Things never go the way they are planned, that’s why we need to be creative, that’s why I am creative!- Applebits

I was sad to learn that we didn’t have access to the Fillydelphia tower camera, but Homage did let us view our hometown, it had doubled in size, the citizens expanded it when the freed slaves came. It made me happy, and there were at least a dozen more rangers than before, I suspected that they were towns folk who were learning how to operate our armor so that we could bolster our forces. From this view I could also see warning signs telling travelers to beware of the minefield, and push to talk so we can deactivate the minefield for approach, I wondered if Ditzy had to go through this, then I saw a tower with a telescope, that meant that they could read her board. Upon further inspection I saw the farm, it was at least double the size of the town itself and it had fields of crop stretching everywhere, Woods had done rather well, outstanding even, I decided that I would hug her when I got back, just another thing to add to my mental checklist. Looking at the town itself I noticed balloons and other party decorations, a few fireworks on the roof of the barn that Woods had most likely built to house the harvest crop, the banner read Cutiemark Celebration for Fire Bloom! it was for Fire Bloom, she had gotten her cutiemark.

I asked if Homage could zoom in on the filly that I pointed out, Fire Bloom, she was in front of the barn on a stage. Homage zoomed in so that Fire Bloom took up the entire screen, she could see my joy in seeing my little friend. I could now see her cutiemark it was a phoenix, and then I saw animals behind her, cows and chickens, most likely made from the stable DNA chamber, I didn’t think it would have been intact, but when Stabletech builds something, they build it to last. My lovely little filly friend was an animal pony, she had found her talent, and it was to be good with animals. Afterwords I thanked Homage so much, and she even went a step further to allow me to tell my friend through the radio that I was very proud of her finding her cutiemark and that I would be returning soon, that my mission was nearly complete.

This made my spirits rise , I wanted to run back as fast as I could, but I could do that after we got Tempest so I said goodnight to Homage and retreated to my room with Defense. For about an hour before deciding to go to sleep she talked to me about Tempest, she had known him longer than I had and he had taught her more spells, combat spells that I had no interest in learning on top of most of the medical spells I knew. It turns out that Tempest had dived deeper into healing and shield spells with me than Defense. This made sense, he was preparing her to be an alicorn soldier, when he was preparing me for what was to come my way. Knowing that I was a medic, and that I was bad at combat spells, he had taught me extensive medical, memory, telekinetic, shield spells for all situations, and a few mega spells of his own design meant to heal large groups, or replenish energy, even create food out of thin air, those had been a stretch of my abilities but I had mastered them.

I went to sleep about thirty minuets after my alicorn friend, she had most definitely proven two things. First that she was a good friend of Tempest’s that he had managed to send our way the same way that he had sent me on my mission, and second that she was very good at getting along with others. She had told me everything that was in Ten Pony, the Twilight Society had found everything that had survived this long, but there was one thing we both agreed would be nice to still have here, the communication spell matrix. The building was equipped with a chamber that was now void, it had once held a mega spell that Twilight had designed to allow ponies to talk to each other long distance, bypassing the mail system, the project had been shut down when the advent of the telephone hit, for they did the same thing, but now it would be immensely helpful.

I drifted into sleep, thinking about the day I had just had. After meeting with DJ PON3 Defense had taken me to the spa, against my will and better judgment, it was relaxing, but I hadn’t wanted to relax, I wanted to get home, I wanted to be with all of my friends at home. The vision began with Defense rescuing me, at first I thought it was just a normal dream but I soon realized that in normal dreams I couldn’t think. Then it shifted to Tempest training a older unicorn, she looked like she was in her fifties.

“You have progressed far, and your time in the Ministry has helped the war effort, I believe it is time for a decision though.” Tempest said to the mare who I knew as Defense, she nodded in agreement.

The image faded from my head as a new one depicting two large alicorns and Tempest in his ancient armor surrounding Defense, Tempest and the princesses were casting a spell, a powerful one that required all three of them to accomplish it. I watched as Defense turned into an alicorn, then the image faded away. I had thought the vision over, but it wasn't.

“She is a friend that Trixy didn’t count on, she was unable to penetrate to my memories past what I allowed, I would trust Shining Defense with my life as I do you. Rest now, for this journey is only the beginning!” Tempest said addressing me directly, though he still didn't say my name, but I knew it was meant for me.

I woke to Defense singing, and wow she could hold a note. She was in the shower that was attached to our room, so I decided that while I waited for her to get out I would clean my armor. I had just finished the inside of it when she came out of the bathroom.

“Oh, your awake.” she said, slightly startled at how quite I was, though I don’t think she realized how loud she was when she sang, though I admit it was pleasant.

“Yes woke up to your amazing singing and noted that you were using the shower, I could hear the water running, so I decided to clean my armor. So much dirt and grime, even on the inside.” I said to ease her up a little.

“You don’t mind my singing?” she asked.

“No I find it refreshing and nice to hear a prewar song that my friend sang happily.” I said in return, she had a really nice voice.

“I can finish cleaning your armor for you if you want to get a shower, then we can go to Bull’s-Eye's place.” she said, recalling that I had told her and the rest of my companions what he wanted to do last night.

“Okay” I said, levitating my armor to her, she took it and I got cleaned up.

I didn’t take long to clean, unlike Defense I wasn’t a civilian pony, I knew how to make haste without making waste. When I had gotten out of the bathroom Defense had cleaned my armor and made minor repairs that I only noticed because I knew my armor, she had made it look new!

“Wow, I haven’t seen it look that good in ages.” I said, a little dumbfounded.

“Well, I figured that a girl needs to have clean armor that is in good repair.” she said cheerfully.

“You made it look new.” I said, looking at her with wonder.

At that the conversation ended as we both strapped on our armor, I had, for the monument, bought a picture frame and duplicated a photo for Bull’s-Eye that he had produced.

We walked up to the room that the boys had gotten and knocked, no answer. After the fifth time I decided that we should come back later, Defense had other ideas, next thing I knew she had fazed through the door and I could hear Lightning screaming inside. Just as it happened I realized that the door had been unlocked and there was a note.

Come on in we are awake

Which was well great since Defense had just scared the living hell out of them. I was laughing as I opened the door, Lightning was upside down on the ceiling, Bull’s-Eye had jumped behind a bed, and Defense was standing in the middle of the room wide eyed at their reaction, I couldn’t help myself but to laugh.

“What the hell are you trying to do to us, give us both heart attacks?” Lightning asked us.

“No, we knocked five times and we thought you were asleep. Applebits wanted to go look around for a little while so you could wake up, but I came in to see.” Defense said, still in slight shock from their reaction.

It had been several minuets before they realized she wasn’t there to kill them.

“Well maybe you should learn how to read!” Bull’s-Eye stammered as he picked himself up off of the floor.

“I saw your note after she had fazed through the door.” I said, still laughing but not quite as hard as when it happened, though still uncontrolled.

We all packed up what was left and straightened the room, we wanted to be welcome back, stopping here with Tempest was a must, taking him to the spa, at least for Defense I wasn’t going there again, sounded interesting. She had put the idea across me, I initially said no, but then realized if I didn’t want to go again, it would have to be Tempest, that and he needed to let loose a little.

We left Ten Pony Tower just before dawn, the wasteland sky had just begun to light up behind the thick cloud cover that the pegasi still maintained. It took us a little while and a few dead bodies of raiders attacking Gutterville, a town not too far from Ten Pony, for those who either didn’t want to live in the tower, or those that couldn’t afford it, but we did get there. His old home was a large apartment near the center of Manehattan, the walls were mostly intact and the floor was holding up well, most of the ways up were collapsed and it took us a good bit of time, about two hours to find a way to his place. He looked around, there were no remains of anything but a couch, kitchen, and two bedrooms that had fallen through the floor and down a few levels, there was however a terminal. Bull’s-Eye accessed it, it was his after all, he read the message and smiled, we had all removed our helmets, well all but Defense who’s medieval armor showed most of her face, in respect for him and his family.

“They weren’t here, the terminals last entry was two days before the fallout, they were out in Ponyville visiting a friend when stable orders came. They would have been sent to their pip-bucks, they would have made it to stable two in time.” he said.

I could see the relief in his face, his family had survived and lived on in the stable.

Then I remembered, “Stable two?”

“Eyup!” his mood had fallen away.

“I found it when we were camping at Sweet Apple Acres, checked its log, it was opened twice in the last month or so, its still operating at full capacity!” I said smiling.

The trip hadn’t been in vain, we still laid the picture on the couch and he put a letter next to it, that he himself had chiseled in stone. I cast a spell to prevent decay and we left the blasted out building out the open wall that led to the streets. Lightning and Defense carried me and BrokenBlade all the way to the tank, so that we could prep it for travel. Defense had insisted on flying us at least part of the way to Fillydelphia, she was fast and much more steady in flight than Lightning with the tank, he chose to ride inside with me.

“So you and Defense were both pupils to Tempest?” he asked.

“Yes, I don’t think he had very many of us, though I do think that he regards us as his family, like his children.” I said, not really knowing just stating my opinion, though Lightning seemed to catch on.

“How many do you think he trained?” he asked, “Alicorns I mean.” he added with haste.

“I really don’t know, he kept to himself a lot, there were very few he spoke to, he only ever spoke to me about current events or history, which had long been forgotten. It was always interesting to talk to him.” I said.

We were all quite a bit more conversational since leaving Ten Pony, I think it had something to do with the laughing fit at the hotel. Which led to many conversions about what each of us had scene there. Lightning made it his prerogative to ask about the spa ponies, I just laughed in his face before telling him that they wouldn't be interested in him.

I heard the tank fire and lurch slightly, making me fall into Lightning.

“What is going on?” I asked as Lightning flew out the rear hatch to see for himself what Bull’s-Eye had shot.

“Alicorns, at least nine o' em, I just killed one, best if ye hang on though, me and Lightnin got this!” I heard Bull’s-Eye crackle over the radio, enjoying the challenge of hitting flying targets with the ninety millimeter cannon.

Next thing I knew I was being thrown about the living quarters of the tank willy-nilly as Defense took evasive action and Bull’s-Eye had fired another shot.

“Got er!” I could hear him through the radio.

“Got two, its like hitting targets, they don’t know how to dodge!” Lightning yelled over the radio.

My head was spinning and I felt like I was about to hurl. We leveled off and touched ground, Defense had landed, it was my turn to join the fight, I leaped out of the tanks rear hatch and found myself falling.

“AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!” I screamed as Lightning swooped down and caught me.

“Why do you not look before you leap, you aint no pegasus!” he yelled as he threw me next to the tank.

We had landed but Defense had parked us on a piece of bridge that had become a free standing tower, it had once been part of a highway but as time and a mega spell apocalypse would have it, it had fallen to pieces. I found myself firing on these hostile alicorns next to my fellow ranger, who was operating the tank, as my two other friends fought in the sky above me. I nailed three of them, none survived the conflict and we were on our way again in no time. The hostile alicorns were no match for a real one, and I knew that they weren’t supposed to be seen, they were spies for the goddess, for Trixy. Thinking about her I realized I knew nothing of her, sadly when I asked neither did my friends.

I had asked Defense if she was still having visions from Tempest, she told me no, but she did say what her first one was about when I asked, it had been the same as mine, at the same time as mine. We came to the conclusion that Tempest had made the connection right then to any of his followers that still lived, and I realized that it was thanks to Lightning that I was here, I would have died if he hadn’t woken me up, his timing was impeccable.

“So what was your second vision?” I asked Defense as she studied the inside of the tank, she barely fit inside, but she had been wounded during battle and I was still too dizzy to use a spell, so I had to heal her the old way.

She looked around at the tank some more as she pondered how to put it to words, “The second vision came in my sleep, It showed three soldiers fighting alicorns and protecting a large group of fillies. The soldiers upon close examination were the three of you!” she added as she paused. I could see the look in her eye, she was putting the rest of the vision to words, “The image then change to that of Manehattan, then of Tempest himself, and he spoke. Heed my call, you must aid them, together you are my only hope. Then the vision ended and haven’t had one since, but I know it is your group, he showed me your faces by flashing them through my head before I woke.” she said finishing.

I looked at her, she had squeezed herself into the back near the hatch of the tank, and with my instability subsiding I could perform the necessary spell to heal her, “Interesting, hold still, I’m going to finish mending you now, then you can go back outside and fly. You look a little cramped.” I said smiling, as she nodded.

After healed her she jumped out the back of the tank and began to fly behind and above us, just below the cloud cover. I made the mistake of looking down and out of the rear hatch on the Sky Tank, fortunately I vomited out the hatch before shutting it and after drinking a little water from the tanks reservoir, this I drank little of because there was only so much to go round for four ponies. Before I knew it I was looking at the picture of the filly in the locket again, just looking straight at her picture. I twirled the locket around and began to wonder where she had gotten it. It was a silver locket with diamonds on both sides centered, the chain was also silver, other than that there was no design and I would feel wrong if I asked. With that though I scolded myself, it didn’t matter what it looked like, it was who gave it to me who mattered, that little filly had just about lost everything when I came along with my friends and we saved her and everything that she knew.

I fell asleep with these thoughts, though I don’t know when, but it happened. I found myself in the company of Tempest, he was speaking to me, I was watching what happened after he sent us off to the stable. In the vision he was radiating with power, the air was warm, the clouds that now always blocked out the sky were just beginning to form, he gave me my orders, his face as always was determined, he rarely showed emotion, so to see him scowling actually made the hairs on my neck stand on end. I left with the entire army in tow, I never realized how chatty they had been, perhaps Tempest had more acute senses than I did, he could hear them breathing in their armor as we charged away. Then he shot into the sky like a black and red bullet to come to rest well above the clouds. He was scanning for something, if I recall he said that he was going to stop the last of the missiles, that Equestria had witnessed enough death today. The missiles came and he destroyed them with ease, but there were too many, one had lodged itself into him, as he destroyed the last of the missiles he generated a high level shield and was incinerated. His spell lasted long enough to contain the blast, even after he had been incinerated by magic, it had been a mega spell type that never hit any target because of him.

“They would have destroyed the stables, that’s where they were going, I stopped them, not a single one got by me.” Tempest said his voice echoing in my ears, “I knew that I wouldn’t die, that hope was shattered upon the destruction of Cloudsdale, but now my hope has returned. I’m sorry that I cannot return with you to Nowhere, but I must find her, and it shall be a dangerous journey! You may come, but it is not something I wish to force on you, decide once I explain in person, fare thee well my little pony.” Tempest voice faded away, and I began dreaming about life in Nowhere.

Author's Notes:

That last bit brings up a small history lesson that will be explained later on as Tempests past is slightly modified for FoE compared to his standard history which I will be writing at a later date, mostly because he has a long and complicated past beyond what was described in Chapter 10 and I'd like to go show my cannon universe instead of a crossover.