shaking my head. And as I did, I heard another whimper of Charmer begging for something.

“Well, can’t I at least join you to wherever you’re going?” He moaned, and then soon took a couple of steps closer. “You’ve been by my side in times when I needed it, as I have for you. We’re partners down here and you know that!”

I remained silent, not reply and feeling my guilt soon come flooding back in. I didn’t want to be responsible for his death, not like I was with Dodge. I had already lost one good friend, I couldn’t afford to lose another and it’s always the most loyal ponies like himself who get themselves killed in situations like this. I couldn’t bare to carry that burden again, I haven’t had enough time to recover from the last one. And I knew I was far from recovering.

“You and I are a team. If you’re thinking about going down there alone, you’re fucking insane. The Enclave still have troops down there capable of tearing every single guard inside of this foundry apart, why do you think she’s sending you down there in the first place?”

How did he know about that?

“How did you know what I was doing?” I asked, glancing to him and he inhaled a sigh, before turning away.

“I listened in, alright? I’m a sneaky pony. I don’t receive items for trading, I steal them and sell them as my own.” Handsome turned back to me and pouted slightly. Only slightly. “You need somepony like me by your side down there, and I know a pony who has traveled the Wasteland like you have, alone or not, is capable of doing what you have been told to do!”

I couldn’t say no. As much as I wanted to protect him, I just couldn’t say no. He was right. I needed a pony like him with me, somepony I could trust and have help from. I was completely useless on my own, both emotionally and physically. Without friends, I was nothing but an empty shell of a strong pony who had been there before his friends were ripped away from him. Friendship was magic in my life. It meant everything to me. I wanted to keep him safe, but I knew I needed somepony by my side.

“Alright… I’ll let you come,” I said, finally giving in. “Just stay close to me alright? I’ve lost enough friends as it is…”

“I give you my word.”

---

We reached a small, steel gate that was completely unguarded in the far shadows of the foundry, where nopony could see us at all. The fencing around the small tunnel entrance was rusting and aged and to a point, some of the wires which made the fencing on both the gate and the actual fences themselves was bent and broken. The padlock on the gate wasn’t pickable and even if it was, I didn’t have any lock picks on me at all. However, some of the rusted and bent bits of wiring along the fence was bent enough to be pulled back to create a large enough hole for an averaged sized pony to enter through. Beyond the gate was a short and wide hallway, engulfed in darkness and at the end, I could see what looked like an elevator platform.

I grabbed one of the blunt corners, just to make sure that I didn’t cut my hoof in the process, and then slowly tugged on it. As I tugged with a small amount of strength, I soon made a small opening, just big enough for us to squeeze through. The tearing metal made a soft echoing noise, but it wasn’t loud enough for any of the distant guards to pick up the noise. I climbed through, hoping to not make too much noise as if they caught Handsome Charmer, he’d be punished for going into an area he was not stationed at.

The gun hung from my neck and danced around as I began to squeeze myself through the pony sized hole and as soon as I reached the other side, Handsome Charmer soon followed, and as he made his way through, he caught his leg slightly which emitted a loud echoing noise. My blood froze and my heart skipped a beat, and I waited for any calls from guards or even any hoofsteps coming to get us. Nothing. We were still alone luckily and as long as we made no noise coming out once we were finished.

With no hesitation, I walked my way down into the tunnel, and the surrounding darkness already beginning to swallow me. The green light of my PipBuck brightly illuminated the walls, revealing scratches and scars on the metal surface. The room was wide enough for two ponies to be side by side in, and the flooring was made of the same brick material as it was outside. The walls were similar to Stable walls, and blackened light boxes that looked cracked and some even smashed slightly were fixed to the ceiling. Dust floated around the room as each hoofstep was taken, showing that this area hadn’t been used in what was possibly weeks.

The elevator platform at the end was simple and black. The cogs and gears that helped it move up and down were fixed into each of the four corners, but there were no large columns by it whatsoever. There was a computer console fixed to the wall, with its bright green screen being visible in what seemed to be the darkest area of the room.

I took a few, careful steps on the old looking platform, the rust consuming the cogs and gears at both corners and even the surprisingly thin elevator platform that we were faced with. I was the first one to climb on the platform, before turning and nodding to the buck who was with me to join me on it. As the cream colored stallion laid his first hoof on the rusting platform, a loud screech from some of the grinding gears was heard and he stopped. My heart stopped, and I looked down to the platform, feeling it beginning to give way.

He slowly eased his way onto it, taking each hoofstep as slowly and gently as possible to prevent anything from breaking within the gears. I helped him, or at least I tried to, but at the same time, my heart was pounding as if our lives were hanging by a thread. Which in this case, they were. Once his entire body was on, the elevator platform soon evened out and the anxiety that was developing inside of me soon died down. There was silence. And as I just began to use the console, something loud and echoing was heard from below the platform.

Clunk!

I stopped. Glancing around and then feeling the anxiety rush back into my body, I began to feel the elevator give away again, before hearing more loud tears, bangs and clunks in the metal that was supporting the elevator. And then, the elevator soon broke off from the cogs, before the platform began to plummet down to the bottom of the small shaft with us on it. I couldn’t even scream out, and nor did Handsome Charmer. It all happened so fast, and when we hit the bottom, my vision flooded with black and my hearing was soon taken from me with one loud echoing bang upon impact.

I wasn’t exactly knocked out cold, I felt more disorientated. I still felt a sharp pain in my body, and it felt like my body had been broken in more than at least six places. But I couldn’t move. I didn’t have the strength to even groan or cry out for help, in fact, I couldn’t see anything at all. The only thing I felt was pain… and as predicted, it hurt. A lot.

---

What seemed to be hours later, my vision returned and my vision soon unblurred. I felt the pain flood back in again, as my gun was lying on its side, with its strap still attached to my neck. The elevator was tilted and damaged and sparks shot out from the burned and broken cogs that sat at the sides of the platform.

I tried to get onto my hooves, but as I moved, I felt a stabbing pain in my stomach before I fell back down. I groaned, and looked to my stomach to see a deep, bloody cut that had tore its way into me, and Handsome Charmer was only just regaining consciousness, and as he did, he let out a few pain filled groans like I did. The stinging pain in my abdomen, and as I kept checking my wound, I noticed blood all over my hooves and as I kept holding my stomach, I felt more blood trickling down onto my hooves. I hadn’t even moved from my last position, and I was already torn apart physically.

Handsome Charmer, (who was surprisingly in a better condition I was) managed to climb onto his hooves, covered in light cuts and a few grazes on his hooves. He looked back to me and then soon walked over to me, his horn glowing a light blue color. The glow lit up a small portion of the shaft we were in, and I looked up to him, puzzled of what he was going to do. I hissed in pain as I attempted to get on my hooves again, but I soon found myself falling back onto my front. I was unable to move.

Charmer looked down at me sternly. “Turn over,” he groaned as he stared down at me.

“W-wha-?”

“Turn over!” He demanded with a stern tone behind his voice, “we cannot continue when you’re in a condition like this. Turn. Over!”

I groaned, holding my stomach now with both hooves, before rocking myself slowly towards the right and then feeling myself tip and then roll until I was on my back. The sudden roll stabbed me in the stomach, or it at least felt like it and as I laid there, I kept hold of my stomach, now seeing the silver surface of the PipBuck covered in blood. He did nothing, and just stared down at me with his horn glowing.

“I can’t perform this spell when your hooves are covering the wound,” he said, sounding puzzled.

I blinked.

I slowly removed the hooves from the wound, feeling some of the blood on the hooves dripping onto my chest, and the PipBuck which used to be a steel grey was now partially coated in a metallic blood red. As I relieved the pressure on the wound, the pain amplified and I let out a hiss of pain while I looked at the wound. My skin was completely severed over, and the blood on the leather straps of the Slave outfit were now covered in the thick blood from the wound, some of the straps close to the wound were slightly cut too.

Handsome Charmer’s horn began to glow yet again, and now an aura surrounded me. The magic began to work its way into the wound, and as it did, the wound began to slowly close up and the pain was seduced. The large, gaping wound began to reduce in size, and same with the pain. Charmer however stopped his healing process midway through, leaving a small cut along my belly and he seemed out of breath.

The pain was gone, however the wound wasn’t completely healed. It was healed enough for me to stand onto my hooves and move around, but it wasn’t gone. I climbed onto my hooves, feeling no pain whatsoever. The rifle hung loosely from my neck and as the tired young stallion caught his breath, he cautiously stepped off of the pad and out into the large, wide open corridor of the lower levels.

It replicated the look of a Stable, just with slightly wider corridors. The walls were the distinctive steel grey color and the lights being small, bright boxes that were fixed to the ceiling. The floor, ceiling and walls were all made of metal, and the corridors themselves being brightly lit up like a Stable. The soft humming sound of a ventilation system was heard in the distance, and coming from the ventilation system was refreshing, cold and clean air. The corridor stretched on for a while, with doors at either side leading into different rooms. And by the doors were crystal clear, rectangular windows.

I followed Handsome Charmer out of the shaft, and we slowly walked down the long, stretching corridor. Our hoofsteps echoed off of the walls, and we were the only two ponies inside of the empty Stable-like corridors. I didn’t like that feeling. Either there were no Enclave officers, or they were waiting to jump us when we were least expecting it. I wasn’t looking forward to that, but nonetheless I was prepared for it. My task wasn’t easy and as Charmer said earlier, maybe she did send me down here on a suicide mission. She didn’t want me to have my freedom -- she wanted me to die in this shithole, at least that is what I thought she wanted now.

There was just silence. The only audible sound was our hooves and the humming of the vents, but other than that, there was nothing. I felt alone… I felt like we were the only two ponies inside of this place and personally, that wasn’t a good thing either. In fact, it made things worse, it made me feel unprepared for any possible ambush that we could face.

We reached the end of the hallway to find a rusted, and battered steel door. Much like the doors from the Stable, but in a lot worse of a condition. Upon the rusting face of it was some almost unreadable graffiti that had been painted on using a metallic red color. The writing upon it wasn’t barely readable. Most of which was caused by the rust which began to make the old paint to peel over and cover it, but I could read most of it.

For the--

Above the door was a green glowing sign that read the word: Atrium on it. The bulb inside of the radioactive green casing flickered slightly, and upon the glass surface were a few scratches and bulletholes as if there was a gunfight not too long ago. I was about to open the door, but Handsome Charmer soon prevented my hoof from pushing the button by the door. I looked to him, but didn’t say anything.

And he was silent for a short while. In fact, he opened the door and then soon took one, slow step into the room, glancing around for anything. It was as if he was searching for traps or something that could be ready to kill us. There was nothing but silence for about a minute, and I just sat there, staring at the cream buck as he searched in and out of the room. He pulled himself back into the corridor and nodded to me.

“It’s all clear,” he simply said, trotting into the room. I followed, looking slightly confused and as I took my first few steps into the room.

The room beyond the door was large an open, and the walls were painted a bright, steel grey. The surface of the paint upon the walls was reflected from the bright, white lights that were fixed to the ceiling. The charcoal black flooring was flat and cold, I felt the coldness against my hooves. The humming from the vents carried on and like before, that was the only sound audible. The wide balconies that sat above us were wide and contained a grated floor along the edges. A large poster-box on the left side of the room sat in the middle, and it contained no poster. It was just white. I glanced around the room, feeling the rifle bouncing off of my chest after I took each step.

Clunk… clunk, clunk.

I saw something fall in front of me onto the ground, and as I saw it, I looked down at it to find an empty bottle of Sparkle Cola with no bottle cap on top. The bottle was clean as if it had just been drunk by somepony, and even the inside of the bottle still had some of the cola stuck upon the walls of the bottle. The sticker that was on the front of the bottle was brand new too.

ZAP!

I soon felt a large ball of energy just miss me, and as I saw the huge, sky blue plasma ball smack into the ground, I quickly glanced back to see Enclave troops flooding onto the balconies in a hurry, all of which were unleashing their shots down at us both with pure aggression. I quickly fled for the shadows which were underneath the balconies.

ZAP, ZAP, ZAP!!

Many of the plasma weapons went off at once, all of the sounds echoing from the walls. Charmer followed me into the shadows and soon leaned up against a wall, I tried to sit up right, but whenever I tried to stay still another thousand shots were unleashed down onto me. I climbed onto my hooves and ran into the nearest corner, which of course was on the right. I prompt myself up against the wall, standing on my two hindlegs before aiming down the scope of the large rifle I was holding in my hooves and unleashing a power shot which beamed its way over to an Enclave soldier who had me in their sights.

PEW!

A large, crystal blue beam shot its way over to the soldier, giving him barely enough time to avoid the blistering shot and as it hit him, all of his limbs were blown off in a bloody red mist, leaving nothing but the body itself. Heads, legs and wings were all gone and the armor was completely torn apart in the process. I fell onto my front, and as I did, the rifle slammed onto the ground.

Charmer made his way over to me, attempting to dodge any of the plasma shots being thrown at him. He was successful in doing so, but he soon leaned up against me and tried to remain unnoticed. I grabbed the rifle in my hooves, before I dragged myself along the floor on my belly.

“Kill as many as you can, I’ll heal you if necessary!” Charmer called over to me, his horn glowing bright as if he was preparing to heal me already.

Grabbing the rifle with my wings, I climbed onto my hooves and ran out, analyzing the targets one by one, before ducking down in the shadows again on the other side of the room, making the Enclave soldiers on the other side of the room visible targets. There were a small group of four all huddled together on the side I was facing, and they had just spotted me in the far corner. The blasters fixed to their armor’s battle saddles began to charge up to unleash a powerful ‘one shot, one kill’ shot.

I flipped into S.A.T.S. and targeted the middle two of the four, planting a shot each on their heads before exiting and unleashing two, bone smashing Crystalline shots into the Enclave soldiers. The beams I had shot towards the Enclave soldiers shattered their skulls, making their headless bodies spurt blood from the crater created in their bodies before they fell over the balcony and into the middle of the room. The two other soldiers were stunned by the sudden shock wave that had been thrown their way, and they were thrown to the ground in the process.

I heard the muffled groans of the Enclave troops who were scrambling to get on their hooves, but before they could both regain their balance, I shot another blistering shot towards them both, this time dismembering and killing both in the process with sheer brutality. As the beam made contact with both of them, their limbs were severed off of their bodies, spraying a red mist behind them. Their bodies were now just lifeless, with nothing but a head.

Handsome Charmer was under attack from some of the Enclave troops on the balcony above me, who were all firing heavy and rapid rounds down onto him. Luckily, the shots veered off next to him, but the young buck was curling up, cowering away from the shots being thrown at him. I took a few steps towards the middle of the room, preparing to charge out and strike those who were firing towards him. The plasma balls were being fired at a constant rate, I’d be lucky if I didn’t get shot in the process.

Pain… didn’t scare me. At least not this time.

I charged out with the rifle in my wings, and then I unleashed two blind shots from the heavy, crystalline rifle. Unfortunately, both shots didn’t hit anything and a few seconds after shooting, I noticed one of the lightboxes on the ceiling suddenly go out and the sound of glass shattering against the steel surface of the floor echoed throughout the large atrium. I got onto my belly again, taking my place beside the cowering buck and as I did, many of the plasma shots from the troops I had missed completely were beginning to be thrown towards me too.

“I can put a protective barrier around you, but only for a short amount of time,” Charmer’s horn began to glow brighter. “I’d suggest you make it count!”

As the spell began to kick in, a felt something hit my flank and as the plasma ball slammed ripped into my skin, the shield spell was interrupted. I yelped out and flinched away as I felt it, glancing back and seeing a large burn mark on my flank, seeing thousands of the shots being propelled passed me. Charmer quickly covered himself, or at least tried to with his hooves and I soon flipped back into S.A.T.S. to target any of the ones who were firing at us.

There were another group of four leaning over the balcony, with their Plasma Weapons aiming down at us and using whatever they had in their arsenal to strike us down. I targeted the front Pegasus, hoping that it will stun the other three Pegasi to give us enough time to at least proceed onwards. Targeting the head and chest area, I unleashed two devastating shots from the rifle.

PZEW, PZEW!!

The two beams carved their way through the heavy armor and through the skin, creating a wound that cut straight through the soldier. The second the shot blew the head off, leaving nothing but small slices of brain and small pieces of bone. The shockwave from the shot yet again stunned the other three Pegasi, all of which unleashing pain filled grunts from the shock that had punched them into the face and forehooves. They collapsed onto the ground, grunting in pain.

Two other Enclave ponies flew down from the balcony to join us on the ground floor, but before they made contact with the ground, I fired another two blasts from the energy rifle, dismembering them both in a brutal fashion, their screams of agony filled the room as they fell to the ground, wingless and hoofless, before dying from the severe external damage that they had endured from a single blast of the rifle.

My PipBuck began to pick up a radio transmission once the battle had calmed down, and the voice of a male Enclave officer soon blasted its way through the small device on my leg and also throughout the speakers that were attached to the walls on the upper levels of the atrium.

“Attention all Enclave units inside of Stable 77, there are two trespassers inside of the atrium, we’re pinned down and require immediate assistance pronto!!”

The booming message on the speakers and my PipBuck came from one of the Enclave ponies who I had spared on the balcony. The message began repeating over and over again, alerting any nearby officers who could get the message. I quickly used some of the remaining strength I had to glide my way up to the top of the balcony, before firing another shot at the two Enclave soldiers who were lying on their backs, supposedly waiting for the oncoming ambush they alerted.

ZAP, ZAP!

I shot two quick shots at the ponies, and in the process, their limbs were blown off from the sudden force of energy impacting onto their bodies. The sound of an echoing alarm played throughout along with the message as soon as the other Enclave troops inside of the Stable were alerted. The alarm was an electronic alarm, not the alarms that used the bell and the sound of it felt like it was stabbing into my ears as it reverbed off of the clean and steel walls of that surrounded us. I felt a small prick hit my neck, and grunted in irritation of the small needle that penetrated my skin. I soon lost control of my flying, feeling the strength drain from my body, before falling down onto the ground with a loud thump.

The room was filled with many dismembered and severed corpses, coated in their blood and lying in what were pools of blood. Many different bits of guts and bone were spread out along the slick, metal floor the the clean surface was now coated in the red liquid the ponies leaked once they had been killed. Hearing hoofsteps coming to my side, I looking around, seeing Handsome Charmer glancing around quickly as he stood by my weak body.

“C-come on, they’ll find us if we don’t hurry!” Charmer groaned. He shook me, glancing around nervously as if they were going to find us. “P-please, get up!!”

I couldn’t move. My strength was suddenly taken away from me, as if I had used any bit of remaining strength on the gunfight I had endured. And the wound on the flank began to burn, as if it had just been applied even though it had been there for a majority of the gunfight. I wanted to get up… no I needed to get up. I had to continue, I wasn’t a quitter and I wasn’t planning on becoming one either. I was lying on my back, staring up to one of the lights fixed on the ceiling and in the corner of my eye, I noticed one of the lights flickering and each time it flickered, it let out a burst of sparks.

The sound of voices barking from a nearby hallway was heard, I felt my heart skip a beat and my blood freeze… but I couldn’t run, nor could I look around. And I felt like I was getting weaker. Charmer was shaking me constantly, shaking in fear as he did and then as the sounds of movement and calls from what might have been The Grand Pegasus Enclave, Handsome Charmer soon glanced down at me as if he was about to leave.

He soon began to walk away, seeming in a hurry and as he reached the corridor where we came in, two brutal shots impaled him in the spine.

BANG, BANG!

They were not plasma rounds. They were the bullets of a Revolver, and as he collapsed, I felt my tears fill my eyes. My vision soon went blurry due to the amount of water in front of my vision, and as I began to try and lift myself with the small amount of strength I had left, I felt myself get pulled back and shoved to the ground with brute force, before feeling a hoof swipe me around the face with the same amount of force. I groaned and winced heavily as soon as the pony swept his hoof along my face with sheer brutality. My vision slowly began to clear as I stared up at the light, and I saw a white stallion with a bright blue mane, with slightly darker blue strips in his mane. He wore a low hanging, army green jacket and the buck soon glanced down at me. He had a permanent scar down his left eye. And seeing that made me remember who he was.

Mist.

Seconds after his arrival, Enclave troops soon pressed their way into the room, glancing around the room constantly and as they began to wander around the room, my weak body began to feel light and I soon began doze off, feeling nauseous.

“Area is clear, all trespassers dealt with!”

“All but one…” Mist glanced to the Enclave troops who had moved their way into the room and placed a cigar in his mouth, and grabbed a lighter with his wing, before lighting the large cigar inside of his mouth. He chomped down on it, and glanced back down at me. “Remember me, buddy?”

I wanted to strangle him. I had the biggest urge to hurt him. But I didn’t have the strength to even lift a pistol using my jaws. I was weak and useless now, and now that I had seen Handsome Charmer die, the pony who I promised freedom… I couldn’t live up to that promise anymore, the promise was broken but not paid. And he shall watch me burn in this world with a grin no doubt…

“What shall we do with him, sir?”

Mist breathed in as much of the tobacco as he could, before breathing it out into my face. “Tie him up, I have an offer he simply cannot refuse…”

I choked on the sudden wave of smoke that traveled down my throat and as I let out my last few breaths at being conscious, I soon closed my eyes, seeing my whole word go black as the pain in my flank seduced slowly and the sound of voices began to grow quieter by the second, before everything was silent…

And now, my last hope of getting out of slavery was long gone. Not only that, but now I was under captivity of the Enclave. I was further away from my companions and this made things worse for me. It made me nothing but a shell, a weakling inside of a stallion’s body. A body of which I didn’t deserve due to my strength lacking. I think baby dragon would suit me more -- the guy who’s always second best -- the guy who is always the weakest out of the group. The last choice. My hope had ran out, and now I had nothing left.

Crystal and the party would no doubt carry on without me, there was no way of rescuing me from fate. The Enclave either wanted to kill me, or they wanted to torture me and now they finally have the the strength to do that to a worthless pony like me. I can’t do anything right, especially not now since I was under the captivity of the Grand Pegasus Enclave. And that just fucking sucked.

I couldn’t save the ponies who needed saving, I couldn’t find my sister. I couldn’t achieve what I wanted to achieve. And I most certainly cannot stop Stable 30 from being invaded… not now. I was useless…

Feeling a sharp pain in my flank, right where I had taken the plasma blast, I began to awake from what felt like an hour of emotional sleep. And I felt no better. As I began to stir, I noticed my vision began to unblur and the darkness was soon becoming light. I heard soft whispers echoing in my mind as I began to return to reality, and when my vision repaired, I looked around the room in alarm. I was inside a small office, where the windows were blacked out and where the large, steel walls of the room were indented. The small, square room I was in was brightly lit up by the box lights that were fixed to the obsidian black ceiling, and the floor was of the same color tone. I was sat by a desk, and on the other side of it was the scarred buck I had seen from earlier. The desk was scarred and chipped along the edges, and the black surface was scratched, revealing the silver surface underneath it.

In front of me was a computer console, and the green screen was almost hugging my face. Two Enclave troops were stood behind him, and on a double bed which sat in a far corner was a sky blue mare, with a dark minty green mare and purple streaks inside of her mane. Her eyes were crystal blue and she was a Unicorn. Crystal was really here. With me. I turned my attention to her, but a few seconds after doing so, I heard the tapping of hooves on the steel desk in front of me.

“Now, Mister Tornado, eyes looking at me please!” He demanded, sitting back in his chair.

I scowled.

“Oh come on now, I could have killed you… all I want you to do is make a little deal with me, and it’s two way. You help me, I help you.” He spoke calmly, placing another cigar into his mouth and lighting it up.

“You do realize those things can kill you right?” I commented, raising an eyebrow.

“Don’t try and change the subject, I want to get through this as quick as possible and I know you do too!” He glanced back to Crystal and pointed to her. “You remember her, right?”

I nodded, not responding. I kept my eyes on Crystal feeling nothing but pain inside of my heart as I kept my eyes fixed on the surprisingly unscaved mare. Mist turned back to face be with a soft, twisted chuckle. He chomped down on his cigar and huffed out smoke through his nostrils.

“Well… if you really want to be with her again, I suggest you cooperate as what I am about to offer you might just help you find your sister.” He noted. “And I know you cannot reach her without her.”

I raised my eyebrow, feeling hope creep its way back in. “I’m listening.” However, deep in my heart, I was dreading what I was about to hear… I know exactly how these ponies work.

Mist inhaled another load of tobacco into his system, before puffing it out through his nose and then soon chomping down to speak. “What I am about to offer you may sound hard, but it’s actually quite simple,” the buck began as he spoke through his teeth. “If you are willing to aid the Enclave in battle at Sunnyvale, I’ll tell you where your sister is and… I’ll let Crystal live. You don’t have to go into the fight, nor do you have to gear up, all I want you to do is activate the Rainbow Oracle. What the weapon does is classified, but it sure as hell will bring a better tomorrow once the Steel Rangers are out of the picture.”

“No.” I instantly responded, knowing that this was wrong. I didn’t want anything to do with it.

“You slaughtered half of my squad back there, and I am offering you my allegiance -- do you know how that feels?!” He barked, slamming down onto the desk with anger. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Do you even know what that means?!”

I didn’t respond. I just glanced away, now rethinking what I should do. He was right… he was still wanting my trust, despite me starting off a gunfight back there and now he wanted me to be his ally. My first option was to refuse and let Crystal die, or I could join him with a risk of getting backstabbed, but it ensured our safety… at least for now.

“I need your help, Tornado. You’re possibly the best hope this Wasteland has, and the Enclave wants to change Equestria into a better place. The Steel Rangers are our enemy!” Mist’s voice tone had a tone of persuasion… and I felt like it was working.

“If you do this for us, for the might of the Enclave. Then I promise you, I will tell you where your sister is…” Mist exhaled the smoke yet again, and soon stubbed the cigar in the mahogany colored ashtray by him. “I know where she is… all you have to do is activate the weapon, and I will give you her location, hell, I’ll even let you stay here to rest.”

I could end it all, by one push of the button. And then I’d be able to find my sister? My conscience was begging me to do it, it was begging me to activate the Rainbow Oracle, to punish and end the Steel Rangers in Sunnyvale so I could find her again. And this time, I’d know where she is and most importantly, I wouldn’t wandering aimlessly, not knowing where she is.

I know where she is… all you have to do is activate the weapon. Those words stuck in my mind like a plague. They were echoing in my mind at a constant rate, as if they were begging me to do what Mist wanted me to do. It was as if I had no choice. I inhaled a deep breath, before logging onto the console and starting it up.

---

Rainbow Oracle -- Enclave Database.
------------------------------------------------
Hello, Mist. Welcome back!

Loading…

…

>Rainbow Oracle Documentation (READ BEFORE ACTIVATION)

>Activate Oracle

>Back

…

Opening: rainboworacledocumentation.txt.

Loading…

…

Rainbow Oracle Documentation -- Last Edited By: Xion -- 2 weeks ago.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WARNING: Do not activate the Oracle unless it is an emergency -- activation without authorised access will be dealt with brutal force.
****
The Rainbow Oracle is a form of Megaspell which covers a small radius, but causes extreme havoc and makes any area nearby it extremely irradiated. Inhaling one breath of the toxic air is instant death, and there is no cure for the poisoning if you happen to survive.

Be sure to make sure (if you do happen to get Rainbow Radiation Poisoning) to consume Rad-Away at a constant rate and make sure that you remain within a certain location until the sickness has been cured.

Symptoms may consist of:

-Seeing bright colors and flying Ponies (yes the ones without wings too).

-Hearing voices.

-Nausea.

-Dizziness.

-Internal bleeding.

-Stiff body parts.

-Seizures.

WARNING: Only activate the Rainbow Oracle Megaspell if:

-The Grand Pegasus Enclave are losing the fight.

-If authorised by the citizens of Sunnyvale.

-If authorised by a member of the Enclave to do so.

Engaging an attack with the Oracle without authorisation to do so will result in execution and no ifs or buts can say otherwise.

If you have any other questions about the Oracle, talk to an Enclave officer and they will be sure to answer them.

>Back

Loading…

Rainbow Oracle -- Enclave Database.
------------------------------------------------
Hello, Mist. Welcome back!

Loading…

…

>Rainbow Oracle Documentation (READ BEFORE ACTIVATION)

>Activate Oracle

>Back

Are you sure you want to activate the Oracle?
>Yes.

>No.

Activating Oracle…

Detonation time: 4 hrs 30 mins and 23 secs.

“That wasn’t so hard now, was it?” Mist grinned and soon lifted himself out of his chair, glancing down at me. I looked up at him, already feeling the regret flooding in as if the floodgates in a sewer had been opened. “Trust me, you’ll feel better about it once you get some rest…”

“Where is she?” I asked. “You promised…” I felt my heart sink, and the guilt and regret kept flooding back in, taking me lower and lower…

“She’s in a place called Destiny… it’s not too far off of Sunnyvale. She’s been resting there for some time now, she never went to Sunnyvale,” Mist walked passed me, his Enclave guards following him and making sure he remained in one piece. “Now get some rest, it might help you focus for tomorrow…”

I just remained silent, watching the Enclave commander and troops soon leave, closing the door behind them. The mechanical door soon slammed shut, leaving nothing but an echo inside of the room and when that echo faded, it was just dead silence.

I looked towards Crystal. Her expression was shocked… she was upset, tears were trickling down her cheeks and she began to sob to herself quietly, knowing I had done wrong. And which I knew I had done wrong. I was already regretting it, and now I couldn’t stop it… all of this started because of me, and because of me, I have now activated a Megaspell which is ready to unleash its fury in four hours time. They’ll remember the day when Tornado Dash destroyed Sunnyvale.

I fell out of the chair and onto the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. Guilt was pounding in my skull, and regret was tearing my heart apart. I was going to be responsible for the deaths of the Steel Rangers, I knew that Mist wouldn’t give his Enclave troops no notice of this. And now I was scared. I’d no longer be the pony others looked up to, nor would I be the pony ponies want to kill for a high bounty. I was no longer the “hero” I once was… I was now the villain, and the Enclave were my masters. I was Mist’s puppet…

---

Footnote: Level up!

New perk: They Call it Madness -- ‘I ain’t mad, I’m just loopy!’ With this perk, you can scare off Raiders and Thieves when they try rob you of your goods. This is effective for long distance travel.

Reputation: The Steel Rangers -- Hated. The Steel Rangers find you to be vile and disgusting, they don’t want you aiding them in battle no more.(This affects your relationship with Violet)

Reputation: The Grand Pegasus Enclave -- Liked. The Mighty Enclave respect you for your good deeds towards them, you can now access a small portion their armory.

Faction: The Grand Pegasus Enclave. “Welcome Aboard!”

Current level: 17

Next Chapter: Chapter Eighteen-Point-Five: A Light Romance (NSFW) Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 26 Minutes