It would figure my first real job in the field would involve being caught in the middle of a bale-fire bomb.

I was never much of a soldier, to be honest. I was more of a thinker; I was there to do research, to study material, to come up with analysis. And it was a simple job. If the so-called 'Goddess' of Unity didn't cooperate, I would gather samples to return to the Enclave for study. We would find a way to either combat her, or replicate her; it might take years, decades even, but we were going to do it.

I don't think anypony had figured some wastelanders would sneak a bale-fire bomb into the place.

I know I certainly didn't.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

My name is Bright Skies. Not a very interesting name, I guess, but after what I've seen, I can see why a name that sounds so positive would have been chosen. I come from a military family in the Grand Pegasus Enclave; a noble family, if you'd believe. My mother was an ex soldier, and my father a scientist, like me - a fact that often has me joke that my mother carried my dad across the threshold on their wedding night. He always got back at me saying things like 'I can tell you what else happened if you're so interested' which often lead to me running for my life.

I was one of five kids. Probably why I'm the only one who became a scientist. My older sister, Patriot, became a soldier in much the same light as my mother, my younger, Silver Tongue, is a lawyer (she's her own kind of smart, in a snakish kind of way), my younger sister just past her, Tinker, is in college trying to become an engineer, and my two youngest siblings, twins, a brother (Quill) and a sister (Adrenaline), are in school.

Naturally, my father coddles Quill as his only son, so I guess it makes sense he's somewhat antisocial.

Moving on...

Within the past year, I have been inducted into service as a military scientist. Due to my apparently noteworthy skills in scientific fields, I was given a job almost straight from school. Six months ago, I found myself being put in more 'covert' operations. While I was never expected to actually fight, I was told it wise to carry a weapon and wear a specially designed science suit that was more reminiscent of a radiation suit.

Nothing happened, so I eventually got over it.

Most of the research was pretty benign. Most of the time I stayed above cloud cover and looked at whatever they brought to me. Never really did learn much that everypony didn't already know, but I guess they want to be sure something isn't changing. When I did go beneath the Cloud Cover, it was usually just to do more close-up research - we never had a shortage of armed guards protecting us.

No number of armed guards could have saved us from what was to come though.

War never changes.

There are no civilians when you're out in the front line. There are no limits, no 'don't shoot me I'm a non-combatant'.

And even if there was, try telling that to an active explosive meant to wipe entire cities off the map.

My name is Bright Skies, and I was in a Bale-fire explosion.

I got better.

"Can you tell me if you've found anything?"

It was clearly a line of impatience. I knew why we were here. Well, I knew what they wanted me to know. An attempt to pacify a rising threat in the Wasteland that centered around the Taint and the mutants that live here. I wasn't given the details; I'm fairly sure it was because if I was they knew I'd back out. Can't say they'd have been wrong. If I had learned it just that moment, I would have fled, preferring to face charges of abandonment over what came next. I was doing my job, just scraping samples off the walls and the floor into small tubes. Most of what I got, I was fairly sure, was just dirt and grime, maybe ash from the bale-fire blast. I had no idea if ANY of this stuff would be useful. I really didn't care to learn. I just wanted to get my job done and get out.

This place was creepy beyond words. Even though I couldn't see it, I could hear voices in the edge of my mind. I'm convinced it was this 'Goddess' or whatever she was talking to ponies through some sort of telepathy, and that I was just along the edge of her reach. If she could do that, maybe she was talking to me intentionally and making sure I knew she knew my presence? Or maybe I'm giving her too much credit considering what was coming.

All I knew at the time is I was creeped out, I wasn't getting anything useful, and that I was pretty sure I was being watched.

"Nothing. Just dirt and grime. Are you finding anything where you are?"

I don't think I could properly hide the shaking in my voice.

"The boss is talking to a giant, glowing head, and there's a big ass pond of glowing shit in here. I think you need to come here."

I groaned internally. Of course the real stuff is where the danger is.

"I can't go in there" I told him. "If I do, they'll know something is up for sure."

He didn't respond, and I figure that was okay. Suddenly, I felt... odd. Dizzy.

Like a ripple was running through my brain.

The communicator on my Pip Buck was blocked by static. I could only make out a few words.

"..... uck! Sh....... eaking out! W....... the hell is go...."

I don't know what got into me, if it was cowardice or sense, but I knew I had to run. I rushed down the hall, trying to remember where to go - damn these places, why did they make them like labyrinths? As I ran, I stopped when I saw a massive herd of alicorns coming my way.

I was pretty sure I was going to die.

Luckily, they just passed me by.

I decided to take their lead and followed them to the best of my abilities. I eventually reached an exit and saw sweet sunlight, and even our ship! Oh boy was I glad to see that.

"OH SHIT! BALE-FIRE BOMB! RUN!"

The communication shot out.

As a scientist, I knew that there was no way in hell I could survive a bale-fire blast; this little suit would only take so much punishment.

As a coward, I realized I had wings and could fly.

And fly I did. I flew as far away as I could. As fast as I could. As much as I could. Eventually, I reached into the Thunderhead's hangar bay, and I ran, delivering my dark message as bravely as I could.

"HOLY SHIT, BALE-FIRE EXPLOSION! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!"

Immediately, they began to close the hangar, and everypony ran to their stations to set the raptor to flee. We didn't have long by the sounds of things. I turned around to look out a nearby porthole, wondering when the blast would rear it's ugly head. I think I saw some of our guys - couldn't tell who - just making it out the door when the entire area shook.

All at once, the building beneath us exploded outwards in green fire. It was as if I was seeing Hell come to the surface of the world. I could have sworn it would engulf us before I could blink, but then the blast... stopped? No, it was raging and pushing at something invisible that was containing it. For a split second, the scientist in me said 'fascinating.'

Then the rational pony in me said 'holy shit, I might be able to live.'

Thunderheads were tough, but never built to withstand a bale-fire explosion... at least, not in such close proximity. What little I knew of the old megaspells, I doubted the machine could get far away enough from the epicenter to survive. As everypony began to panic and running around, looking for cover, I tried to plot a good hiding place. The Vertibucks would be reserved for important personel; I'm very disposable (I'm admittedly a lower-rung scientist). Going outside is out of the question. The containment cells designed to house and safely study contaminated specimens could probably withstand the worst of the balefire blast, but-- wait. The Containment cells!

There was one in the lab just above the hanger bay.

I worked in labs.

Part of me felt bad using knowledge that few others had to my advantage, but I was desperate. Quickly, I made my way out of the hanger and up the airways - sort of like a stair case for pegasai. We have stair cases for the more 'flight impaired' of the Enclave, but yeah.

I made it to the lab and pressed on the door. Part of me was curious as to why the explosion hadn't hit the ship yet; by all means, if nothing else, it should feel like an oven in here, but somehow we weren't being enguled in green hell fire; I wasn't about to question good fortune, I just wanted to get into the containment cell before it ran out. When I reached the smaller-than-normal lab (it was mostly intended to contain whatever we had that we had no idea where else to put it at the moment), naturally, the door was sealed. I screamed and reached into my bag for my ID card and swiped it, quickly pushing the door and running inside. There were no other scientists here; my guess is most of them are closer to the more dedicated laboratories or, likewise, making their ways towards smaller vertibucks for escape.

I raced across the room towards the containment cell; it wasn't very large, but it's spell-talismans and various specefications would probably at least fend off the balefire explosion; if nothing else, long enough for me to say a prayer or two. I pushed on the door to find that it was sealed. 'Can this day get any better?' Moving quickly, I activated the terminal next to it and got to work typing a password.

'Access Denied'

"WHAT!?"

I typed it in again.

'Access Denied'

"YOU HAVE TO BE F.....!!"

I had to work fast. I quickly singled out a few unusual pieces of code and typed them in. For my efforts, I was awarded with the elimination of some wrong answers and a renewal of my 'allowance.'

I entered again.

'Access Denied.'

A loud explosion, followed by a jerking motion in the ship. Wait, was the explosion happening just now? While I admit that I'm happy it took it's sweet old time, I can't help but feel somewhat discomforted by the idea. It was as if it was being held back or something for a brief while. Either way, that barely mattered now. I had to hurry, and there was no more time left. I typed in a few letters hoping it was the right answer, against hope.

'Access Granted.'

I blinked in disbelief, looking at the password I had typed in.

'Enclave'.

"Really freaking original..."

I opened the door and rushed to a nearby glass panel, smashing it with my hoof. I'd worry about the glass shards later. Inside, I jammed my hoof on the button and ran back to the door, ignoring the 'Please seal chamber properly for containment' as I rushed into the small containment room and yanked the door shut. At that very moment, the entire ship shook violently, the shutters began to fall over it. I just noticed a few ponies run in, looking at me wide eyed, and rushing towards the gate. The shutter was just beneath their barrels by the time they made it, and I could see green light suddenly fill the room, followed by the loudest screams I had ever heard, just seconds before the shutter hit the ground.

And then, I was thrown around the entire chamber like a ping pong ball.

A loud wailing and screeching outside told me that the raptor was breaking apart. What little resistance it had to offer was gone. Suddenly, I found myself pasted to a nearby wall, the sensation of spinning overwhelming my senses, as well as the feeling of the metal behind me being INCREDIBLY hot.

I guess these containment chambers weren't build to take bale-fire blasts.

So this was it? I was going to die?

"Well this sucks..."

The roaring that seemed to encircle the entire thing heated the little chamber to the point I thought I was going to burn alive; indeed, I think the only reason I hadn't was that I was still wearing my radiation suit. I said a little prayer in my head, hoping that whatever came next was at least merciful.

And then I felt the entire thing shift.

There was a sensation of falling.

It lasted for a few minutes before I was suddenly and violently thrust into the ground and found myself bouncing around the room again. It was now that I began to realize just how damaged my makeshift safe room had suffered as the walls and windows cracked. Then, one particular tumble and my head slammed into a nearby wall, and I was out cold.

Pain.

All I knew in this moment in time was pain.

Every inch of my body hurt. I was sore all over. I don't think there was one part of me that didn't burn as if I had been set on fire. It felt like it would go on forever.

And then I gasped for air and had to turn over to cough up what I'm fairly sure was blood and chunks of meat that I have no idea where they came from, and only assume that my continued existence meant I didn't have to worry too much.

I let out a groan as I tried to figure out what had happened. I was... in the raptor... an explosion? Containment? It all came to me in bits and pieces, and I struggled a bit, trying to get up.

Big mistake.

I let out the most pathetic yelp I had ever heard as a pressure struck one of my wings. Dreading, I opened my eye to see a sight I was not prepared to see; one of my wings was missing. In it's place was a bloody stump, with a broken bone sticking out of it, and pieces of dead flesh hanging from it.

I turned over to throw up, out of a mix of pain and shock.

And then, I laid back down.

Most of my suit was ruined. What protection it had offered me a minute ago, it wasn't offering me now. My pip-buck was perfectly fine. I groaned in annoyance at it. "Why couldn't they make a version of you that goes around the entire body?"

No point worrying about that now.

I slowly turned my head, making a point of not looking at my own wing. My muscles hurt, but I had to know what I was looking at.

All around me was burning wreckage. Smoke filled the air, and green fire licked at the edges of everything. Slowly, I looked up to find that I was, in fact, inside what was left of the thunderhead.

So many ponies...

After some time of laying there, I finally began to realize that if I didn't do anything about my injuries soon, I would die. Slowly, I picked myself up off the ground. As I did, I got to get a good look at my wing, laying just a few feet from me in a mess of meat and bones; there was no repairing this damage. I lurched forward to throw up again; No! Stop, vital nutrients! I need you now more than ever!

Rather than dwell on the situation, I chose instead to pathetically drag myself away from the wreckage. And oh so much wreckage there was. With my wings, I could probably get out of here quickly enough, but as was, I was looking at maybe an hour before being able to even see an exit.

I pulled forward, walking with a slight limp. I was in terrible shape. My Pip Buck buzzed with multiple alerts; telling me I was crippled pretty much everywhere. I reached back to find my bag to find myself bag-less; I was virtually bereft of bags. My healing potions and other meds were lost in the destruction. I couldn't decide if there was a point to actually going back and looking for them. Instead, I pushed forward; if I found anything along the way, I'd use it.

"Hello?"

I drew into a coughing fit as the words left my mouth. I was parched. My throat was dry. It was at this moment I became conscious that my Pip-Buck was clicking; I was in a rather irradiated zone, and if I didn't get out soon, I'd probably die. I was already suffering advanced radiation sickness as it was it seems.

There was no way I'd get out of here before that happened.

I fell to my side and whimpered.

I was going to die. There was no way around it.

It was over.

All was lost.

"Don't give up."

"Huh?" I stood up as quick as I could and looked around. "Who said that?"

"Keep moving. You can make it. There's a few Rad-Aways around the corner."

I didn't question. I did as I was told. I hurried around the corner and sure enough, there was a metal box, half melted, with rad-aways tumbling out of it. To this day, I'll never understand how those little boxes of orange fluid survived a bale-fire blast AND what had to be a a fifty foot fall, but I'm not one to question good fortune. I quickly grabbed the little juices and drank the fluids hungrily. They tasted horrible, but in this moment of need it was like heaven.

I made my way across the wreckage, wondering where that voice was coming from. I was still a little messed up in the head; most likely had a concussion. As I walked, I heard it again.

"Don't go that way. There's a Hellhound hunting there."

I stopped.

"Turn left. You'll find a door."

And so, I did. I turned left and continued trotting, quickly as I could, down the makeshift path in the destruction. I passed a few skeletons, much to my horror; they had flesh not even an hour ago. I had heard of the terror a Bale-fire Bomb could produce, but never had I seen what they could actually do.

Correction.

The Wasteland is a result of what they could do.

Still, it wasn't until this moment I could have actually appreciated that.

"Stop."

I froze, listening, trying to figure out where that voice was coming from. In front of me, there was a door sure enough, but it was shut. It was one of those automated sliding doors; the magic talisman responded to heat signatures and the mechanism would yank it open. Of course, the talisman is probably been damaged, and if not, whatever was supplying it with power likely was.

"Let me get that for you..."

Suddenly, the door began to creek and groan as it slowly slid open. 'Okay, well that's nifty' I thought to myself as I stepped past it, and just in time, as some of the ceiling collapsed in the space behind me. I could hear a howl of pain just beyond.

"There aren't others around, so only that one poor soul heard you."

I shook it off and continued walking down a path of carnage and death. My senses beginning to gain a level of clarity, I risked the question. "Who are you?" I asked as best I could. "Where are you...?"

"Don't worry about that. All you need to know is I'm trying to help you."

My Pip -Buck.

She was talking to me through my Pip-Buck.

I wouldn't question it for now. Living now, worrying later.

"Watch out!"

Suddenly, I heard a blood wrenching noise as a beam fell from above. Quickly, I leaped out of the way and rolled across the floor - the stub on my wing scraping painfully. I shoved my hoof over my mouth and screaming into it, tears filling my eyes as I cried. I had never been in so much pain before in my life.

"You're wounded."

"No shit!" I didn't want to sound mean. I was just having a very bad day.

"Don't worry, you're almost there. Pick yourself up and walk. You won't last much longer."

I slowly pulled myself to my hooves again. I had come this far; I refused to die just yet. If nothing else, I would get out of this wreck. And so, I trudged forward, more pain lancing through my body as I became even more acutely aware of just how injured I was. Eventually, I came to a staircase.

"Go down."

I couldn't help myself but grin. "But I just met you.."

"Making jokes with a missing limb and in an irradiated area is not wise."

I think at this point I was just surprised I wasn't suffering blood loss. Medicine wasn't my specialty (not that I didn't know a thing or two), but I was pretty sure a missing limb would do that to you. Just not to press my good fortune, I made sure to keep my wing-stub elevated just in case. I continued down the stairs slowly, making sure to pace myself as to not go down the fast way. Eventually, I came upon a door and pushed through.

Into what was left of the hanger.

pieces of the massive room had collapsed into it. Walls were missing, the smaller ships were crushed and mangled. As I looked around, I realized this was only a PART of the hanger; it was pressed against a mountain. I guess that explained why everything felt somewhat... tilted. I heard a groaning noise that urged me forward.

"The structure won't hold forever. If you don't get out soon, it'll fall on top of you, and I won't be able to help you."

"I'm trying..." I whimpered pathetically. I really was. Never had walking been such a trial. Every move I made felt like muscles in my body were ripping apart. I wasn't even sure I would make it anywhere before my body stopped listening to me and just fell over.

"Keep going until you exit the door. Don't stop for anything, do you hear me?"

I kept walking, nodding silently. I don't know if they saw that but I figured they had to be watching me somehow. It was then I felt a snap, and a horrible pain shot up my left leg. I fell over screaming.

"What happened?"

I looked to my hoof. It was bending at an angle; the bone was broken. "I... I broke a leg..."

"Limp. You don't have much time."

I wanted to give up. I did. But at the moment, I still wanted to live more. So, I slowly picked myself up, favoring my injured hoof and limped further, at a slower pace than before. A loud groaning filled the room that made me more than a little nervous.

"Ignore it, keep moving! Go as fast as you can!"

I started to limp faster, forcing myself to not use my damaged hoof as instinct tried to make me do. The sounds of beams and plates fighting a losing battle echoed throughout the area. Just then, I heard loud twangs and saw a massive beam falling straight for me.

Then it swerved around and tumbled a short distance away.

"How-"

"Don't ask! Go! Get out! Now!"

I continued my journey. The noises growing louder. Bits of the structure began to collapse into itself, I watched as catwalks that were barely hanging began to fall to the ground, and more beams clashed into the debris. I climbed over several bits and pieces of destroyed ship, slowly making my way to the exit.

"Almost there! Almost--"

TWANG.

A massive beam began to fell, and I jumped. I managed to get away from the steel, but then a piece of debris fell and pieced through my leg, into the ground.

I thought I couldn't feel more pain, but it seems the universe is out to prove me wrong. I let out yet another undignified yell, followed by the most pathetic whimper I think I have ever admitted to.

"What? What-- oh.... oh that's not good."

I whimpered and looked at it, biting my lip. How would I deal with this?

"You have to pull it out or you won't go anywhere."

I put my hoof around it and gave it a soft tug. It hurt to even touch it, like my nerves somehow were in the rod itself. Even so, I doubt I had the strength even if I could ignore the pain.

"I... I can't... I'm too week..."

"Oh for the love of--"

Suddenly, I saw the rod enveloped in some sort of pinkish red glow. My eyes widened as two realizations hit me.

First? There's a unicorn watching me.

Second? This was going to hurt very badly.

The rod was yanked away from my leg, eliciting one last pained scream from me, the sight of blood spurting from the wound not really helping any. I looked uselessly at my hoof as I bled.

"This is not good. There are no healing poultices near you..."

"...."

"Drag yourself. Get as close to the exit as you possibly can."

I whimpered and nodded silently. I put one hoof in front of myself and pulled. The pressure hurt both of my injured hooves, so I tried to elevate them. As I pulled, I felt what little energy I had left leave me. But then I saw I was getting closer to the exit. Something... I think hope was in me. So despite the pain I was feeling, and the weakness in me, I kept pulling. A few more pieces of the structure fell around me, but I ignored them and set my eyes on the prize. If something else happened, I was dead. There was no going around or over, it was all or nothing. And so, I kept pulling.

I don't know how long it took me...

But I finally reached the exit.

I pulled myself from the hanger, and out into the wasteland.

My victory felt hollow. I had left one death trap to enter another. I slowly turned my head about, looking for whoever it was who had been helping me, but saw nopony.

"Hello? Are you there?"

No response.

"... What do I do now...?"

Silence.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to ask her why. I wanted to know what I had to do now. I had done so much, gone through such agony just to get here. She had helped me get here. And now she was gone? I was alone? Was she toying with me? Did it matter? Maybe she just realized I was beyond help? Maybe she just wanted me to see the sun? Or maybe she wanted to waste my last minutes of life?

All I knew is that I was too tired to really care about it right now.

So I laid my head down and closed my eyes.

If nothing else, I had gotten out of the ship. It wasn't much, but hey, it was a victory right? Not bad for a scientist. I dare say, even some soldier ponies might be patting me on the back for that much. I began wondering if I'd meet some of those ponies that died? Maybe the ones I had been with in the building? Would they congratulate me on a good effort?

I liked to think so.

So I smiled.

War really never changes.

I didn't even hear the sound of hooves approaching me as darkness took me.