We had been sailing north north west for the entire day. With it being the three of us, I didn't want to risk something occurring while checking out the last memory orb. My skill as a navigator was basic compared to Solar, but unfortunately I was the most adept at it with our shrunken crew roster.

Mek had spent the time dismantling the turret and putting it in the cargo hold. Without Tabben or Solar, we hadn't the means to weld it to the deck, or get it operating if we could. Since we were without their aid for a few days, I saw it safer to keep the thing below deck.

Golden was keeping me company at the control desk, wanting to learn what Solar had tried to teach her the other day. I did my best to get her familiar with the controls of Shelter, as well as how to navigate. The sea was a big expanse of water with islands scattered about it almost randomly. Simply picking a direction and sailing that way wasn't going to get you to your destination, a lot of it involved staying on course, avoiding currents that could throw off your course, keeping an eye out for landmarks, and more often than not, guessing.

If you're sailing north and sail through a current drifting west, you'll end up traveling northwest, however its the water that's moving you west, not the ship. In the blue expanse, its hard to notice unless your looking for it. Staying in the current and not adjusting course means missing your destination. You don't arrive when you intended to, and start to wonder which direction you need to go to find it. Thankfully, my pipbuck acted as its own landmark, I could use the places I've mapped on it as a reference against Solar's map. If I had my original pipbuck, sailing to Balefire Cove would have been a lot easier, just sail to the dot. With my new one, it wasn't perfect, but it certainly helped more than sailing blind. Since Golden had one as well, I showed her how to make of use of it. Certainly, it was easier to sail to locations I've been to before with the pipbuck, be we haven't been to Balefire Cove before.

By this point we were roughly in the same area as where we changed course yesterday. Rust-Hallow should be a few hours north west of here. I had talked to Mek about stopping there so she could apologize to her parents and the Evercrest's captain, she had refused. She wanted to wait until we were all together again, I guess she was more upset then I was that half our crew went off without us.

Tabben, Solar, Ruby, and even Steam. They had gone off without us. Tabben, Solar and Ruby left me their artifacts. I asked Golden to clean Tabben's robe, he could suffer learning what its original color was. We all had been surprised when Golden was finished. The article of clothing looked as if it had been made recently, it was pure white. The fabric was beyond strong, I dare say indestructible. And wearing it made everything seem cooler, as apposed to hotter.

The golden rod had my interest, but I haven't tried singing with it yet, as the moon had set by the time I had woken up. It was incredibly light considering it was metal, and there wasn't any scratches or sign of blemishing on it. Star metal, something from the night sky itself, I stared at it in wonder, imagining what my song would be capable of with this amplifying it.

What Solar had left behind was significantly less mysterious, but all the more precious, he left us his map. Though he had only been sailing since he joined Peg Leg's crew, his map had a great deal of small notes written on it. Even though he wasn't here, his notes were a boon to us. It showed several of the currents he had sailed through and had added on himself. He may prefer robots, but he was still a great navigator. I guess a matter of precision was required for both interests.

Looking over their possessions, I saw them as a promise. We would no doubt reunite at Balefire Cove, they were entrusting these to me while we were apart, and I would see to it that their trust wasn't poorly placed. Looking up from the artifacts belonging to my missing crew members, I appraised my current company.

While I was occupied with controlling Shelter, I noticed that Mek and Golden were doing their own things. Mek seemed to be trying to make rivets in the bow for the turret, while Golden seemed content to fly laps around the ship as fast as she could. Thinking on it, I never saw the two interact with each other. I guess the two didn't have much of anything in common besides Tabben.

“Mek, do you know any good stories? I'm sure Golden would appreciate hearing some from you.” I pitched to the unicorn, we were in for a boring voyage if those two intended to  keep each other at hooves length. Golden looked at me, then to Mek, with a hopeful smile. Mek looked uncomfortable with the idea, but when she saw my pleading look, she nodded her head.

“Well, alright, let me think of a good story for ya.” And Mek thought for a minute before starting off with a tale concerning how she fixed the engine during a nasty squall. As she went into detail, even I was losing interest, she went into far too much detail as to what was wrong with the engine and what she had to do to fix it. Golden's attention was even less focused than my own, but she politely listened.

When Mek noticed that Golden was nodding off, she tried to tell a different story, this one with pirates and adventure. However, while this one had both as promised, she had to keep backtracking as she had to keep answering Golden's questions about the pirates. After all was said and done, we all agreed that Mek wasn't a good storyteller. Not one to give up easily, I thought about turning it around.

“Well Golden, how about you tell us a story? I'm sure you have plenty to tell, some awesome stories that put our little adventure to shame?” I offered. Golden looked at me, she clearly never considered that. She loved to listen, but I guess she's never tried telling one. She nodded and after considering for a second started telling her tale.

“This is the story of the best pegasus to ever fly the skies. Her name is Rainbow Dash, she was so awesome, she invented the Sonic Rainboom when she was younger then me!” Well, that definitely caught my interest, I didn't know what a Sonic Rainboom was, but Golden sure had a fancy for it, and something told me I'd be learning about it from her story.

“And whatsa Sonic Rainboom?” Or Mek could interrupt the story with a question.

“Only the true mark of a fast pony, duh! Let me tell you girls all about it. You go really really fast, so fast that you cause an explosion that clears the sky of clouds and fills it with an explosive rainbow! Rainbow Dash was performing a race when she did it. But it was no normal race! It happened during the old war, there were zebras and griffins and dragons! All of them were chasing filly Rainbow Dash, trying to catch her because she was a pony and they weren't. She flew circles around them and showed them just how super slow they were, and for good measure, when the griffins thought they had finally caught up to her, she went faster! Her burst of speed caused a Sonic Rainboom that knocked all the enemies of Equestria out of the sky! It, was AWESOME.” The stories believability was in question, but the energy she pored into it was infectious, she had our full attention. “And she was able to do that, as a filly! Needless to say, she was Equestria's number one weapon when she was old enough to fight the zebras. The ponies of Equestria envied her awesome power and made the megaspells in an attempt to flatter her, but they did it all wrong and everything blew up. But Rainbow Dash didn't get blown up, she survived the war, because she's awesome. They say you can still find her wandering the clouds of Equestria, looking for bad zebra and ponies to crush under her awesome wings!” Well, somepony clearly had a idol. I had to wonder where she got that story from, I'm pretty sure that wasn't how the war ended.

“That's what ya want to do right? A Sonic Rainboom?” Mek asked, and Golden eagerly nodded her head. Then something off the side of the ship caught her attention.

“Rain, is that going to hit us?” She asked, as I followed her gaze I saw a storm covering the eastern skies, “It looks like it's going to hit us.” she proclaimed with a note of worry. Eyeing the storm, it looked like it was getting closer, it was too big for us to get around, and turning back wouldn't spare us from it. It was going to hit us, I felt my heartbeat hasten as I realized we were in big trouble.

“Mek, Watch the wheel a moment!” I ordered, trying not to completely panic. I then quickly went below deck to get some rope. That storm would be on us in ten, maybe fifteen minutes. Mek had no experience navigating a ship, which meant I would have to stay above and navigate the storm. I am not a heavy pony, I'll need to tie myself to the control desk. I prayed to Celestia that Shelter would be able to stand a storm. It was still sailing after two centuries, so hopefully it will manage. I also secured the less secure navigating tools below deck, including the map. The compass was built into the desk, which was good as I would need it to make sure we didn't get trapped sailing in circles in the storm.

Returning topside, the storm was closing the distance faster than I hoped. As I prepared to get the rope around the wheel, a squall traveling ahead of the storm hit us, almost knocking me to my hooves, and catching Golden, scooping her up into the sky. She managed to stay with the ship, but she was very high by the time the gust subsided.

She looked down, her eyes widened at the height, and I saw her wings lock up. She started falling like a rock, she was going to land into the ship! Yelling an alarm, I bolted to catch her. Not sure I would make it in time, I jumped, catching her in midair. Her weight drove us down, my momentum carried us forward, over Shelters side. As we splashed into the sea, I brought us above the water and saw that she was unconscious. I knew she was afraid of heights, but nopony told me her phobia was this bad! Mek was looking over the side, and she tossed the end of the rope I left at the wheel to us. Not strong enough to carry both myself and her unconscious form out of the sea, I wrapped the rope around us and had Mek pulled us out.

We needed to move, fast! The sun was swallowed by the clouds, the storm was almost upon us. Mek and Golden needed to be below deck, and I needed to be secured to the wheel. It was starting to rain as Mek pulled us out, the waves were starting to rock the boat.

“Mek, keep her with you, make sure our engine doesn't die on us, and seal the deck. I'll steer the ship. And don't argue, you can't drive this, and we're certainly not letting Golden do it. Now move!” I ordered, nipping any disagreement in the bud. She grimly nodded and took Golden with her.

“Don't get yerself killed Rain, I'll be right cross with ya if you do.” Mek said as she closed the door to the lower decks, the door was sealed from her side. Hoping there was no other means of water getting inside, I moved to the control desk. Tabben's robe was sitting on it, as if waiting for me.

Storms brought on hard winds that could cause a soaked pony to freeze, my barding wouldn't keep me dry, and I didn't know if the robe would help any, but it was better than nothing. It would also help mitigate rope burns that will occur from the rocking Shelter was about to go through. Putting on his robes, I tied myself firmly to the wheel, wrapping the rope around my left leg, making sure I always had a hoof on the wheel, and let out a small prayer to any goddess listening.

Despite that first gust that blew Golden up, the storm came gradually. It slowly, and steadily, got worst. It wasn't long before I was soaked to the bone. The gales tried to separate me from my anchor, and the noise was beyond compare. A tempest of heavy rain slamming the hull, the waves crashing in our path, the howling winds, the booming thunder. Truly, I had never known a storm before. Having shelter and solid ground beneath your hooves made any storm a nerve wracking affair, but this was beyond compare.

This was a storm. I couldn't even hear myself think over the noise. The heaving of Shelter sailing up and down hills of rolling water caused my stomach to lurch several times. I could only imagine how things were inside Shelter. The rain felt like I was being peppered constantly by small rocks, Shelter lisped to either side several times. Often when climbing a wave, the nose of the ship would disappear into the water. My nerves were overwhelmed with information, and as the storm went on, I felt a numbness wash over my body.

Breathing had become a chore, with all the rain and waves washing over me, I was constantly battling for fresh air. I hadn't time to panic, there was no where to flee. All I could do, was do everything I could to stay conscious, and make sure Shelter moved north. The pull of the wind and the crashing of the waves made me aware of the pain born where the rope bound me. My foreleg was looking in poor shape. I saw refuge in that pain, and grasped it eagerly, using it to keep me awake. Sooner or later, I hoped, we would escape the storm. The one solace I had through the entire torrent, was the warmth of the robe. Despite the cold waves, pelting rain, and howling winds, I never once felt the chill I feared would take me.

Time was lost to me during the storm. As we sailed, hours turned to minutes, every moment was the same as the last. And before I knew it, the storm slowly died down, as the ship pushed north, the winds grew weaker. The hills of water became simply rough waves. The darkness of the sky grew lighter, and the thunder fell behind us. I saw in the distance blue skies, and we edged to them as fast as Shelter would take us. I had been made numb from the entire affair, I couldn't feel much of anything but overwhelming fatigue. As the waves died down, and our cresting became more steady, the ponies that found safety from the storm in Shelter came up to see if I was still alive. Their concern touched my heart, and I let them take care of me as I passed out.

I was in the lobby, funny, I didn't think I was that close to death. I was on my island, the grass was green, the meadow was alive, and pond was full, and my mother was looking over the sea at the edge of the cliff.

Hey dear, I'm glad you have some friends to look after you now.

I had left the storm behind me, an passed out from the battle with the sea. Now I was here with mother, I guess now was as good a time as any to ask about our family.

I wondered if she had known about Destiny labs, about fathers family responsibility. She shook her head at me. She didn't know much about that, but she did know Ruby, who was he?

Ruby was my teacher, he introduced me to your father. It seemed so innocent back then, I wish he had been more honest about it. Ruby is something like a grandfather to you and my husband. You saw his features right? The eyes and cutie-mark?

I had forgotten! His magic was green, it must have been why I forgot his eye color, I was taught that unicorns magic matched their eyes. And his cutie-mark, it was the golden fragment! More precisely, it was a magnifying glass looking over the golden rod. He did have answers, his flank bore proof of that! Wait, something like my grandfather?

He's a lot older than he looks, which is no surprise. He filled me with a few details while I was under his care in the fragment. When the bombs fell, Equestria was for the most part, lost. The seas were not. Everypony that survived out here was spared the fallout, starvation was the biggest cause of death in the eastern seas. The megaspells fired by Equestria didn't cause fallout, but the scar on the ocean was more persistent. Since the seas were spared most of the fallout, Destiny Labs survived. Most of their facilities were in the eastern seas. There are still ponies running a few of them. One of them being the one Ruby is heading to right now.

Destiny Labs is still in operation? If they were, what new tricks have they unearthed in the last two centuries? Was that how Ruby was still alive? Could that explain what happened to Rock-Horns? What was the connection there with Wildcard?

I started to worry about Tabben and the others concerning their trip to Joint Facility 1. Thinking on it, if mother knew it was being run, then Ruby knew as well, he must have a plan to get them inside without issue. I'll need to get a solid debriefing when we reunite. We'll do that before going into Balefire Cove, their information may be course altering.

I noticed mother was looking at me with a pained expression.

Dear, your leg...

Looking at my legs, I saw that my forward left leg was battered and broken in several places. I recalled it looking bad when I passed out, but with no robe obstructing it, I saw how bad it actually was. Luckily in the lobby, it caused no pain, I was separated from what my body felt here, so there was no physical pain.

This was beyond potions and my song, there was no way I could set this. At least, I could mend the radius bone above the joint, but everything beneath was a lost cause. When I woke up, I'd have to take it off. It was either amputate, or let it heal as a solid mass that would cause constant pain and have irregular blood flow. Considering what my journey entails, I would be better off with a stump than a misshapen husk of a leg. I stared at my leg for several minutes, the thought of cutting it off or keeping it repeating in my head before my emotions caught up to me. I was going to have to lose a good portion of my leg. A sense of loss washed over me as tears ran down my face. I had gotten us through the storm, we all had our lives. But still, I saw now that I was going to be a three legged pony for the rest of my life. No, that isn't completely true, I could fashion a peg for it, but I wouldn't be able to work with it like a proper pony ever again.

Sorrow was slowly replaced with horror. I had no means of anesthesia on the ship. No, we had med-x and alcohol, but using those would impair my ability to cut the leg. Everything from the cannon bone and below was a lost cause, I'd have to cut below the joint, where it meets the cannon. No, I wasn't capable of that, I couldn't foresee myself being steady while doing it. Mek would have to do it. Oh goddesses, I doubt Mek knows anything about treating an amputated stump!

Then you'll have to explain it to her first dear. Trust your friend and hope for the best. You can see memory orbs, right? Separate yourself from the pain by looking into one.

Oh, those were good ideas, though I didn't really have a choice in the matter for the first one. Mek works with machines, maybe she can manage taking care of severing a limb? Okay, depression sinking in. Oh, what were the others going to think when they see me. I'll need to make a makeshift limb, I can't get by with walking on just three limbs.

Dammit, once again the wasteland was taking from me.

No, I corrected myself, that's not true. This happened because of my negligence, I shouldn't have worked the rope just around one leg, I should have split the stress evenly between my limbs. This was my own damn fault, the storm would have been there regardless of whether it was caused by the wasteland or not. I messed up, and this is the price I must pay for it. Don't blame the environment Rain, take responsibility for your own actions.

Mother walked up and hugged me, and I returned it. My sorrow had turned to anger, the tears I cried into her embrace were warm with disappointment and frustration. I was the captain of Shelter, I was responsible for it and its crew. I spared it from the storm, but failed to spare myself.

I messed up, but I was still alive for it. I need to keep moving forward. Now with one less limb, it would be harder, but I wasn't going to let myself fall to this. There were questions that still needed answering, and there were friends to reunite with. Leaving my mother's embrace, she gave me a loving look as I left the lobby, pride alight in her eyes.

It was hot, I was hot. I came too feeling feverish, I was in the sleeping quarters, Golden was by my side and looked over me as I stirred. I looked to my damaged leg. It really was a mess, the pain was a dull ache, and I vaguely realized that my body's natural responses had dimmed the pain. I knew it wouldn't last though, this needed to be taken care of, I needed to tell Mek how to do this before I passed out again.

“Golden, send Mek in here, I want you to guide the ship in the mean time, please, don't leave your post. Okay?” I asked the filly, she saw my leg, she could guess what was going to happen, but she nodded. I had given her a task, and she was going to make sure she didn't disappoint me. She gave me a light hug before leaving me alone. As I waited for Mek, I counted the things she'd need and the steps she had to take. A troubling idea was bubbling in my stomach. I could spare myself the pain with a memory orb, but that would leave me completely at Mek's 'expertise'.

No, I needed to be awake for this. We had no more potions, the moon was gone, and wouldn't return till early next morning. This needed to be done right, and in order for that to happen, I would have to endure. I had med-x, it would help, but I doubted it would be enough to spare me the pain. Just as Penny had to endure, just as Golden had to endure, I would have to endure. But by the goddesses, was I scared.

How many ponies get to enjoy having their limbs sawed off without anesthesia? Oh, probably a depressing amount, considering the wasteland. Before I could further dig my own mental grave, Mek arrived to distract me!

“Hey Mek, I need a favor, and you're going to hate it.” I started with a weak smile. She saw the look I gave her, and she shook her head.

“No sweetie, you can fix this, I know ya can. Just sing your song and everythin' will be all right.” She started, but I stopped her before she could make me feel worst about this.

“Mek, I'm the medical pony here, I say its got to go, so its got to go. But I can't do it, I need you to do it.” I said, oh horseapples, tears were forming in her eyes. If she started, I wouldn't be far behind. “Right now, I need a strong pony to help me through this, so please, help me.” I pleaded, my words shook her, but they also gave her resolve. She wiped her eyes, and gave me a determined look.

“Whacha need me to do?” She asked, I was relying on her strength, I knew she wasn't going to let me down. I gave her a list of what she needed. After she gathered the items, I told her what followed.

Dear, I can spare you the pain.

No, I knew what she was thinking, she had it in her mind to take over me while I took shelter in the lobby, she would take the pain for me. This was my fault, it was my pain to take, I wouldn't let her take it for me. But I was still thankful all the same.

First, I had her make a brace for the broken radius bone. She in fact used the same brace I had used on her leg, and on my own leg, over a week ago. Part of it was still broken but still worked as a brace. I then explained to her carefully how to set the bone before wrapping the brace. She injected me with med-x, dimming my nerves. I then grit my teeth as I gave her a nod. With a strong shift, I felt the bone set, and lightning hot agony washed my vision as I let out a loud scream. And that was with the med-x! Oh goddesses, please, help me through this. Please, make what comes next bearable.

Using the rope, the very same that spared me from drowning, and broke my leg, we made a tourniquet. After ensuring I wouldn't bleed out, Mek got the medical saw in her mouth. She preferred it over he magic, but she was going to get my blood on her. Unfortunately, I was starting to suffer from delirium, my suggestion to use her magic falling into gibbered nonsense as Mek steeled herself for the next task.

All I remembered of what followed of the procedure was my muttered apologies to my friend. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I had you do this, please, make it stop. I'm sorry. My nerves were raw, my throat sore, my bed soaked in sweat and blood. Mek looked just as ragged as me when it was finally over, but I couldn't pass out yet. She needed to sterilize the wound, and seal it. Compared to what came prior, the burning of the alcohol wasn't even enough to cause me to squirm. As I saw her, with great care, sew it shut as best she could, I felt the darkness overtake me, and hoped I would awaken from the sleep overcoming me.

I had no dream, I wasn't drawn into the lobby. It was a dark, dreamless, hot and uncomfortable slumber. I woke up a couple times for several moments, feeling assured at the presence of my friend next to the bed. At some point Golden came in and was talking to Mek about something. What was it about, an SOS? Somepony was needs help? Sounds good, let go save them. I thought quietly. Mek and Golden seemed to be having an argument, and it stirred me into being more awake then asleep.

“She would do it, in a heartbeat,” Golden said, “You know she would, so we should help them.”

“Nu uh, she's outa commission, it's just the two of us, we can't be savin' some strangers right now, what if their raiders in disguise? Ya expect me to handle that all by myself?”

“Mek, she'll be mad at us if we pass them by!”

“Then I guess she'll be mad at us, we ain't riskin' our lives for it!” They were arguing over saving someponies, I wanted to tell them what we had to do, what we needed to do, but I was barely keeping myself awake, my eyes felt as heavy as iron, I could barely move my head. I calmed down, and gave myself a moment to build up strength to intrude on their argument.

“I can go check it out, fly over, take a look, fly back. I'm not going to be a filly forever, I can be a big girl, so let me check it out.” Golden suggested.

“Last time you flew, you almost crashed into the deck with Rain!” Oh Mek, why do you have a penchant for letting out things best left unsaid?

“I can't help that, okay, and that's not fair!” Golden replied, sad frustration lacing her words, “At least I didn't go about trying to kill my best friend!” I couldn't blame Golden for that retort, Mek had set herself up for it.

“I, I'm sorry,” Mek said solemnly, “It's been a rough couple days for me, so I'm sorry. You're right, she would want us to help, but we're gonna go about it all cautious like, follow me?” I didn't hear Golden's reply, she must have nodded. It was quiet for several moments, had Golden left?

“Dammit, yellin' at a filly, what's come over me?” She asked as she let out a long sigh. Deciding to give talking another try, I responded to her question.

“It's kind of embarrassing, losing an argument with a filly.” Mek jumped a little, surprised I was awake, “I'm glad she won, you silly mare.” I weakly finished. What I would give for a potion, or a warm drink. “Thirsty,” I informed her, she nodded and left me alone for several minutes as she got me some warm water.

“How ya holdin' out?” She asked as she propped me up, helping me drink. I eyed my leg. It was wrapped in a lot of bandages, as well as the brace, how silly. I saw the stump, and I felt hollow. I suppose I was too weak to actually feel a physical response to the loss.

“Good I suppose, I'm awake, and I'm not getting weaker, so we should be in the clear. Once the moon rises I can get myself back into working order.” I paused to drink more of the water before thanking her, “Thanks Mek, I know it wasn't easy, but it needed to be done, I'm glad I could rely on you. And I'll keep relying on you, you're my friend, I'll help you when your down, just as you've helped me.” She nodded.

“That's what friends do, although I don't think it's common for a friend to ask to amputate. Lets try and avoid any more of that, kay?” She said, giving my a kind smile, and I nodded. I don't think I'd be able to survive another.

“Rain, you're okay?” Golden returned, seeing us talking she felt like joining in.

“No, but I will be, since you're both here with me.” I said, I suddenly had the impression of Tabben rolling his eyes, I wouldn't have minded that if the buck was actually here. Golden looked at my stump, and she started to cry.

“Now we wont be able to race again. I wanted to race again. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pass out, I can't help it-” A crying Golden wouldn't do, I reached over with my good hoof, Mek supporting me, and I hugged Golden close to me.

“There there, it's not your fault, I'm not blaming you. We can race again, once I get a peg on this leg. Don't you worry, I won't let this slow me down, I'll be as fast as I've always been, I promise. So none of that silly self depreciating nonsense. Now, buck up, you're a big girl now, right?” She nodded at my prompting, swallowing her tears and clearing her eyes. “Then give me your mission report.”

“Okay,” she paused to compose herself before giving me the report, “There's a family of zebras on a small drift island a short distance from the ship, I stopped Shelter to check them out. Their water talisman thing is broke and their ship can't move. They're hungry, two adults and a child. They need help Rain.”

“In that case, let's give it to them. Mek, let them on board, offer our food to them, and tie their boat to ours, we'll drag it along. If their hungry, then they're also weak, so you can appraise them in person.”

“Rain, I'd rather we not take em, you can't trust zebras.” She said, and I frowned at my friend.

“It was a zebra that saved me from Thousand-Smiles, thank you very much. He helped me without asking for it, I want us to help that family. I'm surprised Mek, I didn't know you thought of zebras that way.” Oh, she looked ashamed now, did I over do it? “I'm sorry, but we're helping them. If we're lucky, they might have a potion they've saved up. Or they might even know where in the eastern sea we are. Now the both of you, get to helping them. I am, starting, to feel a little...”

My strength failed me as my eyes sagged. Mek gently lay me back in the bed, I gave her a little smile and rested while they went to work. Time slipped away from me as I fell in and out of sleep. I was still a feverish mess, but I felt a little better this time around. A zebra family, fancy that. I could almost see them looking over me. No, wait, was that a zebra looking over me. Stirring into being awake, I looked at the mare. Female zebras are called mares right?

“You have got to be the sorriest looking captain I have ever laid eyes upon.” She said, giving me a weak smile, her features were gaunt with hunger, but she looked like she had been given a new start at life. “I thank you for saving me family. You are Blue-Stripes if I am not mistaken?” She asked me, I gave a weak nod and a smile. “Then fate is a funny thing, you never know when you'll run into ponies and zebras that are tied to you. I am glad I know our connection.” She said as she offered me a small cup with a slightly familiar smell to it. I guess I would be a fool for taking a drink from somepony I just meet, almost literally on my death bed, but her expressions garnered my trust.

She was tall, as tall as Mek, but was slender like me, well, naturally slender, not just being gaunt from hunger. Her mane was long and kept to the side, white and gray stripes ran through her features. Her glyph mark resembled an upside down potion washed in zig-zagged lines.

Taking a sip, my suspicions about its contents were confirmed, it was a zebra healing brew, and from the taste of it, it was either heated up, or freshly made. I felt the aches die down immediately, and the braced bone mend. After finishing the concoction, I was still weak and feverish, but I was well awake now, and my stump was feeling a lot better.

“So what would that be? Are you from Zerrist? Did you know Zerkash?” I asked, wondering if that was the connection she was referring to, as I haven't really had any other dealings with zebras beside what happened near Zerrist.

“It be more than that Blue-Stripes, I was his sister. I am glad Thousand-Smiles died soon after Zerkash did, his spirit got to see the beast off before joining our ancestors.” Yea... I think it would be a good idea not to inform her about Zerkash's fate. Partially because I wasn't sure if he had passed on, and I don't want to ruffle any zebra's beliefs of the ever after by telling them about the lobby.

“He saved my life, I'm glad I was able to save his kin, even if it wasn't intended.” I admitted, I hadn't know that, honestly if would have rescued them regardless of their race. Unless they were starving dragons, that would be iffy. She looked at me, surprised by my answer, then smiled warmly.

“So you've been wanting to settle the responsibility of a dead zebra, and fate brought you to us to save me family. What a silly world we live in. Still, his life is not equal to our three. You saved us, so you are responsible for us.” I was? What exactly did that mean?

“How do you mean, in what way am I responsible for you?” Was I suppose to add them to my crew? There's only so many that we can fit on Shelter!

“In the way you choose. Maybe you simply want us to get off the first island you pass. Or you would wish us be sold into slavery. Or-”

“No, I wouldn't, and don't you dare suggest that again!” I said angrily, surprising myself with my outburst. There were plenty of things I would take, but I wouldn't take being called a slaver. She looked surprised, then smiled.

“My mistake, I'm sorry to offend. You seem to be uncomfortable with the notion of owning another's life, my apologies, this is probably not the best way to even our debt. Maybe I can make this suggestion, our home, food, land, ship is yours as you need it. We take care of it as our own, and allow you it should you ask for it. Ponies and Zebra's don't see debt the same way, I wasn't sure if you'd see it the zebra way or the pony way, concerning you have the blood of both in you.” Right, confused as a zony because of my stripes, another thing that doesn't need elaborating on right now. So zebra's see at is being responsible for the lives of those they save? I certainly didn't understand what she meant about that. Treating it as a debt was a lot simpler, and I guess more pony-like.

“Can I get your name?” I asked, she knew my name, sorta, but I didn't know hers.

“I am Merdana, my husband is Trantao, my daughter is Versa. We are in your debt for saving us, and for towing our boat as well.” She said as she bowed respectfully to me, making me blush. For some reason, I thought I would be belittling her offer if I said 'it was nothing'. Saving ponies in the wasteland was an oddity, they were lucky it wasn't pirates. Curse the wasteland.

“You live in Zerrist? It's a little out of our way if that's the case.” Thinking over it, if we turned back to Sandstone Island, we could still make it to Balefire Cove, we may just be a little late. Merdana shook her head.

“We were heading to Tyrna in the north. It's northeast of Rust-Hallow. Is that out of your way?” I shook my head, it's less out of the way then turning back the way we came at least, “Our home's there, my brother and I never talked much because of the distance. I can get you a new leg when you drop us off, it's a small step to paying you back.” New leg? Zerkash had a peg leg, I wondered if that was what she had in mind. That would certainly be more than reason enough to go to Tyrna, I'm sure Mek and Golden would agree.

“That would be wonderful, to be honest, I've wanted to see a zebra community, I'm looking forward to it.” She nodded, then approached me with a word of warning.

“Curiosity is a good thing, but in the wasteland it can lead to an early death. But its just a general warning, I assure you Tyrna is quite kind to zonies.” Well, there's that too I guess. This detour should be nice for once!

“Noted, could you guide us to Tyrna? We sailed through a storm and are a little lost.” I said, sheepishly waving my stump at her. She regarded it with concern.

“Ah yes, we saw the storm and worried it would end us, but we were spared it. My husband can get us to Tyrna through the night. He'll have to follow the stars to do it, but we should be fine as long as the stars don't seek our folly.” Huh?

“I think you'll need to explain that to me.” Were zebras superstitious of the stars?

“Ah, of course. I'm not much of a story teller, I'm more of a healer, but I can try to explain it to you. We see the stars as an outside power beyond our grasp. They watch our world and care little for our affairs. Every once in a while, some pony, or some zebra will call upon the stars for aid, or power, or simply attention. Sometimes the stars are benevolent, it is when they are malevolent that we have come to fear them. A long time ago, many zebra, in the greatest 'city' of our kind in their time, tried to summon a star to the ground using abandoned magic. They got their wish, and brought a star from the night sky, destroying their selves, their city, and many more lives. We have good reason to hold the stars with fear. Even recently, they brought their malevolence upon us in the shape of Nightmare Moon. Many zebra partook in the old war simply because Nightmare Moon had taken the throne over the Sun Goddess.”

Nightmare Moon? Was she referring to Luna from the story of the mare in the moon? That was simply an old legend. When the war ended, Celestia and Luna lost their physical forms, but still look after Equestria from the heavens. It's what I believed, but it didn't mean I counted on them, after all, there were plenty of ponies in the wasteland that needed their aid. I could manage without them, leave their aid to the ponies that need it most. Although, that didn't stop me from asking sometimes, I am a selfish pony after all. Were zebras wary of the moon? Since that's where Nightmare Moon hails from.

“I certainly hope you don't come to dislike me for my cutie-mark.” I said as I shifted the blanket to reveal the moon on my flank. There was plenty I could hide from her, but I would be hard pressed to hide that. Merdana looked surprise, but recomposed her self and reassured me.

“Zerkash had a moon on his flank as well. We do not fear the moon, it is close to the stars, but so is the sun. At least, that's what I tell any silly zebra who thinks to fear the moon. As his sister, I had to dissuade many who thought he called upon the stars when he was younger. Tis silly, Zerkash would never ask for help from anything.” She looked at my mark, no superstition in her eyes, only a small amount of respect. “It will not be a problem, as I have said, zonies are treated kindly, I can simply say the pony blood in you won over the zebra when it concerns your mark, that'll be more than enough to dissuade silly zebras that think the markings on your flank are reason enough to hate you.” Well, that'll have to do I guess.

“So how is it, living in the sea side-by-side with ponies?” I was curious to know how much animosity stood between our races. It was clear to me that Mek held some, but whether it's from personal experience or simply how she was brought up was beyond me. That war had been terrible, two hundred years later, and we were still paying the price for it. It would be nice if ponies and zebras learned that it wasn't worth it. She let out a tired sigh, already dissuading my naive hopes.

“You are not from this part of the world, I think I can see that. You must come from the west, or Equestria. Most everypony and zebra get along out here, besides the Remnants and the IFA. The Ironclad Flotsam Alliance was made of the survivors of the war, they passed their animosity down through their children, just as the Remnants do for us zebras. If one group isn't causing trouble for one race, it's the other. My husband was worried when we ran aground so close to the IFA.” So there are ponies in the IFA that are holding a two hundred year old grudge. Mek's distrust now makes more sense to me, I'm just a little disappointed that she wasn't above it.

“I will admit to some fear as well,” she continued, “I am glad fate thought to bring you to us.” She smiled at my confused look, “It's no coincidence that the pony that avenged my brother was the one that saved my family. Fate ties us together, you were in the area and those ties pulled us towards each other.”

“Is fate the same as destiny?” I asked, Destiny Labs was manipulating destiny, I was curious how this all worked together. Merdana shook her head and enlightened me.

“Fate is to destiny as the stars are to the sun. The touches of fate are constant and riddled through ones life, while destiny is the shiny beacon that outshines all others. Fate is the day to day coincidences that make life an adventure, while destiny is the defining mark of your life. Whether it's your destiny to kill a particularly large shark, or save a family of zebras remains to be seen. Fate is constant and a present event, destiny can only be seen after your story comes to an end. However, it's not uncommon for fate to lead to ones destiny, and destiny has a way of stringing the fate of many together. It is fate when you end another's life, for the chance of ones death being their destiny is very rare, and very tragic.”

Destiny Labs worked to manipulate destiny, and through it, fate. If we're tied together by fate, then wouldn't that mean changing the destiny of one pony would ripple out through the threads of fate? They had used their arcane science to protect Stable-Tec near the end of the war, what kind of fate was spawned from that? I was a result of those ponies playing with destiny, and it seems my fate is born from it.

We run aground on Sandstone island and just happen to wander upon Joint Facility 3? I get discovered by Wildcard and end up eventually getting my hooves on the soul recollector? I happened to reach PA Labs 1 with the one pony that could let us through the front door? As Merdana said, there were no coincidences, I was being strung along by fate. Did I actually choose to wander towards the canyon that hid the facility? Did I have a choice when we stormed the robot factory? Was I being strung along by my curiosity, or fate?

“You look like you're thinking too much about this,” she pointed out, was my thinking expression that obvious? “Don't think that fate and destiny bind your actions. You chose to save my family. We can choose. At least, that's what you should tell yourself, what you should believe. If you start thinking you have no control over your life, then you start to lose control over it. Fate is not some unseen force that we have no say in the matter in, the same goes for destiny. Our actions determine our fate, don't think its the other way around. Whether its true or not, you're happier for it thinking we have a say in the matter.”

I wanted to argue with her, after all, we all were born in a desolated world where death is common and horrible, it would be easy to blame all that on fate. But someponies in the past didn't want to take her outlook. They played with destiny, and I wonder, if they hadn't, what would Equestria be like today? Oh, I probably wouldn't be alive for one thing. No, I shouldn't waste time with what-ifs.

Are we the ones that choose our fate, our destinies? Or is it all set in stone like a story, unchangeable, the ending certain? She was right, there was no way of knowing, and there was a good chance knowing the answer would drive a pony mad. I shouldn't dwell on it, I chose to be here right now, I chose to steal Shelter, I chose to have part of my leg removed. I need to take pride in my choices, they were mine, not some unseen force called fate or destiny.

My actions were my own, I was responsible for them, to blame them on something as intangible as fate was an insult to everything I've done, and who I am. Tabben owned his actions, he took pride in what he did, he held himself to his responsibilities. I want to follow his example, so I'll try to own up to my responsibilities.

Responsibility. A pony carries many responsibilities in their lives. Their own life, the life of those they hold dear, the lives they bring into the world. Their actions, their creations, their emotions, their identity. A pony that blames others for their own actions wasn't being responsible. Blaming the wasteland for the evil of slavers and raiders and pirates was irresponsible. Those ponies were answerable for their own actions, and everypony else was responsible for defending themselves from them. When Merdana was referring to me being responsible for the lives of her family, had she meant me giving them purpose? I think I follow, by becoming responsible for their lives, it also made me responsible for their deaths. I would be the chooser of their fate. I definitely preferred the pony way, settling it as a debt was less morbid.

I am the captain of Shelter, I was responsible for my crew. Their actions, their lives, their happiness. Can I really manage being responsible for them? I am an apprentice captain, but I suppose every captain starts somewhere. I'll simply have to learn more and become somepony worthy of that responsibility. But wait, was I responsible for my own destiny?

Wildcard and Break say my destiny is to save or destroy Equestria. I could barely get a grasp on being responsible for my crew, how was I suppose to be responsible for all of Equestria? Can't I just have a destiny where I find some reasonable buck that can make me happy and give my mother some grandfoals?

I certainly wouldn't mind that.

That made me smile. I was glad she was with me again. The idea that she can see everything I see and hear my thoughts came to mind, and just as swiftly yesterdays memory orb came to mind-

Nope, not thinking about that, pay it no mind, just laying here missing a leg talking to a zebra, nothing provocative about this at all, carry on!

“You're right, there's no point dwelling on it. So Merdana, that potion I drank, did you brew it up? If so, I'd like to learn the recipe. Since you happen to know a couple of things considering medicine, could you help me look over my stump? Mek is an engineer, I'm the medical pony on this boat. Having her take it off has made me a little nervous to see the results.” I said, mustering some bravado as I smiled at her. If she was in fact a healer, I had to wonder at my odd fortune. I was a pony that healed, and in the last twenty four hours I've run into two others that heal in different ways from myself. Was that fate at work as well? Looking out the port hole, I saw that night had fallen at some point in my sleep. I was still tired, but I needed to check Mek's work before passing out again. Merdana looked at me, amused.

“You go and think for a couple minutes and it leads to you asking me for medical aid. You're certainly a peculiar one, Blue-Stripes. Here, let me see your leg.” Leaning towards her, I finally took a proper appraisal on Mek's work. The way she wrapped the bandages made me wanna wrap Mek in bandages. She used way more than necessary, my stump was practically a bulb of cloth! After spending a couple minutes freeing ourselves from the mess, the wound was exposed.

The stump was a mess. Easily the work of an amateur, heh, if I had held out for a few hours, I could have had Merdana do the amputating instead and not have had my friend go through that. And I could have enjoyed not being awake through the ordeal. Merdana helped clean the wound and after leaving me alone for a couple minutes came back with another cup of healing brew. When she was done, the flesh still felt raw and ached, but was still better for her treatment. Once the moon rose the rest could be taken care of. We removed the broken brace since the bone was now mended. I had the brace put away in my medical bag, I was growing attached to the busted up pieces of metal.

Out of curiosity, Merdana wanted to take a look at my hoof, the severed off part. Her curiosity washed over me, and I wanted to do the same. We fished it out of a small pile of blood stained sheets and bandages near my cot. It was strange, looking at my limb, no longer attached to me. Rigor had set in the few muscles in it, it really was as bad as I thought it was. Many of the smaller bones between the hoof and cannon were shattered, the cannon itself was in five pieces. It was just so strange, feeling the broken bones with my good hoof, and not feeling anything. No, that wasn't quite true, my stump ached as I rubbed the severed leg, just phantom pains. Merdana nodded, she agreed with my assessment of severing it, only a healing talisman could have spared me this fate, which I had donated to children who needed it more than I. I briefly wondered if Penny had her eyes back by now. Seeing my severed hoof made me realize what it smelled like in the quarters.

I had Merdana help me up, I wanted some fresh air, the quarters smelled of blood and slight decay, fresh air would be good for me. Walking without my front leg was a real chore, it's not like my back legs could keep me standing when I moved my only working front leg. Good thing I was a light pony, or this would probably be even harder.

I'll have a peg leg soon to help me walk, guess I'll certainly look the part of the captain. All I would need is a big hat and an eye patch! I wanted to feel bitter about it, instead I felt proud. Yes it was negligence that cost me my leg, but I still managed to get my friends and our ship 'safely' through a storm. How many ponies can say that? And I bore the proof on my left leg. I had stripes on my left side, where I was seared by the explosion that killed Thousand-Smiles. I bore the scar in the center of my chest where Tabben stabbed me with his horn to keep my possessed self from killing Mek. And now I was short a leg. They were marks of what I've been through, and I found myself taking pride in them.

Reaching topside, it seemed Mek and Trantao were arguing about the finer things in life, like how neither of them trusted each other. Golden and Versa were sitting next to each other, watching quietly. Trantao didn't seem to take to the idea of sailing with an IFA pony, and Mek didn't like the treatment she was being given, citing it as evidence for her claims that zebras couldn't be trusted.

“We cannot be trusted? It was your fleet of rust that fired upon Ranta! You fired first and broke our old treaty!” Mek was taken aback by this, I was out of the loop, and found a good opportunity to interject.

“Where's Ranta? Tell me what happened, I'm not with the IFA, and I'm the captain here.” He glared at me for a moment before seeing the look his wife was giving him. His expression softened as he addressed me.

“Eight days ago several ships from the IFA attacked Ranta, it was our third largest settlement, and now its gone. The IFA refuses to admit responsibility, Admiral Rancid Metal claims it was a rogue group bearing the IFA banners. He is a liar, and once we find the evidence that damns him, there will be war against the IFA.”

War, its already caused a great calamity, why must it happen again? Some one takes from someone else, and that someone else tries to take back out of vengeance. It couldn't have always been like this. The Equestria I saw in my very first memory orb wasn't a place that could host a war. That tree, when did it die? Was war spawned from the ripples it's destruction caused? Once again I'm reminded of my need to find answers. War was going to be born again out in the eastern seas, assuming Rancid Metal did in fact send a part of his fleet against the zebras.

“Mek, would this Rancid fellow do such a thing?” I asked, and her sheepish look was all the answer I needed.

“I uh, wouldn't put it against him. He's kind of an avid hater of zebras.”

“She admits it!”

“I didn't say that, I said I wouldn't put it against him. Don't see truth were there isn't any, or I'll throw ya back into the sea!” Mek threatened.

“No, you won't, both of you stop yelling at each other,” I calmly asked, “the children are being better behaved that the two of you.” Golden looked annoyed to be referred to as a child, but smiled all the same.

“I have to agree with Blue-Stripe's, you're being quite silly right now husband, yelling at the ponies that saved us.” Merdana added.

Both of them looked dejected, and stopped their feud.

“Trantao, I need you to guide us to Tyrna, Merdana's offered me a new leg to help offset the debt you three owe me.” I said that to get his mind off of the IFA, I had no intention of milking their debt, I already considered us even, as helping them wasn't really a bother. But if I'm going to get a peg for my leg out of it, I certainly wasn't going to argue.

Fate, I found a family of zebras that knew Zerkash, and could help me with my leg. Was fate working to aid me? Fate fabricated by Break, by Destiny Labs. I was worried, sooner or later this was all going to crash down on me, wasn't it? Would there be anything left of me when that happened? I never considered myself a lucky pony, too much good luck is bound to be offset by bad luck.

Don't worry dear, it's bound to turn out fine in the end.

I shook my head, lost in thought I had missed Trantao's confirmation, but I saw him looking over the ships control desk. I asked Mek to clean out the quarters of my blood so that we could get the kids to bed, Merdana offered to help and I agreed before Mek could object. Golden seemed content to talk to Versa about our adventures while they waited. I got Solar's map and other instruments and showed Trantao how to work the controls, he was surprised by my trust, and was quite happy with it. He told me we would likely reach Tyrna sometime in the morning.

With everyone occupied, my mind wandered back to my mothers words. It'll turn out fine in the end? If that's the case, just how far was the end? Each answer led to a new question, I knew more about myself and Destiny Labs, but there was still so much more remaining. The last memory orb I had, it was a itch that needed scratching.

Now that I was in a position to not fear for the ship or its passengers safety, I retreated to the mess hall, tripping twice, this was going to take some getting use to. The last memory orb was the second one from Joint Facility 3, from Red Quills office, I doubted this would be another venture into perversion. I hoped.

As the lobby filled in, I could already feel that something was different about this memory. There was a familiar sound in the air, it permeated everything. The note that I sung. It wasn't quite audible, but I could feel it reverberating in the air. Where was it coming from? It seemed to be coming from everywhere.

I was in a small home, no wait, I've been here before. This was Breaks home, where the cute-ceañera had taken place. Break was in the living room, looking over a number of pieces of paper, her horn glowing like she was practicing some sort of spell. After looking over her notes concerning the spell she was working on, she called for Sap Fire.

The filly that came into the room was different from the one I saw at the cute-ceañera, she lacked her cutie-mark, was smaller, and her entire expression and body language lead me to believe she lived a miserable life. This memory must have taken place a couple years before the party. Break looked pained when she saw her daughter.

“Sweetie, come here, I think I've finished my spell, so lets see what your cutie-mark is going to look like. If we know what it looks like, you can get it sooner.” She said, trying to sound excited to cheer her daughter up. Saphy did look happy at the prospect, was being a blank flank that miserable for her?

Break placed her horn on her daughters flank and started her spell. As she did, Saphy's flank started to glow as I realized what was happening. This was the very first cutie-mark projection, foreseeing what a child's cutie-mark will be.

At first it didn't seem to do anything but cause both ponies to glow, and Break had a frustrated look on her face. A layer of overglow wrapped her horn as she put more effort into the spell, and as she did the harmonic note in the air seemed to weaken. Break, not wanting to let her daughter down, put her entire being into the spell, another layer of overglow wrapped her horn.

In the distance, I heard a sound that couldn't reach our ears. A sound that reverberated in our souls. The sound of a tree snapping, a booming crash as crystalline timber fell over somewhere in a isolated cave, unheard by no one, but by myself, and Break.

Her eyes widened as her spell was cast. A piece of paper nearby was wrapped in magic, and a picture of what would one day be Saphy's cutie-mark appeared on it. Break slumped down. To my horror, I realized the note had stopped playing.

There was no mistaking it. Breaks spell had somehow caused that tree to perish. That tree was singing the golden note, and now it was gone. This was the moment, when it all fell apart. My chest hurt, my heart crying out in pain from it all. A mother was trying to make her daughter happy, and it led to destruction of Equestria. There was no such thing as coincidence, Equestria enjoy a millennium of peace. Then the tree that sung the healing note all over Equestria, died. War soon followed, and then the megaspells killed Equestria.

I lost focus of the memory, Saphy's cries of joy, Breaks look of dread, they washed past me as I silently cried in the memory. As the memory came to an end, my mother was with me, and she held me as I wept for that tree, as I wept for Equestria.

Why did this happen?

Not all questions have an answer dear. Sometimes, life is simply cruel for cruelties sake.

This needed an answer, I refused to believe it didn't have an answer. There was a feature of the Soul Recollector I haven't tried yet. I was going to get my answer.

I played the memory again, but this time, I enabled Soul-Reading. Crusader said it would allow me limited soul interaction with memory orbs. I hoped that meant I could ask Break some questions. As I activated the Soul Recollector, the memory orb gave off a violent light that illuminated the mess hall as I fell into the lobby.

I was in the lobby, shaped as Shelter's mess hall. The environment didn't change, but everything seemed off. Like everything was stilted slightly.

Sitting across the table from me was Break, she was appraising me with a weak grin, she looked old and apologetic.

Sorry, I'm not certain of your name, but greetings, Assignment 13. I suspect you have some questions for me?

This wasn't a memory, this was Break, or at least, her soul. I was going to get my answers.

Footnote: Level up. Lvl 10.

New Perk: S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Training(2) –  Endurance +1. You weathered the storm and got your leg sawed off, you deserve this!

Quest 'Perk': Crippled – You've lost a leg because of your own carelessness! You lose the following perks:

-Six Shooter Focus(1)

-Running Circles

In addition, until you get a make-shift replacement limb, your Agility and Strength fall by two points.

Skill Note: Seafaring (50)