The sound of birds chirping, that was what had become my wake-up call over these last few days. The sweet, innocent songs that the birds outside would sing to themselves and any who would listen. Opening my eyes, the light lazily fondled its way past the bars of the window in the corridor, into each room that us prisoners had been kept in. The same scent of staleness filling my nose, marking us all as one in the same in these cells. Still, the fact there wasn't a stench of decay or rampant disease made this place better than places I'd been around before, and I couldn't fault my captors for not trying to make everything smell of flowers and perfume.

Tenderly rolling off of my cot, avoiding putting any weight on my injured leg, I trotted over to the door of my cell only to find that it was already left ajar. For a moment I hesitated, wondering why that would be. Was it a trap? Were they testing to see if I would try to break free given the opportunity? But if so, why would Blueheart have even trusted me over the last few days with doing recon from the roof? There was plenty of chances during the last few days where I could have tried to make my escape, but I hadn't. So why would the door be left slightly open now?

There was no way my magic would hold out enough for me to get out of the base, let alone get back to Crimson. My leg, although starting to mend, was still nowhere near capable of walking properly let alone running or even moving quietly.

No, there was no chance of breaking out, and now I was left worried about it seeming as if I'd be trying to if I opened the door.

Slouching down onto my rear, I thought about my options for a moment. I didn't need more sleep so just laying down wasn't an enjoyable option, not that whether it was or not was of any importance to my captors. Instead of risking anything, I decided to knock on the wall instead. "Hello?"

Nothing. Not a sound. "Hello?" I asked again, with more gentle curiosity in my voice this time. "Is anyone there? My door is ajar and I don't know why."

Perhaps it was a stupid, stupid mistake, but I knew I couldn't reach freedom on my own and I absolutely couldn't risk them thinking I'd picked the lock or something.

A heavily, overbearing silence greeted me. Absolute, utter silence. Slumping down to the floor entirely, I laid my face on my hooves and sighed. Was it truly that nopony was here? What had happened to them if so? Half-heartedly, I called out once more. "Anypony? Is there anypony at all here?"

There was no sound of hoofsteps, snoring, rustling or movement. No breathing, but also no smell of death. Using my magic to slowly open the cell door, I looked out into the lobby where, just as I had thought, nopony sat. Oddly, however, I noticed that no gear was taken out of the equipment storage either. The locked room that controlled the doors and held supplies was empty of life but had everything that our guards wore and carried still.

Turning my head, it was then that I had noticed a note had been placed on my door.

'Dear Cherry, if you are reading this alone, I am sorry. You were tired last night and I felt like you deserved some extra sleep. Make your way to the lunch hall when you can, I will meet you there. Don't worry about the guards, so long as you do not take any detours, this note will act as your pass. Signed, Captain Blueheart'

Taking the note off of the door, I began to make my way through the halls and toward the canteen. Although I felt nervous about walking around the facility on my own, nopony around seemed to mind. Did they think I was one of them? It was doubtful, but maybe they did. Or maybe they saw the note I was holding and just didn’t think to question me because of it? Regardless of the reason, I was at my destination in no time at all despite my injured leg.

Walking through the doors, I looked over to the window hoping I’d see Blueheart. Instead, I only saw an empty table and seat. I had hoped to see him sitting there, waving on over to me, but instead there was only a couple of ponies left around, minding their own business as they ate.
Walking over to the donkey staffing the canteen, I grabbed my portion and trotted over to where the captain would have sat and gazed out into the distance, at the luxury district, admiring how it glistened.

“There you are, sleepy head.” A now familiar voice called out to me from the doorway. Turning my head, I saw the Captain standing there, but this time not wearing his usual attire. Now he was simply dressed up in a casual albeit still fairly smart shirt. “I thought you were going to miss the festivities of the day the way you were sleeping.”

Letting out a sheepish grin, I put down my spoon and looked away slightly to avoid his gaze. In a shy tone I answered his tease. “I was tired. Don’t forget I have an injury to heal.”

“That is true, how is your leg healing now, Cherry?” He asked, with dignity and sincerity in his voice.

“It still hurts but it’s getting better than it had been. A lot better than it was initially after the fall. Mind you, only having bandages for it does mean it’s taking a little longer to heal than if I had even one more dose of a healing potion or something.” I whined, hoping that would somehow win the Captain over.

Cocking an eyebrow at me, the Captain looked dead in my eyes, almost as if to scold me. “You know we can’t allow that, Cherry. We don’t use medical supplies unnecessarily, even on our own soldiers. Though, of course, there is something we can do about that, since it is our days off today.”

“Wait,” I began, confused as to what was just said. “day off? You mean to say… that I have a day off?”

Gently waving his hooves at me in a manner that told me not to speak too loudly, Captain Blueheart quickly continued. “Well of course! Everyone who works for The Coalition gets a day off, we don’t make slaves of our security teams.” Now looking around and lowering his voice a tad more, he looked directly into my eyes. “You do remember that you agreed to work for us, don’t you? That means pay and days off. I’m not going to lie, we aren’t going to pay you much at all given your… room and board situation. You still don’t have full freedom, you will be returning to your current residence.”

For a moment, I smiled, to which Captain Blueheart smiled in return, before continuing. “However, that isn’t to say that you can’t be taken out for the day, under supervision, of course. Perhaps you could even visit a pharmacist in order to buy a healing salve or even potion, if you have the caps to make up the rest of the cost?”

“But… a salve isn’t even half as effective as a potion for an injury like this.” I protested with a murmur.

“Do remember that you’ve already been given medical treatment and a fair rate of pay for your work, you didn’t seriously expect to be paid handsomely, did you, Cherry?” The Captain asked, a lingering sense of disbelief in his voice.

“I know, I know.” I sullenly commented. Perking back up, I smiled at the stallion in front of me. “It was worth a try though, wasn’t it?”

With a nod, he smiled back at me, though he didn’t say anything more. Instead, we finished our meals and continued with the same routine which had… well, become routine for us over the last week. We walked the same hallways, collected our bags and out of the doors, grabbed our passes and went out to the same wagon that we had taken each time. Only, this time, it was for us to enjoy ourselves.

Stepping off from the back of the wagon, I took a deep breath and looked at the sight that still managed to strike awe into my heart with every day that I came here. Now I wasn’t on the job, I had the time to really just gaze around and be in utter bewilderment at what had been accomplished here in Coltchester.

The fact that there was still so many buildings that stood proud, and that all of their glass was still fully intact was beyond belief. Of course I had seen all of this before, but I still found it simply inspiring to see such a place where the horrors of the wasteland almost felt like a horrible nightmare and nothing more. The only anchor to reality, to the stark grimness of the wasteland, was the fact that between the cracks of buildings, the wall that kept everything bad outside could be seen. An almost ramshackle construction that had obviously been rebuilt, reinforced, and repainted more than a couple of times.

Walking down the street with Captain Blueheart at my side, I just couldn’t stop thinking about how well preserved the Luxury District truly was. Tenpony Tower may have outmatched the height of these buildings by a longshot, but that was a single tower and even there, some windows were simply boarded over. Not here. So far as the eye could see, every last pane of glass had either somehow miraculously survived the harsh years of the war and terror filled years that came after… or even more astoundingly, had been painstakingly made new and installed.

“Cherry?” The now familiar voice softly spoke next to me.

“Yes, Captain?” I answered curtly, before remembering that he only liked me calling him that around other soldiers.

Before I could correct myself, he was already rolling his eyes and into his soft version of scolding me. “Well, for one.” The cream stallion began, his voice now holding a drop of bemusement and even a hint of bewilderment. “Call me Blue or Blueheart, Cherry. This is our day off. You don’t need to address me by my rank.”

“Of course, of course.” I quickly added, defusing the situation the best I could. “Sorry, Blueheart.”

“Secondly,” He now continued. “Since this is our day off, for the pair of us, you are free to do as you please. I have places to go and people to see. I assume you’ll also be happy going on your own to explore, right?” To that I responded with a little nod before he smiled back. “Oh, lastly? Don’t get any ideas about going outside. You’ve not been given a pass for the gates and so you won’t be able to get through. In fact, it’ll only get you into trouble. Besides, I’m certain you don’t want to lose out on your armour and weapons, do you?”
Shaking my head in agreement, the idea scared me. I really couldn’t afford to lose my rifle above all else. “We’ll meet back here at our usual time, shall we? Are you going to be okay on your own?”

For a moment, I wanted to say it would be a problem. I’d be left alone in an area that I had no practical experience with, whilst nursing a still injured leg… but looking past Blueheart, I noticed something that produced a wave of calmness to wash over me. All around us were ponies, zebras and donkeys simply minding their own business. Couples, singles, even families. There was no fear nor stress on their faces. No weapons being overtly carried aside from the whole slew of guards who casually patrolled without interrupting the daily routine of anybody around them. It was in that moment I realised… it would be okay.

“Sure thing.” I said with a smile. “Meet you back at the usual time.”
With that, Blueheart trotted off into the distance, melting into the crowds before being lost from my sight. I wasn’t sure what he was going off to do, who to meet, where to be, but it didn’t matter. Looking around once more, I breathed deeply before feeling… free. The day was mine to enjoy, and enjoy it I would.

Making my way off down the street, I was caught entirely off guard when I noticed something I had never seen before; a group of ponies, each with a broom and in uniform, with the word ‘Janitor’ on their shoulders. The word wasn’t new to me, but to actually see anyone doing such a job? Even in Four Ridges or Tenpony, everypony just cleared their own mess. Watching this group go around, sweeping the floor and putting the occasional piece of rubbish that sat around into a nearby box… it was astounding.

Gawking all around at what surrounded me, I was simply unable to believe what I was seeing. Being up atop of the building each day, my job was clear and focusing on the scenery around me wasn’t what I was meant to be doing. Previously I took no notice of the glass, the cleaners, or the ponies going about their daily lives. I was too focused on scanning the horizon for threats, calling out any groups who seemed like they could potentially cause trouble.
Now, sitting down here, it really was overwhelmingly beautiful.

As I sat down upon one of the concrete benches available in the middle of the street, something untold began as the clouds high above began to stir. Taking in the sight above, my eyes went wide and my jaw dropped as it happened. Slowly, as if the heavens themselves wanted me to see everything for what it truly was, rays of light tore the drab skies apart, revealing themselves for everyone to see. My heart raced as it set in, the skies were opening! There skies were actually opening!

All around me I could hear gasps and cries of joy from everyone else, the amazement was overwhelming as tears filled my eyes from both the pain of such undiluted light and sheer beauty it further unveiled, backed up by a chorus of sobs from others around me. The warmth radiating down made me feel stronger, reinvigorated.

Looking around at the buildings around us, I had expected the glass to glisten and shimmer with beautiful reflections. Instead, I was greeted with something else… something much more of a reawakening almost. Now the sunlight hit the walls around me, I could start to see everything for the truth of what it really was, not what the dimly lit reality had made it seem like.
The glass, whilst still beyond impressive, now showed the streak marks where rain had left its trail.
Likewise, looking just above the glass I began to realise that not all of the windows actually had glass in them at all, but the vast majority were merely bricked up and painted so carefully that it was practically flawless to the unsuspecting eye.

All at once, several ponies and zebras began to mutter about some kind of event going on above. Looking back up, I began to notice what they were seeing. A group of three dark figures flew above, they were pegasai! Pegasai were flying along the hole in the sky, skimming along the opening and destroying any clouds that began to reappear, just as Crimson had done for me before.

Smiling up at the clouds, I felt hope and joy well up inside as those three pegasai continued to give us the glorious sun, though that quickly changed. From one of the sides, four more figures came, causing the original trio to disperse. Fumbling for my pair of binoculars, I was quickly reminded that I didn’t have them today and had to make do without. Squinting my eyes, I focused as much as I could and began to see some detail that I hadn’t noticed before.

The dark of their figure seemed to be some kind of uniform, given how they were all wearing it, there was simply no way that they could all have had the exact same colour coat. I felt my heart drop and my breathing go shallow as I noticed the next detail… they were shooting at each other. Specs of green and lines of red, there was no mistaking it; those were energy weapons.

Just as the sorrow had filled my heart, so had it also filled the skies. The battle above raged and skirted the pegasai all around, but the outcome was a mystery as the clouds battled the sun and sealed themselves back over. The memory of Crimson telling me that most pegasai would open the clouds if they could filled my mind and made me understand just how serious he had been at the time. That was the price for opening the clouds. I could only hope that those pegasai who had been brave enough to do so would live.

Picking myself off of the bench, I began to make my way elsewhere. I didn’t know where I was going, all I could do was follow the cobblestone path ahead. Blueheart hadn’t given me any guidance of where the clinic could be found or other interesting shops, but with all of the buildings around me seeming to offer some kind of shopping experience or another, I didn’t really mind. Most of them seemed to be focused on either selling clothes, food or, surprisingly, weapons and ammo.
Some had pictures of the items they were selling painted onto the glass from the inside. Others had the items themselves sitting on racks and shelves in such a way that anyone could just reach them, though those shops also had guards standing at the door.

None of those shops had interested me. I had no need for ammo for my guns because Titan was seemingly willing to acquire ammo for us if it really came to be necessary… besides, there was no way the Coalition would simply allow me to buy more ammo and keep hold of it. Even if Blueheart somehow did pull some strings, there was no way to guarantee I wasn’t going to just be wasting my caps.

“Sundae! Sundae! Get a sundae!” A voice cried out, distracting me from my idle thought. Stopping dead in my track, my body tensed as I hit into S.A.T.S and looked around… not a single hostile in sight? Checking my E.F.S, I was baffled as there wasn’t a single red bar. So why was someone calling out my name?

“Sundaes here! Get your sundae! We have a new batch just whipped up! A wide range of flavours have just come back in stock too!” The voice called again, bewitching me to come closer, to see what the commotion was about. As I stepped up towards the shop, a spike of pain shot up my leg and made me fall over entirely, leaving me face down in the stone.
Picking myself back up, I now saw a large, bloated pony race over before offering me a hoof to help me back up.

“Are you okay, Miss?” Wincing for a moment as my leg thudded, I gave a quick nod, though my face must have betrayed me as he looked at me with a frown. “You look hurt, just look at that leg of yours, all bandaged up… come on in, sit yourself down. That’ll do you better than the cold, hard floor outside.”

Before I could do anything, I was being whisked inside, making me feel a little nervous about the whole ordeal. Almost nowhere in the wasteland would I feel safe simply being ‘helped’ and taken inside of a building by anyone I didn’t know, but the bright colours, happy faces of mares and their children, and welcoming atmosphere helped calm me down the moment I sat down on the surprisingly comfortable stool facing a high table before the pony went back to the door to call a few more times it seemed.

Taking in the sight of what turned out to be a pre-war dairy shop was staggering. Some checkerboard tiles clung to the wall whilst those which had fallen off over the years had simply been painted back into place. Tall backed red, original diner chairs with metal tables lined the edges whilst tattered, faded pictures of different ice creams lined the wall.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed a blue pony in the room with a hilariously undersized guitar and a hat at their feet sat talking to a little filly. Swivelling the stool around to pay attention to the pair, I could begin to hear their conversation more clearly.
“Can you play that song I always like to hear from you?” The little filly begged.

The stallion looked at her with a little smile before giving out a contented sigh, brushing back his well styled yet still somewhat messy mane. “Jitterbug huh? I reckon I could do, just for you.”
With that he gave the lilac filly a wink before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. Pulling himself from the floor where he sat, I watched him raise to just his hind hooves, using his magic to move the guitar into his grip. Looking at the spectacle completely entranced me as he began to kick out his legs in a dancing fashion to the beat of the little filly clapping.

[Song: Wham! – Wake me up before you go-go]

“Jitterbug… jitterbug.” The stallion began, to the cheers of the filly. “You put the boom boom into my heart. You send my soul sky high when your lovin’ starts. Jitterbug into my brain—goes bang bang bang till my hooves do the same.”

Watching the stallion sing, dance and play the guitar all at the same time put the same smile on my face that I had just minutes ago with the sun shining down, and filled me with an urge to tip the performer. Pulling out a couple of caps from my bag with my magic, I floated them over to his hat. Upon noticing, the stallion pointed a hoof smiled at me as he continued his song, whilst the mother of the filly also did the same. Sure, those were caps which might’ve left me short on something else I could have wanted, but I just couldn’t help but want to make it worth his effort, even if it was only a little bit.

With the sound of hoofsteps approaching, I turned to see the bloated pony looking at me with a smile, just as he had before. “So, Miss, feeling better now? If not, stick around why don’t ya? What’s your name and what would you like?”

Feeling humbled by his gracious behaviour, I felt compelled to comply with his request. “Cherry Sundae.” I told him.

“A cherry sundae? We have some cherry sauce, sure, but cherries are beyond rare to find around here.” He muttered to himself, the look in his eyes as if I’d just been rude.

Realising what must have gone through his head, I gasped and flustered as I tried to correct him. “Oh no! No, no, no! I’m sorry! I don’t mean it like that! Cherry Sundae is my name is all.”

With that he looked at me, cocking an eyebrow, his face unscrewing from the perceived insult just a moment ago. “Wait? Really? Cherry Sundae is your name? And you mean that? Your name really is Cherry Sundae?” Giving him a quick nod of affirmation, his smile grew. “That’s something alright. Tell ya what, I’ll only charge you five caps instead of the usual fifteen if you’ll agree to tell other ponies to swing on by. A pretty mare like you could probably convince a few patrons into the store better than me.”

Thinking about it for all of half a second was all I needed before I agreed. “Sure!” It had been an exceptionally long time since I’d ever tried my namesake, even if it wasn’t going to be the whole real deal… but even despite that, I couldn’t turn down such a generous offer either.

“Deal. You tell them that Cherry Sundae recommends Sundaes, our ice cream parlour, and to mention that. I’ll keep tabs on how many ponies come in and do so. Now, you stay here, I’ll go make your order.”

Listening to the dancing ponies’ song was blissful. Despite his cutie mark being a rose, he still made a reasonable enough singer, with his whole act just dripping in positive emotional energy. The joy it brought to the little filly, as well as some of the other patrons, was undeniable. Just as he finished, the bloated owner dinged a bell, grabbing the azure ponies’ attention. Rushing on over to the sound, the owner pointed over to me. “Dew, would you be so kind as to take this cherry sundae to Miss Cherry Sundae? She’s sitting on table eight. Five caps is the charge.”

‘Dew’s’ eyes widened as he heard my name, and for a moment he paused, looking at me all over before walking over to me. At first I wasn’t sure what to think of it but then felt ill at ease. I tried not to react outwardly, but instead mentally fortified myself for whatever might happen. As he approached, he looked me dead in the eyes and spoke in a low, hushed voice. “Perfer et obdura?”

My brain froze as I looked at him, but then a spark as the phrase came to my mind. My focus darted away from his as I tried to think, but his hoof gently touched my chin to bring it back to his gaze. His face wasn’t filled with lust, but of determination. Immediately I kicked myself for not being able to remember the co-sign as I realised what he was saying to me, but just as his gaze began to turn to disappointment, I found myself saying the words without conscious thought. “dolor hic tibi… proderit olim.”

His smile returned, larger than before as he gave a nod, the light in his eyes reigniting in a flash. “I’ll be back in one second, I’ll just go get your—“ It was in this moment that he saw the cherry sundae and frowned. “Cheap mother fucker.” He muttered under his breath. Turning back to me, he spoke in a hushed voice, almost silent even. “Hold right there.”

Casually walking past the owner who was now preoccupied with other customers, he slipped into the back room and came back, his horn glowing though with no obvious reason as to why. As he passed the sundae meant for me, he gently placed it in front of me and smiled in a sincere way. “Miss Sundae, I know this is very unusual, but could I ask you to close your eyes for just a moment?”

A part of me was screaming not to trust the situation, this was how a mare was taken advantage of… but something told me that it wasn’t going to happen here. Putting blind trust into the stallion I’d only just met, I closed my eyes. After but a second, he then spoke again. “And now you can open them.”

Opening my eyes, I saw his face looking anxiously at mine, awaiting the moment of whatever it was he had done. Looking down—A CHERRY! HE GOT ME A CHERRY! Squealing in joy, I clapped my hooves together and smiled almost as much as if he had just told me that Crimson would walk through the door at any moment. Looking at him, I could see in his eyes that this moment was all worth it for him as I wrapped my hooves around his neck and hugged him tight. “Thank you, oh thank you thank you thank you!” I quietly whispered, overjoyed that I could have the full Monty of my namesake.

Pulling back and seeing the smile on the stallions face left me wondering, however. “But… why do this for me? Wouldn’t you get in trouble if you got caught?”
With that, I levitated the spoon and took a bit of the ice cream along with the whole cherry and began to suck on it before shaking with pleasure from the sharply sweet flavour of the fruit.

Gently putting one of his hooves on mine as he sat down opposite me, the stallion spoke with his voice growing softer. “You… you have no idea what you did, do you? I mean, of course you don’t. You haven’t met me, and until now I hadn’t met you but…” Now he looked around briefly, the look in his eyes filled with a bitterness which subsided upon focusing back upon myself. “Do you remember a mare called Silk Swirls? She lived back in Slumside.”

For a moment I looked at him with confusion. Silk Swirls? For some reason I felt like I should have remembered her, but these few weeks had definitely been overwhelming to try and take in absolutely everything. Before I could say anything, the stallion prodded my shoulder. “You. You saved her. Don’t you remember? She was being targeted by… some pretty offensive ponies, shall we say. You saved her life by risking your own, from what she told me.”

Suddenly, everything clicked and I looked at Dew with surprise. “Silk Swirls… the mare who gave me the cloak for saving her from…” Looking around, I stopped there as I remembered this was no place for such a dark discussion. With acknowledgement, the stallion merely nodded his head.
Realising the opportunity this presented, my eyes quickly narrowed. “That means you’re at least one of the ponies she went to speak to after, right? What of you? You did say those words.”

“When Silky told me what had happened, what the offenders had wanted… well, I already had my own issues with some, but before then I hadn’t seen enough to… ya know.”

Taking another spoonful of my desert, I nodded appreciatively. Of course this was no place to talk of such topics openly, as there was no telling who might be keen to talk to a guard about any form of dissent whatsoever. Back in Slumside, there was little to no worry about that. Of course, it was still a threat, but there was as many ponies willing to stand up and fight back for the right reason, but I didn’t get the same feeling here in the Luxury District.

Before I could say anything, Dew was called by the parlour manager to help somepony else. Instead of immediately walking off to do his job, he looked back into my eyes, something of a flirty look as the corners of his lips curled. “Dum spiro spero.” Before I could respond to ask what it was he had said, he was gone.
[While I breathe, I hope.]

Finishing up the delicious treat didn’t take long once I was left alone, the ever tempting flavours driving me to eat more and more as if I hadn’t eaten at all. Rubbing my now filled to the brim belly, I gave the owner my thanks and politely made my way out of the parlour, feeling just as happy as I did upon seeing the skies open.

As I stepped out into the street, I looked around to see that everything had gone back to normal. Ponies, zebras, donkeys, each one all minding their own business, going about their own day. This was what the wasteland needed. We had it at home, the few who could afford it could find it at Tenpony Tower, and those who couldn’t had Friendship City… but upon thinking of those words, I frowned. No, no they didn’t; not anymore. One of the few bastions of promise for a better world laid in ruins, and for as beautiful as the Luxury District was, I knew that some horrible truth had to be hidden under the surface.

The rest of the street hadn’t had much to really look at. Though there was a couple of stands dotted around like Slumside’s market, they only seemed to be pop up food vendors rather than shops selling anything of value.

On both sides I was flanked more and more by hotels and houses set up in the repaired husks of buildings, with no more large windows placed along the bottom floor, but rather artist’s renditions of beautiful days, sunny beaches and happy ponies. Instead of the typical graffiti that lined the walls of Slumside however, these were far from quick sprays but rather masterful pieces given absolute time and attention. Seeing the effort that must have been put in to completing the work was as stunning as seeing the panes of glass prior. The Luxury District really did focus on being as vanity driven as possible.

From down here, it seemed like there was a lot to go and visit and do, however, my experience from atop of one of the buildings told me that there was only one place left to visit in this district. A strange, large circular building of impressive size, though I had no idea whatsoever was in it. Moving past some more homes and hotels, I turned around the corner to see a line of ponies waiting to get in to the rotunda. Taking my place in line, I too began to wait.

In the past I had seen a slanted glass roof upon the building and had wondered why the design would be like that, but now as I approached on the ground level, I understood why. Unlike many of the buildings leading up to this, there was no glass on the outside. Instead, it had concrete walls without any decoration, unlike other buildings.

As I came up to the booth, two armed ponies looked at me blankly, one speaking in a dull yet commanding voice. “Why haven’t you got your pass out already? You’re a unicorn, you should’ve easily had it out by now.”

For a moment I looked at the stallion, stunned. “A pass? I…” I babbled, unsure what to say. “I didn’t see any signs saying I’d need some kind of pass.”

With a dismissive groan, he waved his hoof as if to shoo me away. “No pass, no entry. It’s as simple as that. We don’t need trouble here.”

Thinking for but a moment, I put my hoof out to him. “Wait. I had a multi-pass before, is that what you needed?”

Cocking an eyebrow at me, the tan stallion nodded. “Yeah, it would’ve been, but since you don’t have it any more, you don’t get to enter. Simple as. Besides, you must have caused trouble to lose it so I’m definitely not letting you in now.”

“I didn’t lose it!” I quickly interjected, whinnying. “Captain Blueheart has it right now.”

With that, the second ponies head turned. Though I couldn’t see their face through their shield, I could see the touch of a cream coat underneath between the seams of their suit. “Wait, who did you just say has it?”

“Blueheart? Of the D.Z.C?” I mumbled, uncertain of what I’d just gotten myself in for.

The first pony stopped talking entirely whilst the second looked me up and down, their neck craning around as the only giveaway. “Your Pipbuck, is that an officers model?” The voice said flatly, not letting up with their inquisition.

“Yeah.”

“Come with me out of the way of the others. If you want in here, you’ll let me use it. No ifs, no buts. I’ll be using the radio. Deal?”

Shrugging my shoulders caused a wince of pain as I forgot myself, but a quick nod sealed the deal. Moving to the side and reaching out with a hoof, the armoured pony made some quick prods at my Pipbuck. With that, the familiar sound of a broadcast began.

“This is the captain guard for the Pantheon Mall, calling for Colonel Blueheart. Repeat, I’m after Blueheart. Come in over.”

For a moment there was an awkward pause and I could almost feel the stallion glare at me through his darkened visor. Then the word hit me…. Colonel? Before I could say anything myself, the broadcaster perked up on the receiving end. “Blueheart here. What’s the matter, Captain?”

“Sir. We have a pony here, female unicorn, red coat, pink mane. Claims that her multi-pass is with you. She wants to go into the Pantheon Mall. Do you know anything about this, Sir?”

With another moments pause, I began to worry as I felt a bead of sweat work its way along my brow. Only the Princesses knew what would happen if Blueheart let me down now. With a crackle on the frequency, the conversation returned. “Yes, Captain, let her through. She’s after access to the clinic first and foremost, but don’t worry if she goes elsewhere. You have my word that she’s not a risk."

With that, the broadcaster was shut off and the captain merely pointed to the blacked out revolving door. “You’re free to go on in then. If he’s vouching for you, I’ve got no qualms. I’ll put my trust in his judgement, just remember to not let him down by doing anything… stupid.”

Stepping into the darkness with a group of two others, I felt overwhelmed as everything went silent but the sound of the motor powering the door. A moment later, my eyes felt like they had just opened for the first time as the light hit me.

Ahead of me was a sight that not even what I had previously seen from the Luxury District could compare to. Marble floors, statues and pillars made a corridor, laced with potted plants and seats filled with happy people drinking and laughing.
Stepping out from the rotating doorway, I couldn’t help but squeal in delight at how beautiful it was.

Not even a second later, I noticed armed guards casually walking around, and lots of them. Though they all had rifles, none of them seemed even the slightest bit on edge, and none of the patrons looked worried in the slightest about them either.
Doing my best to hold my jaw from falling to the floor, I looked around further, noticing how every single shop had a large, unfettered access. My best guess being that the guards walking around in the open area were more than plenty for the shops to feel safe. Nothing more was necessary.

From the corner of my eye as I continued to gaze around, I caught sight of a pony approaching me with a sense of determination in their step. Turning my focus to them directly, I couldn’t believe what I saw. Though I didn’t know their name, I recognised the mare as she stood before me, slightly bowing her head as they came to a stop. “Hello Miss, and welcome to the Pantheon Mall. I take it this is your first time?”

Looking at the pony as she kept their head bowed, I began to notice how… odd she was acting. Her body was shaking slightly, with her voice muttering the words in submission, eyes refusing to meet mine. Gently placing a hoof on the mares chin much like Dew had touched mine, the pony flinched backward. Looking at her now with sadness, I spoke softly. “Don’t be scared. I promise I won’t hurt you.”

Slowly, her head looked up, eyes gradually locking onto mine, pupils dilating with the longer she looked. I didn’t know this pony by name, but I was certain I had seen them in Slumside. From the look in her eyes, it seemed like she might have been thinking the same thing. Shaking her head rapidly, she stepped back and recomposed, bowing her head back down.

With a deep breath, the mare now spoke again. “Did you want directions around? I would gladly guide you to any shop, help you carry bags, provide my limited and duly noted unprofessional fashion advice and critique…” For a moment she paused, her voice lowering even more. “Or meet your other needs as you request, with no restriction or complaint.”

Falling back on my rump, I couldn’t help but feel the blood rush to my cheeks as I began blushing. “I… uhhh. Thanks but…” I tried to say more, but all that came out was a babbling as the mare now dropped low, covering the top of her head and began to shake even more. Looking at the sight, I realised just how skinny the poor mare was, her ribs starting to protrude. With that, all of the heat left my face immediately as I realised just what kind of a state this poor mare was in.

Looking around, there was more families happily eating, laughing, and shopping. Children were playing without the smallest of worries about where their next meal would come from or the horrors of the outside world, and yet here this mare was, driven to such desperation that she would offer herself in any service whatsoever, no doubt just for a couple of caps. Letting out a tired sigh, I felt extremely sorry for her, and wanted to help her, desperately so, but another part of me knew that if I gave her sympathy in the cost of caps, I would end up doing the same for everypony else.

“I’m sorry.” I merely muttered. “I haven’t the spare caps to help you. I wish I had, I genuinely do, but I haven’t got any idea how much I’ll need for what I’m after.” Letting out a sigh, I watched as the mare’s head drooped down, her defeated posture begin to turn away. In that moment, something boiled inside of me, though I knew I couldn’t speak too much or too loudly here… but I had to say something, damn it!

“Look.” I began. “Before you go.” She turned her head to face me, uncertainty in her eyes. “I know… I know I’ve seen you before. The way you looked at me, I’m sure you’ve seen me. If you remember me… seek him out. Find him. He’ll take care of you.”
Just as the moment seemed to end, a thought came to my mind. Taking two caps out of my bag, I pressed them onto her hoof with a smile. “And here, ya know what? Do take two caps, here, have them. Go to Sundaes, the ice cream parlour. Tell them Cherry Sundae sent you. Now, where’s the clinic?”

With a smile, the mare pointed to the floor above. “Up there, though you’ll need to go further in before you reach the stairs. You’ll then go back on yourself and keep to the right hand side, it’s pretty close to being just above us right now. Thank you very much, Miss.”

With that, she smiled and bowed graciously, a little more confidence in her body language now before scampering off into the darkness of the rotating door, hopefully off to go get something in her belly. I knew two caps wasn’t much, but maybe, just maybe the parlour owner would show a touch more generosity… I hoped so, anyway.

Making my way through the structure, I was still blown away by the cleanliness and beauty of the mall. Electric lights lit up most of the building, though just as I had seen from above, enormous glass roof panels flooded the main hallway, especially as it opened up into a circular shape to reveal a shop on the ground floor in the middle with yet another ‘café’ on top. What a café specifically was, I had no idea, though posters with the word ‘best fresh coffee!’ hung above, proudly advertising some weird drink. Looking closer at the sign, I giggled to myself as I realised that somepony had scribbled out the bits cost and… wait… a caps cost? That meant that they actually sold it!

As much as I really, really wanted to try this ‘coffee’, just to see what it was, a quick flash at my Pipbuck reminded me that I couldn’t risk not having enough caps. Walking past, up the stairs, I let out a wishful sigh looked back longingly as I saw ponies drinking from cups. …I really wanted to try the coffee.

Making my way along the upper floor, I now saw the clinic’s sign, just as the young mare had promised earlier. Pressing forward, I could begin to really feel the throbbing ache of having been on my hooves for too long, especially my poor little still injured rear hoof. Marching up to the door, I looked in and saw the pristine white walls, a counter filled with medicines for all sorts of ailments, healing potions and salves, rad-x, rad-away, performance enhancing drugs… whatever a doctor could ask for, it seemed to be here.

Stepping in, there was something else I noticed that put me on edge immediately. In the corner behind the entrance, facing the counter, facing me, was an intimidating presence, decked in the best armour and a heavy shotgun. My muscles tensed as I froze, suddenly afraid for my life. My horn began to feel fuzzy as I considered going invisible… but the figure didn’t move.

“Perceptive, aren’t we?” It muttered, the voice changed via modulator. Now I recognised it as donkey power armour. “Don’t worry, I’m not here to rob you. I’m here to make sure you don’t try rob us. And yes, we’re aware no other shop in here has a guard, and we’re aware that the guards are aplenty here, but we’re selling goods that make us a target even here. Make any moves and you’ll have a problem, otherwise, I’m here to stand guard and nothing more.”

The cold shock that had run down my spine still left me feeling incredibly anxious, though the zebra dressed up in medical gear behind the counter now rushed over to me, pushing a chair with his hooves for me to sit on. Getting up onto it, he grabbed a padding from another seat and placed it upon the floor, opposite myself, before sitting down.

Smiling at me, he began to talk. “Sorry for the rude welcome party, though our customers don’t typically notice the hired guard so early, if at all. He’s telling the truth however, we’ve had times in the past when having that armed and armoured guard has saved my livelihood. He’s absolutely saved me caps and perhaps even my life, without a doubt. So, when you’re calm again, what can I do for you?”

Taking a deep breath, I could feel the soothing atmosphere begin to wash through me as I heard the beeps of machinery chugging along in the background, doing whatever it was doing behind the curtains. Looking at the zebra doctor, I gestured to my injured leg.

“I hurt myself just shy of a week ago. I… fell from a height and hurt myself pretty bad. Knocked myself out cold even.” Why I was telling him so much, I didn’t know, but somehow I felt like it didn’t matter that I was. “When I woke up, I’d found my hind left leg was broken. I’ve taken one healing potion and had a splint with bandages on it, which has helped out a lot, but I still feel like something more substantial would help.”

The doctor looked at my leg, gently touching it, causing me to wince. Pulling out some weird metal device that I didn’t recognise in any way shape or form, he hovered it over my leg and the prongs began to shake, albeit only slightly. I wondered what he was doing, though as quickly as he had pulled it out, he had put it back away and turned his focus to my eyes. “So, your leg is still somewhat injured, yes, yes. You’ve got three options. Number one, you do nothing and let it heal slowly. This of course will be without the cost of caps but at the price of time. A healing salve rubbed into the skin could help, but this too would be slow. Not like a potion, though a potion would cost more.”

Looking at him, I tried my best to hold back my feelings of bemusement but something in the way he looked at me told me I hadn’t done as good a job as Crimson would’ve been able to. Letting out a sigh, I nodded. “How much would the potion cost?”

“Forty-seven caps.” The zebra said flatly, causing me to visibly recoil at the price. “If you don’t have that or don’t want to pay that, a salve is twenty.”

Looking down at my Pipbuck, I only had fifty on me, including the caps that Blueheart had provided me with earlier… if I chose the potion, my leg would be completely healed; but if I chose the salve, I would have enough caps to try out the coffee. Pausing for a moment as I pondered the actual need to try out this mystery drink compared to having no more pain whatsoever in my leg, I couldn’t deny that the coffee was just a novelty. No, I had to be sensible.

“Fine. Here’s your forty-seven caps for the healing potion then, please.” Passing over the caps to the doctor made me feel a little sick on the inside, knowing I could have gotten it cheaper elsewhere, but I wasn’t elsewhere right now, and I didn’t have the luxury of calling on favours – nor did I feel confident in my ability to charm the zebra to lower the price. That was Crimson’s skill, not mine. Damn that stallion, I needed him more than ever right now.

Being handed the healing potion, I drank it in one long go before handing the vial back to the zebra, not even thinking about it. Whether he would want to wash it out and produce more healing potion or simply recycle the glass some other use, I didn’t care. I had no use for it. Instead, I turned my focus to my leg as I felt the muscle twist and stretch under the magic’s influence, a feeling that never stopped making me feel queasy no matter how many times I’d taken those damn potions.

After a moment of letting everything do its job, I got off from my chair and began to walk around, my leg now not hurting or feeling odd whatsoever. Feeling no pain or throbbing was almost enough to send a wash of pleasure up my spine, the relief absolute. Smiling at the pair, I waved my hoof and said goodbye before trotting out of the clinic, feeling like a brand new mare… a mare who had only three caps.

As quickly as the feeling of bliss had overcome me, the downpour now began as my mind yet again raced back to Crimson. For all of this time that I had been locked up, I had only heard from him twice. The first time in our conversation where he was beyond emotional and the second being that broadcast of his with those bed time stories. A small whimper left my lips as I felt a tear well up in my eyes. I missed him. I wanted him. I needed him. “Crimson.” I uttered to myself. “Where are you, my love?”

Slumping over onto the railing and looking down at the happy ponies below, I knew I had to take my mind off of him, for as much as I wanted Crimson, he wasn’t coming. Even if he did, I couldn’t leave behind my rifle, as stupid as it sounded, I just couldn’t. Looking further ahead, I saw all the shops around me. Maybe a bit of browsing would help clear my blues… maybe.

Going into the nearest clothes shop, I was immediately harassed with vibrant colours, fanciful patterns and pictures of other mares dressed to impress. The dedicated clothes hanger rails and hangers themselves told me that this had to be a pre-war set up merely taking up its former pride once more. I couldn’t find fault with any of the designs, and the stitching was flawless. Taking a closer inspection, I saw tags on the inside which indicated that these clothes weren’t just beautiful, but actual clean, ‘brand new’ pre-war articles. Despite being two hundred years old, there was clothes that didn’t look like they had been sitting on the shelf for more than a day.

Just as I continued to browse, a malnourished looking buck approached from my side, a small, tired smile on his face. “Hello, welcome to Mane Attraction. Is there anything I could do for you today? Any clothes you’d like to try out in our fitting rooms?”

Staring blankly at the poor buck for a moment, the words refused to come out of my mouth as I took the sight in. He had obviously been making an effort to try and be presentable and his approach was nothing but kind, but there was something… off about it; about him. It wasn’t that he was trying to harm me, or trick me in a horrible way. Just looking at him though, I could see all of the hallmarks for abuse and neglect.
His mane was combed and yet dry and brittle. His coat had no shine. Just like the mare who I had helped earlier, his ribs were visible even though his waistcoat tried to hide it. The bags around his eyes drooping, his cheeks gaunt.

Just as he turned away, muttering in defeat, I finally knew the words I had wanted to say. “Excuse me.” I began, softly cooing into his ear like a young mother speaking to a child. “Are…” My next words were hard to get out as he turned to look at me again, something of a hopeless glint in his eyes. Gulping, I felt my frown return. “Are you okay?”

Slowly his gaze locked into my soul, and though he didn’t say a word, he didn’t need to. Looking in through those jade green portals, I could see the pain and suffering he had. With that, he simply shook his head gently and broke the connection, trotting off back deeper into the shop, off to help other, paying customers. Feeling a shiver down my spine, I knew I couldn’t deal with being in Mane Attraction any more. Not whilst the privileged few got to live lavishly and spend freely whilst expecting nothing but impeccable service from their workers.

Walking out of the Pantheon Mall, I felt no better than earlier. Shop after shop had only revealed the same, horrible truth. The mall, and most likely the vast majority of these shops, were run by underpaid, mistreated ponies who had been given a “chance at privilege” by wealthy ponies who lived on this side of the dividing wall, here in the Luxury District. Of course, yes, many of them wouldn’t have survived without that opportunity, but it still made me feel sick. These weren’t slaves, but the fact that so many wealthy, healthy ponies walked around care free whilst so many were sick, starving and weak… it made me feel uneasy. Their abuse of ponies, zebras and donkeys below them was what gave them their money, not hard work and dedication like most other well off ponies in the wasteland.

Some ponies thought that Four Ridges was elitist and that we lived off the creamy fat of others hard work, but there was no way I could entertain that thought for even a split second before, and no way I could tolerate such words again now after what I had seen. We were better than Coltchester. Effort led to profit for the pony involved, not for the ponies above. Sure, the Stable took their taxes, but without their water… We needed that talisman. I could never forgive myself if we failed and Four Ridges fell to rubble after seeing what I had.

Without any understanding, I quickly found myself thrown to the floor by my own hooves, rolling behind hard cover as the sound of an explosion slammed me out of my thoughts and back into what was going on around me. The sounds of gunshots, automatics and single shot rifles, rang out in unison, heading towards and away from me.

Looking up, there was no sign of a pegasus raid, putting the fear of Enclave reprisals out of the window. Looking to my three open sides, there was no sign of rebels breaking into the Luxury District… or at least, there was none of the typical smoke, flares or banners that the Anarchists loved to utilise. Checking my E.F.S, I could see red bars, though they were all coming from the other side of where my cover was. Looking over for a brief moment, I couldn’t see the enemies, but I now noticed guards atop of the wall and at the nearby checkpoint taking cover and returning the shots.

Realising that my cover was, ultimately, in a direct line from where the enemies were coming from, I knew I had to move. Looking ahead, all of the civilians had gone into hiding in shops whilst the sound of a flare now shot into the sky from the checkpoint, causing members of the DZC to rush in my direction as fast as they could. Knowing I had only one chance to get out of the danger zone, I prepared myself to run and hoped to the Princesses that the healing potion had well and truly done the job.

It had. Of course it had. Without a second of hesitation, I was already out of immediate danger, and nobody had tried to stop me. I guessed not having a weapon on me and running away from the shooting had seemed all too… sensible, understandable, sane. What pony really wanted to run towards gunfire if they didn’t have to? Though with that, I realised, I had no obligation to run towards the fighting, but I had an obligation to myself to find out who it was.

Seeing the hotel that I had been using as a vantage point for the last couple of days, I began sprinting as fast as I could. I had to find out what was going on, even if I didn’t have my binoculars, I had to find out as much as my eyes could tell me without them. I just had to, damn it! Pushing past the ponies who held the doors open for others to get into safety, I didn’t even stop to apologise, but merely ran for the stairs, making my way up as many as I could manage before my lungs started to burn.

Stopping for a brief moment on a mid level floor, I realised that I had unintentionally stopped where the musky smell had grown strongest. The air thick with a scent that was no stranger to the wasteland, but this time it wasn’t death. Needing more time to catch my breath, I decided that Captain… no, “Colonel” Blueheart needed to know what was going on. Toggling on my Pipbuck’s broadcaster and engaging his connection caused my heart to feel as if it stopped. A ringing sound had filled their air, the receiving end of a broadcaster. Pressing my ear to the door, I could hear it much more clearly now.

Pressing open the door, more out of curiosity than anything else, I was welcomed by a large room that had almost entirely been blacked out, with only small windows cut out of the brickwork to allow in some small, insignificant amount of natural light an air, whilst candles dotted around the room flickered gently, casting miniscule shadows in their wake.

Looking to my right, to the source of the sound, I was horrified as I saw him. Blueheart, atop of a mare that looked shockingly close to myself, bar the fact that her coat was pink, wearing a synthetic wig of the same colour, slipping off to reveal her ginger mane below. Of course she was smaller, just as malnourished as all the others had been, and her eyes pleading for something better than this. Her face scrunching in shame as he made use of her body.

Gasping at the sight, he opened his eyes and saw me as he thrusted, letting out his own sound of indignation before clenching his eyes and scrunching his face, groaning loudly, finishing inside of the poor mare. Her look of shock turned to panic as she began to babble in horror. “No no no! We agreed! Not inside!”

I couldn’t bear to witness any more, I simply turned away and stood half out of the doorway, overpowered by the musk as much as the sight I had just seen. With spite and disgust, I spat my words loud enough that he’d hear even through his orgasm. “Get to the fucking roof. Meet me up there. Coltchester is under attack and we need to figure out who’s attacking.”

Working my way up the stairs with a brand new sense of energy from the determination to get away from what I had just seen, I quickly found myself bashing through the door to the roof and rushing over to the railing. Looking out into the distance, I could see the figures fighting with the guards, though most of them were dead now. Squinting my eyes and focusing as much as I possibly could, seeing details was incredibly hard at this distance, even for myself, though if nothing else, there was no flags being carried by the dead attackers, and no signs of some foreign force on the horizon. Looking back on the few surviving hostiles, I once again threw myself to the floor instinctively and covered my ears. The temptation to close my eyes was strong, but in that moment Blueheart walked up to the door, a mixture of anger and confusion in his face when he saw me.

I wanted to gesture to him to do the same, but it was too late. Though it had been quite some distance away, a loud explosion roared through the air. The sound of a rocket launcher sending echoes, reverbing through the buildings as they trapped the noise inside.

As if in response, a new sound ripped through the air, missiles launching from the top of a nearby building. This time though, they weren’t facing towards Coltchester, but rather, away from it. Looking over, a donkey stood in their heavy armour, a missile launchers smoking on each side as the remaining attackers had turned to nothing but a red mist, still falling from the sky.

“Well…” Blueheart began, not knowing what to say. “I…”

“Shut up.” I barked, still disgusted and angry with him. “Oh, and what’s all this about being a colonel? You’ve been lying to me, haven’t you!”

For a moment, the cream coloured stallion sputtered his words before recomposing himself. “I never! Ok, fine, I hid the full truth of my rank, but I’m still a captain of the Honour Guard!”

Looking at him, I narrowed my eyes. “Honour Guard, huh? Like the same sort of honour you showed to that poor mare you turned into a prostitute!?”

“She was already one!” Blueheart exclaimed. “Why, is there something wrong with paying her for her services? This is the wasteland, Cherry. Get real. We all need release, I paid for mine just like any stallion does, one way or another. Besides, don’t forget to watch your tongue, I am your superior and ultimately, also your captor. You’d do best to remember that.”

“She was made to look an awful lot like myself.” I spat back, making him aware that I’d noticed. “Is that a coincidence? No?”

With a groan, Blueheart looked at me. “What will it take to calm you down? I value your service and would rather keep things civil between us. Look, you’ve already proven that even on your day off, you’ll rush to figure out who is attacking, when you didn’t have to… so consider it a bonus for such vigilance.”

“A bribe, you mean, for not ruining your reputation?” I cocked an eye at him at this point, realising just what he meant.

For a tense moment there was a pause as he breathed, then let out a sigh and a slight nod. “I suppose… that yes, I don’t think such news would be best spread around. What do you want?”

Thinking about it, I quickly made up my mind. “A bed. A proper bed, not just the cot I’ve been sleeping on. An actual, comfortable bed. You do have the rank required to acquire me one, after all. I want to be able to sleep comfortably, if nothing else.”

Without any hesitation, Blueheart smiled. “Deal. In fact, I’ll do you one better. You can sleep in the barracks, but don’t for one second think you’re free to move about as you wish. You’re still a prisoner and you’re still under employment of the Coalition.”

Blinking my eyes as I gawked at him, my mouth hung agape as I struggled to take it in. “W-wait, really? You aren’t gonna just move a bed to my cell?”

“That would significantly harm the other prisoners’ morale, as well as cramp up your cell too much. You have all of your personal belongings from out of the cell on you currently, correct?” Giving him a confused nod, he continued. “Then it’s settled. You’ll sleep in the same quarters the other soldiers, so long as you continue to do your duty. However, if I catch you even thinking of breathing a word about this to anyone, and I mean anyone, you’ll be back in that cell and not have any privileges whatsoever. Got it?”

Nodding my head was all I could do. I couldn’t believe what had just happened, both before and now. Everything… everything all at once. It was too much to take in.

“With the attack on the checkpoint under control, I suppose we ought to get you back to base. Your move to the barracks is immediate, I’ll be taking you there now.” And with that, Blueheart gestured to the door before leading the way, back to base.

Author's Notes:

Well, its taken me a lot longer than I had wanted it to, constantly battling my own self doubt and other issues, but the new chapter is here. Its my absolute biggest hope that it isn't hated and that Cherry hasn't been fucked up, though if she has... well, that's just the way it goes. No turning back now!
For anyone who wonders why the chapter spanned out the way it did; read into the events again, ask questions, really think about it all. This chapter isn't filler, even if it might seem that way. I promise it isn't.

Thank you all for reading, I love the fact that so many people have given me so much support through all of this, though I am -especially- grateful to Brisineo and StAnon. Those two have been there for me in my times of need and I seriously cannot underestimate just how much they meant to me as people. Thank you, both of you. Thank you, everybody.