Sunday
2050

I ducked down behind my table, casting a disinterest spell.

Clippy landed beside me, her eyes staring right at me.

"Clippy! Somepony should do something."

...

I could be that somepony...

...

But that could be dangerous...

I shivered as I realized that Clippy was dead, and I was talking to a dead body...

Sunday
2055

"It's me, ponies - Lunar Note! News for all my little ponies, as DJ P0N3 would say." She chuckled, sobering up after a moment. "Everyone knows about Security, right? The big one down in Hoofington. Apparently some raiders got their hooves on her and..." Lunar paused, voice wavering. "Well, reports are sketchy, but what I've heard is it was... really bad. Details unnecessary. So! Anyways. When her lovely band of ponies caught up to her rescued her and started the muchly deserved murdering of raiders, and... Get this." She paused again, chuckling. "Security had her ponies spare the raiders. Fuckin' crazy, right? What kind of an idiot would spare a gang of murderous rapists?"

Her companion, a stallion with a cool, clipped accent that made me think of some of the wartime radio broadcasts I'd heard of, spoke up. "Well, Lunar, perhaps it's her kindness? Maybe everypony should follow her example, just a little bit? 'Do better', as Ministry Mare Fluttershy said?"

I bet the mares love this guy...

Lunar took a moment to consider. "Maybe you're right. Or, maybe, she's just some daft, naive Stable pony. Kill 'em all, let the Princesses sort 'em out, right? Either way - what do I know? Carry on with what you're doin', Security, it seems to be working. Hey, it's time for your show, right, Moony?"

"Too right, Lunar, too right." He fell silent for a moment. "I'm Moonstone Mustang, Lunar's magic technician, and you are listening to Tech Talk! If you've a Pipbuck, you may have looked through the tools, and come across SANS - Stable-tec Arcane Navigation Spell. This can be used to guide you to ponies and places - locations you've saved or other ponies with Pipbucks so long as you know their Pipbuck tag. For example, you can mark your home on the Pipbuck's map, and no matter where you are in Equestria, your Pipbuck can guide you home! Compared to a device that can track your live progress on a map, it may not as helpful as it seems, yet nevertheless... do not forget about it. It can save your life! And with that... don't forget to use your loaf, either!"

I wonder what that means...

Lunar chipped in as gentle music came from the radio. "Here's some sweet, sweet Sweetie Belle."

The music cut out, with a sizzling pop, and everyone looked up. I walked over to the radio, looking at it and flipping the switch.

"That's weird..."

Sergeant Cyclone and Security Officer Pumpkin Blitz were in a discussion about Cloudsdale, but they stopped as the radio cut out.

Loud gunfire ripped through the Atrium.

I ducked down behind a table at the sound of somepony galloping down the hallway, and looked around to see Firefly, tail streaming out behind her, covered in shampoo suds.

"Firefly!" I stepped out from behind the table, waving a hoof at her. "What's going on?"

She shook her head. "Get down!"

I took another step out from the table--

Sunday
2056

"Shots fired inside the Stable!"

My blood ran cold as those words came through my Pipbuck's radio. Immediately a dozen voices followed it, all speaking simultaneously.

I looked to the shrink. "I've gotta go..."

Database Error nodded, paling. "Go save the Stable. I can keep my head down here."

My Pipbuck screeched, and Captain Firefly's voice cut through the static and confusion. "I need everyone to shut the fuck up right now! Keep your communications to your personal channels, unless you need to address the entire Security division! That is an order!" Silence filled the radio for a moment. "Security station, report!"

...

"Does anypony have any clue what is happening?"

Another moment of silence, before I spoke up. "Negative, ma'am."

"I need someone at Security yesterday! I'll be there in five. If you can get to Security, get there! If not, find somewhere to hole up with as many civilians as you can." Various ponies replied in affirmatives. "Weld, report!"

Somepony groaned into the radio. "Weld, here."

"Tell me some good news, Weld."

"Something in the station happened. I'm sealed in the Armory - the door's locked itself. Don't know anything further; sorry, Captain." She continued giving orders, and I tuned her out, focusing on my surroundings.

I trotted for the Security station, passing through one of the big armored doors that separated the Atrium from the rest of the Stable.

I heard somepony yelp, and I saw Joker falling to the ground at the end of the hallway. His pistol slid along the hallway, to settle at my hooves. I picked it up, flicking the safety off.

He rolled to his hooves, backing away, dodging... nothing? One hit landed, and he fell backwards, hooves kicked out from under him.

Somepony stepped out of thin air!

A zebra.

They shifted, trotting over to Joker, and the light fell across their features. They looked more like Cyclone than a Stable zebra. A ghoul!

Joker slid back against a wall, and the zebra drew a revolver from their flanks, lowering it to Joker's temple.

I raised the pistol.

Line up sights on target.

I exhaled slowly, holding my breath and biting down on the bit.

I pulled back on the trigger with my tongue.

The gun bucked in my mouth, and I quickly reset my sights as the gunshot echoed down the hallway.

The zebra had fallen over and stopped moving. I galloped down the hallway, tongue off the trigger, and looked at the body. They weren't moving...

I fired a second shot at the base of their brain stem, just to make sure they weren't going anywhere. Just in case.

"You okay, Joker?"

He nodded gratefully. "Thanks, Mineral..." I returned his pistol, and he holstered it.

I spoke into the radio, cutting someone off. "Captain! They're zebra ghouls. With invisibility cloaks."

Firefly answered quickly. "You're sure on this, Sands?"

"I've got a fuckin' stiff down in one of the back halls near the Atrium." I kicked the body, and something went crunch inside. "You're free to come down and take a look if you want."

"That won't be necessary, Sands..."

Cyclone spoke up. "Given everything going on out on the surface, it makes sense that the Star Touched would be active now... it would be about that time again..."

Firefly grumbled. "I swear to Celestia, I'm going to pistol whip the next pony who uses vague terms I don't know. Right! Sands. Good work."

I tuned Firefly out again as I looked to Joker. "There's a checkpoint nearby, there should be weapons in it." I nodded in its direction.

"Let's go..." Joker shrugged in agreement.

I lead the way, and rounding a corner, we found a couple of Stable ponies.

One of them was laying on the ground, not moving, held by the other. The other one looked to me, and I identified them - Pepperbox. That must make it... I glanced to Tacit Understatement's body and sighed softly, hurrying over.

I could tell from a quick glance Tacit was dead.

"He's dead..." Pepperbox looked down to him sadly. "Come with us, Pepperbox." She looked up to me in confusion. "There's nothing you can do for him..."

Joker looked to me in shock. "How can you be so... so... sane about this! Tacit's dead, and you're just, okay with that?"

"No, Joker! I'm not 'okay' with that!"

"Then, how the hell are you..." He frowned in shock.

"I... I watched Crescent die." Pepperbox looked shocked. "I was talking to her when she died."

I closed my eyes, taking a breath.

Stay calm. Getting angry won't help anypony.

Captain Firefly stayed calm and focused on just what was necessary to get us home.

I blew out a breath harshly.

I can do that.

What do we need to do?

I opened my eyes. "We need to get moving so we can get armed, so we can defend ourselves and make sure that nopony else dies, too!"

Pepperbox looked back up to me. "Can we..."

"Yes, Pepperbox, we can get the fuckers that killed him. For Tacit!" I offered her my hoof.

"Look, boss! More Stable ponies!"

I glanced over my shoulder to see a group of wastelanders - not zebras! - brandishing weapons and improvised barding.

Oh, shit.

"Run!" I pushed Pepperbox to her hooves and hurried down the hallway, Joker ahead of me.

"Get them!" They opened fire, echoing gunfire following us, but they didn't hit anything other than the floor and walls.

I yelled back at them. "You bastards can fuck right off!"

"We're gonna get you!"

Joker held the door to the checkpoint open, and I followed Pepperbox inside, pulling the door closed behind us.

They settled just outside the door to the checkpoint, and I could hear them through the gun slit. I slipped along the checkpoint, up to the gun nest, overlooking the hallway.

We were in a machine gun nest overlooking a four-way intersection, just above one of the secured doors leading to the rest of the Stable, which was opened. The two hallways we hadn't come through looped through some lightly used secondary areas and fed back into the Atrium from the first floor.

The checkpoint itself was a narrow hallway running alongside the main hallway, lined with lockers. Two bunks sat at the far end. A ladder lead up to the gun nest, which was a narrow room directly over the hallway, looking down into it. The ceiling sloped down towards the four-way junction where the attackers were standing.

I'd always wondered what its purpose was - it made more sense to just keep them Outside - but right now I was so happy Stable-tec did it.

There were five of them, two of them unicorns.

"Where'd they go?" The apparent leader was a brown unicorn mare, waving a shiny revolver around in her green magic. Her barding consisted of a bunch of clipboards tied together like chain mail that jingled as she walked.

The rest of them shrugged.

One of the earth ponies, a stallion, spoke up. "Dunno, Rimshot." He wore a hoofball helmet, spikes protruding through the top.

I looked to the weapons locker, seeing the access key was right next to it.

...

Too fuckin' easy.

I gestured to Joker, and then to the locker, and he nodded, slipping over to the locker and opening it.

"Leave 'em, there's sure to be plenty of other ponies." The other unicorn was a stallion, his barding covered in sheathed knives and his mane cut into a spiky mohawk.

Probably held in place with engine grease or something. "We can weed 'em out once we secure the Stable."

The other unicorn shook her head, waving her revolver in his direction. "Nah, I think they're with the local militia. They'll show up later on if we don't kill 'em now."

One of the earth ponies, a mare with a sword slung across her side, grumbled. "Fuckin' Stable ponies, right?"

The leader spun on the mare who'd spoken. "Well, what're you still doing here? Fan out and find them! They can't have gone far. I'll stay here and make sure they can't double back." The other unicorn and earth ponies split into pairs, heading along the two hallways we hadn't gone down.

Fuck.

I glanced to Pepperbox, gesturing for her to bring the machine gun up to me. She looked at me in shock, whispering to me. "What do we do?"

I glared at her, whispering back. "Get me the gun and a box of ammo." I pointed over her shoulder at a can of belted rounds. She looked over her shoulder and nodded, using her tail to pull it over.

"I know you're there! Come out, come out and I'll make it quick!" The unicorn hopped and spun around, her barding rattling loudly as she did.

I flattened myself against the wall, peeking down the slit. She was right under it, looking every direction but up!

She growled, trotting towards the way we'd come, pacing back and forth.

Pepperbox loaded the machine gun and brought it up, and I linked it to the mount, aiming it downwards at her.

"Shake, Chipsy, come back! They're fuckin' here, somewhere!" The sound of approaching hoofsteps told me our time had run out.

I stepped on the trigger, and nothing happened.

I looked to Joker, and he whispered, "pull the handle," gesturing back and forward. Pepperbox grabbed the handle, pulling it back and racking it loudly.

"I found you!" The unicorn looked up at the sound of Pepperbox charging the machine gun, and I grinned, stepping on the trigger.

She barely had time to realize how fucked she was before she died, and I walked rounds into the pair of approaching earth ponies - they followed shortly. "Yeah! Come get some!"

The second unicorn managed to put up a shield barrier, but it wasn't strong enough to do more than delay the inevitable.

"Hey, there were five raiders..."

The door to the checkpoint opened, and the last raider cackled as he trotted into the checkpoint. "Found you!" He had an automatic shotgun in a battle saddle, and he opened fire, his first shots hitting Joker.

Pepperbox raised her weapon, firing a perfect two shots, both hitting the same spot in his welding helmet's visor, the second punching through. His gunfire trailed off into the wall, bouncing pellets back at me. I raised a hoof to shield my face from them.

He fell down, screaming, and a third shot from Pepperbox silenced him.

Pepperbox looked to me. "You forgot to lock the door?"

"This is really not the fucking time, Pepperbox!" I pushed her aside as I hurried to Joker. "Close the door - lock it - get the door leading into the Stable and watch the gun. I'll tend to Joker."

She nodded and trotted past me with a scowl as I took a deep breath.

Calm, Mineral.

"Where are you hit?" I looked to him.

"My wings! He hit my wings!"

"Stop moving, please, you're making it difficult for me to help. Did he hit you anywhere else?" He froze up, tensing.

He shook his head. "My armor stopped most of it..."

"That's good. Wings are mostly flesh wounds. It's usually not fatal."

"What if he ruined my wings?"

"You're not going to die. That's what matters, right?" He frowned, glancing to his wings as I probed them with my hoof.

He opened his mouth, and I spoke over him as he gasped sharply. "Joker, please. You're not in enough pain to distract you from worrying about your wings."

He nodded grimly. "How many ponies do you think we've lost?"

I paused running my hooves through his wings at his question.

His Pipbuck screeched, and I winced as as a flatline alert flashed across the screen.

"I don't know, Joker..."

Pepperbox called down softly. "It's going to be bad."

Joker's Pipbuck radio beeped, and Captain Firefly came through it. "Where the hell is Dash?"

Sunday
2112

I looked to Platinum Starlight, and she looked back to me as our Pipbucks flashed a flatline warning.

"I'm down in Agriculture, boss." I glanced up and down the hall, before gesturing her into the room across the hall as I drew my pistol.

"The hell are you doing in there?"

"I'm having a picnic under the apple trees!" Dash fell silent for a long moment. "What's the plan, boss?"

Firefly spoke after another long moment, with a tone of sly confidence. "We are going to make these fuckers regret their life choices." I glanced to my map as I followed Plat into the room.

We were a level up from Agriculture. Not a far trot.

"While I can only echo that sentiment, Captain, I have to mention that's rather sparse on the details."

"Indeed, Sergeant. We'll go with Defense plan five-seven. Occupy the fortified checkpoints and the Door, restrict their movement. Isolate and stamp out. After we've got them trapped, we'll funnel them to the Atrium and force a fight on our terms."

I spoke up. "Shine here. Plat and I are near Agriculture. We could dig Dash's flanks out."

Dash spoke back."No need - we've got shelter and weapons. Go occupy the nearest checkpoint."

"Yes, sir."

I looked to Plat as gunfire echoes down the halls.

Someone spoke through the radio, a civilian. "That's a risky plan, Captain. What if they take hostages? Wouldn't it be better to open the Door let them leave?"

"No, Councilor Rose. If they control the Door, that means they can bring ponies into the Stable, too. If we don't control the Door, we have big problems."

Councilor Rose continued. "Ah, I see... that makes sense. How did they get inside? And what are they here for?"

"Councilor, those are all very excellent questions, all of which I will find answers to one way or another, but I really need you to keep the comms clear now, or more ponies will die." Captain Firefly sounded spoke quietly, on edge, like she was about to snap at someone. "Please find somewhere and keep your head down while we sort this out."

"Very well. Our lives are in your capable hooves, Captain."

"Thank you, Councilor." Firefly addressed the comms. "Dash, you're on VIP duty. Find a team and secure VIPs."

Before Dash could acknowledge, somepony else cut him off, yelling into the comms.

"This is a direct order from the Council: I need a team of Security ponies to the Council chambers, ASAP!" That sounds like...

"Councilor Inertia?" I glanced to Plat, and she nodded.

Firefly turned her attention to Councilor Inertia. "I'm sorry, Councilor Inertia? Do you have a problem?"

"There are attackers inside the Stable, Captain! You may have noticed that?"

"Yes, Councilor... I have noticed. This is why I'm in Operations, directing Security."

"Well, we're unprotected in the Council chambers. We require protection."

"Are you under attack currently?" Captain Firefly's vexed tone continued.

"No, but we could be, at any time."

"Councilor, I must ask you a question. Are you the Chief of Field Operations?"

"No?"

"You don't send a chef to repair a water pump. You don't send a Councilor to lead the defense of the Stable." Firefly spoke tersely. "Keep off the radio unless you require immediate assistance OR have something I need to know this minute. Are we clear, Councilor?"

"You can't talk to me like that, I'm a-"

Overmare Keeper spoke over Councilor Inertia. "Yes, Councilor, she can. As Chief of Field Operations, her orders supersede even mine during a crisis such as this. Please allow Captain Firefly to do her job undisturbed, Councilor."

"Thank you, Overmare..."

I looked over my shoulder to Plat. "Command troubles..."

She made a face of annoyance. "Nominal Inertia..."

"He's an idiot, yes." I looked back down to my Pipbuck. "There's a checkpoint down the hallway. Let's go."

She glanced over her shoulder, to me, to her Pipbuck, swallowed, then nodded. "Yeah. Let's do it."

I drew my pistol, slipping out into the hallway.

Nopony shot at me, which I took as a good sign.

I continued down the hallway, hopping from room to room as Plat covered me, and I covered her as she followed me.

We made it to the checkpoint without encountering any hostiles, though gunfire continued to echo around us.

The door was sealed, and I had a feeling about it, like that time I'd had in Baltimare during the caravan duty. I gestured for Plat to open the door while I'd enter.

Somepony in a Stable suit rushed me, screaming, and I rolled back with their charge, using their inertia to throw them into the wall behind me. "Stop! Stable Security!"

I rolled to my hooves, turning to face them.

It was Skyfault. "Oh, Nimble, it's just you." He was an orange unicorn, with a yellow and light blue-green mane, which he was running a hoof through nervously. "Sorry about that."

"Yeah, it's me." I gestured inside the checkpoint, noticing that he wasn't alone. Ceramic Plate and Xenxhir were with him, a couple of his friends I knew, though not closely. "Why aren't you armed? There's a weapons locker right there."

Xenxhir spoke, a green zony with a spiky purple mane. "Well, it's locked..."

I groaned as Plat sealed the door behind us, and I spoke into my Pipbuck. "Shine to Security, need an access code for weapons locker..." I looked to the locker, "two niner."

"Hold, Shine." The dispatcher continued after a moment. "Locker two niner? Try... one-two-three-four."

I hoofed the code in, and the locker opened. "Thanks." I immediately retrieved a submachine gun and half of the magazines for it. "Was that so difficult?"

"Apparently it was." Ceramic Plates was a stout, purple mare with a long, blue and green striped mane. She'd tied it into a loose bun, and her suit was rolled up past her knees. "Thanks." She stepped past me to dig out a revolver and a holster.

"Okay, we need to get the gun set up." I glanced around. "Skyfault, help Plat set the gun up." I gestured to him, the locker behind me, and finally the ledge that overlooked the hallway it secured. He bit his lip and nodded.

I climbed up to the gun to watch the hallway, hitting the switch to seal the door into the Stable.

Sunday
2130

"Minty here. I'm at the Door..."

Firefly spoke up in relief. "Minty! What happened?"

"I don't know... ponies attacked us and opened the Door. Dawn's dead, Captain! Everyone else is dead!"

"Focus, Minty..." I nodded to myself. "What is the Door's status?"

"Right..." I rose, poking from cover.

The Door was opened, cool air gently running through my coat.

Somepony was pacing near it. A zebra. They wore a Stable suit, one of the civilian suits. Shauvir groaned, and the zebra walked over to them, drawing a pistol, and shot them, their gun magically silenced.

I ducked back out of sight as they looked over at me.

I held my Pipbuck up, whispering into it. "Captain - the Door is opened. There's... a Stable pony guarding it. They just shot Shauvir!"

"What?"

"I said-"

"I heard you. You have to seal the Door."

"Okay..." I nodded. "Okay. I can do this..." I poked my head around, and saw the pony sitting down by the entrance to the Atrium access tunnel.

"Why?" I staggered out of cover, yelling at the traitor. "Why did you do it?"

Their only answer was to shoot at me.

"You fucking coward!" I drew my pistol and activated SATS.

I don't know what happened, but somehow I survived... they were dead, and I wasn't!

I crawled to the Door control console, sealing the Door with my Pipbuck.

The Door screeched loudly as it whirred to the side and slid back, cogs locking into their slots as it sealed.

"The Door is closed...."

"Good! What's your status?"

I looked down, seeing blood staining my suit. "I'm hit..."

"Minty, stay with me..."

"Sorry, Captain... I did what I could."

"Minty. I need you to stay conscious. We need someone watching the Door."

"I... I can't..."

"Damn it, Minty!" Firefly continued talking into the radio as everything got fuzzy... "Where the hell is Blitz?"

...

Sunday
2145

"Kind of a little busy here! Tawny, I need a reload!" Blitzy ducked down behind the table, tossing her revolver in my direction. "I'm pinned down in the Atrium. What do you need, Captain?" She glanced up at the balcony above us as she spoke into her Pipbuck.

I levitated the revolver over, opened the cylinder and dumping the spent rounds, holding up the last four rounds so she could see them. "Last reload, Blitzy!"

She scowled at her Pipbuck, waving a wing at me in acknowledgement. "Can't do that right now. Need somepony to dig us out of here first." She glanced to me as I tossed her the loaded gun. "Looks like they're some surfacer gang, Captain, not Crimson's troops."

Somepony teleported into the middle of the Atrium and threw up a shield barrier sphere with a scream of anger and pain.

I poked my head over the table, seeing somepony in a Stable suit inside the sphere, turning and approaching a group of the attackers. She methodically started hitting them with bolts of magic through her shield.

Who is that...?

Cyclone grabbed my mane, pulling me down. "Keep your head down, Forge!"

Blitzy leaned out, revolver out, and fired twice.

Within two minutes, the Atrium had fallen silent, and the pony looked around and dispelled their shield barrier, falling to the ground.

It was... Astral.

...

Blitzy looked around, checking that it was clear, and emerged from the table. "Astral?"

Astral jumped, teleporting to her hooves and looking around frantically, before looking to Blitzy. "Pumpkin?" Astral shook her head sadly. "They're all dead..."

Blitzy looked to Astral. "Astral, I need you to come with me. We need to make sure nopony else comes through the Door, so Firefly and her teams can deal with the attackers. Cyclone, can you take control of getting the wounded to Security? There's a first aid station there." She paused, glancing to me. "Tawny... come with me."

Astral nodded. "Ookay..." I approached Astral, nuzzling her.

"Wouldn't it make more sense for Astral and I to carry ponies to Security, while you and Cyclone secure the Door?"

Blitzy shook her head. "I... I want you to stay where I can see you." She glanced around. "Cyclone can put the uninjured to work. Plus, I'd like to have some unicorns with me at the Door, especially with Astral's shield barriers."

I glanced to Cyclone and Astral, and nodded. "That makes sense..."

Blitzy pushed off into the air, flying up to the second level balcony as she spoke into her Pipbuck. "On my way, Captain. Do I have anypony waiting for me?"

"Affirm, Blitz, you've got support waiting in the Armory. Good luck. Out."

I pulled Astral to her hooves. "C'mon, Astral, let's go!" She nodded nervously, following me up the stairs to the second level.

The Atrium was a large, two level room, one of the biggest rooms in the Stable, other than the Orchards or maybe some of the Maintenance areas. The bottom level was a large, open space, with a small fountain and some greenery in the center. We'd been on the bottom level, in the lower level of the Cafe, across from the Library, which was open to the main Atrium, but separated from it by a noise cancellation enchantment. On the other side, on the top floor, were the entrances to Security and Operations. The lower level was recreation areas - pool tables, benches and tables under the Cafe.

Right now, the tables in the Cafe and lower levels had been flipped onto their sides, bullet holes through many of them. Bodies - some clad in Stable suits, others in improvised barding - were scattered around, and a large area in the middle had been cleared out by Astral's attack near the fountain.

I lead Astral through to Security and the Armory.

Blitzy was there already, getting dressed. I approached her, and she tossed me a helmet. "Put this on." She gestured to a big gun sitting on the floor. "Tawny, can you handle this?"

I caught the helmet, frowning as I noticed it didn't have a hole for my horn. "It's..."

"It's a machine gun. We'll mount it to the railing by the Door."

I thought about that, and nodded decisively. "Yeah, I can." I set the helmet aside. "I can't wear this..."

Blitzy nodded grimly and fell silent as she finished strapping armor on.

Astral glanced around, speaking quietly. "So, is there anyone else coming?"

"Speak up, Astral." Blitzy nodded as Astral repeated herself a little louder. "Supposedly... You're gonna want armor, too, Researcher. Even with that amazing shield barrier..."

Astral glanced around as Sergeant Weld disappeared for a moment.

I trotted over to her. "Blitzy, you're yelling. Hold still." I leaned over, resting my horn against her temple, casting a weak regeneration spell.

Sergeant Weld trotted over, bringing Astral and I armor. "We don't have any more unicorn helmets. Sorry, mares..."

I nodded slowly. "We'll make do, Sergeant..." I levitated a boonie cap over, settling it over my horn.

Astral picked up a big shotgun, grinning as she held it up. "Oh, I like this."

Sergeant Weld hurried over. "Put that down, please... that's Captain Firefly's."

"Oh..." Sergeant Weld levitated over another shotgun to her, showing her how to use it. I leaned in to hug Blitzy for a moment, and she adjusted the chin strap on my hat with her wings.

"Pumpkin!" Blitzy's mother, a blue pegasus who shared her deep purple eye color and a similar mane style, but yellow-orange instead of blue-green, trotted in, already dressed. "There you are." The edges of her mouth turned down slightly at the sight of me.

Oh, I was so hoping to see my partner's mother...

"Mother?" Blitzy walked over to her, hugging her with a wing. "What are you doing here?"

"Captain Firefly ordered me to help you secure the Door."

"And Father..?"

"He's down in the Orchards with Lieutenant Dash."

Blitz nodded. "Anyone else?" Her mother shook her head.

"Captain Firefly says she'll get us reinforcements when she's able."

"Very well..." I looked to Blitz, picking up the machine gun and two boxes of ammo, and we headed out through Security, passing Ceru and Councilor Sheets.

Sunday
2155

I entered Operations two steps behind Doctor Mend, and Captain Firefly immediately made a beeline for him. "Cerulean! Good. We've got a triage area in the briefing room." She gestured towards one of the doors off the main lobby. "It's yours now."

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Firefly... why me?"

"Because, quite frankly, it's your fucking job." She turned to face me. "What can I do for you..."

Doctor Mend looked to her in shock, interrupting her. "But Doctor Charm..."

"Oh. Right." Captain Firefly scowled. "That." She turned back to Mend. "Fortunately, I outrank Warding Charm right now." She pointed a hoof at Doctor Mend. "I am putting you in charge of the medical station in Security and if Charm has a problem with it, he can fucking deal with it." She snarled out those last words. "You are the most experienced doctor in the Stable right now - how many other ponies have even seen a gunshot wound?" Doctor Mend opened his mouth to answer, and Captain Firefly cut him off with a frosty glare. "Any medically cross-trained Security ponies are more useful as guns than medics right now. Your specialty is doctoring - go be a doctor. Don't let me down, Cerulean."

"Oh... uh. Right." Doctor Mend nodded nervously, turning to trot off. "I got this..."

"Cerulean!" He looked back at her, and she levitated a healing potion over, drinking from it. "Here. I've blessed it!" She levitated it to him. "Go forth and save the Stable, Doctor!"

Doctor Mend gave her a blank look, before smiling slowly. "Thank you, Captain..." He took the potion and galloped off towards Security past me.

Captain Firefly turned to me coolly. "Yes, Councilor. What can I help you with?"

I bit my lip nervously. "I'm here to provide any assistance I can, Captain."

"Good. You can help Cerulean." She pointed a hoof at Doctor Mend as he hurried off.

"I'm on it." I turned to follow Mend.

"Hold on. Sheets!" I glanced back to Firefly. "First, find me somepony to fix The Gun in the Atrium."

"Yes, ma'am." I looked to my Pipbuck as she trotted off, going over to Colonel Range.

Copper Filament.

I contacted her through my Pipbuck, using the Council's frequency. "Copper, where are you? I need something from you."

"I'm down in the sublevels. What's going on? Are you okay?"

"The Stable is under attack - Security is repelling them. I'm fine. Captain Firefly needs you to find somepony to look at The Gun in the Atrium."

"I'll see to it personally."

"Be careful, Copper..."

"I don't intend to die tonight, dear. I'll be fine."

I nodded to myself, glanced around, stepping out of the way of a pair of Security ponies trotting past me, and headed towards Security to help Doctor Mend.

I approached him, and he scowled at me. "What is it?"

"Captain Firefly told me to help you, Doctor."

"Alright. Do you know anything about medicine?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Great." He frowned. "Can you... follow simple directions?"

"What kind of a question is that...?"

Doctor Mend spoke slowly. "If you can follow simple directions, I can show you how to do basic things so I can do the more important things. Answer the question, mare!" I nodded mutely. "Good. You'll triage ponies as they come in." I opened my mouth to ask him what that meant, and he glared at me as he levitated out four rolls of string. "You're in charge of who I get to - tie a length of string around everyone's hooves." He held up a roll of green. "Green, they're not really injured. If they can walk, talk and aren't bleeding profusely from somewhere, they're green." He held up the yellow, and I adjusted my glasses. "Yellow, they're injured, but not in danger of dying. Broken limbs, etc. Find them a spot out of the way, get to them when you have time." He held up the red. "Red, critical condition, these ponies need my attention immediately." He held up the black string. "Black means they're not going to survive. Nothing we can do but comfort them." He paused, swallowing.

I blinked in shock. He grimaced. "I... I know."

After a moment, he started again. "Remember this - ABC. Airway, Breathing, Circulation. Airway - is their airway clear? If not, tilt their head back. Breathing - are they breathing? If yes, are they breathing enough? If they're not, black. Circulation - is the blood flowing? If yes, good. Is the blood flowing out of them? Still good. Red. Get someone to put pressure on the wound, bandage and elevate it, if possible." He guided my hoof to his neck. "If they're not breathing, not bleeding, their heart isn't beating, black. This is a constant process - if you can bandage a bleeding yellow and stabilize them, they become a green, or a yellow stops breathing and becomes a red."

"What about internal bleeding? Or..."

"Don't worry about that." He frowned, cutting me off. "This is a worst case scenario. Lots of ponies are going to die, no matter what we do. Don't get bogged down with blacks, and don't spend more than a minute with anyone. Just focus on helping who you can and keep your eyes open." He tucked the rolls of string into my collar and hurried off.

I turned and saw a pony hopping in on three hooves - I rushed over to her, looking her over. "What happened?"

"I sprained my hoof on the way here. I'm a nurse - help me and I can get to work." I nodded - apparently a little nervously - and she smiled to me. "Don't worry - it's not hard. I'll walk you through it."

She showed me how to splint her leg.

She got to her hooves, testing her forehoof with a wince. "I can walk... thank you." She waved her injured hoof in the air, calling out. "Excuse me! Anypony who requires assistance, please go over to the corner!" She glanced that way, nodding to the crowd of ponies who were moving over there, and I followed them over there. "Anyone else who still requires assistance but can't move, raise your hoof or speak up!" She turned, trotting off among the ponies. "Anypony who does not require assistance, please clear the way!"

I glanced among the ponies, starting to triage. The first was a stallion. "What happened, sir?"

"I was in the Cafe, listening to some of the Security ponies talk about-"

"Sir, I-"

He continued on with his story undeterred. "-the radio died. How weird was that? It never dies-"

"Sir, I just need to-" I cleared my throat loudly, and he stopped with a harassed look. "Sir. I need to know where you're hurt."

He looked down. "You know, I thought I was hurt..." He waved his hoof, narrowly missing my ear. "Ah! I've got this cut here. Is it serious?"

I looked at it closely. "I don't think so." I tied a loop of green around his hoof. "Find somewhere to sit down out of the way, please. We'll see to you when we can, okay?"

"Oh, okay!" He nodded. "Say. Who's the doctor here?"

"Cerulean Mend."

At that, several ponies shared nervous looks, including the pony I was triaging. "Are there... any other doctors...?"

"No, there aren't. Why?"

"I want someone who's going to listen to me when I tell him something!" Someone yelled out, and everyone turned to look at him. He cowered from the attention. "What? You were all thinking it!"

Doctor Mend paused, frowning. "If you want me to help you, shut up and stop complaining. Otherwise, get out. I don't have time to waste on ponies who don't want my help. If you'll excuse me, I have lives to save." He went back to the pony he was tending to.

Many of the ponies around us looked unhappy, nervous, or concerned, but none of them left.

I looked to the next pony. "Where are you...?" She turned, and her flank was covered in blood. Other than the blood, she was breathing quickly. I recognized her - it was Sweet Drops, one of my classmates from when I was in school.

Mend rushed past me, and I flagged him down. "Doctor?"

He gave her one look, his eyes widening slightly, and he shook his head. "Black."

"But..." Mend kept walking, ignoring me, and I nodded, cutting off a length of black string and tying it around her hoof.

"Spark? What does that mean?"

I turned away.

"Spark!" She waved the hoof with the black string at me. "What does that mean?"

"It means you're going to die..."

"What?"

"We can't help you... Not... not without... I'm sorry. I have to..." I turned away, trailing off.

She curled up, starting to cry.

I hurried away.

Sunday
2204

I galloped into Operations and hurried for Captain Firefly. "What do you want me to do, Captain?" I saluted.

She turned and looked at me, frowning and glancing around. "Don't salute in the middle of battle."

"Um, sorry..." I looked to her. "Please let me help!"

"Are you sure you can help?" She turned to face me with a serious look.

I nodded. "Anything!"

"Very well. You're with Range; you'll hold Security and watch the door to Security."

"Captain?" I glanced over at the door. "That seems kind of...?" I trailed off.

She turned back towards me. "If you can't follow orders, soldier, I can find a nice closet to lock you in. I hear the Armory's is pretty spacious."

"Uh, no, please, ma'am..."

"Good." She turned towards Security, and a tan unicorn mare teleported in, accompanied by a blue stallion, who stumbled with a disoriented shake of his head. He had very nicely buffed hooves...

"Charm! Collage! Good timing." She waved a hoof at the unicorn and gestured towards me. "This is Rivets. Go get him a kit. After that, he's going to watch the door to Security." Firefly gestured to me, and I smiled to Charm nervously. "Once you're done with that, report to me; I'm putting together an assault team to clear the Stable - you two are on it."

"Captain?" Charm gave her a similarly confused look.

"You heard me!" Captain Firefly turned, galloping off to talk to another group of ponies. "Samsiir, Sharps, hold on!"

I looked to the mare, and she looked back to me. "Well... this way." She nodded over towards the Armory. "You're Lieutenant Dash's brother, right?"

I gave her a wary look as I followed her over. "Yes..." She smiled to me, and within a few minutes I was armed with a pistol hanging over my shoulder, watching the door, listening to radio chatter.

"Captain, I'm getting reports of attackers in the back hallways around the Atrium."

Sunday
2220

The Overmare's voice came over the PA system. "The Stable is under attack. All ponies are to remain in their quarters or to take cover while Security repels the attackers."

Sharp cracks echoed through the Stable, near the Security Station, and I ducked down, looking around.

Hoofsteps.

Security! Thank Celestia...

I rose to approach them, but before I could see them, they stopped, and shot at me.

...

I turned and bolted back the direction I'd come. Why was Security shooting at me?

It must be Firefly's sex toy! What was his name? Dash something?

Security must be enacting a coup... I must find Rose!

I ducked down around a corner, sighed and looked back, finding myself muzzle-to-muzzle to a unicorn who looked like just like him, a gun held in his magic.

I screamed, turned and ran.

The ponies that had been chasing me saw me, and yelled out at me.

I turned away, running away from them, too!

Three gunshots cracked out, and I glanced over my shoulder to see the two ponies that had been chasing me were dead.

I looked forward and ran into a wall, falling back down on my flank.

I looked to the ponies that had been chasing me. They aren't Stable Security... They're... no.

They can't be Outsiders.

That's impossible.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" The unicorn that had arrived just when I needed him looked to me after putting his gun away. He was a foal, maybe thirteen or fourteen, wearing armor three sizes too big.

How polite of him.

I smiled. "I'm fine, young stallion. I have to see Councilmare Rose immediately. Can you help me?"

He shook his head. "I can't, I have to... stay at my post." He glanced over his shoulder. "Come to Security with me - you'll be safe there."

Sunday
2230

"Firefly!" Sapphire waved a hoof at me. "Councilor Rose is broadcasting on secure channel three."

I switched my Pipbuck radio to secure channel three.

"-any more of you back there? Some clown wagon shit here, eh?" Somepony chuckled in the background.

"My name is Councilor Diamond Rose, and I wish to negotiate for the safety of my ponies. Who is your leader?"

"Aha, that'd be me, mare. Name's Hooves. Diamond Rose, eh? Pretty name, that."

...

Shit.

I switched to the VIP team's channel, speaking over somepony. "VIP Team, Firefly. New directive: locate and retrieve Diamond Rose. She's broadcasting on secure channel three. Out." I glanced back to mom. "Sapphire, what do you have on the attackers?"

She looked up from her M1500. "Five groups, perhaps thirty ponies total."

"Locations?"

"There's at least two groups prowling on level three. There seems to be a group hiding in the bathhouse on level four, and two others... last reported on level two."

"Good."

Charm trotted over to me, two subguns hanging from her barding.

"I'm not going to be able to really fly in here, Captain..." Striker followed Charm over, spreading his wings. "The halls are too narrow." Swan Striker was a lithe, olive pegasus with large wings.

"I need hooves, not wings right now."

"Yes, ma'am..." He folded his wings with an irritated frown.

I glanced to Cast Collage as he trailed the two of them over. "Collage, you and Charm are some of only the ponies here with combat experience. Keep your head down, watch your fire, and we'll get through this like we did last time. Right?"

Charm nodded. "Yes, ma'am!"

"Right..." Collage glanced around, wrapping his teeth around the trigger bit.

"Keep your tongue off the trigger, please... we don't need a ND in Ops." Collage scowled at me as I lead the way from Ops to Security.

"Charm, you're in command of Team Two." I gestured to Collage and two other Security ponies who I'd flagged for this operation. "Collage, Scarlet and Sharps - you're Team Two, under Charm's lead." I gestured to her. "You'll be following me as we clear the attackers from the Stable." I then looked to Striker, Rolling Block and Samsiir. "You're with me as Team One."

Striker waved a wing in my direction. "My partner isn't here, ma'am..."

"I sure could use some of Joker's jokes right about now..." I shook my head. "They attacked us, and we're going to make them regret it. We're going in to the Stable to flush the attackers out, and force a surrender if possible, or a fight on our terms in the Atrium with The Gun's assistance if not. Team One will lead - Team Two will follow and watch our backs. Obviously, lethal force authorized." I glanced over the firepower the ponies facing me had - barding, helmets, subguns and shotguns. "Questions?" The ponies facing me had grim, wary or scared expressions.

"What are we going up against, ma'am?" Scarlet Paper was a short, stout pony, tan with a blue and purple mane, dressed in light barding, a shotgun on her left. She had a wary, but determined frown.

"It looks like there's two groups, presumably working together. There's a large group of wastelanders, who have been doing most of the fighting, and there are apparently zebras with invisibility cloaks lurking about."

"Invisibility cloaks? What is this, some fantasy book series?" Striker shook his head in amusement.

"Apparently..." Samsiir was a blue zebra, his blue and purple striped mane pulled back into a tight braid under his helmet.

Everyone turned to look at him, some ponies giving him strange looks.

"Stop that." Everyone looked back to me as I spoke. "Samsiir is not one of the attackers, and we're not going to do that." I cast a stern look at Collage, and he made a face back at me.

"How do you know they're working together?" Sharps was a red mare with a thick, wavy mane, a sort of creamy pink color, pulled back into a thick tail under her helmet.

I shook my head. "Honestly, we don't. It's just the timing is way too coincidental to be anything else."

"Right..." Sharps frowned tightly, glancing around, and Charm waved a hoof.

"Captain? May we speak alone?" I took a step off to the side, and Charm followed me, speaking quietly. "Are you... sure about this? I mean, me leading a team?"

"Of course, Ivory." I nodded earnestly. "Just do what you did at the Hospital, and you'll do fine." She took a deep breath, determination coloring her expression.

I smiled to her, turning to face the rest of the team. "Let's move." I racked the Ironpony's bolt, and it failed to go into battery fully.

...

Reassuring.

I racked the bolt again, hard, and this time it went into battery fully.

Collage spoke up. "I've got a bad feeling-"

"Can it, Collage." I tossed a glare in his direction as I cut him off, turning and trotted out of Ops, through Security, to the Atrium. Passing through the Atrium, I glanced to The Gun. I wonder what happened to it...

A short trot along the Atrium's top level brought us to the stairway to level two, and rushing down it, I heard some raiders at the bottom, and held a hoof up. "Hold."

A mare, speaking slowly. "Hey, I was thinking... Crimson's from a Stable... isn't he?"

Another mare answered her, chuckling. "You? Thinking? That's usually where things go wrong for you!"

A moment of silence, before a third pony, a stallion, spoke up. "Have you met him? No fuckin' way he's from a Stable. He's an alicorn, isn't he?"

A fourth pony, another mare. "A male alicorn? That's not possible." She paused. "What're you getting at, Taze?"

The first mare. "Well, we're attacking a Stable, right? What if we're attacking the Stable he came from?"

All the raiders fell silent, to consider that.

I stepped around the corner, Ironpony and shield up. "The good news is: you're right, Taze!" I took another step out, my ponies behind me. "The bad news is: I'm his daughter."

There were a half-dozen ponies facing us, a few with shotguns or submachine guns, a couple with melee weapons like swords, dressed in improvised metal and cloth armor. They all spun to face me, raising weapons.

One of them, a unicorn with several knives on her barding, held an subgun in her red magic at eye level, tilted sideways, and pointed it at me.

I shifted the Ironpony and shield towards the unicorn. "Surrender, and you'll be treated fairly." The unicorn sneered as I spoke. "Fight us, and our home will become your tomb." Her subgun twitched, and I held the bolt back with my magic.

"Bullshit! Crimson's daughter ain't a Stable pony, and she ain't a pinecone head, either!" She cackled. "Shoulda just run, rookie!" The subgun moved, and I could feel her applying pressure to the trigger as she pointed it at my head.

I held the bolt back, and she scowled at her gun. "Stupid gun!"

She flipped it over and looked down the muzzle, still holding the trigger back.

...

I released my telekinetic grasp on the bolt.

It slammed closed, firing a three round burst into the pony who'd been holding it.

Three casings clattered to the ground as everyone stared in shock at the raider as she fell over, half of her head missing, red and grey splattered over the wall and ceiling behind her.

Pathetic.

I glared at the other raiders, turning the subgun on them. "Run or die."

They turned and fled down the stairs, screaming.

"Open fire."

Both teams' combined gunfire felled two of them.

I followed them down, turning to the first one, shifting the subgun to her.

She hugged her leg, tears streaming down her cheeks.

I disarmed her of her sword, stunned and cuffed her.

The second one sneered at me. "Please, don't kill me..." He snickered mockingly. "Like a Stable pony like you'd have the guts to murder an injured pony begging for mercy." I turned the sword on him, and his sneer faded to fear. "No, no! Please!"

I stabbed him with the sword on the way past.

Striker looked to me in confusion. "You killed him, but let her live?"

I turned to face him partially. "He resisted. She did not." I turned, hurrying down the stairs after the survivors. "More bad guys to catch - let's go."

"Hey, Captain." Charm called over to me. "What's a 'pinecone'?"

"Add it to the list of questions for any prisoners we take." I glanced forward.

We chased them down to the third level, where they ran into a second group.

"Team Two, take the right hallway. Should be able to pin them down - we'll follow them and prevent them from doubling back."

"Aye, ma'am."

They opened fire at us, ducking into a room, and I tossed a flashbang into the room. Some of them fired out through the door as the grenade went off, and we rushed in after them.

Several of them fled out the other side of the room, and Team Two fired at them, letting them go in exchange for preventing the others from escaping.

We stunned, disarmed and cuffed several of them, those who'd surrendered, leaving them in the hallway to be picked up, and chased after the ponies who'd run off.

We caught up to them around a corner, and they ran off again - we downed two of them as they fled. One of them resisted, and we shot her on the way past.

We came to a junction, and they split up - we followed them, Team One going left, Team Two going right.

Someone pounced on me from behind, biting my mane, and I yelped, calling out to my ponies as my vocal cords tightened.

I spoke, but nothing came out.

...

Silencing spell!

I dropped to the ground, feeling a knife against my throat, and she yanked my head back.

"Crimson's daughter, eh?" I glanced over to the mare as she growled into my ear. "That fuckhead made us do so much shit. Get up every day before the sun rose, training, trotting, so much... fucking... trotting! I'm gonna enjoy this. For Wickie..."

I shifted my Ironpony, aiming at the unicorn on my back. The first shot went high, and the second...

It didn't fire.

Shit.

I dropped the Ironpony, tossing it at the mare on top of me, and bucked against her, pushing her head and the knife in her magic away from my throat as I drew the subgun from under me.

She resisted, staying on top of me through my buck, and I laid back down as I brought the subgun up, firing a three round burst into her.

She gasped, bringing the knife down towards me, and I pushed away from it, the tip of the blade barely nicking my neck as it went over my shoulder.

I fired a second burst into her, and she went limp, bleeding over me.

I bucked her, and she slid off of me.

I closed my eyes, dispelling the spell, and feeling my vocal cords loosening. "You talk too much."

I opened my eyes, and she lay there, facing me, eyes blank staring up at me, surrounded by long strands of hair. She was one of the ponies from the first group of attackers we'd run into.

...

Long hair, a very familiar two shades of blue...

"No..." I glanced over my shoulder, where my mane should have hung, and... found nothing.

"No... You bitch..."

"You fucking bitch!" I dumped the rest of the mag into her body, and after a moment of glaring at her, threw the empty subgun at her for good measure.

I took a deep breath, turning to retrieve the Ironpony and racking the bolt.

A spent, deformed ten gauge shell dropped out of the action, and this time it cycled properly, feeding a fresh shell and going into battery. "Ironpony, we can't keep doing this. You gotta stop that, or you're gonna get me killed..."

I shook my head as I realized I was talking to my shotgun, and slung it, picking up her knife and considering cutting off some of her mane to repair mine with, before deciding against it - her mane was an ugly lime green, with red tips.

I prodded her, turning her body over, and I noticed she was wearing a necklace. A trio of faintly blood-streaked blue diamonds, inside of a circle.

The Ministry of Image.

I tugged the emblem off the chain, brushing the blood off and tucking it into my pocket as I continued down the hallway we'd been galloping and speaking into my radio. "Team One, Firefly. Where are you?"

Both teams had settled watching the door to the bathhouse while Samsiir and Collage patched up some of Team Two.

"Sitrep?" I frowned, trotting up and glancing to a couple of the dead attackers by the door.

"They kited us here." Charm gritted her teeth as Collage wrapped a bandage around her hind leg, glancing to me. "As soon as we got there, they opened up with a machine gun. That was planned, I think..."

I frowned, gesturing to the opfor bodies. "What happened to them?"

Charm shook her head. "Like I said, they lit us up with a machine gun. And their own..."

"Ah..." I glanced around. "Do they have hostages?"

Paper frowned. "I... don't know, ma'am..."

I nodded, rummaging through my grenade pouches.

Two smoke, one tear gas.

"Who else has a CS grenade?"

Striker and Samsiir raised a hoof.

"Good."

Someone inside the bathhouse yelled out, angry and panicked. "I'll get them! Open the door!"

Other voices spoke up, muffled.

"Oh shit!"

"No, no!"

"You'll kill us all, you idiot!"

The arguments were cut off by a sharp hiss, and a dull explosion against the door.

I shared a look with Charm, and everyone else looked around in confusion.

"What just happened...?"

"Sounds like someone just tried to fire a rocket at us." Striker frowned.

Gunfire to our right put the matter aside, and we turned to see a pair of my ponies - not from my team - rushed around the corner, firing behind them.

A half dozen of the attackers rounded the corner, pausing when they saw us.

"Oh shit!"

"Run!"

I raised my shield and Ironpony, one of the few shots they fired spiderwebbing my shield. "Open fire!" My new ponies dropped to the ground as my two teams opened fire.

The attackers fled, one of them limping from one of our shots landing.

"Go, go!" I suited words to action, galloping after them. "With us!" I gestured to my ponies, identifying them as I passed them - Starlight and Shine.

We chased them through the Stable, and they ran to another group of attackers, who joined them running from us.

Team Two split off, both teams corralling them towards the Atrium. "Checkpoints Five and Six, open the doors and let them through! All other checkpoints, stay sealed!"

Sunday
2310

"Don't do this, Hooves!"

"Shut the fuck up. I know what I'm doing. Never let you down before, have I?"

One of them, a glanced around to the others around him, and drew a gun. "Hooves, we've been nothing more than well-paid thugs for you."

Another pony drew a gun - he'd been called Crumble. "We've kept you fed and safe, and this is how you repay us? By turning on us at this critical time? We're this close to taking the Stable! You fuckin' traitors!"

I shared a glance with Amber, resting my hoof against his. Close to taking the Stable? I find that very, very unlikely, Outsider.

Hooves prodded me with his weapon. "Hey, you, Diamond - you're talking to your ponies, right? Bring 'em in here, kill the traitors and I'll give you all a cut of the profits. And your lives! Forty-sixty, even split. Good deal, right?"

I looked over my shoulder at the raider leader as Amber spoke to him. "I think that bringing my Security ponies in here right now would be one of your worst ideas today."

I spoke quietly, looking to Hooves. "You would likely have far more success using us as hostages to barter for your safe passage Outside, than attempting to coerce Security into joining you."

"If I wanted your opinion, I'd beat it out of you, piney!" He hit Amber with his weapon.

Hooves had a smaller gun in his holster, and I picked it up with my magic as he turned to ignore me for the moment.

I turned to the mutineers. "As leader of the Stable, I can offer you amnesty if you were to help us." Out of the the corner of my eye, I saw the door open behind them.

"You bitch!" Hooves prodded me with his gun.

How did SATS work... ah.

I turned my glare upon him, slapping his gun to the side, like Colonel Range had showed me. "You shouldn't have attacked my home, you scoundrel." I exited SATS, and his head exploded outwards.

I spun the pistol, to bring it over to Crumble.

The weapon failed to fire.

Oh, damn.

Sunday
2324

"If I wanted your opinion, I'd beat it out of you, piney!" Somepony grunted, as if they'd been hit.

Showtime.

"Flashbang through the door."

Quick Clip hit the button for the door, and Steady Trot rolled the flashbang grenade into the room. "Hold - go, go, go!" The grenade's sharp crack was preceded by several gunshots, and we rushed into the room.

The attackers threw down their weapons.

"Don't shoot!"

"We surrender!"

"Don't kill us!"

"Hold fire!" I held a hoof up, and to my ponies' credit, they held fire. "You, down on the ground. Quick, get their weapons."

I surveyed the rest of the room - it was a mess.

Dust and debris kicked up by the flashbang obscured our vision, but what I could see was Councilor Rose and Judge Rhyme were both dead, as were some of the attackers. A dozen Stable ponies were scattered around the edges of the room, some cowering, some staring.

One of the attackers, in the middle, spoke quietly. "We tried to save her..." He glanced toward Councilor Rose's body.

"We know." I cast a dark look in his direction. "That is why you're still breathing. Steady, read them their rights."

Steady Trot looked to me, confusion decorating her features. "What rights do they have, Lieutenant? I mean, they're not Stable residents, they're not ponies seeking admittance to the Stable..." She glanced to her Pipbuck.

That's a good question, Steady...

I turned to face the attackers. "You're now our prisoners. You'll be treated fairly, so long as you don't give us a reason to kill you. Questions?"

Firefly came through the comms. "Dash, Firefly. Sitrep on Rose?"

I glanced to Councilor Rose's body.

Shit.

Sunday
2330

Yells, hoofsteps and gunfire announced the attackers' entrance to the Atrium, and I glanced down to see Security settling down on the upper levels. One of the attackers jumped over the railing, screaming.

I closed my eyes, trying to ignore them to focus on my task. My EFS continued to display under my eyelids.

...

EFS. That's it!

I opened my eyes. "Copper, I think I can route The Gun to accept input from my EFS for more efficient targeting."

"Oh, why hadn't I thought of that... do it. Do it now!"

I grumbled, plugging my Pipbuck into The Gun. "I need to make sure it doesn't attack our ponies, too..."

"Obviously."

"I think I've got it..." I nodded. "Here goes nothing..."

I gritted my teeth as The Gun began its charging cycle, pressing my hooves against my ears. Screams - ones I knew weren't from the ponies below me - filled my ears. I shivered, and a single word came to mind.

Death.

I glanced over my shoulder through a grate as the gunfire died completely, trailing The Gun's cycle.

Copper glanced over. "I thought being in the Atrium when The Gun cycled was bad..."

That was only one cycle... it can't have killed everyone, right?

...

My heart skipped a beat at that thought as I looked down.

Some of the attackers had taken cover behind tables in the middle of the Atrium. Firefly's Security ponies were on the second level.

Good.

They're still alive.

"We surrender!" Somepony threw their weapons down, and a few other ponies followed.

"Please don't kill us!" Somepony else yelled out.

I shifted, looking to Firefly, head down behind some cover on the Atrium's second level. She's still alive... good.

"Captain? What's the plan?"

"Nopony would miss them if we killed them all, and nopony would blame us." After a moment, she sighed and rose to her hooves, stepping into sight and speaking loudly with a voice amplification spell. "Very well. We accept your surrender. Throw down your weapons."

"Of... of course!"

"Thank you!"

Captain Firefly glanced to her ponies, before glancing away. "Read them their rights, strip them of their barding, restrain them, and find somewhere to contain them." She turned away, trotting off and dispelling her amplification spell as she spoke into the radio. "The situation is contained, Overmare."

...

"Overmare?"

No response.

"Shine, Starlight, on me. Dash, Firefly. Sitrep on Rose?"

Blitz cut Dash off before he could respond. "Firefly, Blitz, the Overmare is being taken! They're opening the Door!"

"Copy, Blitz! Coming to you!"

Sunday
2302

I heard something moving behind me, inside my office, and I opened a drawer, drawing the revolver that had been in the Overmare's desk when I became Overmare, continuing to type on my terminal as I did so.

The rustling sound came again, and I spun, whipping a stack of older model Pipbucks at the direction it had come from. As I did so, I raised the revolver and fired into the pony shaped space among the stack of Pipbucks.

Blood splashed the wall behind it, and I trotted over to pull the cloak off, to find precisely what Security had said - a zebra, but a living one. I'd hit them in the hindquarters.

I glanced to my Pipbuck, activating the broadcaster. "Overmare to Security, I have a prisoner. Please advise."

...

No answer. Not even anypony broadcasting on this channel, other than the faint hiss of static. I changed frequencies, and static was all I received.

The door to my office hissed open, and I raised my revolver, stepping away from the prisoner. Nopony was visible in the door.

"Overmare to Security. Anypony?"

Nothing. I glanced back to the door, stepping back, my back to the wall.

"Greetings, Overmare Book Keeper of Stable 30." A zebra stepped out of thin air, and I raised my weapon at them. "Yes, I know who you are." He was what Firefly had described as a 'ghoul', with one of his legs replaced with a cybernetic limb.

"It appears you have me at a disadvantage, then. What are you here for?"

"You, of course."

"I'm afraid that I can't give you that. Not without an assurance you'll leave my Stable in peace."

"You are hardly in a position to negotiate. We are at war, and there are no innocents in this kind of war."

He went to continue, but I cut him off before he could, simply because of how absurd what he said was. "I'm afraid that I'm not sure what you mean about 'being at war'? We don't know you..."

"Your Stable is one of the last remnants of Equestria, a representative and continuation of the prewar government, no?"

"The war ended two centuries ago..."

"There was no formal treaty, no apology. The war is still on. But that is irrelevant! We are here on a different mission - a very, very important mission. The lives and souls of all beings in the world, zebra and inferior are at stake - threatened by an ancient evil. We exist to assist the Star Maiden in slaying the Eater."

"I'm sure Stable 30 could be of assistance..."

"Oh, certainly, certainly. Unfortunately, you won't be around to appreciate it..." He narrowed his eyes speculatively. "After all, your Scout may be the Star Maiden. She will reveal herself in time."

I frowned. "Captain Firefly would never help you. Not after you've attacked our - her - home."

The zebra shrugged. "The Star Maiden will do what she must, and we will assist her in doing it, regardless of what she feels."

"I have one final question..." The zebra nodded distracted. "Will you marry me?"

He frowned in mild confusion, and I activated SATS, lining the sights up on his head.

Time slowed down, and my weapon exploded in slow motion.

After a moment, time resumed its normal speed, and I frowned at the leader.

He smiled. "You have strength. Good. You will serve us well."

Sunday
2340

"Copy, Blitz! Coming to you!"

I ducked down as one of the attackers reared up over me, firing a beam blast through their chest.

They fell on me, pinning me under them, and I shifted to bring my rifle up at the opening Door.

A zebra carrying the Overmare was fleeing out of the Door, both ponies partially hidden under an invisibility cloak, and I activated SATS, lining up a shot.

Several bullets hit the body pinning me, and I flinched, just enough to throw my aim off as I bit down on the trigger.

I hit my target, barely - only clipping their hind leg.

Tawny levitated the zebra off of me, and I rose to my hooves as the Door sealed behind them... with the Overmare outside.

Well.

Shit.

I turned to the zebra who had fallen on me, oozing the smell of cooking flesh.

I'm starting to become accustomed to the smell of cooking flesh. Great.

I turned to the Door, waving a hoof at the pony near the console. "Get the Door open! Now!"

Firefly and her team rushed in. "What happened, Blitz?"

"They took the Overmare. We're getting ready to go after her."

"Hold that! Seal the Door." Firefly waved her hoof at the pony near the console and turned to me. "We can't."

"What do you mean, 'we can't'?" I turned to face her, rifle at the floor.

"We have to secure the Stable before we mount any more operations. Protecting the population is our primary goal!"

"You're going to just leave-"

"No, Blitz, I'm not! I want to go after her, too, but we can't! Not now..." Firefly took a shaky breath. "We will come back for her."

"How? We don't know where they're taking her!"

"We will come back for the Overmare!" She glared at me. "It doesn't matter where they took her - we will find her, and we will make them regret attacking us - when we're ready to. Are we clear, Blitz?"

Damn it... "Yes, ma'am..."

"Where did they come from? They didn't come through the Atrium."

"I dunno... over there." I pointed with a wing, closing my eyes to take a deep breath.

"Huh... Hey, Captain. Remember how Stable 60 had an entrance from the Overmare's office?" I opened my eyes at Ivory's comment as Firefly trotted over to her and a doorway behind a panel.

Ivory snickered. "Five bits says that goes to the Overmare's office."

"Sucker bet." Firefly shook her head. "Just one more thing to look at..." She sighed, looking around, looking to me. "Blitz, your ponies are on Door duty. You'll be relieved when we can. For now, make sure nobody opens the Door." She turned around, looking at the ponies staring. "For now, the Door is under Security's control. If you're not with Blitz's team, clear out!"

Monday
0120

I settled down at a table in the corner, groaning, as somepony fixed the radio. It came on, blasting disco music at an offensive volume in the grim silence of the aftermath of the attack.

Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin'
And we're stayin' alive, stayin'-

...

Dashie trotted over to me, and I glanced past him, to the radio as it was quickly silenced, the pony with it looking around in embarrassment.

Dashie followed my glance to the radio, and then over to me.

He smirked.

I snickered.

He chuckled.

I burst out laughing.

A minute later, I managed to stop laughing, and sighed, crawling to my hooves. "Give me a sitrep, Dashie. How many did we lose?"

"Again with the serious, boss..." Dashie frowned. "Too soon to tell - not all sections have reported in yet."

"What do you have so far?"

Dashie frowned. "Most of second shift... Notable exceptions, Minty, Pepperbox, Joker, Starlight and Shine."

"It's been a hell of a day."

Dashie nodded slowly. "Yeah..."

Casualties of Operation Baltimare

- Amber Rhyme, 45 - Chief Justice
- Aura Cinnamon, 25 - Morale
- Badoglio, 26 - Maintenance
- Beaker, 18 - Arcane Sciences
- Benito, 26 - Maintenance
- Bobby Pin, 45 - Morale
- Buttons, 43 - Morale
- Creme Puff, 15 - Morale
- Crystal Voice, 55 - Arcane Sciences
- Crescent Spark, 16 - Security
- Dawning Petals, 29 - Security
- Diamond Rose, 38 - Councilor
- Denshir, 46 - Arcane Sciences
- Fiery Spark, 25 - Arcane Sciences
- Firelight Splendor, 41 - Morale
- Flashlight, 43 - Maintenance
- Flint Sparks, 38 - Morale
- Franco, 46 - Maintenance
- Fudge Cakes, 32 - Maintenance
- Gyula, 45 - Morale
- Jade, 26 - Arcane Sciences
- Orovus, 48 - Morale
- Paperclip, 23 - Arcane Sciences
- Piacentini, 34 - Arcane Sciences
- Perfume, 29 - Morale
- Photo Start, 41 - Maintenance
- Pop Tab, 51 - Agriculture
- Ponti, 24 - Security
- Potted Fern, 15 - Agriculture
- Prasca, 28 - Security
- Rimfire, 34 - Security
- Sabato, 54 - Agriculture
- Screwdriver, 35 - Morale
- Shadowdancer, 13 - Agriculture
- Shauvir, 36 - Arcane Sciences
- Sunshine Rays, 37 - Maintenance
- Strings, 26 - Morale
- Sweet Drops, 21 - Morale
- Tacit Understatement, 23 - Security
- Wilted Leaf, 34 - Agriculture
- Valanir, 21 - Arcane Sciences
- Zezarus, 54 - Arcane Sciences
- Zog, 21 - Agriculture

Author's Notes:

So.

That happened.

This has been a long-time coming! I've been waiting to get to this point for literally years!