The burning fire lasted well into the night, and the smoke made the cavern unable to be even entered until the next afternoon. During that time we were attacked by several raiders who had seen the fire in the distance and attacked with their sticks and knives. One had a submachine gun though. Cait slaughtered all but that particular raider, I had taken her out with her own gun, stealing it away as she tried to unsheathe it and unloaded her own clip into her face. It was amazing how fast it went through thirty rounds in less than three seconds, though it was also a complete waste of ammo.

One Raider had a few grenades, which Cait squirreled away for safe keeping. Eventually we were able to go through the cavern again, albeit with strips of cloth over our mouths to help dampen the sickening smell of burnt flesh and smoke as we descended into the depths of the nest again. Scrapyard having decided to stay behind and dig through the Queen's stomach for anything useful. Though I doubt anything would of made it through that thing's digestive track. In the end we recovered a few intact locked medical boxes, an Ammunition metal crate containing .308 military rounds, and a locked footlocker that was next to the crate. The medical boxes contained a few rad-aways and long since dried up blood packs, the later of which was discarded Though whatever remained of the other contents had been either broken as Cait cut it open or long since expired.

The Crate however, Cait left for me to try my hoof and luck at. The lock proving a rather difficult challenge that quickly began to drain the small supply of bobby pins I had gathered over the course of the week. I was about to give up as the frustrating lock almost broke one of my last three pins though the click of the unlock blessed my ears as I opened the locker and retrieved the contents. Inside was the parts of a rifle I was unfamiliar with, a Sniper rifle of some design with a three part scope, silencer, and extended magazine. The parts however, was unexpectedly light for it's size. Leaving me curious to what it was, Under that was a small lunchbox containing three small round glowing orbs which had swirling mists in them, "Memory orbs." Cait identified behind me, causing me to jump.

He chuckled, "Sorry about that, its just rare to find a Memory orb intact, let alone three. Ponies used them to store important memories or convey messages to each other personally. Normally only a unicorn could access them anywhere due to their magic though, Just need to put a telekinetic grip on it and press with it to activate one."

"I see..." I replied, eyeing through the lunchbox and pulling out the final content of the crate, another small box. This one smaller than the memory orbs lunch box though more padded in retrospect. Inside it was a Statuette of a slightly yellow tinted mare with a red mane and a rose for a cutie-mark. She was on her hind legs with a respectful almost heartbreaking mournful smile on her face. Enscribed on it's base was the words, "Be Merciful". Inside my mind I could see this mare as a Gardner, or a florist. Perhaps even a model for a fashion show before the war. I don't know what urged me to keep it but my pipbuck identified it as, 'Rose luck's statuette'. I don't know why but I felt a bit luckier just staring at it. Cait gave it just a curious glance before commenting, "Dosen't look like a statuette of the Ministry mares, interesting enough though. Want to put those gun parts into your bag and assemble them next time we make camp?"

I nodded to Cait and got up from the locker, organizing my saddles with their new contents while we continued on towards the Queen's chamber.

The smell got worse and worse from there on though it wasn't as unbearable as I had expected. While most of what was in there was burnt we managed to salvage some ammo and caps that had survived from previous victims of the radspids. More of the sniper rounds for the new sniper rifle, as well as a replenishment on pistol, shotgun. Sadly nothing for the Varmint rifle though Cait managed to dig out with his hooves a medical box with health potions and yet more Rad away. One could swear this had been a medical center or something.

After a while we began to leave, the burnt smell and decaying factors doing a number on my gut, though little did me, or my gut, expect what Scrapyard had done to the Radspid queen in our absence. Well for one, the internal organs of the queen were all torn out and displayed in a haphazard attempt at organizing, several of them looked like they had been literally dragged out of the decomposing Queen. It was worse than any raider sadistic attempt at art I had seen yet. That was as far as I could observe as both a bug gut covered Scrapyard and a quizzical Cait eyed the half digested food that my stomach had then kicked out the same way it had came in. Leaving the putrid cave entrance smelling just a tad bit worse than before.

When I had recovered enough of my wit and concentration to try and pretend that Scrapyard was positively yellow in spider blood, Cait's whistle drew my interest. I forced back another wave of revulsion as Cait handled a strange star shaped organ, I tried not to eye it too closely but I cold tell the thing had been crudely ripped out, though it managed to stay intact, Cait began to clean it with his sword's edge before he notice my pale grossed out, yet half curious expression towards him, "Queen's pheromone gland. Lucky for us, it seems intact. I know somepony back in the Eternal Flame that could do something with this."

I gave him a blank stare, what on the wasteland was a gland? I bet it was science talk. I swapped to my best grossed out face as Scrapyard began to organize the piles to his own sorting system, though why and how he was sorting the various chunks of spider organs was beyond me, I turned back to Cait, trying again to ignore the morbid fascination he held the 'Pheromone Gland' with, "What is Scrapyard doing?"

He looked up at me, then to scrapyard, taking a moment to study the scene before turning back to me with a confused stare, "What? He's gathering tonight's dinner."

This time the Wasteland got the remainder of my stomach.

After grossing me out further, I was told that the average cuisine of the Wasteland had changed since the war. I was disturbed to have discovered that ponies now regularly added meat to their diets where canned vegetables and fruits were scarce. So while they found it not very strange to be eating the inside of a twice cooked leg over their campfire as night fell, I however was in the corner of the wrecked building we had decided to stay at, eating a boiled can of carrots with my magic and a spoon.

I couldn't help it that I 'chickened out', they might not find it strange but after being told that your a 'bug-pony' by scientists for most of your life, I felt as though it was cannibalism if I ate from such a creature. Further more it surprised me such a thing was even edible, The thing was practically aglow of radiation, Cait and Scrapyard were even having a Rad away as an adjoining drink while they ate because of the ticks it had gave off as they cooked it. I rolled my eyes, forcing myself to not imagine the spider leg as something much more gruesome.

Too soon I found myself scrapping the now empty tin can for its final dregs of vegetables before tossing it away to join the countless tin cans that littered the wastelands. I could hear too clearly the crack as they broke apart another section of the spider's carapace leg and I shuddered, my mind wandering for an distraction, I came back upon the orbs, Cait had said to simply to press with my magic to access them... So what harm would there be in accessing one?

I took them out and pressed my horn to the nearest of the three, hoping it was the first one, and with my magic the world span away into a pitch black sensory deprived darkness as the orb drew me into unconsciousness.

Being inside another body was weird. For one, it was much warmer than anything I had experienced before. The being I was witnessing was of another species, a Pegasus pony in fact, and a very healthy one at that. Fur, real fur, was an odd sensation, trapping heat inside and giving me the feeling of a furnace, how did ponies live with this sort of feeling? Though I realized that in contrast to my black chitin, this... Host.... was white, with yellow bangs that gave her a poofy hairdo much more chaotic and twirled than any I had seen before. I, or rather my Host, was waiting on the back of a wagon, looking out as it toiled by on a warm sunny day without a cloud in sight. I was drawn to this, the clouds were gone, showing the magnificent sight of the blindingly brilliant sphere no Wastelander had a chance to see on the ground of the wasteland without a memory orb or wings. I longed to stare into the depths of the sun, but the Hosts attention was drawn from what had been a regular, probably guaranteed sight of the sun by a soft feminine voice next to her, "Whatcha thinking about Surprise?"

My Host's mouth moved, free of any fangs that a Changeling might of had if she had been one, "Oh just wondering what terrain we are going to have today Rose."

Surprise, my host, looked to the speaker, the same pony who was on my statuette, I realized, though it hardly did justice to the pretty mare, and she smiled, "What about you?"

Rose sighed, "Just wondering when this war is going to end." When no further response came from my Host, she continued, "It's a bit sad that its already been ten years without any peace. Remember when we first joined at the insistence of Bronze?"

Surprise nodded, responding gently to Rose, "Back when we were still using spears and blades, ya."

That tidbit shocked me, you mean Equestria didn't always have battle saddles and guns before the war? Rose responded in turn, "Now look at us, Megaspells, guns, performance enhancing drugs, power armor, armor piercing rounds, tanks." she rattled on, "Not to mention Zebras and their robots, talismans, and stealth tech as well."

My host nodded again in agreement, her eyes wandering to her bag, reaching into it and pulling out a moderate sized case, the same one as the sniper rifle's that was in my bag back in the present, I realized. She began to put it together while talking, "Too much development in far too little time." Surprise commented, "No one knows restraint with all the technology constantly streaming out."

Rose considered that, an adorable if slightly innocent expression on her face as she paused, "I think they are going along with the lines, 'The end justifies the means' right?"

I could feel my host resist the urge to scoff, instead replying in kind, "That's the same thing as saying a diplomat resolving a dispute peacefully is worth as much as shooting the opposing party dead, A court of law doesn't work like that, so why should disputes between nations?"

My host took out a spare piece of cloth, cleaning the gun's barrel before attaching the firing mechanism to it, she worked the metal ever so softly like a gardener her garden and Rose cleaned her own sidearm in turn. Silence reigned for a few moments before Rose replied, "They say that the Zebras provoked us first, some nonsense about Equestrian ponies being kidnapped in their territory and Celestia sending in rescue when they didn't do anything about it."

Surprise replied sagely, "One doesn't judge an entire race by one individual Rose Luck."

"Still," she pursued, "It has degraded to a kill or be killed basis, one bad weed can kill an entire rosebush."

Surprised shook her head in agreement, "No arguments there," she called out louder, "Hey driver, are we there yet?"

An annoyed male voice replied from the front, "I have a name you know, and no, once again we aren't there yet, please stop asking every five minutes! We'll get there when we get there."

"'Alright," Surprise waited a moment, "Are we there yet?" she called again. She smiled as the Driver gave a frustrated groan.

Rose Luck chuckled, "Really should stop antagonizing him Surprise." she giggled, "Grey might just make you pull the carriage instead again."

I could see my Host's lingering stare at the positively beaming Rose Luck, her smile radiant and sincere, I could feel my Hosts own mouth tugging into a wide smile from ear to ear as well, "Nah, he knows I'm just messing with him, he wouldn't dare try that with what we are about to do, Have to be at our 110% remember?"

Rose nodded as their conversation was interrupted by Grey again, "Hey Surprise, Were there. Get your equipment ready, time to roll."

Both Surprise and Rose Luck loaded their weapons, Roseluck was also taking out a spotters scope. A sniper team, I realized. The memory began to fade as they left the covered wagon, the bright sun giving a momentarily blinding glare as we left, a steady rhythm developing as we began to trot uphill towards an old picnic table that decorated a relatively clear hill, who's only source of cover was the tall abandoned grass that had been left unkempt for several years. We ducked down as we approached the top, hiding among the grass like colorful variants of snakes as we edged over the hill and peaked through the ever so slightly while shifting the sniper rifle from her back to her hooves.

We were overlooking a large gradually sloping hill, a large flat plains spread out before us, the forest we had been passing through was at our back. A long ugly black scar was dominate throughout the lands, stretching long and far with a trail of destruction that couldn't be more than a few days old due to the faint smoke that still trailed away from the wreckage. Rose Luck whistled, "Wow, what hit this place?"

I felt myself sigh, responding ever so diligently, "I'd bet the dragons Zebra's have recruited into their ranks. Either that or a Ministry has developed yet another of their 'War Enders'. I felt myself check the fresh clip that was in my rifle before unlatching the safety and settling in, "Ambush is locked and loaded, just keep an eye out for the enemy."

I couldn't tell if Rose had nodded or disagreed, but my Host hadn't deigned to check in, a few moments later the sounds of Rose settling in with a larger spotters scope that was on a miniature tripod as Surprise was scanning the immediate vicinity over with the magnified vision of the snipers scope. Silence reigned for a while. I didn't know what they were waiting for.

Several minutes passed before Rose Luck made a click sound with her tongue and said in a hushed tone, "Zebra infantry at your two o'clock, thousand three hundred meters, heading down left. Recommend adjusting scope to shoot one notch higher than default leading to compensate for wind."

I didn't understand what a 'notch' or what the wind had to do with a bullet's direction, considering how they tended to rend the air around them as they passed anyway. But my host adjusted her scope with a slight twist, a slight change in her crosshair as she found the target, a Zebra convoy, that Rose had pointed out, "Spot any officers?" my host asked quietly, already knowing the answer to that by the lack of insignias or telling marks on their exotic uniforms.

"Nope, recommend demoralizing through psychological trauma. Your choice of 'don't-follow-the-leader' or 'don't-lead'. "

My host grunted, staring at several of the units in the back who had their own variants of Sniper rifles I only knew from the military education I had received in the Stable, "Firing half a clip, be prepared to move after the third bullet is fired."

"No 'Sniper's Alley'?" Rose luck grimaced, answering herself, "Oh, they have Gauss supports."

Surprise gave a noncommittal grunt, her hooves tensing as she held her breath, she aimed at the second pony in the double file line, adjusting as he walked to a spot just a tad bit ahead of him. I could see his face, gaunt and grim, as though he had just walked through hell. I felt surprise pause, for what reason though, I didn't know. Then she fired, a quiet muffled 'pew' emitting from the barrel of the gun.

Within half a second she took aim at the Zebra who was the remaining member of the second row and fired, the first hadn't even fallen still on the ground. She shifted targets after the second collapsed, her third shot took out the leader of the group, as he began yelling orders to the rest of his squad to take cover, inaudiable at this distance but the message still clear to take cover. The third shot ranked out, and the officer went down clutching a new wound in his chest, unable to yell anymore as his lungs probably filled with blood.

Together both Rose and Surprise crawled back down the hill, giving a small breath my host whispered near inaudibly to herself, "Forgive me Princesses, for we have taken the life of another."

The world span away into darkness.

When I returned to my body, I was intensely aware of the distinct differences between mine and Surprises body. I felt cold and bare without any fur, my carapace was far from warm in comparison to a ponies coat. My wings were emptier and shivered inside their retractable sheaths. I zipped up my Security barding, glad for it's warmth as Cait's voice became present with a bemused tone, "The Sleeping Princess awakes without a kiss from a prince. Anything of use in that orb?"

I gave him a look of consideration, placing my hoof just below my chin and tilting my head ever so slightly to the right and staring up to the clouds as I thought about it, I spoke a few moments later, "A bit, Now I know who the gun used to belong to, some sniper team consisting of a Pegasus named surprise and Rose Luck, the pony on the statuette we found."

Cait muttered something under his breath, too low to hear the words clearly, but he spoke up at my curious expression, "Haven't heard of either of those in my own trips down memory lane. Were they part of a squad or something back then?"

I offered him the ever glowing memory orb, "Have a look yourself."

He rolled his eyes, "Alright, keep watch while I do." I nodded and he grabbed the orb with a hoof, making for his sleeping bag where he laid down and pressed his horn against the round orb, grasping it in his magic. I witnessed his eyes glazing over before they shut and he slumped, unconscious presumably as the memory orb took over his senses.

I sat up, looking about. I spotted scrapyard curled into a ball near the fire and at my glance he raised his head upward, returning the stare. I was glad that Scrapyard had at least cleaned him up and that any remains from their..feast... had been either eaten or buried as not to attract any hunters from the scent. I watched as Scrapyard got up and walked away, returning a short while later with a stick. He dropped it in front of me. What?

Scrapyard stared at me then the stick, moments passed before he pushed it closer to me with his nose. I didn't get it. He sat down waiting for me to do something. I picked up the stick with my mouth, earning a few wags of Scrap's tail as he stared at the stick. I moved it left, watching as his stare shifted with the sticks movement. I went right and his look followed. His sitting position turning into a crouched stand as he waited for something. I spat it out and gripped it in my magic, waving it to and fro as Scrapyard followed it. Hmm, interesting. I tried throwing it, watching as it sailed through the air and Scrapyards frantic looking dash for the stick.

I giggled as he brought it back, I threw it again repeating the process. A few more throws and then we were running around the camp in circles while I tried to keep the stick away from him. In what seemed like minutes an hour had passed and Cait was watching us play after returning from the orb with a deep chuckle as our antics continued. It finally ended when Scrapyard managed to tackle me and give me a through licking before Cait called him off of me, stating that the brave and ferocious Scrapyard as captured princess Stick from the evil clutches of the 'Lovebug Overlord'.

After that, we relaxed. Cait was standing guard again after our through game of what he called, 'fetch'. I turned on the radio in my pipbuck while we enjoyed our time, a smooth melody of jazz music ringing throughout the camp. I took out the parts of the gun we had grabbed with the memory orb and constructed it together in the same method that Surprise had, albeit much slower, and was rewarded as the identification tag identified the gun as 'Ambush'. It was very respectable once completed. Pretty light weight and the modifications to the gun made it look and feel like a dream. I took the time to adjust the gun's settings to my bodily specifications as Cait sat down beside me, "Think of a name yet?"

I paused, once again considering that question. I could name myself anything. But if I was to name myself what would I do? I would want it to be something I'd like. Something that spoke me, which meant a combination of who, and what I was. Something unique to the wasteland. I thought of my experiences so far, the Raiders, radspids, my Stable, the music I had listened to. Ideas churning and burning as one name after the other occurred to me. Ten it struck, so simple and small, yet with a slight spelling change, I thought it would fit. Quietly, I brushed the hair that had snuck into my face to the side and looked up at Cait from my kit, "Call me..." I said deliberately slow, "Aria Web."

Xp footnote: 75% until next level.

Statuette Acquired: Rose Luck (Be Merciful!): The spotter of a team of ponies in the Vanhoover district. This statuette unlocks new dialog options and directly boosts your luck by 1 up to a maximum of 10.

Footnote: 1/? statuettes of the Vanhoover set acquired.

Next Chapter: Chapter 9: Arriving at The Eternal Flame Estimated time remaining: 14 Hours, 11 Minutes