“You alright?” The voice sounded familiar, but muffled. “Hey Viby, you alright?”

I waved my hoof at whoever was talking. “Just help me up.” I felt a pull on my leg, helping me up onto all fours. “Thanks, just give me a moment, my vision’s still blurry.”

“That’s probably a good thing.” I finally pinned down the voice, it was Rototom. “You’re not going to like what you see.”

“Why, what happened.” Rubbing my eyes, I could feel something wet and sticky smear onto my face. My vision now recovering, my sister came into view. She was back in full specter gear, with new goggles, and advanced all-environmental combat armor. “Is everypony alright?”

Rototom shook her head. “Sorry, but it’s quite grim.”

My eyes drifted down, the floor was a mess of red, like someone had been throwing paint around. Snapping my head around, I saw Orthrus regulars moving body bags, so many body bags. The blood was everywhere, not just on the wall. “How many?”

My sister sighed, “We’re still counting, but it’s a lot.” She pulled out a pair of blood stained bunny ears. “A pony wearing this was laying over you, did you know her.” I just nodded in shock. “I see… Sorry.” An Orthrus medical pony came up to my sister, whispering something in her ear. “Right, I’m on it.” She looked in my direction and sighed. “Sorry, but… Just hold it together, I’ll be back soon.”

Rototom quickly trotted off, her hoof steps making a sickly wet sound with each step. I was left in the bloodied club room, the regulars at work removing the bodies. I know there had to be other survivors, at least Cabrette had to be all right. Bolting for the back room, I through the door, and found myself still on the dance floor, but everything was clean. A lone mare sat at the bar, stepping closer she had a white lab coat on, which made her black mane pop out. Other than her lab coat, she was all black.

She felt too familiar, way too familiar. Slamming my hoof on the bar I yelled. “WHO ARE YOU?”

She looked at me, her golden eyes seem to look right through me. “In time.” Slipped from her mouth.

I bolted up, finding myself gasping for air.

“Told you that would wake her up, nothing beats minor suffocation to wake a pony up.” The voice sounded familiar, but a bit off.

“I don’t know, I still think we should have gotten smelling salts.” That was… Citole!

Shaking off the drowsiness, I got up on all fours to look around. Citole, and Cabrette stood next to me. In the distance were a few Orthrus medical ponies, nothing like actual doctor’s, but they had enough training to keep a pony alive long enough to get them to a hospital.

“Where’s Kantele? Is she alright?” The panic in my voice was apparent, even to me.

“She’s going to be alright… we hope.” Citole looked away. “She got hurt real bad, but Turnip was able to stabilize her with a healing potion, and Orthrus just took her to a hospital. But it still looked bad.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, if she was going to get proper medical attention then she was going to be alright. I felt a hoof lightly smack me on the top of my head. “Ow!”

“What were you thinking?” Cabrette’s hoof was back in the air, looking ready to come back down on me. “Firing your gun in my club like that. If that reaver didn’t smack some sense into you, i sure as Tartarus will.”

“Reaver?” That word escaped me, but sounded familiar.

“Oh dear…” Cabrette looked at the others, and motioned for them to give us some space. “Come here.” I followed Cabrette over to the bar, where we sat down. “First off, I’m glad you’re fine. Somepony must have slipped you a super healing potion, must have been what put you out. But sorry about the rude wake up.”

I checked my chest, pushing down but not feeling any pain other than from the pressure of my hoof. My head felt well too, no ringing or blurriness. “Feels like I’m all better.”

“Still, don’t go getting any major injuries anytime soon.” Cabrette poked me on the nose. “Healing potions only do so much, so whatever damage was done to you, those parts are still healing. I don’t need to tell you this, but they can be easily damaged again, so until you get some proper rest, just be careful.”

“Ya, I don’t plan on getting in another hoof fight with him… so what’s a Reaver?”

Cabrette scratched her chin. “Truthfully, I don’t really know. I only have rumours to work off of, but they seem to be the republic's version of a Specter. How the rumors go, they are cybernetically enhanced to surpass a pony in all ways. Faster, stronger, smarter. their meant to protect the republic from its enemies.”

I raised an eyebrow. “And why do you think he’s a Reaver?”

She smiled, and lifted up her pipbuck. Pressing a few buttons on it, a holographic image appeared in my vision. It was that of a comic book cover, a bit old and tattered, but still clear to see. On it was the image of an burgundy red mirage pony stallion with a dark blue mane, and blue eyes. He had green military fatigues on, and was dodging gunfire from ponies in the distance. At the top of the image were the words The Reaver.

“Seriously?” I only felt more confused.

“Dead serious.” Cabrette responded. “I took a snapshot of the stallion, and this is what my contacts sent back to me. They were laughing about it at first, then I showed them the fight. Let’s just say that whoever this pony is, they are at least emulating a comic book hero.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m more of a Drum Tablature fan myself. But that strength and speed, it was unreal. I just could not get a bead on him at all. The one hit I did get on him was just a lucky strike.”

“Ya, whoever he and his partner was, they had us marked from the start.” Cabrette said and she rested her head on the bar table. “I could so use a stiff drink right now.”

“What do you mean, how were they expecting us?”

Sighing, Cabrette picked herself up. “Well not so much expecting, your movements have been too erratic to predict. They must have had a contingency plan, you know, probably had a photo of you, and orders to check you out or something.” She waved her hoof slowly in the air dismissively. “Just check your pockets.”

I patted myself down, finding nothing on me… “Fuck, the bug’s gone!”

“Yep, the fuckers swiped it after you hit the ground. They looked pleasantly surprised when they pulled it off of you.”

This was going to put a dampener on my job. “Anyway can I go on without it?”

Cabrette shrugged. “That bug is not just a piece of sophisticated technology, but has some old magic enchanting it. Probably not a megaspell, but I wouldn’t be surprised if is within the same family of magic.”

“Wait, so that thing is a magical device, and a powerful one too?”

She nodded. “My family only used it a few times over the generations, each time it scared the shit out of them. Basically, it is a super bug, pulls in all signals when it's active. All gibberish without a terminal made for decoding, but if you can tap into it, you can see every message and conversation that passes through.” Cabrette took a deep breath and sighed. “For a normal pony, it could mean learning about something more powerful ponies would kill to keep hidden, for an information broker it puts the world at her hoof tips.”

“And in the situation of an upcoming war, it puts the listener at an advantage.” I added.

Cabrette gave me a look of concern. “You’re talking about the vertabucks right?” I nodded. “Well that explains why she’s willing to pay for it. And that makes another problem to deal with.”

I groaned. “I got to get the bug back from the Reaver.” Cabrette nodded. “So how long was I out?”

“Half an hour, so the trail is far from cold.” Cabrette whistled loudly, and a short mirage pony mare came trotting up to us, dragging a large box behind her. She had a light brown coat, dark brown mane, and hazel eyes that were framed with thick red rimmed glasses. “Luckily Madal here arrived with a box full of guns and ammo a few minutes ago.” Looking closer at the Madal, her eyes were a little red, and the fur under them was damp.

Getting out of the seat, I trotted up to the mare, and gave her a hug. “I’m sure Kantele will be fine.”

Madal sniffled. “Thanks.”

Cabrette had slowly gotten up, trotting over to us. “If you want to back out and let Orthrus take care of this mess, nopony would blame you.”

I thought about it for a moment. “Not true, I got a client who’s going to be pissed about this, and a sister who’s egging me on. And sadly, if your bug is as powerful as you say it is, I can’t let that jackass run off with it.”

Smiling, Cabrette trotted over and opened the large case Madal was dragging. Madal moved to stop her, but Cabrette simply raised her hoof, halting her. “Like I told you, your boss was lending out these guns to Vibraphone. The culprits who harmed her now have an important item, Vibraphone here is going to get it back, and if things go right, get some justice.”

Madal nodded, and opened the case herself. “I just grabbed some light arms, and ammo, a few grenades too.”

She was not kidding, inside was a nice selection of guns. An AG-6 was there, the air powered assault rifle would cover most basic combat roles. There was an IF-152, The Firebug would be my best intimidation gun, as no pony liked the idea of being set on fire. There was a digger gun, not a useful gun for me, but if all else fails I could throw it at an enemy. She even had a .357 revolver in the case, I already had one, so I could at least use the ammo. I also found a battle saddle, though not my style, it would still be useful.

I patted myself down, not finding my revolver. “Shit, anyone seen my gun?”

“I think one of your friends picked it up, the odd looking stallion I think.” Cabrette answered.

I breathed a sigh of relief, and looked around for him. He was standing next to Citole, who was holding a towel. “Turnip, can you come over here for a moment?”

The lurker trotted over… and he was covered in glow sticks and glowing paint. He looked like a ravers spirit animal, all glowing and shit. “Not hurt badly?” I shook my head. “Rad! Was worried you not wake up, worried more for other pony.”

“I know, but she’s seeing ponies who can help her.” On him was his saddle bag, along with the case holding my rifle, so no worries about that being missing. “So turnip, did you pick up my revolver?”

He nodded. “Bad pony had taken it, I took it back. Tried to stop me, didn’t even crack shell. Bad pony ran, called I monster, but no matter, bad pony didn’t take gun.” Turnip rummaged through his bag and pulled out the Lunar Eclipse and hoofed it over to me. The gun was unharmed, and seemed to shimmer a little in the dim light. Placing it in its holster, I gave Turnip a pat on the shoulders.

Well at least one of those assholes was shown up, though I doubt Turnip would have stood a chance against Theremin. That pony’s strength and speed was unreal. “Thanks, that means a lot to me.” He smiled, which was a little creepy do to how stiff his face was.

Cabrette trotted closer to me, looking worried. “What’s wrong with your friend?”

Well best to make this quick. “Nothing’s wrong with him, well I hope not. He’s a Sparkle-Lurker, ran into a bunch of them on the big island… Didn’t you talk about them in one of your story’s?”

The DJ took a nervous step back. “Oh, hehehe… I see it now.” She gave me a worried look. “How?”

I didn’t have time to go over this in detail. “Long story short, his queen is a bitch, and he travels with me now.”

“Queen won’t be pleased with me not dead yet.” Turnip added. “But no care, having fun with dance and food.”

“He’s also harmless, unless being a mechanic is dangerous to you?” I added.

Cabrette nodded, but maintained her distance. “Well if he pulls out a rainbow glowing bottle, I’m shooting him.” That was good enough for me.

I sighed, and turned my attention back to the gun case, first pulling out the ammunition for my Lunar Eclipse. .357 Ironshod special was what it said on the box. Lifting up the ammo, I looked over at Madal. “What’s this?”

Madal’s eyes lit up. “Oh those are Armor piercing shredder rounds, made to punch through armor, and shred the soft tissue under it. It was meant to be sold to Orthrus, but sadly they never sold beyond a few private buyers.”

“Nice.” I pulled out Lunar Eclipse, and loaded the ammo inside, and replaced the bullets on my two cartridge holders. “I’m taking it all.”

“All of it?” Madal look worried.

“E’yep, I’m going to need a lot of firepower with me on this. So, can you help me put on the battle saddle?” She just looked at me before nodding.

The battle saddle went on easily over my jacket, and the AG-6 was attached to it. My wing lightly pressed on the trigger, the safety was on so there was no worry of misfire, not that the rifle could fire without air pressure. This would help me deal with any general threats quickly and quietly.

The gun case for my Lelantos was attached to the other side, a bit heavy, but nothing I couldn’t deal with. The Firebug was placed in a holster at my flank, just behind the AG-6, and the digger gun was given to Turnip to hold onto. With the case clear I could now see the grenades, three apple shaped frags, and three thin flash bombs. I gave two of each to Turnip, placing a frag in a pocket in my jacket, and the flash I put in the hidden compartment of my right foreleg.

My new stun baton was missing. “Let me guess, the stun baton was taken.” Cabrette nodded. “No matter.” I opened up my gun case, and pulled out the knife Cornett had made, it had its own holster with it, nothing as fancy as the one for my gun, but it easily replaced my old knife holster.

After checking the ammunition, most going to Turnip to hold, and I kept two tubes of the ball bearings, I was ready.

“Before you go, take these.” Cabrette hoofed over four healing potions and four Radaways. I put two of each in the gun case, and the rest in Turnips bag. “So how are you going to track them? I know it’s not a big island, but still, they do have a lead on you.”

The answer to that was simple. “I’ll let Rufus lead the way. I left him outside to keep a nose out for trouble, so he may already have the trail.”

Cabrette smiled, and lifted her tinted glasses. “Seriously, if that asshole was not a cybernetically overpowered monster, I’d say he was a dead pony walking.” Her eyes were like rubies, literally like rubies! I’d heard of it, but had never seen it before, where some ponies had some of the characteristics of other equines that normally didn’t surface. Normally this was in the form of floppy ears, or an elongated tail, but very rarely did crystal pony show up. “What?”

I shook myself out from staring. “Sorry, Just your eyes, there, well you know, beautiful.”

She chuckled. “Ya, it shows up in my family from time to time. I might have some crystal pony heritage, but I like to think it’s due to my family’s affinity with rocks.”

“Rocks?” I said cocking an eyebrow. Cabrette just shrugged, and put her glasses back on. “Anywho, the sooner I get on their trail, the better.”

It was time for me to go, and I said my goodbye’s to everyone. Before I left, Citole informed me that Kantele’s mother had simply left without a word. Worried about Kantele, she was going to keep an eye on her at the hospital. If worse came to worse, Cornett would likely take her in. It was good to know that when Kantele recovers, she would at least have someone waiting for her.

Outside Rufus was waiting for me, the cyberdog being given some friendly attention by an Orthrus Regular with neon colors in her mane. “Well it's good to see that you’re doing some honest work Dollu.”

She had a face mask on, hiding her paralyzed face, and her sun hat had been traded for a ballistic helmet. “Good to see you’re still a bitch.” She gave Rufus another scratch before letting him go. “So what happened, did you stab more ponies?”

“Sadly, I wish that’s what happened.” I gave Rufus a scratch behind the ears. “I ran into some sort of equalist special agent, I was completely outclassed.”

“Sucks for you?” Dollu spat out. Her eyes moved from my face, to what I guess was the guns on me. “So you’re going out hunting then?”

“You could say that. The asshole took something from me, and I’m going to get it back.” Pulling out the card that Theremin gave me, I presented it to Rufus. “So I don’t have time to chat, got to get on the trail before it goes cold.”

Rufus sniffed the card, and began walking around the area, sniffing the ground. Dollu chuckled. “Seriously, well good hunting.” Rufus stopped in place and barked. “Looks like your hounds got the scent, better not die out there.”

“Don’t plan to.” I trotted after Rufus, with Turnip following right behind me.

The station started to feel like a maze as we went in deeper as the old wartime tunnels gave way to the old post war tunnels, which gave way to newer tunnels. The wartime tunnels had the advantage of a surplus of supplies in their construction, so even now they were still solid over two hundred years later. The newer tunnels didn’t have this advantage, so even with advanced digging practices, the stability of the tunnel could vary wildly. I was not worried about a collapse, but the likelihood of running into a Rad-Roach was much higher here.

I could feel eyes peering at me from the small homes built into the tunnels themselves, weary of my presence here. I could only guess that this was where all the unskilled labor lived, ponies who could be easily replaced and shipped off the island. So an outsider probably meant more bad things then good. An optimal place for the equalists to find allies.

Rufus kept going into a darker part of the tunnel, leading us to a sad looking door. The frame was badly put together, leaving it uneven, and the door itself was likely over two hundred years old, and had been cracked for half that time. I knocked, switching off the safety to the battle saddle.

“One moment!” call a voice on the other side, followed by the sound of cans being knocked over. “Just a moment!” The door creaked open, revealing a dirty silver mare with a bright red mane. To my dismay she was naked, the only thing she had on that could be considered cloths was a rag holding her mane up. “If you’re looking for Chill, Dash, or actual respiratory medication, my stock is all out.”

Great, she’s a drug dealer. “Sorry I’m not here for that. Have you seen a red stallion in military fatigues?”

“Oh Theremin. Sorry but you just missed him.” She paused for a moment, looking like she just remembered something important. “You’re not a cop right, you have to tell me if you are, that’s the law.”

I face hoofed. “I’ll bring down the law if you don’t tell me where he went.” She attempted to slam the door on me, but I already had a hoof in. Though I doubted that I needed to, the door didn’t look like it could close. “Just tell me where he went.”

She backed away from the door, and nodded. “I was sure some ex-girlfriend would show up, they always show up.” She trotted to the back of her hobble slowly. “Sell some drugs Bawu, then you’d have the bits to attract a stallion. That’s what they told me.” The nude mare, Bawu I guess, started digging through a trunk. “Next thing I know I’m licking cunt to get the next shipment.” I heard the familiar sounds of metal clanking on metal. “Oh there were stallions, but they just wanted the chill. Free fuck for chill.”

Sighing I got ready to strike her, and predictably she turned around with a digger gun in her mouth. She didn’t know what hit her, getting a hoof to the face before she could even lock eyes with me. She had dropped her gun, and looked around confused, so I hit her a second time, knocking her out. “Fucking addict.”

I waved the others in, and let Rufus do his work, and It didn’t take the cyber dog long to find a smuggler tunnel. Throwing a blanket over Buwa, the mare needed to learn some decency, I was off through the tunnel.

The narrow tunnel went on for a fair distance, the rocks and dirt sometimes giving way to brick and plaster. We passed by a few hidden doors, but Rufus pressed onward, so the doors were ignored. I could only guess that this tunnel was relatively new, and Orthrus had yet to seal it up.

The tunnel came to an end after steeply rising up, leaving me in an empty room. Putting on my gasmask, I slowly opening the door, and could see a pony on the other side, standing guard. Black jacket, rags, spikes, and spiky Mohawk. It was a bandit. Not wanting to waste time playing nice, I aimed the AG-6 for a headshot, and began charging the air tank. I felt a little stupid for not doing this sooner, but right now all I could do is hope she did not look my way. The bandit remained still, up till the AG-6 was fully pressurised, and I fired, dropping the bandit, sending her down with a soft thud.

Opening the door the rest of the way, the cost was clear, so I waved the others through. We were in a long hallway, much of the building was decayed, and roots from invading plants were everywhere. In the distance was the sound of wind blowing, probably another storm outside.

“Vibby?” Turnip quietly called to me. Looking at the lurker, he was checking the bandit’s body. “Do metal balls cut pony’s throats?”

The forehead of the bandit was blown out, reminding me how powerful an air gun could be. Her neck had been gashed open, and dried blood stained the bandit’s shirt. I had just shot a pony who was already dead. My only guess was that Theremin was the one who did this.

“Well at least this means that the equalists are not working with Bandits.” I checked the body for anything useful, but she had nothing on her. “Right, we need to remain quiet, who knows who or what is out here.” Turnip nodded slowly, and Rufus gave a soft growl.

Following Rufus, it looked like we were in an office building, though anything that could tell me for what had long vanished. The bandits had cleaned the place up as best as one could, with much of the junk swept to the corners. A box full of empty inhaler cartridges further proved what this place was being used for. But everything else I’d expect from a bandit smuggling den was missing, the guns, the labs, even the bandits. Not to say we didn’t see some, but all the bandits on this floor were dead, a few with their faces caved in, others shot or stabbed to death.

The next floor was more of the same, but with more bandit bodies, and this time it looked like they were able to fight back. Also unlike the floor below, the equalists had left guns and ammo behind, though most of it was not useful to me, but I was able to find two more healing potions.

The sound of tapping, and scraping came from ahead. Rufus sniffing the air and the fur on his back stood straight up. Whatever was ahead, the cyber dog didn’t like it, and knowing what could be up here, neither did I.

“Check mate! Are you even trying'?” The tapping suddenly became rapping and loud for a moment. “Maybe you need another buck to t' head, might knock your IQ up..”

“Fuck you, you self-loathing' cunt.” There was the sudden sound of glass shattering, and small metal objects rattling on the ground. “Next time you tell me t' fight a cybernetic scurvy dog freak, moi’s goin' t' save time and just stab you.”

The two voices were sounding all too familiar. Between the distinct accent, and the aggression, I was getting a bad feeling that they were pirates. Staying low, I took point. It was easy to keep hidden, with how dark everything was, making me regret not looking for some night vision goggles before coming up here.

Further down a hall, around a corner, and over another dead bandit, I could see who it was that we're talking. To my dismay, not only were they pirates, the two were the pirates that I fought at the hotel. The two were covered in blood, and surrounded by cans of food rations, many cans of food rations. Another pirate stood nearby, along with six bandits, all looking like they just jumped through a meat grinder.

At the hooves of Shamrock and Couteau was an old chess board, its game pieces spread all around the room, and a broken bottle of Metro-Cola simmered in the light of a hanging lantern. “That scurvey dog shot a fuckin' magical bolt from her fuckin' hoof for fuck sakes. Disintegrated Choppy Waters with a hoof shake.” Couteau barked out.

Shamrock laughed. “That was awesome. If not for bein' an ignorant heathen, I’d have bought her a drink for that one.” She leant back in her chair and put her hooves up, I couldn’t read her face do to the gas mask, but her body posture felt smug to me. “I know, I know. Choppy was a good comrade, but fuck was he stupid. That pony freak defiantly had some sort o' trickery at hoof, and he went right up t' her and let t' scurvy dog make t' first move.”

Rufus pointed at the dangerous group, meaning the trail went right through them, something that I was not going to do. I knew that places like this always had alternate paths, either by design or by nature, I just needed to find one.

The wind and rain sounded like it was getting worse, something I was going to hate once I was outside, but right now it helped keep any noise we made muffled. The windows for the ground floor had been blocked off entirely, so getting out that way would cause a lot of noise, and take too long to get out before the pirates found us. Some parts had collapsed in on itself, which looked like a dead end, but meant that the second floor was open up here, I just had to find another door. After nearly knocking over a bunch of bottles all bunched together, I found the other side, and to my good fortune, a way up to the next floor.

There was a shambled of a pathway going up, made of old doors and filing cabinets, the walkway was as unstable as it looked. Luckily the sound of the storm was much louder here, so the rattling sounds we made on every step was not out of place with how the wind was knocking many objects around. At the top we found what looked like a lookout post. Empty bottles and cans littered a small nest of moldy pillows, the lookout long ago abandoned their post. Among the things that were worth anything left behind, was a large long barreled air gun that was held in place on a swivel mount. The high powered sniper rifle was made mostly of junk, and could probably kill or scare off most of the beasts around here.

On one of the pillows was an old pair of equestrian military binoculars. Aside from a few scratches on the sides, they were in relatively good condition. Quickly looking around i found the case, though a bit rusted, it still had all the extra parts for the binoculars. Though it didn’t have night vision, or any other sensory equipment, it would still be a useful tool to have. So I packed it away, and put it in Turnips saddle bag.

The second floor for the office building was in bad shape. What was left of the floors were rotten and covered in mold, fungus, and grass. Everything was wet, though the bandits had managed to patch up the holes in the ceiling with tarps, the rain still got through. Every now and then Minerva give me a radiation warning in my vision, nothing severe, a click every five seconds, but the outside was going to be far worse.

Below me were the pirates and bandits, still sitting around, and looking very irritated. Spark batteries powered a few lanterns, bathing the room in a white glow. We stuck to the shadows, the storm providing everything we need to keep from being detected.

“What you think happened to those assholes?” The bandits catted among themselves, keeping an eye on the pirates.

“Who? Wait, you mean Drumsticks and her mind fucked friends.” The bandit spat on the ground. “I hope their dead, it does us all a favor.”

Another bandit chugged a beer, and finished off with a burp. “What’s your problem, they were cool.”

That bandit got hit in the head with an empty can. “Didn’t we tell you before dumbfuck. About the rumours.” The bandit sighed. “Her crew is chock full of rapists, cannibals, and drug fiends. You know, the real messed up kind.”

“Gees, you don’t have to go hitting me now.” The bandit rubbed the spot the can had hit. “But seriously, The Big Island bandits are something else.”

“I heard that it’s because the Big Island's cursed. Anypony that lives there for too long eventually goes insane.”

One of the bandits nervously eyed Shamrock. “You know what’s insane, how they are still alive. I know I saw her get her face caved in, and the other one got her legs snapped.”

Another bandit threw a can at the one eyeing the pirates. “Shut your trap! I don’t like it any more than you do, but who or whatever they are, they’re our ticket to the big leagues. So don’t go blowing it by pissing them off.”

It was troubling to see Shamisens fears be realized. The bandits knew most of the hidden ways into the islands metro, giving them a way to strike at the heart of our civilization. I could only hope Orthrus was already working on a plan to deal with them. I just needed to get that bug back, set it up, and then we can tap into the pirate’s communications. Something easier said than done, but if I could catch the equalists unaware, I might be able to steal back the bug without a fight.

We all managed to get passed the bandits without being seen, the storm providing us with everything we needed to keep from being detected. Though my biggest worry was the pirates, as they were still an unknown factor.

Looking down pass the room the bandits were in, it was not much different from the rest of the place. There were a few more bodies, and bloody hoof prints all the way to the exit. We stuck to the second floor, quietly trotting to the exit, weary of any enemy that might be lurking in the shadows below. The storm was getting inside from this side, dampening the floor as the raindrops pattered on the cracked concrete floor.

Nearby were some stairs, covered in garbage, but clear enough for us to walk down without much trouble. Letting Rufus take the lead, he ran for the door outside, and we followed. Nopony spotted us on our way out, and now in the rain It would be exceedingly difficult to spot us.

The rain was heavy, and my pipbuck clicked once a second now. The radiation in the rain was not strong, but prolonged exposure would eventually kill me. Rufus was starting to have trouble holding onto the scent, the rain may help keep us hidden, it was washing away the only lead we had. When he would catch the scent again, we would gallop onward, as time was not on our side.

We eventually passed by a flagpole, the old flag was torn to shreds, and next to the pole was a sign with a map on it. The path split here, so I looked at the sign to get a look at where we were. It had all the landmarks on it, and listed where the nearby metro entrances were. Looking at Rufus, he was pointing down one of the paths, and comparing it to the map, I knew were Theremin was going. The path lead straight to the old radio tower, which meant I might be able to kill two rad-roaches with one bullet.

The warm rain had soaked me to the bone, making me shiver, and forcing me to suck down a radaway to stave of radiation sickness. The inside of my gasmask now had the sickly sweet smell of pineapple that the radaway off, and its taste lingered in my mouth. It was not the worst thing I’ve had to drink, but the flavor was so strong that I could never get used to it.

We had stopped in an old camping post. Made for the surface scouts, the structure was strong, raised off the ground, and kept the rain out. It was also a dark spot with a clear line of sight of the Radio Tower.

My new binoculars proved useful here, though not as strong as the gun scope I had for my Lelantos, they gave me a wider view of what I was looking at. My assumption proved correct when I saw two ponies on guard, both with Magical Energy Muskets over their raincoats. The favorite weapon of the Republic, they had to be equalists, or at least working with them.

Studying them for a good ten minutes, they had a movement pattern that was easy to track, and both regularly separated. The only issue I would have with them was that they had their light talismans on, which foolishly reduced how far they could see, but lit up the area around them well enough that I could not simply sneak around them. The plan was simple, sneak in and take out the two guards, take their raincoats and possibly their uniforms. Once I can blend in, I sneak inside, steal the bug, plant it in the broadcasting booth, and if luck is on my side I’ll simply walk my way back underground.

Getting in close was easy enough, between the wind and rain, the two equalists were deaf and blind pass were their lights reached. Turnip was surprisingly good at staying quiet, matching me step for step. It was either something natural for lurkers, or they had to learn it quickly or be prey for monsters. Rufus did well enough himself, though in a situation like this a large cyber-cat would be more well suited.

Moving only when the wind picked up, we made our way to an old rusty stairway, it was held up more by the vines that wrapped around it, then its own supports. Keeping low, one of the guards passed by right on cue. The wind picked up, and I rushed the pony, tackling her into a submission hold. It was a simple move taught by Orthrus, and drilled into me until I could do it sleep walking, so the pony didn’t see it coming. One hoof wrapped around her neck, and the other around a leg, I used the force of my momentum, and her own body weight to slam her to the ground. She was knocked out quickly, the leg around her neck cutting off the blood flow to her brain, and the force of the tackle keeping her from struggling.

Pulling the pony under shelter, I quickly disrobed her. She had a Republic military jumpsuit, and a raincoat that I threw on. Taking off the battle saddle and gun case, the jumpsuit easily fitting over my barding, but forcing me to abandon my jacket. Turnip helped me put the battle saddle back on, it was close in appearance to what the pony was using, and I didn’t feel like taking hers. Replacing the AG-6 with the energy musket, I threw on the raincoat, and now I should bend in. I placed the AG-6 into turnips bag, it only sticking out a little.

Dragging the half-naked pony over to a dumpster, we placed her inside. She wasn’t a bad looking mare, and looked like she actually took care of herself, so I left her my jacket, as a fair trade. It wasn’t enough to hide her blue striped panties, but at least it was something.

The next guard was going to be tricky, the two guards were to meet up again soon, so I would have to fill the role. This made a good opportunity to test if my disguise worked, and hopefully catch the pony off guard. Switching out the telepathy talisman, with the light talisman I took, I lit up the area around me. This was definitely a dumb way to keep guard, as my range of vision fell to where only the light touched, telling me how inexperienced these ponies must be at guard work.

Turnip ran ahead, taking a hiding spot that would be just out of sight of the other guard, and Rufus stayed behind me. I took my position, and walked along the same route as the guard I took out. Turning a corner, the other guard came into sight, though all I could see was his glowing ball of light. My knife was ready in case this failed, but I was betting on Turnip to knock the pony out with his heavy hoof.

We closed in until we were standing in each other’s light. It was hard to see the pony with the hood of the raincoat pulled over my face, but I could see well enough that the other guard was doing the same. Neither of us said a word, just nodded. The guard hadn’t seen Turnip, the lurker doing pretty well blending into the background, and hiding his glowing bits. Swiftly and quietly turnip snuck up behind the guard, raising a hoof up, and swinging it hard.

He missed, no, the guard dodged. With a swift and agile movement, the guard bucked him in the chest, catching Turnip off guard. I rushed in, pulling my knife, but the guard grabbed turnip by the hoof, and threw him over his shoulder, and into me. The force of Turnips body knocked the wind out of me, and sent us sliding on the slick ground.

“Now unless the equalists employ monsters to attack their own, I don’t think you're who you appear to be. Who are you and what faction do you belong to.” The ponies voice was that of a stallion, and had some age to it. “And don’t think I won’t vaporize you, because I will.”

My knife was still in my right hoof, but it was useless in this situation, so I put it away. Turnip was stunned, so I had to roll him off of me, something easier said than done do to how heavy he was. Getting up, i cleared my thought. I was going to say something witty at him, but the light from the energy musket didn’t fill me with confidence that he would not shoot me. “Vibraphone Echo, I’m self-employed, and giving out the names of my clients would be extremely unprofessional, so don’t ask.”

Seconds passed in silence, and I felt my heart tighten as the tension grew thicker. With just a flick of his wing, I would be ash, and I doubt I could dodge at the right time to avoid the first shot. I did have the magical armor, but the time it would take to activate it, and for him to sense me gathering the magic was not enough to ensure my safety. I did have the advantage of two companions, so if he became distracted by one of them, then I had a opportunity to activate the armor.

A red light passed over my eye, making me flinch. It was a red dot, which now rested on my nose. “fuck me.” He had a sniper for support, throwing out any plan I had at fighting this pony. I dropped my defensive posture and raised my hooves into the air. “Luna fuck me with moon beams, I surrender.”

I sat there with my hooves up for a few more seconds. The stallion sat down, aiming his musket away from me, and lit up a cigarette. “So you’re the younger Echo, now I’m real glad I didn’t take you out as you came up here. Call me Old Song, I’m a Specter.”

I relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness.” Looking at the stallion, he was actually smoking his cigarette through the drinking port of his gasmask, the smoke puffing out of the port periodically. “This should make my job easier.”

“And what job is that?” Old Songs voice sounded skeptical.

I didn’t want to give too much away, and now that I think about it, He never gave any proof to actually being a specter. “I’ll tell you, but only if you have proof that you are a specter.” He nodded, and zipped open the jumpsuit, underneath was a modified enforcer and dog-tags with the emblem of Orthrus on it. It was not much proof, but I was just going to have to go on faith for this. “Right, I’m to install a bug on the radio tower, a simple job, but with one big problem.”

“The equalists.” Old Song answered.

“Yes, but not in the way you’re thinking.” I replied. “The bug was stolen before I headed out. The pony who has it is called a Reaver, not something I want to fight up close.”

Old Song tilted his head. “Reaver, what, as in the comic book?”

I sighed. “Strangely yes. The pony is some sort of cybernetic powerhouse, and has modeled his… herself after the comic hero. I don’t know how good his range of skills is, but his hoof to hoof strikes are deadly.”

“A stallion…” Old song groaned. “I got bad news, there’s a mare as well. Shooting energy bolts from her hoof, and overkilling everything in her way.”

I nodded. “I heard the pirates talking about a mare that could do that.”

He cocked his head again. “We have pirates now too!?”

“Yaaaaa… That’s why I’m here. As of late, we have outsiders invading the islands. They’ve already made contact with the bandits, so unless we can at least intercept their communications, things are going to go bad fast.” I pulled the jumpsuits leg up, and showed him Minerva, the screen lit up, turning to the Tactical S.A.T.S. page. “It’s mostly my sister’s idea. She plans to meet up with me after convincing the council of the danger the pirate pose.”

Old Song nodded. “I see. I was only here to observe the situation. But I can offer my assistance.” He pulled out a bomb from under his raincoat. “You go in, and I’ll cause a distraction, you can take my disguise for your… friend.”

“Thanks, if all goes well, we’ll have a leg up on the pirates when they make their move.” Old Song removed the jumpsuit and raincoat, revealing his sleek black tactical barding. He had the same goggles my sister was using, so when he vanished into the darkness, I knew he could see everything.

Getting Turnip dressed up was easy enough, and between the raincoat and gasmask on, it would be impossible to tell that he was not a pony without taking them off. We headed to the door inside, luckily it was not guarded itself so we slipped inside without a problem. When the cost was clear, we had Rufus follow us in.

Rufus sniffed the floor, and softly growled, He was back on the scent. Unfortunately, two equalists were coming our way, so Rufus went and hid, as I stepped up to deal with the two equalists.

They were in the same jumpsuits as us, their gas masks on, and raincoats hanging over their back. “Hey, isn’t it a bit early for you to be leaving your post?”

I cleared my throat, forcing it to strain a bit. “Sorry, but the storms gotten a lot worse. I think we’re going to need to shorten the shifts or risk radiation poisoning.”

The two guards looked at each other, and back to me, their heads drifting down to the large puddle forming under me. “Shit, your soaked! Ya, I think we should do that.” The guards looked back up at me. “You also don’t sound too good… Fuck, I’m going to hate it out there.”

I chuckled. “Ya, and also think I saw a rad-hog out there, so good luck.”

The two guards passed us, mumbling to themselves, not giving us a second look. It felt a bit too easy, but with how the guards were using light talismans, I don’t think they were all that well trained. Thinking about it, I replaced the light talisman for my muffle talisman. Rufus would point the way, but I was going to take the lead. I decided not to install the amplify sound talisman, with how the storm was still raging outside, all it would do was make the storm louder to me.

When the two guards had vanished into the darkness of the outside, I called Rufus out. His nose trained on the floor, his ears up and twitched about. I may not be able to filter out the sound of the storm, but cyber-dogs could, still not as good as cyber-cats, but far better than what I could do. He kept low, and would stop at doorways, letting me pass first so that I could signal to him if it was safe to pass.

The equalists were in force here, whatever they were up to, I could only hope it didn’t involve violence. Most of them mulled around in the hollowed out rooms, either chatting with each other or resting in shifts. My only guess is that they were moving out soon, so they had to be ready when given the order. I counted over twenty of them, and if I had to guess, there was probably a good hundred here. Luckily none of them gave me much trouble, probably do to the gas masks making it hard to see, or spot anything out of the ordinary. I didn’t want to push my luck, so I kept most, if any socializing to head nods and shakes. It was better for them to think I was dumb or mute, than to open my mouth and reveal that I was not one of them.

We reached the second level of the radio building with no problems, and we had a clear shot at the broadcasting booth. Rufus pointed us in the direction of the lounge, which was guarded. The guards, unlike the ones from the outside had body armor on, and were armed with a magical energy musket and an older model air rifle each. The republic always had a problem of quantity over quality, but with their numbers it didn’t matter, they could overwhelm a station with just sharpened sticks if they were crazy enough to try.

Taking note of where we need to go, we first headed to the broadcasting booth. The room was as clean as you could expect out here, no junk on the floor, and the windows boarded up. To my dismay, there was already a pony here, working under the broadcaster.

“Excuse me, but what are you doing?” I had to give off a sense of authority, but keep to a level of ignorance. “If that thing turns on it may signal our position.”

“Oh sorry.” The pony responded. “The ch.. chief wanted me to check for a… um, a sound flux transistor.” whatever the fuck that is. “What are you doing in here.” She pushed herself out from under the broadcaster, and slid along the floor. “OH A DOGGY!”

I was taken aback by her sudden outburst. “Ahh, yes. He is here to help… with security. You never know when the damn trade union is sneaking about!”

“Right, trade union… don’t want them doing bad things.” She stepped closer to Rufus, and he backed away growling.

I stepped between her and Rufus. “Sorry, but he’s working, so no touching.” I needed to get her out of the room so I could get the booth ready to be turned on.

“Aww, not even a little?” I shook my head. “Damnit, I never get to play with the dogs.” She got up close to me, and I could see her green eyes through the mask. “What do you say I help you out. And when your shift is over, I can play with the doggy!”

“I don’t think that’s a good Idea.” I backed away from the mare. “And don’t you have to get that… whatever it is.”

“Oh that, naww, well ya… but it’s not there, it's gone.” She rotated her hoof as she spoke, making me suspicious, but with the gasmask on, I could not properly read her. “I just need to head to the lounge to check one more thing. But the guards are being a pain in the ass, but your with security, so help a mare out?”

If I went with her, it would get her out of here, but if I brought Rufus along I doubt I could just play it off. “I’ll go with you, but my partner will stay here with the dog.”

The mare's head dipped. “Oh, that’s a shame, a real shame.” She trotted past me, and motioned for me to follow. “Oh well, let’s just get this over with.”

I sighed, and whispered to Turnip. “Do what you can to get the broadcaster working, just don’t turn it on until I come back with the bug.” He nodded, and we separated.

The two guards simply pointed their guns at us, and told us to go away. So this was going to be tricky at best. “Oy, fuckers, get the wax out of your ears, I got an order to pick up in that room. I even went and got a security escort too.” Or the mare could just act like a bitch.

I cleared my throat. “What our comrade means is that she has an order to pick up, and I’m to make sure that’s all she does.”

The two guards looked at each other, and shook their heads. “Still no entry. Reaver Blaster Beam is currently in a foul mood. So you will just have to wait until we get the all clear.”

“She’s already vaporized one comrade who barged in.” The other guard added. “Though I might be willing to let your undisciplined friend in, just to see what happens.”

I was starting to feel like I was back at the lurkers nest, which was a really bad feeling. “I see; do you know how long it will be?” If I could get a timeframe, I might be able to come up with a plan around the reavers. The more distance between me and them, the better.

The guard just shook his head, and we backed off. Looking at the mare, everything was off about her. But I was not willing to point it out, as it would risk me being found out. When we were far enough away, I felt like it was safe enough to pry “Say, what’s your name… Comrade.”

“Graceful Gust.” She said hitting her chest with her hoof. Said hoof lacking any metal parts. “And what’s your name miss not who she says she is.”

I was right about not opening my mouth, it only marked me as not one of the equalists. “Vibraphone Echo. Freelancer. I’m guessing you’re with the Orphic Kingdom?”

Graceful paused for a moment before nodding. “Ya, doing reconnaissance. Seeing what these assholes are up to.” With the turmoil at their home, it was not surprising that they would be looking into the threats around them. “So any idea how to get pass the guards?”

“Not really, but I did meet a friendly on my way here, he said he would provide a distraction for me.” Almost as though on cue, a siren went off, echoing in the building.

We kept out of the way, as a pony ran up the stairs, and right to the lounge. Before the guards could even stop the pony, the doors flung open, revealing a green mare with a bright red mane. Unlike the others, she didn’t have on a jumpsuit, but cut down fatigues, with a ballistic vest over it. The most striking thing about her was that her tail and wings were cybernetic. The tail long and slender, with what looked like a coil at the end. Her wings had what looked like a magical energy pistols attached to them. Over all, she looked incredibly dangerous.

The Equalist looked like he was going to piss himself, his back legs collapsing under him. “Miss Blaster Beam Sir!” the pony saluted. “Were under attack by an unknown enemy, we have injuries, but no fatalities.”

Blaster Beam growled, and furiously started scratching her head. “It must be those demand bandits; I knew we should have hunted them down to the last.” Her voice had a synthetic tone to it, and the guns on her back twitched around as though looking for something to shoot. “Were going out there, and we're going to kill them.”

“Blaster wait!” Theremin stepped out, and I had keep myself from grinding my teeth. “Let them take their pot shots, we got a schedule to keep to.”

The mare slapped her tail on the floor, still growling. “NO! They mess with one of us, they mess with us all. That’s what we stand for.” Blaster trotted off, with the equalist soldier following right behind her.

The older stallion, Waterphone had also stepped out. “I’ll keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn’t burn down the forest to get at one bandit.” Two heavily armed drones followed him, one hovering in the air, the other walking on six bladed legs.

Theremin kicked the wall, putting a hole in it. “FINE! But were moving out as soon as this is over, no more stalling.” He trotted off after the other two, mumbling to himself. The two guards followed him, one giving us a nod as they passed by.

I didn’t need to see Graceful’s face through the gasmask to know she was giving me a happy look, or even say anything, we just nodded and trotted into the lounge.

The lounge was as run down as the rest of the building, but having two large sofas, which didn’t look all that comfortable. There was a small kitchen area in the corner, which had an old Sparkle-Cola machine. There was a bathroom too, and what use to be large windows, now covered up with scrap and tarps.

“Let’s be quick about this, who knows how long the reavers will be out.” There were a few metal cases on a coffee table, so I began looking into them.

“Ya, I don’t want to end up like Choppy.” Graceful commented. “So what are you looking for?”

It was inevitable she was going to pry, luckily I had an easy half-truth to use. “I’m recovering a client’s family heirloom that got stolen.” She was from the orphic kingdom, so it was unlikely she would question too much into it. They loved their heritage, so the recovery of an heirloom would be something they hire a mercenary to do. “What about you, if it’s not too much to ask.”

“Me, I’m just doing reconnaissance, and some subterfuge.” She snickered to herself. “So what does this heirloom look like?”

“It’s a MoM bug!” Theremin spoke up, standing in the doorway. In his hoof was the bug, like he was teasing me with it. “I thought this was important, figured you would come looking for it. and bring you right to me.” He put the bug in a pocket, and trotted into the room. “It’s good to see you again Vibraphone, now we can continue our talk.”

Graceful lunged at him with a knife, I didn’t make any move to stop her, it being a futile effort at this point. Theremin simply deflected the attack, hit her in the stomach, and threw her at the window. Knocking off her gasmask, Graceful ungracefully puked as she flew through the air bleeding, bouncing off the window, and knocking it open. The storm roared into the room, blowing paper about, and spraying raindrops inside.

“How?” It wasn’t a farfetched idea that he would be expecting me, but this too quick, like he knew I was coming here.

Theremin chuckled. “The right leg is good for more than just hiding a stun baton.” He tapped his temple. “I’ve been tracking your movements, and I have to say, I was not disappointed.”

I cursed under my breath. “So what’s going to happen now.” I still had the flash bang, it would give me the opportunity to run, but I’d have to abandon my leg. Or I could use it to give me an opening to attack, but I still didn’t know what he was capable of, so that would probably be a bad idea. If I was going to take him out, I would have to do it at range, keep him from closing the distance. Meaning I’d have to run.

He slowly trotted up to me. “You’re going to come with us. Having the Dragonslayer of Charon’s Stop on our side would be a boon to the republics morale.”

I huffed. “And why would I join you?”

He was now close enough for us to properly see eye to eye through our gas masks. “Why wouldn’t you join us. We seek to unify the islands, and break free of the prison we call the metro.” He pointed at the window. “There is a whole world out there, just waiting for us to rediscover it. But we stay in our tunnels and bicker over scraps. Pony kind was not meant to live like this, we were born to run in open fields of grass, bathe in the sun, and be in harmony with each other.” He lowered his leg, and picked up some gravel from the floor. “Not this, not this slow death.”

“And what about the ponies who don’t see it your way, or don’t agree with your methods?”

Theremin sighed. “Sacrifices must be made for the greater good. Trust me, history will prove us right.”

I was not convinced, but I now knew he believed it himself, which made him real dangerous. One wrong move, or one wrong word, and I’d become his enemy. My death would soon follow. “Fuck, I surrender.” I still had a trick, but I needed him to lower his guard.

“Smart move. You may be angry now, but in time, I know you will see this as the best decision in your life. A turning point where everything gets better. Trust me.” I doubted it, but I just needed an opening, and out the window I’d go. After that, I’ll ditch the leg, and go meet up with Turnip and Rufus. “Now for your friend. I may have cracked her rib cage so I doubt she will be getting up any time soon.” He trotted up to her, picking up her gasmask.

Graceful was still on the ground, not moving, blood and bile seeping from her mouth. Getting a good look at her, she actually had five golden earrings on, and a tattoo of a skull on her left cheek… and was bleeding from her eyes. I was starting to feel like an oblivious idiot.

“Strange.” Theremin commented. “Never seen head trauma do that before. Normally they need an orbital fracture for the eyes to bleed. And no horn, you must be from the Orphic Kin…”

Graceful had opened her eyes, and they were now locked with Theremin’s. I knew exactly what was going on, as she slowly got up on all fours, and began removing her jumpsuit, never breaking eye contact. “You know fate is a funny thing right. For use to meet like this, it makes me want to laugh.” Graceful was a light gray Pegasus, with a two toned mane of light blue and dark blue. “Black Spot been talking about you nonstop. Destiny this, fate that.” On her flank was a not a cutie mark, but what looked like a large branding in the shape of a cloud and a lightning bolt. Rainbow Dash's cutie mark had been burned over her own, in what looked like a extremely painful manner. “To bad I can’t stay and chat.” She jumped back, breaking eye contact with Theremin. “But I’ve got to blow this joint.”

Theremin wobbled for a second, but quickly recovered his composure, and attempted to rush Graceful. She easily dodged by jumping out the window and hovering in place. “Who and what are you!” Theremin demanded.

She just laughed loudly, the storm winds not seeming to move her one bit. She pulled out what looked like a trigger… no it was a trigger! “Wouldn’t you like to know Asshole.” She triggered the device, and the building shook with a loud boom. Graceful laughed again and flew off.

Another explosion shook the building, this one closer than before. Remembering where I met Graceful, I almost panicked. Turnip and Rufus were likely sitting next to a bomb. “Theremin get your ponies out of here! We can continue this later.” I didn’t wait for him to respond, I just bolted out the lounge and to the broadcasting room.

To my surprise, Turnip was holding a box with a bunch of cables sticking out of it. He looked at me as he turned it around to show a timer. “I don’t think it counts to party time.” We only had thirty seconds before it went off.

The building shook again, so with little time to act, I grabbed the bomb and threw it into the hallway. “We need to get somewhere safe!”

“Small room has thick walls!” he pointed at what was likely a soundproof recording booth. I didn’t have time to argue, so we rushed into the room and shut the door. Getting low on the ground, we waited for the inevitable.

Footnote:

Quest Progression:

No Goddesses, or Princesses, Only Mares. 90%

I like to lurk. 75%