Waiting for the clock to run out was gruesome. Sitting with my wrists cuffed with a complete stranger meant I couldn't really get comfortable. I spent most of the time pacing around while trying to think of a way out without Reckless. He's just been sitting there fiddling with his Pipbuck. By the sounds of it, he's getting close to beating the Striped Menace. I guess he gave up on sending a message to the others. That, or he's made contact with them and is waiting for them to do something. I'll go with the latter of the two.

On occasion he would glance up to me and try to say something, but he'd lose it immediately. If I had to guess, he's probably trying to think of a good pick up line. I do my best to ignore him though. After an hour or two of this he finally gave up, apparently due to him losing at his little game.

"Is it time yet?" I ask shortly, stomping a hoof down.

"It's only been two hours," he replies, not even looking up from his Pipbuck. I huff in return, irked at the stallion.

"Can you at least remove these?" I ask while showing him my hands. "They're really starting to chaff." I add a little pouty face to my complaint, hoping it'll sway his mind.

"No." Well that didn't work.

"Why not?" I ask, trying my best to sound as reasonable as possible.

"Because I don't want you climbing your way out of here. That's why." Well... He's not wrong. I would have tried that. After kicking him in the nuts of course.

"I'm not going to make a run for it. I just want to relax my arms a bit." He gives me a deadpan look before going back to his Pipbuck. Well... I guess there's always... the look. I hate doing this, but it's the best way to get a stallions attention. The problem is that it's going to take some finagling to get set up. It's worth a shot, I guess.

I walk away silently and head back down the hall towards the destroyed staircase. Along the way I stop when I see a broken light fixture. The top screws have broken off, getting the actual fixture to hang down. It's set at the perfect height for this, so I step up to it and get to work trying to lower the zipper on my top. This is too demeaning, but it works a majority of the time. I just need to get it down a tad and I'll be set.

My first few tries don't catch on. I squat down a bit more and try again, almost getting it to latch. I bite my lip and try again, leaning forward to get a better angle. I struggle for a awhile until I feel the cold metal rub against my coat-

"What are you doing?" I let out a small yelp and try to straighten myself out, only to snag onto the broken light. I frantically try to free myself, but only manage to bring my zipper down further. Of course now it would do that! Why wouldn't it? I only put myself in the most awkward position possible! It had to end like this!

"W-well... You see... The thing is, uh..." I try to think of something to say to him while also trying to free myself, but neither seem to be getting me anywhere. I see him glance at my slightly exposed chest and begin to blush. Great, let's add that to this mess too! I'm stuck with a perv in probably the worst possible position! Why me?

"L-look. I'm going to un-cuff you so you can... fix yourself. Just... promise me you won't run off. Okay?" I stop fidgeting around and stare at him, unsure how to react. Most stallions would take this opportunity for a free grab. Or worse. Why not him? Am I not attractive to him? That's impossible! I'm a first class mare! He's only a second class stallion. Why isn't he taking this chance?

Why am I questioning it?

I nod to him and stand still, waiting to see what he does. He walk behind me and begins to fumble with his keys. I try to keep an eye on him, still expecting him to do something stupid. I wouldn't put it past one of Stun Gun's cronies to take advantage of a mare. Though, to be fair, I was about to use my looks to take advantage of him. They're not on the same level, but I guess the idea is close enough. Still, it's not like I had a choice to be like that. They choose to do that, that's where the line is.

Click

I break away from my chain of thoughts when I hear the cuffs click open. A moment later I feel them leave my wrist, freeing my arms. I watch in slight astonishment as Reckless turns and steps away from me. Giving me a moment of privacy. I... don't get it. He didn't do anything. There has never been a guard that hasn't passed on an opportunity like this. What is his deal?

Why am I questioning it, again?

I bring my arms forward and unhook myself, zipping my top up quickly afterwards. Once done I turn to Reckless and approach him. He has his back to me, waiting for... something. I don't know what to say to him either. Do I thank him? I don't think I should, seeing as it's his fault I was in that position... mostly. I guess it's fifty-fifty.

"So... what happens now?" I ask, getting him to turn back to me.

"We still have a few hours left," he responds slowly, turning to face me. I nod to that, thinking to myself for a moment.

"We could sit here for a few more hours and wait to see if anything happens. Or..." I give him a hopeful look, making him shift his stance as he thinks about it. "We don't have to go far! Just up those stairs, poke around a bit, see what's up there, and be back within the hour. Aren't you the least bit curious to see what's up there?"

"Well-"

"Forty five minutes!"

"I don't like this-"

"Thirty minutes!"

"Mmm..." I hold my hands before myself and do my best to beg with my eyes. He tries to avoid my gaze, but glances over one too many times. "Alright. We'll go up and take a look around. But no longer than thirty minutes! After that we head straight back here, got it?"

"Yes sir! Thirty minutes and then right back here!" I tell him excitedly, giving him a quick salute. He lets out a groan before walking towards the stairs. I give an excited little dance before chasing after him. Originally I was scared to go out there. But after two hours of waiting around, I'm ready for anything.

We both come to a stop before the broken stairwell and gaze up at it. All of my previous excitement has left me as the weight of what we're about to do settles on me. Who knows what's out there? For all we know the Equestria we read about is alive and thriving. It could equally be a death pit full of monsters and radiation. We're leaving everything we know all on the words of what my father and some psycho mare said.

"Do you need me to lift you up?" Reckless asks.

"I can get up there myself." I answer quickly. He nods to me and steps forward, opening his wings completely. I've never seen a pegasus up close before. I didn't even know there were any in the Stable. If he wasn't such a jerk, I would say his silvery grey wings were beautiful. Sadly, he's still a jerk. He gives a few flaps before jumping into the air, making it to the top of the stairs quickly.

Show off.

I take a look at the rocks before me and try to find a path to the top. Let's see... If I jump from that rock... To that rock... To that rock, I might be able to make it to the side of the stairwell. From there I can climb up its metal frame. Easy enough.

I go to the first bolder and hop onto it. Simple enough. The next one I have to pull myself up, but I climb it quickly. Now, onto the last one. It's a bit higher than the others, but there are a few spots where I can insert my hoof to climb up. It shouldn't be a problem. They look sturdy enough to support me. I bring myself up to that point and test my weight there, deeming it suitable to continue. I reach above my head and grab the next point, digging my fingers into the ground a bit. I let out a huff as I bring my hoof to the next point and test my weight there. It's a bit of a stretch, but shouldn't be too much for me to handle.

I take a look around before I reach out and grab the stairwell. It's not the most sturdy thing ever, but it'll do. I move one limb at a time before I'm completely on the metal frame. It sways a bit from the new weight, but stays standing. I start to climb up it, making it sway even more. I slow myself down in an attempt to keep it from moving too much, but I make it to the top soon enough. Once there, I throw my legs over the railing and finally stand.

Crack

I feel my heart stop when the stairwell cracks beneath my weight. I tighten my grip on the railing and wait for something to happen. Any second now this entire thing could come crashing down beneath me. I hear some silt slide out, but other than that, nothing is happening. I open an eye and take a quick look around, noticing that the stairwell tilted slightly to the left. But somehow it's holding. I step back and let out a relieved breath-

CRACK

I look up and make eye contact with Reckless before the ground beneath me crumbles away. I let out a small yell as I try to make a run for the cliffs edge, but I drop too fast to make it. In a last ditch effort to make it to safety, I leap forward, trying to catch myself on the side of the cliff.

THUD

I smash against the wall and start to slide down. I try to grab onto anything I can get my hands onto, but instead I slide halfway down before I finally get my hooves onto something solid. In a panic I grab onto the wall and hold onto it for dear life. I hear all of the metal framework crumble beneath me, but luckily for me it stops there.

"Are you okay?" Reckless yells down to me.

"I'm fine. A bit dusty, but fine." I tell him, glancing over myself momentarily.

"Hang on. I'll come down there and-"

"No! I'll be fine." I yell back stubbornly.

"Are you crazy?! This wall could come crashing down on you!" he yells back at me. I ignore him as I try to find a way up top... it isn't looking good right now. I try to move an arm to reach up higher, but the spots holding me up nearly give out. After a few more tries I hear a few flaps before all of the dust around me is thrown up. I have to shut my eyes tightly to prevent myself from being blinded. At the same time I feel Reckless wrap his arms around my waist and lift me up. A moment of degradation later and he sets me on solid ground.

"I could have done that!" I complain as I step away from him and rub the dirt from my face.

"Of course. Look, that was clearly a sign to not head on. We should go back before anything worse happens." I roll my eyes at that, looking at the rest of the tunnel.

"You promised me thirty minutes," I tell him.

"I didn't promise you anything!"

"It was an assumed promise!" I yell back, making him throw his hands up in anger. "Look, that was obviously unsafe. We'll be more careful in the future. We're already here, why not go further?"

"Because I'd rather you stay alive then end up at the bottom of a pile of scrap, that's why," he tells me flatly. I shake my head at that and start to walk down the tunnel, getting him to chase after me. "Do you have a death wish?"

"No! I have a 'don't get raped' wish!" I yell back at him, making him take a few steps back. "There isn't anything for me back at the Stable, not now at least. I was seen by the guards with those mares. If I go back... nothing good will happen there. I'm just as safe out here as I am down there. And, you know what? I might be a little safer if you'd stop complaining and help me!" He takes another step back, folding his ears along the way.

"I-I... Uh... you... Er..."

"If you want to wait, then wait. I'm not sticking around for that kind of future." I turn away from him and march down the tunnel. Now that I've walked away, I feel slightly guilty for yelling at him like that. But I meant every word. I know what's back there for me. Dad knew that too, that's why he sent me out here I guess.

"Lucky?" I stop and turn back to him, crossing my arms tightly. He walks up to me and bites his lip for a second before passing me my bat. "I'll take lead. Follow after me and keep close, okay?" I look down to the bat for a moment before taking it from him, nodding slowly. "Also, take my helmet. It's not much, but it'll provide some protection at least."

"Thanks." I mutter to him as he hands me the riot helmet. I stare at it for a second before taking it and looking it over. It seems as if he's sweated in it for awhile, but I won't complain about it. It beats nothing.

"And... please don't bash my head in." I chuckle at that. I can't say the thought didn't pass my mind.

"I'll try, you ready?" I ask teasingly. He shoots me a small smile before stepping in front of me. I smile as well, tussling the helmet in my hands before sliding it over my head... yup. He's pretty much sweated into the core of this thing... Not that I'm complaining.

I grip my bat in my hands and walk after Reckless. He's crouched down and is fiddling with the door at the end of the hall. I wait behind him and slide the face guard down. It's a bit more difficult to see through this thing, but I definitely want any form of protection I can get.

Click

I feel my heart skip a beat when Reckless gently opens the door. He doesn't open it all of the way though. Just enough to have a sliver to see out of. I swallow the lump in my throat as he peers around the corner. This is it. No backing out now.

"Alright, here's the plan." He tells me as he closes the door quietly. "The coast appears to be clear. I take the lead out there and you'll follow close behind me-"

"And why can't I lead?"

"Because you don't have any armor on." That's a good point. "Just keep low, keep quiet, and stay close. It looks as if we're in some sort of office building. So we'll take a look around to make sure the coast is clear before moving forward, got it?" I nod to him, holding my bat a bit higher. He nods back to me before crouching back down. I mimic his movement, though I have a bit of difficulty maintaining it.

I follow after him and get my first look of the outside world. It's bleak. As he said, it looks as if it was an office, but it's clearly been destroyed now. The ceiling above has mostly collapsed, leaving the area before us a cluttered mess. There are still a few cubicles here are there, though they too are destroyed mostly. A dim light comes through the cracked walls up above, though the walls around us are dark. They also seem to lack windows, telling me that we're probably still underground. With only the dim light to guide us I switch my Pipbuck light on, only to shriek when I see the skeleton before me. I jump back and trip over something, making a rattling noise. I look down to see that I fell into another skeleton, making me shriek again and jump to my hooves.

"WILL YOU QUIET DOWN!" Reckless yells at me in a hush tone.

"Why didn't you tell me there were skeletons right at the door!" I yell back, trying to step over the bones to get away from them. But with my light on I can see that there are dozens here.

"I didn't notice it. Will you please be quiet now? And turn off your Pipbuck!" I take a few more squeamish steps over the bones before making it to the other side of Reckless. I turn my light off and take a moment to compose myself. Why were there so many bones there to begin with? Were they trying to get in the Stable as well? Do we just leave them there? "We should head back-"

"What? No! We only just started!" I complain, making him stare at me. I blush a bit as I nod to him, knowing I may have thrown a bit a of fit there. To be fair! He should have warned me. "I-I wasn't ready for that."

"We aren't ready for any of this! Look, let's head back and I'll watch over you. I won't let them do... that, okay?" I scoff at that.

"And why would you do that? The longer we're here, the longer we're on equal grounds. You promised me at least an hour. And I intend to stay up here for an hour. So either get out of the way, or start leading." He groans from that, standing back up as he rubs his face.

"Fine! But one hour!" he tells me as he walks off. "... And it was thirty minutes!" Dammit, I thought he wouldn't notice.

"Aren't we sneaking?" I ask as I stand up.

"Not any more. After what you pulled, if something was in here, it would have found us already." I blush a bit more from that. I was just caught off guard! It's not like I was planning on falling into a pile of bones. And he doesn't have to be a jerk about it either!

Reckless moves towards the closest door with his pistol out, aiming at whatever might come out. I glance from poster to poster as I follow behind him. Most of them are still hanging on the walls, astounding me. I can't even keep the files to stand back home, how did they get them to stay up after who knows how long? A lot of them are basically the same. Pinkie Pie is watching you; fight the Zebras, do your work; Use less, Feed troops; a bunch of propaganda stuff. I remember when I was little I found a storage closet with a bunch of this stuff back at the Stable. Dad told me that it was mainly useless now that the world blew up.

We make it to the end of the hall where we find another locked door. Instead of opening it though, Reckless just stares at it.

"Something wrong?" I ask him quietly.

"Two locked doors in an office building. It... just seems weird to me," he replies. I shrug his worries off though.

"We don't know what they were an office for. They could have been for one of the Ministries for all we know. If we can find a working computer, I might be able to pull up a file that could tell us more about what happened here." He nods to that, kneeling to start picking the door. "Where did you learn to do that? I doubt they teach you that in guard school."

"They don't. But... let's just say I had to be skilled growing up." I roll my eyes at that. He can stroke his own ego. I hear something snap and Reckless curses under his breath as he stands back up. "Do you have any bobby pins with you?" I pat myself down until I pull the one from my bangs out. I normally need two to hold them in place, so I pocket the other one.

"Well... let's just hope there aren't anymore locks," I tell him. He bites his lip for a second before taking it and getting back to work on the door. "Wanna place a bet?" I ask eagerly, finding the dull, deteriorating office boring.

"On what?" he ask absentmindedly.

"On what this building was before! My guess is that it was a branch of the Ministries. What about you? And... try to keep it PG." The door clicks open as Reckless stands up and thinks about it for a moment. A small smirk grows on his face as he thinks about it. He better not get perverted about this.

"Before I make my bet, you'll have to narrow your guess. There were a lot of Ministries from before, saying any of them is pretty broad." I nod to that, glad that he's playing along. I imagine a defense building would have better enforcement's, so that's not it. There's a lack of tech, so that rules out magic... hmm...

"I'm going to go with Morale." I tell him confidently. [Luck 7] "And if I win, I get your handcuffs!"

"Morale eh... I can see that, what with all the posters and stuff. Okay, so if it's a branch of the Ministry of Morale then you get my handcuffs. I bet that it's a technology office building, possibly Stable-tech."

"Why do you say that?" I ask curiously, making him smirk.

"Because there's a Stable underneath it." [Intelligence 1]

"I... didn't think about that... huh. Well, anyway, if you're right?"

"If I'm right, you have to call me Reck. Deal?" He holds his hand out to shake, eyeing my seriously. That catches me a bit off guard. I was expecting for him to try something remotely perverted at first. This... makes me feel like a jerk for not calling him that to begin with. But, I stand by my decision not to. I reach out and grab his hand, giving it a firm shake.

"Deal. Now, let's see what's on the other side of that door already." He nods to me and motions for me to back up a bit. I roll my eyes and step back. I doubt there's anything in here, but I'll let him play the role of protector. He brings his pistol forward and slowly opens the door, only bringing it forward enough to peer through.

"Clear." Called it. We step into a more intact office that's much darker then the room prior. There's an emergency light in the back, lighting another doorway, but everything else seems to be shut off. "By the way, why are you making bets all of the sudden? A few moments ago you were screaming bloody murder because of some bones."

"Well... why are you so casual with bones?" I ask defensively as we make our way through the dark office.

"They're just bones. Plus I didn't know them, so I really don't have any connection." I silently nod to that. That's a good way to look at it, though I'll never tell him that.

"They were ponies once." I tell him quietly. "Plus... stuff like that creeps me out. They're bones, they belong inside ponies. That's just... uhg!" He merely shrugs in response.

We make it to the lit door and go through the same procedure, finding another dark room. Like before, there are some emergency lights dotting the sides, giving us a vague idea of where we are. It looks like some kind of power station, but it's set up a bit differently. The center of the room is filled with large machines that have thick antennas standing on top of them. A large, strange object stands in the exact center of all of this machinery. It looks like some kind of tower with a glass tube going around it near the top. I've never seen anything like it before. And don't have a single clue as to what it does.

There are two doors nearby, one on the left side of the room and one the right. We both pause and stare at the two doors, trying to make a guess.

"Left or right?" Reckless asks.

"Mmm... I don't know. You pick." He lets out a grumble before heading towards the left one, probably because he was standing closer to it. We go to the door and find it locked mechanically. No tumbler to pick. "There has to be a switch or computer to activate this. One that would be connected to the emergency grid. Lets take a look around."

"Alright, stay close." I nod to him as I turn on my Pipbuck, lighting the area around us. There isn't much here at fist glance. Some old documents, some dusty terminals, and a trash can filled to the brim with bottle caps. Nothing worth taking really. When we make it to the back of the room we find an old terminal. I move ahead of Reckless and press it on, getting the screen to come to life. "Do you know what you're doing?"

"I've worked on computers all my life. My dad never really did like the computer technicians, thought they were too nerdy for their own good. I might not be the best, but I definitely know what I'm doing." I tell him as I wait for the command screen to come up. Once it does, I try to access the main page, only to get hit with the firewall. Not a problem. The good thing about these computers is that they were all made with the same idea for security measures. I just have to guess which word is the right one and we're in.

"Right... well, I'll just keep watch then, I guess."

"You could go check out that other door. I'm going to be a minute here." He doesn't respond. He just walks to the back. I ignore him as I take a seat and try out a few phrases.

Seeking... no. Four out of seven though, and it probably has the ING in it.

Dud...

Dud...

Slating... no, but four out of seven.

Dud...

Allowance replenished! Whoo!

Dud...

Only a few left, Leaking... Yes! [Science 25]

After I punch in the password I open up the main menu. There are three options; Work Memo, Personal Messages, and Power Grid Options. Well, we're trying to figure out what's going on here, Work Memo First.

Syn-Tech would like to remind its employees that, even though we happily endorse inter-workplace relationships, we will not tolerate workplace fraternization. This is in regards to the now infamous copier incident. As such, the following rules will be implemented:

Mares will no longer be allowed to wear low cut or revealing attire.

Stallions will no longer be allowed to wear cologne.

Everybody will be required to punch in for their breaks and lunches. This includes all smoke breaks, bathroom breaks, and any other time you must leave your cubicle.

Cameras will be installed in all copier, closet, and non-visible public places.

We want to thank you for your cooperation and hope you enjoy the rest of your freedom loving day.

Signed, Miss Seed.

Huh... I can only imagine what happened... Do I really need to read the personal messages... dammit. Curiosity wins again.

Dammit D.J. I told you to stop grabbing my ass every time we pass! We may have gotten away with the whole copier thing, but they won't let us keep our jobs if you keep doing that shit! (I'm not mad, I'm just on edge. As much as I may or may not like it, I like paying my bills more :P) It's bad enough that I can't walk down the hall without five cameras following after me. I don't need them breathing down my neck every time we make googly eyes. And lay off the cologne, I can smell it from my desk up front. (Dumbest rule ever >.<)

Anyway, I got your text and yes, I would like to go out next Friday. And if you're a good colt, I'll wear that special little thing I got just for you. ;D

See ya then, P.

P.S. Thanks for wearing that low cut/revealing shirt to work. Too funny! XD

Well... that was a little cute. It's also a weird glance into life back then. I didn't really imagine mares and stallions being flirty back then. With all of the pictures and the way the Stable was, ponies back then seemed more stiff. As if those kind of things were for only the bedroom. I guess we just remember things differently.

Also, this place was called Syn-Tech. So, it most likely wasn't a part of Stable-Tech. But I doubt that the Ministry of Morale was a part of any technical aspects of life, so I don't think I won either. We'll have to check a few more terminals before we declare a winner. Onto the last option; Power Grid.

At first I get a few readings about the amount of energy being produced, and it's a bit... odd. It has two sources; a grid of panels on the top of the building, and some generators from beneath. But, that can't be. The Stable is beneath this building. Our generators couldn't supply this building with the energy it needs... unless it had that second source. But, why would they do that? The stable wasn't built until the climax of the Great War. I doubt they would build an administrative building during that time. It doesn't make any sense.

"That door is not opening." Reckless tells me as he walks up. "Anything good? Was I right?"

"This building is partially powered by the Stable." I tell him, turning around in my stool to look at him. He's just as shocked as I am. "And no, this place was a part of something called Syn-Tech. So you're not right, but there's still a chance that I am. But, I don't think you're grasping the situation completely. This building is partly powered by the Stable, our Stable! You don't find it odd that an administrative building is powered by a Stable?"

"Well... no. Not really." I stare at him for a second as my ear twitches. He can't be that dumb. "Don't give me that look without hearing me out!"

"Then spit it out already! Because this is freaking me out!"

"Well... This building was probably built before the war. They probably put the generators in before they put the Stable. And... well, when they started building the Stables, they probably saw the perfect start to build here. It was partially dug out, had the power it needed, and was probably cheaper than making an entirely new Stable. So... yeah."

"But why wouldn't we know about it? How could we have gone for so long without knowing part of our power was leaving the Stable? There's something else to this, I just know there is." I spin back and start to read the rest of the options. I know there is more to this than just simple planning and logistics. There has to be.

"Well... are you able to turn the rest of the power back on? Or are we stuck here?" I read all of the options once more before turning back to Reckless.

"It looks like we have some options. The connection to the Stable has been turned off. If we want to open the doors we'll have to divert some of their power to us. There is an option to have it spread evenly or take all of it."

"But that would doom the Stable."

"I know. I only mention it to make a point. There is more to this building than just an office. Why would they have the power to do that if there wasn't something else going on?" He shrugs and scratches his head, trying to form a rebuttal. "There is one more option, but I don't know what it would do. Something called the... S.A.S.S.?"

"You have to be making that up."

"I wish I was, but no. There is an option to power something called S.A.S.S." I stare at it for a moment before chuckling a bit. Reckless laughs a bit too, making me laugh a bit more. "At least they had a sense of humor back then."

"I'm feeling a bit sassy, can you click it to find out what it does?" He asks as he leans down to look at the screen. I chuckle a bit more before clicking it. The link brings me to the confirmation page to activate it, but doesn't elaborate on what it does. "I guess that answers that. Alright, spread the power and let's head out."

"Alright, spreading the power... done!" With a final click the screen locks me out as it begins to transfer the power.

The sounds of machines whirring back to online fills the air around us. Old lights flicker back to life with a few exploding loudly. In the distance a siren begins to drone as rusted gears begin to turn once more. The large structures in the center of the room begin to hum as the center object slowly beings to fill the room with a blue glimmer.

I stand in awe of the light glowing brighter and brighter until it begins to be too much to look at. I shield my eyes from it just as thunderous arcs or electricity start to jump from the center object to the outer machines. I duck instinctively from the sounds as more and more arcs jump around. Reckless grabs me and rushes me towards the side as the lights in the room begin to blow out. The metal door grinds open and we rush through it, pressing the switch to close it immediately.

We both lean against the wall and catch our breaths, obviously caught off guard by what happened. Most of the lights in this hallway have blown out as well, but the few that are intact are shinning brightly. The hall itself seems just as bland as the rest of the building, being in the same state of disrepair as well. There are a few bulletin boards with sparse papers, but nothing else.

"What was with that thing?" Reckless asks as he stands upright.

"I don't know, but at lease we made it past the door." I offer him a smile, but he only shakes his head. "Well, anyway, we're here now. Let's take a look around."

"Okay... follow me," he tells me as he crouches down and steps towards the closest door. I shake my head and walk after him. If there wasn't anything before, I doubt there's going to be anything now. But I'll let him think he's leading. If only to save me from the headache.

He takes a look through the door and peers around. He takes a few steps inside before looking back to me and motioning me inside. I smile back and curtsy before pushing the door open and walking in. I hear him mumble under his breath and holster him pistol, following after me. It's another office, but this one is filled with cubicles that mostly look intact. I walk through the spaces and look through them quickly. All of the computers don't seem to be working, mostly due to blowouts. Most of the desks are filled with old knick-knacks and photos of long dead families. Couples, friends, and foals all smiling back at me, covered in a thick layer of dust.

I stop at a cubicle that has a glowing computer at it. Interested, I step inside and flick it on. I search through the files on it, but can only find old memos from management. Nothing worth looking into, since none of them really seem to give me the information I want. I go to leave, but stop when I see a photo sitting next to the screen. It's some rose colored mare with her little pink filly. They're smiling back at me while hugging one another, without a care in the world. I wonder if they ever made it to a Stable. Maybe the mega-spell attacks never made it here. I mean, this building is still standing. Maybe this area wasn't hit as hard by the war.

"Hey." I look back to Reckless and see the worry on his face. "Let's keep moving." I nod to him and stand up, wiping my watery eyes dry.

We continue down the rows of cubicles in a similar fashion. We check each working computer for any details about the facility and come up short handed. It doesn't seem as if there is anything to learn about this building, which is confusing. How could an office run without records of its accounts? Did they transfer them to a central terminal? Or were they deleted after a period of time to keep them secret? I hope it's not the latter.

I tried my best to ignore all of the mementos and photos left behind. Though there was one very nice looking pen I was interested in. I didn't take it though. It didn't feel right to take something that didn't belong to me, even if the owner is now long deceased. Reckless didn't have that trouble though. He found a pocket watch and slipped it into his strap case. I tried to get him to put it back, but he didn't understand why. He doesn't get that taking those items from here is disrespecting the dead. He doesn't care about the legacy these ponies had, he just wants the watch. Maybe I'm just too sentimental for a place like this, but I still feel it should matter.

"We're almost finished with our half hour here." Reckless tells me as I take a seat at another computer desk. Like the others before, I quickly turn any photos down.

"Did your pocket watch tell you that?" I ask dejectedly. I turn on the screen and immediately go to the firewall screen. Odd, none of the other ones did this.

"It did actually. And it also said that I kept my end of the deal, so you should too." I try to ignore him as I try a few keys. It gets to the point where I have to back out and start over again. "Are you listening to me?"

"No. But I do hear you, and it's breaking my concentration. So SH!" He mumbles something before stepping aside, leaning against a filing cabinet casually. "And stop mumbling. I swear that has to be the least attractive thing I've ever heard a stallion do." He starts to mumble something, but goes quiet halfway through.

After a few more failed attempts to open the computer, I finally find the password: Apple. With that I find a personal correspondence from somepony named Miss Seed to a Mr. Desk Jockey.

Dear Mr. Desk Jockey,

I am going to be frank with you, D.J. The file you found can very much be the end of my career here at Syn-Tech. The Synth Warrior Prototype, mark 1, was a failure on my part. I know now that I should not have gone ahead without proper clearance. I have already talked with my cousin in Canterlot about this, but it has to remain under wraps.

We need you, plain and simple. You write the best lines of code in the entire office. If I go, this branch will be dismantled and everypony will be shipped out all over Equestria. That is something I will guarantee will happen should I go down. So here's my little deal for you:

1: I will erase all of your previous misdemeanors with the company.

2: A ten percent raise in salary.

3: The corner office on the northeast side.

Please respond quickly to my offer, thank you.

Miss Seed.

RE:

Dear Miss Seed,

I will take you up on your offer, with two more exceptions.

I don't want the corner office. I want cubicle B2 - 413. I'd also want you to remove the cameras in the janitors closet on the west side of this office floor. And I also want you to clear Primrose's record too.

Just so you know, the guys over at the Enclave are interested in my abilities too. Best wishes,

D.J.

RE:RE:

Dammit D.J., don't be a dick about this! Do you really think I'm going to let you keep fucking around? I can do everything except the closet cameras, don't push your luck!

Seed.

RE:

Seed, it's D.J. We gotta talk.

I found another little file of yours. How in the hell did you pull something like that off? Stable-Tech, Ministry of Morale, you and your little cousin, I know it all. All I want is in. For me and Primrose. Don't keep me waiting.

RE:

You little stripped bastard! Stop hacking my computers! I can't get you in there, the list is already full! I can at best try to get you and your little floozy in somewhere else, but it might already be too late! Don't do anything stupid, let me see what I can pull.

Seed.

Huh, this last one is just a note, interesting.

P.,

It was fun while it lasted, but all good things come to an end, I guess. I saw the clouds. They were awesome and beautiful. Sorta reminded me of you a bit, but they hurt less.

Look at me. Sitting here bleeding and I'm still trying to make you laugh. You always had the best smile. I can hear the ponies outside. It's a full scale war out there, and I thought the fronts were hellish. I locked down the building, wasn't hard. I wrote most the script. I left this computer to be easily hacked so you could get these few files. I couldn't put them all here, but there's enough for you to follow the trail. They were hiding something, and you're going to have to make them pay for it.

I'm just glad I got you down there. You'll be safe there. You won't have to see the hell that's bee unleashed here.

Remember where this all started? I left you a little gift there. It'll help you get what you need to figure out this game Syn-Tech made. Your own little cheat code.

Do me a favor, will ya? When you meet the Overmare for eighty eight, slap her for me, will ya? That bitch needs to be put in her place.

Oh, and I know I'm being a douche, but if it's a filly, give her your family name. A colt, mine. I know you wanted it to be half and half, but a flower computer nerd doesn't really bode well.

It's getting hard to type now. Think I'll head up top and watch the world burn for a bit. I always hated being outside.

D.J.

There's a response dated nearly ten years after the first one.

D.J.,

You didn't have to ask, I got her pretty damn good. Nearly broke my hand in the process. I got the files, and the cheat code. I'm going to right this wrong, for you. I promise. And don't worry, Hard Drive is safe down below. But I have to do this. I can always come back, but I can't always right wrongs. I'll see this through. Hopefully Syn-Tech North is still there...

Love, Primrose.

"So... who wins the bet?" Reckless asks from behind. I take a moment to think to myself before I bring up my Pipbuck and connect to the computer, copying the files over. "What are you doing?"

"I'm copying the files over so I can use them later. They might come in handy." I tell him as I wait for the data to transfer over.

"How would they come in handy? If there were any files in the Stable we would have found that by now." I stay quiet, seeing if he'll figure it out. "Right?"

"... look, Reckless-"

"We had a deal!" he snaps, making me jump slightly. "You said, half an hour up here and we'd go back! That's what you said!"

"I'm not going back there Reckless! You know why I can't-"

"They're not... it's... you don't know that will happen!" I laugh at that, unhooking my Pipbuck from the computer. "We had a-"

BZZT

A loud blast fills the air as something smacks right into Reckless, knocking him onto the ground. I throw myself down as well as more shots fill the room. Several of the shots explode behind me while some hit the cubicles around us. Papers are thrown into the air as monitors and other office supplies explode as large red bolts fly all over the room.

"Reckless!" I yell out as I crawl under a desk. I look over and see him grabbing his pistol as he tries to squirm over to the opposite desk. More shots sound out all around us, destroying the cubicles and work stations. I pull out my bat and grip it tightly. What's shooting us? Where did they come from? WHY are they shooting us!?

Reckless jumps up quickly and starts to shoot back. I hear several pings of metal before he ducks down, quickly followed by a torrent of red bolts of energy. He moves down the line of cubicles as he reloads before popping back up to fire again. I close my eyes and try to calm myself down. I need to join this fight if I'm going to convince Reckless that we can make it up here. I need to join this fight if I'm going to make it up here. I don't need to be protected. I can take care of myself. I can do this!

I jump to my hooves and pause when I see what's attacking us. I want to say it's a robot, but the brain in the glass dome makes me doubt that. It's long, tubular arms have open metal claws that are shooting bolts of energy. It has a round metal body that sits on a pair of treads that have become incredibly rusted.

"Please don't run, that's less efficient." Oh sisters above... it's speaking to us! It almost sounds like a pony! But... it's not. A pony wouldn't just start shooting at somepony! Ponies don't attack one another without a reason!

With a primal scream I run forward and swing my bat over head. The wooden club smashes into the glass dome and sends webs of cracks all around. I pull my bat back and strike again, sending more cracks over the glass and making the liquid inside begin to gush out. One of the tubular arms tries to grab me, but I smack it away with my bat before it could. A few pangs of gunfire sound off from my side and the dome explodes in a shower of questionable liquid, glass, and brain matter. As luck would have it, I happen to have my mouth open as a slather of the liquid finds its way around the face guard and into my mouth.

"Gah! Pwah! SICK! Guh!" I scream as I toss my helmet off to spit out the bile substance. Of course I got some in my mouth, where else would it go!? I start to check myself over, finding myself relatively clean and injury free.

"Are you okay?" Reckless asks as he rushes over to my side.

"I might puke, but other than that, yeah." I tell him as I slowly get control of myself. "What was that thing?" I ask as I take a new look at the robot before us.

"Must be some kind of pre-war robot. Nothing like the Mr. Handy's from the Stable though." He tells me as he walks over to the door. "Shit. I can see a few more down the hall. Go check if the other door is clear." I nod and run to the other side of the room. I slide the door open and poke my head out. Right sides clear-

BZZT

I let out a yelp when a bolt of energy nearly takes my head off.

"They're surrounding us! Where can we go?" I ask as I run around the office space, looking for another way out. Those were the only exits! We're trapped! Maybe we can fight our way through them! Or we can hide in here? There has to be a way out of this!

"Over here!" Reckless yells from the back of the office. I run over and take a look around, not seeing a way out. Before I could question him, he pulls me in close and gives his wings a powerful flap. I scream again when I lose the feeling of being on the ground as air rushes through my hair. Everything goes slightly blurry before we come to a rough stop.

I come to a quick landing on the floor above us with Lucky grabbing me tightly. It's another destroyed office, but it's stable enough to stand on.

"Enemies detected. Please don't run-"

"Shit!" I yell before flapping my wings again. Lucky lets out another scream as we begin to race through the massive holes above us. There has to be an end to this somewhere. An empty room, a broom closet, anything!

I come to a stop another two stories up and take in my surroundings. This seems like an office similar to that of the Overstallion. There's a desk in the center of the room and a few filing cabinets in the back. Everything is just as dusty as before, but there is a sense of order within the room. Nothing here has been touched in a long time. I set Lucky down and step towards the desk slowly. Lucky wavers for a moment as she tries to keep herself from vomiting.

The computer here is glowing with the screen showing a blur of words and numbers. I stare at it for a moment but can't make heads or tails of it. It's working on something, that much is clear. I try out a few keys, but nothing seems to affect it. I open the drawers on the desk, but there isn't anything in them. There's nothing I can do here.

"Lucky!" I call out as she finally settles down. "Come here and check this out."

"Yeah... next time warn me before you do that. I'd rather not puke my brains out," she tells me as she stumbles her way over. "Whoa. What did you do?"

"Nothing," I tell her as I move aside, letting her get a better look. "It was like that when we got in here. Do you know what it's doing?"

"Not a clue. Some sort of... command, probably. This is way out of my league though." Well, that sucks. "There isn't a power button on this computer either. Whoever this was for, they really wanted to make sure that this code made it through."

"So... whatever it's doing, it's not stopping. And we turned it on." She looks up to me and shrugs. Hopefully it doesn't do anything bad.

"It might just be running all of the robots downstairs," Lucky suggests.

"Yeah... yeah, that sounds most logical. Well... now what? I don't really feel like going back down there with all of those weird robots-"

"Then that means we're leaving the building," Lucky tells me confidently. I swallow the lump in my throat as I nod to her. If only for the time being, we have to leave. Maybe it won't be so bad. Who knows, we might even find some help. Or even another way in! But, there is no way we can go back down there and face all of those robots. I only have a few magazines for my pistol left. And Lucky only has a bat with her...

"Did you really leave my helmet down there?" She think about it for a second before smiling up to me, ears falling down. "Uhg, stay here. I'm going to race down there and get it. If we're really going to leave this place, you'll need it."

"Right... thank you. I'll be here, so... hurry back." I nod to her and hop down the hole in the front of the room.

When I land I am immediately fired upon. I try to run for the hole in the ground, but take a hit on my lower back in the process. My guard armor takes the brunt of it, but it's still enough to send me toppling over into the next opening. I grit my teeth and push myself forward with my wings, racing forward with great speed. In the Stable, I never really had this much room to use my wings before. I trained them, practiced my maneuvers, and used every opportunity I could to fly. But being in an underground bunker, my chances were far and few.

Here though, racing through this tall building, I can really start to push myself. More than back then at least. Even with the slight pain in my back, I can weave and glide my way through the lasers and debris with so much speed! I make it to the bottom faster than I had thought possible. But I only get a second to think about it before the room lights up with energy again. I duck down at look for the helmet. It should be by the destroyed robot... there it is! I rush over to it and grab it, ducking from all of the over head fire. I take a look around as several robots start to move in on me, their aim getting closer and closer. I need to think fast right now.

I turn on my heels and whip out my pistol, taking aim at the closest robot before me. I start to rush it as I unload on it, my rounds pinging off of its metal body. It fires back at me, piercing my shoulder with a red bolt of energy. I grunt the pain out through gritted teeth as I continue rushing forward, colliding into it a moment later. I throw all of my weight into my shoulder and force it back a few steps before nearly being thrown off. The robot goes to grab me, but my wings get me out of the room before it could. I race my way to the top and practically fling myself into the top office, a torrent of red bolts chasing after me. It was close, but I made it.

I drop onto the floor and let the adrenaline run its course. That was... a little crazy. I made it, but I don't think I'll be going down that way anytime soon. I look around and notice that I'm alone in the room, with the front door being slightly open. She didn't... did she? I really don't think she'd run away from me right now. But...

I force myself up and walk towards the door, being mindful of any potential threats. When I come to the door, I lean forward and bring my ear towards the crack, listening for anything. It seems silent. I catch my breath at first, but hold it as I start to push the door forward. The hallway is empty, save for the random picture frames clinging to the walls. I look both ways before stepping out completely, gripping my pistol a bit more tightly due to the silence.

She wouldn't just up and leave me like this, would she? Given, we seem to have different goals when it comes to priorities right now. But I'm the only pony she can trust out here. Why would she just leave like this? Something must have scared her off. Maybe another one of those robots? No, I would hear its rusted treads. Maybe there's a Mr. Handy here that's on the fritz... maybe?

I jump slightly when I hear heavy hoof steps coming down the hall. I jump out, thinking it's Lucky, but freeze when I see the thing before me. It's shaped like a female pony, but very clearly isn't. Patches of its... skin, are missing and reveal the mechanical parts underneath. The top of its head looks like a glass dome with most of a brain inside. It's face is missing most of its skin as well, showing the mechanical nightmare gritting its teeth at me. I stare into its piercing yellow eyes for a moment before it blinks and looks me over.

"Who are you?" Its voice is that of a pony's. If I wasn't looking at it right now, I would have said it was a pony.

"I-I'm... uh..." What is this thing? Why would it need to look like a pony? Where is Lucky?

"No matter. Down the trash you go."

"What!?" It lunges forward with amazing speed and grapples me in its arms. I try to break free, but it's simply too strong to break out. I start to flap my wings as a last ditch effort, but only one of them is free. It's still enough to rock us back and forth, so I put as much effort into that as I continue to struggle.

"Stop fighting me! Hngh! Calm down already!" It yells at me as we wobble down the hall.

"Fuck you! Let me go!" I yell back.

"It'll... be... quick! Just... down the... shoot... and-"

"SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!" I look back and see we've stopped before a panel on the wall marked 'Waste'. What can I do!? Where's Lucky? Did this thing get her too? We fumble around a bit more before the machine gets the panel open. It's a little trash shoot that doesn't look as if I'd fit inside. It's goes straight down into darkness, sending a cold shiver down my back.

I intensify my efforts to break free as it starts to try to force me into the small opening. It tries to get my legs first, but I simply keep my hooves planted on the walls around it. It spins around and starts to force me down head first, but I push my wing forward to stop it. My head still goes in, but my wings painfully catches on the wall and stops me from falling down the metal tube.

"Why are you making things so difficult! Just! Go! DOWN!" It yells as it starts to force me into the hole. I scream out in pain as I feel my wing scrap against the wall, tearing feathers out along the way. I start to kick at it and force my arms out, trying anything to break free. With how tight this hole is, I wouldn't be able to stop myself from falling to my death with my wings. I might be able to slow myself with my arms and legs, but going upside down will be problematic.

BZZT

Everything turns white when a sudden burst of energy rattles my entire body. My vision goes fuzzy as I feel myself become numb, falling into the darkness. My body bounces violently back and forth as I fall, head first, into nothingness. I try to blink my way back into consciousness, but my eyes are getting heavier and heavier that faster I drop.

THUD

---

Everything comes back to me in a blur. First I hear a light rumbling in the distance. Then I feel the throbbing pain in my wing, back, shoulder, and head. And lastly, the smell. Something far more foul and disgusting than I could ever imagined. With that alone, I force myself awake and take in my surroundings. I'm in some kind of large metal bin filled with black trash bags. I'm slightly buried, but I should be able to get up-

SHLUNK

My hoof slips on something just as I was about to stand, forcing me to fall face first into something. Whatever it is, it's equal parts soft and firm. I push myself up and notice that I fell right onto Lucky's unconscious form...

"SHIT!" I yells as I start to pry her out of the wet garbage. I slip over the wet refuse as I try to pick her up. I groan out loud as the pain all over my body fights me the entire way. I fall back with her on my lap, panting from the exertion. I've never been in this much pain before in my entire life. I need a Stim-pak, maybe some Med-X. I fumble with the pouches on my belt as I hold onto Lucky until I find my medical supplies. Reaching in, I can only feel that I have two Stim-paks. Not good. I need one now, meaning Lucky probably needs one too.

No. I can tough it out! For now at least. And I don't even know what condition she's in. First things first, check on her. Then do the medical thing. I wrap my arms around her midsection and begin to pull again. I start to yell as the pain grows and grows within me. My back is tightening up, my wing is stinging, and the numbness in my head is making everything blur together, but I keep pulling. We have to get moving. We're in the middle of nowhere; with no food, no water, injured; we need to get moving.

"GAAAAAAH!" I let out one final scream as I finally pull Lucky out from the trash. I pull her all the way up until I'm standing with her in my arms, heaving. A low rumbling sounds over head as I begin to feel dizzy again. I may have pushed myself a bit too much...

THUD

I let out a slow groan as I stare up at the grey sky, watching the water droplets fall all around me. I really should get out of this, who knows what we'll catch. I try to move, but my body simply refuses to respond. At least I broke the fall for Lucky, I guess.

---

"Reckless... Reckless!"

Not now Ma, I'm tired.

"Wake up... please wake up..."

Later, I want to sleep.

"Please work... you have to work..."

That's all you ever talk about...

---

"GAH!" I give a violent jolt as something pierces my chest. I try to move, but something is weighing me down on my abdomen. I blink away the fuzziness as the figure on top of me continues to hold something against my chest. On reflex, I bring my knee up and force it against its side, knocking it over. I roll with the figure and pin its arms down, slowly getting my vision back. "Lucky?"

"Calm down," she says quietly from beneath me. I look around and realize that we're still by the trash bins. I take a look at my chest to see that my shirt and armor has been moved so a Stim-pak could be injected into me. I then look down and realize the compromising position I'm in with Lucky and quickly back away from her.

"Sorry! I was... uh... sorry." I tell her as we back away from each other. I feel my cheeks burning slightly, so I look away from her. That was stupid.

"I-it's okay. You were really injured, so I had to use a Stim-pak. I used it broadly, so try and take it easy." I nod, slowly looking back to her. She's completely soaked, with her hair clinging to her as rain washes down from above. I thought her clothes before were risque, but now seeing them on her and completely drenched... I avert my eyes again.

"T-thanks. Um... what about you? Were you hurt?" I ask, trying to normalize the situation, as impossible as that might be.

"I hit my head... really bad. I had to use the other Stim-pak for it." We both go quiet after that. We can't go back up there. Not with all of those robots still lurking around. We don't have any medical supplies. And, to top it all off, we barely have any ammo or weapons! We're stuck out here in possibly the worst condition imaginable! "Look at that."

I look over to her and then up at the sky she's staring at. Up in the sky there's a large mass moving behind the clouds. It's a bit difficult to see at first, but whatever this thing is, it's leaving a trail of thunder and lightning. It's not moving too fast, by our perspective. It takes about a minute or two for it to move to the point where I get a glimpse of the world I'm now stuck in.

The barren landscape before me looks to be a desert of some sorts. There just isn't much out here. Muddied grounds, tall sticks that were once trees, nothingness. All of the rain water is flowing down the center and away from us, telling me we're at least on the high ground. I look behind us and see the large building we just left for the first time. It's a box. Five stories tall, ten windows wide, grey stone, all of this blandness sitting on top of a lone hill. It's literally the most boring thing in these parts, and there's nothing out here.

THUM

"We should get going," Lucky tells me after a loud crack of thunder. "Any ideas?"

"Um..." I mumble to myself as I stand up. "Not that way. The waters look like hell."

"Right," she says as she stands with me. "And I think we should really put some distance between ourselves and this place as quickly as possible."

"Yeah. So left of right?" We both look in each direction and try to decide where to go... but it's literally going to be a guessing game. Both ways look to be about the same. Muddied nothingness. I glance over to Lucky and realize that she doesn't have the helmet with her. I did not go through all of that just to leave it behind. "You pick, I'm going to check the trash to see if your helmet is in there."

"Right," she tells me as she goes to her Pipbuck. I don't know what that's going to do, but whatever.

I give my wings a test flap before judging them fit for flight. Maybe not extended flight, but enough to be a bit lazy. I jump into the air and hover above the garbage bin. The black bags are starting to float as the bin fills with water, but I can still see where we were clearly. With that I find where Lucky was and poke around there. I get a glimpse of something at the bottom of the crevice she was in and land to take a closer look.

It's down there, all I have to do is stick my hand in and grab it. So, I do.

SHLICK

And immediately regret it. This bin is filled with some kind of gross, greasy substance that smells awful. I have to fight to not yank my arm out, and push myself to grab the helmet. I use my wings to pull myself out and claim my prize, turning it over so all of that gunk pours out. While I pout it out though, I notice something down beneath. Floating in the sewage is... a skull. Well, most of a skull. How in the world did a skull get in there? What am I thinking? Look at this place! Some poor sop probably found his way here and tried to hide in the bin, then died of exposure!

I land beside Lucky and go to offer her the helmet, but stop when I realize how disgusting this thing is. I take a look around, but there isn't anywhere to really wash it out that well. Unless I went to the water over there-

"Don't fly off," Lucky warns me as she flips through her Pipbuck.

"Do you really just want to wear this after it's been in trash soup?" I ask her sarcastically, getting a quick glare from her.

"Do you really want to be electrocuted and then drown?" I go to respond, but mumble awkwardly to silence. She has a point, and I would like to not die right now, so I guess we'll have to find another way then. "Here, I'll wash it off as we head out using the rain."

"Where we going?" I ask as I pass it to her.

"This way is north. For some reason my Pipbuck is telling me to go that way. So, it's better than staying here. Now let's go already! I'm starting to freeze my tail off!" I nod to her and together we start to walk north.

"Why is your Pipbuck telling you to go north?" I ask her.

"I'm not entirely sure. It's just has a marker up there. It's also is showing me a map of the area." I pull up my Pipbuck and take a look at the map. Sure enough, there it is. A map, with a marker pointing up.

"How does it know where that is? Or, even better, how it would know we would want to go there?" I ask in astonishment, putting my Pipbuck away. Lucky merely shrugs, focusing on her helmet as she tries to use the rain to wash it. I try to think of a possible answer, but give up quickly. I'm not a Pipbuck repair pony, I'll leave it to the experts.

---

Walking in the rain is terrible. The mud is heavy on my boots, the water is cold, I can barely see twenty feet in front of myself, every beat of water stings, and it's freaking cold. I've taken showers with no hot water that were warmer than this! And Lucky has it even worse than me! At least my midriff is covered. She put the helmet on, so her head is relatively fine, but her Stable clothing is not helping at all. After about thirty minutes of walking, we didn't even have to ask each other for shelter. But, out here in this wasteland, there isn't anything left! No buildings, no infrastructure, nothing! I'm starting to fear that we passed something and didn't see it due to the rain! I can see how that pony died in the trash bin now. I'd kill for that thing if it meant getting out of this rain for a few minutes!

Lucky comes to a stop and starts to look through her Pipbuck suddenly. I don't ask her anything though. I just watch her as I try to keep myself warm by holding myself. It's not working.

"There's a building to the west, just a few minutes away!" she yells over the rain.

"Let's go then!" I yell back, getting a weak nod from her. I use my Pipbuck to find west and trudge my way there. I never thought rain could be so deadly, but now I know. It slows you down, makes you cold, not to mention I'll probably get sick because all this! What would I do if I got sick out here? Are there doctors out here? Would they have cold medicine? Would they even help me? We should have stayed by the door. At least there we wouldn't have had to deal with all of this bullshit.

Even though it only took a few minutes, they felt like hours. Maybe because I knew there was finally something out there, I don't know. A building came into view through the rain, and I nearly cheered for it. It looks as if it was some kind of garage from before nestled at the base of a hill. Most of the building has been destroyed, leaving half of the garage portion standing. A few large mechanical pieces are wasting away in the rain, but we pay them no mind as we rush to the portion that's dry.

When we get around the still standing wall, our hearts sink. The roof has fallen in, leaving the inside completely exposed to the weather. We both stood there in disbelief. There's just no escaping this, is there! Lucky leans against the wall and starts breathing heavily. In anger, I kick some of the rubble and take a look around. There has to be something useful here, there has to be! Empty drawers, piles of rubble, anything that could have been of use was probably taken a long time ago. I pace around a bit more before I give up. This place is useless!

I was about to walk away, when some shifting rubble caught my attention. I move over to it and take a better look. Underneath where I kicked the floor has a black and yellow design. Curious, I use my foot to clear some of it away. 'Caution' is written beneath the fallen roof. Going off on a limb, I clear a bit more of the rubble. Underneath all of this debris, is some sort of metal door. Why is there a metal door leading underground? Unless...

"Lucky!" I yell back to her, still staring at the ground. "Lucky, come help me clear this door!"

I start to move around in a panic. I throw rocks, kick debris, anything that might clear this door faster. I start out with the side, making my way around the box. Then I take the heavy stuff off. Support beams, large sections of bricks and concrete, all of the stuff that takes all of my effort. The old stones cut at my pruny hands, but I ignore the pain and push myself. Lucky is still holding herself at the wall, heaving. I paused for a second to say something to her, but went right back to work. The faster we get out of this rain, the better. We can talk when the hypothermia kicks in.

While moving a particularly heavy piece of wall, my foot trips over something on the ground. I was fortunate enough to have been bent over, so the chunk of rock couldn't fall on me. With a tired groan, I sit up at look at the green button protruding from the floor. I stare at it for a second before I realize what it is, and quickly kick it. Rusted gears and whining metal fill the air as the metal doors start to lift up. They make it about half way before they come to a loud stop. They vibrate for a bit before a yellow light on the still standing wall starts to flash. I stand up and walk over to the edge, peering inside. There's a car down there, mostly intact! It's not much, but it'll get us out of this rain!

"Lucky!" I yell as I run over to her. She's still leaning against the wall and holding herself, staring down at the floor. "I've found shelter, let's go!"

"..."

"Did you hear me? I said-"

"I'm sorry." I pause at that, unsure of how to respond.

"Uh... that's... t-that's okay. But let's get down there-"

"No, it's not okay!" she yells, silencing me. She removes her helmet and looks up at me, showing me her bloodshot eyes. "I thought I could handle this, I really did! But we almost died to rain! When I saw the collapsed roof... I gave up! I though we were dead! And you... and you..."

"Lucky-"

"You just... kept going! Not even an hour out here, and I gave up! I actually thought that we would die in the mud. I thought that I failed the both of us because... I don't even know! How are we going to make it out her if I can't even go thirty minutes in the rain?" She breaks down again, crying deeply. I... just stare at her for awhile. I don't know what to say. I am mad that she forced me out here, but... She already feels bad for that, there's no point in throwing it in her face now.

I bit my lip as I try to think of what to do here. I've never consoled somepony before. It's even worse when you have feelings for that pony. I want to tell her everything will be alright, but I don't even believe that. Is this the time to tell her I'll be there for her? Or would that be inappropriate? Is that even an option out here? And every time I think of that, my mind tells me not to. That she's the entire reason I'm stuck out here, she deserves this. But, then I look down at her, crying...

"Lucky," I say quietly as I bring a hand to her shoulder. She looks up to me with those tear filled eyes and I pause. I want to be mad, and I want to forgive her. What should I do? "Look... this isn't going to be easy. I'm not going to lie, I'd rather be home right now. But, we can't change that. Not now at least. So, how about this. I'll forgive you, for everything, but you have to make me a promise, okay?"

"What?" she asks as she wipes her eyes, still sniffling.

"Don't ever give up." I give her shoulder a firm squeeze when I say that, trying to add to my statement. "You were a secretary, I was a guard. When I saw the roof was gone, I was just as sad as you were. But I had training to keep me going. You were never supposed to go through shit like this. I don't expect you to deal with this kind of shit by yourself, because I can't even do it myself. I need somepony to help me through this, and that's going to be you Lucky. If we're going to make it out here, we are going to need to work together. So I need you to promise to me, right now, that you'll never give up on me again. Because if you won't, I won't. Promise?"

She stares up at me for a moment before smiling to me. I swear, with that alone, I warmed up enough to forget about the rain. She nods to me and brings her hand up to shake. I smile at that, shaking her hand firmly. It may not have been the dreamy make-out session I may have thought of, but it's still a step in the right direction.

After that we rush over to the opening and slide inside. Even just being out of the rain is a blessing! The door to the car is locked, but I get it open rather quickly. Didn't even have to move the bobby pin, oddly enough. The door screeches open and we rush inside, taking the front seats. It takes a bit of effort, but I close the door and lock it.

"Aaaahh, I never though I would be so glad to be sitting." I tell Lucky as we start to get comfortable. We share a small laugh together before falling silent. As comfortable as I am, I need to get out of these clothes or I will get sick. I lean forward and start to undo my riot armor, getting a confused look from Lucky.

"Um... Reckless?"

"Yeah?"

"I know we had that... little moment, but..." She pauses when I pull my shirt off and toss it behind myself. We stare at each other before I realize the awkwardness of the moment.

"Oh! No, no, no, no! I'm not trying... this is only because of the water! Keeping wet clothes on will get you sick!" I almost yell in defense, making her relax.

"Right, right! Of course! Sorry," she tells me, half laughing. She suddenly goes wide eyed as she thinks about something to herself. Shit! I just told her that we have to take our clothes off! What was I thinking!?

"You don't have to!" I suddenly yell, scaring her slightly. "I-I mean you should, but... uh... I can, no wait... we should-"

"What did you throw your shirt onto?" she asks as she reaches to the back seats. I turn around and see the large dufflebag sitting beneath my soaking wet shirt. She pulls it closer and pulls the zipper down, revealing tons of clothing.

"Huh. That was luc-"

"Do not finish that sentence." Lucky warns me, pointing a finger at my face. "I can't stand those jokes."

"I wasn't joking-"

"Regardless. Do me a favor, and never make those type of comments again." I was going to make a joke, but stop when I see the stern look on her face. "Thanks... um... can you cover your eyes. Please."

"Of course." I bring my hands up and cover my eyes, locking my fingers over them. The car shifts around as she climbs in the back seat and starts to change. Even without looking back there, I can feel my cheeks stats to burn. I don't understand why though. I've been around plenty of nude mares before, this shouldn't be any different. These emotions are driving me crazy! I can't look at her without my stomach feeling as if it's going to rip itself out, I can't be in the same room with her changing without getting flustered, what the shit is wrong with me!?

"Why do your wings keep doing that?" Lucky asks suddenly. I shift my shoulders around and feel my wings trying to stand up. Of course this would happen too.

"Um... they, uh... it's better if you don't ask." It goes silent. She moves back to the front seat, but doesn't say anything. Here it comes, bit my head off. Any second now... start yelling... dooo it.

"So... are you going to change?" I uncover my eyes to look over at her. She's wearing a long red and black plaid shirt that's several sizes too big with baggy jeans. She has her hair down and pushed behind her shoulders. We stare at one another for a moment before I notice her blushing lightly. Shit, I made it weird. Uh....guess I'll just change then!

I climb over to the back seat and start to go through the bag, trying my best to ignore the awkward moment I just made. There are a lot of clothes in here. They're all old and worn, but they're all dry. I find a white shirt and jeans and start to switch into them. I go to take my pants off, but stop to glance back at Lucky. She's looking forward, paying me no mind at all. There is a ping of disappointment, but I let it go quickly. It would be a little presumptuous to think she'd be interested in me like that. Slow and easy...

"There isn't any in there," Lucky tells me from the front seat.

"What?" I ask, confused.

"I already looked. There isn't any underwear in there. You'll have to go commando for the night." I look down at the bag and think about what she said. How could somepony put a bag of clothes together and not include underwear? That would have been the first thing I put in there! Well, I guess I can go one night while these dry out... wait. Shit! That means these will be the only pair I have until we find more! That's... that's... that's disgusting!

"What do you think the chances are of finding a clothing store out here?" I ask as I slip out of my clothes and quickly throw on what I picked out. It feels a bit weird, but I'll make do. Not like I have a choice.

"Not likely. If there was anything out here, it probably washed away with the rain." Lucky tells me as I climb back to the front seat. I scoff at that, feeling a chill wash over me at the thought of being in the rain. "But... if we find one-"

"If we find one, we're breaking down the doors and taking everything that isn't nailed down." She laughs at that, making me perk up a bit.

We both lay back in our seats and starts to relax. It's a bit cold in here, but it's manageable. The windows are starting to fog up as our slow warm breaths fill the air, slowly sealing us away from the world around us. I still can't believe that a few hours ago I was asleep in my bed. Warm, carefree, safe. Now I'm out in this wasteland, cold, no food or medical supplies, and wearing some dead ponies shirt. Part of me wants me to go to sleep and wake up back in bed. That Valve will still be alive. That this was all some kind of terrible dream that I'll laugh about over breakfast. I know better though. You can't fake pain, and you definitely can't fake the cold. I'm stuck out here.

"What do you think Silo will be like?" Lucky asks me quietly. She curls into a ball and moves to look over at me, hugging her legs to her chest. I think about it for a second before shrugging to her.

"I don't know. Most likely a settlement, but I'm not sure. You?" She shrugs back to me, curling deeper into a ball. "So... I bet you... that it's a settlement with nothing but... nuclear powered robots."

"... pft, what?" she asks with a slight chuckle.

"You heard me. Nuclear powered robots! If I win, you have to wear your clothes backwards for a day." She laughs again, loosening up a bit more.

"Alright, nuclear powered robots. I bet you... it's a settlement of... old war ponies." I laugh at that.

"Explain that. Old war ponies? Like, they were born before the war and run the place?" I ask, shifting onto my side to talk to her. She nods to me eagerly, scooting closer.

"Yup! Ponies that somehow time traveled to the future and made a new town! And if I'm right... you have to wear the mares shirts inside that bag!"

"What? If there's mares clothing in there, why aren't you wearing them?"

"I am! It's freezing out here! I have two pairs of pants on and three shits!" I laugh at that as she shows me the multiple layers of clothing. At least I'm not the only one who's could... Why didn't I put multiple layers on?

"It's a bet then." I tell her as I bring my hand up to her. She stares at my hand for a moment before shaking it firmly. I guess being out here isn't too bad, all things considered.

---

...Reckless, move!

...it's time to get up honey...

...it's so cold out there...

BZZT

"AH!" I jolt forward and throw my arms up to stop the blade from slicing me in half. Lucky lets out a yell as she jolts up as well. In a panic I start to check my surroundings, looking for the mare with the buzz saw. Slowly, I start to remember where I am. I fall back in my seat and continue to pant, feeling the light layer of sweat over myself.

What was that?

A nightmare obviously.

I've never had a nightmare like that before.

You've never been in a situation like this before. Get over it, you're freaking Lucky out.

How is she not freaking out?

Get a hold of yourself! Pull yourself together already!

I can't do this! I won't do this!

Don't be a little bitch and do it already!

I'm not going to be like you Dad!

"Reckless?"

"WHAT!?" I yell, turning to Lucky quickly. She cowers away from me, gripping her bat closely. I look at my reflection in the window and see what I'm doing. I sit back down and rub my eyes, tired beyond belief. "I'm... I'm sorry. It was... just a bad dream. I didn't mean to yell, sorry."

"It's... it's alright. Do you want to talk about it?" I shake my head immediately, not wanting to recount what just happened.

"No, no, it's just all the stress coming to a point. I'll be fine. Sorry. Do you want to go back to sleep ? She glances around before shaking her head no. I nod to her, reaching in the back to feel my clothes. They're dry enough to keep going. I crawl back there and start to put my suit on, putting it on over my current clothes for added warmth.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it? You look terrified." I finish putting on the suit and start on the riot gear.

"No... no, I'll be fine, really. Sorry, to worry you that is. It was just a bad dream, that's all."

"Okay," she says slowly, letting it be what it is. I don't think I'm ready to talk about those thoughts yet. Let alone with Lucky. I move to the front seat and force the door open.

"I'll step out to let you get ready. Be sure to bring that bag of clothes up with you." She nods to me, still looking scared. I step out and submerge my hoof into some ice cold water. It looks as if the rain has flooded this compartment at least six inches, give or take. I step completely out and climb out of the opening above. I have to shield my eyes when I make it out. The sun is high in the sky and shining brightly over everything. Shouldn't it be late in the afternoon? Why is the sun so high?

With the sun positioned high, I can see the surrounding area. To the south is a large wasteland, devoid of anything other than mud and running water. Far to the east is the silhouette of a city. Tall buildings poke at the horizon with smaller houses dotting the area before it. To the north is an expanse of hills and some smaller buildings. Maybe a suburb? It's hard to tell from out here. After a few more moments of staring out there Lucky joins me at my side. We both stand there silently. Even though she's staring out at the horizon, I can still see the concern on her face.

"Sorry... about earlier-"

"You don't have to keep apologizing about it. I understand," she tells me, giving me a compassionate look.

"I know. I just... don't want you having to worry about me. I can handle it." I leave it at the, walking off to the north. I can feel her eyes on me, but I don't wait for her to way anything. I can handle this, just like before. She follows after me, muttering something to herself quietly. I ignore it, focusing at the task at hand.

As we walk I keep my pistol out and my head on a swivel. Something has to be out here, I know it. I don't want anything to surprise us. Lucky has her bat out with her helmet on. But she doesn't seem to be looking for threats. Her mind is elsewhere. Looking at the clouds, eyeing puddles, staring at the horizon. She's paying attention to everything except the possible threats. I guess that leaves them to me then.

I am a little surprised at how quickly the ground dried out. Maybe the ground here wasn't rained on as harshly. Without pegasi to control the clouds, the rain literally could have been just over us. But... does that mean that there aren't any other pegasi out here? Am I still the last one of my kind? I guess that doesn't really change anything then. I guess, somewhere in the back of my mind, I was hoping to meet at least one other pegasi. Would have been nice.

After an hour of marching through this wasteland my eyes start to get tired of staring at the same thing over and over again. There's literally nothing here besides sand and rocks! In the distance there's a bent over tree, but there's even less to say about that! Lucky isn't talking either. I guess I scared her too much for that. Great. There has to be something here! Any-

THUD

I let out a slow groan as I let the feeling ebb it's way back into my face.

"How did you not see that?" Lucky asks. I push myself up and look back to her, only to realize that I fell down into a small canyon of sorts. I look around and note that it goes for miles in east and west.

"What the hell is thing?" I ask as I stand up.

"The Westfield River, according to my Pipbuck." Lucky informs me. "Actually, we can follow this to another river, the Conneticolt River, and take that north to Silo. It adds to our journey, but that way we won't get lost."

"Well, it's a plan at least. Let's-"

"Help!" I look down the dry river bed and see some guy running towards us. He's appears to be an earth stallion in rags running from... nothing. "Do you have a gun? Help me! They've been chasing me for miles, HELP!"

"Am I missing something?" I ask aloud as I draw my pistol.

"Um... WHAT ARE YOU RUNNING FROM?" Lucky yells back to the guy.

"HEEEEEEE-HE-HE-HELP!" he yells in desperation as the ground behind him explodes into a ball of dust. A massive four-legged creature comes running out of the dust cloud and thunders towards the stallion. It looks like a glowing green crocodile made of stone. It's mouth opens four ways as it let out a massive roar, taking a bite at the guy. Just before it connects though, another explosion of dust erupts up as another creature appears. It crashes into the first creature, sending it reeling to the side as it takes over chasing this poor stallion.

"Reckless!" I shake myself and look back to Lucky, who's gawking at me. "Don't just stand there! Help!"

I nod to her and lunge into the air, heading straight to the fleeing stallion. His widen even more as I grab his wrist and begin to gain altitude. Those things are land locked and heavy, we'll be safe up here-

GLOMP

"WHOA! What the shit!?" I yell as the stallion starts to grab me as tightly as possible. I try to push him back to stay air born, but he refuses to let up!

"What's going on!? How did we get up here? Why are we up here!? GET ME DO-OW-OW-OWN!" We lose about ten feet when yells directly into my ear, making him scream even more. I take a look down and notice that the two monsters are busy fighting each other and that Lucky has ran past them.

"Stop- OW! Stop fidgeting while I -stop kicking! I'm bringing us do-down!" I yell at him as he continues to fight. He just keeps screaming for help, so I just ignore him as I make my way down. First contact and he's nearly kicked me in the nuts, great. I try my best to maneuver our way down towards Lucky, but with this guy fighting me the entire way we crash a bit early.

Lucky for me, the stranger broke my fall, so it didn't really hurt that much. I get up and dust myself off as he groans on the ground, holding his sides. I'm sure he's fine... probably. When Lucky runs up to us I hold up a hand to her, getting her to stop a few feet away. We may have saved this guys life, but we still don't know him. He could be dangerous. I wait for him to get his bearings before I offer him a hand up. He grabs it and uses me to stand.

"Thanks for that, I thought I was a goner!" he pants out.

"Don't mention it," I reply, eyeing him closely. He doesn't really have much to him. Thin arms, shabby brown hair, yellow coat with dirt smeared all over; he's extraordinarily plain. He looks between Lucky and myself as he starts to back away, giving me the stink eye.

"So... how does this work?" he asks cautiously.

"How does... what work?" Lucky asks, equally confused.

"You're Enclave, right? I've heard about you fly boys. Got your flanks kicked back at the Capitol so now you're looking for somewhere new to settle, is that it?" Lucky and I look to each other as we think about what he said. Whatever this Enclave thing is, it has him pretty scared. I could probably get him to guide us to Silo in exchange for saving him. He doesn't look as if he has any weapons, so I doubt he'll be a threat. It'd be a pretty dick thing to do, but we're desperate.

"We're not Enclave," Lucky tells him. Whelp, there goes my plan! "We just came out of a Stable, Stable Eighty Eight. We stumbled into the river and... well, right time, right place I guess." The stranger looks between the two of us in confusion, so I pull the extra shirt off to show him my stable suit.

"That's Stable wear alright. I didn't know there were any Pegasi in the Stables. Figured being underground was against their nature." I stay silent at that. I really don't know how to answer that. I was the last Pegasi in the Stable, so obviously not many of my kind went down there. And I've lived there my entire life, so I don't know if I prefer it down there or out here... besides stating the obvious. "The names Tweak."

"Reckless," I tell him, shaking those thoughts from my mind.

"And I'm Lucky." He laughs at that, still backing away slightly.

"I guess they would be, huh? Well, look, here's the thing. I appreciate your helping me, but as you can see I don't have anything with me. That Radcrag ate everything I had. But my camp is just up past the riverbed, just north of here. If ya'll come up with me, I can give you a little something for rescuing me. I don't have much, but I still want to give you something. Back at my camp, that is. Sound good?"

He keeps looking behind himself for some reason. I want to pass it off for almost being eaten... but something about him is making me uneasy. Lucky and I look to each other, trying to see what each other thinks. She doesn't seem too thrown off about this. I don't really have much to go off of other than my instincts. But I don't know if those are valid up here though. I could be a trap, he could genuinely be trying to help us. There's really not much else to go off of.

"Alright, we'll follow you back to your camp," I tell him, getting him to smile. His teeth are a disgusting shade of yellow, with pockets of black and orange-ish red.

"Good, good! Follow me, and let's hurry! We don't want those things chasing after us." We nod to him and follow after him, letting him walk ahead of us.

"Keep your eyes on him," I warn Lucky quietly. "I don't trust this guy entirely."

"We just saved his life. Why would he turn on us?" Lucky whispers back to me.

"I don't know, that's why I said we'd go to his camp. But there's something about him that I can't quite put my finger on. Don't get too close to him." She shrugs to me and walks on. I reach down and un-clip the strap on my pistol, leaving it at the ready.

Much of the wasteland here is different than the area we first appeared in. Not too far on the other side of the riverbed are more dead trees and crumbling buildings. None of them look inhabitable, but it's obvious to tell that most of them were houses. Looking back, you can't even tell that there was a hill back there. Must be some sort of mirage or something. The road we're walking on is cracked and split apart, but still acts well enough for a road. I wonder why it's so much worse on the other side of the riverbed. Maybe it was closer to where the bombs fell? I doubt we'll ever really find out.

Walking between the buildings is nerve racking. Every few feet some ruble settles or a rusty piece of metal creaks. My mind tries to tell me that it's just the wind making noises, that there's nothing out there watching me. But I know better than that. We found Tweak, so we know there are other ponies out there. We saw those Radcrags, so we know there are monsters out there. We're not alone out here, and the fact that we appear alone right now is driving me crazy. Something is out there, it's only a matter of time before it pops out.

But, there has to be good things out there too, right? I mean, Tweak might be good. He's bringing us to his camp for some sort of reward, that counts for something. Maybe there are even ponies out here with a fully functioning town and everything! Ponies with laws and structure living completely civil lives. It's just as possible as the alternative.

Then again, it's more plausible that both exist.

"So, what happened to your Stable?" Tweak asks, a little too loudly for my taste. I really think we should keep a low profile out here.

"There... were some riots. I'm not sure why, but ponies started fighting. I tried to leave, and Reckless... well, the important part is that we got away." I glance to Lucky for a moment from that. I don't really know how I should feel about that. Guess I'll have to think on it some more... I hate thinking on things.

"Hm, that's pretty tame. Compared to some of the other stories I've heard at least."

"What do you mean by that?" I ask.

"Some of the other Stables have been opened up now. There aren't that many Stable dwellers out here though. Some are filled with terrible creatures. Others were just empty, unless you count all of the bodies that is. Most of them end up that why, now that I think about it. The only two Stables that I know of where the ponies made it through are yours and sixty five."

"Stable sixty five?" Lucky asks curiously.

"Yup. Northeast of Silo there's an old airport where the residents now reside. Seems like they're mostly normal, but they don't really like socializing with others. Unless you've got Stable wear, that is. Might as well be family to them then." My Pipbuck blinks after he says that. Apparently it found the place he's talking about and marked it on my map.

"You know where Silo is?" Lucky asks, somewhat desperately.

"Everypony knows where Silo is... unless you were underground that is," he laughs awkwardly at that. I guess it's funny to have lived underground... I don't get it. "You two heading there?"

"That's the plan." I tell him quickly. He doesn't need to know anymore than that.

"Should'a figured. That's where most ponies try to go. Safest place to settle down, for the most part." I was about to question him about that when he stops suddenly. "I just remembered something. Would you two mind... shedding your clothes down to just your Stable wear?"

"What, why?" I ask, caught off guard by his request.

"There are a few others at my camp up ahead, but they don't trust outsiders all that much. But if you show up in your Stable wear they'll understand the situation a little bit more. I know it's a bit awkward, but trust me on this one. You can't be too careful with the strangers you bring in." Lucky and I look to each other before shrugging. It makes sense, sort of.

I take the extra shirt and pants off easily enough. When Lucky does it though, I notice Tweak gawking at her. I guess he wasn't expecting... her. I bit my lip to stop myself from saying anything though. I don't want to make it awkward for Lucky, especially with how trusting she seems to be with this guy. When she starts to remove her extra pants Tweak looks over to me and mouths: are you serious? I just shake my head and stuff my clothes away. As long as he keeps it to himself, we won't have any problems.

"How's this?" Lucky asks, unaware of his previous perversion.

"G-great... uh... anyway, let's keep going. And when we get there, let me do the talking. They may point some guns at you, but pay that no mind. Like I said, you can't be too careful out here."

As we continue to walk after on, Tweak keeps sneaking glances at Lucky. I keep my mouth shut, but it's bugging me to no end. We could be in danger at any moment, and he can't go thirty seconds without taking a glance at Lucky. I want to say something, but I don't want to freak Lucky out. And, he's only looking, which is safe enough. I guess. If he tries to do anything, I'll put him in his place for sure. Plus, he looks pretty weak. I'm sure even Lucky could take him. So if he does try something, I don't think he's getting very far.

The longer we walk, the more intact the buildings become. Some at this point look as if you could even reside inside them. I don't think I'd want to, but the fact still remains. There's even some living plants here! Some of the fences have been taken over by some sort of bramble, making it impossible to climb over. I don't know how those plants have made it through a nuclear apocalypse, but they did it. If those plants made it, then there are probably plants out there that you can eat too. Maybe there are ponies out there farming like in old times. That's just another indicator that there might be some sort of society out there. That it's not just a dog eat dog world. That thought alone puts me a bit at ease.

"Alright, they should be just down this block and around the corner." Tweak tells us excitedly. I nudge Lucky as I rest my hand on my pistol. She frowns at that, but pulls her baseball bat out anyway. Like he said, you can't be too careful.

When we round the corner I stop in my tracks. Ahead of us on a large road is a massive metal structure that looks like it used to be part of a truck. The cargo portion of it has been stripped in certain parts to look more like a cage, while the rest of it looks like it's been fortified. The wheels on it look like they're made of solid chunks of rubber that have been taped together. A long line of two headed cows have been tied to the front of it, at lease twelve all together. The top of the carriage has been built to have a small room towards the front with waist high fencing going around the rest of it. There are a few lights on the corners as well, but they're off right now. The entire rusted structure looks fairly imposing by itself, but the few armed guards add to its overall intimidation.

There's six of them that I can see. Three of them on top of the structure, two by the rotting cow things, and one on the floor at the end of the contraption. They're all wearing patchwork armors that look as if they're made of scraps of metal glued onto leather. The guns they're wielding looks just as thrown together as well. Some of them don't even have guns! Instead having metal pipes or bats with nails going through them. Overall these ponies look as dirty and dangerous as the rest of the world out here. When one of the ponies on top spots us, he immediately starts yelling to the others.

"Tweaks back! And it looks like he has some fresh meat!" he yells. The others look down at us and raise their weapons. I swallow the lump in my throat as I watch the closely, keeping my hand on my pistol. I don't like this, but everything's happening the way he said it would. The few on the ground quickly rush towards us, Tweak moving to meet them just as quickly. Lucky and I hang back, not trusting the situation.

"Tweak! Ah man, I thought you were a gonner!" One of the stallions from the two headed cows tells him, grasping his hand for a quick shake. "How'd you shake that Radcrag?"

"Those two back there saved my ass," he tells them, motioning back to us. "Is Jack here?"

"Boss is up top," he tells him before looking back to the others. "Get Jack out here! We've got a score!"

"What does that mean?" I whisper to Lucky, getting her to shrug. She looks nervous, turning her knuckles pale as she grips her bat. I don't care what the reward is anymore, I want out of here too. "Hey Tweak, now that you're back-"

"Right! Your reward. The boss will give that to you, just come on over!" Tweak cuts me off, getting the others to grin with him.

"We don't need a reward. We're just going to head out now, bye." I tell him bluntly. Lucky and I start to head out when a mare runs in front of me, blocking my way.

"You can't just leave now! That'd be rude to Jack! Do you really want to disrespect him like this?" she says cutely, stepping closer to me.

"We don't want any trouble." Lucky tells her, her voice betraying her confidence. By now the others who were on the floor have walked behind us and have surrounded us. It doesn't look like we'll being going anywhere without starting something. I'd prefer to just make a run for it, as we don't have the ammo to fight all of these ponies.

"What's going on here?" A new voice asks. We look over as a new pony approaches us.

He's a decently tall stallion, maybe a few inches shorter me though. Light caramel color coat and long brown hair that's tied back into a ponytail. He's wearing a long black duster over a red button up shirt and black dress pants. He's wearing a stetson hat that has the left side folded up as well. Overall, seeing him with all of these ponies is a bit odd. He's clean cut, pressed shirt, white teeth, and doesn't have a spot of dirt on him. I look him over some more when I notice the massive revolver on his hip. It's a forty five for sure, but something seems off about it. I can't put my finger on it though.

"My, my, my. Look what we have here," he says as he walks around Lucky. She flinches up under his gaze, keeping her eyes on him. "And who are you, my delicate little hubflower?"

"Lucky... Tweak said there was a reward for rescuing him from some Radcrags," Lucky tells him, getting quieter as he stops in front of her.

"But we don't need it," I say out loud, getting his attention for the first time. "We'd like to get going now-"

"Stable eighty eight huh? Where is that? I'm not familiar with it," he tells me, turning to look at me. "Or are you Enclave, bird boy?"

"I already asked boss!" Tweak tells him excitedly, stepping up to his side. "They don't even know who the Enclave are! They're genuine Stable Dwellers out from the Everglow."

"Is that so?" he asks smugly, shooting me a toothy grin. I wrap my fingers around the handle of my pistol as I glance around. They have us surrounded and out gunned. I could try to fly straight up, but I couldn't make it with Lucky. Not to mention they'd just shoot me. I could try to take Jack prisoner. Just pull him in and point a gun at his head. But then they'd just do the same with Lucky. Maybe we could just make a run for it, break through and head for the closest building. With the way most of the stallions are looking at Lucky, I doubt they want to shoot her, and I can dodge fairly well with my wings. It's our only bet.

"Well... what's this reward Tweak was talking about?" Lucky cuts in, moving to my side. "If you're so adamant about giving this to us, what is it?" Is she CRAZY!? Why is she asking this now!? We need to get moving! We should just start running, not talking about stupid ass deals!

"Whelp," Jack starts out, holding his hands behind himself as he walks around us. "Normally we'd take ponies like you, rough 'em up, take their belongings, and take them down to the Commerce Center. There you'll both be sold as slaves where you'll live the rest of your lives doing whatever your masters want of you... I can think of a few things for the likes of you two." We share a look when he says that. It was directed at the both of us. How are they going to do that to me... better not to think about it.

"But because we helped one of your guys you're not going to to that?" Lucky asks. [Speech 34/50]

"No, no, no, no," he says with a smile as he stops before both of us. "With you two, we're going to offer to skip the part where we rough you two up." I pull out my pistol when he says that. I knew we shouldn't have come this way! I knew it! But I had to listen to reason, didn't I!? I should just follow my gut more often, then I won't be sold as a slave! ONLY NOW I WILL! All of his crew members start to holler and laugh at us, especially Tweak. There are two mares here as well, making lewd gestures at me. I look to Lucky again and try to think of a way out of this, but there doesn't seem to be one. Not without immediately getting shot at least.

"So... we surrender peacefully, we won't get roughed up? Can I add one more thing?" Lucky asks, almost sounding as if we weren't about to be sold into slavery.

"Lucky, maybe now isn't the right time for this?" I mention to her quietly, but she ignores me.

"Depends on what it is, my little hubflower." Jack tells her.

"Can we each get a free punch on Tweak?"

"WHAT!?" Tweak and I both yell. Of all of the things she could ask for, that's what she decides on! Jack laughs as well, gripping Tweak on the shoulder and giving him a firm shake.

"Tell you what. If you convince birdboy here to hand over his pistol and surrender, I'll allow one of you to punch him. Deal?"

"Uh... boss?" Tweak asks quietly, but stops when he gives him a firm shake.

"Punch first, then surrender. Deal?" Lucky asks, sounding too confident. I don't even know what to say at this point. She's practically giving us away. Where's all that fight she had earlier? Why is she giving in so easily? I don't understand her at all right now.

"Deal," Jack tells her, getting the others to laugh. Tweak goes a little pale, but manages to chuckle slightly. Lucky grabs my arm and pulls me closer, shaking me from my thoughts.

"Are you insane? Why are you making this deal?" I ask, ignoring the others around us.

"First, never call me crazy. Second, take a look around. We're surrounded, out gunned, and wouldn't know where to run even if we could escape this situation. Right now our best bet for survival is to play the status quo until it works into our favor. Right now survival is better than freedom, understand?" When she asks that she reaches up and grabs the back of my neck, forcing me to look her in the eyes. She tries to sell her conviction with her eyes, but I'm still hesitant. There's too much risk with this to not be worried. They've obviously done this before, what makes us special? "Just trust me."

"... alright." Damn gut, telling me to do stupid shit for pretty mares. "But then I get to punch Tweak."

"Like hell you do. He ogled me the entire time we walked here! I get to knock his puny ass out." Lucky tells me confidently, playfully pushing me back. I smile at that, despite the situation. The others around us cheer at this, pushing Tweak before us. He tries to argue back, but Jack just smiles and watches. I really hate that guy right now.

"Alright, alright... I-I'll let the little filly get one in. Just to s-settle her little fit!" Tweak tells the others as he submits to his fate. He scrunches up and waits for Lucky to deliver. She looks him over for a second before taking her stance. She positions herself as any professional would, telling me she's had at least some training in this. She brings her fists up for a second as she takes aim, spits on her knuckles, and-

WHAM

THUD

In one solid punch to the eye, she sends him flat straight to his back. Everypony cheers and laughs at Tweaks as he lays there in the dirt, moaning. I blink a few times myself. I didn't know she had that in her.

"I've held up my part of the deal," Jack laughs over the crowd, stepping towards me. "Now it's your turn. Your pistol, if you'd be so kind," he asks as he raises a hand to me.

This is the last chance where I could take him prisoner and make a run for it. Just grab his wrist, twist him in, and put the gun to his head. If any of them try to shoot, then I'd have a meat shield at least. They'd take Lucky though. There isn't anything I could do to stop that. Not to mention they could just put a blade in my back, or shoot me when I make the wrong move. Turn it in, or make a run for it. This is it.

When I pull my gun up everypony around us fidgets slightly. Some point their weapons at me, while others simply ready them. I pause to look over the pistol. It's just a weathered ten millimeter, nothing too special about it. It's been the same pistol I've always had ever since I joined the Stable Guard. I glance up at Jack and notice that he has his left hand at his side, palming something. I guess he's ready for anything, leaving me no choice. I press the side action to drop the magazine, pocketing it as I hand him the pistol. Here's hoping Lucky knows what she's talking about.

"That's a good boy," Jack says condescendingly as he pockets my pistol. "Now, the bat?" Lucky hands over her bat to the nearest crony. "Excellent. Now, if you two will join us at the caravan, we have some business to finish."

The others cheer as they start to push us towards the metal crate. I rush over to Luckys side in an attempt to give her some form of protection. I don't know how well I can do that, I try my best at keeping their hands at bay. The entire way over they yell various lewd comments at us. I'm going to fuck your titties! Your ass is mine bitch! I'm going to squirt on your face! I know several of them are directed at me, but I'm a little unsure which ones are.

When we get to the back door they swing it open to reveal a bland interior. In the back are a few dog bowls, but other than that there's nothing in there. I go to walk in, but one of the mares stops me.

"Alright birdboy, drop 'em!" she commands me.

"Excuse me?" I ask, not entirely sure what she means.

"What? Do you really think we're just going to let you in there with all of your stuff? Drop everything on you, even your clothes." I look around to see if they're serious, only to get Jack to chuckle at me.

"Don't be shy birdboy, we've all seen 'em," he tells me comfortingly. I glance to Lucky to see her blushing as well.

"Um... all of my clothes?" I ask as I start to unzip my jumpsuit. If I can keep my underwear, this won't be as bad.

"Down to your skivvies." By Celestia's tits, thank you! With that in mind I undo my suit and drop it to the ground, stepping out of them. I immediately feel the cold wind on my coat as the air thickens from all of the attention. A few of them laugh at me while others make jokes or whistle. The few mares in their group are the loudest of them all. I rub my arm from all of this, not enjoying all of their stares. "Your Pipbuck too."

"What? Why?" I ask as I grab it. What am I going to do with this thing? Hit somepony over the head? Actually...

"Rules are rules. Take it off and set it on your clothes." I think it over for a second before sighing in defeat. There isn't anything I can do with it anyway, may as well. I unhook it and set it on my clothes. I can practically feel the mares ogling me as I squat down, but I do my best to ignore it.

"What the hell kind of mark is that!?" One guys laughs. I glance down at my cutie mark and sigh. It's an outline of a bull with the inside being a fine tea set. Like the old saying, a bull in a tea shop. It's suppose to represent my bullheadedness, but mostly it gets ponies to laugh at me. Like now, for instance. "Alrighty girly girl, your turn."

Everypony turns to Lucky in excitement. Her blush grows a bit more as she motions to Jack to come closer. He obliges and leans in, where Lucky whispers something to him. He lets out a massive laugh as he stands back up, making Luckys ears drop.

"I guess we're in for a treat then! Underwear or no underwear, you have to drop 'em!" The crowd goes wild. Cheering, jumping, shaking, laughing, everypony is beyond livid at this point. How could she not have underwear on! How! Didn't she know she was coming out here! Did she really think this was the best time for that sort of fashion choice! What the serious shit!

In either a moment of genius or utter stupidity I do the one thing I can think of to save her. I take my underwear off and offer them to her. The move catches everypony off guard, myself included. I can feel all of the staring from before return, only now it's much more heated. Many of the stallions look... mad? They aren't happy with my move, that's for sure. The mares seem to be stuck in some sort of star eyed state, making me even more uncomfortable than before. When Lucky doesn't take my underwear right away, I start to think that this was a bad idea. Would these even fit her? I would look at her to see what she's thinking, but I can't force myself to do it. I might have jumped off a cliff this time-

"YEE-OW!" I let out a scream when she suddenly grabs my wing and pulls it out. I try to pull it back it, but she refuses to let go.

"Stay still dammit!" she commands me as she positions my wing. I go to look back, but I see her glare and quickly avert my eyes. She pulls me back to the point where I feel the tips of my feathers brush against the carriage thing, blocking everyponys view. They groan and try to steal a glance, but Lucky is keeping my wing fairly close. My arm is still hanging out there, but I leave it. I'm a little to scared to move at the moment. The thought of covering myself suddenly comes up... but it's pointless now.

Luckys top comes flying into view, falling before me. Shortly after comes her Pipbuck. Now that she's topless everypony tries to get a better look. Why they don't just force me to move my wing is beyond me, but I keep my mouth shut. Either it's a rule of theirs or they're just that stupid. I'm sure it's the latter.

Everything suddenly stopped when she grabs my wing with her arm and pulls it into her chest. I don't know why she does this, but she did. Now my wing is squished between her arm and her chest... and it's awesome. I've always heard that you're either an ass guy, or a tits guy. Me? I never really understood why I had to choose. But, if I had to, I'd be a tits guy. I don't think she really knows what she's doing to me, but I don't question it. I'm too afraid that if I try to say something she'll hurt me one way or another.

"Happy?" Lucky asks shortly as her pants come flying into view. Jack chuckles as he motions to the door. I let out another scream as Lucky yanks my wing with her, dragging me with her. With the way she pulls me over I get a look at her. She has has one arm covering her chest while the other works the door. She has my underwear tied at her hip, barely keeping them on.

The inside of this thing is completely bare. Just metal flooring with metal walls and bars. We go to the closest metal wall and take a seat against it, having nothing better to do. They slide the door behind us and lock it shut. We can hear the few on top running back and forth as the others press up against the door. They're still yelling obscurities at us, but this time they're all directed at Lucky. I guess for denying them a show, they're going to get their revenge. One way or another. Most seem to think that whoever buys her will let them pay to rough her up. Lucky just buries herself under my wing, trying to hide from them. I glare at them, hating every single one of them. When we get out of here, I'm going to gut every one of them.

"Alright you two. Just hang tight and we'll get you to your new homes," Jack tells us as he starts to walk towards the front. He stops at one of the side bar panels and makes eye contact with me. His eyes are... amused. He doesn't feel threatened by me, not even slightly. If anything, he finds this amusing! "Do you hate me?"

"Hate you?" I ask, bewildered. "What kind of stupid ass question is that? Of course I hate you, you sick piece of shit!" He laughs at that, turning to face me properly.

"Good, that's good. Trust me, hang onto that for as long as you can. Wanna know why?" I choose to stay silent, but he continues anyway. "Because the day you stop hating me, is the day we break you. And trust me, we are going to break you."

I spit at him, getting a mist to hit him in the face. He just chuckles and wipes it off with a scarlet neckerchief.

"I love you fighters. You think that you'll get through this, somehow. You rationalize it in your head. But it's a slippery slope my friend, and I'm going to watch you fall down it. Trust me on this, I've seen it before. You wait for an opening, but there isn't ever one. You start to think about just running for it, but you never do. Something new always holds you back. Fear of death, beatings, a pretty girl, something always keeps you in your place." He stuffs his neckerchief away and pulls out a pocket watch, taking a moment to think to himself.

"You should have flew away when you had the chance, Birdboy. You probably would have gotten away. We're heading to CC!" Everypony cheers when he announce that. Some whips snap overhead as the best in front of the carriage start to pull us forward. The rusty wheels fight, but eventually start to squeak at a steady pace. I swallow the lump in my throat as I bring my knees up to my chest and hold them. I don't intend to go to wherever they want me, but I have to play it safe. For both Lucky and mines sake.

"I'm sorry," Lucky whispers to me, breaking my chain of thoughts.

"Don't be. How could you have know?" I ask, getting her to shake her head.

"He was right, you know. You could have gotten away without me-"

"And be alone out there? I don't really think that would be much better than being here." She tries to offer me a smile, but somepony behind us smacks the wall.

"Shut it in there! I don't want to hear any of that crap!" I share a frown with Lucky before looking away. We'll get through this, somehow. We have too.

"We're in this together, remember?" I whisper to her. She nods in return, but looks distant. She tightens her grip on my wing, pressing it closer to her. "Um.... Lucky?"

"Hm?"

"So... don't get mad but..."

"What?" she asks flatly. I bite my lip for a moment before deciding to just blurt it out.

"Pegasi wings can be as sensitive as fingers... so... maybe arms first?" She stares up at me for a moment before turning red and quickly readjusting herself. I blush as well, but mainly from the peek I got. I'm glad it's cold out here, I don't know if I could control myself otherwise.

---

I don't know when I went to sleep, sometime after the sky turned dark I think. I'm just glad that I was asleep under Reckless's pervy wing. It tried to curl back up, but I was in the way. He's been... good to me. Some of the things he does are strange, but I think I can trust him. I don't know if he slept though. His eyes are tired, but he's up. I take a look outside and note that we're moving through some town. All of the guards are silent, keeping their eyes on the buildings around us. I keep silent too, not knowing what else to do.

"Don't scream," Reckless whispers to me as silently as possible. "Something called raiders live nearby. Apparently they don't take prisoners. According to Pike that is."

"Pike?" He nods to the guard at the back. He's one of the slavers with a melee weapon, a ripper. "And you trust him?"

"They put three of them down already. I'm a little surprised you slept through it. They didn't look friendly at all." I nod to that, going silent. With the way he looks, I should listen to what he's saying.

"You should sleep-"

"I'm fine." I glance up to him before sighing in defeat. He's not going to listen, not now at least.

---

Another day went by. This thing moves super slow, but I guess that's the point. Those brahmin don't look like they're made for speed. Plus they stop at night to rest. It's hard to tell how far we've gone, but I think it's been at least ten miles. They get moving early in the morning too, so I slept through the beginning part. Reckless slept last night too, but not well. He had another nightmare. One of the guards was talking about putting a bullet in him if he got too loud. I tried to help him sleep, but the best I could offer was to stroke his mane and hold him. It helped, but it didn't end his nightmare.

Both of our stomachs are growling at us. It's been two days since I last ate. I feel as if I could down a fridge full of Dandy Apples and still be hungry! To make matter worse, the guards around us eat as they walk. Though the food they're eating looks questionable, the fact that they're eating it is getting to me.

"Hey, girly girl," the guard at the back, Slick I believe, calls. "Give me a show and I'll give you a carrot." His friend, Duster, laughs with him. Reckless growls a little at that, but I get an idea.

"How about you give me a carrot, and I'll give you a show?" [Speech 34/15] I lean forward and push Reckless's wing down a bit to show some cleavage. Not a lot, but enough to get them thinking... which isn't a lot, really. The two of them stop in their tracks as they stare at me, lost in their perversion. Duster starts to tear through his bag as he looks for a carrot, making Slick join him. They both come up with one and rush to toss them to me. I let a low chuckle escape me as I take them and sit back, eating one normally.

"... son of a bitch," Slick mumbles as he realizes his mistake. I just laugh and offer the other carrot to Reckless. He takes it, but seems a little upset by that. Whatever, he can complain about it later. We have food now, that's all that matters.

---

The day dragged on, just like the last two. I almost didn't realize it until the sun went down. It was a beautiful sight to see, even if it was from behind bars. Every other day there were too many clouds in the sky to see it properly. I didn't think there would be so many colors or that there would be rays of light reaching over us. It was inspiring to see. No matter what, there's always tomorrow. And even in this hellscape, there is still beauty to be found.

"Listen up!" Jack yells from above. That's weird, he's been silent this entire trip. Something big must have happened.

"What's up boss?" Pike asks, looking up to Jack.

"I just got word from the brass. Ends up there's a settlement west of here that's been putting up a fight. Raven Claw's asking for assistance on this one, and we're the closest to his position."

"Damn, if Raven Claw is asking for help, you know it's bad." Pike mentions. Reckless and I look to one another for a moment. This seems too good to be true.

"Alright, Pike and Slick, you're both going to stay here and keep watch on these two. Everypony else is going to gear up and head out. Got it?"

"How big is the score there? Shouldn't we be more worried about these two?" Tweak asks from the side as everypony else starts to run around, gathering their supplies.

"Apparently the score they found is worth ten of these fuckers, so we'll be compensated for this easily. Now pack up! We're leaving in five minutes. Bring food, water, plenty of ammo, and whatever else you need for a fight. Travel light, because we're coming back heavy!"

Everypony moves quickly to gather their gear and meet up at the back of the truck. A few minutes later they head out together, leaving the four of us behind. I can't believe it. If there was ever a chance to escape, now is the time. Pike and Slick talk to each other for a moment before climbing up top, giving us the best chance to discuss this.

"Alright, are you ready to escape?" I asks Reckless in a whisper. He nods to me, sitting up right. I reach up to the back of his head and grab the bobby pin I placed there, making him go wide eyed.

"How did you manage to do that without them noticing?" he asks in astonishment as he takes it in his hands.

"I blame them being idiots." He chuckles at that, moving to pick the lock. I grab his arm and stop him, getting a confused look in response.

"Not yet. Give it around an hour. That way the others don't hear anything that might happen." He nods to me, sitting back down. I take the time to stretch out properly. Sitting for this long has taken its toll on my back. Reckless averts his eyes, but does the same. We're under fed, weaponless, and nude. The odds are against us, but we have to prevail. This is our one and only chance.

I try to time it off the sunset, but I don't know if that's a good indicator to go off of. It certainly felt like an hour. I give Reckless a nudge and we move over to the lock. As he starts to work on the lock listen in on the others. One of them is sleeping, but I'm don't think they both are. I can't tell where the other one is though, making me nervous. I never saw or heard him climb down, but that doesn't mean he couldn't have. If he finds us-

Click

My heart skips a beat when I hear the door click open. Just like that? We're free?

"What was that?" I hear Pike on the side mention, along with hoof steps. Reckless pushes the door open slightly and crawls out, pushing it closed partially before sneaking to the right. I was about to question him when Pike walks in front of the door. "Hey! Where'd the-"

Before he could finish Reckless sprung up from the side and punched him across the face, sending the both of them toppling over. I rush out to help him, finding them wrestling on the floor. Pike is trying to grab his ripper, while Reckless has him in a sleeper hold with his arms and is trying to pin Pikes arms by wrapping his legs around his waist. It doesn't seem like he'll be able to do both, so I rush forward and take the Ripper away from him, revving it on.

"What the hell is that!" Slick yells from up top. Reckless looks up for a second before pushing Pike away and launching up at the roof.

BANG

A gunshot rings through the air as Reckless disappears up top. I watch Pike stand up slowly as I try to prepare myself for this. As long as he doesn't try anything, I have no reason to harm him.

"Just go into the truck and I won't hurt you." I tell him nervously. He chuckles at that as he whips out a switchblade. I don't like where this is going.

"Nice try girly girl. Now give that to me before I rip out your ovaries." I gulp at that, believing he would. But I shake my head, making him smile. "I'm going to have some fun with you-"

BANG

SPLAT

A piece of light races from my right and straight through his head, making it explode. I let out a small scream as I move behind the truck. Somepony just shot his head off! I hear Reckless and Slick struggling with each other for a moment before another gunshot rings out. Slick falls off the top and hits the ground, bleeding from a large hole in his chest. Reckless jumps down after him, moving beside me for cover.

"Please tell me that was you," he asks desperately.

"No... no that wasn't me," I tell him, making him groan. He has a few bruises on his sides, but they don't look too bad. "Well, let's make a run for those buildings over there and hope..." He stops mid sentence and stares at something behind me. I look over there to see a dog standing there. It looks like a pretty old dog, with its grey eyes and chin. The old Shepard dog stares back up at us as we just stand there, unsure of what to do.

"Um... shoo dog?" Reckless says. The dog gives a quick woof before running to the right, where the gunfire came from.

"I'm not questioning it," I tell Reckless as I walk around him.

"But-"

"But nothing! Let's get our clothes back on and get the hell out of here while we still can!" He tries to argue with me, but ends up mumbling to himself instead. The only place that could have had our clothes is the small room up top, which is a problem. I'm not sticking my head up there while that sniper is out there. "How are we going to get up there without that sniper shooting at is?"

"Why don't you just climb?" an old voice asks. I feel my stomach drop as I step back beside Reckless as a pony walks around the back. He's easily the oldest looking stallion I've ever seen before. His face is wrinkled, his mane and tail are grey, and his eyes are as grey as his dogs. He's wearing an old faded leather jacket and a red scarf. His dark plaid button up shirt and slacks are much cleaner than everything else out here, and... he's smiling. I swallow a lump in my throat as my eyes make it to the repeating rifle in his hands. Is that what he used to shoot those two?

"Looks like I got here in the nick of time. Now, why don't we get you two your cloths and head out. I'm sure the others would have heard that," he tells us as he holsters his rifle. Reckless and I look to each other before looking back to the stranger.

"Who are you and why should we trust you?" Reckless asks bluntly, making the stranger chuckle.

"That's right, introductions. Sorry, it's just been awhile since the last time I was out here. The name's Doc Waster, welcome to the Commonwealth." [Wild Wasteland]

Lucky

S 7
P 3
E 4
C 6
I 7
A 4
L 9

Perks

Wild Wasteland
Black Widow

Skills

Barter 20

Energy Weapons 13

Explosives 13

Guns 18

Lockpick 13

Medicine 21

Melee Weapons 36

Repair 25

Science 36

Sneak 15

Speech 35

Survival 20

Unarmed 15

Reckless

S 8
P 7
E 7
C 2
I 5
A 9
L 2

Perks

Heavy Handed
Skilled
Rapid Reload

Skills

Barter 14

Energy Weapons 22

Explosives 40

Guns 41

Lockpick 40

Medicine 18

Melee Weapons 24

Repair 20

Science 18

Sneak 28

Speech 12

Survival 22

Unarmed 22

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