I awoke to the sounds of a lyre. Actually, that was a tad misleading. I did not wake up and happen to hear the chords; they woke me up. Though it was no fault of their own. The chords were soft and soothing, almost like a lullaby. The problem was I did not want to be asleep. As it turned out, my subconscious had created a real masterpiece for me tonight. I pray—hoped it would go easy on me next time.

Lyra did not notice me waking, and continued to pluck at her lyre with her hooves. She messed up frequently, and each mistake was rewarded with a flurry of curse words. I still found her music to be beautiful. That was true talent at work.

“Umnumnum.” Carbine rolled over in his sleep until he was pressed against me. Along with the occasional ramblings, he was also a heavy snorer. It was a miracle I had not awakened sooner. He wrapped a hoof around my neck, and rested his head against my chest. “Mhmm. Warm.”

While I was flattered he appreciated my body heat, this was uncomfortable. I gingerly removed his hoof, and backed away from him. His head flopped unceremoniously on the barren earth. It also landed hard. Yet, Carbine was unfazed. He simply nuzzled the ground. It took talent to find that comfortable.

What was his talent again? A bleeding heart adorned his flanks, but what did it mean? He was a good killer; I knew that. Brother Nightshade and Telebrah knew that a little too well. Perhaps his own heart bled, and it was his burden to bear. I was unsure if the bleeding would be literal or metaphorical, but Carbine could probably live through it. I doubted anything could kill him.

What about me? What was my talent? I had always assumed the bird and music sheets symbolized a talent for song. There was no point in being modest; I was a great singer. A damn great singer. A Symphony without song was as broken as a Symphony without the Holy Mother. Funny how that was the first comparison I came up with. It was possible, though, that my talent was more broad or abstract. My talent could be music. Or communication. Or the ability to avoid flying music notes. I sighed internally. Desperation did not suit me. I had spent enough time wallowing in my thoughts. It was time for some social interaction.

I slowly stood up.

Lyra gasped, and her lips folded into a frown. “Sorry. I hope my awful playing didn’t wake you up.”

I shook my head to tell her she did not wake me up. It was a white lie. There was no need to make her feel guilty. I also no longer had a deity to answer to. If it benefited me or Lyra, then there was no reason not to lie anymore. Just so long as I did not turn into Shining Armor. Meeting him taught me the tongue was just as dangerous as a bullet. Possibly even more so. So long as I kept my lies tempered then I should be in the clear.

Lyra’s eyes narrowed briefly, but she did not press the issue. Instead she focused on plucking strings. Her very next note was horribly off key. “Fuck! Why is this so hard?” She threw her lyre on the ground. With a groan, she slammed her back against the dirt. Her hooves flopped to beside her.

I touched one of my hooves to hers. I was not sure what else I really could do.

She cupped my hoof in both of hers, and kissed it. “Thank you, Symphony. I’m lucky to have you.”

I shook my head. I pointed to myself, then to her, and placed my hoof on top of hers. I was the lucky one.

She shook her head in return. “You’ve got it backwards, love. You still love me even though I can’t play anymore. If I recall, it was my music that first caught your eye. It means that you’ve found more than just music to love about me.”

Of course I did. I loved her energy. Most of the time I loved her humor. I loved the joy I felt every time I was in her presence. I loved that she loved me. There was so much more to Lyra beyond her music. I had a plethora of reasons to love her still. Besides, she was slightly wrong. My ear for sure, but her music was not the first thing to catch my eye. There were too many contenders for that title.

I found my gaze sweeping over her. Slowly. Meticulously. Lustfully….

She chuckled. “Do you know why I said yes to you?”

“My dashing wit?” I mouthed.

“Oh, please.” She gazed at me with half-closed eyes, and a grin. “As if you showed any that day.”

Before I could retort, she kissed me. Her front hooves wrapped around my neck, and her tail interwove with mine. I felt our bodies meshing together as we kissed. We were not two ponies in that moment. We were one flesh, bound in love as well as lust. The feeling was even better than a Med-X injection. This was bliss.

Lyra pulled away slowly, a dazed look on her face. Even though we were no longer kissing, there was a string of saliva holding us together. For once, I was happy to have another pony’s fluids in my body. Lyra coyly wiped her mouth, slowly and sensually. She gave her hoof a mighty flick, and severed our saliva connection.

“I gave you a chance because you seemed genuine, Symphony. I’d met plenty of stallions, and some mares, who only wanted me for my body.” She paused, and took the time to rub one of her hooves against her leg. She closed her eyes, and moaned softly. The higher her hoof reached the more her chest heaved, until… -When she opened her eyes, she smirked at me and my glazed hooves. “Not that I blame them or anything.”

I blushed furiously, and looked around for somewhere I could clean my hooves. On second thought, my whole body could use a thorough washing right about now. I wondered how long it would take to scrub off all my embarrassment.

Lyra slinked next to me, and nuzzled my throat. Then she gently pressed her lips against my throat, and put her clean hooves on my disgusting ones. “But when you told me you loved my music, I believed you. I won’t say that I fell for you instantly, but your honesty made me interested at the very least.” She chuckled and added, “Plus, your blubbering was beyond cute.” Before I could contemplate a reply, she gently nipped my ear and whispered. “I wonder if there’s anything I can do to recreate that.”

She took one of her hooves, now dripping with my filth, and used it to rub my chest.

I could not put into words how that made me feel. The best way to describe would be feeling violated and pleasured at the same time. I was not sure if I liked it, but I did not quite hate it either. At the very least, it made me shudder and smile at the same time.

“Seems I’m going in the right direction. I wonder what else I can do to get a reaction out of you.”

I could think of a few things. From the look she was giving me, I could only assume she had quite a few things in mind too.

She kissed my throat a second time, and leaned into my ear to whisper, “But I think you’ve had enough fun for one night. We have the rest of our lives to have fun. I don’t want to use up all my tricks now.”

… Damn.

Lyra yawned, as she rested her head against my chest. “You’re turn to keep watch, sex fiend. If you keep me safe, then I guarantee there’ll be a reward.”

I nodded, and kissed her forehead. I knew what Lyra really meant when she said reward. She would show me one of her tricks. As much as I was looking forward to it, I could honestly say it did not matter to me. She had already given me a reward. And I reaped the benefits every second I spent in her presence.

I gently stroked Lyra’s cheeks as she fell asleep, all whilst keeping my eyes and ears alert. I could hear dogs howling, and an owl’s lonely hoot. I frequently moved my head to spot a potential threat. I had retrieved Savage from my bag after Lyra had fallen asleep. I doubted she wanted to see me hold it after yesterday. Still, I needed it. I promised myself I would kill for Lyra if need be. Experience taught me killing was easiest with bullets.

To my right there was nothing worth describing. To my lef—what was that? As I was turning my head I saw something glint in the distance. It was likely nothing, but it was better to be safe than sorry. I aimed Savage towards the mysterious glint, and peered through the scope.

I could see two ponies in the distance, a unicorn and a pegasus. The unicorn was wearing a flowing brown cloak. He was wearing a hood, but it did not conceal his face. The large binoculars hovering in front of his eyes, however, did. When they floated away, I was able to get a look at his pale blue face. He seemed young, even younger than me. From his posture and the look in brown eyes, he also seemed to be afraid of something. As I moved the scope, I also noticed he had some kind of device on his foreleg.

A similar type of device was on his companion’s foreleg. That seemed to me where the similarities between the two ended. The pegasus’ posture had an air of pride to it, and the grin on her face would be right at home on Carbine’s. The top half of her face was masked by a pair of night vision goggles. She wore red and blue barding, which matched her mane, with a large white “76” on the side. Whatever that meant.

A sleek black saddle rested on her back. Some kind of firearm, most likely a rifle, was attached to it. There was a string extending from the trigger of the rifle that was wrapped around her head like a bandanna. There was a mechanism dangling from the end of the string beside her mouth. Ah. So there was a more convenient way of handling weapons. Clearly, biting down on the mechanism acted as a trigger for the rifle. I needed to ask her where I could find one of these saddles.

But that would have to wait. I could see the unicorn shouting something, and the pegasus readied herself. She pivoted towards my direction, and snatched up the bit. Oh no. Was there something behind me? I glanced behind. Nothing. Then what was sh—

A bullet sailed past my head. It did not touch me, but I felt the heat against my flesh. She had shot at me! She had shot at me, and missed. I doubted I would. Just pull the trigger, Symphony. You can do it.

It was easier done than said.

It was over in an instant. Her life, of course. One moment she was glaring in my direction. The next, there was a gaping hole in her head. I heard the distant echoes of the unicorn’s scream. He turned tail, and galloped. He did not get far. Savage roared for the second time, and the unicorn’s lifeless body collapsed onto the ground.

I then finished checking my left. All clear.

The saddle was heavier than I expected. I paced in a circle to get a feel for it. It was not exactly comfortable lugging a large hunk of leather on my back. Not to mention the guns attached to it. I knew I could get used to it though. I would have to. Savage was too awkward to use with my hooves.

I attempted to bite down on the mechanism, but I missed. Wearing the string around my forehead was too uncomfortable, so I adjusted the length and let it dangle off the rifle. Reaching it was more difficult than I anticipated, but I could master it with practice.

I tried a second time. This time, I successfully snatched the mechanism with my mouth. I bit down. I did not want to use up any of Savage’s ammunition while practicing, so only the rifle was loaded. The shot went ride right. I still hit the boulder, but not where I had been aiming. Seemed there would be another skill I would have to practice.

Carbine whistled. “You sure are a shitty shot, Symphy.”

Thank you for the vote of confidence, Carbine. I briefly considered aiming at him. No, terrible idea. I was such a terrible shot he would have just laughed. He would have probably dared me to do it. Besides, guns were nothing to joke about.

Two images flashed in my mind. One of me hugging a young colt. The next of a bullet shattering his eye.

I gritted my teeth, and looked away. I did not know what I was looking away from. I just needed to find something, anything!, to take my mind off of Missile. I found that something in the pegasus’ dead body. Well, it worked. Instead of Missile, my mind decided to focus on another death I had experienced recently. My own.

Melodrama aside, I felt a part of me had died in Tombstone Radio. I did not have to kill these ponies. I could have surrendered and negotiated with them. I could have fled with Lyra and Carbine. If violence had been the only way, then I could have shot these ponies in the legs. Instead, I took their lives. Perhaps being a killer was my new talent. Maybe I would get a set of crosshairs as a new cutie mark.

I glanced down at my flank. There were no crosshairs, or any other new marks. The same old music sheet and songbird remained. That should have felt comforting, but it did not. Regardless of what mark adorned my flank, I was not the same Symphony anymore. I had been baptized in water as a foal. Last night I had been baptized by the fire in Savage’s chamber.

Savage. That name fit me now. It fit much better than Symphony did now with my throat. I would not change my name though. I was used to Symphony. It was what Lyra and Carbine were used to. Well, what Lyra was used to. Carbine would continue to call me whatever he damn well pleased.

I cringed for a brief moment before smiling sadly. I had murdered two ponies, Joab, and a host of ghouls. Yet it was the brief use of profanity which prompted the visceral reaction. Symphony truly was dead; only Savage would find humor in that.

“Find anything good, Thirteen?”

Whilst I had been wallowing in my thoughts, Lyra had been rummaging through the corpses. “Not really sure. There’s a decent knife, and some bullets for the rifle. There’s some spare barding for repairs. Aside from that it’s just junk. A few pieces of paper, empty cans, a leaky canteen, and some bottle caps. There are a lot of bottle caps.”

“Ooh, dibs on the caps!”

Lyra rolled her eyes, and tossed Carbine the unicorn’s bag. “Knock yourself out.” She looked at me, and held up the papers. “Looks like it’s part of a book. Wanna check it out?”

I nodded without even thinking, which caused me to smile again. A legitimate smile this time. I had always enjoyed reading. Accepting reading material on a reflex was proof that not all of Symphony had died.

I took the papers, and scanned them. According to the heading, the book was written by one A. K. Yearling, and was titled, Daring Do and the Balefire Bomb. It was an interesting title; I could give it that. The only problem was the number at the bottom. 178. I did not want to start a story on the one-hundred and seventy-eighth page. Still, I was supposed it was something. I stowed the papers in my bag for the next time I was bored.

“Mrgrgr! This motherfucker is on there tight.” I watched as Carbine attempted to remove the strange device from the dead pegasus. When he was unable to remove it with his magic, he attempted to pry it off with his hooves. Then, with his teeth. Next, with his hooves and teeth. Finally, he sat on his haunches and hit the device with the butt of Anarchy.

Lyra sighed. “Give it a rest, Carbine. We’ve taken enough from them. It’s best we go ahead and move on.

“But I want it!”

Goodness gracious, was he actually whining right now? I rolled my eyes, and began to trot onwards. I had not gotten far when I heard Lyra calling.

“Symphony!”

I turned around. Lyra was grinning at me, and was holding the map in her hooves. “We’re supposed to be going that way,” she said with a tilt of her head.

Right, of course. Onwards, that way.

According to the map, there was a waystation a few hours away from us. It was located extremely close to the border with Equestria. Thankfully, it was not marked with a red circle. We were almost there; we almost made it.

There was just one problem. The swarm of bugs in our path. They were too far away to make them out in detail, but I knew they were vulpas. I was not sure what, but there was something inside of me that just knew it to be true. Most likely excess venom that still lurked within my veins.

The three of us crouched behind a large boulder, and watched as they flew past us. Lyra watched them through the binoculars she had pilfered from the dead unicorn. “It doesn’t look like they’ve spotted us. Let’s just wait a few minutes for them to pass.”

I agreed wholeheartedly with that idea. I, for one, was in no rush to experience the effects of vulpa venom a second time.

“You want to look, Symphony?”

I nodded, and took the binoculars from Lyra. Okay, so what did these abominations actually look like? To my surprise, they almost looked like ponies. They had the same body structure, and even had manes and tails. They were smaller than the average pony, about the size of a small cat, though they were not much smaller than Missile. The only major difference were their antennae. Oh, and the extra pair of legs, large massive wings, massive red eyes, and dripping fangs. I felt my insides convulse at the sight of the venom. Yes, I would rather let them pass than fight them.

Then one exploded.

Goop and bug entrails splattered the rest of the swarm. Part of its eye managed to land on my shoulder. The Symphony of old would have contemplated how it had traveled so far. Then, he would have been repulsed and swatted it away. Well, I still swatted it away. Though I was more focused on blowing those bugs out of the sky.

“Run!”

Or following Lyra as she galloped away from the oncoming swarm. That was also a good option.

“Or we can shoot.” Anarchy fired wildly, and struck a few of her targets. “I’m kind of liking my idea, Thirteen.”

“It was your stupid idea that got us into this mess!”

Carbine scoffed, and fired Tenacity. “I only shot one of them. It’s not like I’m to blame for the whole swarm coming after us.”

“Yes! Yes, you are!” She drew Faith, and started shooting. She clipped the right wing of one vulpa, and severed a hoof from another. Unfortunately, most of her shots missed.

Of course they did. She was not used to using her mouth to hold guns. Any skills she had picked up were through magic. I briefly wondered if she could have actually shot Reverend Bones last night.

My attention returned to the situation at hoof when a vulpa spat venom at me. I backpedaled quickly, and just barely avoided being splashed by poison. I immediately fired back. Click. Right, Savage was still empty. I made a mental note to reload it once I had the chance. While Savage was out of commission, the rifle’s aim was surprisingly true. The bullet tore through the spitting vulpa’s neck, and severed its head.

Good, but it was not enough. There was at least a dozen more. I needed something that could vaporize them all at once. I could feel my grin, as an idea formed in my mind.

I removed the pin from one of the grenades around my neck. Green band. Hopefully it worked well on bugs. The grenade dropped from the necklace, and I gave it a good buck. Another vulpa had opened its mouth to spit, and the grenade flew into its mouth. It exploded a second later. A green wave of energy erupted from within the vulpa, and vaporized the rest of the swarm. Their ashes fell like snow onto the ground below us.

Huh. So that was what the green ones did. Good to know.

The sound of a pony being punched turned my attention to Lyra and Carbine.

“You moron!” Lyra punched him again. “You could have gotten us all killed. Why did you shoot that thing?”

He did not meet her eyes as he replied. “Because of Sombra. He died because of their motherfucking poison. So, I thought I’d shoot one. For him.”

“Oh…” Lyra took a few steps back, and nodded solemnly. “That’s very sweet of you. Stupid, but sweet.”

Carbine grinned as he shrugged. “Not really. It just gave me an excuse to shoot something. Not like I can say ‘no’ to an opportunity like that.”

Despite the maniacal grin on his face, I could tell Carbine was hurting. The grin just did not reach his eye. I had seen something similar that day in Camp Terminus. At least this time he was not threatening me with a bottle. However, I still needed to remedy the situation. I did not want to see him like that. I approached Carbine, gazed into his eye, and embraced him.

He chuckled awkwardly. “You don’t have to do that, Symph. Really, I’m good.”

He tried to push me away, but I held him tighter. I may have become a murderer, but I refused to be heartless. At least where my family was involved.

“Symph, please.” Carbine pushed me away, and stood up. “I’m good. Really. I’m just happy to see those motherfuckers get wasted.” Now his grin reached his eye. “You’ve turned into a bad motherfucker yourself, Symphy. I never thought I’d say it, but you might be more badass than me. I need to amp up my game.” He flashed me a wink to go with his cocksure grin.

I had only one response to that. There was only one response to that. I reached out my hoof. He responded with a bro hoof of his own.

“Pfft. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you two were flirting.” Lyra sauntered towards us, and lightly shoved Carbine away. She wrapped a hoof around my neck, and gave me a peck on the cheek. “Now let’s hurry along and find this place before I get jealous.” There was genuine malevolence in her eyes as she added, “You wouldn’t like me when I’m jealous, Carbine.”

He threw up his hooves, and shook his head. “Symph’s all yours, Thirteen.” He looked at me with mock sadness. “Sorry, Symphy, it never would’ve worked between us. I don’t think I could be in a relationship with two dragons.”

Two dragons? What was h—Oh. I chuckled to myself. He was an idiot, but he was our idiot. I slipped a hoof around Lyra, and kissed her throat. And I would not have it any other way.

The waystation was in far better condition than I expected. The walls were intact, most of the windows were not smashed, and there was an actual roof. There was graffiti of course, but I ignored it. I did not care to read such vile filth. Particularly the bits about Celestia’s vulva. Actually, that last bit did make me smile. The content was beyond crude and disgusted me to my core, but there was something to celebrate. The graffiti was about Celestia. She was a known figure in the Crystal Wasteland, but not one worth defiling. This had to have been written by a pony from Equestria! If a pony from Equestria had written something here, then it meant we really were close.

I was overcome with excitement. So much so that I tackled the door open, rather than pushing it open like a rather pony. I landed on my belly with an undignified thud. Well, that was a stupid deci—Bang. My head bolted up, and stared at a rifle. It was dangling from a ceiling fan, and there was a mechanism attaching it to the door. If I had opened the door like a normal pony I would have been shot. Thank the Godd—good thing for outbursts of emotion.

I stood up, and untied the rifle from the fan. It was sleek, well-polished and in good condition. I glanced down at the rifle attached to my saddle. It was significantly more weathered than the weapon in my hooves. I was unsure as to why, but there was something familiar about this rifle. I could have sworn I had seen it before. I doubted it really mattered. All that was important was attaching it to the saddle. It would make a fine companion for Savage.

I felt something thump against my head. Ouch. I turned around, and stared into Lyra’s angry glare.

“You almost got shot.”

“Did I, though?” I mouthed back.

Her gaze softened. “Well, no, but—” I cut her off with a kiss. She tore her face away from me, and shook her head. “No! Bad, Symphony! You can’t weasel your way out of a scolding. Even if you are a fantastic kisser.” She shook her head again, and pointed at me with her hoof. “Just don’t go barging into places like that, okay? Remember what happened the last time we went into a place we thought was abandoned?”

Carbine lost an eye. Lyra her horn. Missile and Doctor Zimri their lives. Me? I lost a portion of my soul when I killed Joab. Honestly, Lyra, how could I forget?

She hugged me close to her, as if she could sense my annoyance. “I just want you to be careful. Okay, babe? I thought I was going to lose you when the Doctor got us out of there. I—”

“Holy fucking shit they have hot water here! And a working shower.”

“—will continue this conversation after a hot shower.”

Lyra sprinted for what I assumed was the bathroom, and nearly tripped over a pile of empty cans. So much for being careful. As I watched her leave, I began conducting a sweep of the waystation. It was certainly dusty, and there was mold growing on the walls. Hopefully the food to be safe to eat. Though dust was to be expected after two centuries. All things considered the waystation held up surprisingly well. I flipped a light switch. Nothing happened. I flipped it a couple more times just in case. Still, nothing happened. There was no electricity. That meant there was no point in checking the fridge in the corner. Actually, on second thought, who knew what kind of goods were stored inside the fridge?

I approached the fridge, careful to avoid tripping over the empty cans. When I reached my destination I noticed something written across the door. “Last warning, cunts.” Pleasant. Also, a warning I planned on heeding. The last thing I wanted was to open the door and die in an explosion. I stepped back until I reached a window. Then I lined up my shot, and fired the saddle. The rifle’s bullet tore through the refrigerator door. Not the exact spot I was aiming for, but it got the job done.

There was an immediate explosion. Luckily it was not big enough to blow off the door. If it had I likely would have been hit by it. I doubted it would have killed or even severely injured me. I suspect it would have hurt a lot though. I opened the door, and inspected the interior of the fridge. What were once fruits, vegetables, and an assortment of condiments had been reduced to multicolored goop. Better the food than me.

I closed the fridge, and cast my eyes elsewhere. I spotted a staircase near the back wall. That had promise. I could hear the water running, so I assumed Lyra was still preoccupied in the shower. Carbine was busy examining an open vent. I prayed there was not a vulpa nest in there. At least, I would have if there were anything to pray to.

I shook my head, and headed towards the stairs. There would be time to mope when we crossed the border. Now was the time for reconnaissance. I had triggered two traps already, and I highly doubted the veracity of the writing on the fridge. If there was a pony hiding in the waystation to ambush us, they would likely be hiding in the basement. While I was not in any hurry to kill another pony, it would be preferable to kill than to die. Or to have Lyra die. Besides, there was always the possibility I could find something interesting down here.

The first thing I noticed was that it was dark down here. Of course it was. It was underground so there was no sunlight, nor did the electricity work. What I would have given for a match. Or a flashlight. Or…-oh, right. I reached into my bag, and retrieved the night vision goggles I had pilfered from the fallen pegasus. I slipped them on with a surprising degree of difficulty. Whomever designed this clearly put no thought into comfort. Though I supposed I should not complain too much since they served their purpose.

My world became a nasty shade of green. My vision was also slightly fuzzier than normal. Thankfully, it was not as bad as being affected by vulpa venom. I slowly made my way down the steps. Good thing too, as I nearly slipped where the stairs started to spiral. Odd design choice. My eyes were slowly adjusting, and the world was becoming less hazy. By the time I reached the bottom of the stairs all the fuzz was gone. Sadly, the putrid green shade still remained.

I snorted, as I surveyed the basement. There was a space beneath the staircase, right where the spiral was located. It was large enough for one, possibly two ponies, to sit. Perhaps it was designed that way to give ponies a place to hide. Aside from that spot there were no feasible hiding places in the basement. Three of the four walls were full of crates, while a large heater was located as the other wall. The rest of the basement was a large empty space.

I approached the heater, and examined it. It looked to be a rickety piece of junk. I gently rapped my hoof against it. I swore I could hear the paint peeling off. Yes, this was a piece of junk. There went any plans for spending a warm night with Lyra down here. Though there was a good chance she would have refused even if the heater had been working. There was a rank odor emanating from somewhere. I was not sure how to describe it except to say that it was unpleasant. So much so that I did not want to spend more time in the basement.

But, curiosity was calling. I felt the need to investigate what was in the crates. Despite the odor, I remained in the basement a little while longer. The answer did not surprise me. Not in the slightest. It was booze. All of the crates contained various kinds of alcohol. Wines, beers, whiskey. Champagne. Alcohol had never been an interest of mine, but that was the old Symphony. The Holy Mother’s Symphony. The new Symphony, or perhaps a better name would be Savage, was quite curious to know what all the fuss was about. If I were correct, champagne was a drink used primarily for celebrations. The three of us had almost made it to the border; was there anything better to celebrate? Maybe this time I would actually remember the experience.

I picked up a bottle of champagne.

The bottle was adorned with a graphic of a purple mare with a bunch of grapes for a cutie mark. The mare was drinking from a bottle similar to the one she was featured on, and her face showed nothing but pure ecstasy. The caption read, “Shangri-La: Berry Punch’s Finest.” Her finest? I supposed if I were going to partake in drinking I might as well start with the best.

I stowed the bottle in my bag, along with a couple others. I had the feeling Carbine would down an entire bottle or two by himself. That would leave at least one for Lyra and me to share. Hmm. All we needed was music, and we would have had ourselves a real party.

As if the Goddess herself had…-I needed a new expression. As if on cue, that could work for now, I began to hear some music coming from upstairs. Ask and ye shall receive. I reached the top of the stairs, and found Carbine staring down a large device. It was rectangular, and each side was equipped with speakers. Atop the rectangle was a handle, and a series of buttons. He tapped one of the buttons with his hoof, and the song restarted. He threw his head back with a groaned. “This song sucks. Where’s something kick ass?”

I was inclined to disagree. This song had a nice beat to it, and I could feel the energy. If Lyra were out here she would probably want to dance. I cast a glance over at the bathroom. A veil of mist had formed around the entrance. Given the singing coming from the other end, I assumed Lyra was still taking her shower. Pity. Dancing would have to wait.

I set down my bags and removed my saddle and goggles. Then, I sat down by Carbine. I produced one of the bottles, and offered it to him.

When Carbine tore his gaze away from the music player, I noticed a hard, frustrated, look in his eye. Once his eye fell upon the bottle, the frustration was replaced by gluttony. He even tried to kiss me again. The key word being tried. Instead, I shoved the bottle in his face so he kissed the image of Berry Punch, assuming that was her name, in my stead.

“Haha. Oh, Symphy, you’re the best friend a stallion could ask for.” He held the bottle in his hooves, and removed the cork with his mouth. Like an idiot, he swallowed it. He gave me one of his signature grins, and raised the bottle. “Cheers.” Then he started chugging the purple liquid. Most of it missed his mouth, and dappled his sides. Carbine did not seem to care. He would only stop drinking when he was ready.

“Don’t be so greedy, Carbine. Save some for me too.”

Carbine stopped drinking for the sole purpose of spitting. Of course it landed on me. I normally would have been substantially annoyed, but I was too preoccupied to be upset.

“Holy shit, Thirteen.”

Lyra chuckled, and sauntered towards us. She was not wearing the tight black barding anymore. Instead, she was completely naked. And wet. The water served to accentuate her natural beauty in ways I could not describe. Mostly because I did not understand exactly how the water managed this feat. It just did somehow. Lyra’s mane was pressed against her supple neck, and she sensually shook her head to dry off. This was, in a word, sexy.

Then a new song started. One which sent goosebumps down my spine the instant it started. I recognized it from its first distinctive note, which oozed of funk and soul. Oh, I knew this song well. Lyra did too. She knew it very well.

Lyra threw her head back, and posed seductively. “Symphony. I’m wet. I’m sexy. And I want to dance.” The next thing I knew, she was dragging me towards the center of the room. She put her hooves on my sides, and looked me in the eye. “Shut up and dance with me, Symph.”

The first part of her commandment was easy. The second not so much. Oh, I could dance the tango like nopony’s business. But I found it near impossible to focus on the steps given the song I was listening to. There were other moves it was inspiring me to perform. Lyra and I began to dance. By dance I actually meant her body and mine were so close together it was as if we were becoming one flesh.

Oh yes, I was ready to get it on.

“Hey. Would you two do me a solid and stop fucking each other in front of me?”

I had forgotten about Carbine. I could feel my cheeks burning,

There was no blush on Lyra’s cheeks, however. She raised her head indignantly, not so subtly coughed, and backed away from me. “Very well then, Carbine. I think we can choose a different song.” She leaned in to whisper, “We can save that one for tonight.” She slinked past me, and slapped my backside with her tail.

Ouch! I jumped, partially out of surprise and partially out of pain. Lyra was being frisky. That shower had done wonders for her mood. I found my eyes lingering on Lyra’s flanks as she passed by me. Her shower had done wonders for my mood too. Tonight would be incredible.

Lyra sat down beside Carbine, and I took my place beside both of them as the tip of the triangle. I reached into my bag, and produced two more bottles of champagne. I rolled one to Lyra, and kept the other for myself. Lyra expertly removed the cork with her mouth. I, admittedly, struggled. Perhaps it could be a skill I acquired if I developed a taste for alcohol. On second thought, it was better I did not. Goddess or no Goddess, I still knew the dangerous of alcohol.

But one drink would not kill me.

Lyra took a swig of her drink, and then reached over to touch a button on Carbine’s machine. The track changed to something decidedly less sexy. A more accurate description would be somber. The tune was not quite depressing, but there was something melancholic about it. Almost as if it were pleading to somepony.

Lyra smiled sadly, and began to sing along. But when she gazed at me, and her smile grew exponentially. She raised her bottle to the heavens. “A toast. To the friends who’ve stood by us throughout our lives. May we never forget them.”

“To Sombra and Missile.” Carbine raised his bottle, and clashed it against Lyra’s. “To the only motherfucker crazy enough to take me in. And to the best Bro in the Crystal Wasteland. I…” Carbine took a deep breath, and roughly shook his head. “I know Bonesy said he made up all that Goddess stuff. But if there is a Hot Pink Goddess out there somewhere, she better take my boys in. Or else I’m gonna kick her ass!”

My toast was for two ponies. The first was Doctor Zimri. I did not know him very well, but I felt as if the two of us bonded during our time together. He was a good stallion. One who did not deserve the death he was given. I also echoed Carbine’s sentiments, and hoped that my late friend would find an afterlife to rest in. One where he could be reunited with his beloved Abigail.

The second pony I toasted was Orchestra. I had broken her heart, as well as murdered her friend. She likely hated me now. Possibly even more than she hated Lyra. Even so, she was still my sister. I wanted my sister to be happy. I wanted her to keep her faith, even if it was a sham. At the very least it gave her life meaning. I did want her to leave the True Cadanites behind, though. Hopefully she could find a stallion or mare worthy of her. I doubted I would ever attend her wedding, but I hoped it was every bit as beautiful as she.

For Doctor Zimri. For Orchestra. I touched my bottle to Lyra’s and Carbine’s.

Then, we drank. And drank. And, because there was nopony to stop us, we drank some more. There was something intoxicating about what we were drinking. It was not very good at all, but I felt compelled to keep going. Sombra. Missile. Doctor Zimri. My friends could not partake in this, so I did for them. This was their toast. Their requiem. I would be damned before I would end their requiem early.

Seems I would be damned after all. I had fallen asleep before I had finished the bottle. My mind was on the hazy side, but I had a vague recollection of a similar event occurring with my sister. Only there was less vomit this time. I quickly checked my surroundings out of fear of irony. Luckily for me, there was no vomit in sight.

There was music though. It had a slow tempo, and was heavy with synthesizers. There was another sound as well. It almost sounded like kissing. That was preposterous. The only other ponies here were Lyra and Carbine, and they would never do such a th—my eyes fell upon an empty bottle of Berry Punch’s Finest. No, Lyra and Carbine would not do such a thing. Not unless they had a little liquid motivation.

I closed my eyes, and pretended to turn in my sleep so I could eavesdrop.

“Wow. You’re amazing, Thirteen. I can see why Symph loves you so much.”

I heard Lyra sigh. “Carbine, no. I mean, I like you. Really, I do. You’re a bit too batshit for my taste, but you have your charms. And I would love to help you get a kickass mare of your own.”

“But you are a kickass mare! You’re fun, you’re funny. You put me in my place when I do dumb shit. That’s exactly the kind of mare I need. You’re also stupidly hot, but that doesn’t even matter. I just…-ugh, fuck!”

I heard one of the bottles shatter. I nearly sprang and tackled him, but I sensed no apprehension from Lyra. I decided I would not intervene unless I had to. I was ready just in case.

“I might be in love with you, Lyra. And it sucks, because you love Symph. And he loves you. And I love him too and don’t wanna fuck with his shit. But…-fuck! That or I’m just really drunk. Probably that. Either way, I need to shoot something. I’ll be right back.”

“Carbine—”

“Don’t follow me, Thirteen. I just need to be alone with Anarchy and Tenacity for a bit. We need to reaffirm our three-way love for each other. I’ll come back when I’m tired. Or hungry. Whichever comes first. Just, promise not to tell Symph about me kissing you, okay? I don’t want to piss him off. Especially now when he might actually shoot me.”

I was considering it.

“I promise. Just as long as you promise not to do anything stupid while you’re out there, okay?”

“Pfft. Thirteen, when have I ever done anything stupid?”

I heard the sound of his magic as he collected his guns, the sound of his hoofsteps, and the creaking of the door. Then, nothing but Lyra’s breathing. Then I heard her hoofsteps, and felt her warmth as she lay down beside me. Her hooves wrapped around my chest, and she rested her head on my neck.

“I’m only gonna say this once you big lug, so you better listen up.” She paused for a while. It was as if she were being extra careful with her word choice. Odd considering she thought I was asleep. “I love you, okay? I’ve loved you for a long time.” Her hooves slipped away from my chest, and fell onto the hard ground. “I never told you this, but I noticed you first. I remember seeing you walking through the streets of Haven, and going into that cafe with your sister. And you were so cute; I really wanted to say ‘hi.’ But I didn’t.

“You were a crystal pony, so you were already in a different class. Plus I thought you were with your girlfriend. And since she was wearing her CDF uniform, I knew that was a fight I did not want to start.” She took a moment to chuckle. “Then you approached me. And you were such a mess. At first I thought your girlfriend had asked you to pull a prank on me, and you were just a really bad actor. But once I saw that look in your eye, I knew you were serious. You weren’t a bad actor; you just had no game.”

Of course. It was not a true Lyra monologue without some form of playful insult.

“But, even though you really were interested, I never thought I was good enough. You were going places, Symphony. You were going to join the CDF choir, and you had the talent to make it big. You would have retired from the military, and still had a successful career. Fame, luxury, mares! They would have flocked from all over to see you. You wouldn’t have to stay faithful with so many options.

“But you would have. Because you’re a good pony, Symphony. Sure, you can be a bit on the judgmental side. And that can lead to you being an asshole from time to time. But your heart was always in the right place. You were a true disciple of Cadance. Meanwhile, I was flirting with ponies in the streets just to make some quick cash. Just another heathen harlot living in the streets of Haven.”

She lifted her hooves back up, and used them to embrace me tightly. “I’m thankful, Symphony. I’m so thankful that of all the options I know you had, you still chose me. I don’t think I’ll ever be good enough for you. And I know that one day you might meet a mare who’s better for you in every way. But until that bitch comes to steal you away, you’re mine and mine alone.”

Yes. Yes, I was. I opened my eyes, and turned to face her. Her eyes widened briefly, but then smiled sheepishly at me.

“So, I guess you heard all that, huh?”

I could have nodded. I should have nodded. But, alas, I was drunk. Or at the very least slightly intoxicated. Regardless of my official state of mind, I was in a state where I was inclined to make uncharacteristic decisions. So, I did. I took one of my hooves, and gently booped Lyra on the nose.

Neither of us said anything. Well, obviously I said nothing. Lyra’s silence was by choice. Then I noticed her mouth twitch into a grin, and she burst out laughing. “You’re such a dork.”

I felt my face scrunch at her comment. I was not a dork. I was…-too intoxicated to think of a proper antonym. But I was not a dork.

She sighed playfully, and kissed me on the cheek. “But you’re my dork, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Then she kissed my lips briefly. When she pulled away, her grin was much wider. “Now that Carbine’s gone, we can play our song.”

I could feel my blood rushing to my head as she spoke.

“Here’s the plan. I’ll go downstairs. Get some more champagne. And you can have our song playing when I get back. And then.” She winked at me. “You know how it goes.”

I knew exactly how it went. A bit of foreplay, followed by scant kisses. Then the sensual, satisfying, kisses. And then the—I took a deep breath. Calm down, Symphony. Lyra was the love of my life, and not a piece of meat. Even if we were both in the mood for carnal rutting, she deserved to be treated and viewed as the magnificent mare she was.

That all being said, I could not help but leer at her while she walked past me.

As she walked towards the staircase, she took a moment to pause. “Huh, how convenient.” She leaned down, and picked up what looked to be a matchbook. “Matches. This way I can actually see down there.”

I pointed to the night vision goggles.

She scoffed, and waved her hoof at me. “Please, Symphony. Do you honestly think I’d wear something that clunky? Carbine might be a moron, but he’s right about one thing. You’ve gotta have style!” Lyra winked at me again, and walked down the staircase with the matchbook.

While she was gone, I had my own duties to attend to. I stood up slowly, and stumbled towards the music player. Yes, I was most definitely slightly intoxicated. That was not fun. Okay. Let us see. Where was our song? I pushed the skip button about seven times. There were a few tunes I recognized, some I did not, but after the seventh time I stopped. I instantly recognized the track that was currently playing. "The Starlight Sonata". The song I associated with my sister.

Something in my brain clicked, and I became very worried. Orchestra should have been hot on our trail after Joab’s death. I doubted all the forces of Tartarus could have slowed her down after finding her comrade’s body. If that were the case, then why had she not caught up to us? We had taken a detour to Tombstone Radio, but they had a tracker with them. I was unsure of how adept Purity was, but I assumed she could have followed us there. But she had not. I would have recognized my sister if I had seen her amongst the soldiers. Even from that far a distance I would have known it to be her. Orchestra was not behind us anymore, was she? She was in front of us.

I picked up the rifle that had nearly killed me. Now I knew where I had seen this before. This was Joab’s rifle. They had set it up, hoping he could get one last kill. Possibly self-vengeance. What else had Orchestra done while she was here? And where was she now? What about Carbine? Was he safe? Was I? Was Lyra?

No, she was not. Of course there were matches by the entrance to the stairs. It was a genius plan. The matches seemed innocuous enough, and would provide light in the dark basement. They had known we would go exploring the basement at some point, so they had planted the matchbook. I remembered the priest had one in the church, so it was likely his. It also served to explain the rank smell in the basement. I had failed to realize what I had smelt was a gas leak. That room was full of flammable gas. And Lyra was about to light a match.

I ran after her. I screamed as loud as I could. I would never know what, if any, sounds I was making. I could hear nothing over the sound of my blood pumping in my veins. Nothing over the sound of the screams in my head.

Nothing over the explosion in the basement.

The force knocked me backwards. I slammed into a wall, and could feel the heat of the burning flame. But I wouldn’t be deterred. I didn’t care if my body hurt. I had to save Lyra. Let her be okay. Please, Holy Mother. Shadow Goddess. Celestia. Somepony, please!

I grabbed the goggles, and slapped them on as quickly as possible. Then I raced to the stairs. I stood at the top of the staircase, and looked upon what remained of my beloved. There wasn’t a body. There were barely even body parts. There was blood everywhere. Blood, flesh, entrails. One of her legs rested at the bottom of the staircase. I took a step, and heard a squish. Oh, no. I lifted my hoof, and gazed in horror at the remains of one of Lyra’s eyes. One of her beautiful, beautiful, eyes.

Lyra… Lyra… LYRA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NO! NO! NO!

I bashed my head against the wall. Come on, you bastard, wake up! WAKE UP! This was a nightmare. That was the only possibility. Lyra couldn’t be dead. Not her. Anypony but her. Sombra, Missile, Doctor Zimri, Cadance! Carbine, Orchestra! Kill them all! Just give me her. That’s all I needed. Just her….

I collapsed onto my stomach. I could feel the blood pouring down my face. I couldn’t tell if it was my blood or Lyra’s. But it didn’t matter. I wasn’t long for this world anyways. Orchestra would come soon. She would rant about some divine judgment bullshit, and then she would burn me. Go ahead, cunt. Do your worst. But know this. I’ll only give you one shot before I fight back.

No. Orchestra already had her one shot. And it came from Joab’s rifle. That’s right. The rifle.

I pulled myself to my hooves, and retrieved the rifle. I gave it a brief check. There was only shot left. That was fine. I only needed one. I walked towards the door, and stood directly under where the gun had originally been positioned. I aimed the barrel at the door, and waited for my sister to open it.

Footnote:

Level Up:

New Perk Added: Master Blaster! You really know your way around things that go boom. Keep up the good work, and make sure you don't die from your own stick of dynamite.

Explosives increased to 50.

Author's Notes:

As always, I want to thank Kkat for creating the world. Other authors for their contributions. And for my readers. Thanks a bunch!

Originally, I was going to include song lyrics in this chapter, but my editor decided against it due to copyright laws. So, I thought I’d say what the songs were. “September” by Earth, Wind and Fire. “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye. “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King. “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell.

And speaking of songs, I was listening to "Candle In The Wind" while uploading this chapter. I think that's a good requiem for Lyra. Boy, that scene at the end was not easy to write...

On a happier note, how 'bout that finale though?! It's my personal favorite so far, largely due to Starlight Glimmer. I honestly think she's my favorite character at this point. I'm not sure how I feel about her becoming a new mane character, if that's what they are going for, but I am happy that I'll get to see more best pony.

Happy Holidays, everyone!