"We are approaching the end of the railway," Flash declared. "Everyone, get ready. As far as we know, this railroad was used by slavers belonging to the group named Trade Sixty-Six, so on the other end we are likely to meet stiff resistance. Brotherhood and slavers are mortal enemies."

"I see a small wooden building up ahead, two-storey, no contacts," Rarity replied, looking down her optical sight.

"Does not mean they aren't inside. Stay alert."

The draisine slowed down, and the Paladins on the .50 caliber machine guns turned the heavy stationary weapons in the direction of the house.

Suddenly, people popped out from the windows and opened chaotic fire on them. Those in power armour suffered the brunt of the attack, allowing others to remain unscathed.

"Hostiles! Machine guns, suppressive fire! Applejack, Silverblade, with me, everyone else behind us! Storm the house! Rarity, cloak!" Flash issued orders quickly, jumping down. Another Paladin followed him in sync, while Applejack ran slightly behind, spraying the house with 5mm bullets. Other girls ran after them, while the Paladins who remained behind opened fire from their positions.

Bam-bam-bam-bam-bam-bam-bam-bam-bam-bam-bam-bam-bam-bam-bam-bam-bam! Heavy bullets tore through the wooden walls of the house. Those unlucky enough to be in their path quickly learned why .50 caliber was a bad thing for one's health. Everyone who was running towards the house did their best to hit their enemies as well, adding to the chaos of battle.

In less than ten seconds, Flash and Paladin Silverblade breached the door of the house and rushed inside, raining laser fire on the hostiles. Applejack followed suit, spraying bullets from her minigun. The Paladins on draisine stopped firing on the building's ground floor and focused on the floor above, to avoid friendly fire. Twilight, Sunset and Rarity hid themselves besides the door and focused on the enemies coming from the second floor.

The house's defenders tried hard, but stood no chance against a group of combatants in power armour, assisted by two others in Commissariat combat armour and another combatant hidden under a cloak of Stealth-Boy. Within four minutes, everyone inside was dead.

Twilight and other girls confirmed that the people who shot at them were indeed Trade Sixty-Six slavers. Other Paladins dismantled .50 caliber machine guns from the draisine and brought them inside. Flash took over bolstering the defenses of the cleared house, issuing orders.

Rarity was ordered to watch over the area with her sniper rifle, and the ex-fashionista quickly took a comfortable position. Twilight and Sunset were stripping everything of value from the dead slavers and threw their bodies out of the house, watched over by Applejack. The Paladins set the heavy machine guns inside the building, and took positions inside the house.

One hour later, the house was clear of slavers' corpses, and the only thing that remained of them were pools of blood that dried up by the time everyone was finished, so nobody bothered to try and clean them up, much to Twilight's and Rarity's consternation. Searching around the house, Flash's soldiers found some inactive mines, and they set them up around the house.

The small house was turned into a mini-fortress, although Flash was not fully content.

"If someone brings fifty-cals like we did, we're going to have trouble as well, since wood is useless against high-caliber bullets as a cover. And this place has no sandbags. I would prefer we had some, but there's no place with extractable sand I know of. I wish we could set up some automatic defenses or reprogram some robots, since we are small in numbers."

"You think this place is not defensible?" Sunset asked.

"We have an advantage in terms of communication - the slavers had no radio. With luck, they won't think of coming here for a while. But in the long term, this place is not defensible. We need to either call for reinforcements or relocate ourselves after some time once we find a better position."

"What do you think we should do?" Twilight asked the former rocker.

"My advice is to find the Brotherhood's local bunker ASAP, since we know the location, the coordinates and access codes. Since it's ill-advisable to leave the place undefended, and I have no idea how the local Brotherhood chapter reacts to outsiders, I think it would be better if only Twilight, I and one of my Paladins went there."

"I volunteer," Silverblade said.

"Very well. Twilight, do you have alternative suggestions?"

"Don't you outrank me, Flash?"

"I do, but given the importance of the task, Elder Aegis said I should listen to your suggestions if you have those and make a decision on what to do with them."

"I don't have any at this moment, so I'm in favour of this one. Girls?"

None of the girls had any objections, and ten minutes later, Twilight, Flash and Paladin Silverblade left for the Western Brotherhood chapter's bunker.

Western Canterlot Wastelands looked a lot more unwelcoming than the northern sector, in Twilight's opinion.

The landscape she could see was a lot more arid than what she was used to. If Northern Canterlot Wastelands had a lot of grass (albeit dry and yellowish), and even trees could be seen here and there, this area had much less grass and trees were a rare sight.

The rocks, while useful as viable cover, only added to the rather depressing picture of almost desert-like surroundings along with broken tarmac road they were currently following. Twilight asked if this area had always been like this, and both Flash and Silverblade confirmed that Western sector was indeed more arid.

"The humidity from the ocean usually does not reach here to compensate for the heat this area is subjected to," Flash said, "so what few agricultural areas existed here were propped up by irrigation efforts. For a long time in UFE's history, this area was uninhabited, since there was almost nothing that could be of use to the settlers. But when they discovered that underground water flows existed here, this area became more populated, and eventually cities rose here. Beyond this area to the west lies a desert that is of little use except for some deposits of natural resources, and some military bases. And beyond the desert lies a border between UFE and TODC."

"Really?"

"Yes. After the desert, there are some areas more suitable for living that UFE had colonized, and that's where the border between UFE and Griffonada lay. And to the north of it lay the Vanhoover County."

"Vanhoover County? Was it a part of UFE?"

"It was... but not exactly for a long time."

"Did TODC conquer it?"

"No. Vanhoover was annexed by UFE shortly after the Last War erupted in full force."

"Annexed?"

"Yes. You see, UFE had an enclave to the north of it, and this was one of the first targets for TODc attacks. We could not afford to lose it, but Vanhoover's authorities were highly reluctant in letting our reinforcements through, which led to extreme discontent of High Command. Their obstructions heavily delayed our aid and caused civilian and military fatalities as well. When Directorate of Intelligence sniffed out that TODC was cozying up to some elements in Vanhoover's government as well, everyone up there lost their marbles," Flash pointed upwards. "They concocted a plan which would create a legitimate-looking reason for UFE's invasion, and acted on it, adding Vanhoover's resources to war effort."

"That's..." Twilight could not decide how she should feel. Outraged that UFE resorted to such a step? Approving of the calculus and logic behind the decision? Or simply disregard it as a thing from the past that had no effect on her current predicament?

Interesting as the history lesson might be, dwelling on past is a bad idea, her subconsciousness said.

"That's interesting," she decided to say. "Did either of you participate in that annexation?"

"No, we - that is, me and those I served with - we all joined up some time before Manehatten Massacre. By that time TODC - as well as governmental propaganda - has already managed to establish themselves as evil incarnate, and we all felt we had a duty to help our country. I still remember my mother's eyes as she begged me not to go..."

"Lucky you, sir," Silverblade spoke up. "Me, my folks would've celebrated my death if they were to receive a death notification."

"What?!" Twilight stared wide-eyed.

"You didn't tell her, sir?"

"I did not discuss the details of my subordinates' lives, Silverblade," the ex-rocker replied.

"Really? You two are awfully chummy."

The lavender-skinned girl deeply envied Flash at that moment, since his helmet fully covered his face and the blush he was sure to have developed. She did not have anything of the sorts, and had to settle on turning her red face away from the smart aleck Paladin.

"I see. Well, I don't really make a secret out of it - I did not grow up in a loving household. My mother got knocked up one day because neither she nor my dad bothered to take precautions preventing pregnancy, and when I was almost due, my dad got mugged and killed by a gang of junkies. I was told he planned on raising me, since my mom was not thrilled to have a kid. Dunno if it's true, but neither my mom nor her dick of a boyfriend whom I had the misfortune to call a stepfather gave me that much love, and made it clear I was a burden on them. War erupted shortly before I aged to eighteen, and once I did, I just up and left the house, and went to the nearest recruiting station. Changed my name to Silverblade as well."

"Then what's your real name?" Twilight asked on instinct. Flash tensed for some reason and cast a wary look at his subordinate, but the latter just shook his head.

"Ain't telling anyone that. There's a whole betting pool on what my real name is. I don't remember how many caps are in there now..."

"Four hundred nineteen," Flash butted in.

"Already? These damn gossips have nothing better to do? Point is, kid - don't pry my real name. I buried that time in the past and don't want to dig it out."

"OK, I'll remember that."

"Great, you're smart enough to take the hint."

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry that you did not have a loving household."

"Don't be. It's not your fault and brooding on this shit will not make the whole situation better."

"Didn't anyone love you? Maybe a girlfriend or..?"

"Good grief, girl, are you a shrink or something?" Silverblade grunted in annoyance.

"No," Flash interrupted, "she is a gentle soul who empathizes with others and wants to spread friendship and harmony around."

"She's gonna need a lot of bullets to spread those... Well, no, war did not leave me much for female companionship or love or stuff like that. As for current time... well, Redheart's a knock-out, but I think half the bunker has the hots for her. Let's drop the subject, OK? I think we're close to our destination."

"Indeed," Twilight looked at the map, "time passed quickly..."

"One and a half hour is quickly? Allow me to disagree, Knight Sparkle..."

The rest of the group were currently sitting in the house cleared of slavers, vigilant for any sort of counter-attack. While Trade Sixty-Six most likely remained unaware of what had transpired hours ago, there had to be at least some form of communication between the captured outpost and their main base - wherever it was.

Therefore, at least a scouting party was supposed to arrive really soon. And everyone who was currently inside the house needed to greet them with lethal force.

Waiting for said party proved to be extremely boring, however. One hour after Twilight left with Flash and Silverblade, everyone felt too bored by the silence, and began chatting among themselves. Sunset found herself beside Rarity, while Applejack scooted closer to the Paladins who remained with them.

"Hey, Rarity," the fiery-haired girl intoned, peering out of the window.

"Hey," the ex-fashionista continued looking through her optical sight.

"Bored out of your mind?"

"Somewhat, but I'll manage."

"You can do it?"

"When I was undergoing training in Vault 94, my simulations sometimes involved lying in the same position for hours, tracking the target. And a failure ended up with me chewed out by the drill sergeant and forced to try again. Not an experience I am fond of remembering, trust me. After I left it, I had to do the same on many occasions. So I am used to it. Besides, I was a fashionista, if you recall; that job requires a lot of patience."

"I'm kinda jealous. When there's nothing but waiting for... something that is supposed to want to kill you, that really puts a strain on my nerves."

"How so?"

"Well, I don't like the idea that something out there wants to kill me - and biding its time. I'd rather face it and kill it. Then I'd know that at least there is one less my would-be killer out there."

"Hmmm. I believe I understand your point, darling, but you need to remember that you must ensure you have an advantage over your enemy, and that may take time."

"That I know. But usually no enemy would try to get at me if I were to have an advantage. Only idiots do that."

"Then hide your advantage, if you can. This would lead the enemy to underestimate you, and prove fatal to them."

"That's... a sound advice. But truth be told, I feel my mind is more suited for offense than defense. You heard the saying that the best defense is a good offense?"

"To each their own, although I would not always agree. When an enemy is on your turf and not theirs, they are in trouble most of the time. You know there is a reason why modern military tactics calls for a three-to-one advantage when attacking someone?"

"Yep. Although, truth be told, I'm not certain it's actually our turf, even if we're holding the house."

"...fair point. Do you think local Brotherhood chapter would be amenable to giving reinforcements?"

"In a dream world, it would be so. But I'm not getting my hopes up."

Meanwhile, Applejack was conversing with two Paladins, who were called Vice Strike and Obverse Arrows (the latter preferred to go by his last name). Vice Strike carried a laser rifle with computerized sight and served as an impromptu marksman, while Obverse Arrrows carried a heavy 10mm machine gun as his primary weapon. Both were soldiers who served under Flash during the Last War and continued to do so when the ex-rocker joined the Brotherhood of Steel.

"So where did you fight?" the farm girl asked.

"Bovinia mostly, until UFE pulled our battalion out of there," Vice Strike said. "Before that, there were campaigns in Minotauritania and Griffonada. The last one was a nightmare, especially Griffonstone. And there's Eastern Gambit as well..."

"Wait, did ya say Griffonstone?"

"Uh, yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Well... mah folks died in battle near Griffonstone. They were in 121st Heavy Infantry Battalion, Sergeants Apple Red and Apple Yellow."

Both Paladins looked at each other.

"Damn, kid, sorry to hear that. We were in 17th Power Infantry Company back then, I think our squad was one of the first ones to arrive. Right, Arrows?"

"Yep, that was before Sentry was put in charge of us," the heavy weapons specilaist replied. "My memory's kinda blurry now - it was, what, eight years ago? But I still remember some things..."

"Did ya know them?" Applejack asked.

"Sorry, kid, but no - we knew no one in 121st in person," Arrows replied. "But I remember how it looked when we finally got there. That damn outpost was almost overrun by TODC scumbags, 121st were barely holding, and I think I could not walk around the trenches without stepping on someone lying."

"Arrows is exaggerating, but yeah - corpses were everywhere, and I don't remember seeing anyone from our side who didn't have at least one hole in their body," Vice took over. "When 17th Power Infantry Company arrived, TODC guys broke and ran - they got as good as they gave, and against us, they would not have held long. We tried to help as many as we could, but a good number died before the medical choppers arrived."

"Gotta say it, though - those guys in 121st were badasses," Arrows spoke again. "They stood one against two TODC soldiers each, if not three, and managed to actually hold onto captured positions. It's not a feat one could repeat easily, even in Mechanized Infantry."

"That said, Ah'm somewhat confused - why you mention Power Infantry Company, when those wearing power armour were called Mechanized Infantry?" Applejack asked.

"Power Infantry was when power exoskeletons were not replaced with full power armour," Vice spoke up. "Power Infantry Corps could have both guys in exoskeletons and full T-72d's; it was when exoskeletons were put out of commission they renamed us into Mechanized Infantry. Our company was one of the last ones to be reformed, actually, if my memory does not fail me."

"OK, thanks. An' what of Deep Strike? Ever heard somethin' about him?"

"Many things. He was a... controversial figure, to be certain. He had a penchant for operating deep within enemy territory - I guess that is ironic, considering his name - and while he certainly had some... connections he found useful, I had to admit that he handled fighting in enemy's territory better than any other high command oficer I remember. But he also was somewhat of a glory-hound, and that pissed off families of those who died. He cared more about strategy than men."

"I can't agree with you on that one, Vice," Arrows interrupted. "Yeah, he was focused on campaign mostly, but I cannot say he was totally heartless. When my Pop died in a terrorist attack in Maretonia, leaving my mom and two sisters alone, I approached him and asked him to release my younger brother from service - he had joined up shortly before that and even smelt some gunpowder in Bovinia - and he signed the paper immediately."

"Well he had to - the law demanded it."

"No, actually - Commissariat had already managed to push through the cancellation of that law by then."

"They did?" Vice was clearly surprised.

"Yeah, and he could get in trouble with NSC for that, actually."

"Hmm. I still think you were a lucky guy, one of the few, that is. And he was still a REMF."

"When the Tartarus did ya see a high command officer that wasn't a REMF?"

"Heh. Point taken."

"Well, maybe he wasn't a total varmint," Applejack said, "but Ah'm still pissed at him that mah folks died."

"And you have all reasons to be," Arrows said. "I still assert that Deep Strike was not totally heartless, but I can't deny he preferred to see the war in terms of wins, losses, strategy and tactics. Sometimes he... forgot that all military assets he had comprised of people, and that behind the statistics of losses, there were personal tragedies like yours."

"All right, let's drop my sob story," the blonde girl changed her posture. "How did ya two come to serve under Flash?"

"He was transferred to take command of us when our old Sarge was killed," Vice took over. "They told us they'd transfer us to Bovinia soon, and that they'd put a Sergeant who was to go there soon. Gotta say, I didn't like Commander at first. He looked as if he came off a propaganda poster - shiny T-72d, cool hairstyle, pretty face and stuff. Thought him to be one of those namby-pamby boys with no idea on how to be a real man."

"What changed your opinion?"

"Our first battle together..."

Western Chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel had a more visible entrance than the one that Northern Chapter had. The entrance resembled a standard entrance to the bunker one could expect to see across the Canterlot Wastelands. Flash explained to Twilight that the bunker they were in front of was a standard one, while Elder Aegis and his soldiers managed to find the one that was supposed to hold some VIPs from the government that resided in Trottingham, and thus was designed to be less visible. However, none of the intended VIPs made it, and Aegis managed to enter the bunker thanks to the emergency codes designed for the use by the military in case a nuclear attack happened.

Twilight inserted the connection cord from her Pip-Boy into the slot of the panel designed for authentication (presumably, at least) and winced as a sharp hiss of static sounded from the intercom.

"Your access codes are not of the Western chapter," a sharp male voice sounded, distorted by the apparently-not-properly-functioning loudspeaker. "Identify your name and rank immediately or you'll be shot!"

Nice welcoming, Twilight thought derisively. Looking at the intercom, she found a push-to-talk button and pressed it.

"Um... this is Knight Twilight Sparkle. I have Senior Paladin Sentry and Paladin Silverblade with me. We're... er... on a mission from Elder Aegis Mantle, and we're here to see the Western Chapter's Elder."

"Acknowledged, Knight. Paladins, remove your helmets for facial recognition."

Flash and Silverblade did as ordered. A small hatch opened, revealing a remotely controlled camera which focused on everyone's faces. Some time later, it withdrew into the hatch and was closed. Then the door unlocked and opened.

"Proceed through the door and to the checkpost. Obey all orders given by checkpost personnel. Failure will result in immediate termination."

"Thanks," Twilight said. Releasing the push-to-talk button, she muttered, "What a lovely bunch. Aegis could have warned me about that one."

"Shush, Twilight," Flash said. "The bunker is bound to have listening devices here."

"Celestia damn it, I forgot."

"Who?" Silverblade asked.

"Figure of speech, don't ask," the lavender-skinned girl cut off further inquiries.

The trio approached the security outpost behind another door where they were greeted with one-and-a-half dozen of heavily armed Paladins and Knights, who were standing tall or lying behind neatly organized barricades and sandbags. Ceiling turrets (which looked more advanced than those they had seen at White Knives' HQ) were not aiming at them - but that could change in a second.

"Wow," Twilight remarked coolly. "This looks more like an execution squad than a welcoming committee."

"Mouth off more and it might become one, girl," one of Paladins remarked.

"Hey," another one said, "how come a Knight looks like she has more authority in this group than the Paladins with her? Has Aegis lost his marbles completely?"

"Actually," Flash coughed, "Knight Sparkle is on a mission classed under Double-Edge conditions. That means she has the actual authority over her mission given to her by Elder Aegis regardless of the rank of Brotherhood members accompanying her. While I have the right to override her authority under certain conditions, my current orders state that I and other Paladins are not to interfere with her mission and give her whatever support possible."

"What sort of bullshit is that?"

"It's not bullshit, Paladin," a new voice sounded, and a new person arrived. Looking as if he were in his late thirties, with short spiked blonde hair and wearing an advanced model of power armour, he radiated authority. The plasma rifle in his hands was primed for action, only adding to the authority. "Elder Aegis just confirmed their identities, as well as Knight Sparkle's authority. Men, stand down."

Slowly, and sometimes reluctantly, the soldiers lowered their weapons. Twilight let out a breath she did not even notice holding.

"Senior Paladin Sentry, Paladin Silverblade, Knight Sparkle, welcome to Western Chapter's HQ. I am Star Paladin Stahlmesser, the XO. Unfortunately, Elder Ferrum Sierra is away and will be unable to communicate with you for quite some time, as he is on a mission, but I am fully authorized to act on his behalf. Leave your weapons at the checkpost and follow me."

The trio did as ordered and followed the executive officer. After some time, they entered a rather spacious (for a bunker) room that had a bookshelf with various folders and books settled haphazardly, a rack of weapons in another corner, a Brotherhood banner hanging on the wall and a banner of 11th Mechanized Infantry Battalion to its right. On another wall, several photos were present, depicting soldiers in power armour. Star Paladin Stahlmesser sat behind his table, which had a military-model computer monoblock, some papers and folders and pencils on it. A disassembled plasma pistol lay in front of him, details lying around.

"Stupid converter messing with the energy output again," Stahlmesser muttered. "Haven't managed to fix it yet, and Knight-Sergeant Wrench is with Elder right now. Alright, Knight Sparkle, tell me about your mission."

Twilight spent ten minutes telling him about her situation, on how she needed to infiltrate Canterlot and how she required several sets of ABCWHS-600 suits from the Future-Tec industrial complex. The Star Paladin listened attentively without interrupting. When the girl finished, he sighed and said:

"Damn it, girl. Do you realize what sort of shit-mire you are in? Stupid Aegis and his illusions of grandeur..."

"Pardon?" Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"If we knew how to get to Future-Tec complex, we would have done so. We've been trying to do that for several years already. First, we could not get the access terminal to work. It required having a Pip-Boy with some special interface and access codes, and we spent fuck-a-ton of time looking for it. Then, when we finally got all that shit, turned out that the codes were wrong, and this activated the defense systems. You think you can get past those, Knight?"

"I had assisted Brotherhood in getting past the defenses at the base of 9th Mechanized Infantry Battalion... sir."

Stahlmesser laughed.

"And what that base had as defenses, pray tell?"

"A range of military-grade robots like Protectrons, robobrains, Mr. Gutsies, and sentry bots," Flash replied. "Also a MANTICORE warbot."

"What about turrets?"

"Sensor net was down there and turrets were inactive - but the still active defenses presented a big enough threat."

"Well, if you managed to last against a MANTICORE, then you're worth something. But..." Stahlmesser rose from the table and went to the larger circular table behind him, the surface of which was criss-crossed with straight lines and had various controls on it. The Star Paladin did something with controls, and a holographic image of the Future-Tec complex appeared.

"...try this for size," he finished.

Twilight, Flash and Sunset gaped at the image.

The complex looked quite imposing by itself, having a large size and occupying a large enough territory but this was not the most impressive sight. It was surrounded by a very high wall with some protrusions sticking out of it, which formed something resembling a slope. Atop the wall, there were some strange things resembling...

...turrets?! the equine Princess squinted her eyes, trying to make sense of the image.

Stahlmesser made an image larger, and everyone saw an image of a gigantic turret sitting atop the wall, large and heavy and very intimidating. Four menacing barrels, two at each side, were placed one above other, having a caliber larger than any gun Twilight had ever seen.

"These beauties," the Star Paladin said, "are super-heavy Thunderfire stationary defense turrets. They have very heavy armour that is insulated against EMP, several redundant control and targeting systems, a whole flurry of sensors ranging from standard visual to night vision to thermal to electromagnetic, advanced cryogenic systems allowing for uninterrupted fire, and last, but not least - four 30mm fully automatic cannons that fire slugs with cores made from alloy of titanium and depleted uranium, which can penetrate APC armour. Cannons can't do jack shit against tanks, but if there's such a problem, the turret had hidden missile launchers within. And it was armed with "Gyrfalcon" missiles that could be used against both ground and air targets like choppers or vertibirds. And that's only the outer defenses. I have heard that there were at least several high-grade warbots stationed for defense, like MANTICORE, but I don't know which models. No one does, actually. Think you can take on that?"

Silence reigned as everyone pondered the information.

"...isn't there an emergency bypass or something?" Twilight asked.

"If there is, we have not found it yet."

"And what is it you mentioned about Elder Aegis and his illusions of grandeur?"

Stahlmesser breathed in and out.

"OK, I was... too strong-worded with that one, sorry about that. But, well... Elder Aegis is not wildly respected throughout the Brotherhood, and he is frustrated by that. I have heard from him about you, Knight Sparkle, and he is insistent that you are the one whom we have to thank for microfusion energy and all that it brought."

"You think I am not?" Twilight challenged him.

"I am not claiming that, as I have no proof to that. But there were attempts to... mimic living persons, as far as we know, and those projects could have been successful. But human brain is one finicky thing, and not everything could be faked. Theoretically, you could be something that believes itself to be Twilight Sparkle, the inventor of microfusion energy, and lapses of memory are programmed to be explained as amnesia."

The alicorn-turned-human felt sick to her stomach. What Stahlmesser described fit her knowledge of homunculi - vile beings created by darkest of magics, puppets meant to fool others into believing they were real ponies instead of a copy of those whom they mimicked. To be even compared to one felt like the gravest insult possible.

Part of her wanted to smite the blonde man in front of her in sheer outrage. Her hands quickly balled into fists, and violet eyes narrowed.

How DARES he?!

"But, as I said, I do not have any proof of that. So you may stop looking like you are about to punch my face. Which, by the way, is against the rules of the Brotherhood, and is grounds for rebuke or worse.

Son of a bitch. He caught me. And I allowed myself to show my emotions... Twilight thought, angered at herself now.

She forced herself to calm down, and unclenched her fists.

"My apologies, sir. I have always considered such an idea... extremely repulsive and abhorrent. Your... theory of me being one of them sparked a feeling of... outrage that I... did not suppress in time."

"Understandable, Knight. Your outrage is justified. As I said, I have no proof, and I was not trying to accuse you. Forgive me if I made that impression. I still insist, however, that you do not look at me as if you want to kill me. In certain situations, that may turn deadly for you."

"Duly noted, sir."

"As for my comment about Elder Aegis... I believe he thinks that if he manages to bring you in the Brotherhood, and help you restore your memory - if that's even possible - and persuade you to share all your knowledge with the Brotherhood, then he would be able to elevate his station above everyone. It would be a win-win situation for both of you, because if Brotherhood were to know that the inventor of microfusion energy is on their side, she would be of great assistance to Brotherhood's mission of preserving the pre-apocalypse technology. But that is the tallest order I have seen for all my life, and Aegis, shall we say... has a weakness for that."

"The grand achievements?"

"Yes. I am not denying that you wholly deserved to be included as a fully fledged Knight. After what you did, giving you a rank of Initiate would be an insult. You defied the odds and impressed Aegis. But if there's an impossible mission, it's the one he gave you."

Twilight felt sadness settle in. She understood well that a frontal assault on the complex was impossible, since 30mm cannons would tear her and everyone else to shreds. If what Star Paladin said was true, even an armoured personnel carrier would not be effective, and she has never seen an operable tank.

"In any event, final decision would be on Elder Sierra in that matter, as he is very interested in securing access to the Future-Tec complex as well. But even if he is amenable to your request, we cannot offer you full assistance, as we have a more immediate concern."

The lavender-skinned girl paid him all of her attention.

"Recently, a group of Paladins and Knights have broken all ties with the Brotherhood, denouncing their oaths to our Chapter. They have attacked and killed our brothers and sisters and stole their technology, and empied some of our stocks as well. They assert that our cause is dishonest, erroneous and disgraceful, and that Elder Sierra is corrupt, but they offered no proof. They have managed to hide themselves somewhere; we don't know where, unfortunately, but they seem to be able to support themselves easily enough for us to suspect they have a main base somewhere. They represent a clear and present danger to our Chapter, and it is the duty of every our member to locate and destroy these traitors - yourselves included."

"They have been exiled?" Silverblade asked.

"Yes, Elder Sierra declared them exiled, and you can get the proof from Head Scribe Quill, if you want. As you understand, these traitors are a major threat to us, as they have the same technology we do, and they severely hinder our ability to operate in the Western Canterlot Wastelands. If you are able to help us in neutralizing the threat, then it is possible Elder Sierra and I will be able to offer you more assistance in your mission, Knight Sparkle. Questions?"

"Do we have any leads, sir?" Twilight spoke up.

"Yes. Majority of attacks on the Brotherhood members happened to the north-east of Manehatten and to the south of Ponyville. Elder Sierra is already investigating the outskirts of Manehatten, but you are free to join him there or look near Ponyville on your own. There may be small diversionary groups in Maretonia or its outskirts, since we were attacked around here as well - although not as often. If you locate and destroy these diversionary groups, inform me, and I will reward you."

"What are the numbers and the arsenal of the enemy force?"

"The approximate numbers are from one hundred and fifty to two hundred, and they have same arsenal we do."

"We have secured a house near the railway that leads to outskirts of Whinnyapolis. We left two Paladins and three of my friends in there, but the house is not really defensible. Is there a place for better defense?"

"The house owned by Trade Sixty-Six?"

"The one and only."

"I would prefer that you did not leave it - we wanted to secure it for ourselves, but the current situation prevented us from doing so. You can get automated turrets and mines, as well as extra supplies, from here. I can also send a squad of Paladins with you for extra defense. Hard as our situation is, Brotherhood despises slavery. Don't get overzealous, though - we cannot afford a massive attack of Trade Sixty-Six on us."

"Noted, sir."

"Take theses magneto-optic disks," the Star Paladin held the objects in his hand, and everyone took one, "they have the codes that authorize you to enter areas held by us and use Brotherhood resources. Insert them in your Pip-Boys, and we'll recognize you as one of us."

"Thank you, sir. Final question - how can we identify the traitors?"

"Oh snap, I forgot the most important part. They changed their IFF codes, so your Pip-Boys will immediately flag them as hostile. They also repainted their armour into crimson and black colours, and their symbol is a sword with a wavy blade cutting through a plate, pointing down. And they call themselmes Flameswords."

Author's Notes:

Checked the day of the last update. August 15th. More than one month has passed. I am officially the worst updater in the world.

I could not leave you hanging for that long, so I decided to make a quick transitional chapter which starts the onset of two new conflicts.

If you wonder how Thunderfire turrets may look like, see the turrets of Skynet base from Terminator Salvation, but only with four barrels. And Future-Tec complex outer walls look like Skynet's base's outer walls, too.

Next chapter will add more players into the mix. No promises on when it's coming out, because I am actively fleshing Chapters 3 and 4 of Love Dashed Into Life and am also reading Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook 4th Edition in English - I need something from there.

And no, I have not watched Legends of Everfree yet. When I do, I'll make a blog on it and how it affects Fallout: Equestria Girls.

Thoughts, comments and criticisms are welcome. Stay tuned!