“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”

I was awoken with a bang. It was less like a gunshot, and more the fact that instead it had been my head hitting a wooden door frame.

"Ugh... What the hell?" I muttered, struggling to open my tired eyes.

"Oh, sorry!" Shadow yelped. I could feel his warm body below me, and instinctively I wrapped my hooves tighter around him. The heavy sounds of his hoofsteps slowed as we tilted forward. For a moment, I felt like we were falling before the old wood steps under us groaned in protest as he carried me down them.

"What's going on?" I had a right to know why he'd dragged me away from my beautiful bed at such an unsightly hour. I was still so tired that I couldn't even focus on my pip vision to see what time it ACTUALLY was.

"I'm taking you to get waffles." He stated in an almost annoyed tone. "You aren't skipping another meal on my watch. You need your strength."

"Waffles?" Food sounded good, but sleep sounded so much better. "Five more minutes..."

"No.” He replied sternly as we reached the landing of the stairs. That's what you said a half hour ago, which was five minutes after you’d promised to get up for waffles." With a sharp turn that scrunched my muzzle up against his folded wings, we headed through what remained of Harmony’s shop. Somewhere in my hazy mind, I was glad that I couldn’t focus on the complete and utter destruction of what was once my friend’s profitable livelihood.

That is, until my rear hoof caught on a half destroyed shelf and collapsed it with a thunderous clatter.

“That’s it.” I groaned, flailing lightly across Shadow’s back. “I’m just tired, not crippled. I can walk myself.”

“Are you sure?” He asked, hesitating before I did my best to give him a tired glare. “Okay then.” With what was probably the most gentle way he could have gone about it, I shortly found all four of my still tired and shaky hooves underneath me. At the very least, the cold hadn’t gotten to me yet. “With how you were sleeping, a pony could be confused that you’d slipped into a coma.”

“No.” I grumbled. Okay hooves, one in front of the other, nice and easy. “It was… a long night. I was talking with one of the elements.” With each hoofstep, my body seemed to remember more of the fundamentals of walking, and I quickly found myself at the door. Which, Shadow nearly threw himself at to open for me.

“You communed with the elements again?” The excitement that he put on those words far outpaced my capacity to grasp it all. “Did they help you understand your element more?” WIth a metallic squeal, he pushed at the door. There was a sharp snap as the hinges it was on sheared from the doorway and the whole thing fell forward into the snowy street.

“No, not those elements.” I sighed, stepping through the open doorway. “The old bearers. Aunty Rarity, mostly.”

“You… you were talking with a dead ministry mare?” His disbelief was understandable, and a few months ago I’d have been right there with him. “Huh, what did she want?”

“To remind me that ponies die.” I said, slowing to a stop in the snow. “She wanted me to know that no matter what, this fight… it’s going to cost us, even if we win.”

With a flutter of his wings, he pushed off and hovered his way around in front of me. “Let’s… not talk about it, alright?” With his forehoof, he brushed at my mane until it slipped around the back side of my ear. “They always told us that thinking too hard after you wake up is bad for you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, how could you ever be disloyal if you don’t think to much?”

“Hey, not everypony up there is a city destroying asshole, okay?” He stood up straight and dropped his hoof into the snow. Somewhere in my brain, it finally clicked that the words I’d chosen might not have been the most flattering. “The military might have been ignorant, but…”

Catching him off guard, I nearly leapt up onto him and kissed him. He fought for a split second as it was now his mind’s turn to play catch up, but with a heavy sigh he finally relented.

“I didn’t mean anything bad by it.” I looked up to him as we broke the kiss. “But you have to admit, you were a bit… old fashioned when I first met you.” I raised my hoof to point toward Cask’s bar. “I mean, you said you’d come down to the wastes before, yet you still tried to pay with your fancy sky money.”

I watched as my words seemed to have the opposite effect than I’d hoped for. I watched the calm in his eyes drain away, being replaced with sadness as he turned and looked away from me.

“After the first time I was down here, the only thing I wanted to buy from anypony was forgiveness.” Slowly, he reached his hoof up and ran it along the cross shaped scar on his face.

“Hey.” With a stiff thrust, I pushed myself against him and hooked my forehoof around him. He reacted quickly, pushing back against me to keep us both from falling to the snowy ground. “The only pony you need forgiveness from, is me.” I said, watching as he opened his muzzle in confusion as he looked at me. “And I forgive you, for everything you’ve ever done down in this craptastic place we call the wasteland. Alright?” With my words, a weak smile crept across his muzzle and he gave me a small nod.

“Oh thank the goddesses.” Predious seemingly apparated into the space right next to me. I was hanging on to Shadow so tightly that I couldn’t have jumped in surprise, but inside my mind I was screaming like a filly. “Your forgiveness means a lot to me, Storm.”

“What the hell, Pred!” I snapped at him, releasing Shadow and turning to smash him over the head with my hoof. “I swear, if you don’t stop sneaking up on me, I’m going to find a set of bells and staple them to where your balls were so you can’t fucking do it anymore.” I growled and glared at him. “Got it?”

He simply blinked and looked at me in confusion. “If the bells are where my balls were…” Goddess damned, Pred. “where did my balls go?” He cupped his chin with a forehoof and looked lost in thought.

“I would have torn them off first.” I grumbled, quickly losing hope that today would be any sort of good.

“Then why…” He started to say before I cut him off.

“It was implied.” I snorted. “Shut up, I’m still tired. What do you want?”

“Oh, right!” He shook his head and blinked a few times. “I may or may not have been asked by Ficha what happened down in the element chamber.” He paused looking at me like I was supposed to say something. When I didn’t he took that as his cue to continue. “And I may or may not have told him about all the blue fire… and the ethereal alicorn thing from back in the Omega Orchard…”

“Uh huh.” I sighed, facehoofing for what would no doubt not be the last time I would today. “And?”

“And he may or may not have spun your trials of the last month into an epic story that the foals of the scavengers have bought into.” Pred gave me a excruciatingly nervous smile. “So you probably have about ten seconds before you’re swarmed by excited foals.”

As if to punctuate how irritatingly spot on he always seemed to, the doors to Cask’s burst open as a few foals stepped out and looked around excitedly. That is, until they saw me.

“I see her!” A young earth pony colt yelled out. “I see the Blue Phoenix!”

Really? After all this, that’s the nickname that sticks?

“What?” Pred gasped in offence. “I found Gallant’s choice of the Phoenix to be both quite apt and poetic at the time.”

“It better not stick.” I grunted as a horde of screaming colts and fillies rushed through the snow towards us. “Makes me sound like a goddess damned super mare.”

“Well, no offence, hun.” Shadow snorted, trying to stifle a giggle. “You kind of are one.”

As the mass of excited foals approached, all I could do was lament how I’d actually really been looking forward to those waffles…

Never before have I ever been so disappointed. Not once. I mean, having to answer so many questions from excited foals was enough, but then I have to hate breakfast too?

"Oh get off it." Harmony huffed. "Those nice folks didn't have ta’ feed us at all in tha first place."

"I've accidentally eaten cardboard tastier than that." I managed to get out as I hoofed at my poor tongue. Mom had always promised to teach me how to make her tasty wasteland pancakes, and it was high time I learned the recipe. If she and dad are still alive out there, that is.

The hood to the marauder slammer shut without warning, and I let out a reflexive gasp as it did. My heart skipped a beat, and the world shortly became cold and dark. I’d have thought after everything I’d been through, my reflexes might have gotten in check. Then again, with what we’ve gone through, I’m not sure if that would be for better or worse.

"Oh quit playin' in the snow. We ain't got time to dilly-dally." She huffed, hooking a hoof around one of mine and pulling me from the snowbank I'd flopped into. "She's all fixed up and ready ta’ run straight ta’ Baltimare." She smiled as I got my hooves back under me, casting a glance over her work.

Harmony's words were too kind for the vehicle that sat before us. Most of the bolted on armor had fared well in the fight. However, the rest of the vehicle was held on by wonderglue, duct tape, and possibly a few hopes and prayers. Hell, she hadn't ACTUALLY fixed the roof. Instead, she's just bent the two halves back until they were close enough and sewed them together using high tensile wire strung through the numerous bullet holes. It was a poor patch up job, but it was Harmony's patch up job, and she could fix almost anything.

Almost.

"Will she make it to Baltimore?" I wasn't normally one to question her, but we had so much riding on this trip that I had to be sure.

"Darn tootin she will." Harmony grumbled, shooting me an angry glance I probably deserved for even thinking of that question. "Ah ain't the type ta pull a half assed job, an yah know it."

"Yeah, I know." I sighed. When I did, I found Harmony's hooves thrown around me in a tight embrace.

"Don't you worry none. We'll make it." She sniffles, trembling against me. “Ah know yah scared, an honestly? Ah am too.”

“Hey.” I hooked my hooves around her as well. “We can do this.” My own hooves began to tremble as a war for control of me was fought in my mind. I wanted to be afraid, to doubt, but I couldn’t. That flame that had been lit in me burned brighter than ever, and with my friends at my side, we could do anything. “Besides, your mom and the Rangers are leading the charge, and she’s the most badass mare I’ve ever known.”

“Really?” Harmony sniffled, pulling back from me to wipe the tears from her eyes. The light of hope filled them for just a moment before flickering out. “Ah’m just so worried…”

“Storm?” Shadow’s voice came from that air above me. I turned my glance skyward to find him armorless and hovering above us effortlessly with an uneasy frown across his muzzle. If it weren’t for his big blue eyes, it might have been easy to miss the lovable guy against the clouded sky. “I have bad news.”

“What?” I said as my heart sank.

“Gauge and Pai managed to use my armor to pick up a secure Enclave broadcast.” He sighed, sinking through the air down to the snow. “Iron’s Raptor has been spotted over Baltimare. She’s being ordered back above the clouds, but the enclave won’t risk another raptor in the raging snow storm over the city, let alone another exchange of fire if they can help it. They have so few operational raptors left as it is…”

Facehoofing, I took a deep breath. “Then we force her up.” My words caught Shadow off guard, and his expression wavered for a moment. “Filius is going to be hard enough to deal with. If she wants to side with him, then we make sure she can’t afford to stay. We give her the choice of death, or headed back home.”

“How!” He grunted in frustration. “This isn’t just one mare, nor a single Virtibuck! You saw what the Lenticular did to Sunshine city, how do we take down something like that?” Sighing, he hung his head in defeat. “If we try to attack Baltimare, she’ll just wipe us out.”

“Not down, up!” Harmony laughed, stepping into the conversation with what I hoped would be one of her brilliant ideas. She turned to me with a giggle and pranced on her hooves. “Storm, yer a goddess damn genius!”

“What…?” I said slowly. Okay, now we’d moved from brilliance to crazy.

“Ah might not know how one a them Raptors works, but ah’m mighty confidant that they rest on those wispy clouds under em. Made from some sorta cloud machine, right?” She waited until Shadow nodded. “An if the storm over Baltimare is as bad as you say, one might bet that they got those cloud generators runnin’ on high.”

I think something in shadow’s mind clicked, because he stifled a short laugh. “That could work.” He looked over to me as a wide smile broke across his muzzle. I only had a moment to realize what was coming, and in the snow, I couldn’t avoid his tackle. As I flopped back in his warm embrace, he squeezed me tighter than ever against him. Any other stallion and I’d have been pissed. Any other pony, and I’d have reacted. However, I couldn’t fight him, not when I care about him the way I do. “Thank you, Storm!”

“Why me?” Even with my back pressed into the frigid snow, I never wanted this moment to end.

“You are right. We’ll send her up.” He smiled and pressed his muzzle into mine. It didn’t explain at all how I’d helped, but I couldn’t pass up a reward like this. Softly, he broke the kiss as I all but melted under him. “I’ve got to go.”

That wasn’t happening.

Pinning me down was his mistake, and I easily wrapped my hooves around him. “Not until you tell me the plan.”

“Storm…” He gave me a soft smile and pressed a hoof gently at my side. “Trust me, I can make her…”

“No.” I dropped my tone down and glared at him. “I trust you, but I won’t let you go that easily. I…” I watched as his big blue eyes gazed at me, I could see the light of hope in them burning brighter than ever. “I love you. I want to settle down with you, start a family with you. If you didn’t come back when we’re this close to stopping Filius, I don’t know what I’d do.”

“You’d kill that bastard and move on, because you’re the most badass mare I’ve ever known in my life.” He spoke softly, not losing his smile, or that look in his eyes. “But, I understand.” Slowly, he pressed at my side and I relented. As much as I wanted to be close to him, we couldn’t stay that way forever. “I’m going back on the Lenticular. If I can get into engineering, I’m pretty sure I’d be able to cripple one of the cloud generators. Iron wouldn’t be able to keep the Lenticular from capsizing in a storm like the one over the city, she’d be forced to head back above for repairs. Well, that or keep the ship below the clouds, but she’d be easy pickings for an enclave assault force to retake the ship then.”

“What if they catch you? What am I supposed to do?” I didn’t want to think about what Iron would do with him.

“I know the Lenticular like the back of my hoof, Storm, and I’ll be wearing my armor. I’ll be fine.” He smiled again widely, stretching his wings out. “I’ll be in and out even before you get to Baltimare. You on the other hoof, need to get thinking on how we’re going to take down Filius.”

“I swear that if you get yourself killed…” I blinked a few times, my vision distorting from the tears in my eyes. “then I’ll force Filius to bring you back just so I can kill you again.”

“Duly noted.” He chuckled lightly before he leaned close and gave my nose a light kiss. “I’ll see you the second you get to Baltimare.” With a heavy beat of his wings, he took off.

“Storm?” Harmony sighed. “Ah know yah worried, but it’s our best shot.” I really hated when she was so blunt, even if she was one hundred percent right. We just aren’t equipped to handle an enclave ship. “Sweetie, can yah please go get the others an tell ‘em we’re ready ta go in five?”

“Yeah.” Five minutes, then it was back into the wild. Back on the track toward Baltimare. Toward ending this fight for good. I just hope that Shadow is right, and that I’ll see him when we roll up on the Baltimare outskirts.

After we’d gathered our things, and said goodbye to the last friendly outsiders any of us might ever see in our lives, we piled into Harmony’s car and took off. The sun had long since risen as we traveled through the blisteringly cold white wastes. The dark clouds above shielded us from the warmth of the sun, but at the very least it couldn’t cut down on the light it provided.

For once, I didn’t have the cold to worry about as we rode. Harmony had installed a rack of old toasters on the floor between the front and rear seats of the car. Their heating elements glowed red hot, pulsing along with the engine as we sped across the white wasteland. Along with the toasters, we were all wrapped in thick blankets that Harmony had hoarded in her shop just in case of a bad winter.

With freezing to death out of my mind, I thought about a lot of things on the car ride. About the days before everything in my life was so volatile. I thought about my parent’s, and how I desperately hope that they’re still holding on in Baltimare. Mostly however, each one of my thoughts returned to Shadow. He’d come out of nowhere into my life, and now… I couldn’t live with losing him. We’ve lost so many already, and we couldn’t afford to lose any more. Filius was bigger than all of us, maybe even the whole wasteland combined. I would need everyone to help if we had any chance of winning this war.

The storm that clung above the eastern wastes was the worst I’d ever seen in my entire life. The wind howled relentlessly as we plowed our way towards Baltimare. It’s rough blasts against the side of the marauder sometimes sent us skidding slightly in the blizzard, but I’m confidant that it was only Harmony’s sheer stubbornness that kept us on track. Each battering gust fought her like an endless game of tug of war, feeling more like the storm had it out for us more than anything.

Then again, this wasn’t a normal storm. No, I could feel it. It wasn’t just the weather, it was a tangible being. Hovering, pulsing, breathing down on us, faithfully trying to keep us from ever reaching its source and master. However, we would not relent. By the time that we had driven just within line of sight of the large camp set up around the Baltimare outskirts, the sun was desperately pressing it’s last rays through the far edge of the storm behind us.

And then, we cut through it. As if it were as simple as day or night, the howling storm was behind us. What must have been a few hundred square miles, was encapsulated by the rotating, dark clouds. The eye of the storm was a dome, where we could continue unimpeded all the rest of the way to Baltimare. Even though it was no longer pressing down on us, I could still feel as if it were watching us on our journey.

The more that I had thought about the storm, the more my thoughts drifted over to Predious. Sitting there, he looked as stoic as ever, not even casting a glance over to me once. I wondered how my curse would affect him. If it had threatened to consume me after only having it since I’d gotten Pai out of her orchard, how long would he last? Maybe it was on his mind as well right now. Maybe he’s already fighting it.

“Storm…” Predious spoke up from next to me. His expression didn’t change, and his eyes still sat transfixed ahead of us. “We have a problem.”

Turning to look ahead through the armored slats, I could see the city of Baltimare ahead of us. On the outskirts to our left, was a large camp with a dozen or so fires going in it. The city itself laid dead ahead, and even from here, most of the city looked lifeless. The only thing that stood out, was that the Arena district was lit up like daylight. The fact that it was lit up wasn’t odd, but what was silhouetted above it nearly made my heart skip a beat.

“The Lenticular… it’s still there.” My muzzle formed the words without me even registering it.

The dark cloudship hovered silently above the city

“Maybe your friend failed in his task.” Gallant grumbled from the back seat. He’d been silent for this whole trip, and for that to be the first thing I hear from him? Well, it turned that flame inside me into a raging bonfire.

“Don’t you fucking say that.” I snapped at him, turning around and shooting him a burning glare. “He’ll do the fucking job and be back like he said. You don’t get to doubt him.”

“Storm.” Pred’s stern voice snapped my attention to him. His own angry gaze met mine, and he put a hoof up to me. “Take it down a notch.” His tone was as cold as the snow outside, and I huffed, not wanting to listen. That is, up until his he pressed his hoof against me and it was as cold as ice.

“Pred, are you...?” I reached out again for him, my anger lost in an instant. He recoiled at my touch and snarled.

“Keep your hooves off me!” He writhed and used his magic to wrap his blanket around himself tightly. As if it weren’t enough, he doubled over and nestled himself as far as he could into the seat, pressing close against the heat of the toasters. After a minute, he spoke up again through gritted teeth. “I’m fine.”

“Alright Y’all, simmer down now.” Harmony sighed, turning the car over towards the camp. “Ah know it’s been a long ride, but it’ll be just a few more minutes till we’re in camp.” She looked over to me and paused for a moment. In her eyes, I could see how brightly mine were shining blue. “Try not ta kill each other till then? Please?” She offered a weak smile, and brought her eyes back to the snow ahead of us.

Everypony sat in silence for the next few minutes, simply watching as the large camp ahead of us grew bigger and bigger. Row upon row of makeshift shelters sat ringed around a small hill at the center. As we approached, cold, tired, and worn out wastelanders greeted us with fear filled looks in their eyes. Most of them only had rags to keep them warm, most were emaciated and looked hungry. On top of all that, however, very few of them didn’t have at least one weapon slung around them.

“This is who we’re sending into the fight?” Harmony said at almost a whimper. “We’ll just be sending them to die.”

“This is war. That’s what happens, get over it.” Predious grumbled from his curled form. “It never changes.”

“It is regrettable.” Ficha too chimed in. “But most of these ponies don’t have anything else left to lose. This is their fight more than anything.”

“Then we make sure it’s worth it.” I sighed, shrinking down into the seat. I couldn’t stand to look at them anymore. I kicked myself inside my own head. How could I have complained about breakfast when these ponies were out here just waiting for us? Goddesses I’m such a fucking moron.

“Alright, here we are.” Harmony sighed and rolled us to a stop.

Peeking my head up just enough that I could see through the armored slats, I found that we’d driven right up to the base of the hill at the center of camp. Several tents around us had running lights in them, and a few power armored ponies trotted between the tents with various supplies strapped to them in place of weapons.

With a metallic shriek, harmony’s door fell off it’s hinges as she pushed it open. A shower of sparks shot out of the center console as the engine died, and one of the rear tires deflated with a prolonged, high pitched whine. As the whine droned down, Ficha’s own whine met our ears. I would have turned around and berated the asshole for such a foalish response, but I couldn’t care for once. We had things to do, and without the hum of the engine, the ominous quiet of the night took over, leaving me with a sense of eerie uneasiness.

“Told ya she’d make it.” Harmony sighed with a smile. Sliding herself off the bench seat and into the snow, she gasped as she looked up the hill. “Mom!”

“Oh good, you all made it back.” Longbow smiled from the edge of the tent just ahead of the car. “Please, come in and get warm. We have a lot of planning to do.”

“That’s it?” Cottage groaned and nearly dropped his head onto the battlemap. “A piece of glass?”

Longbow had gathered everypony up who’d be managing a part of the assault force, sans Captain Doppler, who had apparently already been given the order to sneak the Nautilus into Baltimare harbor and wait for the go signal. Around the battlemap, stood Longbow, Cottage, Elder Maple, Predious, Ficha, Gallant, Harmony, Cheap Shot, Jack Knife, and me. Of all of them, only two didn’t look happy to see me, and it was not surprising to me in the least, that it was both Cottage and Jack Knife.

“It’s an element.” I snapped back at Cottage, pulling the gem back close to my chest. “Well, kind of, at least.”

“And who’s this old geezer?” Cottage pointed over to Gallant, who simply sat in the back of the tent with his eyes closed. “Goddesses, we send you out to get a weapon and this is what you waste our time with?”

“Stand down, Cottage.” Elder Maple snapped at him.

“No, I won’t!” He growled and slammed his hoof on the map. “We needed the weapon they promised to punch a hole in his lines. Without it, none of our plans work!”

“None of them would work anyway.” Gallant chimed up from his corner of the tent.

“Like hell. What the fuck would you...?” Cottage began, but quickly found his muzzle clamped shut by Maple’s magic.

“I hate to agree with Star Paladin Cottage, but who exactly is this, Storm?” Maple cast a wary eye over to me, before turning to look over Gallant.

“I was once Filius’ only and best friend.” Gallant wheezed, slowly getting to his hooves. “I know him better than all of you, and your tactics won’t work.”

“Why.” Longbow’s tone didn’t imply that it was a question, so much as that she demanded an answer.

“ The problem is that you all are trying to fight him using your ways. Filius is not from this time, your tactics have no advantage against his outdated ones.” Gallant let out a wheezing chuckle. “He and I had been through countless sieges, wars much bigger in scale than the one you fight now. Hell, it was almost twice every season that someone tried their hoof at overthrowing Equestria, and winter was always the most favorable time to attack.”

“Then by all means,” Maple stepped back, releasing Cottage from his magic and waving his hoof over the battlemap. “tell us how to go into this fight.”

Slowly, Gallant strode up to the map. He stood over it, hovering over each scribed and marked point of the faded and yellowing map. “Hmmm.” He hummed, raising his hoof to stroke his white beard as he contemplated things. “Were it back in my day, I'd order the city surrounded and seized until he relent. However, his armies do not starve, nor do they need rest. I'm also certain there is no way to negotiate a surrender either, that usually worked back then.”

“Genius,” Cottage facehooved. “why didn't we think of just asking them to politely lay down and die?” Each time he’d interrupted with his sarcasm, it made the fire in me grow just a little bit. I really just wanted to kick him in the goods to shut him up for good. By the way that both Maple and Longbow were fuming, I could tell that I wasn’t the only one with that thought.

“That settles it.” Gallant said as he straightened up. “I propose a reversed siege.”

“What?” Maple replied, looking genuinely at a loss for words.

“If I'm reading your map correctly,” Gallant struck his hoof out and pointed to the Three main streets that ran through Baltimare. “There are three main avenues into the area where Filius is barricaded. If we were able to block them off from the inside, and reinforce the walls more than they are, his own army will not be able to breach it before we struck a fatal blow against him.”

“So all we have to do is lock ourselves in with a mad stallion and an entire third of his army?” Cottage blurt out, trying to stifle a cackling laugh with his hoof. “Elder, you seriously can’t be considering this proposal! It’s insane!”

“Unless you have a better idea,” Longbow groaned as she wrapped her magic around Cottage’s muzzle. “then I suggest you hold your tongue.”

“Again,” Maple shot an uneasy gaze over at Longbow. “I hate to side with Cottage, but how are we supposed to get our fighters in there?”

“Leave dat ta Jack Knife an me!” Cheap Shot practically called out, jumping and throwing a hoof around Jack’s neck. “It'll be a tight squeeze, but it ain't the first time ole’ Jack’s snuck some power armor into the city. Ain’t dat right?”

“Yeah,” Jack fumed and glared at Cheap. “Right.”

“If this is to work, then we'll need to block off the main access roads to the arena district.” Elder Maple spoke up, sitting down and studying the map intently.

“How?” Predious leaned forward, looking over the map as well. “You'd need to drop a few buildings on the roads to keep them from getting through.” He looked up over to Maple, cocking an eyebrow. “It’ll be hard to pull off, but I’d say a building on each side would create a block big enough.”

“Exactly my thought.” Maple nodded, turning toward Longbow. “Can you head down to requisitions after we’re done here? we've got a crate of Mk.VII spell seeking 88 shells linked to the spare targeting talismans from the Nautilus. We'll have two pony teams. Each one tags a different side of the street, and then calls in the strike. The shells should be precise enough to bring down the buildings correctly.”

“That way no pony has to lug around a few bricks of high explosives.” Predious nodded. “Smart.”

“Storm?” Longbow spoke up. “If this all works, what do we expect to find inside?”

“Uhh…” I didn’t know how to answer that. Somehow, I had the privilege of being the most knowledgeable of his current status, and not knowing what the hell he was up to at the same time. “I don’t know.” My gaze drifted down to my chest, staring at the small crystal in my hoof. “I’m sorry.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Predious stepped in. I looked up to find him staring at me, the soft and kind look that he seldom wore greeted me when I did. “Once we get inside, I’m sure it won’t be hard to find him. And when we do, you can use your power on him.”

“Here, here.” Gallant knocked his hoof on the table and nodded. “I’m certain that young miss Storm and her element have the power to finally defeat Filius once and for all.”

“Maybe you all forgot about it,” Gauge grumbled and pointed her hoof at the tent flap. “But there’s an Enclave raptor just waiting for the right moment to vaporize us all. How are we going to deal with that?”

Just as soon as she’d finished, the tent flap pushed back, and the one thing that could take my mind off all this strode in.

“We might already have a plan for that.” Shadow said with a smile. He knew what was coming, and I couldn’t stop myself from running at him and throwing my hooves around him.

“What do you mean, we?” Predious asked quickly. “Weren’t you supposed to have sabotaged it already?”

“Pretty boy here is a lousy saboteur.” An oddly familiar voice of a mare came from outside of the tent. Shadow effortlessly picked me up and pulled me aside as another power armored pegasus strolled in. It took me a moment, but I recognized her as Hail. She was the mare that had arrested us with Cloud Streaker before! “Now, tell me everything you know about why Iron Cross and her sister have such a goddess damned hard on for the stallion in Baltimare, and just maybe I can help get her out of your mane.”

Well, this certainly was an unexpected turn of events. However, you know what they say! Beggars can’t be choosers when you’re trying to save the wasteland. Sure, I might have ad libbed that a bit, but whatever. So long as it get’s Iron out of my life, I’m up for anything.

“Come on in and get comfortable.” I smiled and pointed toward the interior of the tent. “We have a lot to talk about.”