It was cold to the touch, colder than anything I had ever touched before, there was a thin layer of frost on its surface, and the metal bench it was attached to was covered in a thin layer of ice. It smelled like some of the long decayed skeletons that filled the wasteland, it was perfectly smooth to the touch and blank. The weirdest bit was that it had no seems, only one small indent of a button, barely big enough for the edge of a hoof to touch. It was so shiny, and I had no idea what it did...

In other words I wanted to press it.

Do not touch the button! Meanie voice Roggar quickly yelled into my mind, before I could press the button temptress.

But its so shiny! I whined. It totally wants to be pressed!

Yes, because the thing inside wants everything near it to die.

But.... Button! I protested, as if that was excuse enough to press it.

The voice sighed, If you want to press a button so bad, I can direct you to a button that won't kill you...

I pouted, But it wouldn't be as awesome as this button...

How would you know that? Roggar was trying to reason with me, but I wasn't having it.

Because it wouldn't be an eerily smooth black button on an otherwise seamless and featureless black box, I mean come on, how does one even make something like that? What's in it anyway?

I can't tell you tha- No wait! I paused disgruntled, hoof an inch from the button, If you really want to know so bad, fine. From what I can sense, and my senses are never wrong, inside it is an item that belonged to an ancient being that existed long before the era of Celestia and Luna. It is not a toy or weapon you could use without getting yourself killed. Instead, however, it may be of use to another being, mainly me.

I sat down in front of the box, Explain.

"Are you going to press the button or not?" Trixie asked, and I gave her a short dismissive shake of my head.

Listen, east of here is an potential drop off point called the 'Great Chasm' which is host to an number of Aqualight mutants. Simply drop it off there and one will come by to deliver it personally to me and give you your reward.

And what is this reward?

You desire a weapon that could be of use to you in your present situation, and I can impart one such weapon that could be of value to yourself. One that is even capable of cutting through your newest companion. All that I require in exchange is the contents of that box. Do you understand?

I nodded, and placed the box carefully in my bag before continuing to examine the rest of the room, "What was going on here anyway?"

Trixie was the one who answered, "The head researchers had multiple projects going on during the duration of the war, is it so strange that they took some of their work home with them?"

I shook my head, "I guess not, but why so many fields of study?"

"A famous tactician by the name of sun blade once said: 'Knowledge is power.' During wartime, Equestria was already at a technological disadvantage when the fighting broke out. Until the war with the Zebras, most of equestrians skirmishes had been fought using its overabundance of confectionery delights such as pie and cake. Where causalities were near zero with the exception for individuals who had preexisting cases of diabetes. Zebras on the other side however, had already created weapons that were designed to fend off the hostile environments of their own country. The technological difference costed Equestria thousands of lives as they struggled to outclass the enemy who was already used to fighting long bloody battles. However, fresh young minds with new ideas, and captured technology reversed engineered into being better, allowed Equestrians to slowly turn that back around on the Zebras."

"Evidently not." I said, we were approaching outside, passing into another building and resuming our search, "Otherwise the fallout wouldn't of happened."

"Elaborate." Trixie stated, and I recalled she wouldn't of had any idea of the end result of the war, considering she was activated.

"Long story short, Equestria launched megaspells at Zebras, and Zebras launched balefire bombs at Equestria. Bombs fell, near everyone died who wasn't in a Stable. That includes everyone who got caught in the crossfire." I stated, it was common fact back i the stable, though it seems there was certainly more than enough things left to kill a mare in these wastelands.

"This unit senses a state of irony in that statement involving the uses of that type of weaponry." Trixie commented, managing to pull a small elongated rectangular cube of an energy pistol from the next owners room, an eye wincing spectrum of colors. I took it and checked its ammunition, it was empty, "Elaborate", I asked.

"The creator of both was the wartime administrator of the ministry of peace, Fluttershy who originally developed megaspells to deploy mass healing to troops of both sides. However, she then gave the equations of the megaspell to both the rest of Equestria's military and the Zebras thinking they would only be used to heal their troops. Despite massive opposition on giving the Zebras the technological edge that could of ended the war in Equestrian favor."

I'll admit it, I didn't know much about the ministry of peace, but handing the person your fighting against a way to make magical bombs that can devastate a country?! That's just plain idiotic! That would be like as if I had chopped off my own head or thrown myself to the bloatflies as I left the stable! She had literally given her enemy a gun capable of destroying a nation, let alone the world, in intentions for them to use it to heal themselves?

Child, keep in mind, Fluttershy was the element of kindness in full, she could not bear to live to see anypony, be they equestrian soldier, a child, zebra, or even diamond dog or dragon in suffering. What she intended was to be the mother they all needed, a healer without peer. However, ironically enough this gift was abused and she became the mother of the apocalypse instead.

"Attention commander, this unit has detected movement from the rear of us approaching steadily in stealth pattern 3B." Trixie interjected suddenly.

"Stealth pattern 3b?" I asked.

Trixie nodded, "Intent to ambush through lunging tactics as an initiator," she pointed to the door behind us, signs point to the presence of a cybertooth."

"A robotic tooth is going to ambush us?" I asked in mild disbelief, yep this robot was crazy...

Trixie shook her head in a negative gesture, "No commander, a cybernetic enhanced saber tooth tiger."

"Wait what?" I asked, "Isn't that a creature from before Equestrian times?"

She nodded, "Yes commander though this unit suggests continuing this line of questioning until after the creature has been dealt with."

She turned her gaze towards the hall ahead, and to my horror I saw a pair of eyes, one glowing a deep red, while the other beamed an milky white. Slowly I started stepping backwards, and that pace amplified to a trot until I had passed behind Trixie as I saw what it had for weapons. Two silvery beams of energy started unfolding from its jaws as it realized that its cover was blown and came up to full height, easily dwarfing the both of us, stepping into the light I could see that half of its body had been replaced with cybernetic parts while the organic part had molted and ghoulified, two long wires ran from the base of its skull and down the spinal cord, leading into a bleak grey box coming out of its side that had the image of a trio of butterflies surrounding a skull on its flank.

In other words, I was horrified at the prospect of fighting it. I tried to say something sensible, some clever plan or strategy to outsmart it, but when I opened my mouth all I could say was, "That's a... big... kitty."

Of course the kitty's response was to lunge at my face. A lunge that was thankfully intercepted by my newest companion. Who had taken the time while I was distracted by the giant killer extinct cat cyborg to heat up her hooves, and buck said cat out of the air and into a wall. Needless to say I let her handle it when it became a flurry of red hot hooves vs angry electronic claws and laser fangs. I was outmatched here, and could do not but stay out of their way as machine wrestled undead-cyborg. Turning my gaze away, however, I saw another pair of fangs light up. Just our luck, a pack.

Trixie was busy enough beating one cat down, and from the looks of it the star-metal product of science and magic needed to be able to concentrate on one opponent at a time, quickly I levitated out my options, A mostly empty laser pistol, some kitchen knives, and a 9mm pistol that I had no ammunition for, great. It was better than with the brute at least, but at the same time, worse for me. I sighed, and stored away the empty pistol as our two additional aggressors made themselves known and decided that I was a lot more easier to prey upon.

I took aim, unfamiliar with laser weaponry as I was, having only seen them within Cait's Steel Rangers and barely seeing them in action by the few dozen now broken Mr.Handy robots around the wasteland, I decided to aim the small box that made the laser pistol with my teeth while the dozen or so kitchen knives floated around me. They leaped one after the other and I jumped, grappling onto the ceiling, taking a risk by letting go soon after and landing reverse cowpony on the second ones back. Quickly my knives went to work, cutting and slashing at anything that looked important. Several wires and tubes becoming nicked and spewing either sparks or a black sludge, both cases which drove the organic half of the cat into rage, and I could hardly stay on long enough to severe one or two of the tubes entirely before the other cat drove me off its comrade and pinned me to the floor.

I clenched my teeth, firing the gun as its fangs tried to bore down on my throat, causing it to flinch as it got a face full of vibrant red lasers at point blank, the hot beams melting off a good portion of its jaw, and allowing me to kick it off of me and roll away as the second one rejoined the fight, ramming its companion on accident. Trixie in the meantime was smashing open the original cats face with her hooves, which over the past half of a minute were getting progressively more oil and ichor covered as she kept at it. Her own paint job was getting scratched, showing a blackish metal underneath, but it seemed that laser fangs had no effect on her body.

I, however, didn't have the luxury of being struck by one of those fangs, a fact quickly reminded to me as a fang nicked my bandaged leg, causing them to fall off as I retreated. They seemed to be employing new tricks, as I learned when one of their tails extended into a shock baton. "Oh come on!" I complained as the already lethal tigers approached. I sent my knives at them, going after their eyes, but it was to no avail, I didn't have enough force in telekinesis to stab the metal ones out, and at this point I was sure it was their robotic halves that were keeping them going after hundreds of years. The one that I had cut the tubes and wires to though was beginning to slow down, which was giving me an idea.

I discarded the spent energy pistol onto the floor, not enough time to put it away, as the attacks resumed, now I was aiming at their exposed wires, going after parts and pieces on them as I tried my darn best to avoid flurry after flurry of decapitating fang swipes, and concussive claw blows, My own natural agility finding a lone solace in an otherwise bleak situation. I managed to cut the tubes off of one of them at the base with a lucky bite and pull as I all but ran around one of the two of them, taking the tube off and causing the medical box to spew its sickly black mix of rotten blood and presumed combat drugs as the thing lunged around, managing to strike me in the flank.

I span, hitting the ground, but before I could move the cat was nearly upon me, once more I was saved by Trixie as the body of the first of the three cats hit the second and she was on top of that one soon after, I myself however was still left with the mostly intact one to fight, it was the same one with the missing lower jaw that now dripped the same liquid that the other ones box did. Judging from its eyes it was mad as well. Great...

I rolled out of the way, landing against a corner a second before the creature had collided with the wall I had been against a second earlier, and I all but dragged myself up the wall as it followed after me. The second crash of impact causing enough of a rumble to dislodge my hooves from the metal surface and cause me to land haphazardly on its back. My face right near where the base of its tail began. Knowing this, the cats tail began to flex its stun baton towards my face. I took the only option I had, and bit the tail right under the baton, and the wrestling rodeo began. I hanging on for dear life while trying to stop the baton from hitting me, as it rolled and thrashed and bucked with all the force it could muster. It didn't even rate Maul or brute level for strength but it was wearing me down.

It seemed like forever before I slipped, the baton struck me right below the neckline, and the world became one of bright white light and pain before I slid off its back, barely aware as the beast stopped, and took a few steps, my breathing was ragged, and its was exhausted, I was sure my magic had exploded at some point, but for the life of me I couldn't remember when. It was probably when the impromptu rodeo began, and in my state I was in no shape to continue using it. Panic was continually rising as it placed a paw on my chest, and its fangs flared back to life, aiming one for my neck, it was going to kill me. Damn it was going to kill me!

I struggled, muscles not responding, I could see the damn box that powered it, as well as other suggestive areas, but I couldn't move. I screamed at my body: Move, live, survive! If I died, then how many others would back at the stable? What would Grey and Cait think? My foreleg spasmed, the taser that was stored in my pipbuck came to life with a crackle, and with a gesture that wasn't even my own, my leg smashed into the box, detonating it with the mixture of pipbuck electricity and whatever the damned ichor was made of. The cat staggered and my hoof went numb. It was all the time I needed before Trixie throttled it.

Briefly I was aware of Roggars voice as I passed out, a simple two word response as bitter as I was relieved, You're welcome.

Xp Footnote: Level up!

Skill note: Guns: 85

New Perk: Snipers 4 Ever: When using a scoped weapon, such as a sniper rifle, you have an additional 20% chance to hit in S.A.T.S.

Achievement unlocked: Saber Avenger(1/3): You've fought a cybertooth pack and survived! every level of this achievement grants you 5% bonus to your reflexes, as well as makes you do an additional 10% damage against any cybertooth you encounter! Cazadors? What are those?

Next Chapter: Summer Smiles DLC 6: Breaking Doors And Units Estimated time remaining: 7 Hours, 48 Minutes