“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”

The wasteland is a cruel place.

Nopony ever said it was somewhere they’d loved living in. At least, nopony who’d ever stepped out from the rock they’d been living under and lived to talk about it. Everypony out here has suffered the pain of a needless loss. Whether to raiders, ghouls, mutated creatures, or just exposure, the wasteland always takes a pony before their time. Somedays, it’s those who were too young to understand how cruel it can be. Other days, it takes those who were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

However, there were those lucky few who could evade it. Ponies so well versed in the workings of the wasteland, that they could avoid it’s deathly gaze for long enough to live into an age they got to see their grandchildren. But, even those ponies know that one day, they will have to meet the wasteland head on. Nopony can hide forever, not from the wastes. Even so, when that time comes, at least then it would be on their terms.

That’s how they should have gone. Everypony who’d died tonight deserved to have had the time to hide just a little bit longer. Not to go out in in another needless war. Not to Filius’s wrath.

Harmony pulled the marauder back into the ambulance garage at the hospital. Nopony had said anything since the roof, and I don’t really blame them. It all has happened so fast, even I’d started to lose hope. Even if I could still feel the hope burning inside me, the numbing cold from the others left me wondering what I could even do. The only one who I knew still held hope in their heart, was Shadow.

As the car rolled to a stop, the archano engine gave a sharp squeal. A light smoke started to waft from under the armored hood, and Harmony shut the car off with a sigh. When she did, she dropped us all into an eerie silence. The hospital, the city, hell, even the storm were all draped in it now. Everything felt so still in that moment.

“Everypony git out.” Harmony said quietly, keeping her pained eyes staring down at her hooves as they rested on the steering wheel.

Diesel gave a grunt and pushed his power armored self out the doorless passenger seat. Without a word, he turned around and held his hoof out for Gauge. Hesitantly, she took it and pulled herself out as well. The two of them pulled each other close before walking towards the stairwell door. Diesel turned his head back to look at us, staring at me through the blank expression that the armored ranger helmets always gave.

“I’m going to give my report to the elder.” His voice came through the helmet without the resolve that he’d had before. “I am certain that he’ll wish to speak to you as well.”

I simply nodded and waited for him to leave. I wanted to talk to Harmony alone. If I could do anything to help relight the flame of hope in her, I didn’t want to have anypony interjecting or bothering us. And I meant anypony.

“Shadow?” I asked, turning to him as he sat up in the back seat with a yawn. Flying around all night as he has, along with having to haul me around had really been taking a toll on his energy. “Can you go check on Predious for me?” I gave him a soft smile that he returned with his own. “Make sure he’s not too angry about being left behind.”

“Sure.” He nodded, stretching his wings out before pulling himself along the rear bench seat. Once he’d freed himself from the confining vehicle, he spread his wings and took off once again into the night.

“Storm, stop.” Harmony said sternly. She shut her eyes and pressed herself back against the seat. The steering wheel bowed slightly as she tightened her hooves around it, straining along with her legs as she looked more tense than she was even during any combat I’d seen her in. “Ah know what Y’all are wantin ta do, but ahm askin yah ta not.” Opening her eyes, she looked over at me slowly. “Maybeh after all a this is over, but ah ain’t ready when there’s work needin’ ta be done.”

I could only sigh and nod. Without her willing to talk, there was little that I could even do. Sure, I could try to talk to her about it, but I can’t force it. Not after what she’d lost. I knew Harmony, and sure, she was hiding her grief, but I knew she wouldn’t try to kill herself. She was too stubborn to give up like that, and even with everything she’d lost, she was a fighter to the bitter end. There was only one thing I could think of that might take her mind off everything.

“How can I help you with your work?” I asked flatly. I leaned back over toward the door on my side and gave the handle a pull. There was a resounding snap inside of it, and the door handle itself fell off. Annoyingly, the damaged door stayed tightly shut.

“Ah need yah ta go up inta talk to that big boss stallion up there.” As she spoke, she looked to relax a bit. “Ah need as many crates of explosives as yah can requisition.”

At the risk of sounding as dumb as always, I scooted myself closer to her. “Explosives?” As I got closer, she pulled herself off the wheel and across the seat toward her doorless side. “Why?”

“Dunno if Y’all noticed…” She said, pausing as she pulled herself out of the car. Trotting around to the still smoking front, she put her hooves on the hoof. “but ah think tha Marauder has gone just about as far as she’ll ever go. Ahm hopin that with a lil’ workin’, ah might be able ta git her ta make a run straight at that there metal barricade at tha arena.”

“Y-you can’t just blow open the door.” I stammered, quickly pulling myself out of her doorway as well. “If you had forgotten, everypony who was in Baltimare for the lockdown is trapped inside.”

“And?” Harmony said coldly. With a grunt, she unlatched the hood and pushed it up. The smell of ozone quickly filled the air as a small crackling fire flickered in the engine compartment. “Y’all don’t even know if they are still alive.”

“Are you okay with risking that?” I asked. Grief was one thing, but that kind of disregard for the ponies in there was unacceptable to me.

“Can Y’all do meh a favor an ask yahself somthin?” Harmony hissed as she reached into the hood and smacked at the small fire until it sizzled out. “What would Filius need with all those ponies once they was done diggin?” With a snap and a flash, she whined and pulled her hoof back. As she shook it painfully, she looked over at me with a fairly annoyed glare. “Besides, if they’re all dead, it ain’t nothin he can’t just fix, right?”

“Still…” I paused. As much as it didn’t make sense for him to keep them alive, I couldn’t… could I? I don’t want to give up on the ponies, but Filius would have to know we’d go after them. More than likely, it was all just a trap for us.

“Storm, ah understand yah hesitation, but Y’all gotta weigh their lives against the whole wasteland.” She sighed, going back to tinkering about inside the hood of the vehicle. “Normally, Ah’d be all fer hopin’ and not riskin’ those ponies lives…”

Then Harmony said something that hurt.

“Are yah sure yah ain't lettin’ tha fear that yah parent’s are in there get in tha way?”

“I…” The words died in my throat. Was I still hoping that they’d still be alive? Could that have been driving my actions away from how I should have been planning to do this?

I wanted to scream. Part of me blamed Harmony for bringing it up because she’s angry about her own mother. But how could I blame her at all? There was no fault in her logic. She had as much drive to kill this bastard for what he did to Pallet alone. Was it really just me who’d lost myself in the idea that I could save them?

It might not be the same war we’d wanted to prepare you for, but knowing that others might perish under your command is not something you can allow yourself to be phased by.

Aunt Rarity had even told me that, but I don’t think I understood it at the time. At least, not like I should have. Even if Baltimare is lost, so long as the rest of the wastes are safe, their sacrifice would be worthwhile.

“You’re right.” I nodded. “This is too important to risk. We need to take down Filius, no matter the cost.”

“That isn’t what Cottage is saying.” Ficha called out from the doorway. I don’t know how long he’d been standing there, but his words were annoying as usual, even if they weren’t his to speak. “You might want to go talk to him, I think he’s got the idea that it’s time to cut their losses.”

“Alright.” Harmony sighed. “Mah mothah ain’t dead so he can just run on home.” She turned and backed away from the Marauder. “C’mon Storm. Let’s go have ourselves a ‘friendly’ chat with Elder Cottage.”

Panting and heaving, both Harmony and I had made it up to the command center using the stairs. The two of us took a moment to catch our breaths before opening the door into the busy hallway. Unfortunately, the hallway was a different kind of busy this time around, and it left the both of us speechless.

“Make sure those stations are broken down and prepped for transport in five minutes, ponies!” Cottage called out as the flurry of robed ponies felt like it moved at even a faster pace than before. “Mango?” He looked around for a moment before his eyes fell upon us. Just at the sight his expression fell to a scowl.

“I’m here!” A very pregnant mare wormed her way through the crowd from another room down the hall. She looked exhausted, but the smile on her muzzle mirrored the hope I could feel she radiated.

“Scribe Lemonaid, take over the operation.” Cottage called out, not even looking at her as he called out over the hustle and bustle around us. “I need to speak with some ponies before we evacuate.”

“Yes, sir.” She nodded.

“Evacuate!?” Both Harmony and I shouted at him.

Like the asshole he’d proven himself to be time and time again, he didn’t even answer us. Rather, he simply turned and retreated into his office. It was enough to make the flames in me roar to life once again.

Both Harmony and I pushed our way through the crowd of ponies. A scribe who hadn’t been watching where they were going bumped into me, and I simply shoved them aside. The stack of papers he was carrying exploded into a shower that rained down through the hallway. Harmony pressed herself past me and reached the door first. With a spin and an angry yell, she bucked out her hind legs and smashed the door open.

I’d never seen her so angry.

“Miss Harmony and Miss Storm.” Cottage growled as he stood over the map table looking it over. He didn’t even glance up as we entered. “If you couldn't tell, we are too busy for any more of your shinan…”

That was as far as Cottage made if before Harmony trotted up and hit him hard with her right hook. She clipped him square under the jaw and sent him down to the floor. In a flash, Diesel was on her, holding around her with his power armor to keep her from beating the stallion senseless.

“Ya fuckin’ coward!” She spat at him. “How could ya just pack up an abandon all a those ponies fightin ta keep all y’all safe?!”

Cottage grunted as he pulled himself back off the floor, hoofing at his jaw. “I don’t know if you noticed Miss Harmony, but we lost the Nautilus.” He glared at her. “I'm done dealing with outsiders. Do you have any Idea of the cost we've endured for your petty conflicts? How many years worth of resources we could have put to better use!?”

“Mah mother and tha Sunshine caravans gave y’all most a them!” She raged, tugging and kicking futilely against Diesel’s hold. “Hell, she ain't even ever ask fer nothing back fer em! Y’all got ‘em fer free.”

“Oh, but we did pay.” The elder seethed and he stepped up closer to Harmony. If his eyes were magical energy weapons, his gaze could have melted through Harmony in the blink of an eye. “Accepting things from you gave us a debt of lives that Elder Maple felt obliged to pay. And we have paid for it, with interest.” His words felt cold and hollow, reflecting the darkness that sat inside him. Cottage had lost the flame of hope, and I could feel a void in him greater than any other pony today. “So you can go run off and enjoy the scraps of the world that you have won today. But I don't ever want you to come asking the Rangers for help ever again. From this point forward, all contingents are being folded into the Manehatten hub. Contact with outsiders is prohibited, and trespassers will be shot on sight.”

For the first time so far in this conversation, he turned his gaze from her. However, it wasn’t to me. Rather, he looked past Diesel toward the doorway.

“Am I clear?” He growled to Gauge, who sat against the wall so huddled up that I’d completely missed her when we came in.

“No.” Was all the response that Cottage received.

“Choose your next words carefully, acolyte.” Cottage stiffened up, his face burning a bright red. “You are already asking for a court martial.”

“With zero due respect, she’s right, sir.” Gauge looked up from her corner with the biggest grin across her muzzle. “You’re a fucking coward.”

“You are suspended from duty, young lady.” He snapped as he attempted to push past Harmony. That had been a mistake, because she lashed out and wrapped a hoof around his neck tightly, pulling him in. “D...diesel! Restrain… her!” He struggled to get out between gasps as she nearly choked the life from him.

Diesel did so, simply using his augmented strength to pry Harmony’s leg off from around his neck. The moment he was free, Gauge zipped past me and pushed him back up against the map table.

“The only family I have left is the Steel Rangers, and in this family we don’t fucking give up when shit get’s tough.” She growled against him. “I don’t care if you’re in charge now, you are not my fucking elder. Elder Maple got us stuck in this fight because we thought we could make a difference. Yeah, so fucking what if we’re suffering losses. That’s what we do. That’s what makes us better than those outsiders you hate so goddess damned much. My parents are goddess damned heroes for what they did, and you’ll never measure up to them.”

Cottage simply sat there. He didn’t fight her at all, he just laid against the table as his expression only darkened. “You don’t understand the scope of what this fight has cost us.”

Gauge raised her cyberhood in the air and held it there. “You want to fucking say that again?” Swinging down hard, she punched a hoof wide hole through both the map and the table next to Cottage’s head. “Tell me again that I don’t understand loss and the next swing will promote Mango to Elder.”

“Gauge.” Diesel barked at her. “That’s enough.”

“Look, I don’t care what you’ve lost.” Pred’s voice chimed in from the doorway behind us. It caught us all off guard, and we all turned to look at him. The hallway past him had fallen completely silent. Dozens of rangers simply stared into the room with horrified looks across their muzzles. “If you care so much about your resources, then you have to know that the most efficient way out of this mess is destroying Filius. If you care about the lives of your rangers, then more will survive if you take down Filius.” Predious snorted as he walked forward into the room. “You have report after report, all the analytics and logistics that point towards it. You aren’t a dumb stallion, Cottage. You know the quickest way out is straight ahead, but yet, you want to run.”

“You are committed, whether you like it or not. We all are.” I spoke up, finding my moment to cut in. “Refugees from Chasm, Dodge, Sunshine City, and more than a half dozen other settlements are here, fighting right now to give us this one shot.” I raised my voice, turning towards those rangers who were listening in from the hallway. “We’ve gathered here from all corners of the wasteland to fight an enemy far greater than one we’ve ever faced in our lives.”

As I spoke, I realized something. That void that I felt from Cottage, that hopelessness inside of him radiated from only him. Telling him what he needed to hear wouldn’t do any of us any good. Even from where I stood, I could feel the hope burning inside each and every pony out there.

“Filius has killed without care. Stallions, mares, even foals aren’t spared from his wrath.” I continued, stepping forward towards them. “I’ve watched settlements fall to his army. I’ve seen him tear down the lives that we’ve built. But no pony has given up!” I stomped for emphasis, and when I did, it sparked something inside me that flared to life like a flick from my lighter. With a burst of blue, the air around me erupted and encased me in an armor of ethereal flame. The sight elicited a gasp from the ponies in the hall, but none of them turned in fear from what they saw. “This is the last city he will have taken from us. The ponies he holds hostage, the last he will ever threaten. That is because we will fight him down to the last mare, down to his. last. breath.”

The room around me was awash in blue light, and through the shimmering air around me, a soft light began to glow around the ponies looking on. Prismatic outlines that reflected the elements highlighted each and every pony I could see. Each and every connection to the element that these ponies most represented, flared as their hope grew.

“We are going to finish this fight, and it won’t be because of our weapons. It won’t be because we never gave up. It will be because we stood together as wastelanders, and said not one more settlement falls. Not one more fight will be had in our homes. Not one more day will he last in our wasteland.” Turning my gaze back to Cottage, his expression still hadn’t changed, and there was no outline around him. “I don’t care what you say about the costs. Filius will not succeed tonight, and I will not be alone when I stop him.”

A pregnant pause fell across the entire floor of the hospital. I don’t think a single pony even let out so much as a breath as we waited for Cottage’s response. sadly, it was one that never came.

“So!” Predious instead broke the quiet and turned toward the hall with a smile. “Who will follow us to end this fight? Who will stand with us in the fight to come?”

Silence still reigned in the hallways. Even though I could see their hope nearly pouring out of them, we waited for anypony at all to step forward.

“I will.” Gauge nodded and stepped up next to me.

“Excuse me, coming through.” A soft voice called from the back of the hall. The crowd parted, and from them emerged three heavily bandaged up mares. “I will.” Kiwi Tart said after clearing her throat.

“Me too.” Spicy Salsa nodded as she leaned heavily against Cinnamon Chips. The mute mare simple smiled and nodded as well, the hope inside her alone outshining nearly every pony around her. What began as a trickle, became a river. Voices from throughout the crowd started to speak up, louder and louder until it became a torrent of noise from those who wanted to help.

This was it. This was how I was always supposed to be. I hadn’t known any of these ponies, but in the middle of a war, I had galvanized them. The hope they had filled the air around me with more energy than I’d ever had. My aching muscles, and my sore bones no longer pained me as their hope washed over me. The elements had been right about what I was, but Tasteless had put it best, if crudely at that. I was a weapon, and I would let the ponies in this fight wield me against Filius until he withered into nothingness from the collective might.

“Well, I’ll say this much.” Predious sighed and walked up to me, looking over me. “That was a hell of a lot better than the last inspirational speech you gave.” He smirked and shrugged. “However, it was still a bit too cliche for my tastes. But hey, it got the job done.”

As he smiled, I looked over myself as well. The ethereal wings across my back flickered and licked at the air like fire, ebbing as each pulse of hope surged from the crowd outside. A flicker from above me wafted as I turned my head from side to side. The blue flame horn that I assumed rose from my forehead didn’t burn or feel like anything when I rose my hoof to it, and I shrugged as I figured that ethereal horn or no, I was still me.

“You might mean well.” Cottage grunted, shoving Gauge off of him lightly. “But what I said stands.” The glare that he gave hadn’t changed one iota in the last five minutes. “After this fight is done, that is it. The Rangers are done being Equestria’s bucking bag.”

“Tain’t matter none tah meh.” Harmony scoffed as she finally pulled herself free from Diesels hold. “Mah friends are plenty good enough tah do their job and yers.” With a stomp of her hoof, she turned around and headed for the door. “Now if’n yah don’t mind, ah’ve got explosives ta rig up fer a door needin be brought down.”

“I agree.” Predious nodded, canting his head toward the door and holding his hoof out to me. “If this assault is to work, we’re going to need to be a bit more prepared than we are now.”

“Alright.” I nodded and took his hoof in mine. “Let’s get going.”

“When I said I needed to be outfitted for the fight, I didn’t quite think of it like this…” I said slowly as Cinnamon Chips rolled her eyes and continued to tighten the straps around my forelegs.

The old patient care room was small, stuffy, and dirty, but at least it gave me a bit of privacy as I’d gotten myself redressed. The yellowing white of the old no longer sterile walls stung my eyes almost as much as the old fluorescent lighting did. Staring out the window would have been a nice distraction, but the black sheet draped over it was moldy and made my skin itch just by looking at it. Spicy Salsa was laid out on the old hospital bed, her muzzle wrapped around a gun cleaning kit. She’d really taken to giving my rifle a good workover. I don’t think it had that kind of strip cleaning since the last time Harmony worked on it!

“Well, yeah.” Kiwi nodded as she tinkered over on the counter. The smell of ozone and solder wafted through the air as she worked on… something. “With a few adjustments however… the recon armor you are wearing will be able to refract projected magical fields from the wearer.”

“That’s great and all…” The lightweight suit was less armor and more… something. The whole suit felt flexible, and even the shiny plates interspersed all over it didn’t seem too thick. It wasn’t like I’d expected power armor, but a suit of combat armor would have been nice. Turning around as Cinnamon moved on to my rear legs, at the very least I could say that it made my flank look better than it had in years. “I’d just like to be a bit more bullet resistant than this is all.”

“The polymer plates will soak a shot or two each, and the weave between them will slow a shot enough that it shouldn’t do too much damage.” Kiwi sighed and went back to working on her ‘project’.

“It’s recon armor.” Salsa said as she spat the cleaning kit from her muzzle. “You aren’t supposed to get shot in it.”

There was a knock on the door behind me. I turned my head around to look just in time as Shadow opened it and poked his head in. He froze as his eyes looked over me, his muzzle moving without actually projecting any words. Seriously, I loved the guy, but he was still a bit of a mystery to me. That thought kicked back what Predious had said back at tenpony, and I did my best to force it back. Shadow was more than a mystery to me, and I wouldn’t give him up for anything in the world.

He blinked a few times before getting his thoughts together. “You… look great.” Slipping inside, he shut the door behind him. He’d probably removed his armor to not take up so much space in the halls, but i was just happy to see him without it again. “I’ve always admired a mare in uniform.”

That pulled a giggle from not only me, but from Kiwi and Salsa as well.

“You never know,” I replied, getting a pat from Cinnamon to tell me the armor was fully secured. “Maybe I’ll take to wearing it more often…” I sauntered myself up to him, dropping my voice into a sultry tone as I nuzzled along his neck up to his ear. “Just. For. You.”

He shuddered at that and brought his hoof up to my chin. Slowly, he pressed his muzzle down against mine, and kissed me. I never wanted that moment to end. The smile he wore as it did however, didn’t make for bad compensation. It only lasted for a moment before he gave my cheek a soft caress with his wing.

“Storm?” He spoke softly. “Whatever happens out there, I want you to know that meeting you changed my life forever.” I couldn’t help but stare into his big blue eyes as he spoke, hopelessly lost in their warmth. “With Iron, I wasn’t sure if I could ever love a mare, or what love was. But with you?” He took my forehoof in his own and pressed them to his chest. “I know in my heart that you are the only mare I will ever love in this world.”

“Shadow…” I spoke again, only to be cut off by another quick kiss. I sighed with my own warm smile as he tugged on my leg and pulled me close against him. “Don’t talk like that.” I sighed, wrapping my hooves around him. “We’re going to get through this, the both of us.” Looking up at him, I found him sitting with his eyes closed as he listened to me. “Together.”

“Together.” He smiled and nodded, simply holding me.

The door behind him opened again. This time, Ficha’s eyes peeked around the corner. A wide smile drawing across his muzzle killed my own, and I knew that we were in for it now.

“I would suggest that you two get a room…” He started, pushing himself in. “But I see that you already have one.” As he walked past us, the door swung wider, and the others filed in. Predious, Gauge, and Gallant slipped inside the small room before Pred’s magic shut the door behind them. “Although,” Ficha continued, “my offer for more company still stands, you know?”

“Ficha.” I grumbled.

“I understand, that is between you and him.” He waved his hoof dismissively. “I am not opposed to simply watching either...”

“Ficha!” I snapped, for some reason getting a chuckle out of Pred. “Sit down and shut up.” With a huff, my mind focused on the armor that the striped asshole was now wearing. He too was wearing a set of the same armor as I was… along with both Gauge and Pred. Everypony outside of Shadow and Gallant had it on, and it only piqued my curiosity.

“Aaaand done.” Kiwi called out joyously. “At least… I hope so.”

“What is it that you were doing?” Predious inquired before I could. “Does it have something to do with these ridiculous outfits that you’ve made us wear?” With a sigh, he hoofed at the smoothe black armor that hugged his body tighter than mine. I know that his form was just an illusion normally, but the ghoul under it was showing through. Emaciated ribs and gaunt limbs were all that met my eyes, stopping where his illusion met the seams around the headpiece. “I’d rather like to have a set of combat armor again.”

“See?” I held my hoof out to him. “I’m not the only pony who thought that.”

“The reason is that the material that the recon armor is made out of amplifies the invisibility field generated by a stealth buck.” She sighed, hoofing an odd jumble of archanotech circuits and wiring off the countertop. Out of the side of it, stuck the very recognizable form of the aforementioned Stealth buck. “Using this device I’ve rigged up with it, the field will burn out much quicker, but it should stretch wide enough that each of your armors should envelope you and your equipment when using just this one.”

“I don’t quite understand.” Ficha for once, spoke up with something more than a pick up line. “Why would we be sneaking?”

“Even with Gauge’s EFS trick, and the smoke to drop line of sight,” Kiwi rubbed at her mane and looked over to Gauge with a shrug. “Well, they’ll still mow everyone down if they hear them coming. No pony is going to want to run out into a stream of blindfire.” With a smile, she held out the device towards predious, who took it in his magic. “So, we’re outfitting a few advanced teams to sneak out to those rocks around the arena and keep their attention long enough to where the main attack can charge in unharassed.”

“That’s great and all, but you forgot one thing.” Predious spoke up. “Even if we’re invisible, we’ll still leave tracks in the snow.” He twirled the oddly shaped archano device in his grasp as he examined it. “We won’t make it ten feet before they know what we’re up to.”

“Told ya they’d find a flaw with it.” Salsa chimed in with a sigh, flopping back onto the bed. “Snow? I mean, it’s been everywhere! How could we have missed that?”

“Then it seems that your distraction, needs a distraction!” Pai chimed in with a muffled voice from under Gauge’s covered cyberlimb. “Why don’t you tell them what you just thought of, Gauge?”

Gauge sighed and rolled her eyes, ending up staring at me.

“I keep forgetting that she can magic her way into my thoughts.” She muttered. Of all the things about Pai I missed, monitoring my thoughts through my pipbuck was not one of them. “Why not use the artillery to mask our approach?”

“We only have the one box of smoke rounds.” Salsa retorted quickly. “We don’t have enough for two salvos.”

“I wasn’t talking about smoke.” Gauge shrugged. “Use normal HE on them. If we’re lucky, we could hit a few of them.”

“That wouldn’t work.” Kiwi shook her head and turned to me with a look of confusion. “Weren’t we holding off on using real rounds to keep the ponies in the arena safe from a stray shot?” She waved her hoof in dismissal. “Regardless, if the ground were dry, then the dust kicked up might have been enough, but with the snow, they’ll only keep their head down long enough to shield themselves from the blast. We’d have to fire multiple salvos, and...” With that pause, her tone changed to one filled with more worry than anything. “You’re not in power armor. At that range, you could be cut down by shrapnel before you even got to the rocks. Or, goddesses, you could be hit by a round itself. They aren’t very accurate without being those talisman seeking shells, and we already used all of them up.”

“I say we risk it.” Ficha suggested like it was any given tuesday.

“Yeah, but the rest of us aren’t somehow unkillable.” Predious snorted. “One of these days, I’ll figure out how you work.”

“It is wonderful story.” Ficha fired back with a snide smile. “How about we meet up next week for coffee and I’ll tell you all about it?”

My pipvision flashed as the alarm I set earlier kicked off. With a quick flick, I pressed the buttons on my pipbuck and turned it off. The small clock in my vision feeding me the one thing I didn’t want to see.

11:45pm

“Boys.” I snapped as I shot them both a glare. “Save your wit for another time. We don’t have time for this.” Turning back around, I looked over to Gallant, who since we’d come in, has simply sat at the window and peeked out from behind the blackout curtain of it. “Kiwi, if there were another way, I’d suggest it, but we’re going to have to go all in here.” I watched as she gave a disappointed nod and halfway slumped onto her bandaged rear hoof. “Is there anything else we need to know?”

“No.” She said softly. “You are all ready to go.”

Looking at her as she started back, I finally realized how tired and worn out she looked. Not just her, either. As I looked around the room, I found that each and every one of my friends looked like hell. I felt horrible for having to ask them to go with me, even though I knew I couldn’t do it without them. However, it was easier when underneath all of the bruises, cuts, bandages, and the exhaustion, lay the raging torrent of hope that they all let burn inside of them like wildfires. Not a single one of them had anything but hope that we could pull this off, and looking across all of their faces, I couldn’t help but reflect that hope on my own.

“Then this is it.” I sighed with a light laugh. “Once we’re out there? The moment we get through that gate and into the arena, we’re there. No more places for him to hide, no more tricks up his sleeve.” Those words made Predious smile brighter than ever. “I… I wanted to thank you all, and with whatever happens out there, I don’t want to risk not having said what I need to.”

“All of you didn’t have a choice in this fight. Even if I hadn’t asked, you would all be here right now fighting beside me anyway.” I spoke, closing my eyes as I felt their warm flames pressing against me even through the suit. It felt like hugging mama all those years ago. “Two months ago, I barely had any friends, and even though we’ve only known each other for a short time, you all chose to fight with me.” I could feel as the warm tears rolled down my cheeks, but I didn’t care. “And I couldn’t have asked for a better group of ponies to befriend.”

Ficha grunted and cleared his throat.

“And Zebra.” I laughed. “Fucking asshole.” Looking over at him, he too wore the kindest smile I’d ever seen, and probably the only genuine one too.

I sighed and wiped at my wet cheeks. “Everypony is going to be fighting for us out there. They’re all looking for us to go out there and finish this fight for them.” Looking at them, even Gauge and Shadow had started to cry as well. “And some of them won’t come back from this, hell, plenty already haven’t.” Looking at Gauge, I nodded. “It’s not just those still alive who are looking for us to win. Tasteless, Fruit, Frosty, Longbow, Maple, Skyline, Pallet, Thatcher, Huckleberry, and everypony else we’ve lost? They’re all still counting on us finishing this fight for them. So the least we could do for them, is kick Filius’s undead ass all the way back to Tartarus once and for all.”

“You are ready.”

Gallant’s voice resonated within me as he spoke. My mind flashed back to the dark room with the elements for a moment before it caught up.

“You can do what I have so far been unable to for so many years.” Gallant spoke with a reverence that he hadn’t had before. “And for the first time in a millenia, I have the one thing I’ve been missing for all these years.” With a glance back, his muzzle curled into a sad smile. “Hope that my old friend can finally find the peace he deserves.”

“We can do this, Gallant.” I smiled and nodded to him. “Together, we can end this forever.”