Lightspeed. Part pony, part machine. What have they done to you?

“I’ve been given additional upgrades, if that’s what you’re thinking, Zero.”

Wait, she can read my thoughts? What did Taser do to her?! This isn’t even related to Arcane Sciences or other miscellaneous things! She looks less of a pony and more akin to a Protectron!

Bullseye was initially defensive at first, but was smart enough to holster his revolver, knowing that she looked as powerful as before, appearance-wise too. “Boss, are you sure we can trust this… thing?”

Yes, and we’re not second guessing. Lightspeed may not be our companion - mainly because she’s still affiliated with the Powder Gangers - but she’s still considered our valuable ally. Just don’t get on her bad side and she’ll get along well, even if she’ll most likely lose her free will once she is fully augmented into a full cyberpony. I scoot myself next to Gale to give her room to sit with us for a normal conversation.

Lightspeed sat herself in a circle with us as she took a quick scan of me, “Hmm… your heart rate reads as stable, yet you have an unsettling expression to go for. Is it my overall appearance?”

I shook my head in response. Nope, definitely not that! Besides, I’ve seen scarier stuff in my life and… yeah. Besides, its harrowing enough that the last thing I wanted is a nightmare that I’ll never wake up from.

“Let’s just pretend nothing bad happened, Lightspeed. We’ve been through hell and back and we just want to relax ourselves. Call us liars if you want, but for some of us, we…” Gale paused for a moment before resuming, “We just want to relax and avoid any confrontations for one day. Away from those mutants, Raiders, hostile factions, and murderous insects.”

The half-cyberpony nodded in understanding, “Alright. Now lately, Taser has given me further upgrades with the help of the Grand Pegasus Enclave. I didn’t tell them about your whereabouts, honest; Taser paid them in caps and told them to upgrade me instead of knowing your last location, Gale Storm. Of course, we were met with hostilities at first, but I was quick to change their minds and have them upgrade me instead of trying to interrogate me. For them to try and intimidate me just to tell them your location would’ve meant a swift death for them. So you’re safe.”

“Thank you. At least you were being honest, even if you’re a cyberpony despite not being a full-on cyberpony.” Gale let out a small sigh of relief from the good news.

“Oh, I’m definitely a cyberpony, alright. Just ah… needed to iron out the bugs and glitches I have with me. A couple more parts and I’ll be pretty unstoppable.”

Hmm… She still has fur most of her body, though mostly grafted and melded to resemble as such. Maybe they needed to make her light and faster? Appearance-wise, she’s clearly half-pony, half-cyborg, but still the same Lightspeed I knew after having no choice but to form a temporary alliance with the Powder Gangers. I can’t imagine if there are other cyberponies who lack any free will and attack everything on sight, be it friendlies or hostiles.

I was so driven with revenge that it ended up falling abruptly short when Dr. Scalpel had his force field at the ready, and even with his sadistic creation being easily injured from the initial hit, I didn’t finished it off. Those parts that were stitched together were the victims of other ponies, including my friends Carbon Monoxide and Solar Eclipse. Even if I was lucky enough to kill both of them, the threat would be all but over because Cazadores were endlessly multiplying and on the brink of covering New Hampshore completely. My personal victory would’ve ended prematurely anyway.

I listened to various, normal conversations between Gale Storm and Lightspeed while I’m just sitting there silently. BUllseye had left to scavenge some things inside the abandoned store to see if he could find anything useful.

“Where are both Tootsie Roll and Bob anyway? I haven’t seen them since our last encounter.” Lightspeed asked, noting the absence of Tootsie Roll and Bob. I let Gale Storm answer her question for me.

“They’re in Stable 75, with Bob getting upgrades of his own like yourself.”

Lightspeed let out a robotic yet lighthearted giggle, “Oh, is he? My, I bet he’ll look stunning when his upgrading process is complete.” They both let out a small laugh after Lightspeed’s comment.

Now she’s getting suggestive to our robotic companion in Stable 75. Like honestly now, robot love? How does a robot fall in love with another? That seriously defies normal logic, doesn’t it? I had to deal with Securitrons that don’t have any form of emotion and sees living beings as threats, prompting to enact a shoot-on-sight policy on everything that moves!

Bullseye returned with some of various supplies he found, including Stimpaks, “Boss, I found some of the supplies for us to continue on whenever you’re ready.”

I nodded to him in thanks as he stored them in my saddlebags.

Lightspeed may not be our companion due to her current affiliation with the Powder Gangers, but she’s also our worthy and formidable ally.

Yesterday:

At Ranger Delta North, Starshooter had an uneasy expression at the press conference room. His scientists had completed their basic combat training and were given access to state-of-the-art weaponry under Midnight Lancer’s permission. They had helped with weaponry, but he figured that they would put their weapons to use from a hard, training procedure. With the Cazador threat increasing, former Lab-00 leader Starshooter knew what he was facing. He tapped his hoof on the microphone, which had a small, feedback noise to it. He cleared his throat to make his announcement.

“My fellow scientists. Today is a dark day in Equestria. The Wastelands have unleashed hell in New Hampshore and has threatened to wipe out ponykind as we know it. We cannot run or hide anymore. We need to stand and fight - or die trying - for the sake of Equestria. But we’ll need all the pony-power we can get; this is our ultimate test, we’re testing out wits, minds, strengths and endurance. This is not unlike facing off the Steel Rangers, the Grand Pegasus Enclave, or any typical Raiders we would deal every day of our lives. No. This threat is so big, that it could mean the end of our kind, and Equestria altogether.”

“We need to band ourselves together as one, to eradicate the ongoing threat we’re truly facing. Even if we don’t come in equal terms, we do have a similar goal in mind. To save our beloved planet from the impending doom. If we run, we die as cowards; if we fight, we die as heroes. Unfortunately, our goddesses Celestia and Luna are unable to be with us and eradicate the Cazadores for us, so now we must aid them, at any costs. We are the last of their troopers and we must face the inevitability if we are to restore peace.”

“That concludes my message of the coming, inevitable threat.”

Today:

I still can’t get that sickening image from my head. Its just impossible to get it out of here and even Pinkie Pie herself is having a hard time getting it out of my head. Seems that her innocence had fallen silent on me, just like my own inner self in my head.

And as far as I know, she’s trying to erase everything that’s been going on from our previous encounter with Dr. Scalpel and his sickening creation. But even so, I can’t delve in too much of those recent events. I have to keep moving and hopefully get ourselves fully prepared for the coming battle to save our kind.

We left the store once we were stocked up to head off to the unknown depths of the Wastelands while our other two friends remained in Stable 75 with Sweet Cheeks. Though it wasn’t without both Gale Storm and Lightspeed just closing themselves next to me, as if they’re competing on who gets to have me to protect either of them. Seriously, I can’t tell whether I’m embarrassed by this or just knowing the fat that both of them have a seemingly high interest of me!

I know these two have equal terms - mainly because they’re not competing on who gets to claim me as their own - but is it really necessary of them to try and get me flustered?! I’m a scientist! Not some… magnet for certain ponies! Goddammit! And Bullseye was just looking at me and then forward, just slowly shaking his head.

What’s your deal, Bullseye?! Not entirely my fault both of them seem to want me from my looks more than you! (Shit, did I just said that? Wow, that was clearly racist of me. Then again, I can’t talk normally so I should be good for now.)

Still, we’re wandering in a seemingly wide open space filled with nothingness unless there’s something useful to find that doesn’t involved getting ourselves killed. Up until we could find a seemingly abandoned building up ahead, which also appears to be Stable-Tec HQ.

“A Stable-Tec HQ! Seems we get to find out where do Stables come from, right?” Lightspeed teasingly asked me. I had an uneasy look on my face. At least Lightspeed won’t be staying with me for long until Taser orders her to return back to the Powder Gangers. Gale Storm pouted at her question.

Let’s just see what Stable-Tec HQ has in store for us, even though its in ruins as a result of the obvious Balefire bomb attacks. The sign itself was barely holding up, especially when its hung from the main entrance in front. Its clear that I’m not waiting to find out what will happen if it gives in and collapses down with a high possibility of being killed by an inanimate object. “Boss, should we head inside to see what this… building has?”

Well, at least I won’t worry about two of them getting so damn close to me. Though the only thing we’ll be worrying are hideous creatures, killer robots or even the typical Raiders waiting to eviscerate us the moment we step inside Stable-Tec HQ. And I didn’t have the time to look at my PipBuck to see where we’re at because of these two! Even if the city we’re in (not New Hampshore, thankfully) is filled with ruined buildings, I wasn’t still able to know where are we at, thanks to them…

“Hello? Anypony out there?” Bullseye asked. Echo was head throughout the interior of Stable-Tec HQ, but no response. This place has been utterly decimated the moment we arrived inside. No doubt about it, too.

At least Gale Storm and Lightspeed had let me go for me to provide space. My lab coat was partially stained from all the sweat trickling down my head from their unwanted closeness to me. And it was a good coat too, dammit! How do you expect a scientist to concentrate when you two had to treat me like… like some toy! (Was gonna say bodyguard, but that’s obviously redundant.)

“No answer. Looks really empty, eerie even.” Gale Storm replied, while Lightspeed had begun scanning for any possible threats. I approached the reception desk and booted up the reception terminal. It offered up a couple of logs of interest (mainly from sent mails via terminals), also including a recorded log.

I wonder how Stable-Tec HQ ended up like this?

Come to think of it… looking at the dates from those logs, it dates several years back! Nevertheless, let’s see what the first log has something to offer.

‘Stable-Tec HQ, providing safe haven since Ponyville!
Welcome back, Honeycomb!

Entry Logs:

To: Topaz
Subject: Stable-Tec HQ evacuation

‘Topaz, I’m afraid radiation has breached the facility from the latest Balefire attacks. Gas pipes had ruptured from below the building and radiation levels had skyrocketed. Even backup generators have overloaded and only a few of them remain intact. Even so, we had no choice but to seal our employees down in the generator rooms. Even if we were to save them, they would’ve succumbed from radiation poisoning and possibly revived as ghouls.

We’ll have to get up to higher levels for safe refuge. Hopefully somepony will come and rescue us while we still have our available resources. Of course, they’ll need to tread carefully, especially when said explosions has caused our Securitrons and Protectrons’ internal electronics to become haywire, resulting them in going rogue and it makes it dangerous for us to safely deactivate them. Only a fool would dare destroy them single-handedly…’

Good thing the whole building wasn’t entirely collapsed or it wouldn’t even be accessible in the first place. The bigger problem is that their personal robots have turned against them and simply views everything (excluding their own kind) as threats and aren’t hesitant to shoot them on sight, no questions asked. I’ve had a couple of run-ins from Securitrons before,and they weren’t a pretty sight.

Now, let’s see what the second log is, and I’m going only for the important ones too; the rest of these are just minorities.

‘To: Honeycomb
Subject: HELP!

HELP US!’

O...kay? I mean, its an obvious plea for help, but that’s not what I meant. Lemme see the real logs, you stupid and defective terminal.

‘To: Everypony in Stable-Tec HQ
Subject: Evacuations

Everypony, I’ve come an announcement that evacuation is complete. However, the damage was irreparable and we had to make full evacuation as our personal robots have turned against us and will shoot us on sight. I, along with Topaz, shall remain inside the facility until help arrives. Goddess help us all…’

I closed the terminal. Before I began to do some thinking, Lightspeed had approached me, “No threat, though there are invisible lasers throughout the building. I suggest extreme caution if we’re to venture inside the building. But, its your call.”

“Invisible lasers, huh? This will be very tricky…” Gale had an unsure tone to go for.

The ruined headquarters’ fortified with lasers, enough to unleash a horde of murderous robots out to hunt us. At the same time however, there’s both Honeycomb and Topaz trapped inside this building. They’re most likely alive, but to leave these two with no means of defending themselves against Securitrons and Protectrons means lives are lost and me taking the blame for not taking action.

So, what should I do? Leave Stable-Tec HQ and leave them for dead, or try to navigate through a labyrinth of impending doom? I’m betting that we’ll have to face those robots en masse if any mistakes were made, even if they’re unintentional. We either die as heroes, or make it out alive as cowards.

I wrote down the words from my PipBuck as to finalize my decision for me and the others to ‘Let’s find the two ponies and get them to safety’.

Gale looked at me showing slight concern, “You sure about this? Lightspeed told us regarding invisible lasers and there isn’t enough space for both of us to fly over to upper floors.”

If there are survivors, then we can’t leave them to die. As long as we’re not rescuing Raiders, of course. I look back to Lightspeed, sharing the same expression as Gale’s. “Judging by your expression, you wish to risk saving them, rather than just leaving them for dead, correct?”

I nodded to Lightspeed. This was indeed my final decision.

“Alright. Let’s go look for them.”

I’m a little concerned with Bullseye. He seems to be spacing out more than when we first saw him in Whoover Dam and rescued him from self-imprisonment. Then again, he’s like this even before he became a ghoul. Who knows what his backstory is about.

But our top priority right now is to find and rescue both Honeycomb and Topaz. Though with the ruined building completely fortified with heavy security, a slight misstep would mean big trouble.

So far, so good. We’re at the second level of Stable-Tec HQ without any issues, though I’ve yet to see two, green blips from the radar. This building has hidden traps waiting to happen, and even my Pinkie sense can’t detect any. Whose psychotic idea was it to set up invisible lasers and robots that ends up going rogue from even the smallest glitches anyway?! Seriously, nopony ever learns from their mistakes. Nopony!

“I’m detecting no invisible lasers so far.” Lightspeed notified me. Bullseye looked at her with a hint of disdain before whispering to Gale, “Why does she look different?”

She merely shrugged and whispered back. “She’s augmenting into a cyberpony. Just don’t push her buttons too much, though.”

Lightspeed didn’t like the idea of the two gossip about her appearance before she dismissed them by rolling her eyes and focused back to me. Along the way, there are open doors that lead to different rooms, with various items to scavenge too.

I nudged to Gale and pointed to one room, while I nudged Lightspeed to go to a different room. And Bullseye had gotten the idea and went to a different room. Gale made sure as she asked me, “I assume you want us to scavenge for valuable items to ensure our survival, right?”

I confirmed her with nod. “Got it.”

All three had left to get the items while I kept a watchful eye out from the hallway. My PipBuck isn’t picking up any signs of life, but at least no red blips as of yet. Still, from reading through the logs from the terminal, any traps that are set off without warning is sure to send a battalion of pony-killing robots after us. I’ve dealt with Securitrons, Robobrains and now I have to deal with Protectrons? Geez, Stable-Tec HQ needs to reconsider having too much security…

It wasn’t long until all three came back with various supplies, from Stimpaks to Purified Water bottles. No food but hey, at least we can keep ourselves alive without getting ourselves severely injured from our long journey.

But without Bob to deal with robots, this can be a challenging task. While we do have Lightspeed on our side, we can’t rely on her for too long before she is called to return with her faction by Taser, so we’ll need to find and retrieve Honeycomb and Topaz before she unexpectedly leaves. However, we still have to tread carefully inside the ruined building that is Stable-Tec HQ. And their whereabouts are still unknown.

We traversed through the hallway and up the stairs towards the third floor. It was then Lightspeed began to warn us, “I’ve detected lasers from each rooms. And I’m detecting two heat signatures inside, not obstructed by invisible lasers, but it seems they locked themselves inside the room.”

Must be Honeycomb and Topaz. Forget trying to dodge nonexistent lasers, this is easy!

I had an enthusiastic expression and hurriedly went to the room where these two held themselves captive as I knocked on the door several times.

“Hello? Anypony inside?” Gale asked to ensure that Honeycomb and Topaz are inside.

We heard muffled noises inside, most likely from a really thick, door entrance. Even explosives wouldn’t blast it open, and wasting countless of ammo just for it to open is basically shooting at an impenetrable wall.

“Are you… oh my goddess, Topaz! They made it alive to rescue us! I’m Honeycomb and if you did come to rescue us, you need to listen carefully. The door we sealed ourselves in requires a master code that can only be used for opening and closing. I’m afraid trying to unlock it yourselves with other means are impossible without it. The door itself is made of completely thick steel, so please, don’t waste your time shooting it, much less trying to blow it to kingdom come. I wish I could tell you where it is, but…”

There was a pregnant pause by Honeycomb herself.

“But… what?” Gale asked. Lightspeed’s cybernetic features allows her to hear Honeycomb’s words inside, even if us normal ponies can’t hear it normally.

“We were overrun by our own robots that we panicked and huddled ourselves inside so we don’t know where we put the keycard in. All of our workers in Stable-Tec HQ were slaughtered by them, some were… ghoulified. Topaz and I are okay, though we used up our remaining supplies, just to keep ourselves alive and well. I thought we wouldn’t make it the next day. If you find it, please retrieve it as soon as possible! And be careful out there!”

I soon realized that the room they’re in is a fallout shelter, and the last of their supplies have been fully diminished. And apparently, their shelter has become a prison, with no way of getting that door to open without a keycard. Forget trying to lockpick it, trying to enter the terminal to try and unlock it by normal means is impossible, regardless of experience.

“We’ll reward you if you get us out of here, but watch out for the lasers! Hundreds of robots had gone rogue as a result of those Balefire bombs that had malfunctioned their internal systems, so please, proceed with extreme caution!” Topaz warned us further.

What’s he gonna reward us with? I’m sure saving their lives only means earning respect. Caps would be fine, as I haven’t been earning caps from whatever I would find in the Wastelands, but again, if we escape, then we’re actually leaving them for dead and the Wastelands will vilify us for our heinous, cowardly acts. If we try and save them, then all hell will break loose so we have to be ready for this if we want to free Honeycomb and Topaz.

The room Lightspeed mentioned us earlier is anything but simple to walk into. Only she is able to detect it but even if she were to retrieve it would mean no easy feat. Its a deadly maze that even the slightest error can bring dire consequences.

“If you want, ponies. I shall retrieve the keycard.” Lightspeed volunteered.

Gale was unsure at first, but I nodded in acceptance. I looked at her, knowing that she’s the only one who can detect hidden lasers and retrieve the keycard and we wouldn’t. Even if we have a smoke grenade, it may reveal the lasers but also reducing visibility, making normal navigation even more impossible from the enclosed space.

She soon nodded me back and then looks to Lightspeed, “Be careful out there. We’ll be on lookout if things go south.”

Lightspeed had soon entered the derelict room infested with lasers only she is able to see. We armed our weapons at the ready, checking our surroundings as the cyberpony flew with sheer precision and avoiding the slightest touch of laser beams. She was able to scan through invisible obstacles and maneuver without issues. Luckily for her, the cabinet’s unlocked as she opens it up. “Bingo…”

She retrieved the keycard from it and made her way out of the room. We were still on guard though as she made it out of her room, the tip of her tail had barely grazed the hidden laser, which is still sufficient enough to set off a loud, blaring alarm noise.

Well… shit. This can’t be good.

“Shit! Lightspeed, what the fuck did you do?!” Gale yelled out. Lightspeed yelled back, “Hey, don’t look at me! The alarm tripped on its own for no goddess-damned reason, okay?! Be happy that I got the keycard so less arguing and more saving!”

Bullseye wanted no part of the argument and went to follow the two. I merely stood there and kept my guard up. I know I wouldn’t play the good guy here, but at this point, you gotta make or break eventually.

Lightspeed gave Gale the keycard for her to open the door to free Topaz and Honeycomb. There was a sea of red blips overwhelming my PipBuck, with legions of robots heading our way. Protectrons and Robobrains may be fairly slow, but Securitrons are fast enough to keep up to even athletic ponies,

Gale slid the keycard into the terminal, which grants through the master code and allowing her to free the captives. It didn’t took long enough for the murderous robots to reach up the floor and fire off barrage of laser shots at me. Shit!

I couldn’t go to S.A.T.S., much less getting a clear shot; there’s WAY too many of them to take on and they’re closing in! Dammit, these laser shots are everywhere!

Bullseye provided covering fire for me (even though bullets do woeful damage against their hulls) while both Gale Storm and Lightspeed went to retrieve the two former Stable-Tec employees. Shortly after, Honeycomb and Topaz were extracted by both Gale and Lightspeed as they swooped down to get them to safety. Of course, we have to get ourselves pinned by an army of murderous robots! Thanks for leaving us to die prematurely!

I had no choice but to fire as well. It did some damage to some of the murderous robots, but not enough to destroy them. I could even feel laser shots barely missing us, but goddess, these lasers are HOT!

And the reason why they’re not getting a clear shot is because they’re crowding themselves all in one space as Bullseye looked down from the railing, “Get us next, you two! Boss and I are nearly cornered!”

“Hang in there, boys!” Gale shouted, taking flight before Lightspeed followed suit, “Go, I’ll take care of those robots!”

I was already shot from the searing laser that hit my left hind leg as I was reeling back from the sheer pain coursing in me. Dammit, it hurts big time!

“Boss!” Bullseye yelled out as he was doing what he can to keep the murderous robots at bay; they were still firing shots at us (at least I held onto my sniper rifle, thankfully) And Bullseye’s ammo in his revolver isn’t going to last.

Thankfully, the two pegasi had arrived quickly and Lightspeed armed herself with laser beams that shoot from her eyes, making quick and easy work by slicing through murderous robots like butter. I, on the other hoof, wasn’t so lucky; I was still writhing in pain from the searing heat in my left hind leg, the heat just eating away through flesh and small pockets of radiation was seeping into me.

Gale had arrived, only to have a worried expression after noticing an obvious burn wound from my hind leg. “Oh no, Zero!” She rushed over to me and scooped me up to her back, “Hold on, Zero! Let’s get the buck out of here!”

Bullseye was soon picked up by Lightspeed, once she had dispatched the hostile robots. Next time I’ll have Lightspeed take care of the robots for me, but oh wait, I forgot something; I still can’t talk normally, can I?!

My left hind-leg had third-degree burns from a laser shot, which burned through fur and searing my skin inside. I couldn’t stand up properly because the burn is so fucking severe. Lightspeed had already retrieved Bullseye, though she had a disgusted look on her face because she isn’t used to interacting with ghouls before.

“Well, good thing we have a few Healing Potions with us or you would’ve went into shock.” Gale went to retrieve one in my saddlebag and pulls the cork open before spitting it off from her mouth. She poured it down into my mouth as I gulped it down. Who’d knew that a single shot from a laser would be this deadly? If I was shot in the head or chest, I would’ve been dropped dead. I chugged down the potion to allow it to tend my burn wound from my hind leg.

“Amazing… how can we repay you ponie-eeaaAAAAHHH!” Honeycomb freaks out at the sudden sight of Bullseye. He merely scoffs at this, “I’m not here to eat your brains, señorita. I’m not a zombified pony.”

Talk about premature celebration.

“Bullseye’s right. Don’t take him seriously, he’s quite friendly than you think.” Gale reassured before Topaz was on the brink of freaking out as well. Both she and Lightspeed helped me up to my hooves, feeling right at full strength again. “You alright there, bucko?”

I nodded to her in thanks. I approached the two former employees and wrote down a couple of words from my PipBuck, but they were quite marvelled at the sight before I would tell them, “That PipBuck sure looks advanced, mister! I mean, that can’t be the PipBuck 3000, can it?!” Honeycomb enthused. I’m pretty sure that the PipBuck I’m wearing isn’t the 3000 model, but rather, the 4000 model. Even Topaz reiterated, “Nah, Honeycomb! That looks way too advanced for it to be the PipBuck 3000! I’ve never seen anything like it, even!”

Gee, I’m suddenly getting fans now? I didn’t expect them to be total fanatics over a PipBuck. Not like I invented it anyway.

I merely showed them the screen which reads ‘We have safe refuge in Stable Town in Mayne’.

“Stable Town? In Mayne? We don’t know where it is, though…” Honeycomb expressed concern, having never heard of the place themselves. Lightspeed grabbed my hoof and lifted it up to scan it. I didn’t resist, and it seems she was only going to the map menu and scan the coordinates for Stable Town into her. Does she have a hard drive that had substituted her brain, too?

“There. So far, Taser hasn’t called me back yet. You three keep moving, I’ll escort both Honeycomb and Topaz to safety.”

I only nodded to the cyberpony, and Bullseye was pretty mystified from the sight of Lightspeed. I merely motioned my head to Bullseye, assuring that everything’s okay now. At least she and Bob are the only nicest robots that aren’t driven to murder everypony they see.

Of course, as we were about to move on to our adventures, I noticed Lightspeed winking at me and blowing me a kiss before she left with the two. Gale didn’t approve and looked back, her cheeks puffed out with obvious signs of jealousy before heading off with me. I myself was left confused by this. Was Lightspeed trying to… no that’s silly. Why would a cyberpony be trying to flatter me? It’d feel… odd.

Gale draped her wing over my back and pulled her close to me as we were approaching the ruins of Whinnyapolis, which isn’t surprising to me compared to other cities they’ve gone through. Is my face turning red or is it just me. Bullseye himself doesn’t seem to care of what’s going on because he doesn’t want to get in the way and ask what’s going on between me and Gale. At least I won’t end up in a… yeah.

On the plus side, there are a couple of settlers inside, though they look pretty war-torn and who can blame them? At least they’re not Raiders. Of course, we were stopped by a guard pony, “Hold it right there. Who are you and what brings you here in Whinnyapolis? Hope you’re not here to stir up some trouble.”

Oh joy. A pretend guard threatening us because we were just passing by. Though he does have a firearm so he’s not to be taken lightly. And his voice is pretty gruff, too.

“We’re just passing by is all. No trouble here.”

Gale’s doing all the speech check for me. It was a success at first but the dark green-colored guardpony took a suspicious look at her, “How do I know you’re not here to wipe us out?”

“I defected myself from the Grand Pegasus Enclave…”

His eyes widened slightly, “Defected from the Grand Pegasus Enclave? So… you’re a Dashite, then. Thousand pardon for my behavior, just keeping Whinnyapolis safe and sound, away from Raiders and other creatures. Steel Rangers included. Come on in.” He does take another look at Bullseye before diverting his attention to me, “You sure got some weird friends…”

You should see Bob, a self-aware robot accompanied by a filly. Everything the Wastelands give me has varied results. Nevertheless, we ventured ourselves into the remnants of the city turned into a makeshift town. Seems they have their own medical station, gardens to harvest fresh foods, weapons shop, even small, residential houses exclusive for the settlers. Good security too, though I prefer Stable Town in my honest opinion.

“Sure seems secure here. Why don’t we rest up and get something to eat. Hopefully we have caps with us.”

I think we do have enough to buy something from them. Of course, something hit my mind. I’ve heard this guard mentioning something about a Dashite, which I’ve never heard at all before. Nopony has ever told me regarding a Dashite before, not even back in Lab-00 either. Seems curiosity is getting the best of me, and I’m willing to find out if Gale Storm is a Dashite or something else.

Though first things first, I moved a bit for her to open up my saddlebags and retrieve the caps stored inside. Yeah, I know I still have a couple of food inside, but the recent battle with those murderous robots (no thanks to Lightspeed who had to destroy them at the very last second) has pretty much worn my mind out. I relaxed back on the bench and waved a hoof at the two and they left to buy food while I merely sat on the bench.

I slid my hoof down to my saddlebags and pulled out a fresh carrot (thank you, Sweet Cheeks!) and chowed down to it. Still pretty tasty and intact, even though it hasn’t been used in a short while. The two returned with various of fresh food bought from a local food stand which serves as a grocery shop. They stuffed them in my saddlebags as Gale looked at me, “So, shall we relax and wait for Lightspeed to come back?”

I nodded. Lightspeed wouldn’t have left without at least telling us. Gale sat herself on the bench next to me and simply laid her head down to my shoulder. I’m not sure how public displays of affection will affect the residents of Whinnyapolis though it seems they’re simply minding their own business, save for Bullseye just jiving me an odd look before shrugging off and merely gazed up in the dark, cloudy skies that’s obstructing daylight.

“Sooooo have anything to ask me something, Zero? I know you can’t talk normally, but hey, you have your trustworthy PipBuck with you, right?”

I’m feeling a rather shortness of breath here for a brief moment; goddess, what’s with her sudden change of tone in her voice?!

Calm down, Zero! Just ask her about her cutie mark, that’s all!

I tried to keep a steady hoof as I typed in a couple of words on the screen. After finishing up, I showed it to her and closed my eye, getting ready for the inevitable. It read ‘What is a Dashite?’.

Gale blinked a few times before looking around, looking rather uncertain. “Umm… oh! Hey, Bullseye? Could you stay here and wait for Lightspeed for me? Me and Zero have to… talk in private. It won’t take long, I promise!”

“Whatever. Just be sure our boss isn’t gone for too long.” Bullseye replied, showing little concern regarding Gale’s privacy. I was soon got up from the bench by her, and taken to an empty alleyway in between two buildings.

“Ooooohhhh! Somepony’s in loooove!”

Lay off, Pinkie! How can a brilliant scientist like me express love, much less romance?! It basically defies any form of logic in the Wastelands, dammit!

Well, at least I get to listen what she’s going to tell me. She let out a soft sigh.

“Its when one of the Grand Pegasus Enclave soldiers have defected from their evil intentions and join on the good side for the greater good of ponykind. Let’s just say that… I was too pissed off to notice it, after my troops had been name-calling me and my father and merely deserted them afterwards. Yeah, they were looking for me, but what can I do? My sister is pretty naive in nature, even younger than me too. I guess its because I was considered a favorite to my father over Cloud Storm, mainly because I was older than her and even you, or because I was just a hardcore tomboy and put up more of a fight than those other colts in the line of duty. In the end, I don’t care about them anymore. I care for my new friends who show compassion, and you’re no exception. What you have done so far, just to survive the Wastelands here and there, proves that your name is more than just Zero. To me… you’re a hero. And if we die together along with our friends, at least we’ll know that we’ve put up a good fight to date. Here, let me show you.”

She stripped herself out of her Enclave armor, which would soon reveal her true cutie mark (if I haven’t seen it before already, then long journeys and grueling battles didn’t allowed me to retcon the past events). And there it is; a real Dashite in place of her cutie mark. She puts on her outfit again after having shown the Dashite she possesses.

Now I know why Gale left the Enclave, because even if she was fit to battle, they had completely shunned her, equivalent to being literally racist of her because they were judging of her, and that her father provided no support for his own daughter. And I wasn’t too sure how she was older than me - she looks pretty young like myself - but then again, her calling me a hero seems… pretty moving. Really, it was. My heart fluttered out from her words; guess I’m Zero to Hero now, huh? I like it. I felt at ease now.

It wasn’t until Gale made her move.

“Zero… I…” Those were the only two words she spoke as she leaned forward to me, I was pinned against the wall but did not resist. Her eyelids slowly shuttered shut as I could feel her lips nearing in to me. It wasn’t long until Bullseye called out, “Gale! Boss! The cyberpony has returned!”

Gale’s eyes suddenly opened up before leaning back from me, looking at the side. “Oh! Coming! Let’s go, Zero!”

I was speechless. Literally. My heart instantly went back to jackhammer mode. Goddess Celestia, did I… did I nearly got a kiss from Gale?! I-I-I-I almost went to first base, goddess-dammit!

And I could feel my head just sweating profusely after this! Just… what the ever-loving fuck was that all about?!?!

My hooves feel rubbery all of a sudden, too! Dammit, Zero, hold it together! Just regroup with the others!

After quite the struggle, I had finally regrouped with the other three, but not before Lightspeed took a quick scan to me, “Zero? Are you okay? I’m indicating accelerated heart rate, along with your nervous systems being unstable, along with your brain activity being constant. Is everything okay?”

I shakily nodded! I’m 100% okay, no Raider that happens to grab me by behind and beating me senselessly, right?!

“Riiight…” Lightspeed grinned, giving out a pretty obvious hint.

“Have Honeycomb and Topaz arrived safely to Stable Town?”

Lightspeed nodded to Gale, “They have, yes. Safe and sound.”

Oh! I forgot all about my Stable 13 canteen! I rummaged through my saddlebags and downed the whole canteen (which will regenerate later on, obviously), just to calm my nerves. No, a scientist should not get himself into drugs.

I need a break from having to take on too many gunfights. An army of murderous robots was more than enough for me to take a pretty long break from engaging gun fights on anything the Wastelands would throw at us. Seriously, can I at least get a breather here?

“I have a good five minutes or so before I can head back with the Powder Gangers.” Lightspeed informed us.

Seems Taser is eager to make her a fully-augmented cyberpony. I’m still wondering how would a cyberpony would try and flatter a normal, regular pony like myself? Then what? Would Gale Storm want to be augmented as well?

Goddess, this is getting weird…

I spotted a lone Raider wandering around the town and was quick to react as I pulled out my rifle, but upon closer inspection, this one doesn’t seem to be acting in a hostile manner like usual Raiders would. Normally, they would just murder anypony on sight with no obvious remorse to show. Even my PipBuck is telling me that this one was not hostile to us.

Still, pretty unusual for a lone Raider to be just wandering around in the town. One of the residents trotted to us, “Oh, you ponies must be new here. Welcome to Whinnyappolis!”

I glanced at the mare who greeted us - obviously a resident here - as I glanced back at the Raider, making a purchase from a local stand. I still don’t understand him…

She lightly tapped a hoof to my shoulder as to grab my attention, “Excuse me, sir? You’re looking at Jericho. Sure he’s a Raider who’s not nice and has a thrill for murdering ponies, but… he’s changed.”

My ears perked up at this and glanced at the dark-greened mare. Did she say changed?

Aren’t Raiders supposed to be completely and impossibly irredeemable?

Even Gale quirked a brow, “Ma’am? I ahh… don’t recall Raiders being redeemable. They usually go and backstab other ponies pretending to be nice, as far as I’m concerned.” Gale’s right, of course. Raiders are irredeemable by default.

She rebutted Gale’s statement, “That’s true, but he deserted his own kind, admitting that killing other ponies and stealing other things were not worth it; it wore him out and went to try befriending other ponies. Things didn’t go well at first, but after a few days, he got along well with other ponies. Of course, he’s kinda temperamental if you ever get on his bad side so just be careful.”

So this Jericho stallion is kind on the outside, but still a murderous Raider on the inside. Like a beast that would wake from its slumber if its disturbed. Right…

“We’ll… keep that in mind.”

The mare smiled and had left to head off elsewhere.

Bullseye himself didn’t look too surprised, “I’ve seen worse. Even saw them Ghoul Raiders before too.”

Ghoul Raiders? Wow, the Wastelands has all kinds of weird all around us.

“Oh! My time is up. Sorry ponies, but Taser’s calling me to head back. I’ll send him regards.” Lightspeed informed her time to leave and return to her faction. She spread her cybernetic wings, “Ta-ta for now.”

She took flight, creating a small yet noticeable sonic boom, which caught the attention of other residents, Jericho included, gazing their sights at the cyberpony having already gained altitude and flown out of the town.

“Geez, somepony sure is a showoff…” Jericho muttered before taking a seat at a bar, having a bored expression. His coat is tan, covered in dirt, unsurprisingly enough. His mane is nonexistent - mostly having been shaved off to the scalp - though still sports a dull-black beard with him, and he was covered in crude, armored outfit too. Totally of Raider-quality too.

“So, boss. Do you think we should greet this fellow Raider?”

Hopefully not. Yet I reluctantly nodded to Bullseye, regardless. Gonna keep him in check without setting him off. Of course, killing him would mean the residents of Whinnyappolis will consider us a threat. And I’ve had enough trying to not let the Wastelands get all trigger-happy on my ass. I got up from the bench and nods to Gale Storm for her to do all the talking for us.

“Tread carefully now, Zero.”

Thanks for the obvious warning, Gale.

Jericho batted his eyes at us as he took a sip of a fresh, Sparkle-Cola, “Huh? Don’t see you around here before. Who are you three supposed to be?”

“I’m Gale Storm, this is Bullseye and this is Zero.” Gale introduced to herself and us.

Jericho quirked a brow, looking at us with a puzzled expression. “Geez… a nerdy scientist, a ghoul with a ‘stache, and a lone Enclave? No wonder why I stopped using chems; they fuck me up to no end, even if it were to drive me to kill somepony. Then again, most of my ‘friends’ just treat me like shit. Name’s Jericho, by the way.” He took a sip of Sparkle-Cola, his voice was also pretty gruff for a typical Raider.

“What brings ya to me? And don’t think of pissing me off, either. I’ve dealt with enough shit before I even came here.”

Again, thanks for the obvious warning, this time from Jericho.

“Well… we thought we’d like to get to know ponies in Whinnyappolis, and what interesting places we could find. Any ideas?”

“The fuck do I look like to you? A tour guide?” Jericho drank down the last of Sparkle-Cola before setting it on the table. “Well, you ponies don’t seem to be aimlessly wandering around like mindless, feral ghouls. No offense, pal.”

He’s brash, all right. But even then, we kept ourselves in check because this town doesn’t take kindly to inciting violence. Even if he’s a Raider, there’s a good amount of security guards patrolling the area.

“None taken. Just wondering if there’s anything interesting this town has.” Bullseye was slightly annoyed from Jericho’s remarks.

“Hmm. Tell ya what, rest yourselves up and I’ll tell you know first thing in the morning. Before you get any ideas, no, I’m going to kill you ponyfolk in your sleep, nor would I pilfer your things. I’ve had enough shit and the last thing I want is to take PTMs. And those PTMs can fuck you up big time. I know I have.”

“What are those ‘PTMs?” Bullseye asked, with a flat tone to it.

“Party-Time Mint-als. Makes you think straight but then you’ll end up thinking about suicide when it wears off. Stay the fuck away from PTMs, seriously. You’re better off dead from a gun battle than being dead from OD’ing yourself. I had to endure months of this shit and believe me, withdrawals ain’t a pretty sight so don’t end up like me or those fucked-up Raiders that used to be my ‘friends’. I’m serious.”

For a Raider with a tough, not-giving-a-fuck personality, he sure gives out an advice pretty well. Good thing I’m a scientist and not a drug addict. No drugs, even if they’re considered harmless, will hamper with my genius mind!

“Anyway, you need a place to rest,” He points a hoof to a vacant house, “This is the place. Nopony’s been using it for awhile but at least its free from filth-ridden Radroaches.” He also lets out a groan, “Can’t believe this has been the weirdest conversation I’ve ever had since Sickle tried to rape me in my sleep…”

“Right… thank you very much. We’ll see you later, Jericho.” Gale responded as we left to the abandoned house for us to rest up for the night.

“Yeah yeah, whatever…” Is all Jericho responded.

Once inside, the house seems vastly empty and depressing-looking, but at least it wasn’t ransacked or infested. The fridge from the kitchen doesn’t have any food or drinks left inside. Small and daft too. At least the bathroom has a working, non-irradiated shower in the bathroom for us to clean ourselves. “Yeah, I’ll just sleep on this sofa here. Good night, boss.”

Bullseye was the first to get some shuteye after slumping himself on the couch to get some shuteye. I went to the bedroom myself for me to take off my lab coat and set it on the chair. I let out an exhausted sigh and merely flopped on the bed. At least there’s pillows to support my head with.

Gale, on the other hoof, went to the shower herself and took off her armored outfit and stepped into the shower to turn it on. I could hear her humming and singing randomly. I could even hear her call my name, but my eyes feel too heavy for me to wonder anyway. All I could do was lay myself to the side and let my whole body go into slumber.

I was soon asleep afterwards. I hardly noticed Gale having finished cleaning herself up and joined on the bed with me, with her fore-hooves embraced around me. My ears picked up faint words from her though hard to tell what she is telling me, as I’m already asleep and waiting the next day to rise.

Day has arrived and I was the first to wake myself up, letting out a big yet obviously silent yawn. I looked down and saw both fore-hooves wrapped around me, her wing included. I didn’t know her attachment to me would be strange, but at least I’m not complaining about it. At least nopony barged in and opened fire at us, and even Jericho was a man of his word and made good on his promise.

I tried to wiggle myself free, but Gale’s fore-hooves aren’t letting up, even while she’s still sleeping. Now’s not the time to get all… yeah. Not gonna describe it because simply put, a scientist doesn’t require to say suggestive things throughout my journey. Speaking of, I haven’t written anything on my PipBuck for the past countless days since having my PipBuck 1000 replaced with the 4000 model. Then again, I lost interest with it, and the 1000 was basically outdated anyway.

Gale fluttered her eyes awake and released her grasp from me, allowing me to take a shower myself. It wasn’t until a knock on the door was heard, “I’ll go get the door, Zero!”

Bullseye was next to wake up, clumsily slumping from the couch and landing on the floor. Behind the door reveals to be the same resident of Whinnyappolis, “Hey! Its Jericho and no, I’m not armed so don’t think I’ll be saying hello with a buckshot. I ain’t that kind of monster I used to be.”

She let out a sigh of relief when she opened the door. He took a peek inside to see my ghoul friend getting up as well before looking back at her, “Where’s your nerdy friend at?”

“He’s showering. Something you wanna tell us?”

The former Raider nodded, “Yeah, though first we’ll wait for that silent nerd to show up.” He still looked weary from the sight of Bullseye but made no comment of it. He does have a smarmy, rude attitude but even he knows better.

After a few minutes, I arrived at the door, lab coat and everything with me. Jericho nodded, “Good. Follow me. There’s a pretty large library nearby and for fucks sakes, stop looking at me funny; you’re gonna make me start shooting everypony around!”

Well gee. I didn’t know you were still - and always will be - a hardass Raider…

“Here it is. Knock yourselves out, otherwise you’ll have to pay me in caps. As for stealing well… not my problem. Anyways, we never met so if anypony asks, I wasn’t there.” Jericho left us and we were left puzzled at his sudden, brash behavior.

“So umm… shall we go to the library? Studying would be good.”

I suppose we could, Gale. Not like there’s anything to do for the time being.

Whoa! The library is huge! Despite its vast emptiness with a small portion of ponies reading and studying books without making any noise (Jericho lied, but not worth coming back to him anymore), but by the goddesses, there’s so much potential books to read! Gale whispered to me, “Seems this is why me and Bullseye are the greatest companions there is. You’re truly a nerd with limitless discoveries.”

I simply marvelled at the sight of the wide selection of books, all are in great condition even after its been through the great war. Going through one aisle of books after the next until my eye was locked at the latest book of Neighkola Tesla! This is like a dream come true! My smiled was wide enough for me to grab the book and merely hugged it before heading to the table for me to grab a seat. I opened up a book and Gale Storm sat herself down next to me to read with me.

‘Chapter 1: Energy Weapons

‘How are they created, you ask? Well, I shall tell you how they’re created though mind you that they’re scarce and finding and crafting them isn’t easy as you think! They’re of the property of the Ministry of Arcane Sciences, courtesy of Twilight Sparkle. They’re usually powered with unicorn magic, but also powered by other unknown sources. Like balefire bombs.

‘These are not like any regular firearms would; these resources are very hard to find and are powerful if used correctly. Even then, its no easy feat.

‘One should be warned about its radiation levels upon coming into contact. Its not airborne but can still contract it by simply touching them. Cautionary is advised when handling such objects, be it plasma or lasers. They’re lethal as well!

Now, you’re wondering why there’s no complicated math equations in this page yet because you’d either wonder why its complicated or it makes no sense as Discord used to say. Well, its found on the next page, though have a look at the diagram of the Laser Pistol before proceeding to the next page.’

Not bad so far. I’m familiar with complicated numbers, specifically algebra (shame on you other ponies reading this for not studying hard enough) on the picture of the Laser Pistol imprinted on the page. Of course, these kinds of resources are used by technologically-advanced factions such as the Steel Rangers or the Grand Pegasus Enclave. Or to put a term loosely, artifacts. Speaking of, I’ve never scavenged for any of them at all. I’m not going to mention my past events, trust me on this. But… what’s a Discord? Some kind of electronic equipment, maybe? I dunno.

Anyway, onto the next page.

The second picture on the left shows the accuracy range of both the Laser Pistol and the Laser Rifle. Again, complicated numbers and whatnot so I don’t wanna bore you with the unwanted and boring details. Too bad I don’t happen to have Energy Weapons myself and Gale Storm is the only one who has two Plasma Rifles from her battle saddle.

There weren’t any words written on the page either. Just some complicated math and diagrams of Laser Pistols and Laser Rifles. Gale whispered to me softly, “That’s some complicated mathematics on that page, Zero.”

Well, good thing I was gifted to understand complicated numbers. Speaking of numbers, what do they mean?

Ah well, onto the next page.

‘Rookie users are not recommended for handling Energy Weapons. These are very dangerous and mishandling them can lead to… disastrous results. Its called science for a reason, not some toy to play with!

‘And yes, E.F.S works on anypony of any type, not just unicorns and alicorns. Don’t ask, it just works. Now, the Ministry of Arcane Sciences has provided a diagram of Plasma weaponry as shown here:’

Lasers and Plasma? Now this is a worthy read! Yeah, Gale Storm has two Plasma Rifles of her own. I did used one-half of her rifle before but even so, I’ve not fully mastered the true potential of Energy weapons. And the picture of both the Pistol and Rifle variants of Plasma is surely unique, deadly too. Can pretty much turn any living thing into green goop with precise shots.

Sadly, this book doesn’t contain anything regarding the Tesla Coil. The books are pretty large yes, but only a small number of them are relatively intact; the rest of them are burnt out, rendering them unreadable.

“Hey, Zero? I don’t want to interrupt your fascination with the book, but I figured we should head out and eat. We haven’t had breakfast yet and my belly’s starting to protest for food.” Gale’s rumbling belly was pretty notable, yet other librarians seem to not mind. I’d keep the book for myself, though I can’t risk being overdue. I suppose I’ll have to stop reading the book of the famous Neighkola Tesla and feed ourselves. Bullseye flatly commented, “Your belly’s saying something, señorita Gale.”

Her eyes narrowed to Bullseye with slight annoyance, “You think?”

I got up from the chair and took the book, placing it back where it was originally found. If Neighkola Tesla was real, I would seriously praise him for his scientific achievements and I’d forever be his massive idol. Goddess, that would be very amazing!

Don’t get any funny ideas, Pinkie! I know what you’re gonna say and you’re not going to ruin my perfect image!

“I haven’t said anything, silly nerdpony! You’re such an egghead like Twilight, and maybe Rainbow Dash!”

How dare she compare me of an egghead than the two names I’ve never even heard or seen of?!

Ugh, I’m not gonna strain my mind again. We’ll head outside for a quick meal so at least I’ll have a clearer mind. Besides, Pinkie has made a permanent residence in my head since retrieving the statuette of her back in Mount Gallopmore. Oh well; less mind-talking and more food-eating, I suppose.

Several foods I ate were fruits, all of which are the labor of Equestria. Freshly-made, even!

Gale had carrots while Bullseye simply had Sparkle-Cola. At least he didn’t took the Sparkle-Cola Victory I still have; I’d be really pissed if he drank that, especially since it has pretty high radiation levels than a regular Sparkle-Cola and being potentially lethal if leaving radiation untreated. Our breakfast wasn’t too heavy, but still enough to keep our energies up.

And its simply the three of us sans Lightspeed, Tootsie Roll and Bob. I tuned the radio which has some jazz music to it. I have no specific taste in music, but at least it helps easing my mind except I’d have to turn it off in case we’re exploring uncharted territories, including various creatures and Raiders. Or Legion. Or Slavers. Or other hostile factions.

Once we were done, we arrived back inside the library. It was only a quick meal and not a slow, heavy one. I’m not a glutton for food, even if its to keep myself alive. Overeating can be hazardous.

Seems there’s nopony in the library. Weird… we didn’t took that long. Where did everypony go?

“Hello?” Gale’s voice echoed throughout the building. No response.

“Seems they left.” Bullseye reiterated. The library’s pretty big so they must’ve used a secret exit. Its odd though; the sign said ‘CLOSED’, but we somehow managed to open the entrance door without any issues. Hopefully this doesn’t mean we’re trespassing or anything. Management must suck inside.

Guess I’ll be receiving ALL the knowledge inside, and my brain’s hungry for it! I motioned my two friends and arrived at the first aisle to browse around whatever book I could find, all which are burnt and unreadable or even too generic for my liking. Seems I change my mind. My brain WAS hungry for knowledge, but none of these books interest me so besides Neighkola Tesla. I’m a pretty fast learner too so there’s no need for me to read the same thing.

“So… should we find a secret entrance of this library, Zero?”

I suppose, Gale. As much as I love reading, I don’t like staying in one place and have to continue to move on to see if the Wastelands doesn’t try to murder us.

We went up the stairs to the second floor of the library (it never had a name as its letters had fallen apart, making it difficult to tell what it is), to see what they have to offer us; the door opens which reveals to be an elder mare.

“Oh?” She looked rather surprised, “What are you three doing back in the library? Its closed.”

Gee, I wonder why the main entrance was never locked at all?

“Well… the library wasn’t really closed, it was still opened. You might ah… want to secure them properly next time, ma’am.” Gale informed her, “We’ll be leaving them. Just please lock them next time.”

The elder mare seem to stood still for a few moments before asking, “Oh umm… who are you ponies again?”

Short-term memory loss much? Because it sure seems like it. I nudge Gale and motion for us to leave the library. We don’t want her to think we’re trespassing inside. “Hmm? Oh! Right, we’ll be on our way, ma’am.”

“Right… best be careful now, ya hear?”

For a library owner she seems… rather odd. Oh well, not like we’re curious enough to see what the library offers us anyway. The name is going to be left unknown.

At least my brief reading about Neighkola Tesla was enough to keep me satisfied. Still, I’m disappointed that this library has limited to non-existing books to read. None besides the previous one I read interest me at all. What a farce this has been.

We’re outside again, and there’s still a couple of settlers what I thought it’d be. Could’ve sworn Whinnyappolis might have been deserted, but it seems I was wrong. Bullseye hasn’t spoken much but at least he’s not being much of a bother, even though he’s a valuable companion who happens to be an obvious ghoul and has a moustache that doesn’t fall off from all the radiation that goes with his strange accent I’ve never even heard about before.

Then again, I could care less. All that matters is just move along. To see if I have the will to band all the other ponies together to fully eradicate the Cazador threat is not easy. Picking the wrong factions can lead to high tensions and break out an all-out war against each other, and we’ll end up losing while Dr. Scalpel and his sickening creation will win. And without my voice, I can’t negotiate with other ponies and I simply can’t rely on Gale Storm doing all the diplomatic work for me. And I’m limited to my PipBuck and even that isn’t enough. I need a voice. A voice of reason that would change everything. Until that happens, its simply not going to be easy until the time is right.

Seems we’re about to leave Whinnyappolis, with the exit just up ahead. Nothing interesting to see other than the library, along with the library owner with an obvious case of dementia. Pretty boring overall. Didn’t interacted much with settlers as well, though I bet they’re not too fond to strangers. Suppose that normal socialization is out the window. It isn’t without Gale Storm being close to me again, and I’m entirely unsure that displays of public affection would be of help. I don’t want other settlers to look at us funny, and even Bullseye simply rolled his eyes out if lack of interest.

Its also odd that there’s no security at a security checkpoint, so we simply left the town without any issues.

“Hehe, don’t mind me, Zero. I just have a bit of interest to you is all.” Gale admitted.

Of course you do. But not before you went really close to me and I nearly collapsed from the unexpected closeness!

Up ahead appears to be a sealed entrance with a terminal. Good timing too; thick clouds are rolling in, with low, thundering noises creeping its way, effectively blocking out any source of sunlight. At least unlocking the terminal will be a cinch, no doubt about it.

I booted up the terminal, which had at least a few number of words. ‘Snakes’ was the correct password and I unlocked the door. “Hurry up, boss. Thunderstorm’s heading this way.”

Can you not rush me with this one? At least I have a strong concentration that’s difficult to break without being pestered constantly. Once we were inside, we had a sigh of relief, with intense battering noises coming from torrential rainfall that was trying to break inside but had failed. The inside was of pitch black darkness and I turned on the flashlight. We’re in a tunnel? Really?

Its stuffy in there, too! No oxygen, even! Well, at least we’re not in a dead end so at least this path will take us somewhere.

“What is this place?”

I dunno, Gale. But at least we’re not gonna die from lack of oxygen. Let’s go.

We moved forward through the tunnel mining entrance inside. We could hear a faint, electrical generator running inside. As we approached into a wide-open area, the room is filled with functioning bulbs lit inside and I turned off the flashlight. There are also other tunnels bored throughout, creating multiple paths for us to choose.

This is gonna be a long day…

Footnote: Level Up
New Perk: Jus’ buck it an’ it’ll be fine! - Firearms now have a 75% to not jam when jamming would normally occur.

Author's Notes:

Originally released on September 2017.