"Seven!  Why the hell am I naked?!?"

A somewhat flat voice answered from the speakers in my vault as I looked around.  The exterior doors were sealed and all sorts of bloody and discarded armor and clothing littered the floor around the area I was suspended.  The humming of the filtration units was somewhat comforting, as radiation poisoning didn't sound fun.

"Relax Sergeant.  Removal of your armor and clothing was necessary to effect the repairs that were needed to your body.  Please do not exert yourself at this juncture as you may aggravate your injuries.  You will find a new bodysuit in the clothing locker to your left."

As I looked toward the locker Seven mentioned, the iron grasp of the robot arms weakened, allowing me to step out of the cradle that supported my weight for however long I was out.  The moment my left leg touched the ground, pain filled most of my body for a moment before dulling as the meds in my system took over.  Slowly working my way to the locker, I pushed the latch into its recess and opened it to see what lay within.  Nothing much, just a standard issue black two part body glove with the usual assortment of electrical connections and ports randomly assorted across the surface.  With a painful shrug, I slowly slid the clothes on, wincing as the fabric grazed over tender places.

"What now Seven?  It looks like my armor is pretty much fucked up at this point?"

I swear you could hear the smugness in his flat metallic voice.

"Please return to the arming unit.  Your armor will be assembled at that time.  Some parts had to be fabricated by the drones from the stores to manage around your injuries.  Speaking of which, they were quite severe.  I will explain once you are secure again."

A moment of limping seemed to take forever until my wrists were grasped again by the arms, and a familiar weight of the cradle pressed against my lower back.

"Please relax as I try to explain your injuries.  By all rights, the only reason for your survival was the experimental medications and compounds you were injected with.  Despite their increasing your survival rate, there was significant damage to your structure.  Case and point, nanites were fused to support numerous fractures in both your ribs and left leg.  Most concerning was your left eye.  You suffered a destroyed orbit from what can be surmised as a musket ball.  The bone has been replaced with a titanium extrusion, along with a decent percentage of your cheekbone."

"You did WHAT?!"

"It was necessary for your survival.  If you do not survive, we cannot attempt to find the rest of our people.  To continue, the damage to the optical orbit also caused your retina to detach.  That has been largely healed, but a good portion of the photo receptors have been replaced with tech.  On one hand, it will increase your ability to see in adverse environments.  On the other hand, it will be obvious that your eye is augmented."

I could only sigh at that.  Better to have two working eyes than one, even if my left was going to be a bit screwy.

"Fine, lets get this show on the road then.  I'm fairly certain that those things will be back."

It was all I could do to close my eyes as the whirring of machinery started again.  Bit by bit, I could feel metal being shackled around my body and electronics being connected until on my head remained.  When the whining had stopped and the formerly red lights on the cradle turned green, I did what came naturally.

###Connecting to network

###Mapping armor to physiological changes

###M42 Pathfinder chassis online.

With that, I stepped out of the cradle and onto the concrete floor with a soft thump, wishing there was a mirror handy.  I had only heard rumors about the pathfinder armor.

"Seven, where did you find this stuff?"

"Due to radiation levels and expected combat operations, I felt that equipping you with the best items from our limited stores would be the best for your survival.  Your new helmet will be available shortly, once software and database updates are complete.  Differences between your armor and the new systems will be displayed on linking to your armor.  The many things I have discovered will also be updated to your neural drive at that time."

"Sounds good enough to me.  Anything interesting happen while I was out?  Also, how long was I out?"

I just leaned against the wall as there was nothing else to do until my armor was finished.  Couldn't even get out of the room because of the radiation.

"You were unconscious for nearly 32 hours.  In that time, there were 3 attempts to take the cavern by the creatures dubbed "Minotaurs."  Each time they were repelled with extreme prejudice.  After your encounter, I have taken it on myself to manage the targeting of the drones as the creatures seem to be carrying scavenged NAF armor."

Ok that was kind of impressive that the ponies managed to fend off 3 attacks without me.  

"The first attack was nearly a rout until the CQB drones arrived on station.  After that, they did not make it past the cavern entrance.  Additionally, the entire albeit limited store of drones in our section of the complex have all been completed and deployed.  Control and it's escorts are currently orbiting the city at ten thousand feet and providing me with real time data on hostile movements.  One moment please."

I could only just look around awkwardly while I wondered what was going on, until a panel popped open with a helmet within.  It looked similar to mine, but so much more complex and streamlined.  With nary a thought, I grabbed it and pulled it on.

###Initializing network and neural drive connections

###Uploading and updating files

With that small gesture, information exploded in my mind.  Everything that had happened while I was sleeping.  Conversations with Twilight, and apparently the one called Luna.  Seven spoke to both through a support drone.  Knowledge poured into my mind like a torrent, as Seven had been extremely busy.  As the new displays flickered to life, details on my armor scrolled past my eyes just as quickly.  To sum it up, this new gear made mine look like kids toys.  Somewhat stronger and faster, but quieter and more stealthy.  The one that got my attention was limited EM shielding from radiation spikes by material implanted in the armor.  All in all, freaking neat.

As I leaned there with my eyes shut, everything filtered through.  Twilight's explanation of how the minotaurs attempted to assassinate the one they called Princess Celestia with a really crappy musket.  The complete and utter chaos that it caused that allowed the invading armies to herd the ponies battle by battle until it was only a few hundred guards and civilians left to fight in the military with little more than swords, spears, and the occasional cannon.  Even her desperation to find something that everyone of her kind thought was a myth, the facility that they had apparently built their caverns above.  I could only feel sorry for her having to shoulder the responsibility for defense in a genocidal war at such a young age.

***Now that you are aware of the situation, do you believe my plan of action is appropriate?

I could only nod as I picked up my rifle from the floor and began arming myself once again.  Time to go fix us a Princess.

With a hiss, the crypt doors unsealed and slid open to reveal a stunned Twilight Sparkle.  

"How...How are you up already?  Seven said you were severely injured?"

"It's simple really... ah damnit."

###Translation program and external speakers active

Obviously Twilight didn't understand a word I said as she cocked her head a little when I spoke.

"I was saying it is kind of simple really.  In the end it is how we are going to fix up your...Princess Celestia."

She definitely perked up at that as I hefted a bag of medical supplies onto my shoulder and headed down the passage toward the pony encampment.  This was definitely going to be an interesting morning.