Continuing from the Safehouse, we found a large crater blocking our path. Dashie kicked a rock into the deep water, and I thought I saw something splashing after it. A building on the other side had partially collapsed into it. Nice place.

Dashie's Pipbuck ticked ominously as he leaned dangerously over the edge. "Well, we're not going this way." Careful, Dashie...

"That's a shame, I'd been planning to have a nice radbath." Cerulean's tone dripped with sarcasm. "It's been sooo long since I had a nice radbath." Please stop talking, Doctor. "Why, I don't think I've ever had a radbath! How horrifying!" Shut up.

"Hey Captain, there's a sewer access here." I trotted away from the complaining doctor as Pumpkin called out to us. "If we follow the sewers south, then east for a bit, we should emerge close to the police station." Fascinating.

I trotted over. "Should? How do you know this?"

"Apparently one of the ponies who entered Stable 30 had a map of the sewers on their Pipbuck. I cross referenced a map of the city with the map of the sewers on my HUD. I think I know the way there."

"You can do that?" I frowned, glancing to her Pipbuck. "Overlaying multiple maps on your HUD?"

"I, uh, guess so?" Pumpkin looked to me with a nervous look. "You mean, you can't?" Now I'm jealous.

"No." She opened her mouth to reply and I shook my head. "It's not important. Back to plotting us a path to the police station, please." I looked to her, and she glanced away. "Can you guide us to the police station?"

"I think so, ma'am... Assuming these tunnels haven't collapsed, or... um." She paused, biting her lip. "Anything else."

"Sounds as promising as anything else. Let's go." I raised my voice. "Everypony into the sewers, folks!" Hope this doesn't kill us.

Cerulean trotted over with a dark look. "That phrase has never lead to anything bad, ever." Shut up, Doctor.

"I could ask what could possibly go wrong." Look I know it's fun, but stop winding Cerulean up, Dashie. It's fun, but it's wrong.

"Sombra damn it, Dashie."

The sewers were dark and damp, but having three ponies with glowing Pipbucks certainly helped. The sound of water dripping echoed all around us. I popped the top off a flare and struck it, holding it high. The only thing less pleasant than the darkness was the smell.

"Looks ominous." With the soft hissing and the red glow the flare threw out, I had to agree with the Doctor.

"Doesn't it just..." I glanced to Dashie as he replied to Cerulean.

"Cut the chatter, you two. Pumpkin, you're on point." I glanced to Pumpkin, breathing through my mouth. "Get us out of here." Before I die from the smell.

"Yes ma'am." She winced. "Ugh, it stinks in here."

"You suggested this path, Wings." Cerulean groaned, stepping back with a disgusted look. "I just stepped in something."

"I know..." She took to wing, hovering in place for a moment. "Lemme... just a second. Ah! This way, ponies." She turned off and headed north. I floated the flare ahead in her wake as I trotted after her.

The tunnels were oppressively close, even to a Stable pony like me. The sound of little critters skittering came from all around us. Then again, considering the size of the radroach we'd met in the Stadium, they might not be so little... I don't want to find out.

Eventually we came across somepony, trotting towards us. I drew my IF-21, watching his approach. "Fellow Equestrians! Greetings!" The pony had a gravelly but friendly voice. In the light of our Pipbucks, his skin looked as if it had been burnt off in places. If I hadn't seen him moving, I might have mistaken him for a dead body. "Welcome, welcome to our humble abode!" He gestured grandly.

Um... "Hello."

"Please! Come with us. We will prepare the feast!"

I shared a look with the team, before nodding in his direction. We'll follow.

In the background I heard Cerulean complaining at Dashie. "I've got a bad feeling about this..."

"You're always complaining about bad feelings."

"Yeah well this time it's more-bad." I shut the two up with a look.

As we walked, our host talked. "It has been so long since our home has received visitors!" I can't imagine why. No, really. I have no clue.

A short trot through several semi-lit tunnels lead us to a large, open underground area. Several undead ponies were preparing a large fire by a crack in the ceiling in the center of the room. "It has been quite some time since we have had a pegasus in our midst." Reverence tinged the speaker's tone. "Welcome, all of you." Several of them bowed to us. Uhh... I covered my confusion with a pleasant smile.

They swarmed us, splitting us up. For a moment, I debated bringing the group back together, but one of them, an older-looking ghoul in a worn prewar suit addressed me. "Greetings, ponies of Stable 30. Never before have we been graced by the presence such strong ponies offering themselves to us." ... What.

"Pardon?" Offering... ourselves...? Oh dear.

"Surely you must have come here to offer yourselves to us. Why else would you have entered our Labyrinth?" Um... This might be a problem.

"We were going somewhere, and the clearest path was through the se-" I broke off as I heard a high pitched yelp and scream.

"He bit me!" ...followed by the sharp pink glow and sound of a beam weapon firing. Uh oh. My pleasant smile shifted to a concerned frown.

"We must not let them escape!" The one I had been speaking with had yelled orders to the ponies surrounding us.

... and then suddenly everything became clear. "I don't think so." I jammed the lit end of the dying flare into the leader's eye. "Stable, on Pumpkin!" I found his scream incredibly, smirk-generatingly satisfying. Fuck you! "Back the way we came! Pumpkin, lead us out of here!" Out came Firefly's Fury's replacement. I immediately regretted my decision after the first shot made my ears ring.

Pumpkin's lack of vocal response was made up for by beams lancing through several of the ghouls between us and the exit, and I set off that way, leading the way with my shotgun as it... jammed. Damn it! Tap, rack, bang. Click! Fuck! A ghoul tried to block my exit, and I slammed them in the face with the butt of my shotgun. I don't think so!

The four of us made it to the exit at about the same time, and I levitated a table over behind us, partially blocking the hallway. Two of the hostiles got past the table. Dashie bucked one into a wall with satisfying meaty crunch, and Pumpkin blasted the other one. It glowed brightly, and then turned into a pile of ash. Holy shit! The table creaked, and I gestured to the rest of the group. "Pumpkin, get us out of here!" She nodded, beam weapon still in her mouth, and galloped off down a tunnel, seemingly at random. Hopefully not at random.

Cerulean galloped beside me. "Great job, Captain Landmine! I think you just gave all of us permanent ear damage!" I ignored the ringing in my ears that backed his statement.

"If you'd prefer, you can go back and give them indigestion, instead." I checked the magazine on my shotgun, only to find it was empty. Great! I loaded a shell through the breech, released the bolt and refilled the magazine.

For once, Cerulean was speechless. Not bad, Firefly. Not bad. Unfortunately, not for long. The table splintered behind us, and I pointed my shotgun at our six. "Don't you fucking dare! Some of us like hearing!"

"Yeah, I think I like living more!" I nevertheless held my fire and hurried after Pumpkin. I do like hearing too, but I'd rather live to old age than keep my perfect hearing.

"Let's follow the cannibal ghouls, she said. We'll have a great adventure, she said!" Cerulean grumbled and moved ahead of me as we continued fleeing.

"I never said we'd have an adventure, I ordered you out of the Stable!" And that's the difference between us and wastelanders.

Cerulean glared at me for a moment, then stumbled. "Shit!" I slowed, looking at our six as he regained to his hooves. "What did I say?" We resumed fleeing.

"I thought you were just being paranoid!"

"Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not trying to kill us!" Cerulean looked down at the ground, leaping across a junction. "What did we learn?"

"The sewers were a bad idea!"

"Okay, think we lost em..." Dashie glanced over his shoulder. The rest of us stopped running.

"You're not even winded, Doctor." I looked to Cerulean as I leaned against a wall, gasping for air. "Why."

"You'd be surprised what happens when you're not out of shape, Captain Landmine." I made a face at him, opening my mouth to reply before Dashie cut me off.

"Hey, boss." Dashie spoke quietly, studying the tunnel around us. "This is a storm water overflow tunnel, isn't it?"

I glanced down at the liquid we were standing in. "It could be." Fortunately, we were now standing in cold, clean-ish water. "Why?"

I looked to Pumpkin, who looked to her Pipbuck, brows furrowed. "I don't know, these tunnels aren't really... labeled."

"Well, you know what storm overflow tunnels are, right?" Dashie hopped, turning around to bring his gun covering our six.

"... Overflow tunnels for storm water...?" That sounds about right.

Dashie sighed. "No you don't. They're where rain goes when the streets are flooded."

"... Is that not what I said?" Hrm. Crap. Right... "Let's keep moving." I turned to Pumpkin. "Tell me we went the right way."

"Ah... give me a second." She went back to her Pipbuck. "If we head this way..."

"There they are!" A raspy voice came from behind us. "We have found them, brothers!" Oh crap.

"Move, move!" I suited orders to action and lead the rush away from the voices.

"Again with the running." Cerulean panted beside me as we fled. "Always with the running. Why!"

"Better than being eaten by zombies, Doctor!"

Cerulean opened his mouth to reply before Pumpkin called out, interrupting him. "Hey, hey, back back back!" I had just enough time to process what she'd said before my hooves gave out from under me, dropping me into water. Shit! So. Cold. ... then I realized this water wasn't just cold; it was deep and it was moving quickly. Oh crap. I flailed my hooves, trying to get to the surface, until I bounced off something. Time blurred, becoming so incredibly slow and unbelievably fast...

Everything went black.

The sound of groaning told me I wasn't alone. Probably not dead. Hopefully. If this is what death is like, I don't want to be dead. I crawled to my hooves, shaking water out of my mane. "Team Two, Team One. Report." Looking around revealed Dashie and Cerulean, but no Pumpkin. "Pumpkin?"

"I don't see her, boss..." Dashie rose to his hooves smoothly. "No flatline alert." He glanced to his Pipbuck. "She might be out of range, though. She was flying when we ran into the overflow tunnel, right?"

That might be a problem. "I think so." I glanced over to Cerulean, who was too busy coughing up water to speak. "You okay, Doctor?"

He stopped coughing up water long enough to give me a look of pure venom. "No more sewers." He groaned, coughing up some more water. "I'm wet in places I didn't even know water could go."

I thought about that, before nodding. "... Deal." I paused, smirking. "Think of it as a science experiment."

Cerulean sputtered in fury. "I'm a doctor, not an egghead!" Or are you?

"Y'know, Mend, as far as I'm concerned, all Arcane Sciences ponies are eggheads." A familiar voice drifted our way, and I glanced back to see Pumpkin flapping towards us. Oh good.

"Nice of you to show up, Pumpkin..." I groaned as I stretched, inspecting my body. Nice bruise on my left foreleg. The scars might make good party talk.

"You ponies should grow wings. They're surprisingly helpful for avoiding getting swept down a sewer tunnel. Or, uh, landmines..." She glanced to me with a wince, and I snickered.

"Oh, is that all?" Cerulean got to his hooves, levitating a helmet over to him with a groan. "That's yours." He sent it in my direction.

"They're pretty cool for flyin', too." I grinned to her, looking over to Pumpkin's confident smirk as she hovered high and dry. ... Now I'm jealous, too.

"Ah, excellent." I levitated the helmet over to me, settling it on my head. "Right, Pumpkin. Where are we now?" I winced as a ton of water poured out of it. Not like I can get any wetter. Ugh.

"Hold, ma'am." She looked to her Pipbuck, slowly turning in place. "... We're somewhat closer to the police station than when we entered the sewers, but on the opposite side. Not too far." ... Wonderful. "Should be a straight shot a few blocks that direction." She pointed up the street with a hoof.

"Not that bad. Right folks, off we go." Let's see where this takes us.

"Hold up, we're not going anywhere until everyone here has a Sombra damned Radaway." Cerulean levitated out four bottles of Radaway, floating them over to us. "And I get a look at Pumpkin. Where'd that pseudoferal bite you?"

Fair enough. "Good idea, Doctor." I winced and nodded, taking the bottle of Radaway and twisting the cap off.

He held his bottle up with a cynical smirk. "Bottoms up!"

No. Just no. I groaned and downed half of the bottle. This is disgusting. I looked to Pumpkin.

"Looks like we're down near the docks..." Pumpkin dropped to her hooves, nose buried in the Pipbuck's screen as she extended one of her wings, letting Cerulean take a look at her wound. An untouched bottle of radaway gently bumped against the side of her helmet as she hovered in place. "Yeah, we're down at the docks. There's a building marked 'Aquastrian Embassy' a few blocks to the east."

"The Aquastrian Embassy? It's still standing?"

"I don't know, ma'am. These maps are two hundred years out of date." The bottle floated in front of her face, bouncing off the tip of her muzzle. "Damn it Horn! I swear if you don't stop doing that I will stuff that bottle down your-."

Before she could finish the threat, Cerulean stuck the bottle in her mouth and upended it. "Shut up and drink your radaway, mare." I glanced to Dashie, momentarily wondering where she'd been planning to put that bottle, before deciding I didn't want to know. "Before you turn into a ghoul and your 'friend' finds out what necrophilia is like."

I looked to Dashie. "Necro... wha..." I paused. "You know what?" I waved a hoof in Dashie's direction. "Don't answer that. I don't want to know." I turned to Cerulean and Pumpkin. "Right then, gear check. All done? Let's move."

Two hours took us to the police station. We spent a half hour observing the building from various buildings around it. Finally, we'd settled down in a damaged building facing the front of the target building. It looked like it'd been set ablaze at some point, and part of the exterior wall facing the target had collapsed.

LOCATION DISCOVERED: BALTIMARE CENTRAL POLICE SERVICES BUILDING

A large square building with a large notch in the middle, a ramp on one side lead the way to what I guessed was the main entrance. The bottom levels were made of a white stone, while the top levels were made of red brick. A radio tower atop the building had come down, the top poking over one of the sides. Many of the windows had been broken.

"Target building looks abandoned."
"Seems suspicious the Steel Rangers would send us here just to open some doors."
"I get the feeling they're hoping we don't come back."
"We almost didn't, after Wings' suggestion."
"You're the doctor, Horn, I'm the navigator. I don't question your medical expertise, don't question my navigation."
"If I gave medical advice like you gave navigational advice, I'd advise you all of you to eat grenades and sleep in radioactive barrels. ... I feel the need to tell you not to do that."

"Cut the chatter. Let's move. Watch your movement, there may be traps." Or mines. I paid careful attention to where I was walking as I lead the way down the partially collapsed floor towards the police station. The main entrance had several glass doors, most of which had been shattered. The sound of only two accompanying sets of hoofsteps crunching on broken glass caused me to look back, and I realized that Pumpkin was flying instead of trotting. Good idea. A desk had been overturned facing the door, bullet holes and scorch marks decorating the main atrium.

"There was a battle here." I was surprised to not hear a snarky comment from Cerulean, but had no complaints. "I wonder what happened."

"Post apocalyptic gang wars are my bet." Dashie nosed around the room.

"Riots, actually. In the days after Equestria died." A gravelly voice drew my attention from the desk and I turned to see a dead-looking pony pointing a revolver in our direction, dressed in a well worn police uniform. "Who are you ponies and why are you here?" A police uniform? Hrm... "Your uniforms don't look scavenged, you wear them too well. You." He looked to me. "Show me your face."

"I'm sorry?"

"Remove your helmet so I can see your face." He had to be either an idiot or very skilled to be talking clearly through the bit of a revolver. Or he was bluffing and his weapon was empty.

"Very well." I raised my visor, turning to let some light shine on my face.

"... Amaranth?" His voice took on an awed tone.

"Pardon?" Interesting.

"No, you're not Amaranth. You're a mare, and a unicorn, and it has been far too long..." His eyes traveled down to our armor. "... Stable 30. Of course." A smile crossed his face as he looked to my helmet. "Do you know if you were you descended from a pegasus named 'Amaranth Thunder', by any chance?" I nodded, hiding my confusion behind a bland look. "So he did make it to the Stable. Of course, of course. The family has not been forgotten. Why are you here?" What the hell is going on here?

"Ah... we didn't know the police station was occupied." Nice dodge.

"Obviously. You didn't answer my question, Captain." Crap.

"I have been ordered to make contact with the pony operating the local radio station. The Steel Rangers blocking the way requested I open the police station for them." A contemptuous grimace crossed his face at the mention of the Steel Rangers.

"The Steel Rangers." He snorted. "I knew Steel Rangers. Those egotistical charlatans have no right to use the name or the armor. Why are you working for them?"

"They demanded we go to the police station before allowing us access to their base."

"Of course, of course..." I didn't like how his tone changed.

"So what are you doing here, if I might ask?"

"Continuing to police Baltimare, as I have for over two hundred years." His glare shifted to an annoyed frown. "Not that a whole lot changed after the war."

... Pardon? "I'm not sure how well one pony could police an entire city... but we are attempting to do a similar thing." I saw Pumpkin and Cerulean share a look, which the ghoul noticed. Damn it you two.

"Oh, really now?" Skepticism filled his tone. "So what, I join you, let you open the doors so your Steel Ranger pals can rob the station of everything more technological than espatoons and... then what? We go police Baltimare, save the city, a week later, sunshine and rainbows for everypony?"

"Yes, but no." He frowned as I continued before he could reply. "You join us while we attempt to establish some sort of law over Baltimare and protect ponies who need protection. Yes, we do need to let them pillage the police station, but... being Stable ponies, the Steel Rangers aren't our friends, either, so... here's what I propose: You join us and we clean the building ourselves, before the Steel Rangers get there. We stash everything of value at our safehouse for our own use. The Steel Rangers let us in and get nothing but trinkets. Everypony wins."

He considered for a long moment. "You know, Captain Firefly... that is an idea." He sighed, tucking his revolver back into its holster. "Very well. I accept."

"How do you, uh, know her name?" Cerulean looked to the ghoul with a suspicious look.

He looked to my helmet. "Her name is written on her helmet. You are Captain Firefly, correct?"

I nodded. "That's me. The red earth pony is Lieutenant Dash." Dashie nodded to the ghoul. "The pegasus is Security Officer Blitz, our scout." She waved a hoof with a cheerful smile. "The other unicorn is Doctor Mend." I think Cerulean attempted a smile but it came out as more of a grimace. He then glanced to his gently ticking Pipbuck, waving it in the ghoul's direction. Doctor, be nice.

"It is a pleasure to meet the four of you." The ghoul bowed his head grandly. "My name is-"

As he bowed, Pumpkin gasped. "What happened to your wings?" She looked at him nervously. "I'm sorry, that was rude..." She covered her mouth with her hooves.

He sighed, glancing over his shoulder at his back. "Did your Stable teach you about a city called Cloudsdale?"

"Kind of?" I believe the history texts may have mentioned it once or twice...

"Kind of." He made a noise of contempt. "Cloudsdale was the symbol of pegasi pride. Neighvarro was the military center of the pegasi, but it was nothing more than a small town until the war picked up. Cloudsdale was..." He trailed off with a sad sigh, eyes closed. "I was there when Cloudsdale died. It was early in the morning. I was going there to visit family when they bombed it. I was far enough from the city to not be killed, but..." He opened his eyes, looking to where his wings had been. "My wings were destroyed, and I was turned into this." He turned, revealing Cerulean standing behind him. "Would you stop poking me for the Princesses' sake?! Yes, my wings are dead, go away."

"No promises. I'm a doctor." Damn it Cerulean.

I quickly diverted the conversation away from Cerulean's habit of invading personal space. "Couldn't you just regrow his wings, Doctor?"

Cerulean snorted. "Stop trying to think about medicine. You'll hurt your brain."

"Right..." You obnoxious ass. "Explain, then."

"The arcane sciences are incredible, yes especially the medical branch, but they're not infallible. They still have to follow the laws of physics, and they can't revive dead cells." He paused. "Not without getting into necromancy, but that's dark magic. Ain't nopony interested in dark magic."

"Oh, okay." I nodded, like that made perfect sense. "Now try explaining that in Equestrian."

"Right, right, stupid security pony. Look." He trotted over and prodded my horn with a hoof. Hey! Personal space! "Your alicorn can be regrown. It's just a spire of keratin that lets us focus our magic." He trotted over to Pumpkin, who winced as he extended her wing with his magic. "This is muscle and feathers. If it's not reconstructed properly, it's useless." She pulled her wing closed, stepping away from Cerulean with an uncomfortable look. "If it's not reconstructed or reattached within hours... it's gone. Pegasi wings are incredibly resilient, but necromantic magic... don't fuck with necromantic magic unless you like necrophilia."

"Okay, Doctor, I think we get it." I glared to him, and he shut up. I looked to Pumpkin. "Pumpkin, time?" The hell is necrophilia, anyways? You know what? I don't want to know.

She glanced to her Pipbuck, taking another step away from Cerulean. I couldn't blame her. "2026, ma'am."

"Right. We camp here tonight, secure the police station and head out tomorrow." I looked to the ghoul. "Is that acceptable to you?"

He thought about that for a moment, looking around. "Yes."

"Team Two, take a map of the building and check the exterior rooms. If you see anything that looks valuable to the Steel Rangers, take it. Block and or lock all the doors after you." I looked to our companion. "I didn't get your name."

"You may call me Cyclone." He shifted and I noticed his uniform bore a name tag - Sgt Cyclone.

"Very well, Sergeant." I nodded. "Could you please go with them?" He nodded. "Team One will locate a room for us to spend the night in. Keep in contact."

"Yes ma'am." Team Two and Cyclone headed off one way.

Dashie and I turned, heading up the stairway to locate a room we could set up in. "What's up with Doctor Cerulean and necrophilia jokes today?"

"I swear, Dashie, if you tell me what necrophilia is, you will regret it." I don't want to know.

"What? I don't joke about death. You should know that by now." Ugh.

Two hours later found the five of us finished with our initial defenses. Pumpkin kept watch at the sole unblocked entrance in a bunker of desks Cerulean and I had created with a firing port. Dashie and I had found a room on the third floor of four to set up some living quarters in, off the main hallway. We'd set up several fall back points to the roof. If we had to leave the building in a hurry, our exfil plan had us using the ladder on the roof. If anypony was coming in, they'd be coming in through the front doors and we'd know it. Dashie had put a hole in the roof for smoke, and we'd blocked over the windows in that corner of the building.

Currently, Dashie and I were looking at the armory door. It looked like it hadn't been opened in two hundred years. "Plastic explosives?"

"No, we used all of it opening the prewar Fancy Buck Snack Cake vault in Deathcon."

"So we did..." Hrm. I trotted over, turning and bucking the door. Surprisingly, it didn't yield.

"Yeah, I don't think that's gonna work, boss. We got any detcord?"

But you just said we didn't have any plasti... Oh! "That might work." I dug through my saddlebags, levitating out a length of detcord, approximately half a hoof long.

Dashie took it and deftly tied it into a slipknot, wrapping it around the door's handle. "Breaching, breaching." We retreated into the hallway and I set it off with a dull thump. Cerulean's voice came through Dashie's Pipbuck, asking what was going on. "Just opening a door, Doctor. Nothing to be worried about." Dashie lead the way back to the armory, which was a cramped room full of lots of firepower.

Or... perhaps not? I frowned. "This isn't the armory...?" It was a small room with lots of cabinets.

"No, it's the evidence locker, boss." He pointed to a sign beside the door we'd just opened. Oh. "The armory is inside there." He gestured to another door. "Hope that's not secured, too, or we might have a problem."

I trotted over to the door and studying it. Nice, heavy, secured door... with the hinges on the outside. So much for secure. "No problem." I pulled the pins on the hinges, levitating the door aside.

"Nice trick." Dashie stood back as I set the door aside.

"Isn't it just. Unicorn master race and all that shit." I lead the way into the Armory, looking around. "Ohhh, yeah, I bet the Steel Rangers totally want all of these batons." I rolled my eyes and glanced to Dashie.

"No, they'd probably be more interested in whatever was inside that case." I followed Dashie's gaze to an exquisitely crafted wooden case with a glass cover. Red felt decorated the IF-88 shaped cut out.

"... that looks familiar. Oh-so-familiar..." Oh... my...

"Yes, I thought so, too." He turned and nosed through a rack of pistols, tossing them into his saddlebags.

I approached the case, noticing the corner of a book that had fallen behind the case, levitating it and reading the cover. Ironshod 88 Autoloading Shotgun Owner's Manual. "Shiiiny..."

Dashie glanced over, trotting over to another rack, this one filled with IF-9s. "Settle down, boss, it's just a book."

You silly, silly earth pony. You don't understand. "Just a book, my flank! This is marked serial number 00007. This is the manual that came with the Ironpony in the armory!" Squee.

"Right, right... sure thing." Dashie tossed an IF-9 in my direction as I tucked the book into my saddlebag. "Looking for a shotgun to replace your battlefield pickup?"

"Yeah, sure." I caught it in my magic, resting the butt against the ground and racking the bolt. A shell flew out, and I was genuinely surprised. "You saw that. Right?" I stared at the shell as it bounced on the ground before I retrieved it with my magic.

"Prewar ponies are idiots, I guess?" You guess?

"I'll let you deal with the armory. Take what's worth taking and we can carry. We leave the rest for the Steel Rangers." I shrugged and tucked the shotgun and shell away, swapping my junk shotgun in its slot. "Find me a couple of functional magazines for the IF-9, please." He nodded. "I'll be around, yell if you need me." I headed off, looking room-to-room.

Finally I found a door marked as the chief of station's office. It was locked, so I pulled the pins out of the hinges and levitated the door aside. No traps, nothing exploding. Why am I surprised? I settled down at the desk. A box of cigars rested on the desk next to a terminal. A newspaper sat atop the desk, and I glanced to it. The headline boldly stated, "Lead Councilmare impeached for jaywalking!" The hell is jaywalking? A nameplate sat overturned, and I picked it up with my magic, staring at the name.

Commissioner Amaranth Thunder

I sighed, leaning back in the seat, which creaked softly. "Two hundred years ago, this is where my ancestor sat and worked." The seat broke, dumping me on my ass. "Ow." I crawled to my hooves and swept the seat aside with my magic. "Fuck you, chair." I started looking through the contents of the desk. Oh, yeah. The mayor of Haven wanted some of those, didn't he? I tucked the cigars away, rifling through the drawers. Lots of paperwork. Memos for meetings that probably never happened. Requisition forms requiring signatures. Fuzzy, pink hoofcuffs. Nothing too interesting. I turned to the terminal, touching the keyboard. It immediately booted up to a menu with several options.

Welcome, Commissioner Amaranth Thunder.

Personal Messages
Personal Logs
Settings
Log Off

I selected Personal Logs, and several more options came up. I selected the first one, marked "Personal Log, Day One." A stallion's voice came from the terminal somewhere.

"My wife suggested I start keeping logs, and now that I have a terminal I can use to do it..." He paused for a long moment. "Personal log, Amaranth Thunder, recently tasked to reform the Baltimare police station at the personal request of the Ministry Mare of the Ministry of Image. Here I am. I'm out of the Equestrian armed forces. I've married the love of my life and she is pregnant with my child. I'm being paid by the Ministry of Image, a fat paycheck. Why am I not happy? Did I abandon my friends in the army, or am I just being stupid? I served my time and I got out when I couldn't do it anymore."

The next few logs were corrupted, and the next one was marked "Personal Log, Day 124."

"Personal log, Commissioner Amaranth Thunder, day one hundred and twenty four. I was recently visited by an old friend. He has also left the army and is having issues transitioning back to civilian life. Considering he's from Baltimare, I invited him to join the police force, and he accepted."

"Personal log, Commissioner Amaranth Thunder, day one hundred fifty three. Some nosy journalist found out how poorly armed the Baltimare police force is and wrote an article on it. It was never published in the papers, thank the Ministry Mare, but somehow Ironshod Firearms found out about it. In response, they 'kindly' donated a shipment of equipment to the Baltimare police as a show of good will and support for Equestria." He paused, and something creaked in the background. His voice became distant, and I could hear the clopping of hoofsteps in the background. "'Good will', my flank!' This is a PR stunt and everypony knows it! Oh, yes, the next thing the Baltimare police force needs are better ways to brutalize the citizens." A long growl followed before the log ended.

"Personal log, Commissioner Amaranth Thunder, day... fuck it. I don't even know." His voice sounded tired, and he fell silent for so long I thought that the audio log ended there. When he spoke, his words burned with a tranquil fury. "The world has ended. Congrat-u-fuckin-lations, everypony! We did it. We killed Equestria! Cloudsdale is dead. Manehatten has been hit. Equestrian StratCom's been hit. Canterlot is... I don't even know. No reports from Neighvarro, Hoofington, Ponyville. I don't know about the zebras. At this point, I hope they survive. Somepony should survive..." He let out a long, tired sigh. "I'm going to Stable 30. I'm gonna take everypony I can find, and go to Stable 30." Squee. "May the Princesses have mercy on our souls."

... wow. I sat back, awed by that. A personal perspective of the end of the world, from my direct ancestor. Two hundred years ago, my great great grandfather sat here this seat... I glared at the seat that had betrayed me. He sat here while the bombs fell on Equestria. Wow. He hoped the zebras won the war? Hrm... I suppose someone should live. I looked to the terminal. "Well, somepony did. We did, grandfather, because of you." I bowed my head, a moment of silence for my long-dead ancestor.

Dashie found me a few minutes later. "Hey, boss, I've g- ...what are you doing?"

"Oh, hello." I looked up. "I'm not doing anything." He looked at me skeptically.

"Yes, I believe you. That's why I'm looking at you like that. You never just do 'nothing'." He shook his head. "Doesn't matter. I've got a list of all the gear we'll be taking set up in the evidence locker, pending your approval."

"Of course." I nodded, rising to my hooves. "Give me a sitrep."

Dashie lead the way back to the armory. "Doctor Mend and Sergeant Cyclone have cleared the first floor, working on the second of three floors now. We should be done clearing the place by 1400 or so. Pumpkin says she's still bored."

"Good, good." I nodded, looking through the gear he'd selected, noticing a transparent riot shield. ... Yes, I think I like you. I levitated it out, slinging it over my back. Dashie shook his head. "Right, right. Start packing it up for transport." He saluted and went to work.

We set out at 1600. Two hours of crawling through streets took us back at Safehouse Alpha at the 1800 mark. The skies looked cloudy, but I couldn't tell if that was just because the sky is always cloudy, or if it was going to rain. I hoped it wasn't going to rain. We spent an hour unpacking and resting at the safehouse before setting out for the Steel Rangers main base, leaving Cyclone there.

Another hour and a half of traversing streets, some blocked by collapsed buildings, found us at the Steel Ranger's base. Of course, it started raining shortly after we left the safehouse, and we decided we'd keep pushing on toward the Steel Rangers' base instead of returning to the safehouse.

"We went to the police station and opened it for you, as you asked. Let us in, please." Celestia damned Steel Rangers.

"What proof have you?" Open. The fucking. Door. It's cold out here.

I considered for a moment, before levitating the riot shield off my back and holding it up over my head to block the rain. "It looked like the place had been picked clean before we got there, but this was in the Armory."

"Hold, Stable." A minute or two passed until the gate opened enough to let another Ranger in power armor through.

"This is your proof of opening the police station?" The Ranger looked down at us in his immaculate armor.

Yes, that's what I just said. "That's correct." The Ranger was quiet for a long moment. I suspected conversations were happening we weren't privy to. I wasn't surprised.

"Alright, Stable. Come here." The gate rumbled aside to let us in, single file, and we trotted over as the rain continued to pour down on us. Praise the sun.

"Hold." Celestia damn you. The Ranger stepped forward to block our paths. "You'll have to remove your Pipbucks." Like hell we will.

I glanced down to the dead computer on my fetlock, adjusting my barding to partially cover the screen. "These don't come off."

"Don't be ridiculous, Stable, of course they do." Suddenly I was reminded of how massive a suit of power armor was. "You just may not survive the process." You ass.

"Surely the Steel Rangers have better things to do than mug Stable ponies for their Pipbucks."

"The preservation of Ministry matériel is the highest mandate of the brotherhood of the Steel Rangers." Ugh, this may be a problem. "However!" Yes? "We will settle for simply disabling your Pipbucks." Or not. A couple of Rangers shared looks at his announcement. I wonder why...

I considered that, before nodding. "Very well. This is acceptable." I glanced to my team. Pumpkin and Cerulean shared a nervous look.

The Ranger turned to look at the wall. "Line up against the wall over there. Remove your armor and saddlebags."

What now? "Pardon?"

"We must make sure you aren't bringing in any contraband." The sincerity in the Ranger's tone was concerning.

With incredible difficulty, I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, but nodded to my troops. "You heard the pony. Kit, off." Pumpkin and Cerulean shared a look, but complied. I glanced to the sky, groaning internally as my stomach did a flip to remind me that large open spaces are not my friend and that it's still raining. Ow.

I trotted over to the designated area and Dashie leaned over to whisper to me. "I hope you know what you're doing, boss." That makes two of us, Dashie.

"If they were going to kill us, they'd have just shot us. They'll likely just settle for mugging us." Probably. Hopefully.

"'Likely'. That's comforting..." Isn't it just. I nodded grimly as several unicorns in heavy crimson robes exited the gate.

Some of them started looking through our saddlebags while others started examining our Pipbucks, whispering among themselves. I winced as I watched one of them hoof through my saddlebags carelessly. Another, an older unicorn in a fancier, gilded robe, levitated Pumpkin's beam rifle from its saddle mount. Oh crap.

"Tell me, wastelander, where did you find this?" Oh damn it.

"We're not wastelanders, we're Stable ponies." Technically true, but... not now, Pumpkin.

"Ah, yes, Stable Thirty, I believe." I glanced to the big yellow thirties on our uniforms. Well spotted, you pretentious dolt. "We should have taken your piddly little hole in the ground ages ago."

Cerulean added his two bits, unasked as always. "You tried." For fuck's sake, you two, stop antagonizing the mean ponies in the power armor. He ignored my look.

"Hrmph. Regardless." Fancy Robes stuck his muzzle up in the air, tossing Cerulean an annoyed glare. "Answer my question. Where did this weapon come from? It is much too advanced to be Stable-tec issue."

Pumpkin shied away from the old unicorn harassing her. "I don't know, sir... it was in the Stable armory." ... Good, good, Pumpkin.

"Mmm, a likely story." He levitated it away. "It is property of the Steel Rangers." Another unicorn levitated it out of sight inside their robe. "As is all Ministry technology." Ah yes, the egotism that Cyclone was talking about...

"Hey! That's mine!" Several Rangers shifted their weapons to her, including a suit of power armor with an anti-matériel rifle. Oh shit!

"Pumpkin, leave it. We'll get you another weapon." She stayed silent, before nodding shortly, fluffing her wings.

"You look like an Enclave spy. Are you an Enclave spy?" ... that is definitely a stupid question, Fancy Robes.

"No, sir, I... I'm not an Enclave spy." Diplomatically spoken, Pumpkin.

"That's exactly what an Enclave spy would say!" Uhh...

"On my honor as a Stable pony, I've never been to the clouds in my life."

"Pegasus." He snorted in contempt. "Honor. What do pegasi know of honor or loyalty to their kin?" He glared to the sky. You know, in prewar times, a pegasus bore the Element of Loyalty. Not that you'd know that, you egotistical ass. Idly I found myself jealous of his ability to look at the sky.

I sighed. This is getting out of hoof. I opened my mouth to intervene, but the suited Ranger that had addressed us earlier put a hoof out in front of me and spoke up.

"I don't believe she's an Enclave spy, Elder. She speaks like a Stable pony, not a skypony." Oh, so this is the Steel Rangers Elder.

"Very well, Senior Paladin. If she turns out to be an Enclave spy, you'll be the one to deal with it." ... Celestia I hope this pony is just pretending to be a senile old idiot.

"Of course, Elder. I believe everything has been taken care of here. You should return to the command center. It is raining, after all." The Elder nodded and trotted off. The Senior Paladin looked around to the rest of the robed unicorns. "Are you Scribes finished?" A hint of annoyance crept into his tone.

"All done, Senior Paladin."

"Good. Return to your tasks. I shall escort these Stable ponies to the Radio Station." They nodded and disappeared while we redressed.

The Senior Paladin led the way into the base. About a dozen ponies in various classifications and types of barding milled around, performing various tasks in the main courtyard. A line of sky chariots in various stages of disrepair stood against one of the walls, a couple of Rangers crawling over them. I had to question the use of hoarding them. Surely they were worthless without pegasi to crew them.

"Is it Steel Ranger SOP for the Elder to come to the main gate to see every pony seeking entrance?" Doo dee doo, don't mind me.

"You, Scout of Stable 30, are anypony but every pony." Fair enough.

"I suppose that's one way to put it." I looked around. "Somepony has accused me of being a hero."

"Who said anything about heroes? You're just a wastelander with some guts and some military-grade hardware." Ouch.

"We're not wastelanders, we're Stable ponies. From a certain point of view, we are one of the purest examples of prewar Equestrian society."

The Ranger fell silent, leading us into one of the buildings. Several Rangers snapped to attention and saluted as he passed them - he ignored them - before he replied. "There may be some truth to that, Scout. But has Stable 30 continued to evolve, or are you simply following the same traditions that your ancestors established when they entered the Stable on the Last Day?"

"One could ask the same question of the Steel Rangers." Getting bold, are we? Refuge in audacity, of course.

"The preservation of Ministry matériel is the highest mandate of the brotherhood of the Steel Rangers." He stated the phrase almost as if it had been imprinted into his mind from birth, and I suspected it had. He paused in front of a door and turned to face me. "No, Scout. The Steel Rangers have not evolved in almost two hundred years." Wow. That was unexpectedly direct. He knocked on the door and called through it. "You have visitors, Keeper."

"Come!" A mare's voice called, and the Ranger gestured for us to enter before turning and trotting off.

The four of us entered a cluttered workshop. A grey coated unicorn mare looked to us, her vivid green and hot pink eyes slightly crossed. ... Is this Lunar Note? She glanced to Dashie and smiled. "You must be the Scout." Two thick, strands of her messy, dark blue mane dangled around her horn, forming a heart shape. Had she ever seen a brush in her life?

"Ah... no. 'Fraid not, ma'am." Dashie glanced to me with a look of mild confusion. "She is."

She tilted her head, glancing under my barding. Hey! "Well you're not a colt." Umm.

"Your eyes are sharp as ever, ma'am." Well said, me.

She grinned, her eyes uncrossing and focusing on me. "Firefly, is it?" I nodded. "I'm Lunar Note. You might have noticed." Her horn lit up with an olive green glow and a yelp came from somewhere in the room as she turned and bellowed into the studio. "Oi, Moony! We got company." Wow, she's loud.

I suddenly found a delicious-looking dark grey pegasus colt laying on top of me. Um... Holy crap. He smells wonderful. Um... After a moment, I found him not on top of me any longer, to my disappointment, looking down at me. "Uh. Miss?" ... delicious. This must be the other radio pony. Moonstone Mustang, wasn't it?

"Yes?" Mmmm...

"Are you okay?" He wasn't wearing a Pipbuck, but instead an eyepiece that wrapped around his ear.

"... Yes, yes. I am wonderful. Just... wonderful..." Okay okay, enough with the lovestruck foal act. "That's an interesting Pipbuck you've got there." I rolled to my hooves. "Not a Pipbuck?"

"Nope! It's a Tactical Field Display, TFD for short." Ohh that accent...
"It's similar to a Pipbuck, but for the military. I could tell you..." Somepony cleared their throat, and I realized everyone was staring at us.

"I'm glad to see you ponies have become acquainted..." Oops. "What was it you were here for, Firefly?"

I nodded, turning to face her, carefully avoiding staring at Moonstone's delicious flanks. "Right, right. Well, first of all we're here to see you. We're also here to ask for whatever intel you have on the Baltimare area as a whole."

Lunar glanced around the studio. "That sounds reasonable. But..." Of course. "I have to ask a favor from you in exchange."

Fetch quests? "This depends on what the favor is." Mare, I fuckin' love fetch quests.

"Good, good. I'd be concerned if you just said yes. Come with me." Lunar smirked and turned, trotting off. "I guess the "daft Stable pony" stereotype isn't true. Mostly." She glared to Cerulean, who was looking at something. "You there, hornhead, don't touch that! It'll explode and kill us all." She gave him a stern look as she lead the way deeper into her workshop.

"You just leave dangerous stuff like that out?" She looked confused, and I gestured towards the item she had chastised Cerulean for looking at.

"Huh? Oh. No, it's a coaxial focus relay." A... what?

Dashie trotted over to us. "So you're just screwing with him?"

"Bingo, hornless." She smirked. "You know, you're not too bad looking..." She leaned over to me, whispering in my ear. "Give ya a night with Moony for a night with your colt."

I... um. What? "... We're not a couple." I glanced to Dashie.

"Oh, excellent." She smirked to Dashie, a coy smirk. Damn it, Lunar. "Rawr, you." Dashie smirked to me, then glanced to her flanks. I shook my head as she lead the way into a somewhat cleaner section of the studio, a room with a messy table in the middle. A map decorated one wall. "Okay, we go. Do you want the simple or the extended explanation?"

"Give me the long version but don't get too technical?" She nodded as her horn lit up. Dashie looked to his Pipbuck.

"I can do that. Let's get to the brass tacks..." I gave her a bland look and she groaned, resting her hoof on her cheek. "Damn it, Moony. Facts. Let's get to the facts." She turned, studying the map. "There are Ministry of Arcane Sciences Emergency Broadcast System towers here, here and here." The pointer in her magic pointed to their locations. "...you know what the MASEBS..." I nodded and she continued. "I can't access them. Right now, my information is limited to what traders bring in. If you could clear the towers out, somepony could fly out there to get me hooked up to them." She gestured toward another corner of the room where she'd hooked up a bunch of terminal screens. "Meet the Observation Room. It's a work in progress." She considered, looking back to the map. "I think DJ P0N3 uses them, too, so we might get his broadcasts in the area." I looked to her curiously. "It's a thought." She shrugged. "I could be wrong."

I nodded. "The Steel Rangers don't mind you doing your own thing?"

"Not really. As long as I keep their reputation neutral and repair the things they tell me to, they mostly keep out of my mane and keep other ponies out." She smirked. "Plus they're incredibly easy to manipulate."

I smirked back to her. "Really?" Go on...

She leaned in. "Discipline is key with them. Initiates will do pretty much anything if yelled at in a commanding enough voice. It's pretty funny."

I leaned in, whispering to her conspiratorially."You know... they took some of our gear when they let us in."

"Oh did they?" Lunar smirked. "Come, come." She lead the two of us out back to the main room. "Moony, stay here, make sure horn over there doesn't touch anything explosive. I'm going on a gear run."

"So, Moonstone, I take it you're not from the Baltimare area." I trotted over to the grey pegasus, studying him.

Moonstone looked to me, taking a moment before replying in his incredibly delicious accent. "What tipped you off?" Mmmm...

"Your wings, for a start." I smirked. "You're a Pipbuck expert, right?"

"I'm not the only one with wings here, you know." He looked to Pumpkin, who shook her head back at him and drifted over to Dashie. He shrugged, then turned back to me. "I've toyed with a Pipbuck or two in my time. What's up?"

I held my left hoof out to him. "My Pipbuck shut down, can you fix it?"

He took it, pressing the unlock button for the screen. "What happened?" He frowned, staring at the gear with nine cogs that covered the screen. "I've never seen this happen."

"I sort of had my leg... removed." I winced.

He raised an eyebrow. "That shouldn't have damaged it, Pipbucks are almost impossible to damage. I've heard stories of ponies using them as melee weapons and they still worked fine."

"It's not damaged, it locked down when I flatlined." He stared at me blankly. "It's to prevent Pipbucks falling into enemy hooves if the operator is killed."

"Oh! Deputy mode. I've heard about it, but I've never seen this before."

"Not quite, Deputy mode is... less." Never mind. "It's not important." I shook my head. "Can you fix my Pipbuck?"

"I don't know, lemme take a look." He paused, looking to me. "Let's get somewhere more comfortable, this might take a while." I glanced away as I felt my cheeks heating up. Sometimes having a red coat is helpful.

"Oh, no. I'm not interested in that." He turned to look for me, before nodding and turning off, leading the way to a private corner of the workshop. I really need to work on lying. I could almost hear him going "uh huh" skeptically. I followed him and laid down so he could work on my Pipbuck.

"Hey ponies, I'm back." Lunar paused, apparently noticing the two of us had disappeared as her voice took on a snarky tone. "Have fun, Moony!"

I winced and Moonstone looked to me. "I'm not like that."

"What? It's just sex. Don't you have sex for fun at your Stable?"

"Well, yeah, but not when you're in a relationship with somepony else..."

"Sex isn't about love, y'know, it's about having fun." He frowned. "Are you in a relationship?"

"No, I'm not." I paused, thinking. "Not for almost a year..." I sigh, slumping, then levitating my helmet off as I realized I'm still wearing my kit. Has it been a year already? Wow. "Not since I was promoted to Chief of Field Ops." I groaned, stretching out as I pulled my saddlebags and armor plates off. "Regulations prevent me from sleeping with anyone in Security, and most non-Security ponies find me... intimidating."

"I know that feeling." He thought about that for a moment, chewing on his lip. "Regulations, I mean. The En... er... place where I'm from... discourages... heterosexual couples, and I'm... not interested in colts."

I smiled. Oh, he's hot. Wait... "You're from the Enclave?"

He frowned, brows furrowing. "Yes, I am." He chewed on his lip, frown deepening. Mmm. "Try not to spread that around? I... don't want to attract attention from... anypony." Like the Steel Rangers?

"Of course, I'll keep it to myself. So... tell me about where you're from." I paused, considering. "Not Enclave military secrets. Just where you grew up." I tossed him a sly smirk. "Tell me about your home and I'll tell you about mine?"

"Trottingham. It's where I come from. It's... a nice place." He closed his eyes, a fond smile crossing his face. "It's one of the original settlements. You know the story of Hearthswarming?" I nodded. "Trottingham is where pegasi originally settled... at least, thats what the story is."

"That's fascinating. What's it like there?"

"It's... quiet. The Enclave mostly leaves Trottingham alone, or they would, if there wasn't a Wonderbolt Academy there." He paused, looking to me. "You don't happen to have pegasus ancestry, do you?"

"I might." How did he know? "Why?"

"Firefly is a popular name for pegasi." He groaned, stretching his wings. "The Wonderbolts were originally formed by a mare named Firefly."

"Oh, that's interesting!" I nodded earnestly. "So, tell me... what are the Wonderbolts?"

He frowned, staring at me with an awestruck look. "Clearly you don't have any pegasi ancestry." I raised an eyebrow at him. Huh? "The Wonderbolts are the top fliers in the clouds. They're heroes of the Enclave."

"Oh. Actually..." I smirked to Moonstone. "My father is a pegasus." I reached up with my free hoof, twirling it by my head. "Stable pony, remember?"

He shook his head. "Raising pegasi in a Stable... that can't be fun." He frowned at my Pipbuck. "Okay, I give up, I can't fix your Pipbuck. What did you even do to do it? Clearly you're not dead."

"I... stepped on a landmine." It kind of hurt.

He stared at me. "...okay, so, you miiight be dead." He frowned, then his frown shifted to a sly smirk. "Last I checked, necrophilia is frowned upon in most places."

What? "... Based on the prior conversation and the parts of that word I recognize, I don't want to know." His smirked shifted. I recognized that smirk, cutting him off as he opened his mouth. "No, no, no. I'm not listening."

"Done now?" I nodded and his smirk returned. "It means sleeping with dead ponies!" Oh damn it.

"I hate you so much." I groaned, curling up against his side.

"No you don't." He shifted and wrapped one of his wings around me. Uh... hot. Hot hot hot. "You okay?" He looked down to me. No. Not at all okay. Um. Crap.

"You're ...different." He gave me a blank look, and I continued. "From other colts. I've never, ah... cuddled... with a pegasus. It's nice. You're not as... rough? As an earth pony." Um... Well said, me. "That's not what I meant, I mean..."

"You're cute when you're blushing and babbling." Crap. His grin widened as he leaned over, nose-tip to nose-tip. I'm sure ... and suddenly we were kissing. What did I do to end up here... a moment later, I realized I was undoing my Stable suit... and you know what? I was perfectly okay with that.

The Radiopony trotted back to the center of her workshop where Mend and I were staying. "Hey, you, Wings. Power rangers took some of your stuff when you came in, right?"

Huh? I looked to the Radiopony. "Power rangers?"

"It's what I call the Rangers in power armor." Oh.

"They did." Alas. "Why?"

"Come with me." She gave me a roguish smirk. "Bring your pal, too. The old colt with personal space issues."

"Miss?" Um?

"You heard me." ... Yes I did. "Don't make me make it an order."

... What? "I don't have to follow your orders."

"Or do you?" She smirked at me slyly.

Do I? ... No. This just got weird. "No, I don't."

"Congratulations, you just realized that! Come with me if you want your shit back."

What the fuck? I turned, looking around for Mend, before calling for him. "Mend, c'mere."

He trotted out from behind some stuff. "Sup, Wings?"

"Oh for fu-." I sighed. "Nevermind. Get over here. We're going with Miss Note to get some of our kit back. Go tell Lieutenant Dash."

"Oh, please, call me Lunar." I gave her an aside look, nodding distractedly. Riight then.

Mend glared at me. "Why the hell do I have to?"

"Because you're the civilian, therefore the lowest rank, Doctor." Chain of command, Mend.

"Boo, you whore." Mend trotted off, grumbling. "Sure, fine, send the Doctor off delivering messages." He returned shortly. "Where we goin'?" I looked to the Radiopony.

"So what's the plan, Miss Note?"

She winced, then shrugged. "Follow me." She turned and trotted out through the door. "As you were, Knight."

The guard snapped a brisk salute. "Where are you going, Keeper?"

"I need supplies to repair some things." She glanced back, gesturing to us. "These two are with me."

"Of course, Keeper."

He resumed his position as the Radiopony lead the way through several hallways confidently. "So, Wings, Horn, what're your names?"

I glanced to Mend, who glowered at me and opened his mouth to answer her. "I'm Pumpkin Blitz." I tossed Mend a smug smirk as I interrupted him. "This is the angry doctor, also known as Cerulean Mend." He responded with an even fouler glare. "He likes glaring at ponies."

"Only orange ones with wings that interrupt him..." I smirked at him in response to his growl. I'm not orange, I'm pumpkin.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Lunar Note." She grinned to me. "This is a huge shock, I'm sure."

I nodded. "I figured that out, yes..."

"So, what do you think of my show?" She smirked at me.

"I, um... I don't actually listen to the radio a lot..." Heh.

"I knew there was something fucked up about you, Wings." I reached over and flicked his ear with one of my wings.

"Generational jarhead, yeah, yeah, blah blah blah, go fuck yourself." Miss Note paused, watching the two of us with an unsure look, and I grinned back to her. "We're cool, we're cool, Miss Note."

"Yeah... about that. Could you please call me Lunar? I get called enough titles, gets kind of... demeaning?" She frowned. "I don't know, I'm not a word pony, just..." She sighed. "You know what I mean, right?"

"I guess can see that. Um... Lunar?"

"That'll do." She grinned at me. "Do all ponies from Stable 30 treat each other like you two do?" No. "You seem like you're best friends, but you're so... mean to each other?"

"Nope!" Mend glanced to me, smirking. "Why else would we be out of the Stable, out here in the wastes? We're the outcasts, the freaks!" He let out a sharp burst of laughter. "Ain't no pony that likes us!" I kind of... um. Nevermind.

I stared at him, then shook my head. "No, we're just..." I trailed off. What the hell ARE we?

Mend had an answer, as always. "Vitriolic best buds." I looked to him. I guess that works... Yeah.

I nodded in agreement. "We're friends."

"I can't say I doubted that... much." She smirked. "So what's your Stable like?"

"Quiet, peaceful. Most of the ponies... don't give much thought to the outside. Some of the more outgoing civilians and Security tend to the Market days."

"Every Monday, pretty much all day til we shut down." Mend supplied info. Good point. Lunar nodded.

"Everypony else, well... they live. And it's soo... tight." I grinned, hopping into the air and spreading my wings. "There's sooo much open space out here! It's incredible!"

Lunar nodded at a set of double doors. "Here we are, ponies." She lead the way through the doors and the large room they opened to. Hell of a view from that window, shame it's night. Command center? I glanced to Mend, who shrugged. Command center. Several ponies occupied themselves doing things, some at desks, one at a terminal, a few standing guard. Lunar set out for another set of reinforced double doors with two ponies in armor guarding it. "It's alright, Knights, they're with me. I require supplies to maintain the radio station, and these ponies are here to carry them for me."

"Of course, Keeper." One of them bowed while another opened one of the doors grandly. That's... interesting. She smirked to us and trotted inside.

Wow, that's a lot of technology. I glanced back as the door closed behind us. Well, no going back now. I glanced around the room. Tawny would go insane in here! One wall contained weapons and military equipment on racks. I trotted over to the opposite wall, which was covered in small cabinets, poking around.

"Hello, Keeper." A pony in those red robes lay at the far wall by a work bench covered with several things... including my beam rifle. I want that rifle! ...again.

"Hiya, Gleam. I need some things to maintain the radio station." Lunar trotted over, looking to the rifle. "This yours, Pumpkin?" I nodded to her, trotting over as she levitated it over to me.

"You require a pristine beam rifle to maintain the radio station, Lunar?" The Ranger smirked to Lunar with a twinkle in her pink eyes.

"No, I'm just returning it to the pony who owns it." I settled my rifle back under my wing, smirking. I'll never let you go again, you poor, poor thing.

"I'll take care of the logs. You know, Lunar, if somepony asks, I'll have to tell them it was you..." The Ranger levitated a Pipbuck out of her robes, one of the older, pre-hoofmounted models.

Lunar considered, then shrugged. "Tell 'em I stripped it for parts."

"Of course, of course... I'll file the logs as switching this one with..." She paused, studying the Pipbuck on the table in front of her. "...rifle seven-three and say you claimed seven-three for radio station maintenance."

"Most appreciated, Gleam."

I glanced to Mend, rifling his way through several of the cabinets and I whispered to him. "What are you doing?"

"Looking around." He opened another cabinet, sticking his muzzle in it. "Can you believe how many Pipbucks they've got in here? It's friggin' ridiculous."

"Mend, are you looking to get shot?"

"Not even gonna justify that with a response. Can't help but notice she's not armed." He glanced in the Ranger's direction, deep in conversation with Lunar. "What could they possibly use them for?"

I sighed. "We're in a room full of weapons. And she's a unicorn."

"Or paying the slightest bit of attention to us." Mend continued unabated as he levitated a Pipbuck out, studying it. "This is pretty nice."

"We safeguard them. For the safety of the Equestrian Wasteland, we preserve artifacts of the prewar world, until the outside world is ready to use them again." The Ranger looked to Mend, glancing around Lunar. "Please put that back, Outsider." She sighed. "The amount of trouble one single Pipbuck disappearing would cause..."

"Yeah, Mend, put it back." He glared at me and returned the Pipbuck. "You don't want to cause trouble for this nice Knight, would you?"

"I'm not a Knight." She looked to me primly. "I'm a Scribe."

"Oops, sorry. There's a difference?"

"There is." She declined to elaborate and went back to talking with Lunar as Mend wandered over to the other side of the Armory.

"Nice sword, don't you think?" Mend pointed at an abomination that could only be the spawn of a chainsaw and a sword. "Bit big for my line of work, though." Sure thing, Doc.

I shook my head at his sadistic smirk. "Are you trying to get us shot? I'm pretty sure Captain Firefly would be cross if you got us shot."

"Cross? Bitch, please, she'd be fuckin' pissed." He paused, glancing to me. "So would I, for that matter. I like to get in at least two days sleep cycles between patching up ponies."

"Yeah, so keep your hooves off the touchy ponies' stuff. Before you have to patch your self up." Please.

"Ehh, I don't think we've gotten to "shooty pissed off" yet." Mend shrugged. "Cross pissed off", maybe..."

"Just so you know, Outsider, the Knights outside the door? They're always..." She paused, and I suspect it was because she was mentally preparing to quote Mend's butchered Equestrian. "Shooty pissed off", when it comes to outsiders or wastelanders. Even with the Keeper, I'm amazed they allowed you inside."

"Told ya, doc." I smirked at Mend, and he glowered at me.

"Right, right. I was wrong, you were right, blah blah blah, fuck you."

"Yeah, no." I grinned at him, and he stared at me blankly.

"Wha? Oh." He shook his head. "I have my own special somepony. So do you, for that matter."

"Let's get going, ponies." Lunar trotted over to us, levitating a box over. "Pumpkin, you want to keep that rifle? Put it in here." I sighed, looking down to the rifle tucked under my wing, muzzle peeking out from under my feathers, before nodding and sliding it into the box carefully. I'll be back for you. Lunar levitated several other things into the box. "Anything else they took from you?"

Mend smirked, and I glared to him. He frowned back at me sullenly and shook his head. "You're no fun, Wings."

"Yeah, you know what's also not fun? Getting shot."

"Pfft, like you'd know."

"Well, you know, there was the Stadium." I glanced down to my barding, staring at one of the impacts.

Mend followed my gaze."... Oh. Yeah. There was that..." He frowned. "Um... yeah. Let's go?" He turned to Lunar, who smirked at us.

"I am sure you have a bunch of stories, and I'm going to hear every single last one of them before you leave. Off we go!" She turned and trotted out of the Armory. A short trot through the hallways brought us back to the radio studio.

Lunar glanced around the radio station as we returned. "Huh. Where'd they go? ... Oohhhh. Have fun, Moony!" She grinned and raised her voice as Mend trotted off among the mess, talking to himself. I looked to her curiously as I tucked my beam rifle under my right wing. "So, tell me, Miss Blitz. When was the last time Miss Scout got laid?"

I frowned, not quite sure how to answer that. "... I'm sorry?"

"Eh, forget it. Resets tonight!" Oh. um. ... ew. "I give her another five minutes, tops."

"I could have gone without knowing that, thank you..." Too... much... information, Lunar...

"You know, Dashie and I..." She smirked, leaning over to me. I gave her a blank look before she nibbled at the base of my ear. Oh Celestia she's good...

No. "... oh. Um. ... No. I'm not into colts." No no no.

"We could... make out while he ruts me..." ... This got weird fast.

"I'm... already taken." Plus I'm pretty sure that violates several Security regulations...

"Oh, we're having a sleep over, are we?" Oh thank Sombra, it's a distraction. "Mind if I use this paint?" Mend levitated a couple tubes of what I guessed were paint over.

"What? Oh, that? No, have fun." Lunar looked to Mend with a flirtious look. "Hey, you're cute, in an old colt kinda way. You wanna join me and Dashie?"

"'Join'? Oh. That kind of 'join'." Mend gave me a confused look, almost as if he were asking me if she was serious, and I shrugged in response. "No." He shook his head. "I've got plans."

"Oh? What kiiiind of plans?" Lunar smirked, leaning up against him. "Fun plans?"

"Yeah. Real fun. Like not having sex with Dashie." Mend turned to trot off. "Have fun. Try not to be too loud."

"Aww, don't you like Dashie?" Lunar pouted at him. "That's not very nice!"

"I respect Lieutenant Dash as a professional, but I'm not going to have sex with him." I winced as unbidden and unwanted mental images of Dash and Mend... mating... came to mind. Ugh ugh ugh. Ew.

"Your loss, hornhead. Hey, Dashie!" She trotted over to Dash, nibbling at the base of his ear. "Let's do that intel thing!"

I looked to Mend as I tried to purge the sound Dashie made from my memory. "Is that a new euphemism?" Moans of that intensity should not be made at pitches that low.

"I hope not." He shrugged as he headed back to where we'd set down our gear. "You may want to close your wings, by the way."

"Wha... Oh!" Crap. I pulled my wings closed as I followed him over to his spot. He curled up on the floor with several items, a strip of wood, a coffee mug, a couple of brushes and some other items. "So, what are you doing?"

He levitated a tattered sheet of paper over to me. "Painting." A yellow pegasus with a grey-streaked pink mane looked at me sadly, surrounded by evil-looking zebras. 'War? Fear? Death? We Must Do Better!' decorated the top. 'Ministry of Peace' was written along the bottom.

"That's fascinating." I watched him dump some water from his canteen into the mug. "What are you painting?"

"Ministry Mare Fluttershy's cutie mark on my helmet."

"Okay. Why are you painting?"

"Because I'm bored and I'm trying to block out the sounds of Dashie and Captain Landmine getting laid. Because I need to remind myself why I left the Stable." He squirted some paint onto the strip of wood. "We need to do better. I don't want any more incidents like the one we had at the stadium." He gave me an irked, sideways glance.

"Look, I already explained my reasoning, we're not doing this again." I frowned, looking over to his helmet as he started painting. "You know, you're pretty good at that."

"Normally, I'd make a snide comment about unicorn dexterity, but I'm too tired." He dipped his brush in the paint. "Yes, I am. It's what I do when I'm not healing ponies."

I sighed, deciding it would be best if I shut up before I pissed him off, and I unslung my beam rifle, turning it over as I started to field strip it. Everypony but me is getting laid. I guess I can't complain, because I did it to myself, but damn it, I'm horny everywhere and I don't have anything to satisfy myself. Ugh.

"Okay... I needed that..." I moaned, curling up as light flooded onto me. Hey, this isn't my bed... Huh? I sat up, looking around.

"Mornin', you." Oh that voice... Who? Oh. Right. I looked to Moonstone, who was hovering in the air, halfway to the ceiling.

"What are you doing?" I rolled over onto my back, sprawling out and intentionally ignoring all of the things I might be laying in.

"I like being off the ground, it reminds me of home." I nodded, enjoying the view. "The Steel Rangers don't like me, bunch of gits. They like to take potshots at me when I leave the station, so I try not to if I don't have to."

"The Steel Rangers don't like the Stable, either. A few months after the Stable opened the doors, they came in and tried to take over. Three of them were... ah... liquefied... inside their suits."

"Sounds messy." He drifted over the bed and folded his wings, dropping towards me. "Hey you." He settled down standing over me before I could react, and suddenly found myself uncomfortably close to a gorgeous pegasus colt again. ... And his... 'thing', based on the feeling between my hind legs. "Got time for a quickie?"

My body said yes - curse you, biology - but I shook my head. "No, I really have to get up..." I glanced over at my Pipbuck, before remembering... "You don't happen to have the time, do you?" He leaned down, nibbling at the base of my ear, and I whinnied, pushing his head aside. "No seriously, I, I have to go... do... stuff..." I crawled out from under him, and he rolled over onto the bed facing me.

"Yeah, aw'right miss." He leaned over and retrieved his TFD. "It's 0904."

"I overslept, of course I overslept..." I crawled off the bed, stretching out and suddenly feeling incredibly self-conscious as I felt his eyes on my flanks. I glanced over my shoulder at him, blushing as I saw 'him'. "Um..." He looked at me, confusion on his face, before he looked down and quickly covered himself with a wing. "Last night was..."

"Enjoyable, yeah." He rolled over, hooves curled under him. "So, tell me about your cutie mark?"

"Huh?" How dignified. I glanced to my bare flanks and turned so I could look at him as I went through my morning excercises. "Oh, yeah. That." His awestruck expression said it all. "Well... I don't have one. Not yet, anyways."

"That's it?" He looked concerned. "You just... don't have a cutie mark?"

"Yep. It's a big deal for the wasteland, isn't it?" I shrugged. "It's just a thing in Stable 30. Nopony really cares."

"That's... unusual." He frowned, brows furrowing slightly. "Well, you know..." He trailing off slyly. "Maybe I can help you get a sex cutie mark?"

"Wha..." Oh Celestia, did you really just... I groaned. "I can't now." ...not that I don't want to... "You don't have a shower I could use, do you?" I bet they don't.

Moonstone rolled up onto his hooves, leaning over the side of his cot. It creaked precariously as he shifted his weight. "Lemme tell ya, luv - I haven't had a right proper shower since I left the clouds." Of course they don't. "It kinda makes me miss home..." He shot to his hooves, throwing himself into the air and spreading his wings. "...until I remember everything else about home."

"A shame..." I groaned and turned, running my magic through my coat and wincing at all the hairs the... 'stickiness' was stuck to. Better. Not right, but better. The trip home is going to suck. I trotted out of Moonstone's corner of the studio, stumbling and almost falling over something on the ground. Stupid... thing. I glanced down to it and saw it was a magazine for an IF-44 subgun. I picked it up and set it aside as I headed over to my kit, digging a healing potion out.

"Good morning, ma'am. How did you sleep?" Pumpkin Blitz looked well-rested. Lunar Note was curled up on the floor beside her as Pumpkin brushed her mane. I cooled a shot of healing potion and downed it, ignoring the stares from Lunar and Pumpkin.

"I've slept in cleaner beds." I winced, running a hoof through my mane. "Anything of note happen while I was out?" Lunar smirked at me as I said 'note'. Huh? Oh. "Pun unintended, I promise."

Pumpkin shook her head. "Nothing, ma'am. Lieutenant Dash got the intel. I was just telling Lunar about our... earlier adventures."

"Good, good. That's what I like to hear." I nodded. "Which adventures?"

"Oh, you know. Sewers, Stadium, Police Station. Other places."

"Right, right." I sighed. "We're on the road back to the Stable at 1030."

Lunar smirked at me in mild bemusement. "Did you just... drink... a healing potion?"

"I did." Nothing wrong with that.

She shook her head. "Stable ponies..." She closed her eyes, resting her head on her crossed hooves contently.

I glanced to her, then shrugged. "So, Lunar, tell me, how would I go about getting an audience with the Elder?"

She opened her eyes and looked at me in surprise. "You're joking, right?" That sounds promising. She burst out laughing, then stared at me for another awkward moment. "Oh, wait. You're serious. Aren't you?" I glanced to Dashie, who simply shrugged. "Lemme laugh even harder."

Oh yes, very promising indeed... "I'm afraid I'm serious."

"That old coot hates pretty much everyone that doesn't have a hardon for advanced Ministry technology." She paused. "Surprisingly, I think he hates me too despite my skill for repairing for advanced technology." She narrowed her eyes.

"Okay, okay, I get it, he hates me because he hates everyone." I shook my head. "I would like to talk to him to propose a mutually beneficial alliance."

"Yeah I don't think that's going to work. Old coot, remember?" I think you might have mentioned that earlier.

"Okay, okay, Lunar, I think she gets it." Moonstone trotted over to us. "Like we said... not a good idea. You set on this?"

I nodded. "I have to tryyy at least." I doubt I'll regret this much. Much.

Moonstone sighed. "Your funeral, Firefly..." Hopefully not. "Lunar, go get her an audience with him, please?"

"Aww why do I gotta do it?"

"Because the Rangers actually listen to you. They just sort of glare at me and pretend I don't exist."

"Fiiiine, fiine." She jutted her lower lip out at Moonstone. "But you gotta make up to me later for it."

"I was planning to." He grinned as he trotted over and kissed her on the head. "Hey, you brushed your mane."

She leaned up to nuzzle him. N'aw. "Something like that..." So sappy.

I glanced to Dashie, who shrugged again and came over to me, whispering in my ear. "You sure about this, boss?" I shifted, pushing aside the feeling between my hind legs his intimacy sparked. Um. When did I turn into a filly again? Ugh.

"Sweet Celestia, does nopony fucking listen to me? Yeah I'm going to. Remember what I did in Haven? Same thing."

"Sure thing, boss." He shook his head.

"Right, um..." I glanced to Lunar and Moonstone getting, ah, 'intimate' with each other and cleared my throat.

"Oh, yeah, you needed a... thing. Oops." I shrugged and followed Lunar out into the hallway. A Steel Ranger in blue and grey barding was standing at attention.

"Initiate! This pony requires an audience with the Elder. Make it happen!" If I hadn't heard Lunar on the radio before, I probably would have been surprised by the volume and power from the little mare.

"Keeper! Yes Keeper!" He saluted, turned to me and trotted off at a brisk clip. "This way, ma'am." I idly debated trying to engage him in some sort of conversation before deciding against it. He lead the way through several hallways, taking me to a large set of double doors. He then turned and saluted me. "I'm going to have to ask you to stay here for a moment, ma'am." I nodded and he trotted inside. A moment later, another Ranger in power armor emerged, his helmet hanging off a rack on his flank. Ah. Hello again.

"Oh, it's you. For some reason, I'm not surprised." Ah, so this is what the Senior Paladin looks like without his helmet on. "What can I do for you, Stable?" His head looked awfully small for the rest of his body, but I was sure it was just his power armor making his body seem much larger.

"I would like an audience with the Elder, please." Here we go again...

"'Please'. How polite of you, Stable." I ignored his comment about my politeness. Never hurts to be polite to your enemies, even if they're hoping you would kindly die. Be the better mare, right? "Why?"

"I was hoping to..." I paused for just a moment. "Suggest a mutually beneficial alliance." He blinked, narrowing his green eyes at me, before nodding with a calculating look. I wonder...

"Well, that's not what I was expecting. Of course, Stable." That was easy. "Do you have any weapons on you?" I shook my head. ... Tooo easy. Hrm... "This way." He turned and trotted through the doors and I followed him in. "Scribe! Go get a ring." The Scribe nodded and hurried off. Ring? Ah. Of course... Fuck me.

I glanced around the room, large and rectangular. One wall was covered in a continuous sheet of glass. Idly I wondered how it had survived the intervening two hundred years as I approached it, overlooking most of Baltimare to the west. What a view. Hey, I can see the Stable from here. Hrm... Fascinating.

Desks and terminals decorated the other three walls. A half dozen ponies in crimson robes and light barding occupied themselves doing tasks in the room. Only six ponies occupying the command center? Interesting. The unicorn returned with a gold ring held in his magic. Aw hell.

"Um... sorry about this, miss..." I sighed and closed my eyes as he put the ring over my horn, gasping softly as I felt my arcane power suppressed. Hnng... do not like these fucking rings... one... bit.

The Senior Paladin had disappeared while I was having magic restrained, and he returned. "Quite a view, isn't it, Stable?" That it is. "You can see your Stable from here. It's just over there." He pointed with a hoof. I had noticed... "Come with me. It is time you saw the Elder." I nodded, feeling the cold metal ring settling against my coat at the base of my horn. Nhg...

Five minutes later, I found myself facing the Elder again. Oh the things I do for my Stable...

"So. Stable. You have come to me." So I have. "Crawling." No. "Have you come to surrender your Stable to the glorious Brotherhood of the Steel Rangers?" Also no.

"I have not. I h-" I think I managed to keep my expression neutral as he cut me off. I think.

"Then we have nothing further to discuss." Welll that was fast.

"Surely there is something the Steel Rangers have need of..." Maybe...?

"No! The Steel Rangers require nothing, unless you are willing to surrender your Stable and all of its contents." Did not see that comin'.

How rude. "I can't do that."

"Then our business is concluded. Senior Paladin!" You asshole. I sighed as the Senior Paladin entered the room. Well, that could have gone better. "Remove this... pest from my sight." ... Yet it could have been worse.

"Thy bidding be done, my leige." The Senior Paladin sighed and nodded. "This way." He looked to me, and I nodded, following him out. He lead the way out of what I imagined was the command center. "You know, Stable, that went better than I expected."

Um... "Thank you?"

He lead me into an empty room and closed the door behind him. "This entire conversation never happened." I nodded and opened my mouth, but he shut me up with a steely glare. "There are many things the Steel Rangers require, but our Elder is a bureaucrat, not a leader. However, I am bound to follow his every order." Fascinating. I nodded again. "I would be open to an alliance with your Stable, and I am not alone in this. Remember - this conversation never happened. Come." He lead the way out of the room. What just happened? ... Fascinating. Hrrmmm...

At 1030, we left the radio station. The Rangers at the gate searched our bags, 'confiscated' a few more trinkets - fortunately not Pumpkin's beam rifle - reactivated our Pipbucks and then let us loose. If nothing else, they were professional enough to not directly tell us to kindly die in a cloud of balefire. They certainly implied the desire, though.

Another hour and a half of crawling through streets brought us back to Safehouse Alpha. Some of the streets had flooded overnight, and we'd had to find alternate paths... including being carried across a street by Pumpkin. Never again. Based on how clean the safehouse looked, I had to imagine Cyclone had been busy. "Hello ponies. Where to?"

"Back to the Stable." Cyclone narrowed his eyes at me. "Just returning there to resupply and deliver our intel." Assuming nothing goes wrong, of course. "Surely you could help with intel as well. You must know this city better than anypony else here could."

The old colt nodded slowly. "And then we go back to help Baltimare?"

"Of course. That's our long-term goal, even if it may not seem like it."

"Very well. Lead the way, Scout."

About an hour of slogging through buildings and streets from Safehouse Alpha, I heard a distant crack. "Hey, Dashie. You hear that?" Distant pops, almost like submachine gun fire...

Dashie paused, cocking an ear. "Sounds like a firefight, boss." Bingo.

"Team Two, head northeast, get us eyes on that." Pumpkin acknowledged with a radio click and hurried to the northeast, Mend trotting in her path. Stay safe, ponies.

"What are we doing?" Cyclone trotted over to me with a curious look.

"Hear that gunfire? We're gonna go take a look at it." I ignored the rational part of my mind that pointed out that I was heading *towards* gunfire.

Cyclone glanced around as we followed Team Two at a distance. "It has been some time since I was out here, but I believe there's a zebra village nearby..." Zebras? Interesting.

Pumpkin's voice came back through Dashie's Pipbuck. "Team One, Team Two. Looks like a group of ponies attacking a zebra village. Over."

"Ponies?"

"Not-zebras. Not Crimson's troops either. Looks like the fight is over, zebras have surrendered, REPEAT, zebras have surrendered."

"Where are you now?" I nodded to Dashie, heading towards the village. The gunfire had died down.

"Settled on top of a building overlooking the village. I've got eyes on what looks like the boss. Permission to engage? Over."

"Denied. Hold fire until Team One opens fire OR until the attackers are going to start killing prisoners. Out."

"Wilco." Pumpkin sighed. "Out."

I came across Cerulean around a corner. "You know, technically zebras aren't actually ponies, they're ano-" I cut him off.

"That's fascinating, Doctor, it really is." Quite frankly, my Doctor, I don't give a damn. "Where's Pumpkin?" He glared at me and looked up, and I saw an orange wingtip waving around the edge of the building. Ohhh how I hate wide, open spaces. "Gotcha." I dug a mirror out, looking around the corner, seeing the target area. A wall had been erected across the street, and a large gap had been cleared in it. A couple of ponies were rifling around by the gap, until a loud noise distracted them and the wastelanders headed inside the walls. "Cross the street on my go. Head for that building there, the half collapsed one. Ready? Go." Dashie and Cyclone trailed me to the building, which creaked as we entered it. Cerulean stayed on the other side of the street, heading up to regroup with Pumpkin.

"Eyes on you, Team One."

"Roger. Got a count of the wastelanders?" It would be nice to know how many hostiles we're going up against.

"Looks to be about one zero, REPEAT, one zero. I've marked them on your EFS, you should see them." I could not, of course, because my EFS was dead along with my Pipbuck.

"Copy. Count on locals?"

"Negative, no count. Few dozen, maybe." Pumpkin groaned quietly. "They keep moving around, makes it impossible to get an accurate count."

"Copy." I lead the way up to the second floor where we could get a good vantage point on the village.

The village itself was small. Several of the wastelanders - I suppose this counts as raiding, making them actual raiders - were rummaging through the buildings, looting stuff. A couple of them were drinking from bottles. Two of the raiders were rounding up the local townsponies in a group in the middle.

"Designate all non-zebras as potential hostiles. Pumpkin, see the large unicorn in the center of the village?"

"Yeah, with the hoofball helmet?"

"Affirmative. Designate as Target One."

"Wilco."

We spent several minutes designating each of the hostiles. Dashie spoke up. "Okay, we've got all of the targets. We got a game plan, or are we just going to rush in guns blazing?"

Good question. "No, we're not going to rush in guns blazing, Dashie. We still don't have all the info. Cyclone?" I turned to him. "What do you know about the area?"

"Not a whole lot that's relevant, I'm afraid. This raider gang isn't big enough to get a reputation, and gangs change frequently. As for this town, I have not been out in this area in probably a generation. For all I know, the townsfolk could be another raider gang." I idly wondered why we hadn't run into any gangs before, before deciding it was not a question for now.

"Understood. Team One will go in and see what they're up to. If things turn violent, Team Two and Cyclone will provide overwatch. Watch your fire; there are noncombatants in there. Questions?" Pumpkin and Cerulean confirmed with a comm click, and Cyclone nodded. "Right then. Five minutes, starting... now. Go." Cyclone slipped off into the building.

I waited my five minutes before rising and heading into the village. Several of the raiders stopped what they were doing, appraising us, but none of them outright attacked us. They're not stupid. Interesting.

LOCATION DISCOVERED: ZEBRA VILLAGE

I watched the indigo unicorn approach us, a charming smirk on her face that automatically made me suspicious of her. "Hello there, ponies. What brings you to this fine town?" You. You're going to be a problem. Aren't you. On the other hoof... two can play at that game.

"Oh, we were just exploring this wonderful city." I purposely avoided looking in Dashie's direction, hoping they wouldn't see his expression. Surely it had to be good. "Have you ever seen the sky? It's soo... high..." I ignored how my stomach flipped as I thought about the sky. Don't look up.

"Oh? Where are you from?" The raider looked intrigued.

Feed her just enough to make her curious... "Stable 30. Have you heard of it?" Surely they have.

"I've heard the Stables are incredible places of safety and wealth. Why did you leave?" She had a greasy purple mane with a blue streak that had been braided and tucked behind her ear. Her barding was fairly typical, jury rigged pseudo-armor, with an improvised sword slung against her left side.

"Oh, you know. It got boring in there." The one speaking to us and what I imagined was the leader shared a look. Fascinating. I'm going to kill both of you. "So what are you folks doing here?" I trotted over to the bunch of zebras, looking at them. Target One, the big unicorn, shifted, keeping himself between them and I.

"You know, you look pretty smart, for a Stable pony. What do you think, Rip?" She looked to the big unicorn, who nodded to her. "Why don't you join our group?" The lavender unicorn bumped against me, wrapping her tail around my neck, attempting (with limited amounts of success) to draw my attention away from the zebras. Ugh. I felt dirty, inside and outside.

"Oh? Group? What kind of group?" I looked to her, playing along as the daft Stable pony.

"Ehh, we do everything." She smirked. "Whatever we want, whenever we want." Her smirk shifted slyly as she lowered her voice. "Whomever we want..." Vaguely I imagined one of my Stable teachers twitching at that blatant misuse of 'whom'. Also, ew.

"Whatabout the.. um... stripes..?" I intentionally stumbled over the slur as I looked at the zebras.

"What, them? Pfft, who cares. You want in with us." The raider leaned in, lowering her voice again. "Lemme tell ya, Stable, we got a sweet deal. Somepony hires us to attack them, pays us hoofsomely. Then, on top of that? We get to keep whatever we steal from 'em." Oookay then. "They tell us when, how and where to attack. We just gotta go attack em. Only thing is we don't rough 'em up too badly..." She sighed dramatically. Who even goes around telling total strangers their plans?

Dead ponies. That's who. "That's interesting. Who is it?" Keep talking...

"Ah, hell, who even cares, mare? Caps and loot for what we'd be doin' anyways. Sweet deal, innit?" And dead.

"Yeah, I guess it is..." I nodded, stepping away from her. "Dashie!" He looked to me. "Pumpkin, Target One. Do it." The raiders looked at us curiously for a long, awkward moment. Now would be great, Pumpkin... off in the distance, I saw a flash of light and a pink beam of light leading to the big unicorn's head and continuing into the ground on the opposite side; he immediately collapsed.

"Right then, folks. Here's how it's going to work." I drew my shotgun, flicking the safety off. "You're going to surrender, right now, or we going to kill all of you." Please work.

The raiders shared a look. Crap. They turned and rushed us, screaming defiant profanities and threats, some of which didn't even make any sense. Damn it!

"Open fire! Back, back!" I backtrotted as I flipped my visor down. The one that had attempted to seduce me - ew - rushed towards me with her head down and her sword held high in her bubblegum pink magic. I activated SATS as Dashie's battle saddle barked... and then I realized I don't have SATS anymore. Oh, shit! I turned and hoofed it the opposite way as she cackled insanely, all thoughts of dignity discarded in preference of not getting run through. Mistakes have been made!

I glanced back, realizing she was catching up to me, and fired a shell at her legs. "Gonna put you in the ground!" It missed, but her dodge took her back, increasing the distance between us. I'll take it! Damn, why is everyone so much more agile than I am? I fired another shell at her legs, and this time her dodge took her closer to me. "Don't think so, bitch!" Shit!

"Firefly!" Huh? I glanced in Dashie's direction. "Down!" Right! I dropped to the ground as Dashie's shotgun barked in my direction. Several other shots crossed where I'd been from another direction as I rolled over, blocking the blade the unicorn was swinging at me with my shield. Shit shit shit! The distraction was just enough for me to bring my shotgun up and fire three shots into her upper body. The shield blocked the kill from my sight, but she collapsed beside me, twitching and screaming. I fired a fourth shot into her body, and she stopped moving. And stay down! Bitch. I rolled over, crawling for cover.

Several rounds punched through what I'd taken cover behind. Visual concealment, not cover. Crap. I paused, looking for something more solid, noticing a nearby building. That might work. Several more rounds punched through on the other side, uncomfortably close, and I rose to my hooves, backing up before galloping for the building, firing my pistols over the shield in the direction those shots had come from. A pink beam punched through the cover I'd been firing at, and the shots in my direction stopped.

... As had all sounds of battle. I glanced to my EFS and remembered it was still dead. "Report!"

"All clear, boss!" Good good, Dashie sounds good.

"Status?" I left my cover, looking around with my weapons, finally holstering them when nothing popped out to run a sword through my ribs.

"I'm good. Pumpkin, Cerulean and Cyclone are out of the area." Dashie trotted over to me. "Ten KIAs confirmed."

"Good, good." I headed for where the zebras had been, only to notice they had disappeared, presumably when the shooting had started.

"Who are you, and what do you want with us?" A single zebra exited one of the buildings, trotting towards us proudly.

"We're from Stable 30. I am Captain Firefly. They attacked your town, did they not?" Please be grateful.

The old zebra paused, looking to Team Two as they trotted into the town. "Yes, they did. I suppose we should thank you. We don't have anything we can give you." Good enough.

"We're not asking for anything. We have things to trade, if you'd like." I looked towards Cerulean, who had carefully trotted over to a pair of injured zebras, trying to help them.

The zebra considered, glancing over her shoulder, before nodding. "I think something could be worked out."

An hour later, we set out from the zebra village. Cerulean had helped several of the locals. Dashie had traded some equipment and ammunition for other supplies. Pumpkin and Cyclone had helped repairing their defenses while I talked with the leader, learning about the village.

"That was a good shot, Pumpkin." I looked over to her, and something in her cheek twitched. Hrm?

"I... don't like sniping, ma'am..." Cerulean trotted over next to Pumpkin as she spoke, nuzzling her, and she relaxed, slightly.

"Understood, Pumpkin." I nodded to her, keeping eye contact for a moment longer than necessary before glancing forward.

"That was murder, Captain." Huh? I looked to Pumpkin, and she continued quietly. "You went in there intending to kill them, no matter what happened."

"I agree, Wings." Cerulean shared his opinion as expected.

Pumpkin threw Cerulean a dirty look. "Shut the fuck up, Horn. I don't want or need your opportunistic consent." I glanced to him, and he shut up with a shocked look.

"We're Security, trooper. That's what we do."

"You're right." Pumpkin stopped and spun, facing me. "We're Security, Captain. Security saves ponies. Isn't that what you said?" That it is... "We didn't save those ponies, now did we? We slaughtered them."

I frowned to her. "Those raiders had just attacked the village, by their own admission, and showed nothing but enjoyment."

"So what, we just slaughter anypony who gets in our way? Is that what we do now, Captain?" She glared at me aggressively.

I sighed and took a deep breath, turning to face her. "No, we didn't. We went in there prepared with the knowledge that we might have to kill them and the hope that we wouldn't have to. They forfeit their lives when they attacked the village, and I am confident that they had no plans to stop attacking villages. They were getting paid to harass villages."

"Oh, you are, are you? How do we know that you didn't just make that up?" The hell did that come from? "Did Lieutenant Dash hear that?" Dashie looked to me but declined to answer, turning to watch around us.

I blinked, narrowing my eyes. What? I closed my eyes, taking another deep breath. Respond, don't react.

"The fuck, Pumpkin, that's out of line, even for me." I was surprised to hear Cerulean speaking up in my defense. I glanced to him. I wonder if he's actually defending me, or just pretending to... Opportunistic ass.

"You're right." Pumpkin sighed. "That was out of line. I'm sorry, Captain."

"As healthy as getting this out is, I believe now is not the best time." Cyclone stepped in between the two of us, and I had to agree. "Even in prewar times, the middle of a street in Baltimare was not the safest of places to converse..."

"... Yes, I think you have a point there." I looked to Pumpkin. She scanned the perimeter around us, before nodding tightly. "Let's move." I dropped back to trotting beside Pumpkin, and she looked at me nervously. "I appreciate your concerns, Pumpkin, but this is not the place to bring up those issues." She nodded, glancing away.

"So, boss, one of my flank plates shattered." I glanced to Dashie as he spoke up. His flank plate did look broken.

"Again? Those aren't easily replaceable, Dashie." Captain Obvious strikes again.

"Wasn't my idea to go into CQB range with enemies who mostly specialize in CQB." Fair enough. "But I don't think that would have mattered, one of them had a cut down seven-six-two rifle in a battle saddle."

"A cut down seven-six-two? Wow." Wait... "Your armor stopped a seven-six-two? I for one am impressed."

"Don't be daft. These plates aren't even rated for five-five-six. I think it hit at an oblique angle and ricocheted off, instead of a straight up stop."

About an hour after we left the town, we left the city behind us, returning to trotting on an open road with dense forest on both sides.

"I'm not a fan of creepy roads, ma'am..." Pumpkin was flying again, a short distance above the rest of the team.

"What are you talking about, Pumpkin? This is the same road we came through on the way to Baltimare." I glanced up to her as she flew overhead, immediately regretting my decision immensely as my stomach's contents attempted to exit through my mouth. Bad stomach. Bad.

"Yeah but it was earlier in the day. The shadows are all different." She paused, settling to hover above us as she pointed at something. "There. That fuckin' tree creeps me out. We should blow it up."

Damn it Pumpkin, don't make me go up there and buck some sense into you. Nopony here's gonna like that. "We don't have the firepower to blow it up, and even if we did, it's just a tree." Especially me. "Even if it is a creepy-looking tree." Giving it a second look, I had to agree...

An hour after that interesting conversation brought us to Haven. A couple of S30 troops stood at the wall by the east gate that we approached.

"Who's there?"

"Captain Firefly!" Pumpkin waved at them and the gate rumbled open to let us in.

"Hello Captain." They saluted. "Trip went well?"

"Well enough, trooper. I see the negotiations with the mayor were successful?"

"Yes ma'am. He offered us a building by the main square for Stable operations."

"Excellent, excellent. Carry on."

"Yes ma'am." I turned to my team. "Right, meet us at the west gate at 1640. We set out for the Stable at 1700. Dismissed." Team Two saluted and headed off into the village. "Come with me, Dashie. I have something for the mayor." We headed to the mayor's office, running into Sky Chaser and Ivory Spark.

"Hey Firefly. Ugh, what did you do, go swimming in brahmin shit? You stink!" Apparently brahmins were two-headed mutant cows. Or something.

"Oh crap, not you two." I grinned to them to show I was joking.

Dashie leaned in, stage whispering to them. "No, brahmin shit would probably smell better."

Hey! "I don't smell that bad." Yes I probably do, but... "Hiya kids. How are you?" Shut up.

Ivory spoke up with his quiet, calm voice. "We've been good."

Sky Chaser grinned. "I found a gun at Deathcon!"

"... I don't know if I should be worried or not..." She glared at me, and I smirked.

"And I managed to con Ivory into coming with me to Deathcon!" Oh dear.

I looked to Ivory, and he winced. "She found the gun while I was with her, so she thinks I'm her good luck charm now. At least she didn't find bullets, too." He shrugged. "Security has been showing us how to use them."

"That makes sense." I looked back to Sky Chaser. "Has anything changed with the alicorns?"

She cocked her head and looked to the sky, before shaking her head. "I haven't noticed anything different."

"It's good to see you two, but we have somewhere to go. Stay safe!"

Ivory shook his head with an amused smile. "Safe. In the wasteland... you are funny."

Upon entering the Mayor's office, his secretary shot us one of the darkest glares I have ever seen as I trotted over to his desk. "Hello..."

He looked at us for a long moment. "The mayor is expecting you. Go right in." I could almost hear him wishing we would take a long trot off a high cliff. Into a pool of taint.

"Scout! It's been a while!" Only a few days.

"Hello, Mayor." I bowed respectfully. "How has Security been treating your town?"

"Oh, it's great! I can't remember the last time everypony was so pleased with me!" Noted.

I levitated out the box of cigars. "I would be honored if you would accept this gift, on behalf of Stable 30, for your incredible generosity." I brought the box over in front of him, opening it slowly.

"Oh! Oh my. Are those... Sapphires? I smell? Wonderful. Wonderful!" He levitated two of them out. "The town of Haven is most appreciative of your donation, Scout!" If by 'town', you mean 'you', then yes, I'm sure it is.

"Of course, Mayor. I'm sure you have business to attend to. We shall make our exit." I bowed and we exited his office.

As we left his office, he called his secretary in. I heard the two arguing for a moment, followed by an incendiary spell being cast, and then coughing. An acrid smell I imagined was cigar smoke drifted out of the office, and I smirked to Dashie.

He simply shook his head. "Let's go, boss. We've still got a trot back to the Stable."

"Right, right." I nodded and headed over to the Stable 30 Security station, checking in and seeing how everything was going. Somepony had painted a fairly good likeness of the Stable 30 Security emblem, a shield over the Stable-tec gear with 30 on it, on a sheet of metal and nailed it over the door. Idly I wondered who.

"Ah, hello, Captain, we weren't expecting you..." The pony on duty looked up in surprise as I entered, snapping to her hooves and saluting.

"No, nopony ever expects Stable 30 Security." Thank you, thank you, I'm so witty. "As you were. How is the town?"

"It's a town. A few of the ponies have been very accepting of us, a few quietly wish for us to go die, the rest..." She trailed off with a shrug. Gotcha. "We've been training the townsponies how to use guns properly." I nodded. "I hope this doesn't bite us in the flank, Captain."

"I don't think it will." I hope. "At the risk of sounding like Captain Obvious." She blushed in response to that. Ah, another who uses that nickname when I'm not around. "You're representing us out here, so your actions are crucial here. Try not to rock the boat too much."

"Of course, ma'am. Would you like a tour of the town?"

"That won't be necessary, thank you."

"Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Not a thing. We're heading back to the Stable. Keep doing what you're doing."

Halfway between the Stable and Haven, I asked Dashie to turn the radio on, and he obliged. Conveniently, it was during one of Lunar's broadcasts.

"Hellloooo Baltimare! So it turns out, our intrepid local hero pony, is either stupider than she looks, or braver than she looks. Having met her, it's probably both." Thanks Lunar. "She braved - or bumbled her way through, depending on who you ask - Central Baltimare and the irradiated city center to get to me..." Her voice took on a slightly deadpan tone. "And the Steel Rangers graciously allowed her entrance to their wonderfully secured base." Her voice resumed its normal tones. "And the sewers. Oh did she go through the sewers. The stories her friends had... well, it turns out, those rumors and stories that cannibal ghouls live in the sewers? They're reeeeeeal, ponies!" She fell silent, and I wondered if that was all she had. "On a related note - Celestia DAMN are their teeth soo... straight!" I ran my tongue along my teeth before I realized I was doing it, noticing I'd lost a tooth during the mission. Huh.

"You know, that's blasphemy." Cyclone spoke up almost casually. "Taking the Princess' name in vain."

"You don't seem too upset about it." I looked to Cyclone inquisitively, and he shrugged. "You knew the Princesses?"

"Not really, not personally. I met them once, briefly, during an award ceremony. Somepony in the Ministry of Peace had arrived at the end of a battle and healed everypony who was dying - including all of the stripes - so the battle was fought twice. Later, I heard that was the first test of a megaspell..." He sighed. "Celestia was heartbroken, Luna seemed... distant." He glanced up to the sky - I carefully avoided following his gaze- then looked back down. "Beginning of the end, that."

In the pause after he fell silent, Lunar resumed talking. "Aaanywho... this proves one thing - that's how it starts. Radroaches are gateway drugs." What? "Eat a radroach just once, and there you are, five years later, an undead ghoul hiding in the sewers and eating ponies daft enough to go down into them! As always, ponies, keep on your hooves and watch your fire! Sycamore Ridge!" ... Noise... came from Dashie's Pipbuck. This is unusual.

I looked to Dashie. "You think she's serious?"

"No, I think she's out of her freakin' mind." Dashie shook his head.

"You wanna take that chance?" C'mon Dashie, eating meat is gross.

"Firefly, I'm pretty sure she's just fucking with us." Dashie made a face at his Pipbuck as he shut the radio off.

"But do you want to take that chance?"

"For fuck's sake, Firefly, I'm a medical pony with an arcane sciences background and I'm fairly sure she's not serious." Cerulean added his two bits. Unasked, as always. "Or if she is, there's no scientific basis for it."

"If you say so, Doctor..." I smirked at him, and he narrowed his eyes back at me.

"Don't patronize me, Captain." He threw the title back at me sharply. "You're great at killing ponies, I'm great at fixing them. I find eating the remains of formerly sentient or sapient beings horrifying, and I'm positive Lunar is full of shit."

That blunt pronouncement killed the conversation. Well done, Doctor.

We approached the Stable around 2000, after far too many hours of trotting, and were greeted by the duty officers. "Welcome back, ma'am. How was your trip?"

"Hello Ivory." Stable must be desperate to put Ivory Charm on duty. "Good, good."

"I see you brought somepony else with you?" To her credit, she kept her expression neutral.

"Something like that, trooper." She nodded.

"Colonel Range is waiting for you in her office." Of course she is.

"Good, good." I found myself in Colonel Range's office, ignoring the looks my fellow Stable ponies gave me. Given the time it had been since I'd showered, I couldn't blame them. "Captain Firefly, reporting from the radio station, ma'am." I saluted.

"Good to see yo..." Hot Range broke off, coughing. "Sweet Celestia, when was the last time you showered?"

"Allow me to answer your question with another question - when was the last time I was at the Stable?" Ugh...

"I knew you were going to say that." She shifted, staying upwind of me. "How did the mission go?"

"Successfully." I considered, levitating my helmet off. "I could tell you about it, but I think it would be a better idea to tell everyone all at once. Unless you have anything else, I'm going to go shower."

Hot Range nodded. "Meeting in fifte..." She paused, narrowing her eyes at me. "Make that an hour. I'll get reports from the rest of your team first."

"Works for me, Colonel." I saluted and headed off to the Armory to turn in my gear, then a shower. Oh it feels great to be home.

After-Action Report
Doctor Cerulean Mend

While I must agree that this mission was a success in that it achieved all of its set objectives, I can not agree that it was a success in the long-term. Crimson Nimbus is still alive. He is now aware that the Stable is being more visible in the Baltimare area. Since leaving the Stable, Crimson has been busy. He has two or three hundred trained and loyal soldiers under his command. If he desired, I have little doubt that Crimson could take the Stable with brute force alone. The fact he has not, however, suggests he does not want to.

Captain Firefly made several questionable decisions during the course of this operation, foremost among them attacking Crimson and killing two of his so-called "Crimson Raiders". Fortunately, Crimson does not seem to be holding a grudge on this matter. When given a legitimate excuse to execute Pumpkin and Cerulean in revenge, he instead escorted us to link up with Captain Firefly and resupplied us in exchange for us to convey a message insisting he was not angry with her. While I am unsure as to Crimson's long-term plans, I do not believe he is a threat to the well-being of the Stable. However, Crimson and his Raiders will require careful management in the future.

The Steel Rangers are just as displeased with the Stable as they have been since the Incident. While they are a potential threat, I believe they could be turned away with limited amounts of bloodshed through intimidation or persuasion. Other factions were observed, but none of which are likely to become a threat short of drastic changes in their structure. Small villages, a cult of sewer-dwelling cannibal ghouls...

As a final note, Captain Firefly's command skills leave something to be desired when it comes to her father. When pressed for answers as to why she attacked him, she could not provide a satisfactory answer, or any answer at all. I recommend she take medical leave until a psychiatrist clears her for active duty.

The pale blue unicorn trotted into the security station. Nopony paid him any attention as he went straight for the Head of Security's office.

"Hello, Colonel." Colonel Hot Range looked up from her desk in confusion.

"Oh, it's you. Drop the titles, Mend, this can't be an official visit." She privately wondered what precisely an 'official' visit from Mend could even be, considering he technically was one of hers. "What do I owe the displeasure of this visit to?" She glanced back down to the Pipbuck 2000 sitting on her desk.

"Any change with Saph while I was out getting shot at?" Doctor Cerulean Mend sat down as Hot Range shook her head with a disgusted look and levitated out a pair of Sparkle-Cola bottles of cider. "I didn't think so. Cider? Don't mind if I do." Mend looked to the bottle in front of him, levitating over an empty IF-21 magazine and using the feed lips to pop the cap off. "Drinking on duty, Colonel? How irresponsible of us."

Mend's annoying smirk and casual abuse of one of her magazines irritated Range more than it usually did, and she dug back into the past as she pulled her magazine back from Mend's magic. "Surely this isn't any more grievous of a problem than your little 'bedside manner' issue, 'Doctor'." She looked to him coldly as she opened her bottle. "Has Warding Charm forgiven you yet?"

"That was... a long time ago." Mend glanced down with a haunted look. "A... long time ago..." He took a long drink from the bottle. "Did you read my report?"

"I did. As well as Dash's and Blitz's."

"So, what do you think?"

"I think fuckin' Crimson should have stayed dead."

Mend burst out laughing at Range's muted statement. "Still mad, huh?"

"If he hadn't left the Stable, I'm sure he would have had an 'accident'."

Mend sobered quickly at her unsettling pronouncement. "I...ah. Wow, Range..."

"He hurt Saph, Mend." Range spoke slowly and quietly. "You of all ponies should remember that."

"First off, Red never loved her, and Saph knew that when they married, so Red can't take all of the blame here, as much as we'd like to pin it on him. Secondly, Red had nothing to do with Saph's ...drinking. That was entirely Sunset Lily." A look of disgust crossed his muzzle as he spoke those last two words.

Rage filled Hot Range's eyes for a long moment, and Mend almost regretted opening his mouth, but then she closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. "You're right. I'm sorry." She leaned back in her chair, waving a hoof in Mend's direction. "You know, Mend, Overmare Lily was never conclusively proven to be at fault for that." She sipped her cider with an contemplative expression.

"Oh, yes, just like Daisy's death was an accident. You? Passing up an opportunity to talk shit about Sunset? You must be getting old, Range." Mend smirked at her momentarily, before fading to a saddened look. "You know how I feel about Saph. She's not strong willed. I love her, but... she is not strong willed." Mend threw his hooves in the air, raising his voice. "She married Red, for fuck's sake! What kind of an idiot would marry somepony who tells her he doesn't love her?" He groaned, crawling to his hooves. "I have places to be, ponies to save, all that hero doctor bullshit." Range snorted at that. Mend? Hero? Ha. "Oh! By the way, outside the Stable, one thing lead to another and Aimpoint came up. Firefly might come around asking about that. Just a heads up."

"Celestia damn it, Mend."

"That's me, Range." His obnoxious smirk returned.

Colonel Hot Range sat back in her chair, not entirely sure how she felt. Despite her dislike of him, talking with Mend usually made her feel better, and to be completely honest, she did feel more relaxed than she had in days, but... she could feel tension creeping back into her shoulders and stomach as she opened the door and let memories of Aimpoint, Crimson and Sapphire come flooding back. "... Celestia damn it, Mend."

Author's Notes:

<Notes>
And so we meet the Steel Rangers. And Cyclone. And Lunar Note. Fascinating bunch, aren't they, the Baltimare chapter of the Steel Rangers?

<Credits>
kkat - for Fallout Equestria, naturally.
Relentless and belmor of Fallout Equestria: Frozen Skies, a deliciously awesome story. They provided vital military expertise for this chapter and the design/concept of Moonstone's TFD, which is identical to the ones worn by Snap Roll and Tailwind.
'Brandon' for some super sick burns from the squad combat medic.
Fallout Equestria - Rules of Engagement was a big inspiration for FOE:SS, I suppose. The plot is a bit... unusual, but the writing was solid. It's a shame it died so quickly.