The moon was setting as I finished singing. At first I tried singing the note with a song played on Bounty Broadcast. The note never came out when trying to sing words, so I simply settled for humming.

When I had woken up, the moon was still in the sky, not setting till noon as a half new moon. Wanting to part with the morning headache and the stings from yesterdays burns, I had sung. My crew joined me on the deck one by one as they had awoken. Tabben had been watching our course through the night and was sleeping near the bow. I could never see myself doing that, sleeping on the deck of the ship.

When I was finished, my wounds were gone, and everypony looked rejuvenated. It seems my song only works when the moon is out. Had it originally been intended for me to sing the harmonic note at will, instead of just under moonlight? Until Solar could figure out a way to power Crusader, I'd be unable to ask the machine.

The party last night was just what everypony needed. Golden had worked out some creative snacks with our abundant supplies. Mek had found a deck of cards from our pilfered goods, and we spent the night betting a small amount of caps against each other in different card games. Tabben always seemed to work specifically against me in every game. I didn't win a single one.

Solar was showing Golden how to navigate the ship while Mek was getting parts for the turret topside. Golden was having difficulty absorbing the lesson, but she still tried to understand the basics. After finishing the lesson, Solar went to help Mek mount the turret near the bow. From the looks of it, I suspected Golden had asked for the lesson.

I was eyeing the small indentation in my new pipbuck, I wanted to try it out, watching a memory orb was something limited to unicorns, but now with the Soul Recollector I would be able to as well. I asked Mek for the two memory orbs we got from the joint facility and went to the mess hall to see what I was in store for.

Putting an orb in the indentation, I saw a new tab show up under data, Memory Orbs. Looking into the tab, there was a number given to the orb in the slot, as well as other information.

72 minutes. Unicorn. Male. Soul-reading enable yes/no? First person/Third person?

I set soul-reading to 'no', I didn't want to try that just yet. First person/Third person? Guess I'll see what first person is about. I then selected the activate tab. The memory orb glowed brightly as magic from my pipbuck fed into it, and as I stared into it I felt myself being pulled in, and the room fell away from me.

Oh wow, this is all sorts of strange. I was in the body of a buck, I could feel things I didn't originally have. The horn for one, and... yea. And I'm using magic to levitate something to me! That's what unicorn magic feels like? It's so weird! It's like I'm not even lifting it with my hoof, but some unseen hoof! And I couldn't move! The buck was moving, and I was along for the ride-

He brought a cup to his lips and I tasted something I've never tasted before. And it was good! Carrot Crunch was tree leaves compared to whatever it was I was drinking right now And the colors! Everything was vivid and full of life! There was no rust, the air smelled sweet instead of fishy. We were in a small home, the walls were unmarred and had colorful wallpaper on it. I saw that outside the window were tall metal structures, buildings, that reached to the sky, they put Sandstone to shame!

It was a party, a cute-ceañera. Fillies and colts were playing all sorts of games and congratulating a unicorn filly named Saphy. She had a coat the same color as my own, dark blue mane, and sapphire eyes. Her cutie-mark was some sort of silver log of wood. I also learned that the buck was her father. I could feel his smile, he was radiating pride.

This was not the wasteland. This was something alien to me. Equestria had once been this? Full of lovely colors and smells and tastes and warmth? We destroyed all this? Why? What had gone wrong? How did all of this lead to the wasteland!?

I wanted this. This was pure, clean, happy.

'It took many ponies and many zebra to break it, it would take many of both, and many other races, to fix it.'

Zerkash's message played in my head. Was it even possible to return to this Equestria? Not just live it in memory orbs, but actually live it? Smile with your friends and family without worrying about pirates or raiders slaughtering everypony?

“Mommy look!” Saphy ran to the door, showing her cutie-mark.

An earth pony mare had just arrived, and seeing her was a little unnerving, the mare matched my features. Our faces were different, our mane's were different too, but our colors matched perfectly. She had a cutie-mark of scissors cutting a golden thread, and I realized that this pony was Break.

She smiled at her daughter and rubbed her head, messing up her mane. Seeing that made me feel a longing for my own mother. Family and friendship, this party was a honest embodiment of those connections.

A couple minutes after her parents arrived, a red unicorn mare and pegasus arrived with carrot cake. 'I'll be bringing the carrot cake', the words I read a week ago had come to life before me. Was that Red Quill? A beige pegasus colt with a tan scruffy mane arrived with them, a blank flank, and as soon as he entered he playfully tackled Saphy.

“Saphy! You beat us to it! Congratulations! You're still a crusader after this right? Gonna help me and Babs, right?”

Saphy giggled as she tried to free herself from the pegasus. As she nodded at the excited colt, an earth pony filly with a light copper coat and short red mane, bangs almost covering her eyes, also a blank flank, joined them in the tackle pile.

“Well duh, Sunny,” Babs confirmed, “of course she's still a crusader! Can't have ya run off and leave us behind.”

Crusader? Crusader of what? Babs? Was that a filly Babs I was looking at?

“I know, I know,” Saphy said, “Cutie-Mark Crusaders forever, right?” She rolled her eyes and teased her friends with her sarcastic tone. “Now can you two get off me? Looks like your mom brought cake!”

The buck I was in stopped paying attention to the children and mingled with Break, Red Quill, and I assumed her husband. They proceeded to talk about magic techno-bable that went over my head. They were talking about how they'd be getting more funding from the nobility, and they were considering using that money to start a company to forward their research. I guess this was the seeding of Destiny Labs.

A couple minutes later, the children dragged their parents from their little discussion to partake in the party. Everypony spent the rest of the party playing games, and being happy.

As I left the memory orb, I found myself back in the wasteland, and my eyes started to water up. The lingering longing for an Equestria that doesn't exist anymore slowly faded as I noticed that it seemed darker in the mess hall than normal. Looking out the porthole, I saw dark ominous clouds in the sky. Worried about an oncoming storm, I tucked the orb away and went topside. Equestria could be that again, I hoped that whatever I was intended to do by Break would make that true.

As I went topside I also noticed that Shelter wasn't moving. Reaching the deck, I saw the large storm ahead of us, blocking out the sun.

“Welcome back,” Solar greeted me and nodded to the storm, “we're gonna wait for it to pass before continuing.” The storm didn't seem to be coming closer to us, I could feel the breeze from it, the waves shifting in the distance to the fierce gale. There was lightning in the distance, and the dull rumbles of thunder accompanied it.

Tabben was near the bow, a fully constructed turret lay on its side near him. Tabben was glaring at a small spot on the deck, his horn sputtered and glowed slightly before the magic died. His glare looked like it could melt a hole through the ship. I recalled his annoyance at his inability to contribute at the factory yesterday as I watched.

His gaze intensified as his horn started to glow again. A small fire appeared where he was starring before it sputtered out, along with his horn. He hit the spot the fire had been on the deck repeatedly, rage and frustration evident through his actions. He looked over his shoulder and saw me watching.

“Got something you'd like to say to me?” He asked, he was strangely composed considering what I just saw.

“Well, you're a lot more like a normal pony than a fire-ghoul right now, I found it interesting,” and that was the wrong thing to say. His brow furrowed as his glare threatened to light me one fire on the spot.

“What I meant to say was that just because you couldn't help during our raid of the factory yesterday didn't mean we didn't need you.” I quickly stated, oh goddesses. Open mouth insert hoof.

“You probably think it's funny,” he started, “anypony would. Look at Tabben, bastard can't use his magic, can't even help meld a turret to the deck, what good is he, right!?” He started to trot towards me as he was talking.

“I didn't say it was funny, and I didn't think that!” I quickly replied, I didn't know if he was going to do something to me, but I was definitely uneasy with his approach. To my surprise he actually stopped, “Tabben, I was relying on you yesterday, I didn't once think you were useless.”

“Really? You didn't think 'Sure would be nice if he had burned those pirates', or 'Wildcard's goons sure are a pain, shame he can't do anything about them'. Or maybe you were thinking 'cant let him near those robots, he might melt the whole mountain down on us'!” Mek had just made it topside and noticed Tabben yelling at me.

“Tabben, calm down!” Mek said, and quickly got between me and Tabben. Tabben blinked, he stared at Mek for a few moments, almost confused, before backing up.

“I'm sorry,” his ears slumped down, that was a first! “I don't like being unable to do my spells. You are at no fault for any of this Rain, so I apologize for yelling at you.” He's apologizing to me, maybe all the radiation in Equestria disappearing will be the next miracle to grace us! Mek tried to comfort him back but backed away shortly after laying her hoof on him.

“Yer a, runnin' a little hot,” she pointed out. He let out a long sigh before talking to Solar.

“Hey Yellow, could you park the ship a little closer to the storm, close enough to get rained on?” Tabben causally asked Solar.

“Call me by my name and I will,” he bitterly replied.

“Tell me your full name and I'll consider it.” Wait, it wasn't just Solar, his name was longer than that? Solar let out a sigh.

“It's Solar North, okay?” Tabben blinked at him, it looked as if he was digesting the name.

“Solar North, a direction that guides towards the sun, a bright light to follow through one's life, but is easily lost if seeking anything else. Pursue any path besides the one that shines brightest in your life and you lose your way. I see, as usual, the name fits the pony.” Solar and I gave Tabben a surprised look, I had forgotten of his penchant for deciphering names.

“Wait, so you're saying that I'd lose my way if I don't pursue navigation?” Solar asked, but even I saw that was wrong. I also found the notion slightly amusing, getting lost for knowing the way.

“It means you'll lose your way if you don't pursue what you enjoy,” I said, “Solar, you're our navi, but you're also a robot expert, and between the two, I can easily say you enjoy robots more.”

He considered this a moment, and realizing Tabben was staring at him, he moved the ship closer to the storm. When the it started to rain, he turned the boat away from the storm and stopped Shelter. Tabben looked up at the clouds, the rain sizzled as it fell on him.

He took off his robe, and for the first time I saw what was hidden underneath. Under the robes was cracked skin, his fur ended at the base of his neck, the rest of his hide was slightly burned skin. Having taken off the robe, the heat he was radiating became more apparent to us, and as the rain fell on him a bit of steam formed around him, occasionally blown away by the breeze.

His burns, my song hadn't heal them. He was close enough to have heard my song twice, even if he was asleep the second time; I'm sure it should have healed him. I'm still half my normal weight. His burns were caused by thermal sickness, I suppose my song can't heal through the ravages of magical taint. Mek and the others had taken a liking to my song, but not Tabben. I wondered if there was more to it. His robe seemed to be made of something more than just cloth. When I can, I should try singing when he isn't wearing it, and see if it helps or not.

Another thought came to mind, what if my song had healed him, and this was the end result? Looking over his burns, I saw that his cutie-mark was actually imposed over them, changing patches of blackened flesh to the color of his mark. I speculated that he got his cutie-mark after he was afflicted with thermal sickness. His cutie-mark was a name-tag, the end of the tag was burnt and on fire.

We watched in silence as the rain fell on us, and after a few minutes the rain stopped sizzling when it landed on him, and he slowly became drenched. He let out a blissful sigh of relief as the water showered over his burns.

“It's gotten worst since the last time,” Mek admitted.

“Well, it's not really suppose to get better,” he bitterly replied.

“Tabby?” Golden joined us, and she faltered when she saw Tabben's burned husk.

“Does that hurt? Are you going to get better?” She asked with concern.

“It does hurt, and there is no getting better from this. Don't worry about it, I'm more than capable of handling it, okay?” He softly replied. She didn't like his answer, but he continued before she could push on. “I think now's a good a time as any to tell you how Mek and I became friends.” He waved us closer, I eagerly approached, my question from yesterday finally being answered. “You can listen too if you want navi, just don't interrupt.” Solar nodded, but didn't move. He could probably hear Tabben from the control desk anyway.

Mek looked like she wanted to leave, as if even though a part of it, didn't want to have anything to do with the story. But she decided to stay.

“Now, this story begins with a colt, the greatest colt to ever be graced upon the seas of Equestria. This colt took pride in anything he accomplished, and would always go out of the way to impress anypony that would take notice! This colt loved attention. He also loved names. To the colt, names were a sign of trust, a story tied to everypony, a love letter between two parents and their child. So he worked to learn the name of everypony on his ship.”

“Then he came across a mare who would never give her name. She had a name, everyony called her by that name. It was a lie, it wasn't her true name, the colt wanted to know her true name, and worked to find it out. The mare didn't like her name, she hid it well, and she was terribly stubborn. It was gradual, but the colt ended up getting a crush on the mare. Unfortunately for the colt, she was seven years his senior, he stood no chance at winning her heart. But it wasn't her heart he was after.”

“On a stormy day, the ship had been driven into a boiling strait. Fate gave the colt an opportunity, a moment where the mare was about the fall overboard, and the colt could save her. He took it without hesitation, he endeavored to protect her. Unfortunately, he fell overboard instead.” Golden gasped at the turn in the story, seeing its results sitting in the rain before her.

“The colt wasn't in the water for long, but it was long enough for his coat and skin to be burned by the boiling hot water. Long enough for the magic in the water to rub off on him. He passed out from the pain, it was up in the air if the colt would survive or not, he lay near death for days. When the colt woke up, he asked for the mare. He had saved her, and he intended to take advantage of it.” Mek had a little smile on her face, nostalgia evidently written on it.

“When the mare came to him, he was unable to leave the room, his body was bound in bandages, healing magic and potions had little affect on his wounds. Only his head had avoided the boiling sea. He asked her for her name. She started crying, it was the damnedest thing, he didn't expect her to cry for him. She had slapped him, she hated him, saw him as a nuisance, and she cried for him. She gave the colt her name. It really was a terrible name, and the colt understood the mare better then he ever could have. Eventually the colt became a buck, somepony she could look at as an equal, and not as a child. But sadly, by then the mare had found another.” He let out a long sigh, looking to Mek.

“And now the buck and mare are friends, as close as friends could be without being lovers, much to the bucks disappointment, and he suspects, to the mares disappointment as well.”

“Speak for yourself Tabben,” Mek said quickly, “he was a good buck and I don't regret holding out for him.” Oh dear, Mek went and let something slip again, looking as though she hadn't meant to say that. Tabben's mood changed quickly from fond remembrance to heated rage.

“He, was not a good buck. He left you the second he found out you were with child. He. Left. You!” Golden and I were staring at him in shock, both at what he revealed, and how he revealed it. Tabben winced after realizing what he said, Mek looked hurt.

“That's not true Ta-” she started before Tabben interrupted her.

“Is that what you believe!? Is that what you've been hoping for these last seven years? He left you at the most important moment of a bucks life! He betrayed your love, betrayed his unborn foal, and betrayed Evercrest.” Tabben looked like he wanted to hit somepony, but he only screamed at the sky in frustration. Mek appraised him patiently.

“You done Tabben?” She quietly asked, “He will come back, I have faith in him.” Tabben shook his head.

“You truly are a pawn to your name, you know that? Fine, I guess I need to free you from the lie you've wrapped yourself in.” He said as he walked towards Mek, a mixed look in his eyes. Rage, sorrow, jealousy, regret, they were all present in his look, mixing into a dangerous mess. Mek took a step back, suddenly unsure about what he had to say.

“Tabben? What are you going to do?” I asked, terribly concerned, he was about to tell her something harmful, something that would probably spawn a great deal of regret.

“Give my friend the truth she deserves, even if she doesn't want to hear it,” the burned buck walked up to Mek till she stopped, he looked up at her, he then rubbed his muzzle against her and surprised all of us, “I'm sorry that I have to do this.” He then backed away from her and gave her his damning words.

“I tracked down the buck that left the love of my life alone with his child. I followed him and followed him and followed him. When I found him, he was fooling around with another mare. I. Killed. Him.” His words made Mek reel back, as if being physically hit.  Words he said to me shortly after we first met rang in my head, he held betrayal in the highest contempt. Mek composed herself before lashing back.

“You're lying, you jealous possessive bastard, you're just saying that so you can-”

“Her name was Swirly Water.” He interrupted, causing her accusation to die on her lips, “He was the third pony I killed out of hate. He had betrayed you, thoroughly,” his brow furrowed, “I killed him slowly, you've seen me do it before, you know the method. I started with his legs, I heated his limbs slowly, causing the skin, muscles, bones to burn from the ends to the body, his screams-” She bucked him, this was no Tabben slap, she put everything she had in her hit, he was sent sprawling past us and crashed into the turret with a painful thud.

“-made me hap- cough -happy. Quite the fool I was, thinking I'd set you free by killing him. When I returned home, you had left.” Mek was walking up to Tabben, her expression unreadable. Tabben had killed the buck she loved, her child's father. Even though the buck ran from her, and messed around with another mare, she still loved him. And Tabben had killed him, it was slow and painful. I suddenly feared that Mek would kill him in return. Tabben was a bastard, but I saw why he did what he did. The buck he killed wasn't worth her devotion.

Devotion, her heart had been anchored to Peg Legs ship. She would take a beating for me, stand in front of enemies to protect me, and would charge down a robo-pony about to kill me. Ponies in the wasteland needed something to protect themselves from the poison. A virtue, a vice, or a drive. I saw now, Mek protected herself with a virtue called devotion.

A virtue by itself will be corrupted by the wasteland, its poison is insidious. I saw that now, Mek had held onto her devotion, she held it for a pony that didn't deserve it, and because of that, her devotion has become corrupted. Was she going to kill Tabben out of devotion for the buck that betrayed her? I wouldn't allow it. She was standing over Tabben, her expression still unreadable.

“So Mek, are you going to put me down? They say the colt should have died from those wounds, are you going to see it through?” Why in Celestia's name was he antagonizing her? I saw her get on her back hooves, preparing to bring her forward hooves down on Tabben, she intended to kill him. I wouldn't allow it. I charged into her, and to my surprise, and relief, Golden charged her as well.

“Mek!”

“Don't hurt Tabby!”

We both plowed into Mek, knocking her off her hooves. Solar was hovering nearby, not sure what he was suppose to do. Mek got back on her hooves, easily knocking us off. She proceeded back to Tabben, who was getting back on his hooves. His face looked defiant, but his eyes didn't match, they looked old and tired. I didn't want to try pushing her again, I ran around her and got between Tabben and her. Mek stopped and looked at me, confused.

“He killed a good pony, slowly and painfully, that pony was a father. Don't stop me Rain,” she said, almost pleadingly.

“No, he killed a bad pony, slowly and painfully, that pony was a bastard. Mek, you need to stop, you're being too much like Tabben right now, and it scares me.” I admitted, Golden joined by my side.

“Tabby is a mean pony that can be a jerk to someponies, but he is a jerk to ponies that deserve it. You and Tabby are friends right? You should know that better that me!” She shouted at the large mare, bold anger on her face. Mek looked between the two of us, then Tabben. She let out a small sigh, and left. She went below deck, to the engine I assumed.

“Well, there went my oldest friendship.” The buck bitterly chuckled, I turned to glare at him, but we both were surprised when Golden smacked him.

“Stupid Tabben, why didn't you defend yourself! Didn't you think that somepony else would be sad to see you die! You. Big. Dummy!” She punctuated each word with another smack, tears in her eyes. Oh great, those two had a story as well. Tabben saved her from slavers, and now I was certain there was more to it than that. She had stopped hitting him, she was trying not to sob. Tabben's magic sputtered and glowed as he pulled his robe back on himself.

Before I could comfort Golden, Tabben did. He didn't hug her like I had intended, he simply put a hoof on her shoulder. She curled into his robe and openly sobbed into it. A question hung over my head, a terrible question that I would be surprised at if it had a happy answer.

“What happened to her child?” I dared to ask, Tabben looked at me from Golden, like I was some sort of idiot.

“She died, an engine room is no place for a foal,” his words hit me hard, and it clicked. She left Evercrest while pregnant, she joined Peg Legs ship, under whoever had it seven years ago. And from a cruel twist of fate, her foal died in that engine room. The ship her heart was anchored too. The ship she wanted to go down with. This is not where I need to be right now. Tabben and Golden would be fine, I needed to comfort Mek, and hopefully not lose her friendship in the process. I had barely gotten it, and now I was going to risk it to help her. Risk the present for a better tomorrow. I went to the engine room.

When I arrived, she was just sitting there, her back to me. She was staring at the engine, she knew I was behind her, but she didn't move or speak. What was she thinking? That Tabben was a monster, or that the buck that abandoned her was a monster? I stood there for some time, not sure how to start, not knowing what to say. Not knowing what she was thinking, I found the only words I could offer, a question.

“Mek, what are you thinking right now? Please tell me, I want to help.” She looked over her shoulder, giving me a sad look, and a bitter smile.

“Just thinkin' of how foalish I am. I loved him, I still do. But he left, he screwed around with another. Tabben wanted to free me, and I tried to kill him for it,” She turned around to face me, “I'm a big fool. I left home with my foal out of shame. I got her killed out of negligence. I chose to die with the ship she died on rather than live. I chose to harm Tabben over an a buck I was still holding a long dead torch for. And despite all that, I still love the bastard that left me. He made me feel needed, he made me feel wanted. I was happy with him. He left, and I believed he would return. I had it in my head that we would be a family, that he'd come back after Gear was old enough to know him. Now it's all dead. We should have been a family, and they're both dead.” She was shacking, he eyes were moist, but she fought back the tears. I sat there and listened with my entire being. She needed to let this out, and I would take it all in.

“And after losing them, with my own hooves, I almost ended the life of the one pony who's cared the most. He stood back and let me have my happiness with the dead bastard. Why? Why can't I love Tabben like I loved that bastard? It's not fair, Tabben is right, I am a pawn to my name.” She still didn't cry, she wanted to so much that it made my eyes wet.

“Mek, what is your name? If you're a pawn to it, why not defy it?” I asked. There is power in names, that's what Tabben believes. There's also power in defiance, if her name has so much power over her, she needs to defy it. Not hide from it. She took on the name 'Mek' to separate herself from her true name. Our eyes met. It was easy enough for me to say, but how does one go about defying their own name?

“You should ask Tabben for my name,” She said, wiping her eyes dry before looking to the stairs, “he's better at talkin' bout names then me. Lets go back up, I need to talk to him.”

Returning to the deck, Solar had his nose on the controls desk, keeping himself un-involved in what's transpiring with the crew. I saw Tabben and Golden at the bow, they were apart, neither saying anything to the other. Tabben noticed us coming first, and shortly after so did Golden, she got between us and Tabben. Tabben put a hoof on her shoulder and urged her to the side.

“Anything I can help you ladies with?” He said, putting on a smile and sounding like he did when we first met. I wasn't sure if he already recovered from what happened or if he was putting on a good mask. Either way, it annoyed me, and Mek seemed sad for it.

“Could ya tell Rain my true name?” She asked, and Tabben's brow furrowed.

“Oh, I nearly die to hear it and now that I nearly died again she gets to learn it? You're a funny pony Mek, really funny.” He rolled his eyes, was he hurt by that outcome? “Scrap Heart, a pony who grows attached to useless junk, she holds on to it, hoping that one day she'll be able to accomplish something with it.” He stated, pausing in consideration for a moment before continuing, “However, useless junk, with a little love and care, can become something more that just scrap.” Mek let out a low sigh.

“So what you're saying, it that I got attached to the wrong junk. You were here the whole time, and I was too busy with the other buck to notice?” She asked, Tabben shook his head.

“I am not scrap, you silly mare,” he said bitterly, his voice taking on his token arrogant tone. “And if I was, you would still be better off with another. You can trust me on that one. Your name has room for good. Mine doesn't. You know I'm not a pony worth your love, it's why you were willing to kill me. I am not a buck that should be loved, I'm at my best when others are at hoofs length, and don't any of you forget that.”

This buck. She came here to apologize, and he seeks to antagonize us. Why is he pushing us away? Why now, after what we've been through?  Thinking on it, I still didn't know this buck that well. We have only known each other for four days. No, that's not quite it.

I knew enough about this pony. He seems to enjoy pushing others away while presenting himself as somepony everypony should know. He hates being useless and holds himself to a high standard. He cares] about Mek and Golden, when they needed a push, he pushed, and when they needed a pull, he'd pull. He held their happiness above his own, and hid it under a mask of arrogance. What I didn't know, was why. Was his true name so damning that he held it above his happiness?

Mek walked up to Tabben, and lightly bopped him on the head. To our surprise.

“Stupid buck, You're right, I don't think I'll ever be able to love a fool like you, but you're still my friend, the most important friend I have,” before Tabben could give his snarky reply, she hugged him. The surprise on his face was almost funny to look at. When he saw me grinning he wanted to scowl, but instead closed his eyes, and returned the hug in kind.

“And that's all we'll ever be, and I'm fine with that, I have been for a long time. I don't want you to forgive me, I wouldn't accept it even if you wanted to. But I didn't want to lose my friend.” Their moment together lasted a little longer, Tabben noticed Golden trotting closer and quickly ended the embrace, just in time to avoid Golden joining in.

“And that's enough of sappy hour,” the buck declared, causing Golden to pout, and Mek gave a small smile that I mirrored. “Navi, get us away from the storm. Any idea how long it will last?”

As Tabben took charge of the ship, my mind wandered. I hadn't played that big a part in rescuing Tabben and Mek from destroying their friendship. All I had done was stop Mek from killing him, a task Golden could have pulled off on her own. A brief moment to make Mek pause and think, was all she needed to save their friendship. Despite the time they spent apart, and the animosity they had, they were true friends. They had already bounced back from this crisis, and it made me envious. They were never going to be anything more than friends, but Tabben took a risk and freed Mek from the chains of her past.

Tabben was a dangerous pony. His spite was terrifying, he had killed Mek's lover slowly, with fire. An asset that if not handled carefully, you'll get burned. I wondered, when he first introduced himself to me, had he given me the characteristics tied to his true name? No, that wasn't it. It was the characteristics of Tabben. Tabben was a name he made for himself, it had no real meaning in the pony tongue. Which meant it was the perfect name for him. He owned it by being himself.

Wait, why am I thinking so much about this? Shaking my head clear of the subject of a troublesome buck, I brought myself back to the here and now, and saw what I could do with the time we had till we reached Rust-Hallow.

Considering the other memory orbs I had, I informed Solar I'd be checking out another in the mess hall, and returned to where I was before Tabben went and rocked the boat. As I sat down, something occurred to me. Rolling my eyes at my own negligence, I got back up and I gathered my crew on the deck.

“We just went to do our own things and you go and drag our sorry flanks back together, what is it?” Tabben asked, clearly annoyed.

“I wanted to talk to everypony about what happened at the lab yesterday,” I had questions that needed answers, I'm certain they had some to address as well. Getting confirmation from the others, I began my line of questions, “Solar, can we get Crusader up and running again?”

“We have spare spark talismans from the pirate ship we cleaned out yesterday, and I have the wiring to give it power, but I need a terminal for Crusader to interface with, or we won't be able to communicate. I was hoping to find one at Rust-Hallow.” I nodded, glad he had something in mind for the machine. Solar's face started to flush as he asked something, “So Rain, would it be alright if I integrated Crusader into the ship?” He can do that?

“Ya want to what?” Mek asked, beating me to the punch.

“I have enough parts to integrate the CMCM into our ship, I can have it control steering and navigation, as well as operate the turret. I figured if we were going to collect all of the CMCM, might was well build it into our mode of transport.” He quickly said, he was looking forward to the idea, and I saw nothing against the idea. However, we should take care of this one step at a time.

“I'm fine for it, but lets wait till we get the terminal, I want to ask Crusader some questions before we do anything that could damage it.” Solar nodded in agreement, I guess he wasn't completely confident in his abilities. Mek seemed fine with the idea as well.

“That's good, if we get it working we can have Crusader provide the logistics for integrating the repair talismans we got from the factory,” he pointed out. We've only had Shelter for two days, and pretty soon the ships value would be increasing dramatically. I guess all my bad luck finally bounced back and nabbed us some good luck with yesterdays venture into the robot factory.

“Oh, oh, I would like a turn!” Golden exclaimed, “Rain, can you show me what all this does?” Indicating her pipbuck. Seeing how I was the pipbuck expert on this ship, I showed her and Solar all its features.

“Thanks Rain, but where's the storytelling feature?” Storytelling feature?

“What do you mean?”

“Last night before I went to bed, my pipbuck told me an old story about the mare in the moon. It helped me fall asleep. Which tab was that?” I had no idea what she was talking about. Going over her pipbuck, I saw her data was clear besides Babs final message. Did her pipbuck have some odd quirk?

“I, don't know, it shouldn't do that. At least, mine doesn't do that. Err, my old one, this new one hasn't done anything like that either.” Maybe being unused for two centuries caused her pipbuck to malfunction in odd ways. Focusing on pipbucks, I asked my crew a question.

“Would any of you know what a soul jar or soul gem would be?” None of them had an answer for me. Guess I wasn't learning that one till Crusader was up and running again. “In that case, Tabben, could you fill us in on Wildcard's 'goons'?”

“Right, I've dealt with them a few times before, it's always been a group of four to five. The minotaur is Rock-Horn,” so the bipedal with the horns was called a minotaur, good to know, “he's the leader of the gang, and is physically dangerous. Stay of his reach. The invisible one is an earth pony referred to as Wind-Whisp, not their true name. Uses a blade of some sort and is good at getting the jump on others, considering their invisibility. A unicorn supports them, usually with healing spells and defensive spells, she's referred to as Water-Barrier, I killed their fire-themed buck the last time I tangled with them,” Tabben rolled his eyes at the notion that the group had an elemental motif, “So I have no idea who they replaced him with. The pegasus you knocked out was either their transport or scout. The whole group is terribly dangerous, it would be best if we avoided them, but odds are we'll end up having to tangle with them sooner or later.” Tabben's information was a boon, we know knew what we were dealing with the next time we ran into them, which hopefully wasn't anytime soon.

“When we next run into them, leave Water to me,” he said, “don't harm her, I can handle her. And before you ask,” He said, glaring at me, “its personal, so don't ask.” It's personal? That sounded familiar, he didn't like Wildcard for personal reasons. Heh, what if Water-Barrier was his sister?

“Certainly, don't want us taking out your own sister right?” I sarcastically quipped, and he flinched. Wait, he flinched? It wasn't just me that saw it, everypony noticed it.

“I didn't know ya had a sister Tabben,” Mek said, his lack or correcting her confirming the truth.

“Tabby has a sister? Does that make her my adopted aunt?” Golden asked. I knew Tabben freed her, but did he also adopt her, or was that just wishful thinking on Golden's part? Tabben placed his hoof over his face and let out a long sigh. When he removed his hoof, he was glaring at me, and I was afraid I would combust on the spot.

“I was only teasing, I didn't know, honestly!” I said defensively. Goodness, is everypony he has a personal problem with a part of his family?

“Right, we'll just leave it at that, okay?” He said threateningly.

We all quickly dropped the subject on Tabben and killed any questions related to his family matters. Golden had a look on her face, she was going to pester Tabben about this, I was certain. Just not right now. I moved us back towards the questions I had, the last being about our destination.

“Are you two going to be fine, going to Rust-Hallow?” I asked, they seemed reluctant last night, and I suspected why. Tabben for simply being Tabben, and Mek had left out of shame. Tabben said the buck she loved betrayed Evercrest, did that have something to do with it?

“I'll be fine,” Tabben said, “it's just that ponies with my condition are frowned upon in Rust-Hallow. I'm well known there, but it's best for everypony involved if we don't overstay our welcome.” He then looked to Mek, a hint of concern in his expression.

“I, I need to apologize to Captain Aft-Sail, and my parents. I'll be fine, just not lookin' forward to it. While I'm doing that, Tabben can show you around and let you know who would needs what, assumin' you still intend to give away what we've stolen?” I nodded to her question.

“We need to separate our wares into what stays and what goes. Excess food, ammo and weapons we don't need, needless medical supplies, and generic salvage will be donated to anypony in Rust-Hallow that needs it. Tabben, I'm counting on you to make sure I don't give it away to somepony who's trying to fool me.” Tabben agreed, mumbling something about how inept I am and handling other ponies.

Well, I did spend most of my life on an isolated island, can you blame me for not being good at handling ponies I've never met before? Remembering what happened to me at Sandstone, I wanted to make sure somepony else was dealing with our goods and caps, and Tabben definitely seemed like the right pony for the task.

Looking to the north, it seemed the storm would be passing soon, I could see the tail end of it drifting south east. Solar informed me that we would be at Rust-Hallow in about three hours. Mek insisted on moving the cargo around, and I didn't argue, I wasn't a strong pony. Finished touching base with everypony, I went back down to the mess hall at the prospect of looking into another memory orb.

My curiosity was insidious. Now that I've gotten a taste of what the past, what Equestria was like before the war. I wanted another helping. I didn't even care if the memories had any pertinent information, just experiencing that was worth the time.

Loading up the next memory orb I had, I chose one of the ones we got from the factory. My pipbuck told me that the memory took place from a female unicorns perspective, at about half an hour long. Deciding I wasn't too fond of first person, I selected third person, and activated the orb.

I found myself in the lobby, to my complete surprise. Looking around, the lobby was the deck of Shelter, the door was floating over the ocean. Before I could get a grasp on why I was in the lobby, everything fell away.

Everything but myself and the door were still here, the door became opaque and the environment began to fill in with a location I had never been before. A cone of the lobby was filled in. At the base of that cone were two ponies walking down the side of a dark cliff, stairs built into the side leading down to the bottom of a ravine.

These two ponies looked familiar, they were older renditions of the ponies I saw in the other memory orb. Babs and Saphy. As Saphy's gaze shifted into the ravine, more features of the environment became more defined as I started understanding what was happening.

The memory orb was recreating the memory in the lobby. I willed myself to the stairs and started following the two mares as they climbed further down. Halfway down Saphy looked back the way we came, looking through me. Having looked behind, the rest of the lobby was filled with the missing pieces of this location. At the top of the cliff was a sky carriage, several armored pegasai were around it, keeping an eye out on the surrounding forest that lined the ridge.

Oh yes, third person was better. I didn't feel body parts I didn't have, and I could move. Being able to have the freedom to see and smell what I wanted made this memory orb more liberating. What Saphy's eyes took in were etched into the Lobby, letting me get a better look at things she simply skimmed over.

I wondered, was this the orb from Babs office? Compared to the first orb I watched, this memory must take place at least ten years later, maybe even twenty, the air felt less alive in this memory, and the forest lining the ridge gave me a sense I could only draw a parallel to with the wasteland.

“It should be at the back of the cave.” Babs started, “We'll see if it was worth the trip, Apple Bloom didn't want to touch it without knowing what it was. Said it felt wrong to consider removing it.”

“Could you thank her for me,” Saphy replied, “it's the first time I've seen anything that matched my cutie-mark, I'm curious to see just what kind of tree this is. Why was your cousin down here, the Everfree is far from safe, especially these days.”

“She was considering building Stable 101 under the castle, but found the tree while surveying the area.” As they reached the bottom of the stairs, one of the armored pegasus landed near them.

“We don't need an escort past the stairs,” Babs said as she blew her bangs out of her eyes, “please protect the carriage.”

“Ahh come on, not even if a friend wants to escort you?” The buck said as he lifted his armored visor, revealing a beige buck underneath.

“Sunny?” Saphy said, “You're part of our escort? Was that your fathers doing?” She asked, and he nodded, “Then by all means, escort us. Its been so long since the three of us were last together.” All three of them were smiling as they continued their march into a large cave tied to the ravine.

“So, Sunny, I heard your parents were trying to set you up with Tar Dea from the joint branch.” Babs teased, causing Sunny to roll his eyes.

“I don't like it, but considering I refused to follow them in their research, I'm finding it hard to keep saying no to them.”

“Dea is a good mare, you should try talking to her, you may be surprised.” Saphy said, I noticed her share a quick, mischievous glance with Babs.

“Oh? Well if Sap Fire is recommending-” He started until the group of friends rounded a turn, revealing the end of the cave. The memory seemed to freeze as my eyes fell upon what I could only refer to as some sort of calamity. It didn't look like a calamity, it simply felt like a calamity.

In the back of the cave, was a large crystalline tree, fallen on its side, its limbs broken from the fall. The center of the tree had a large six pointed star, and in the trunk was a mark of the sun, beneath it, broken to pieces was part of a mark of the moon. The trunk of the tree had several thorny vines clutched around, petrified as stone. It looked as if the tree had been squeezed at its base till the entire thing broke and fell over.

As I took it in, my eyes started to water, and I noticed that the memory was moving again. The three ponies had stopped in their tracks, Saphy was in a similar state as I was, on the border of tears. Whatever this tree was, it was precocious, it was important, and it was dead. Looking at it, I saw that the wood of this tree perfectly matched the log of wood that was Saphy's- no, Sap Fire's cutie-mark.

“What caused this?” She asked, walking over to the thorny vines, she kicked them, and they shattered to dust, to everyponies surprise. Babs and Sunny had nothing to say, they simply gawked at the fallen tree. Though their reaction wasn't as strong as mine or Saphy's they were still affected by the sight of it.

Saphy went to one of the smaller broken branches and appraised it before lifting it with her magic. As she did her horn glowed violently, casting blue light over the entire chamber. She quickly dropped the small piece of crystalline wood and her glow ebbed away. She stood there for several minutes, considering the tree before she came to a decision.

“Okay, whatever this tree is comprised of, it amplifies magic. This tree needs to be removed, carefully, without magic. And it needs to be kept a secret. This war already has enough terrible weapons, I don't want this to be used for the same thing.”

“Leave it to Stable-Tec,” Babs said, understanding the importance of the task, “doing things secret like is one thing we're good at. I'll have my cousin tell the workers that this is a Everfree hazard that needs to be removed carefully. Where do you want it sent?” Saphy thought on that for a minute before answering.

“We're still working on PA Labs 3, have it smuggled into the building materials, and hide it in the facility, I don't want any of the higher ups working with this tree. They'll think it'll help them end the war, and the idea of them using it sickens me.” Babs and Sunny shared a look.

“So you want this to be a secret from our parents? What about us?” Sunny asked.

“I trust you both, this,” she indicated the tree, “is something bigger then us, then Destiny Labs, than the war. We need to make sure nopony gets their hooves on it, or-” She was interrupted as her eyes noticed something. Walking over to the tree, she bent down and inspected three small pebbles near the star at the tree's center. Before her friends could see what caught her attention, she had scooped them up and placed them in her bag. She then looked at the tree, her eyes watering again as she placed a hoof on it.

“We killed it, it's dead because of us. Because of this war. The least we can do is treat its remains with respect.” She quietly said. Babs nodded her head in agreement, while Sunny simply looked on. As they stood there, around the tree, they each began to fade away. I guessed the memory was over, but its image was still imposed on the lobby.

Standing next to the tree, I wondered how this tree tied into the war. No, that wasn't right. I wondered how this tree tied into Equestria. What would Equestria be like if the tree was still alive? Surely, it would be a better place. Did Saphy keep the tree from being used as a weapon? What was this tree's purpose? Had it been the war that killed it?

Wait, if this was suppose to be a secret, then why make a memory orb for it? I'm certain Saphy wanted that memory to be remembered, but making a memory orb for it increased the risk of somepony else finding out about it. That orb must have been the one in Babs office, or at the very least, that was what I was hoping. Babs was an earth pony, why would she keep the orb around? Safe keeping? If that were the case she should have had it on her when she sealed herself in that room. Curses! Too many questions!

This memory had so many questions, but I could guess where the answers were. PA Labs 3. Looks like I'm going to be sailing all across the sea for these answers. Break had her secrets, and so did her daughter. Was Saphy working towards her mothers goals, or against them? No, Babs said Saphy had trust in her mothers beliefs, so they must have worked towards the same goal.

I gave the tree one last look. It was painful to look at, and on some deeper level, I understood that this was a tragedy greater than the war itself. Not wanting to be in the depressing cave anymore, I left the lobby.

After looking around to see if anything needed my attention, I went to Solar, there was one thing I could do with that memory, find out where PA Labs 3 was. I asked him to map it out so we'd have a destination after we were finished with the 1st Joint Facility. After a few minutes, he found its location and pointed it out on the map, and then apologized.

It was on an island north, higher north than my own island. The island was called Balefire Cove. That did not sound promising, and I now understood why he apologized. I asked Solar what was at Balefire Cove.

“Nothing but a irradiated crater and some unexplored ruins,” he said, deflating my hopes about finding answers, “The radiation there is too dangerous for anypony to linger in. The ruins are right in the center of the crater, from what I've heard.” I'm not foalish enough to ask my crew to crawl into a balefire crater. Guess I'll just to hope the other facilities have answers.

“You want to go there,” Solar said, “it's written on your face,” I blushed that it was that obvious. “Well, if we're going there, we'll need to be properly equipped, we should hold on to our extra rad-away and rad-x,” he pointed out, and I nodded in agreement.

Moving to do that, I went below deck and moved our segregated cargo around to secure more radiation cleansing supplies. After finishing that, I went back to the mess hall. Though the second memory orb was depressing, it was still important. I looked at the last two, wondering which would be best to check out. Before I could choose, Solar found me in the room and took a seat on the opposite side of the table.

“Rain, what do you intend to gain from this quest?” He asked, “It's clear Wildcard wants you to go through these facilities. What if it's all a trap that ends with us dead and Equestria worst off?” His questions surprised me. I didn't expect him to be forward about this, nor did I realize how easy it was to instill doubt in my intentions. Composing myself, I gave him my reply.

“I want answers, and I want to find my father. This is my best lead, and I feel obligated to follow it. Ruby died trying to protect me from this, I can see why. Its big, I'd even say its over my head. But I need to move forward, I need the answers. Two hundred years ago, Destiny Labs set into motion events that are still transpiring right now. Staying still will make me a target, I need to keep moving. And I need to find the answers. I guess I'm just greedy, but I need them.” My curiosity was going to be the death of me. Solar took my words in, considering them carefully.

“Okay, and why are you going to give a good deal of our supplies away?”

“Because this is the wasteland,” I began, my answer swift and filled with certainty, “I'm certain there are plenty of ponies who need it more than we do. We keep what we need to keep us going, and give the rest to those who need it. That's why.” He stared at me, amazed, then his cheeks burned red as he stared at me, was he embarrassed?

“Oh, well if that's the case, I'll try my best to help you in anyway I can. I want to put Crusader together, but it's not the main reason I want to help. I want to help you Rain. I know I'm a coward, the way Tabben talks to me isn't undeserved. But I want to try harder, so if you give me the chance, I'll try my best not to disappoint you. I'll make sure to never abandon ship again, not while my crew is still on it. As Cap'n, I expect you to hold me to that, okay?” Seeing Solar being this approachable was nice, I gave him a nod, hoping to see the buck become a bigger part of the crew.

Out of the five of us, Solar was still disconnected. He was distant and everypony gave him space. He was our navi, but I guess we all just saw him as an accessory to the ship. His skill was exceptional, he was part of the crew on a professional level, but not on a personal level. I hoped his determination would hold through. If we're a fully unified crew, I feel we could take on any challenge. Such as an island that's nothing more than an irradiated crater.

“I'd like that Solar, please do your best.” I said, giving him the words he wanted to hear. He looked pretty happy from that, and he was blushing again.

“Hey, Hey everypony! Come here quick, Rain's on the radio!” Golden called out through the ship. In short order we all had gathered at the control desk, Golden fiddling with her pipbuck, “I wonder if it can repeat what the broadcast just said-” Her pipbuck started playing the radio, repeating said broadcast to my surprise, I didn't know the pipbuck could do that. The announcers haughty voice drawing silence from us.

“For the Bounty report today, lets talk about a mare that's been making waves around the eastern seas. Last night we dubbed the earth pony with the blue zebra stripes on her left side as Blue-Stripes, well, it seems this pony is more than your average bounty. Remember Thousand-Smiles being taken out last week? That was her doing, she fed the beast something it couldn't digest when it tried to eat her, killing the sea monster. After stealing a ship from Sunrise Flare two days ago, she sailed to SaddleSands to bring some wasteland justice upon some of the wastelands cruelty. A band of pirates attacked SaddleSands, killing everypony there. We still have no word as to what happened to the IFA ship that was defending the town. This band of pirates was wiped out, by Blue-Stripes herself! She left their damned corpses to rot in the sun, and gave the ponies of SaddleSands a proper send off. Looks like somepony is looking out for Blue-Stripes, as the bounty for her capture has been called off. You've heard it here folks, the bounty on Blue-Stripes is now longer being offered, I'd recommend going for smaller fish anyways. If you happen to see Blue-Stripes, make sure not to cross her, who knows what she'll do next. And now for a touch of news that's more on the strange side of things, reports of some sort of flying craft traversing the northern seas are coming in. Our enclave representatives have assured us that it isn't their doing, and that they're looking into the matter. With that out of the way, now for today's bounties. Ruby Memento is back in the region, spotted at Tide-Hop yesterday.” What, Ruby's still alive? How!? “For any bounty hunters still wet behind the ears, I'll give you this warning; do not hunt this buck. With a bounty of ten thousand caps, you can be sure he's earned that price, many ponies have died trying to get his head, don't be one of those fools. Casa Nova is still at large...”

Solar, Mek, and I had looks of confused surprise, the buck that was caught in the explosion was still alive? And he was at Tide-Hop? Had we not stolen Shelter, we would have run into him!

Golden and Tabben wore amused looks, they missed out on Ruby's survival, and were probably thinking our shock was because of the other news the radio had played. To be honest, I wasn't glad we no longer had a bounty on us. The only ponies that knew of our involvement at SaddleSands were Wildcard's goons. She was up to something.

The fact that I had been given a nickname didn't bother me in the least. Blue-Stripes, sounded like a pretty nice 'captains' name. It was a handle I could use in the future when working with other ponies, and I was getting distracted.

“How in the wasteland was Ruby alive? If he survived that blast, how come we didn't run into each other?” I asked, the notion of changing course was coming to mind. He had answers, he was still alive, and he was last seen at Tide-Hop.

“Yer guess is as good as mine sweetie. Whacha thinkin', we should go look for him?” She offered, and Tabben seemed to be in agreement. They saw an opportunity to avoid going to Rust-Hallow, and latched onto it.

“Ah, Ruby was the buck that freed you from the pirates.” Tabben said, finally clicking, “I wouldn't mind talking to a unicorn who's as talented at magic as he seems, from your description of him.” That excuse sounded half baked, even to me. Golden didn't add anything to our decision, she was for either, as they both had adventure written all over it.

We decided to go to Tide-Hop, I had Solar set our course, and we would arrive by nightfall. I was still looking for answers, but our odds of getting shot were lower in pursuit of Ruby. As we changed our course, the question kept repeating in my head. How had he survived?

I recalled something I heard from the facility where I discovered my stripes, 'do me the favor and stay dead this time'. Wildcard commented that they were digging up what I knew about Ruby. Has Ruby died before? Is he some sort of invincible pony?

You know, my life was a lot simpler back on my island, the only questions I had to worry about were 'will I make it to the next full moon' and 'what's my father working on'. Casting my gaze to the horizon, I wondered if I'd ever see those days again.

Footnote: Lvl. 8

Renown Gained: The factions of the eastern seas have recognized you as a force to be associated with. Renown from your actions since leaving your home are now in full affect.

Pirates -2, Slavers -1, SAF -1, Raiders 0, IFA +1, DL +1, ZC +1, Enclave +2 Next Chapter: 9. Unified at the Divide Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 30 Minutes