“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.”

I was floating. At least, that’s what it felt like. The lack of sensation had left me curious as to where I was, or even why I was here. I don’t remember how I got here either, but it didn’t worry me. Here I was in an endless void just… existing.

Then there was a sound. A faint buzzing noise that emanated from just far enough away, I couldn’t be sure it was there at all. The darkness around me started to brighten and shift, changing and taking shape around me as I tried to understand what is was. Color was the next thing to appear, but only in specific places.

Down below the front of me sat six glowing orbs arranged in a horseshoe. Standing next to them, was the shape of a sleeping young pony. The more it reformed, the more it started to resemble… me.

“What in tarnation was that, Twilight?” The southern twang of aunt Applejack rang through the air beside me, the slowly defining forms of six ponies came into focus next to me. Like a dam giving way, her voice brought the rest of the world into focus, filling it with definition, but not colors.

We stood in the observation room above the test chamber at the orchard, it was the day that I had taken my test. It was a day I would start to regret.

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen a reaction like that before. I had no idea she was capable of casting spells.” She replied quickly as she levitated sheet after sheet of data in front of herself. “No… not a spell, if the preliminary data is correct, it wasn’t emitting magic, at least, not like a unicorn’s magic.”

“I don’t care, whatever it was, it was Awesome!” Aunt Rainbow Dash nearly shouted as she flapped her wings and zipped in a circle.

“How can ya say that when she just killed three ponies?” Applejack took her hat off and held it to her chest. “Rainbow, ah know yer eager ta have yer Ministry pick up any project it can, but she’s too dangerous.” She closed her tired looking eyes and gave out a heavy sigh. “There’s no tellin how many ponies she could end up hurtin if we don’t put her down.”

There was a flash down in the test chamber that caught my attention, but didn’t seem to garner it from any of the ministry mares. All six orbs of color floated up from the room below and took their place next to each of the ponies. As the orbs sat there, I inclined my ears to them. Each one gave off a faint whisper that given more time, I might have been able to decipher.

“What!” Momma shouted from behind aunt Pinkie Pie. To be honest, I hadn’t realized she was even in the room until now, meaning that they had all been there on that day. “You can’t! She’s not some terminally ill animal you can just euthanize. She’s just a filly!” She looked out to the window at where I had stood as a filly. “She didn’t mean to hurt anypony, for all we know, it could have been the stress of trying to pass the test.”

“Although unlikely, I agree with Fluttershy.” Twilight spoke up, shuffling her papers and setting them into her labcoat. “We don’t know what caused it, or if it will happen again. Unfortunately, we don’t have the resources or time to devote to studying it further. I’m sorry Fluttershy, but Project Harmony has failed.”

“But… that doesn’t mean you have to kill her!” Momma cried out, falling to the floor in tears. “Please, she could be raised to be a normal filly if you just give her a chance! I’ll even raise her if that’s what it takes!”

“It aint safe takin her outa here!” Applejack put her hat back on and dragged her hoof down her face. “What if she takes ta castin that… spell or whatever again? What if she hurts somepony else on tha street?” She walked up to Momma and placed her hoof on her shoulder. “Ah’m sorry sugercube. If there was some other way…”

“No. You can’t have her!” Momma cried out and barreled for the door, smashing it open with little effort before she disappeared into the hallways of the complex.

Rainbow Dash dropped from the air with a frown. “Look, Twilight. I can tell when somepony has talent, and I can tell you that she can still be something awesome.” She rubbed at her mane with a shrug. “I know you all laugh at how little my ministry actually researches things, but I’m asking you for this one thing. I can help to make her into something worth saving, you just gotta give me a chance.”

Twilight pursed her lips and thought about it for a moment. Her eyes slowly drifted to Pinkie, who had so far just sat there in silent contemplation. I don’t know why, but when Twilight looked at her, she just looked so sad. In that moment, each of the colored orbs went silent, as if to hang on the moment to see what would happen.

“I know my ministry has little to do with this project, but the fact remains that we simply cannot stoop so low as to murder a helpless little filly.” Rarity spoke up, turning towards Pinkie Pie with a soft smile. “Pinkie darling, you’ve been awfully quiet so far. What are your thoughts? Don’t you agree that we should at least find a way to help the poor girl?”

“It’s so much to take in. Special fillies, ethereal flames, and the feeling of cold, so much cold.” Pinkie turned to look at me. Not at Twilight or the others, but at me. Her eyes were wide and bloodshot, shaking with a subtle twinge of pent up energy and thoughts. Quivering as she spoke, her muzzle emanated puffs of pink with each word. “It will work. She will work, given time. Too much time, time we don’t have, but I can’t figure out why, no, not yet. We must save her, she is too important.” She gave a small twitch and her pupils shrank, shifting between the other confounded mares.

“Pinkie, are you… trying your own stims again?” Twilight spoke hesitantly.

“Who cares.” Rainbow Dash interjected, hovering in the air and throwing her hooves out. “That’s four votes to save her, so I get the project!”

“She’s a filly, not just some project.” Twilight face hoofed. “Look, what exactly do you think you can do with her? I’m all for helping win the war, but Fluttershy was right. This filly deserves a chance at a normal life someday.”

“It’s not like I was going to mess with her at all. Just, you saw how those flames went right through the wall!” Rainbow flapped hard spun in the air, showing off the excitability she still retained even with her age. “Think of what she can do if we put her in one of Applejack’s mechanical suits? She’d be unstoppable, all while being one hundred percent safe!”

With a sigh, Twilight hung her head. “Fine. I’ll contact the O.I.A. first thing tomorrow about starting the transfer paperwork.” She watched as Rainbow Dash attempted to do a celebratory flip, only to stop her with her magic. “But, this still doesn’t solve what we’re going to do with her in the mean time.”

“Whatever Y’all wanna do is fine, but ah’m washin my hooves of this right now.” Applejack stated and headed for the door.

“As am I.” Rarity gave a toss of her head and followed. “I do hope you find somewhere nice for the filly to live in the meantime, but my ministry has very little to do with what happens from now on.” She stopped at the door and gave the others a slight bow. “As always, it’s been a pleasure to see you all again. We simply must do this more often.”

The mare’s each said their goodbyes and Twilight waved as Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash left, leaving only her and Pinkie in the room. It became still enough in the room with just the two of them, that for a moment, I didn’t know if they would ever move again. Slowly, Pinkie shook her head with a frown, the peppermint striped mane she wore saged lower with each swing of her muzzle.

“Who are we kidding? She’ll never have a normal life.” Her sad tone hung on each word as she looked over to Twilight. “All she’s known are these walls, and these scientists. This is her home twilight, who are we to just give her away to somepony else?”

“I understand what you mean, and I hate to do it just as much as you do, but we can’t give her special care when there are too many ponies out there fighting and dying for the betterment of Equestria.” Twilight got to her hooves and walked up to her. “If things get too bad for her, I’m sure your memory alteration specialists could help her out, couldn’t they?”

Pinkie looked downright horrified at the notion. “I’ve seen what the soldiers Fluttershy and I helped have gone through. I’ve seen the anguish and suffering for every lost friend and life changing wound. We help them forget, but what they went through… that’s something nopony should ever have to experience.”

“I know Pinkie. We’re all trying to find some solution to this on our own.” She sat down next to Pinkie and rest her horn against the one way mirror into the test chamber. “Even Princess Celestia still tries to persuade Princess Luna to take a more diplomatic approach, but I can’t help but feel like we’re only digging ourselves deeper into this war.” She tapped her horn against the glass a few times and sighed again. “This project would have given us a weapon greater than megaspells. Just a chance to use the Elements of Harmony as a tool to persuade peace was worth the risks, but now we have to start over again.”

“Don’t worry so much about it Twilight, you always think of something.” Pinkie did her best to deliver a comforting smile, but I think they both knew that these days, there wasn’t much to smile about anymore. Pinkie sat up straight for a moment and blinked. “You know, I think I have an idea about what to do with Harmony for now.” She waved her hoof and walked towards the door. “Come on Twi, let’s go see Fluttershy and I’ll explain on the way.”

“Do... you... now... see?”

It hit me like an applebuck to the head, the voice brought back all my feelings and thoughts. The images of before faded away and I was myself again, standing in the darkness before a pillar of rainbow light. As had both other times, a shadowy pony formed out of the dark itself and lowered down in anticipation to fight.

I knew what was coming. I lowered myself in response, shifting my weight around to spin myself as I pulled my hind legs close. With little more than a grunt, I bucked back hard, connecting to the shadow ponies head and shattering right through it. I am tired of all of the mystery, of this voice. I’m tired of being a disappointment.

“Good… Again…”

“I don’t fucking want to go again!” I screamed out, feeling my anger and hatred flow through myself. Ahead of me in the darkness was the next challenge, the mare shaped darkpony.

It charged at me with all the speed it had utilized in the previous fight, and only with a quick, last minute roll did I manage to dodge. The moment I felt my hooves on the floor again, I pushed off, relying on my reflexes to guide me away from the sweeping strike the shadow mare gave. I landed a few feet back from her, tensing as I hit the ground and tightening my legs. In what felt like one smooth action, I used my downward momentum and compressed to the floor before springing forward.

I’ve always been told I was a bit thick headed, but I don’t think the shadow mare was expecting a headbut to shatter her own. The rest of the mare crumbled as I rolled through the slam, ending up on my hooves again facing the light. I was ready for the next challenge, whatever the fuck it was.

“You… must… continue… fighting...”

I watched as the shadowy form of a stallion formed in front of the light. Eager to end this before it started, I lowered myself for another lunge, waiting for the moment before it finished forming to strike. The wispy stallion solidified and I jumped, watching with a grin as I sailed towards it. The expression expanded into a face, and then a whole pony.

That pony was my father.

Tucking my legs in, I tumbled past him with a whine, sliding along the ground and up to the light. Scrambling back to my legs, I turned around and couldn’t help but to stare at him. A full minute when by as I felt the memories of him flood back, gazing upon him like a thirsty wanderer would a bottle of water. His features weren’t exactly as I remembered, there was more to him now. A little scar here, a little bit of mane receding there, he looked a lot more tired than he ever had.

“Continue…”

“What?” I turned back towards the light. “I… I can’t fight him, he’s my father.”

“You… must…”

“No. Fail me again or whatever because I’m done with this shit.” I glanced back to daddy, watching as he gave a smile and a soft nod. “I refuse to hurt somepony I love.” I watched as my cheeks glistened in the rainbow light from the tears I didn’t realize I was crying.

“It’s okay, Harmony.” Daddy’s voice was soft and made my legs tremble. “It’s alright honey, I’ll be fine.”

“No!” I screamed and stomped as hard as I could on the ground in defiance. A wave of blue flame burst from where I hit, rolling across the ground and sweeping over him. He went stiff as thin cracks formed over his body, slowly growing wider as the illusion fell into a heap. I raised a hoof and looked at it, watching in abject horror as a blue glow drained out of it the longer I watched. “What… am I?”

“You… are… ready…”

“Daddy!” I shouted, sitting up in alarm before immediately regretting that decision. My head felt like a herd of brahmin were stampeding across it and the lights in whatever room I was in were blinding. Even though it’s never helped anypony in the history of ever, I clasped my hooves at the side of my head to try to stop the pain. “Son of a bitch.” At least the headache would pass. That dream however…

“Finally back, Storm?” Predious spoke from out of nowhere. His voice startled me so much, that I jumped from the bed I was on, flailing my hooves as I fell back out of it onto the dusty wooden floorboards of what I now recognized to be the Chasm clinic.

Groaning, I picked myself back up. “What the fuck do you mean...?” I paused as I looked at him. His crimson coat looked as pristine as it ever had, his mane was back to the red and black streaks it had been since I first found him.

“Well you were muttering in here for the last few hours.” He rolled his eyes and looked bored. “I stopped asking if you were awake after the fourth or fifth time. By the seventeenth time, it was getting a little bit annoying.”

“Shut up Pred. How are you alright?” I don’t even care how we got back or what happened in that room.

“Why, whatever do you mean?” He gasped in mock offence to the question. “I have always been alright, are you sure you aren’t the one feeling a bit off?” He gave a little chuckle. “I mean, whatever you did back there in that bunker really did save our flanks, but it seemed to take the fight right out…”

“I said shut up, Pred.” I snarled, walking up to him slowly. “You were a ghoul back in that bunker, how did you get better?” I spun around as a sudden realization came into my mind. “Oh… another test then, is it?” I planted all four of my hooves on the floor firmly. “I told you, I’m fucking done with this shit!”

“Oh dear, are you sure you’re feeling alright, Storm?” Predious offered in a way that was supposed to sound like friendly concern, but instead only made my head hurt more.

“Tell me then.” I growled and turned back to him. “How. are. you. better?”

“Fine, you want the truth?” He grumbled as his horn flashed. I watched, almost mesmerized as his coat darkened and cracked. Lines and old scars drew their way across his fading coat as he seemed to age a hundred years in just a few seconds. His mane drooped and dropped it’s color to mostly black again, and his eyes turned to a more distant and dull look than he had before. “Truth is, I’ve been this way for a long time. Why did I hide it? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but ghouls aren’t exactly welcomed by anypony, now are they?”

“The ponies around here don’t mind me!” Cocoa, the ghoul I had met back outside the orchard spoke up as she entered the small room I was in. She flashed me a smile as she closed the door, hoofing the stethoscope around her neck into her ears. “But don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.” She took a moment to listen through the instrument before walking around behind me.

She placed the end of the stethoscope against my chest, sending a shiver through my spine from the touch of the cold metal. As much as I didn’t want to look, my eyes were transfixed on the changes to Predious’s body. I knew that he was still the same stallion that I’d been traveling with for the last week, but part of me just couldn’t accept it. Then Predious’s horn flashed, and he went back to looking normal again.

“Thank you my dear. I’m not ashamed about what I am, just afraid that it will cause unneeded grief.” He laughed and rubbed at his neck. “At one time, I had thought that the ponies before the end treated others badly. Oh how wrong it turns out I’d been.” He shrugged and gave me a smile. “Well, you live and learn I guess.”

The noise of duct tape being stretched off the roll made me turn to see what Cocoa was now doing. Just as I did, she plastered a metal disk with a wire to my coat and taped it to me. She did so with three other disks before returning to a machine that all the wires ran into and flicked it on. With a high pitched whine that reminded me of a shock prod, a multitude of lights along the side of it flashed in quick succession as a line of paper slowly fed out of the machine.

“Hmm, very interesting.” She said, hoofing the crawling paper trail in front of her vision. “If this is correct, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the way your internal organs are functioning.” She shut the machine off with a flick of her hoof and tore the paper from the feed. “Whatever kept you in a comatose state must have something to do with your deeper cognitive functions. Unfortunately, I don’t have the right equipment in here to do a more in depth test. Though on the other hoof…” She smiled and walked over to me. “Now that the facility is completely accessible, there might be a machine in there…”

“Not going to happen doc.” I grumbled. Last time I went in there, I didn’t come out for over a century. I know she doesn’t want to do that, but still, maybe it’s better that I leave that place in the past. She nodded and seemed to understand as she leaned towards me. She nipped at my coat, and before I realized why, there was a horrendous ripping sound and I was rolling on the floor in a silent scream.

“Sorry boss.” Predious tried to hold back a snicker as he spoke, but I could tell that jerk was enjoying this. “Here, let me make it easier for you.” His magic gripped at the remaining three pieces of tape all at once, and for a moment, he waited. That dick waited until I realized what he was about to do.

This time, I let out a full bodied, agonizing scream.

“How was that any fucking easier?!” I snapped at him once I was done writhing into the floorboards. I had half a mind to shoot him for that, but annoyingly my rifle wasn’t anywhere that I could see from the floor.

“Well, you only had to deal with that one.” Predious spoke up in his usual annoyingly cheerful tone. “If I did this slowly or one by one, we’d have had you on the floor until nightfall.”

“I swear, the next fucking bottle of wonderglue I find is going to apply something to that smart ass mouth of yours.” I groaned and pulled myself back up. “Speaking of, did what’s her flank stick around? Or was she smart and got herself as far away from this fucking town as possible?”

“She’s… in jail at the moment.” Predious shifted uneasily on his hooves.

“Please tell me that she didn’t murder anypony.” I hadn’t thought about it at the time, but if she had lied to me in that cell down there, I could have just broken out a mass murderer or something. “At the very least, tell me she murdered Ficha.”

“Your Zebra friend? No, she didn’t murder him, nor anypony else.” Pred nodded to the cabinet over near the door, where I saw the edge of my jacket sticking out. “But she did manage to break the mayor’s foreleg when he tried to hug her. Then she gave the sheriff quite a walloping when she resisted arrest.”

“Well that’s… pretty good news actually. At least he got what was coming to him.” I laughed to myself, stopping when I caught Cocoa’s disapproving look. “Ficha, not the mayor. That womanizing asshole has deserved to get his flank served to him for years.”

“Still, it doesn’t make it right.” She snorted and kept her muzzle tilted up like any arrogant jerk who thought they were better than the rest of us would. “Use of that kind of brutality has no place in this peaceful town.”

“No, this town has no place in this wasteland.” I glared back at her. “You think you’re safe hiding from everyone else out there, but one of these days, the wasteland will come and find you. It always does.” I slipped on my coat and satchel, looking around for my rifle only to find that Predious was already levitating it above me. “Come on Pred, let’s get out of this nightmarish town.

“We can’t go yet.” Pai spoke up, changing my vision to blue as she appeared curled up in the corner. “Not until we give Iron Will a proper send off.” She sniffled at me and sobbed softly in a way that only exaggerated the headache I had.

“No, I want to be as far away from here as…” I stopped halfway through the sentence as the pipbuck died, going dark in what I could only assume was an act of defiance. “Pai, you turn yourself back on this instant.” I lifted my pipbuck and shook it. “Listen to me Pai, I will not mourn for a machine.” However awesome it was, and even though it saved my life, it doesn’t mean I have to care that it’s dead.

“Oh come on Storm. What’s the harm in giving her a bit of closure.” Predious rolled his eyes as he walked to the door. “Besides, another hour in town won’t kill you.” He opened it and held his hoof towards the main clinic room.

“Fuck it, fine. I still think it’s a waste of time, but fine, we’ll go and remember him or some shit.” I grumbled. No sooner than I had said that, the compass reappeared in my vision with a destination tick mark to the north of us, and the words ‘Travel to memorial site’ flashed above it. I shook my head and headed out the door, eager to just get this over with.

Thunder rumbled in the distance to the north while a cold wind swept down across the open plains from the mountains behind us. The air felt like it could break into rain any minute, and I didn’t want to be drenched by the time we were done. Walking all the way back to dodge was going to suck if it were to freeze.

The memorial spot that Pai had chosen was one of the only hills within eyesight of Chasm that happened to have the dead husk of an old tree on it. From the looks of it, it must have been split down the middle from a lightning strike sometime far in the past. It’s scorched bark had dried and hardened to where it might as well have been made of rock itself.

“Thank you all for coming.” My Pipbuck crackled as Pai slowly formed in my vision. “We are gathered her to mourn the loss of our longtime friend and compatriot, Iron Will. Though he was prepared for the eventuality, he was taken from us far before his time. We will now observe a moment of silence to honor his memory.”

I rolled my eyes and gave out a light sigh, catching a glare from Pai for my annoyed attitude. It’s not my fault he’s gone. He could have stayed back with the rest of us instead of charging into a line of paladins.

Pai looked up to me and wiped the tears from her digital eyes. “Sis, did you want to say a few words?”

I didn’t want to say anything. For so many having died around me here in the wastes, I didn’t know the first thing about funerals. My parents are still alive, the ponies I consider family are still alive. The only death I now wished I’d known were Mama and Papa’s, but that’s a wish that I will end up taking to my grave. Even if I wanted to say something, I didn’t know of anything that needed to be said.

“Storm’s right.” Predious chimed up out of nowhere. “Iron Will never said anything to us. He never complained, never argued, the only thing he ever did was watch over us the best that he could. It may be an old Equestrian mindset that has died out over the years, but back in my day, we let our actions speak for us. Iron Will died to save the rest of us. He died a hero’s death, and I can say that I’m proud to have known him.”

Huh, Pred swoops in with another assist when I’m in a jam, he’s not the useless pony I had made him out to be after all. His words though were well thought out, showing me a bit of the softer side of him that I haven’t seen much of. With all the loneliness and pain around me normally, it’s good to see somepony who actually cares about the world around him. It’s admirable in a way, not something I feel I’m capable of, but still admirable.

“Thank you Predious.” Pai sniffled again with a smile. “That really means a lot. I know you two didn’t know him for long, but believe me, he liked you two.”

“He will be greatly missed.” I finally found the words to speak. It was my first funeral, and I needed to say something, even if it’s not something I could put my feelings into. The wind picked up as silence fell between us again, the feeling of wetness in the air foretold a coming rain, and the crack of thunder only made it’s arrival seem that much quicker. “The storm is coming, let’s get back to town.” I said as I look a look at the memorial tree again, catching Pai’s depressed look in the corner of my vision. “We’ll stop by again on our way out before we head back to Dodge, alright Pai?”

She nodded and curled up. “Thanks sis, it means a lot to me.” As she popped off the screen, the rest of the pipbuck’s functions came back up and shifted to green. Predious let out a sigh of his own and trot up beside me.

“I know you think it was a waste of time, but I’m glad you went through with it.” He said, putting his hoof around my neck. “We all need to stick together if we’re to be friends, and mourning the loss of somepony isn’t easy to do on your own.” He smirked and raised his eyebrow at me. “Not even for somepony who burns their way out of a Steel Ranger’s bunker.”

“Well let’s not ever do that again, alright?” I snorted back, turning around with him and heading back towards town. The first drops of cold rain started to fall, sending a shiver down my spine.

“Well, so long as we stay away from those walking tin can’s, I don’t think…” Predious started to remark before I glared him silent.

“No, not that.” I shook my head and pressed us ahead faster. “Let’s not hold any more memorial services. One is enough for my lifetime.” As if to have been holding back, the clouds finally let loose. As it came down on us, I didn’t mind the rain as much as I thought I would. When it was just the one drop, I shivered, but with all of them now, I just felt numb. I’m sure there’s a metaphor to be found in there somewhere about my feelings towards death, but right now, I couldn’t care to find it. “We’re going to have wait out the storm, so let’s go see if I can’t get Ficha to let Tasteless go.”

“Sounds like a plan to me boss.” He smiled and released his leg from around my neck. “And I agree. Let’s not have anymore death.”