I was looking in the Wasteland Survival Guide wondering about this Big 52 with Harmony while Epsilon was driving us. He had to ask a few times wondering which direction was Manehatten at hoping that we won’t get lost. We were heading south away from Canterlot. It made Epsilon sad to hear that we were going further away from the city, but knowing what happened to it did not make any easier for him. Harmony was with her brother trying to cheer him up. Heh, family love, you can see how strong their bond is already.

I managed to find a chapter about Route 52 and read it out loud for both Harmony and Epsilon to hear,

Route 52 is a major highway that runs through Equestria. The route dear readers, begins near Canterlot and goes on for many miles. Walking to the end by hoof would take many days as it goes on and on for miles. Honestly I don’t even think there’s an end to Route 52 itself my readers!

As I finished it, Epsilon was looking ahead pondering about someone who he was familiar with. His sister shared his thoughts, “I never thought to see Ditzy Doo become an author and live through the two hundred years, you think she was in one of those pods?” Epsilon was a bit surprised when he first read the book that the mailmare of Ponyville was alive and wrote a book intended to teach ponies the horrors of the Wasteland. Harmony was too although this was not new knowledge to her.

In all honesty, I would not be surprised if she did indeed went to one of those pods and possibly was put in stasis, however, another idea popped in my head and Epsilon would probably not like the idea. Harmony looked at me first seeing my sorrowful expression. She let out a sigh as I returned my attention to the book while she answered for me, “As much as the two of us would agree with you brother, I think she might have become a ghoul…”

Epsilon did not like what she had to say, yet can see the reasoning behind considering what happened to her. She managed to write out her bio in the book and reading that made it a possibility, “Yeah, forgot that option was there.”

Continuing the drive on Route 52 so far, no activity good or bad, at least came to be. It was a calm drive there for the most part yet the three of us were still cautious about it, maybe a little too cautious for my taste. While reading, I turned on the radio station hoping that I can hear something from DJ Pon3. Surprisingly, it was a different radio station specific to this route that I was hearing.

Well, now, uh, Lancelot, Galahad, and I, wait until nightfall, and then leap out of the rabbit, taking the Prench by surprise - not only by surprise, but totally unarmed!

Good evening my beautiful herd! This is Lonesome Pony and you're listening to Radio 52, the frequency that gives you all the essentials about Big 52 and nothing else!

The evocative tinkling of Dueling Banjos filled a brief intermission.

Let’s get to work. Have you ever wondered what the sun looks like? Ask the White Apples! Last night a gigantic ball of light exploded ten kilometers east of Salt Cube City bringing thunder and devastation in its wake. Luckily enough, along said wake there were mostly radigators and abandoned shacks, but the light could be clearly seen even from Tunnel Town, Badlands and the Redtrotters territory. If you think this is crazy, I must warn you that it was just the last act of a night of follies! First we had the launch of a balloon full of ghouls, yes the very same ghouls that threatened the caravans in the area! The take-off was accompanied by a light and magic show offered by a certain Puppysmiles. Weird name, isn't it? This is not the first time I’ve had something to say about this gal. Good old L.P. Asked some more questions here and there and guess what he discovered? Yes, she's the same filly from the Carnival!

A trumpet erupted in a triumphant fanfare.

So, Lonesome Pony, where's the interesting part? Here it is for all those grumpy ‘too long didn't listen’ busy ponies on the road: no more feral attacks between Badlands and the Cube!

There was the sound of a reloading lever action rifle followed by pair of gun shots and a very manly voice saying “Hasta la vista, filly.”

Oh yes I love this one! Two tribes get their problems solved by a foal stuck in a radsuit! Now I don't need to be a shaman to say that she's heading south, so... what's next? Is she going to reopen the Tunnel? Well kid, if you happen to stop by trade station Badlands on the Marshes detour, pay a visit to your number one fan! We'll get to know the filly inside the helmet! Till then, have some music from the best radio station you can find along the Route.

A filly by the name of Puppysmiles managed to save a town called Salt Cube City… Sweet merciful Celestia, now we got a filly doing the rescuing? First Stable Dweller, then Security, then myself being the Angel of Darkness, and now we got a filly who happens to be called the Ghost of 52 helping people out, what next a caped superhero or something?

During my crazy mind session, and me looking into the book, I saw Harmony looking behind us and was rubbing her eyes like she was dreaming. She poked Epsilon prompting him to stop. He slowed down the vehicle as he looked at her, “What is it Harmony?”

“You may want to turn yourselves around….” She pointed at the form that was approaching us. Me and Epsilon saw it fast approaching. He pulled his bazooka as the form neared us wondering if it was friend or foe. I checked on my PipBuck to see… no green or red dots? But it’s ahead of us!

I got interrupted in my thought process as the form nearing us revealed to be a filly. Okay, call me crazy but a filly in a radsuit nearing us seemed a bit farfetched even for me. I looked at the two siblings seeing if they ever sharing my thoughts. They bore looks of confusion on their face meaning they too were wondering about it. A voice cut us off our thought process as the filly was at our right side and waved at us, “Hi I’m Puppysmiles! Have you seen my mom?” All three of us looked at each other clearly baffled. I was in a state of shock and utter disbelief that I was seeing the rumored Ghost of 52 in front of me. That DJ was not joking with the heroine of route 52 being just a filly! We were silent for quite some time until she asked us, “Mister? Miss? Are you alright?”

I shook my head wildly after that trying to get my mind out of its stupor, “Uh yes I’m fine, what was your name again young filly?”

She repeated the same introduction for us, “Hi I’m Puppysmiles!” She waved at us gleefully bearing the innocence of an eight year old. This young child was as energetic as most fillies can all come. It was so welcoming to see her so bombastic moving around freely despite the horrors of the Wasteland. It gave me a sense of hope to see some pony like her. As she was zooming around on her red scooter, she stopped for a second asking us the same question, “Have you seen my mom?”

“Your mom?” Harmony asked. She looked at us surprised about this revelation. This was rather some upsetting news for me. I would definitely love to bring her back to her mother if time allows it. I looked at Epsilon who looked to be on the verge of tears.

Harmony noticed it too as she heard him sniffing. We were about to ask him about why he was about to cry, but Puppysmiles beat me to us, “Mister, why are you crying? Did I do something to offend you?”

Out of what I call was a reflex, he pulled her up alongside her scooter cuddling her. It did come out of nowhere there but the sincerity in Epsilon’s voice made me forget what made it someone jarring. Harmony put a hoof on her brother’s shoulder seeing him like this, “No, you just remind of my sister when she was young…”

Harmony could only chuckle hearing that from him, “That’s because she sort of does…” She took Puppy form Epsilon’s embrace as she put her on her lap, “I like this filly…and we can be your friends as well if you want little Puppy.”

Puppysmiles gave her biggest smile I had ever seen from a filly very much happy to see that she made a friend from her perspective, “Yay! I made a new friend!” She was hoping around like crazy almost like Pinkie Pie as she was saying stuff. I can’t help but find it a bit funny, “Did you hear that mister Voice? I made a new friend!” The three of us looked at each other again wondering what who or what she was talking to. She stopped bouncing being pouty to whatever this mister Voice was, “Aw boohoo! You’re no fun! Where’s miss Voice?”

Okay this was getting awkward very fast. Even the two were giving her weird looks. I poked Puppysmiles as she was talking to something wanting ask her a question. She stopped and looked at me with those big pink eyes of hers. To be fair, if I had a moment where I might have died of something in the Wasteland, I think I almost died of cuteness seeing her like that...

I coughed myself trying to regain my composure. Both Harmony and Epsilon chuckled a bit seeing me lose my composure there. Puppy laughed as well though she only did it to join, “Puppy, who is this mister Voice you are referring to?”

She tilted her in head in confusion wondering what the question meant, “Refern…? Re… Refre…”

Damn it, I forgot that she’s just a little filly! I was about to do a facehoof for that tiny blunder there but I resisted it repeating the question to a more simpler term for Puppy to understand, “Who was this mister Voice you were talking to?”

Her eyes gleamed at that. Thank goodness that she was at least able to understand that, “Oh…! That’s easy! Mister Voice is the voice in this suit talking! But he’s all grumpy right now and left… Now I got miss voice to talk with! Yay!”

“That suit talks?” Damn it now Epsilon beat me to the question. Why is it that almost everybody beats me to the one question I was just about to ask? I looked at Harmony who only shrugged eyeing puppy still.

She nodded her head like one of those with a spring. It was kind of funny seeing her do that, “Yep! Do you want to say hi to Miss Voice?” Epsilon just smiled, politely denying her offer of asking to which she was sad about, “Aw, but I wanted you to talk with Miss Voice!”

I don’t know why but seeing her just seems like a sunshine that the Wastelands needs, one full of hope for the future. To the point I might say she’s Hope Incarnate. It does seem a bit off that a filly was one of them but it made me smile nonetheless for that a filly has a positive outlook in the world despite the horrors she has to face. She was still pouty that we decided to not talk with her voices in her suit, “Waah, you guys are meanies for not being friends with Mister and Miss Voices!”

“Wait, us being meanies and not being friends with Mister and Miss Voices?” We looked at each other for quite some time before going into an uproarious laughter.

She was stll pouty at first but let a loud laugh as she joined us. Though she joined in the laugh because she was confused as to why we were laughing, “Why are you three laughing?”

I stood up for a while trying to get some breathing down, “I am very sorry but we cannot hear your friends, only you can.”

She was not happy to hear that, “What!? Aw!” Harmony comforted her to the best that she can be. I would be crazy to talk with them, but I wanted Puppy to be happy for just a while. As I was about to ask her to see if I can talk with them, she got shot by a stray bullet meant for us three. The force of that shot sent her flying off the seat and on the right side of the car.

Harmony was shocked out of her mind that the filly was just shot. That sent so many warnings in my head that we may have just lost one of those inspirational ponies. I looked behind us to see a few raiders from the last raider camp we emptied. Or so at least we thought, turns out there were a different set of raiders. Me and Harmony looked at Puppy to see her still alive as she gets up spewing… pink cloud!? The suit had a tear yes, but I don’t think a filly was suppose to emit pink cloud! I looked at Harmony who was shocked as well to this.

Epsilon acted immediately getting his rocket launcher as he rocket jumped over us and to them. Puppy managed to get up as she saw that and was in awe seeing that trick in front of her. Her radsuit fixed itself of the hole made by the gunshot as the pink cloud dissipated. Seeing the pink cloud made the two of us realize that the filly is deceased. It was rather painful for me and Harmony to discover this fact even though we only just known her.

I heard the sound of a fired rocket as I looked to see it closing in on the raiders. Harmony covered Puppy’s eyes from the spectacle as Epsilon made quick work of those that fired at us turning the raiders into tiny giblets of gore. He safe rolled as she allowed her to see again. Puppy was very much sad to miss out on the gore-fest, but it was for the better that she did not see that. I saw him returned back seeing out eyes. It didn’t take him long for him to realize that something was lingering in our thoughts, “Is something bothering you two?”

“Epsilon, we need to talk now, just the three of us.” Puppy was again, not happy about being left out. Seeing her sad expression, I told of something that might lighten her up, “I have some toys in the vehicle if you want to play with them Puppy…” With a big smile and a simple ‘yay’, she was at the back of the vehicle playing with the toys that I stashed. I had a forlorn look on my face as I told him about the newfound knowledge, “Epsilon, while you were shooting, you say that Puppy got shoot right?”

He nodded yet was trying to understand what I was referring to besides the probable injury she attained, “Yeah, I don’t see why you have that forlorn look on your face… Well besides the injury itself.”

“I can see that, but…” Epsilon did not me using that word one bit. I would be too considering that many times that word comes up you know things just got bad, “Well how do I put this gently…?”

Harmony came forward as she got tot eh point for me. It did not ease myself but it least our reasons for our shock came clear to him, “While she was shot and her suit was fixing that hole, I saw her spew some pink cloud.”

Epsilon’s eyes widened as he took a second look at Puppysmiles again then to his sister, “Wait, she released pink cloud? As in the gas that covers most if not all of Canterlot?” The two of us nodded to his answer. He looked at her again clearly not happy with this knowledge we gave him, “How is she spewing pink cloud though?”

“I’m not so sure, but maybe my PipBuck can tell me that.” I moved to Puppy to see her playing with the toys happy as she will ever live to an extent in her short life. Damn it, this is just not fair… I poked her as she was playing. She looked at me with the most beautiful smile a filly can give to me. I adored that smile of hers yet also was saddened knowing that smile could be the last smile of Puppy’s I will ever see, “Hey Puppy, can I interfa, uh…” I corrected myself remembering that I was talking to a deceased filly here, “Connect I meant, my Pipbuck to your suit please?”

She smiled again as she stood up to my height, “Sure mister! I, uh, don’t know how…”

I smiled back at her, “No worries, I know Puppy… Let me handle it while you play…” Yet another smile as she played with the toys while I connected my PipBuck to her suit, getting the interface of the suit. The screen showed me the condition of her from the inside. I was met with shocking results as I see her body or rather lack of to speak. Lacking a skeleton, a heart made from the Pink Cloud itself, just how was she able to survive with nothing but a heart and a few bits of bones? Looking through the suit revealed a backup talisman, this one seemingly activated when the main one failed to comply. What caught me off guard was that this talisman has workings of a necromantic spell.

I called both Harmony and Epsilon over as I showed them what was going on inside the suit. They too were shocked seeing her condition. Harmony beat her brother to the question, “How is she living!? She’s not even a ghoul at all more like an abomination…” As much as I did not like the usage of that word, it was the only word that made sense at the time being.

I pointed to the backup talisman telling them how she was still alive, “If I was reading this correctly, the main talisman failed when it was trying to add injections to her. With that failing, the backup activated and it managed to keep her alive to an extent.”

Harmony was scratching about this. Epsilon looked at the interface trying to connect the dots, “I see that now, but how though? The only way to do that with her in this condition is by…”

I answered his question and left Harmony gasping, “Necromancy…” I cut off his sentence pretty much finishing his agreeing with his sentence. They didn’t like it though. No matter how we looked at it, we did not like it one bit. I disliked it all the more but that was how she was surviving to this day.

Epsilon had a look of concern wondering whether if we should tell her about this or not, “Do we tell her about this? I don’t want her to live on like this…” He looked at Harmony who was eyeing the filly seeing her emotions conflicting with her.

“I want to tell her as well Epsilon but, look at her…” We both look at her. She was brimming with energy as she was playing with the toys. It broke the three of our hearts to tell her especially when she is just so happy living in this world, “She doesn’t even know about it and if we do tell her about it… It will just break her fragile heart. I want to give her peace, but now is not the perfect time to tell her…”

I pulled the cord connecting my PipBuck to her suit as we backed away. As we see Puppysmiles playing with her toy, she had a look of surprise as she banged her head repeatedly, “I almost forgot my mom! Stupid, stupid, stupid Puppy!’ She went out of the and onto the red scooter as she was beginning to take off but not before seeing us again, “Thank you mister uh… What are your names?”

We looked at each other with a smile. We told her our names so that she can remember us. I silently prayed that her journey to find her mother would be well Gods, please watch over this young fillies’ soul, “I’m Zodiac, this is Epsilon and the lovely mare is Harmony.” I did wonder about what she forgot with her banging her head on the glass dome, “Puppy, what are you trying to do and where are you going?”

“I want to meet my mom! Mister Voice says that she is at that direction." She pointed south from Canterlot where the landscape reaches out to the ocean. “I’ll tell my mom how nice you three are! Thank you for the playtime!” Damn it, now I had tears in my eyes when she said that thanks. I wiped them away as she came back to me wondering if she did something to offend me, “Did… Did I do something mean to you mister Zodiac?”

I looked at her teary-eyed. Of course she did something mean… Mean that my own heart broke seeing her go away. I embraced her as tightly as the waterworks did not stop, my own tears falling from my eyes onto her helmet. Harmony wiped away her own tears as she looked away. Puppy looked at me with such innocence; it just made me glad to see such fragile innocence during my time here. I let her go as she looked at the both of us mostly focusing her attention on me as I wiped the tears away, “No, you did not do anything mean Puppy, I’m just… glad to have met you personally.”

She hugged me despite not even knowing me for a minute after I let go of her. She backed away with a smile as she was about to leave. I grabbed her as I wanted to make a lasting impression on at least this one filly, “Puppy, you don’t mind if I share just one tip right? You have a lot of time with you…”

She gave her most wonderful smile as she sat there listening to every word I have to say. I smiled back to her as I preformed a gesture that only I knew, a cross on her head, “Don’t lose sight of what you are Puppy. So long as you hold to your faith… In the end of your journey, you will find your mother Puppy. And as long as you continue reaching for that light, there is nothing that will stop you achieving that dream.” I wasn’t so sure if she was able to shed tears, but her hugging me one more time was enough to know that she managed to understand what I said even if it was a bit complex. The other tow behind me joined in as we shared one big group hug.

We let go of her as she went on her scooter as mister Voice told her where to go with the pink arrow pointing her way. She looked back with her signature smile as she waved bye at us, “Bye! I’ll tell my mom how nice you are!” We waved back as she waved one more time before leaving to her destination.

She was getting smaller and smaller as she was zooming past us line of sight. Epsilon went back on the vehicle as he started the engines.Harmony in next watching the filly get smaller until she was but a pinprick. I got on the back wiping some of the ears that still lingered on my eyes. Epsilon did not shed a tear but his heart was in the right place as he looked where Puppysmiles disappeared off into. We drove off to our destination not wavering from the experience we had, “A little bit much on the waterworks there, right Zodiac?”

I blushed a bit as I looked away from Epsilon. Harmony was too although she did chuckle as well hearing that, “S-Shut up… You know that I get teary-eyed for almost anything inspirational or sad.”

He chuckled not wanting to forget this meeting, “I know, I know, I think that fate gave us the chance to meet some pony like her…”

My ears perked from that and a wide grin came upon both me and Harmony’s face. He saw that and realized that he might have immediately regretted his choice of words. Harmony poked his chest as he she said what I had in mind, “Oh really, you into religion or something?”

“N-Now, just because I said that does not mean that I’m into religion!” Suddenly, he remembered the gesture I did on Puppysmiles. He couldn’t turn but the question was definitely meant for me, “In fact I should be asking that question to you, what was that gesture all about?” Harmony looked at me curiously silently agreeing with her brother.

I probably regretted doing that, but it was done already. I might as well tell them about if only part of it being truthful, “That cross was a hoof gesture of a prayer that alicorns do. It is a forgotten art for alicorns, only a select few know of it.”

That caught both Harmony and Epsilon’s interest as he continued driving, “Really? What does that gesture mean to the alicorns?” Harmony asked as his brother was concentrating on driving safely.

I smiled remembering the meaning behind the cross gesture. I was glad to be able to share this knowledge to at least somepony hopefully, the old generation arts will be remembered, “It means this, ‘May the God and Goddess watch over your soul’. I learned it a long time ago, when? I don’t know…”

Epsilon, although had no physical expression on his face, was smiling in his heart hearing that. Harmony let a small smile form though. Curiosity did get to them with the God and Goddess motif, “So who do you think are the God and Goddess? I was thinking of Celestia and Luna but they are mares…”

“I guess the closest thing I can think of would be the father and mother of Celestia and Luna.” Since the   alicorn race going extinct, alicorn stallions were a rarity leaving only the alicorn mares to thrive with no way to reproduce. I wonder if the race might thrive again with time…

Harmony looked at the cloud cover wondering about the Goddesses, “Do you think that they’re watching over some of us?”

I looked above past the clouds seeing the shining Sun beaming through the clouds, “I know that they are watching over us. I can feel their presence in the stars…”

Epsilon found some discomfort in my phrasing of words there, “You realized that you just said something that the Zebras argued over… right?”

“Yes I did, I learned about that as well…” We went silent after that as we head for Manehatten. Tenpony Tower was just a short distance drive from here and I prayed... No, no prayers, only those who are active to purge this world will be watched by the Gods and Goddesses of Equestria.

I felt the vehicle slowed down to a stop as I looked ahead seeing a dilapidated building, “We’re here Zodiac, me and Harmony’s old home.” I stepped out of the vehicle seeing the home. As I noted, the building was dilapidated. I saw Harmony entering through the front door first as epsilon followed behind her.

Entering the building I got a strong whiff of mold and other rotting materials. The building had been through so much seeing the condition of the interior. I looked around as Epsilon went off somewhere. Harmony was in the kitchen eyeing everything that was here. She let one chuckle escape, “This home meant so much for me. I’d like to rebuild this house from scratch after this whole fiasco with the war.”

“You and Epsilon love this home that much huh?” I glanced at Harmony who was still smiling as she walked around the place. I saw Epsilon coming out of wherever he was at holding a metal and small safe within his hooves, “What is in that?”

A smile formed as he was rotating the metal knob getting the combination, “Something you should have Zodiac, you deserve it better then the two of us.” I was about to deny about on his offer but he opened the safe. He gestured me forward as he moved out of the way. I shot them a curious look as I was at the side. They smiled and motioned me to look inside. I didn’t oblige as I looked inside.

Inside the safe was a figurine of… Fluttershy. Her pink and wondrous mane seemed to flow with the wind, her cutie mark was as ever as beautiful as it was, and her face was smiling showing the look of kindness I was familiar with the mare. I grabbed the statuette and suddenly I felt something surge inside. I felt like I could be kind to almost all living creatures both good and bad and face the challenges with a heart as warm as the Sun. I looked at the statuette seeing words engraved on it, Be Pleasant.

I let a smile form as I looked at the two of them. They smiled as I put the statuette in my saddlebag, “I’ll treasure this gift you to, but I have to ask where you got this?”

They looked at each other first before Harmony answered that question for me, “We got that from our mother before she… you know.” I did know but I gestured her to continue. She still gave her smile as she explained, “Our mother got that from the head of the M.O.P. The head told her to keep it safe until it was right to show it.”

“And you two thought of it being the perfect time to give it to me?” They nodded as we stood there for some time. I let a smile form, “All right, like I said, I’ll treasure this. Let’s get going to Tenpony Tower yes?” We left the house as we hopped onto the vehicle and drove off. I looked at the Fluttershy statuette one more time with a smile before looking ahead. The meeting of Puppysmiles and getting this, it felt like I was ready for the world.

Footnote: Level Up.

Zodiac:

New Perk: Child at Heart – Unique dialogues with children achieved. Never thought to hear someone chat with children.

Special Perk: Hope For The Future – Fate has allowed to meet one of many beacons of light, you now have a chance to be able to bring ponies into your side if certain requirements are achieved

Harmony:

New Perk: To Love a Filly – Meeting Puppysmiles has given her the hope to continue the fight, he now gains +5 to Intelligence but lose -2 in Strength

Epsilon:

New perk: Memory Lane - Meeting Puppysmiles has lifted Epsilon's spirits, he now gains +5 to Charisma but lose -2 in Durability

Next Chapter: Chapter VIII: A Past Remembered Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 40 Minutes