All around me, it felt like the clouds had descended, hazing my view and choking my lungs. Attempts at flapping my wings felt useless as the air grew heavier and heavier, holding me down firmly on the floor, draining me of any energy. With another cough, I saw blood. There was no way I could stay here, I had to move! And yet, no matter how I tried, I couldn’t.

The chilling sound of screams all around me began to ring in my ears, most wailing in agony, some pleading for mercy. Together, they made a chorus of groans and pleas for help. They begged, they begged and begged and begged, for me, they wanted me to help them. They needed me to help them. And no matter what, no matter how I tried, somehow I knew that I couldn’t.

Getting onto my hooves took a lot more strength than it should have, as if chains were holding me in place, though when I looked, I saw nothing. Still, I could feel them holding me down. I had to break them, I had to be stronger, I had to save the others. They were counting on me. The voices needed me, and I had to do something for them… anything. Anything just to not hear those screams.

The decrepit skeletons of rundown buildings surrounded me, though I couldn’t recognise any of them. Looking into the hallway ahead, it only led to a dark dead end with no doors. Looking to my side, I could see a larger room where beds lay scattered and skewed across the floor, some overturned or on their side entirely, as if they had been used for cover. Clothes littered the floor as the smell of smoke filled my nostrils, causing me to choke and cough yet more blood. With a moment, I thought to myself; there was smoke? Turning around, I could now see fire. Ponies on fire, their skin melting. My heart began racing as I tried to run away from the sight, but my hooves only took me closer.

I had to put out the fire. Somehow I had a feeling that I knew where to find some water, and began running, flapping my wings and crying out whilst praying to the Princesses that I could find something to help. Breaking through a double door, I then saw a talisman pumping out water, enough water to help everypony.

Rushing into the pool of water, I could hear the clicking in the back of my head. With that, there was now a burning sensation on my hooves. Looking down at the ground, I noticed the fluid had turned green and I began to watch patches of fur fall off, exposing muscle as it turned putrid.

The concoction of smoke and rotting flesh made me puke, forcing me to close my eyes. Upon opening them, I could see scraps of orange-red hair fall to the floor, turning a grey colour before turning to ash in the fire. The screaming was getting louder, stronger, closer. It was overwhelming. My whole body shook as I slammed my hooves to my ears in order to try and block the sound out, but nothing worked. With every passing second, it only felt as if it grew louder and louder, overwhelming my mind and senses.

Closing my eyes didn’t help either. Now with my ears plugged and my eyes closed, the noise became clearer, more than just screams. A very familiar voice rung out to me no matter how softly it spoke, overriding all of the others.

Opening my eyes, I could now see all of the tall buildings of the old ruins, the crossroads where I had faced the ghouls. My heart racing as I recognised each and every aspect, the broken windows and cracked pavement. The walls falling down and the blood stains on the floor. Now the wailing and groans turned to hisses of delight rather than distress. All around me I could see figures zipping through the cracks of buildings, making their way ever closer as the single voice grew louder and yet, somehow, further away.

Then I noticed her. Platinum. Just as before, she laid on the floor, though this time she was covered with a blanket. I knew it was her, of course it was her, it had to be her. Why would it be her? Why wouldn’t she forgive me? I had asked for her forgiveness! I had! I did everything I could! Why would she not leave me alone?! Why would she not forgive me?! What more could I do?!

Without any conscious intention, my hooves slowly pulled me closer, attracting me to the body despite all of my protest. I begged, I cried, I pleaded to not go any closer, but my hooves disobeyed. Closer I crept, closer the jeers rang through my ears, closer to my greatest regret. I couldn’t save her. I wasn’t quick enough. I wasn’t good enough. I wasn’t enough. I failed to save her. I failed her.

Approaching the body, I fell to the ground. I blinked and I was no longer in the ruins of a destroyed town, but rather, in a small room, with only a single door, barred. A prison cell, I realised. And yet there the body still lay. Still covered. Still calling to me in the irresistible, sickening way.

Slowly, and carefully, I reached a hoof out to the body, knowing exactly what to expect… only, I didn’t. As the blanket uncloaked the figure, my blood ran cold. Instead of seeing the face of Platinum, there laid Cherry. Her body looking scrawny, her bones protruding from her chest. Her face gaunt and eyes glazed… until she looked at me, her pupils dialling into my soul, ripping the sanity out of my mind as her teeth bore a wretched smile.

“You failed to save me, Crimson. FAILED!”

I tried to pull myself back, tried to step away, but instead found myself on the floor as she got up, her skin now disappearing rapidly, her teeth becoming sharper, her eyes getting whiter. Nothing I tried worked as I watched her step on closer, the madness and rasp in her voice growing with each syllable. The most beautiful mare I had ever known now the absolute image of disgust, of abomination.

“FAID! TOH! SAV! EEEEEEE!”

Now she was no different to them. I froze in absolute terror as the sight came closer, closer, about to bite me, about to end it all… And then it didn’t. Instead of the bite, a bright, white light shining in the middle of the room erased everything, including myself.

Bursting out into tears, I couldn’t help but begin to wail as the feelings of pure horror and failure still lingered in my mind. Struggling to cope with getting enough breath through my hiccups and tears, I could feel a burning in my lungs. The images of what I’d just seen were now burned into my eyelids, somehow even stronger than before as I held my eyes shut tight. I felt too terrified to open them and see if it was all real, and yet all the more traumatised as I continued to see what I had just experienced. There was no escape from it all, no relief.

A set of hooves wrapped themselves around me as I began to trash and struggle, forcing me to open my eyes, to be certain if I was really at risk of dying. At the very least, if nothing else, it would be a quick end if the nightmare was real.

My vision had started off blurry, and I was unable to make out anything of what was in front of me, though the tears and shaking didn’t help. The sensation of burning quickly became warmth as I began to feel the soft fur of somepony’s coat rubbing against my cheek. With a gentle coo caressing my senses, my ears began to scan for the source of the sound.

“Crimson. Crimson. Shhhh. It’s okay Crimson.”

I couldn’t make out who it was, but with that, I could feel how my heart slowly began to stop racing, how my breathing had become more regular and my eyes start to see with any amount of clarity. Looking up, I could see blue… a deep, beautiful, dark blue.

With a kiss planted on my forehead, I felt like a child as the hooves lovingly wrapped themselves around me, holding me closer, before that soft, sweet voice rang out to my ears once more. “Crimson. You’re safe, you’re safe here. I’ve got you. No more terrors. Shhhh. I’ve got you.”

“What’s going on? Why is he crying? What have you done?” Another voice asked, causing the pony holding me to jolt in shock.
The first voice began to stutter, unable to respond properly before more accusations began flying from another voice entirely. “What are you doing? What did you do!?”

“Stop.” A fourth voice commanded, this one much more grizzled and raspy. Opening my eyes once more, I could finally make out the sight of what was in front of me, and began screaming in terror as my mind saw more moulting, rotten flesh.

With that, the first voice tried to coo me back to comfort, but I struggled and trashed once more. Desperate to escape from whatever was happening, I pushed against the warmth and tried to escape to no avail until suddenly I felt a spike of energy flow through me and completely paralyze my body. With that, a flash of green also appeared and my mind went numb. Looking at the jade figure that now stood ahead of me, I could begin to hear a voice in my mind telling me that it was okay, to relax, that everything was okay.

Slowly my eyes continued to focus themselves, and at long last, I could recognise who I was looking at. Helios. There she stood, the tall, elegant mare with a face that for so long had always seemed so calm, happy and peaceful, that now had a look of worry in her eyes as she turned to face the others. I wanted to look at who they were, I wanted to see, but couldn’t even muster the strength to lift my head.

As if by magic understanding, the first voice expressed their sudden realisation and lifted me to look at the ponies who were pointing at me, even more worry in their voices, though now seeing my eyes begin to focus on them, they seemed to calm down. Now I saw them clearly, I recognised them as Tsunami and Freight Train.

With a powerful voice, Helios now spoke. “Calm. Down. The three of you.” For a moment, Tsunami went to retort, but Freight Train touched her shoulder as he shook his head.

The ghoulish figure of Titan which had just set more terror into my heart now caused no fear at all as I still felt the effects of the mind numbing power. Shaking his head, he spoke with a harsh tone. “You lot need to watch your tongues and remem-“

With that, Helios quickly interrupted Titan, stopping him in his tracks. “Titan.” She began firmly. “That meant you too. Antagonising our guests is no way to behave. I understand your concern, and I appreciate your intention, but I promise nothing bad will happen. Of course they’re worried about Crimson with how long he’s been out like this, and just the look on Eos’ face tells me something serious must have been plaguing his mind.”

Feeling a small amount of strength and mental fortitude return to me, I turned my neck to look up, up at the face that only looked at me with worry. Eos. One of her hooves gently stroking my mane whilst the other simply held me close enough to hear her heartbeat.

“He’s spent too long in an induced coma.” The beautiful blue mare began. “The inability to move or freely think has pent up in his mind, and the horrors that dwell within… I had but a moments glimpse, and even I understood the horror he felt.”

“Wait.” Tsunami began, an incredibly confused look on her face. “You… you did what? What do you mean you had a glimpse at his mind?”

Turning her gaze to Eos with an inquisitive look on her face, Helios began speaking once more. “Dream reading. It’s a form of magic closely associated with mind reading. How my dear sister, Eos, had any natural affinity for it whilst not being a ‘greenie’ like myself, I’m not sure, but then she has picked up my mind reading since the end of Unity too… and I Selene’s teleportation skill.”

“It… it just felt natural to me.” Eos shyly muttered. “I don’t know why. I… The first time I tried it was when I found Crimson asleep and I just wanted to know what was going on in his mind. I just followed my instinct.”

“Just now?” Titan asked, his voice now much less grouchy than before.

“Nope! That was when I left Coltchester to clear my mind. I… I guess I just needed to get out of my mind and into somepony else’s.”

Before anypony else could ask another question, a sound came from down the hallway, grabbing the attention of all who could hear it. Giggling. Some mare was giggling with the ferocity of a thousand fillies, and the sound was coming closer. All heads turned to look at the source as the sound grew closer and closer, until we finally saw… nothing.

At first everyone was confused as to what was going on, but then with Freight Train prodding the air, a rump appeared… and two hind legs… but no front half. There, right there, stood a pair of purple legs and the sound of laughter.

Eos began to chuckle herself at this point, bursting into huge fits of laughter. “Selene!” she called out. “You seem like you need to practice some more. You… aren’t as invisible as you might think.”

Now the mysterious laughter stopped and turned into a squeal of embarrassment as the rest of her body revealed itself, leaving the purple alicorn staring at us. Pointing an accusatory hoof at Freight Train, she rushed her words out. “It was his fault! Poking me like that! He threw me off of my concentration!”

I wanted to laugh at that, I found it funny, hilarious even, but a wave of feebleness overwhelmed me. Turning my face up to Eos, I felt my muscles go limp and closed my eyes. The touch of her hoof brushing my mane being the only thing I could feel before fading out.

“Well, well, well.” A soft, familiar voice gently cooed. “Waking up are we, my love?”
With that, she planted a soft kiss between my eyes before snuggling me yet ever closer. “I had wondered when you might come back around.”

“Whe-where am I?” I groggily asked, still unable to think straight.

“You’re here in my room, Crimson. We’ve had you sleeping in the medical ward and in the living room as well, but you’ve been getting your best rest here, with me.”
Though there was a kindness in Eos’ voice with a feeling that she well and truly cared for how I felt as she watched over me, I could tell that deep down, she was hurting as she said those words. Using her magic, she pulled me into more of an upright position so that I laid across her whole chest, the top of my head nuzzling into her chin as both her wings and hooves wrapped around me.

Nudging my head to the side, Eos now looked at me with her deep blue eyes before nuzzling her cheek on mine, a sad tone in her voice… one I’d become all too accustomed to over the last couple of days. “You’ve been in yet another coma for another two days, Crimson. You only just came out of your last coma. Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

I tried to answer, but instead was interrupted with her shushing me as she continued to speak. “Of course you aren’t, I know that. I’ve been told all about that last outing, and you weren’t trying to get yourself in trouble…” With that, she paused as she let out a sigh. “Mostly, anyway. But you really do need to be so much more careful, Crimson. One of these days you’re going to go out there and find the odds are far too much against you.” For a moment, she paused and I could just feel her eyes roll all over me. “Your body, as handsome as it is, is also on so many chemicals to keep you afloat. Do you know what we’ve had to do for you?”

With a weariness in my voice, I had to find out what she was on about. “What do you mean?”

“What do I mean, Crimson? I mean the fact that we’ve been giving you some doses of Buck alongside a lot of professional medical care to keep your heart in check. The fact you went out for two days wasn’t a spell we put on you or some knockout drug, that’s just the state of your heart and the withdrawal from that cocktail of drugs that your medic gave to you.”

With that, Eos turned her focus over to another point in the room, the sound of rattling grabbing my attention. Turning my head to look at It, I could see my armour jiggling in Eos’ magic. “And don’t get me started on this.”

“On what?” I asked, unsure on whether to be upset or offended. “That was my father’s armour. What’s wrong with it?”

“Quite frankly?” Eos looked at me in a way that made me feel small, like a child. “Its old, partially rusted, has all of those holes in it, makes all that rattling noise, weighs more than it needs to, and to top it off? It isn’t even the best design. It’s archaic and you not only need better, but you deserve better. I’m taking you shopping, and this time you’re going with me so you actually do go shopping and not off on some other adventure. You won’t be leaving my sight and you most certainly won’t be putting more stress on your body.”

Unfolding her wings and stretching her legs out, Eos began to yawn, pushing her chest out just enough that I fell onto my side. Looking up at her large blue majesty in a lazy way, the view was quite something.

“Well then, time to shower, mister. Come on, trot along.” Eos began. “I’m not going out anywhere with you smelling like you do right now.”

Taking a sniff of myself, I did notice I had the lingering odour of blood, sweat and chems. Stretching and yawning myself, I closed my eyes, I began to half-heartedly whine. “Can’t I just have a bit more sleep? I feel so tired.”

“Crimson, you’ve been out of it for the last two days. Sleep won’t do you any good.” Eos stated flatly. “You need to get out of here and get some fresh air and get your joints loosened up, but don’t you dream of exercising too much. That’s why you had that heart attack. You hadn’t given your body time to relax, to heal.”

Feeling myself being rolled over, I opened my eyes just in time to know where to put my hooves in order to avoid hitting the floor. With a sly smile, Eos beamed with a newfound happiness towards me. “Come on now. I promise you we’ll find something new for you to wear.”
With that, we both made our way out of the bedroom and over to the shower. I just hoped that my mane would be left alone this time.

Coming out of the shower nice and fresh, I felt a little more energized and ready for the day out. The idea of getting back out made me feel ripe and ready, even if I still wasn’t back up to my best. I just wanted to get out of the base.

Looking at Titan all donned in his armour as he walked on by reminded me that I’d at least need my cloak as there was no way I could go out without some kind of disguise. Trotting off over to the quarters given to me, I slumped down as I walked through the door. The ghost of Cherry still lingered here, her stuff still exactly where she had left it.

Picking up my pistol, holster and cloak, I stepped back out before I could let it bother me any more than it already had. Somehow I knew that if I continued to look towards the bed, I’d end up crying. In the back of my head, I heard a whisper of a phantom lurking inside of me. I hadn’t failed her… not yet. Not yet.

“And what do you expect you’ll be doing with that, Mister?” A stern voice spoke behind me in such a voice that commanded that I turn around to face it. “You aren’t going to be getting yourself into combat today. You’ve no need to carry it.”

“Walking around without a weapon is a sure-fire way to die, Eos.” I retorted immediately. “Besides, it can be used intimidatingly as much as it can be used lethally. There’s no reason not to carry.”

For a moment, it felt like Eos was giving me stink eye, but the expression quickly faded. Feeling a jab into my side, I tried to recoil only to find my hooves were being held in place by a magic grip. Just like that, a tingling sensation seeped into my rump before I realised what was going on. Turning my head to see the object, I was right. A needle of med-x retracted from my side, though I quickly realised that there had to have been well over half of it left in the needle still.

“Hey!” I grumped. “That wasn’t even half a dose. What gives?”

“Crimson, I need to balance your withdrawal symptoms alongside the overdose risk. You can only have that much right now. Oh, and speaking of, I best give you the other part of your treatment now too.”

Other part? What was she on about? I simply watched as she rummaged through her saddlebags and pulled out a small pot. Pouring out a single pill before breaking it in half and putting the other piece back in the pot, I was instructed to open my mouth and swallow. Biting down onto the pill left a bitter taste in my mouth, but seeing the caring eyes and tender smile on Eos’ face as I swallowed made it worthwhile.

At first all I could feel was the lethargic effects of the med-x lingering in my back and muscles, making me want to fall down on the floor and relax, though I knew this wasn’t a good idea. As soon as that thought left my mind, a renewed feeling of strength grew inside of me as the half dose of Buck kicked in, clearing my mind and making me feel oddly calm as my mind up. Breathing in deeply, it was as if I had just washed away a thick haze from my brain.

With a spark in my mind, my eyes lit up enough for Eos to notice. Almost sensing what she was about to ask, I spoke. “I feel so much more energetic, without having a sense of being high. I feel so much better now.”

Patting me on the head like a child, Eos then nodded as she spoke to me. “I’m just giving you what the doctor ordered, but know this, you’re not allowed to self-dose. Doctor’s orders. If I catch you trying to dose yourself up, Mister, you’ll be in huge trouble.”

Standing before her imposing stature, I looked up and gave her a winning smile. I couldn’t help but try to push my luck to see how far it would go. “So… what kind of trouble are we talking about here?”

In return, Eos lowered her face down to mine, cocking an eyebrow as she looked at me. For a moment I began to worry at what she was going to say or do as she stared intently. With lightning quick speed, she pecked me dead on the lips with a kiss, completely stunning me. “Let’s just not even pretend we need to go there, okay?”
…With that kind of argument, I couldn’t really retaliate.

As Titan walked back past us, towards the main door, Eos turned to face the armour clad pony and spoke once more, a pleasant joy in her voice “So, Titan. What’s it like up there? I take it you’ve been outside since you’re wearing all that.”

With that, he merely looked at her before replying in an almost dismissive tone. “No.”

The look on Eos’ face was of absolute confusion as she stared at the power armoured pony, jaw agape. “Wait… you’ve not been? Why not?”

With a grunt and a long, heavy sigh, Titan shook his head. “No, I’ve not been up topside, because there’s too many patrols going on up there. I don’t know why. You’d think with mister executioner over here being out of action, the guards would have cooled off. Instead, the scouts have told me not to go up under any circumstance short of certain death.” With that, Titan started to walk away before stopping dead in his tracks. “Wait. Why are you asking?”

“I’m going up there.” Eos confidently stated.

“The hell you are!” Titan blasted. “You’re too valuable to the cause. Your leadership is essential. I’m not risking your life like that. Besides, the doors are shut. You aren’t getting out if not even I’m allowed out.”

With a smirk, Eos looked to the right, into the empty space in the hallway. “Too bad. Selene? Pop us up there.”

“Wait. How did you know I was here?” Another voice asked, out of nowhere. Maybe I had just missed her walking from around the corner whilst I put my cloak on or perhaps she was invisible, but now I looked, there she stood. In a flash of purple, we were already gone before we could hear what Titan had to say on the matter.

Now I found we were standing atop of a roof nearby the entrance of the base, but not too close either. Taking a deep breath, I could finally taste the fresh, outdoor air once more. Not the recycled and filtered air that was being fed in the facility, but true, fresh air. At this point I didn’t even care for the possible trace amounts of radiation in the air, I just appreciated the fact that it wasn’t stale.

“So, how did you notice me?” Selene asked once more. “I was certain I was invisible that time. Fully invisible. How did you know I was there?”

Leaning in, brushing Selene’s ear with her mouth, Eos looked like she was about to whisper a secret to the purple mare. Instead, even where I stood I could see Eos’ grin grow from cheek to cheek. “You smell.” Eos stated playfully, earning a shove from her sister. “Hey! I didn’t say you stink, and I mean it. I recognised your smell.”

With that, Selene let out a small ‘oh’ and then huffed, before turning her back to us. “Well, I’ll just go practice my smell-tastic invisibility elsewhere then.”

Before either of us could respond, she smiled at us and in another flash of purple, disappeared entirely. As she went, so did a fruity scent that I hadn’t even recognised was there until now. Blinking my eyes, I turned to Eos, completely dumbfounded. “Wait… you really did realise she was there by scent alone, didn’t you?”

“Yep!” Eos cheerfully gleamed. “Rule number one of invisibility; never forget that it only hides your visual profile, nothing more. You still smell, create noise and produce heat.”

“Heat? Now, noise and smell I understand… but heat?”

“Combat robots may utilise heat sensors to detect stealth cloak users whilst some animals can sense body heat and use that to track their prey. Being invisible doesn’t matter when your opponent isn’t looking for you with the naked eye.”

Stealth cloaks? Now that was something I could make use of. Watching Eos step over the edge of the building, I quickly followed suit, making sure not to flap my wings to avoid making any noise. The pair of us gliding down from such a height would’ve made for a spectacular sight for any onlookers, but thankfully there wasn’t any. Landing on the ground and turning out of the alleyway, we began walking through the streets, my wings now securely tucked into the cloak in order to avoid detection.

Within the first few seconds, I could already see the first of the increased patrols that Titan had mentioned, though surprisingly, it looked as if the soldier was alone. Instinct told me to prepare myself, though quickly I felt a soothing aura radiating from the mare beside me as she spoke. “No. Remember, we’re not here for violence.”

Taking a deep breath, I felt the weight of my tension leave my body as I listened to her words. A part of me worried about what would happen if the guard saw her, but with that, she gently cooed into my ear. “I’ll just go invisible if it comes to it, Crimson. Don’t fret about me.”
Looking at her with a moment of confusion, it clicked in my head. Of course, she could read my mind now.

Mixing in with the crowd, I could tell ponies were staring at Eos, which made me feel uncomfortable, but none dared approach. Looking at the rags that some of the others around me left me feeling that perhaps Eos should have been covered up to try and blend in at least a little, but that was her choice.

“So, what do you want to do, darling?” Turning my head to the voice, I could just see Eos smiling sweetly at me as we continued to walk along the street, towards the main shopping zone. “There’s obviously the matter of finding you some new armour, and whilst I know exactly who to talk to, you’ll need it to be fitted to your size. That could take some time. Other than that, well, there’s the alcohol to buy since you and Dawnstar didn’t end up getting that.”

“Ha. Oh yeah, I remember.” I muttered to myself. “How has Titan been handling that?”

“He’s not been happy about it. He likes a drink. Thankfully I know where to find the stand to buy these items which we drank away so merrily.” For a moment the conversation dulled, though new life soon came. “Oh, was there anything you wanted to buy, mister?”

“Other than a water talisman? No, nothing that I know of.”

“That reminds me. While you were… unavailable, shall we say, some ponies who I assume to be your friends tried to make contact with you over your PipBuck. There is no progress from anypony. They said that there still hasn’t been contact with the other group and they’re looking at returning home to resupply, when they’re allowed out of Tenpony Tower. They didn’t say more and wouldn’t say more.”

Grimacing, the fact that group B still hadn’t been heard from meant they’d likely met the same fate as my own travelling partners, if not a total wipe. My only hope was that if nothing else, at least group A would survive, return and search elsewhere perhaps… though where else was there to look now? The other big cities would be too far of a journey to reach for certain, and with the state of Coltchester… bringing yet more of our ponies into the fray here didn’t seem like a great idea. I’d got messed up in this situation enough, there was no need for more risk.

Just as I lost myself in a whole new world of thought, Eos nudged me with a hoof to bring me back.
“So, perhaps we ought to get that armour fitted for you? Even if it is ready to take straight away, we can have it put aside for you until the end of our day. What do you think?”

Giving her a small nod and a smile, there wasn’t really anything I could come out with other than ‘sure’. Getting a bit of exercise was good but I had no idea what to do if I wasn’t fighting. If Titan was true to his word, I had to help the rebels more, but how?

Looking around whilst Eos led the way to the armour dealer Eos supposedly knew, I couldn’t help but feel on edge as everything looked… off. The ponies, donkeys and zebras who laid on the floor seemed to have less life in their bodies, whilst those who were doing their daily duties seemed to do so with a jaggedness to their motions, as if they were in pain. The tension in the air was high, and whilst my E.F.S wasn’t showing up any marks, I could feel the hostility just from the looks.

As we were making our way further along the street, one pony barked at us in a muffled way. “You. You two. Over here.”

Looking in the direction of the voice, I saw what seemed to be a potentially slim stallion wrapped from head to hoof in a bundle of mismatching rags. As I was trying to judge whether he was truly speaking to us or not, he gave a nod and waved a hoof in such a way as to not try to attract attention from unwanted guests before uncovering his face.

Turning my head to Eos, she whispered in my ear to go ahead before turning invisible. Now, listening carefully, I could hear the hoofsteps approach the figure that had called out to us. Taking that as a go ahead, I followed suit.

“I know she recognises me and that you don’t, so I’ll be quick. Perfer et obdura; dolor hic tibi proderit olim. I’m one of the scouts. Look, I don’t have time to give you the full details of everything, the longer we spend together, the more chances of us getting noticed.”
Giving an understanding nod, I simply let the stallion continue. “There’s something not quite right about today, I’m sure you can feel it too. There’s whispers that in a short while, they’re going to call everyone – absolutely everyone, over to the main plaza for some big event. They’re not letting anyone over who isn’t in their ranks. If you’ve got business, I’d make it quick and keep to the sidelines. Especially with…” For a moment he paused, almost as if trying to find the right wording for the situation. “Present company around. Also, get some kind of robes, Princess. You’re going to need them. Too many patrols. Now go, go and do whatever you’re doing for the day, but be extremely careful.”

Just like that the stallion covered his face back over and pretended to go to sleep, though I knew the reality would be that he was watching and waiting for the right moment to move elsewhere. Even though I didn’t know this pony, something told me he was no slouch at his job, being able to find out such information and even managing to pick us out without issue. Though he was absolutely right what he had said; if he could pick us out, so could opposing spies. We had to be more careful.

Looking around, I couldn’t still see the ‘Princess’ as the scout had called her, though something told me that she’d be following me. Turning back around, I continued on our path.
Slightly worried that she might have gone somewhere without telling me, I started to look around without trying to make it too obvious. There was no sign of any patrols, but I also saw nothing of Eos either.

Whilst looking a different direction, I accidentally bumped into a pony. Turning my attention to apologise, I froze in my tracks as I felt like I recognised the pony in front of me. Standing straight ahead of me was a sight that chilled me to the core. The white mare.
Her mane hung down from her face just as it had before, her snout looking a little more scarred, but her eyes and how they looked at me, how they bore into my soul.

“Gimmie. Yo. Muny.”

My muscles tensed as I tried to back up, but instead walked into somepony else who yelled at me. I couldn’t look back to apologise though, my eyes fixed on her. The pony bandit from before. I was certain it was her! Feeling my heartbeat in my bottom lip, I tried to speak with confidence but failed horribly. “You… B-but… you! I took your head off!”

Once more she spoke, her flat tone of voice not holding any anger or hatred, no sense of revenge driving her movement as she began to reach for her pistol. I wanted to do the same, but felt too afraid to even reach. Not only was there no way I’d make a clean shot and not hit anypony else, but it would be too loud, attract too many guards. Watching as her head raised back up and her eyes locked back onto mine, she repeated her phrase once more.

With a cracking sound, the white mare dropped to the floor, convulsing, though seemingly still alive. Looking up to the sound of wingbeats, I could now see Eos panting, her horn aimed at where the mare had stood, a smile slowly showing on her face.

Looking back down to the shaking mare on the floor, I wanted to do something. I didn’t know what. Ask her how she’d come back from having her head blown off? Ask for forgiveness? Finish the job? She was a bandit after all… she had just tried mugging me, but feeling the comforting feeling of Eos guiding me along with a hoof, I just had to let it go. Maybe it was all three of those things, but it didn’t matter. We had to get out of here.

“What was that I saw in your face, Crimson?” Eos asked, a smirk on her face. “You looked like you’d seen a ghost.” For a moment she giggled, teasingly nudging my shoulder before putting on a mocking voice. “I mean, she is all white, after all.”

Looking at her in the eyes, I could see from her face that she suddenly realised just how serious this was to me as her eyes widened and her smile faded. Without expression, I told her. “I’ve blown her head off before. The time before last time I was outside. I… I’ve already killed that pony, Eos.”

For the next while in our journey, neither of us said another word. Between the disturbing feeling creeping up my spine of what had just happened and darting between crowds and the dark back alleys buildings to avoid patrols, there was just too much to focus on. Besides, merely walking alongside Eos was pleasant enough. Looking over to her every now and again, I got beaming smiles back whenever she noticed my gaze lingering long enough to be caught.

Stepping towards the exit of the alley we had ducked in to avoid visibility, I was overwhelmed with a sense of dread as my ears perked to a high pitched wheezing sound. Looking to my left, I immediately spotted the source of my tension. These three tall, shiny, terrifying beasts of mechanical nature. Zebra Superhoofs, as Titan had called them before. I’d had my ‘fight’ with those before, and now Titan and his crew weren’t here to save me, I knew I stood no chance.

Noticing Eos about to walk out into the open, I had to stop her before she could be seen. Wrapping my hooves around her neck and throwing us both down to the ground was my only option. Looking at her face as I tried my best to kick my cloak over the both of us, I could tell she was far from happy. Before she could make a sound, I stopped her with a kiss, lunging my tongue into her mouth. At first I could see that she was utterly baffled, but quickly seemed to realise that something was wrong.

Carefully moving myself to cover yet more of her frame with my cloak, I saw Eos look around before her horn lit up, pulling another piece of fabric from nearby over the rest of us. I could see that it was dirty, but that didn’t matter. Turning my eyes up to the exit of the alley, I could see the zebras now walking past with their machines.

Laying on the floor with Eos, her tongue now sliding into my mouth instead, I could feel her hoof begin to brush up my side, sending my eyes rolling to the top of my skull. I knew it was wrong, any other circumstance and I wouldn’t have done it, but in that moment, it was necessary.

Just as my mind regained focus, I noticed a superhoof pause and turn its head towards us before a pony dressed in DZC garb also peered into the alleyway. Feeling the tension of the moment, I knew that this was when our lives were truly on the line. With my heart racing and my body burning up from both sides of the cap, I doubled down on my effort to make out with Eos, hoping it would be enough to convince the pair to walk past us without disturbance. As if my prayers had been answered, the pony tapped on the robot and the pair continued walking by as if they had seen nothing out of the ordinary.

Until the rest of the unit passed by, we laid like that, making out. Breaking away from the kiss was an affair almost too slow, the look on Eos’ face, the spark in her eyes. I told myself that it was merely a disguise… just a means of avoiding detection, but… something deep down of me enjoyed it. Oh, Princesses, did I enjoy it, and did that make me feel guilty.

Looking into her eyes, I could tell she wanted more, and the feeling in my gut had me craving the same, but I quickly remembered why we had even gotten into that situation and pulled myself from the floor, checking both directions from the exit of the alley. The path was now clear.

Turning my focus back to Eos, I saw her laying on the floor in a seductive pose, smiling coyly at me. “Well, Crimson. If you wanted to kiss me, you could’ve just asked.”
My eyes shot wide as I simply looked at her whilst she playfully moved her hoof around in circles, almost invitingly so. The way she laid there was almost as if she was asking for more of the same, and the smile didn’t help one bit. That teasing, welcoming smile feeling like a lasso, trying to draw me closer.

I wasn’t going to do this to Cherry. Mustering all of my strength, I breathed in deeply, closed my eyes and shook my head. “No. Come on. It’s time to move. Get off the floor, we’ve got to get out of here.”

Walking to the edge of the alley I heard a whinny but didn’t respond to it. Instead, I began trotting into the direction I presumed the armour dealer had to be. A big part of me wanted to tail the Coalition soldiers instead, to see where they were going and why they might have had the superhoofs as there had to be something big going on if they were going to bring those out. They seemed somewhat of a rarity, though I wasn’t about to complain.

Before I knew it, the feeling of a large body radiating excessive amounts of heat stuck to me like glue. I didn’t even need to turn my head to know it was Eos, just the sensation of her wingtips mingling with mine in the cracks of my cloak was more than enough of a clue.

Letting out a long, heavy sigh, I finally got tough on the matter. “Eos, stop. What happened just now was to make sure we weren’t picked up on. If I didn’t pull you down to the ground you would’ve been spotted and if I didn’t kiss you, you would’ve made enough noise to get their attention. I…” I paused, looking down at the cracked cobblestone path below, ashamed of myself that it even got this far.

“You don’t find me pretty enough?” Eos sulked, deflating with every word. “Am I not good enough for you?”

Her magic wrapped itself around my face and forced me to look at her, to look into her eyes. Of course she was pretty enough! Of course she was good enough… if only the circumstances were different. “Yes, you are, bu-”

Interrupting me with both her words and magic, Eos now spoke with a little more perkiness. “So you do want me. Why would you deny my ability to feel normal, Crimson? To feel attractive?”

Thinking about my next words carefully was more than just a matter of feeling charismatic, but almost like a damn warzone as I felt her eyes bore into my mind. Whether she truly was reading my mind or not wasn’t something I could tell, but I knew I had to be careful. Finally, finding what I hoped to be the right answer, I spoke solemnly. “I have Cherry.”

Her gaze now thrown elsewhere as she huffed quietly, Eos muttered but a single phrase. “I understand.”

Looking back down to the ground, I felt terrible. Eos slinked off ahead, much the same. Again we came to a period of neither of us saying much of anything at all, though at the very least it seemed there was one boon; no more patrols forced us to duck out of the way. If nothing else, it meant that there was no awkward moments.

Approaching a blacked out door, Eos paused, taking note of the surroundings first. Not thinking much of it, I continued to walk ahead before being yanked by her magic, tugging at my wing. Turning back around, the door was now open and the mare simply gestured for me to enter. Stepping in to the building, I couldn’t see anything other than a very dimly lit room and another doorway. As Eos stepped through and closed the door behind her, my eyes were plunged into a world of complete darkness before slowly acclimatising to the light.

There was a counter and a few odd pieces of junk and litter scattered around, but nothing of any interest. Turning to face my companion, I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on. “So… where’s the gear you were on about?”

Though I couldn’t see much, I could just about see a small smile on her face begin to form the door on the other side of the room began to open, bleeding light into the room we were in. Pulling her smile just a little larger for but a moment, she spoke, though her voice still told of her true feelings; that of defeat and deflation. “Through there. Go on, go and have a look.”

Doing my best to tread carefully in the dark room, I made my way over to the door, covering my eyes with a hoof as I stepped through into the brightly lit area. As my eyesight began to return to normal, my jaw dropped.

Guns, ammo, armour, power armour. Hell, there was even a single suit of Grand Pegasus Enclave power armour! Rushing on over to it, I couldn’t help but gawp as I admired every tiny detail up close. The scales, the visor, the filament that ran along the edge of the wingtips… sure, I had seen those two Enclave soldiers previously, but to see the armour so close and personal was... amazing!

“So, I take it you’re that pegasai I’ve been awaiting then, hm?” A grumbly old voice called out, distracting me from the grand prize. Turning my head, the old donkey smiled as Eos walked over to his side. “I’ve got your armour over here. Though you’re more than welcome to look at everything else, mind, but I doubt you’ve got enough caps to win over that particular piece.”

Without a moment of hesitation, I immediately asked. I had to know. “How much?”

Cocking an eyebrow and smirking, the donkey watched my face intently as he spoke. “That G.P.E power armour? You’re looking at a hefty price. One lump sum of fifteen thousand caps. And no, I’m not kidding. I’ve had to fix that up from a state of practically falling apart, using as many suits as I could get my hooves on. All six of them. I’ve managed to put two together out of all six, and only two. The other suit sold to a collector of sorts, so you’re looking at the only suit you’ll find anywhere around here.”

“The only suit?” I asked in disbelief. “Surely not?”

“The only working, worthwhile suit, sure. Unless of course you want to go toe to toe with a member of the G.P.E?” With that, the steel grey donkey chuckled. “Mind, I’ve heard that even you backed out of that confrontation. Can’t say I blame you.”

“Wait, you know of me?!” I exclaimed in shock. “But how could you? We haven’t met before!”

“No, we have, we just haven’t been introduced… or, you haven’t been introduced to me, Executioner.”

With that my blood ran cold. I looked to Eos for an answer, but she simply held onto her smile, the kind of smile that told me it was okay. Taking a deep breath, I lowered the hood from my cloak and stepped closer to the donkey. “Okay, yeah, you’ve got me. I am indeed the Executioner. Now, may I ask who you are in that case?”

“I don’t give out my name. You can call me the dealer if you want, I suppose, but that’s not my name. I mean, sure, I deal in guns, ammo and armour, but I do as much repairs and maintenance as I do sales. So how about tinkerer? But then that implies I tinker around with just about anything. To call me a gun nut would forget the armour, and to call me an armourer would forget the guns. Besides, I prefer not to know my customers names too much and I keep my name hidden. Keeps things… safe.”

Scrunching up my nose, I could understand where he was coming from, but his sense of logic still felt odd. Giving him my best smile, I tried to make friends anyway. “Well, okay then. At least tell me this; are you working for the D.Z.C?”

As with before, the donkey responded in a very flat, grumbly tone. “Nope.”

“The P.L.A.C?”

“Nope.”

“Some other group?”

“None of them.”

Pausing for a moment, I was completely stumped. “Wait… so you don’t work for anyone?”

“Look, kid.” The old donkey began whilst rubbing the bottom of his hoof on the corner of his desk in an idle fashion. “I don’t work for any group, I work for individuals. My affiliation is to myself and my customer base. Now, that’s not to say I simply let just anyone in here… no. I have to trust them. I have to like ‘em. Ya know what? I like your doll. Ha, I even like the shit you’ve pulled off. Most of all? I love how you’re alive and right here and all the while.” With this, the donkey chuckled to himself. “Well…” With that, he ended his sentence.

“So, is it ready?” Eos asked, her voice now beginning to go back to normal.

“Sweets, do you think a donkey of my reputation would let a mare like yourself down? I’ve got you just what you asked for, don’t you worry. Now, if he would just come over here.”

Taking my cue, I walked on over to the counter, only to be redirected to another doorway. Almost as soon as the donkey walked in, he had backed out with a trolley in hoof, wheeling a collection of armour pieces with him.

Staring at them, I could tell just how much more advanced they were already. Their designs provided a wider range of coverage whilst also having joints in them that articulated in ways that my old armour simply couldn’t. Watching the donkey lift them up effortlessly, they also seemed to weigh a lot less and made almost no noise in comparison to what mine would have.

Pausing as if waiting for me, the donkey spoke. “Well… get your cloak off then. Let’s make sure it does all fit.”

He was waiting for me! Quickly disrobing and unclipping my holster, Eos then helped me out with getting the armour on. Sliding it over my head, past my hooves and onto my chest, I then felt her magic tighten the buckles before clipping in extra protection to cover the weak spots. Putting the wrist protector on my left forehoof, my right was protected enough by the PipBuck.

All dressed up, I felt so much more protected than ever before. My neck had a bit of extra cover without restricting my ability to look down. My flanks had a tougher feeling without being heavy, and nothing felt loose in the slightest.

At that point, the donkey reached down from below, and pulled out something else. My coat! Looking at it, there was absolutely no denying it! That was my coat! Blinking in confusion, Eos gently cooed into my ear. “Yes, I’m sorry. I took your coat so that could get some extra love too.”

Looking at it, I could tell that it indeed had been modified. Holes that had been shot into it were now carefully patched out with new leather, seams reinforced with metal lining to prevent tears and seam damage, especially around the wings. It even had some metalwork to attach my bag onto more securely! Staring at the hoofwork of the donkey, I was completely amazed at how much had been done and yet, the weight of it had barely increased. With a little reminder from said donkey, I tried it on, to which I found it fit perfectly as if moulded for the new armour.

Taking a couple of steps around the room, I couldn’t believe it. The increased weight was certainly something I could notice, but not even close enough to feel bothered about. Despite that, something about this armour made me feel much more confident about my combat prowess. Looking back to the holster on the floor, fitting that would be the only issue.

As I picked my gun up, the donkey looked at me with a frown. “Wait, you’re using that?” He began, trotting on over to look at my piece. “Don’t even start with the whole ‘what’s wrong with it?’ stick, just look at it. You’ve got these brand new set of armour and you’re using this part rusted pea shooter? I mean, it’s one of those guns you’d just pick off the first corpse you find and roll with it.”

With that, I couldn’t help but blush and shy away a little, much to the donkey’s amusement. “Wait, don’t tell me, is that the actual story of how you got that gun? It is, isn’t it? Look. It may have done the job for you up until now, but the lack of good maintenance over the years let alone what little you may have or may not have done for it… well, that model wasn’t very good to begin with. Cheap, cheerful, easy to get a hold of – but it was never a particularly good gun. Just reliable and easy enough to be mass produced is all. That particular model is renowned for being misaligned anyway.”

Scraping the floor with a hoof, I looked at my pistol. He was right. There was plenty of times where I felt like it wasn’t quite shooting straight to the sights, though I simply made sure to get closer to reduce the issue with that. Taking a deep breath and a gulp, I raised my head and smiled back at the donkey. “Well, we’ve got the price of the armour to discuss first, and-”

“It’s been paid for already, your sweetheart covered those fees beforehoof.”

Looking over at Eos, I now saw her smile just like she had at the start of the day. I could feel my jaw slowly droop down before swinging back into a smile as she stepped on over, stopping right before me. “I hope you enjoy your new armour.” For a moment she paused, hesitant on whether to say the end of her sentence. “Darling.” Turning her gaze to the donkey, she smiled at him now. “If you would like to find a suitable replacement, we’ll be interested to see it.”

“Sure thing.” And with that, the donkey went over to the display cabinets, spending his focus on trying to find the right weapon.

With that opportunity, Eos bowed her head down to mine and looked me dead in the eye before whispering to me. “I’ll also cover the cost of your gun if you…”

“If I what?” I asked, unsure of what to expect, though I had to admit, covering the cost of a new gun wouldn’t be cheap and truth be told, I didn’t think I had the caps.

Cocking an eyebrow at me suggestively, Eos smiled. “If you’re willing to show me some of the appreciation you showed me earlier.”

Looking into those large, deep blue pools that led to her soul, I knew it was wrong of me but I couldn’t deny that not only was her offer too good to refuse, but I still had a longing myself. Gently brushing her cheek with a hoof, I leant in closer and felt our lips meet, or tongues clash and a chill down my spine. This was wrong, I was meant to be with Cherry, and yet here I stood, enjoying a passionate moment with Eos as I felt my heart race and my lips beg for more.

Pulling back from the embrace, my lower lip throbbed as my chest yearned for more, the fire growing inside of me. Opening up my eyes slowly, I saw her eyelashes flutter open in a seductive manner. “Thank you.”

Watching her slowly bite her own lip, her smile grew so much larger as she let out a long, contented sigh. “No, thank you. Darling, whatever pistol you want, you’ve got it.”

Turning back around, the donkey merely sat as if he was waiting for us to finish. “Right. Now, as I was going to say to you, lovebird. I’ve got a piece here that will make a huge improvement. The IF-92S. A truly powerful weapon fitting of your reputation. Shoots true to the target, handles the same calibre as what your junker does but has a reputation for refusing to jam even under the worst of conditions. It can load heavier ammunition, perfect for firing armour piercing rounds. The mouth guard is more secure and whilst the gun obviously isn’t factory new, what gun is these days? Despite that, this is one of those pieces I’ve found in near pristine condition as it was and rejuvenated it to yet an even higher condition through love and care. Three hundred and fifty caps for just the gun, five hundred and fifty if you want me to include a good amount of armour piercing rounds, some spare magazines that are colour coded for you to swap between the two types and a holster to fit your new armour, specifically made for this model of gun no less.”

Watching him present the gun and all of its aspects as he gave one hell of a show of its condition, I slid to my rump, completely entranced by the knowledge and care this donkey genuinely seemed to give. Feeling a wing slide around me and pull me closer, I looked over to see Eos sitting next to me, her adorable smile sitting from cheek to cheek. Without any warning, hesitation or consultation, she spoke in a blissful voice. “We’ll take it. The whole package.”

My jaw dropped. “Are… are you sure? That-“

“It’s a fine deal, my love. If it keeps you safe and allows you to do your job better, it’s most certainly worth the investment.”

I didn’t know how to feel. A part of me felt incredibly guilty for taking advantage of this offer, and another part of me felt guilty for the price I’d paid. If Cherry was to ever find out, I knew that I wouldn’t be forgiven. Despite that, as soon as the donkey strapped the holster onto my wrist and I felt that gun click into place, I somehow knew it was a price worth paying. Pulling the new IF-92S out of its holster to feel the weight, not only did it seem lighter, but it was also noticeably more balanced too. Looking down at my old gun, I could hardly believe just what a difference it was.

With a deftness, the donkey picked my old gun and unloaded the magazine before loading most of the rounds into a new one, ready for my gun. Noticing that he couldn’t fit the same amount in the new magazine, which was the only downside it seemed. Passing those two rounds to me alongside the mag, I’d have to keep that in mind from now on.

In a matter of just a minute, the donkey had sorted me out with the ammo whilst Eos counted and passed over the insane amount of caps. I still couldn’t believe that she was so readily giving over that many, but she didn’t seem to care. Looking at her, I could tell that all she wanted was to see me happy in this moment. I couldn’t deny it, I was. I was even happier when I managed to convince the donkey to throw in just a couple more normal rounds in exchange for my old gun and holster. How much use it’d be to him, I wasn’t sure, but he accepted the deal regardless. It wasn’t many rounds, but I had a feeling that every single round would count for something.

Putting my cloak back on over everything, we made our way out the back door, led by the donkey to ensure that nobody caught on to what was actually going on in the seemingly abandoned, little dark room that was once a shop. Stepping back out into the dirty cobblestone streets, it felt refreshing to see real light once more. Making our way through, we soon enough found ourselves back on the main street, just as before.

“So,” I began before trailing off into my own world of thought, still enthralled with what had just gone down. Now I walked around with my armour, I really couldn’t get enough of just how good it felt. Remembering myself as Eos looked at me with curiosity, I snapped back to reality. “Oh, sorry. Forgot myself there for a second. So… now we’ve got all this, I uh… suppose you don’t have many caps left, hey?”

Looking away sheepishly, Eos just shook her head. “N-no.”

Reaching for her face with a hoof, I turned her gaze back to mine before planting a short but sweet kiss as a means of showing my gratitude. Her little moan in delight was adorable as she raised her head to the sky in delight. Deep down, I wished that if any moment could last forever, it’d be a moment like this.

Taking in a deep breath and immediately letting it go, I took her hoof and gently corralled her into moving. “Come on Eos. I’ll pay for the alcohol then.”

Just as we began to move, loudspeakers that had been set up all over now burst to life with a crackle and pop before booming out with a voice. ‘Testing, testing. Good.’
Looking up to the speakers, I didn’t know what was going on, but something told me whatever it was, it couldn’t be a good thing. Looking to Eos, she shrugged, confirming this wasn’t something the P.L.A.C had any part of.

‘All citizens of Coltchester’s lower district are hereby required to meet at the main street, near the checkpoint gate, immediately. Repeat, all citizens of Coltchester’s lower district are hereby required to meet at the main street, near the checkpoint gate, immediately. An important message awaits you from the Coalition regarding your safety. We cannot guarantee your safety unless you are present. This order is effective immediately.’

Looking at Eos, I began to worry. “We better get there quick then, I suppose?” The look in her eyes was also filled with apprehension. “I know what you’re thinking, I promise I won’t go gung-ho just because of my new armour and gun. Besides, I’ve got you to take care of and protect, but we don’t want to be seen as making ourselves suspicious.” For a moment her face winced, though it began to calm down as I carried on. “We’ll hang around on the edge, deal?”

With that, she just nodded and we quickly made our way to where the crowds were forming to get to the destination. At first Eos stayed in plain sight with me, though soon enough we could start to see guards lining the street, casually keeping an eye in the distance. Looking at Eos, she must have caught the same idea as me as she turned invisible. Though I couldn’t see her now, I felt her wing caress my back, letting me know she was still with me.

As I now approached the main checkpoint gate, the very same area which had been blocked off earlier, I could now see why. There stood a tall wooden structure, a platform, holding a whole bunch of ponies and zebras. Some of them were dressed in Coalition gear, whilst others had full face masks. One even had robes covering their entirety. With the crowd starting to rabble and squabble amongst themselves, the atmosphere was like electric, even more so than earlier in the day.

Now another figure walked up onto the platform, over to a podium. I couldn’t make out any details of them and couldn’t risk getting closer, but something told me they had to be important. With a tap of their hoof, the speakers crackled to life once more. This time though, the voice seemed almost familiar somehow, though I couldn’t figure out why.

‘Mares and stallions, colts and fillies. Ponies, Donkeys and Zebras. We’ve gathered you here for an important message. It is to our understanding that the lower district of Coltchester, or, ‘Slumside’ as you so affectionately call it, is in turmoil. We know that there are those that dissent our rule and despise us for keeping you safe, for relying on your toil to keep everyone, of every creed, fed. We know that hard work is hard and it might seem like we don’t care for you, but I promise, this is not the truth. We do everything we can to keep you safe, and do not keep you locked up like others might if you were to go elsewhere – but yet here you are, here you stay. You stay because deep down, you know the truth. You know we provide to you the best opportunity to survive. The wasteland is harsh and unforgiving. The slavers of Fillydelphia are vile and repulsive, who will slaughter and maim you for nothing but fun. The prices of Tenpony stopping all but the most elite from a fair chance. The space in Friendship City lacking any room for us. The dangers of places such as New Oatleans completely untamed land. Not Coltchester. Coltchester provides protection and promise for a tomorrow, a chance to work alongside the finest military Equestria has known since the war. Coltchester promises a chance for even the poorest to perhaps save enough that you might experience the wonders of pre-war establishments should you work hard and save your caps.’

For a moment, the voice stopped, looking across the crowd for a response. Instead, they drew silence. Whether this was what he wanted or not didn’t matter, at least he wasn’t being shot at. That was the best he could have hoped for. Taking a deep breath, he continued his speech.

‘Today… today we have something special for you all. You get to see what happens to those whom sow the seed of dissent, whom actively seek to destroy the livelihood of not only us, but also yourselves. Do not forget that what hurts those at the top, hurts those at the bottom because without the head, the body will die. Today, we show to you, how we deal with these.’

With that, one masked figure had their head exposed. A zebra. I couldn’t see them well enough to identify them from here, but desperately wanted to see. Looking around, I could see somepony next to me had binoculars. Quickly touching their shoulder, I spoke in hushed voice. “You. Five caps to borrow those binoculars off of you for a moment?”

For a moment they looked at me with uncertainty, rolling their jaw around as they considered the offer, though quickly made their mind up. “Borrow? Just to see this?” I gave a quick nod in confirmation, not wanting to waste time as I pulled five caps out of my bag. “Sure.”

Passing the caps over, I raised the binoculars to look through them. Another zebra had already been unmasked, though I didn’t recognise either. Now an old pony. With that, Eos grabbed the binoculars in her magic and gasped. “T-that’s Pony Joe!”

The sound of stuttering caught my attention as I turned to see the look of pure confusion on the face of the buck next to me. Thinking quickly, I simply tossed him two more caps. “You saw and heard nothing.” With that, he merely nodded in understanding.

Taking back the binoculars, now it was my turn to gasp as I recognised the next pony in line. A mare, but not just any mare. Blessed Cradle. There was one more figure left on the platform, the one which had been entirely robed in such a way that no-one could figure out who it would be until they were exposed. Instead of disrobing them, the zebra that had been doing so stopped, and waited.

‘And last, but most certainly not least, our final guest.’

As the zebra took the garb off from the figure, I felt my blood run cold and my face drain of colour as the binoculars slowly dropped away.

Author's Notes:

Well, I hope I haven't upset anyone with this chapter... Or, at least not in a way not intended. Not entirely how the chapter was going to go initially, but I liked the direction it led me. Hope to hear any ideas you might have about who it is...

As always, huge thanks go out to Kkat for creating the verse we all love. As well, a big thank you to a friend called Basic for helping me out with the very beginning.
Much love goes out to all of the supporters, it really does mean something to me that people read this.