I’d seen many horrible things since waking up in that ancient facility.

Chief among those were the death and devastation at my hive, the deaths of so many of my sisters, and of course, the sight of my queen lying dead.

While it wasn’t so painful as those events, seeing the ruin brought upon Rust was certainly up there. That simple little settlement had been the first place to offer me some sense of security after my tumultuous first few days in the Wasteland. It was spartan and run-down, but it was still a place where ponies banded together, refusing the decay and destruction of the Wasteland.

Now, the town lay dead. The walls were scorched, with embers still smoldering in places. Some of it had collapsed, including the main gate itself. The central structure, with its machine-gun armed tower, was a burnt-out shell. Despite the metal construction that was abundant in the town, little was still standing. Some of those still-standing walls sported ragged holes, and in some cases, it looked as if the metal had softened and sagged. I was pretty sure I was seeing the signs of magical energy weapons at work.

Just outside the gate lay the emaciated form of a dead pony. They were blackened from the flames that had burned away flesh, leaving them practically skeletal.

Above it all, smoke hung like a towering column of clouds, a beacon announcing the destruction that had taken place here.

I followed closely behind Dusty as he moved forward, our weapons ready. I’d retaken my pony guise in anticipation of our arrival, but now I was tempted to strip it away once more. I held off for the moment; my armor was just a thought away.

Dusty didn’t say anything, but I saw where he was leading us. We were moving to a small rise that ran along one side of the small settlement, and which approached it near a section of collapsed wall. It would give us a good vantage point and a point of entry.

I’m sure none of us expected to find the individuals responsible still here, but I imagine many of us hoped to be proven wrong. Even Sickle had gone quiet, her mouth drawn into a thin, tight frown.

Echo had rejoined us, though she had said nothing. She strolled along behind us, seemingly unconcerned. I’m not sure if she was bored or simply observing, but there was something detached about her demeanor. I didn’t really think on it much at the time; I had more immediate concerns.

We paused for a moment on the ridge, maybe a hundred yards from the walls, but there was nothing new to be seen. As we were getting ready to move out again, a distant clang of metal striking metal echoed across the gap. Dusty cast a quick glance to us, cinched his rifle’s stock in tighter against his chest, and advanced.

Pips started appearing on my E.F.S. as we approached the gap in the wall. Dusty halted at the edge of the opening, peering in briefly before looking back to us. “I count five contacts. They’re showing as non-hostile, so hold your fire unless they give us a reason. Could be survivors.”

We nodded, except for Echo, who simply watched in silence.

We were moving again. I followed off Dusty’s flank as he advanced down what had once been a narrow alleyway. The building to our left had been partially wood, and had collapsed into a smoldering heap, leaving the air thick and hot with smoke. To our right was a fully metal building, and appeared reasonably intact until we reached the corner and could see the front of it, riddled with dozens, if not hundreds, of bullet holes. The mangled corpse of a pony lay in front of the building. The thick metal armor the guard had worn had not protected her, as every bit of exposed flesh had been shredded by whatever had opened up on her.

I was starting to get a better grasp on our position, trying to match the ruins I saw now with the settlement as I had last seen it. We were crossing the street when I realized that the ruined building in front of us had been Mustard’s inn. Now, what walls remained were almost universally pierced or crumpled, and much of the supporting structure seemed to be entirely missing. It looked as if something gigantic had torn through it, scattering the remains. The burnt remains of tables, chairs, and beds were scattered among the wreckage. I spared a glance at a charred bed-frame as we passed it by, distantly pondering whether it might be one I had slept in.

Another clang of metal interrupted my thoughts, followed by a groan of metal shifting, and finally, a distant voice. I couldn’t make out what was said, only that it was said firmly.

We advanced carefully down the street, past a scattered pile of ashes, a discarded pair of saddlebags, and the scorched, barely legible “Stuff” sign. From the direction of the pips, it appeared the unknown entities were at the town workshop.

At the corner, by a half-collapsed shack, we paused again. The heap of metal and charred wood stood about shoulder-high, giving decent cover as we crept up.

Dusty carefully peeked his head up.

The moment he cleared the top of the wall, his eyes went wide, and he lowered his head again, staring at the wall in front of him.

I peeked my head up to see what had alarmed him.

Perhaps fifty yards away, I could see two ponies, with glimpses of movement beyond them. They were clad in Enclave armor, though the backs were painted blue, and one of them appeared to have a small, thin rainbow painted across her armor’s flank.

Neither were looking in my direction, but I still crouched down to hide again. This posed a problem. I had no idea why the Enclave would be here, but I didn’t imagine the reason was anything good. Fighting would be problematic. Starlight’s Lancer was the only weapon we carried that could reliably harm them, though I imagined Sickle might do some damage if she got her hooves on them. Dusty and I would have to rely on volume of fire to get some rounds into the few places the armor didn’t cover.

Though, we also had Echo with us. I had no idea how capable she would be against them. I didn’t even know if she’d join in a fight. She still stood back, watching us, but otherwise unconcerned.

“What the fuck?” Dusty muttered before turning his head towards us. He spoke quietly. “Fall back. We don’t want this fight.”

I nearly jumped when Echo spoke in a clear, firm voice, her conversational level of volume shockingly loud. “I do not believe these ponies will fight. Even if they did try, they can not harm me.”

A stallion’s shout echoed between the buildings. “Shit! Marks south-east! Lots of ‘em!”

Dusty cursed under his breath. I could hear another pony, a mare this time, and while I couldn’t make out the words, the tone of giving orders was clear. After a few quick orders, she called out clearly, voice amplified by her armor. “We are investigating these ruins. Show yourself and state your intentions.”

Dusty cursed a couple more times before shouting back. “I’ll stay right here, thank you very much. As for--”

Echo had stepped forward to look at the pegasi, prompting a fresh shout from the distant stallion. “Shit, it’s that creepy-ass alicorn!”

“Hold fire!” the mare snapped, and at the same instant, Echo’s purple magic flashed outward. I flinched back; for just an instant, I had thought she had exploded in magic, but I quickly realized she had put up a magical shield, a perfect sphere of energy that surrounded her completely.

The pegasus mare barked a few more sharp commands before calling out again. “We didn’t come here for a fight. We were on patrol when we saw the smoke, so we came to investigate. Do you know what happened here?”

Dusty shouted back, “We were coming here to spend the night, except we get here and find the place burnt down and you guys picking through the ashes. The damage sure as hell looks like Enclave-issue weapons.”

I expected her to argue that, but I was surprised. “Could be,” she replied. “But not us. I don’t know how up-to-date you are on current events, but the pegasi aren’t quite as united as we used to be. Look, we’ve found a survivor, and we’re trying to dig them out. It’s hard enough going, but this little standoff is delaying us. I don’t mean to be rude, but I need you to either come out and meet face-to-face, or back off until we’re done here.”

Dusty sat back, considering how to reply.

Echo’s hum was nearly muffled by her shield, and I almost would have missed it if she hadn’t stepped forward a moment later.

I lurched. “Echo, wait!”

She didn’t. Instead, she kept walking, while shooting a sharp look my way. “If we are to help ponies, then we shall do so now.”

“Crap,” Dusty muttered, and after a final moment of consideration, lowered his rifle. “Okay, we’re coming out.”

“Wait, really?” I said, ears perking up in surprise. It seemed rather incautious for Dusty.

“There’s nowhere to run or hide,” he grunted quietly. “If they wanted to kill us, there isn’t much we could do about it either way, and not much reason for them to hold their fire. Plus, this gets Sickle in close.”

“Am I going to get to pluck a birdie?” Sickle asked with a grin.

Dusty ignored her and stood, keeping his rifle low. Reluctantly, I followed suit.

Echo’s shield stood between us and the pegasi, though it was translucent enough to see through. One of the pegasi, the stallion, stood with his head down, the twin gem-tipped barrels of his mounted guns tracking Echo as she advanced. The other, the mare, stood in a slightly more relaxed posture. She looked to still be alert, but not tense, even as the alicorn advanced.

“Just keep the weapons lowered,” the mare said. “We’re not interested in a fight.”

“Neither are we,” Dusty said, though it was perhaps less convincing when said around the bit of his rifle. At least he kept it pointing downward, though it would take only a moment to bring it up to a firing position. It’s not as if I could really criticize him on that point; I was holding the bit of my own rifle, too.

As we approached, I saw the other two pegasi among the ruins of the workshop. One had gotten himself under a support beam and was holding it up, while the other stood guard nearby, watching the scene unfold. They, too, had the curious blue paint on their armor, though I could see now that it wasn’t uniform in its application. While the first two had their backs painted, the one under the support beam had a simple stripe along either side, while the fourth pony had her chest painted blue and bands painted around her legs.

The nearest stallion stepped back, still tracking Echo as she approached. “Uh, Sergeant? You sure about this?”

Echo continued to walk forward, right past him, as he backed up. His head swiveled, as if trying to decide whether to focus on her or the rest of us, and settled on her. I was quite fine with that, though I hoped her defenses were as good as she claimed they were.

The mare--a sergeant, apparently--watched her as she stepped past, then turned back to us. “I appreciate the gesture of trust. I know this is an awkward situation. If you’ll give us a few minutes to finish our rescue efforts, I’d like to ask you--”

“That will not be necessary,” Echo stated, her horn lighting up. The stallion started to shout something, and my own gut lurched as the adrenaline hit once more. Then I saw the purple glow of her magic wrap around the ruins of the structure. Metal groaned and shrieked as she lifted away what must have been several tons of ruined structure.

“Downdraft,” the pegasus mare said, her voice tight. “Please stop pointing your weapons at the alicorn.”

“It is not as if they could harm me,” Echo said as she continued to tear open the structure, metal bending and cracking under the force of her magic. “Though it is rather impolite.”

“Right,” the stallion, Downdraft, said, taking another step back and standing a little more upright.

The pony who had gotten under the support beam stepped back as it was lifted away, but he remained close by, peering into the space that was opening up. “I see her,” he said, and as a piece of bent skywagon was torn away, he slipped in again, climbing over the remaining debris. I craned my neck, trying to see. I only caught a glimpse of an ash-caked flank.

“She was bleeding, but it’s stopped,” the pony said. He quickly unlatched and removed his helmet, his long blue mane spilling out across his shoulders. I couldn’t help but consider how awkward that must be to tuck away inside the helmet, as well as how starkly his pale pink coat contrasted with the black armor. Those thoughts were interrupted as he spoke again. “I’m getting minimal response. Might be internal damage. Might just be dehydration.”

Starlight pressed forward. “Here, let me see her.”

The sergeant’s attention snapped to her. “Are you trained in medical care?”

“A little,” Starlight replied, “but I’ve got plenty of experience and some healing potions.”

“So does Soaring Heart,” the sergeant said. “Don’t worry, she’s in good hooves.”

The tension seemed to have broken. Dusty let his rifle hang from its sling, and I followed suit. Echo finished moving the last batch of debris, and as she set it down, her shield vanished. Even Downdraft relaxed a bit more, seeing the “creepy-ass alicorn” helping them.

The sergeant looked over the scene before turning back to Echo and giving an appreciative nod. “Thank you for the help.”

“It was a trivial task,” Echo replied, her head held high, while her eyes remained fixed on the injured pony. We all moved in a little closer to get a better view.

The pony lay across a toolbox, and was contorted at an angle that made me concerned for the state of her spine. A few cuts, none serious, were covered in dried blood. Pale ash was caked in her coat, hiding all but a faint hint of red. It was only then that I connected that frail form with the energetic and enthusiastic pony I had met here before: Singe.

Soaring Heart was carefully moving his hooves along her body, examining for further injuries. “I’m not finding any major broken bones, though a couple of her ribs might be fractured. No signs of internal bleeding. I’m a little worried about her spine, but I think it’s intact.”

“Why don’t you give her a healing potion?” Starlight said. “Or hell, I’ve got one.”

The sergeant answered for him. “We have limited supplies. We need to make sure it’s needed before administering healing potions. If we use them for somepony that doesn’t need it, we might not have any when somepony does.”

I immediately thought of Emerald. I tried to push the thought away, but it held its ground. Fortunately, it did lead into another thought. “I think we can help with that,” I said, and turned. “Sickle, do you still have that spare PipBuck?”

“Hmm? Yeah, I got it in one of these cans. Just a ‘sec.” She popped open the metal cans strapped to her side and started rooting around, grumbling a bit. “Woulda been a good fight, too.”

She eventually pulled out the PipBuck and tossed it to me. I caught it and climbed over a ruined table to get to Soaring Heart. “Here, use this.”

“I don’t have the tools to--” He stopped as he saw the clasp, then smiled. “Oh, that’ll do nicely.”

While he tended to Singe, Dusty struck up a conversation with the mare in charge. “Dusty Trails, former sergeant in the Mareford Militia Rangers.” He offered his hoof.

She took it, giving a friendly shake. “Sergeant Hail Burst.”

“Good to be talking,” Dusty said. “So what exactly is the Enclave doing here, patrolling the Wasteland and rescuing civilians? Not to put too fine of a point on it, but last time I saw Enclave soldiers, they were gunning down unarmed ponies.”

She grimaced. “Not our Enclave,” she said, practically spitting the words. “It’s the politicians. The whole damn Council. They betrayed us, started a coup, and a bunch of featherbrains in the military actually listened to them. Now it’s a damned civil war. You want the politics, talk to our commander. Far as I’m concerned, you see somepony in Enclave armor doing shit like that, you’ll be doing us a favor if you take them down. Fucking traitors, the lot of them.”

There were grunts and nods of agreement from the other Enclave soldiers.

“Is your commander around here?” Dusty asked.

“She’s back at camp,” Hail Burst replied. “You’re welcome to come back with us. She’s had us out doing goodwill flights, trying to make contact with the locals on top of the usual patrol duties. I’m sure she’d want to speak with you.”

Dusty sighed, looking back over his shoulder. “We might have to take you up on that. We were going to stay the night here, but…”

There was a moment of silence before Hail Burst spoke again. “If we find out who did this, our whole unit will come down on them. We’ve seen enough of this shit already.”

Dusty grunted softly and nodded.

“She’s stable,” Soaring Heart said. His head was tilted at an awkward angle to read from the PipBuck’s screen without moving Singe’s leg. “No internal bleeding, and the spine is intact. She does have an incomplete fracture of the left foreleg, some fractured ribs, and extensive contusions. The most immediate concerns are a minor concussion and moderate dehydration.”

“Okay,” Hail Burst said, turning her attention to him. “Treatment?”

“Treat for shock and get some fluids in her. Not much else to do. Fluids are going to be a little tricky. If she wakes up in the next few hours, we’ll need to get her to drink something. If not, we’ll have to hydrate her another way. We could set an IV, but I’d rather get her back to camp and get a feeding tube in place. Should splint her leg, too, but that’s low priority. Administering a healing potion isn’t necessary at the moment, but if her condition doesn’t improve, it might become necessary.”

“Got it. She’s good to move, then?”

“Yes. Give me a few minutes to get her ready and on the stretcher.”

“Do it.” She turned back to us. “Our camp’s not far to the east,” she said, then her armored head shifted as she looked at Dusty’s side. “...Well, not far by wing. Can’t say how long it’d take on hoof.”

“We have transportation,” Dusty said. “Can’t say we’ll keep up with pegasi flying all-out, but we can cover a day’s worth of hiking in an hour or two, depending on terrain.”

“Impressive,” she said with an approving nod. “In that case, we can escort you there. At least that way there won’t be any tensions over a group of well-armed ponies approaching the camp.”

Though the helmet obscured her face, I caught the way it turned slightly in Sickle’s direction.

“I appreciate it,” Dusty said, “but I think you’d better get her to some care. We’re not leaving just yet. I saw several bodies on the way in. I’d like to do something for them before moving on. Doesn’t feel right just leaving them lying there.”

Hail Burst paused for a moment before turning back to her team. “Soaring, Downdraft. As soon as you get the civvie ready to go, take her back to camp. Sunfire and I will stay and help these ponies.”

“You got it,” Soaring Heart replied, his focus remaining on his patient as he strapped her into the folding stretcher.

While I was quite thankful for Hail Burst’s gesture in offering to help, it proved to be entirely unnecessary. Echo strolled casually through the ruins, plucking bodies from the dirt and ash, and even tearing open the ruins of a building to retrieve the occasional half-concealed corpse.

It didn’t help that the sight made me think back to Paradise Beach.

Minutes later, we had a funeral pyre going. As the flames rose, we stood around, staring into the fire. It was a long time before Dusty broke the silence. “I know somepony’s supposed to say something at these kinds of things, but I’ve never been good at it. Not the type, I guess.”

“Yeah,” Sickle rumbled from behind us. “They’re dead. Talking ain’t going to do shit.”

“Charming,” Starlight muttered.

“The talking isn’t for the dead,” I said, “so much as the ones still alive.”

“Eh, I prefer doing over talking,” Sickle said with a metal-rattling shrug. “Though you know, even though I thought half the ponies here were a bunch of dumb cunts, I think I’d like to find the ponies that killed ‘em.”

“I hear that,” Dusty said, nodding grimly.

It was just after sundown as we rolled up to the Enclave camp.

Hail Burst and Sunfire flew just above us, along with Echo, both guiding us to their camp and giving a clear signal to any sentries that we were not some hostile force.

Despite that, there was something unnerving about entering an Enclave camp. Even without the stories we had heard and the rare sighting, it was a military encampment with a large number of power-armor clad troops. The black armor had been designed to be intimidating, and while the aesthetic was probably less effective on me than on a regular pony, the intent was clear.

The splotches of blue paint and the occasional rainbow did little to dampen that effect.

We followed Hail Burst’s directions as we pulled up past some simple earthworks and scrap barricades, and parked in a small clearing, surrounded by tents. The camp itself was a compact square, consisting of several tents neatly clustered around a few buildings made from scrap, with a small tower at each corner. Despite the structures being made of scrap, they looked almost professionally made, and more impressively, the obvious bolts made it look like each shelter could be rapidly dismantled and moved. There was little else in the way of equipment, aside from a few suits of power armor receiving maintenance in a makeshift workspace beneath an overhead tarp.

Several soldiers peeked out from tents or from the outer fortifications to get a look at us, and while I’m sure our motorwagon drew some interest, the real focus of their attention was Echo. They watched her warily, and several weapons tracked her, even as she landed alongside our escort.

Most of the soldiers I saw were clad in power armor. Despite the number of them, there was just one that really caught my attention. Her armor was more thoroughly painted, with the helmet and torso a solid blue, and a broad stripe of rainbow ran across her back. She walked toward us with a pair of armored ponies trailing at her flanks, and with her confident stance, she gave the immediate impression of being the pony in charge.

“So you’re the ponies Soaring Heart told me about,” she said in a clear but slightly scratchy voice. Dusty stepped forward to meet her, and she stopped to extend a hoof. “Commander Aurora, former XO of the Cumulonimbus and current commanding officer of this unit. It’s good to meet you.”

“Dusty Trails,” he replied, before taking a moment to introduce the rest of us.

She greeted each of us in turn, ending with Echo. “You’ve been giving my sentries some concern,” Aurora said, looking up to the alicorn. “And I’ve got to admit, I’ve got some questions. You’ve been watching our camp for a few weeks, even after multiple relocations, and now we find out you’re not alone. Why?”

“Our collaboration is a recent development,” Echo replied. “I have been observing these individuals since before your vessel was brought down, but did not make contact with them until this afternoon. As for why I was observing you, the reason is the same as the reason I was observing them; you intrigued me.”

Dusty cut in. “The Cumulonimbus, wasn’t that the Raptor that went down a month or two back?”

Aurora grunted softly. “It was. Seems half the Wasteland saw it happen, too. Now we’re here, and caught up in everything going on below the clouds. Speaking of, I’ve got an injured civilian, and I hear that a local settlement has been attacked and razed. Do you have any insight into the attack and who was responsible?”

“I’m afraid not, ma’am,” Dusty replied. “Whoever did it was well-armed and ruthless. Not many groups could bring that level of firepower. With Big Gun dead, I doubt it was Mareford or his former mercs; even if they had attacked, they would have taken the town for themselves. Given that the place was razed, my first instinct would have been raiders, but with the amount of magical energy weapon strikes I saw, I find it unlikely. Second instinct was Enclave, but I suspect you’d know more about that than I would.”

“Yes,” Aurora said. Her helmet lacked the mask that most of the other helmets had over the muzzle. It let us see her frown. “We do have a reputation, don’t we?” She sighed. “And not undeserved, I’m sad to say. But no, it’s unlikely that this was a Council attack. They’ve got bigger concerns than what’s happening below the clouds, and even if they decided this one lonely settlement needed to be removed, it’s unlikely they’d get groundside without our patrols seeing them. The Council has learned to keep its forces concentrated.” She shook her head. “You said it’s only unlikely that it was raiders?”

“Very unlikely,” Dusty said. “Magical energy weapons are too rare for the damage we saw. Not many places they could get them.” His ears flicked back, his jaw tightening. “...Unless they hit Gemstone, too.”

Aurora gave a small smile. “That, at least, I can say has not happened. We’ve been in contact with the settlement of Gemstone. Nice place, good ponies. We have a patrol fly by a few times a day. They haven’t been hit.”

“Good to know,” Dusty said, as we both relaxed again.

“I can nearly guarantee it was not raiders,” Echo said. “I have destroyed every raider camp I could find in the area. As far as I am aware, there is not a single raider alive within fifty miles of Rust.”

“Then I take it that was your hoofwork we’ve come across on our patrols,” Aurora said. “I know raiders aren’t as prevalent as we had been led to believe, but I had been thinking their numbers seemed particularly low around here. You did this all on your own, then?”

“These ponies have destroyed three raider encampments in recent months,” Echo said with a nod, “and I have personally destroyed another half-dozen.”

Aurora eyed her for a long moment, clearly uncertain about the strange alicorn, before turning back to Dusty. “Getting back to the attack, I’m hoping we’ll find something. I’ve already ordered several more patrol flights over the area. Unless the ponies responsible have wings or a vehicle like yours, they’ll be moving slow, and my scouts should locate them. In the meantime, I’ll see that you have a place to stay for the night, and I’d like to talk some more with you, get a better picture of local events, if you don’t mind. I also understand that the medics were getting the civilian casualty settled, if you’d like to see her?”

“Is she awake?” Dusty asked.

“Not last I heard, but she hasn’t been there long. I was giving the medics time to look over her and start treatment before intruding. Follow me.”

Aurora led us to their medical post, set inside one of the scrap-built buildings. It was cramped inside, and far from the standards of a pre-war hospital, but it was still reasonably clean and cluttered with basic medical gear. I recognized Soaring Heart, now without his armor, along with a few other unarmored ponies. One was leaning over Singe.

They had cleaned most of the ash from her coat, though that improvement contrasted with the plastic tube that had been inserted into her nose and taped into place, and several bandages covered much of what wasn’t hidden under the blanket.

One of the pegasi turned to Aurora as she approached. “Commander.”

“Lifeline. How’s the patient?”

“Stable, but in poor shape. We set a nasal tube to get her hydrated. Blood volume is good. Brain activity is mostly good, with only minor irregularities from the concussion. We’re holding off on medication for the moment. Fortunately, she has a PipBuck. It’s making diagnosis and monitoring significantly quicker and easier, so I’m confident with a more conservative treatment. I don’t think we’ll get any more brain swelling, but we’re standing by with meds and potions if necessary.”

“Good,” Aurora said. “When do you think she will regain consciousness?”

“Soon,” Lifeline said. “She’s already partially responsive. She was tracking lights when we opened her eyes. I could try waking her up now, if you’d like.”

“If it won’t complicate her treatment,” Aurora said, but Lifeline was already moving over to Singe.

“Thank you for caring for her,” Dusty said. “Don’t take it wrong, but having the Enclave come to the rescue was the last thing I expected.”

“No, I understand,” Aurora said, watching Singe. “Given recent history, I couldn’t blame anypony for being wary of us. The Council has caused a lot of damage.”

“You’ve mentioned this ‘Council’ a couple of times, now,” Dusty said. “Not really sure who you’re talking about. We don’t know what’s going on above the clouds until something falls on us.”

Aurora gave a reaction halfway between a chuckle and a grimace. “The Council. They’re the ponies that were in charge of the Enclave. Top elected officials, generals, the like. I could go on for hours about what they’ve done, but the short version of it is, they lied to us, betrayed us, and murdered innocent ponies all for the sake of their own privileged positions. Worse, they used good ponies to do it. I’ve got soldiers under my command who have nightmares of the things they did, all because the Council lied to them about the situation.”

Dusty grunted. “That sounds uncomfortably familiar.”

“Fucking politicians,” Aurora muttered, then took a deep breath, sighed, and straightened up again. “In any case, we’re done with their lies. The pegasi that remain loyal to the Enclave, the real Enclave, are fighting to bring the Council to justice.”

“And that’s why you’re here?”

“Indirectly,” she replied with a shake of her head. “No, we’re here more by chance. We had a little mutiny on our cloudship. It ended badly. We all ended up in the brig or locked in our quarters. We probably would have been executed as traitors, but our ship was brought down shortly after that, and some of us managed to escape before it crashed. We don’t really have a safe place to go above the clouds, so we set camp here. I sent some scouts above the clouds to try to find a safe place or other Loyalists, but so far, no luck.” She shrugged. “In the meantime, if we’re stuck groundside, we might as well make ourselves useful.”

“And I take it those markings are to visually distinguish your side from the pegasi on the Council’s side?”

“Yes,” Aurora said. “Though I wouldn’t depend on it. I don’t know if other loyalists are doing the same thing, but it seemed appropriate.”

Across the room, Lifeline had been murmuring something. I hadn’t been paying attention, until I heard a weak groan.

“She’s waking up,” he said before leaning over her again. “Can you hear me?”

I leaned to peer around him. Singe lay with her mouth hanging halfway open, giving slow, shallow breaths. Her eyes were barely open, wavering as if it took a monumental effort to open them even that far. Her mouth moved, producing a weak and indistinct mumble.

“You’re in a medical center,” Lifeline said, a hoof resting gently on her shoulder. “You were in an incident, but you’re safe now. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Her eyes wavered, struggling to focus on the face before her. Her mouth opened, croaking out another groan. Then her eyes closed again, clenched tight, as her groan deepened.

“It’s okay,” Lifeline said, reaching into the pouch at his side. “I’m going to give you a mild painkiller.”

As he was talking, her eyes opened, blurrily fixing on him. I could see her chest moving as her breathing picked up, and her eyes darted around, fixing on various ponies.

The last one she looked at was an armored soldier, standing guard nearby. Her eyes widened, her body tensing. The expression was clear: recognition and fear.

Aurora’s head turned slightly, tracking Singe’s gaze, and she gave a tight frown.

Singe moaned out a weak, alarmed groan and tried to flail out, but in her injured state, she was barely able to lift her legs. Lifeline gently put his hooves over her forelegs, speaking calmly to another medical pony. “Restrain her legs. No, higher up, that’s the injured leg. Good.” He turned back to Singe. “Ma’am, you need to stop trying to move. You’ll worsen your injuries.”

“Nnnno,” Singe groaned, finally forming coherent words as she tried to struggle. “Ge’way. Let… let me go!”

“Calm down, you’ve been injured. We’re trying to help.”

She groaned louder, ignoring him.

Lifeline looked back. “You ponies! Any of you friends or family? Does she know you?”

Starlight answered. “We traded with her a few times.”

“Worth a try,” Lifeline said. “Get over here, try to calm her down before I have to sedate her.”

Starlight and I stepped forward, slipping past a couple of Enclave ponies to get close to her bed. Starlight spoke softly. “Hey, Singe, right? Do you remember us?”

Singe’s struggles slowed as she slowly focused on us. She looked confused as she looked at Starlight, and even more when she looked at me. Her struggling slowed down.

But then her eyes widened more. “N-no,” she groaned, tears running down her cheeks as she struggled with renewed vigor. “You can’t… can’t trick me! You’re not real! You’re not ponies!”

My blood ran cold.

“This is the opposite of helping,” Lifeline grumbled, holding onto her. “Soaring, get the sedative.”

I ignored them, pushing in close. “Singe, we’re trying to help you. What did you see? Who did this?”

“You did it!” She blurted, her head lolling as she tried to look around for an escape. “All of you did it! I know! You can’t trick me. I-I saw what you really are! Let me go! Please, just… please, let me go…”

Her struggles ended, and she closed her eyes, chin tucking to her chest as if trying to shut out everything around her. She went silent, except for the occasional weak sob.

Soaring was approaching with a needle, but halted when she went still.

I raised a hoof, earning a sharp glance from Lifeline as I reached out to gently touch her chest, but he didn’t stop me. “Singe,” I said, keeping my voice quiet and soft despite the tension rising inside me. “What did you see? What did they look like?”

Her eyes cracked open, fearfully meeting mine. She shivered faintly, swallowed, and spoke in a hoarse voice. “Th-they looked like ponies, but… but some of them… changed. I-I saw what they looked like underneath. They were… monsters. You could be, too. Just… just leave me alone...”

I swallowed before quietly offering, “Bug ponies?”

She cringed, nodded, and closed her eyes again.

I looked over my shoulder, meeting Dusty’s eyes. After a moment, he turned away, snorting. “Shit.”

Aurora looked to him, then to me. “Is she talking about changelings?”

My ears perked up at that. “She is,” I said, stepping away from Singe. “I’m surprised you’ve heard of them.”

“Military history is a standard part of Enclave officer education,” Aurora replied. “Though I’m surprised that you have heard of them. I would have expected changelings to have died out. They don’t seem very well-suited for the way things are groundside.”

I sighed. She was right; this was hardly a love-filled land. “We’ve had some encounters with changelings.”

Echo snorted. “She is severely understating her ‘experience’ with changelings.”

I tensed in alarm, shooting a glance her way. Her expression was hard, her eyes narrowed accusingly at me.

This was going to be trouble. My options were rapidly dwindling.

“We should discuss this outside,” I said, returning to Aurora. While most of her face was hidden, her frown and general bearing seemed suspicious. “Given what she’s been through, I think it’d be best if we don’t force her to listen to this discussion.”

Aurora’s frown held, but after a moment’s consideration, she nodded.

We exited into the open air of the camp. Aurora followed behind, still flanked by a pair of soldiers, and even with the lenses hiding her eyes, I was acutely aware of her attention.

I halted, heaved a deep sigh, and turned to take the only remaining course of action I had available. “What Echo was so indelicately suggesting back there is that I am a changeling. I’m from a different hive than the ones responsible for this attack, and in fact, am directly opposed to them.”

I really, really didn’t want to share this, but of the few options available, it was the one course of action that offered a reasonable chance of success.

Aurora’s attention remained fixed on me. To her side, the soldiers posture shifted. It was subtle, but it was enough to show they were prepared for a fight. When Aurora spoke again, the tone was neutral but firm, a combination that immediately struck me as dangerous. “You’re a changeling?”

“Yes,” I said. “And given that Singe just saw other changelings wipe out her home, I didn’t want to say so in front of her. She’s been through enough already.”

“How considerate,” Aurora dryly replied before looking around at my companions. “And the rest of you?”

“All ponies,” I said, “and all aware of what I am.”

“I see. I have to say, I don’t like individuals coming into my camp without telling me about such a dangerous secret.”

“It isn’t any danger to you,” I said. “On the contrary, sharing this information is dangerous to me. You’re military. I’m sure you understand the need for operational secrecy.”

“Hmmph. Well, now your little secret is out. So tell me, what exactly is it that you’re doing here?”

“Right now? Trying to get back on-topic to deal with the changeling hive that’s quietly declared war on ponies, rather than the changeling that’s trying to help fight back.”

“And who has already lied to us.”

“Who hid a detail that was unimportant at the time, and who told you the moment it became important.” I raised a hoof, gesturing to her. “I know my kind doesn’t have the greatest reputation, but given what you’ve said of your own conflict, I’m sure you can appreciate what it’s like to be saddled with a reputation due to the actions of others.”

Her mouth snapped shut, head drawing back a hair. I couldn’t know for sure if the tactic I took would provoke or soothe her, so I continued on to smooth things over.

“I don’t generally tell ponies what I am, partially because most will see me as untrustworthy simply for being a changeling, and partially because it is the one meager advantage I have in a world that is particularly harsh for my kind. The best I can do is let my actions speak for me, instead. That’s why I try to help ponies where I can, and why I’ll offer any information or assistance I can give to combat the changelings who did this. They need to be stopped.”

While Aurora regarded me in silence, Dusty spoke up. “I almost shot her when I found out,” he said, “but it didn’t seem right after she revealed herself and risked her life to save us. She’s helped ponies and fought alongside us, even against the changelings that attacked Rust. She’s on our side.”

Starlight stepped in close, her side pressing to mine. “She’s good.”

Aurora was still frowning as she looked around at us. After another moment, she sighed. “Now this is an awkward situation, isn’t it? I can’t say I trust you--”

“I’m not asking you to,” I quickly said, “but I can give you information on this hive, and offer my help in dealing with them. All I’m asking you to do is listen.”

She considered that a moment longer, then slowly nodded. “Fair enough. Let’s see what you have to say.”

We sat in Aurora’s tent. It was larger than the others, likely to accommodate meetings such as this, but it still felt slightly claustrophobic, especially with Echo, Sickle, and three power-armor-clad ponies in the space. I felt particularly exposed; Aurora had asked me to show what I really looked like, and I had complied, leaving me sitting in the midst of them in my natural form.

Aurora sat behind a makeshift desk, considering the few details we had been able to provide. She had removed her helmet, letting us see her face, as well as the short, multicolored and almost neon green-and-yellow mane, which contrasted with her purple-blue coat. Her expression was concerned. “This does seem like quite the mess, doesn’t it?”

I nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

“A dangerous and potentially genocidal faction, based in a heavily fortified underground position, with significant resources and some substantial tactical advantages.” She shook her head, sighing. “And we have only a vague idea of their intentions. I’m curious about this attack. What does it get them? Was it merely a warm-up, a real-world operation to test their preparation for large-scale operations? Or did they have a specific reason to attack this settlement?”

“Rust was one of the primary sources of water in the area,” Dusty said. “Taking it out is going to be a big problem for some settlements. Mareford lives off of Rust’s water.”

Echo scoffed behind us, her first contribution since effectively outing me. “If they are quite done telling you what they know, then it is time for me to share what I know. These changelings left the water pump undamaged and unguarded. If it were their intention to deprive the region of water, then they are doing a terribly inefficient job of it. Water was not the only material Rust provided. As I understand it, they were the largest provider of good-quality metal, and it appears that several portions of the buildings were simply removed rather than being destroyed.”

Aurora looked her way. “Really? How sure are you about that?”

“As sure as I could possibly be, without having physically examined the structures prior to their destruction,” Echo replied. “We remember a good deal of engineering experience, and I can confidently say that those buildings would not have withstood their own weight with the materials that were present. The multi-story buildings showed signs where supports had been removed, and the damage was consistent with the use of cutting tools rather than weapons fire and demolitions. Further, there were marks on the ground that appeared to be produced by at least one heavily laden skywagon, and at least one place where intact metal plates and supports had been removed from the wreckage and set aside.”

That keyed a memory in my mind. “When we were escaping from Serenity, I overheard one of the changelings there say something about needing to find a source of structural steel.” I gave a weak shrug. “I have no idea what for.”

“That should be perfectly obvious,” Echo said, raising her nose. “Their efforts to repair the Cumulonimbus require a substantial amount of materials. More, I expect, than they were willing to strip from their own Stable.”

Aurora’s eyes had widened, her ears pinning back. “They’re doing what?”

Echo frowned and spoke with a slight but deliberate slowness. “Repairing the Cumulonimbus.”

Aurora gaped at her for a few moments--an expression at least partially mirrored by several other ponies in the room--before abruptly blurting out, “They took the Cumulonimbus? How? There was at least a company of Council forces holding the wreckage! My scouts didn’t report any fighting there!”

“There was no fighting, and these Council forces never held the Cumulonimbus,” Echo said. “It seems they are either unaware of the vessel’s location, or are convinced that there is nothing worth recovering.”

“But--” Aurora stopped, shutting her mouth. There was a moment of silence as she glanced at me, then returned to Echo. “Are you telling me that those were changelings?”

“Of course,” Echo said.

Aurora sighed, sitting back heavily.

Echo continued. “I have been observing many activities in the region. The crash of your cloudship was quite dramatic, and I observed everything that happened afterwards. There was considerable traffic to the site, but I noted that these Enclave imposters were not traveling above the clouds. Instead, they were traveling to a location on the ground.” She gestured a hoof to us. “A location that was eventually identified as Serenity.”

Aurora pondered the situation, frowning down at the maps and papers on her desk. “I can’t say I like the idea of some third party getting ahold of a cloudship, much less the Cumulonimbus. On the other hoof, at least this keeps it out of the Council’s hooves.”

I spoke up. “We can’t let Serenity have a Raptor. You saw what they did to Rust. A Raptor would let them do that to any settlement in Equestria, without any chance of reprisal.”

“I’m quite well aware of a Raptor’s combat capability, and I can assure you, you’d be mistaken if you think they’re impervious to what the ground-bound ponies can throw at them.” She slowly shook her head. “I have a very limited force, with no prospects of resupply. I have to conserve what strength I have.” She picked up a piece of paper. “According to the latest reports from my scouts, the defensive force at the Cumulonimbus is larger than mine, and several of the Raptor’s cannons are operational. We couldn’t retake it without crippling losses.”

“Allowing them to have that much firepower is going to be even more crippling to the ponies down here,” I said. “This isn’t just some power grab. If you know your history, you should know what the original Queen Chrysalis thought of ponies. Serenity’s queen is every bit her namesake, if not worse. She doesn’t simply not care for ponies, she despises you. To her, you’re the reason for everything wrong in the world. She holds the belief that the only thing a pony is good for is food, and I don’t doubt for a moment that she will happily exterminate any pony that isn’t useful to her!”

“I agree it’s a problem,” Aurora said, frowning as she fixed me with a firm stare. “If I had the ability, I would stop them, but I don’t. We’re a hoofful of ponies with limited resources. Trying to retake a well-defended cloudship from a superior force would be throwing away my soldier’s lives. I’m trying to help as many ponies as possible, but there’s a limit to what we can do. I have to prioritize, and I’m sorry, but the fight against the Council has to be my priority. Once they’ve been defeated and the Enclave is stable once more, we can easily take down a single rogue Raptor.”

I sat back, ears drooping.

“I’m sorry,” Aurora said, her voice softening. “I’ve seen too many innocent ponies die already. All of us have. Some of us even bear some responsibility for it and are trying to make up for that. Every single one of us is fighting to put an end to such things. We’ll do what we can to help the ponies of the Wasteland, to maybe make up for some of the things that have been done in the Enclave’s name, but we can’t be everywhere at once. Fighting this Serenity head-on just isn’t an option for us right now.”

She was right, of course. Even with the arsenal they had, and the few dozen soldiers, they couldn’t take on Serenity directly. Besides, they had their own fight. I sighed and nodded.

“I wish we could do more,” Aurora said. “We’ll keep our patrols flying, and if the opportunity presents itself, we can hit supply runs and raiding parties. And I can promise you this: when the Council is finally put down, we’ll be back. The Enclave isn’t going to turn its back on ponies ever again.” She raised a hoof, touching her armor’s blue-painted chest. “It’s why we took up these colors.”

Despite my disappointment at the situation, that caught my attention. “An expression of Loyalty?” I guessed.

Aurora’s expression brightened just a fraction. “You’ve heard of Rainbow Dash?”

I nodded. “The mare in charge of the Ministry of Awesome, and the bearer of the Element of Loyalty.”

“Ah, someone knows their history,” Aurora said with an approving nod. “Yes, Rainbow Dash. The Enclave’s greatest traitor.”

I blinked, my surprise and confusion obvious on my face.

“Guess you didn’t get that story down here,” Aurora said, smiling. “We heard it plenty. Had it drilled into our heads. The Council said she turned her back on us after the Great War, abandoned us, and even tried to bring down the Enclave herself. Her name became synonymous with betrayal. Dashites, they call us. They’d even take traitors and brand her cutie mark over their own, so everypony could see how disloyal they were.”

Starlight drew back half a step, her expression horrified. I might not have a cutie mark myself, but I could certainly see the significance. A cutie mark was something immensely personal and significant to a pony. Destroying it was like destroying a part of what made them a pony. The closest comparison I could think of for a changeling was the loss of my hive.

Aurora scoffed quietly, shaking her head. “Ends up, she was just the first pony to see what was really going on. She saw what the ponies in charge were doing, even way back then. She didn’t abandon us. She was refusing to abandon other ponies, and the Council, or what passed for them at the time, saw her as a threat to their power. She wasn’t a traitor. She was their first victim. They banished her, cast her down to the surface, maybe even killed her.” Her hoof returned to her chest. “So now we wear her colors, to honor her memory as we finish what she started.”

To her side, one of the soldiers was faintly nodding in agreement.

I managed a weak smile; while the prior conversation still weighed heavily in my mind. I liked the sentiment. “If nothing else, I imagine she’d be pleased to see so many ponies wearing her colors.”

Aurora gave a soft laugh. “I imagine she would.” She lowered her hoof, regarding me for a moment as her smile faded again. “I’ve got to admit, I hadn’t ever expected to have a friendly conversation with a changeling.”

That drew a dry, humorless chuckle from me. “The last few months have been rather exceptional at providing unexpected experiences.”

She nodded. “Very true. That said, I’m curious how many more of you there are. You’ve said a lot about this other hive, but not much about your own. If there’s a friendly changeling hive, I think I’d like to meet them.”

I grimaced. “I’m afraid I’m it, at the moment. My hive was destroyed. I’m still looking for survivors, but I haven’t found any.”

Her smile faded. “I’m sorry. I hope you have luck in finding them.”

“Thank you.”

A silence followed, and after a moment, she spoke again. “Well, I think I’ve kept you long enough. We have a spare tent cleared out if you’re planning to spend the night. Vapor can lead you to it.” She gestured to one of the armored soldiers beside her. “The rules might be a little loose at the moment, but this is still a military encampment, so I’m going to have to ask you not to wander without an escort.” She looked my way. “And no impersonating my ponies.”

“Of course,” Dusty said, standing. “Thank you for your hospitality, and I hope things go well for you.”

We said our goodbyes, and I retook my disguise before exiting her tent. It seemed like such a token gesture; no doubt the story would have spread across the entire camp by the morning, if it hadn’t already. Still, I could at least put on some pretense of having some degree of control over my own secrets.

And on that note, there was a certain pony I needed to deal with.

The tent Aurora had provided was the same size as her own and the other large tents, and without the extra power-armor-clad ponies, it gave us enough room to relax, if not quite enough to call it spacious. Echo strolled along behind us, as usual. She had just entered the tent when she staggered to a stop; I had turned, blocking her path.

“When we agreed to allow you to accompany us, it was under certain conditions,” I said, my voice firm, but as neutral as I could manage. “It’s obvious that you’ve taken issue with me, but if you’re going to stay with us, you will not try to harm any of us like that again.”

She scoffed, glaring icily down at me. “I did not harm--”

“There are plenty of ways of harming people other than direct physical injury,” I said, as her ears flicked back in agitation at being interrupted. “You tried to undermine me, attacked my credibility, and deliberately exposed me to harm. If you have some issue with me, or anyone else here, then bring it up with us, but so long as you’re traveling with us, you will not try to hurt anyone like that again. Do you understand?”

Her mane had grown, flowing in agitation in the still air. “You spoke a lot about ideals and their importance, but as soon as--”

“Honesty is not just about telling the truth,” I said. “That’s what this is all about, isn’t it?”

She blinked, her head tilting slightly as she processed my interruption. “...That is quite literally what the word means,” she replied, still glaring.

“It’s a lot more than that,” I said, refusing to back down even under that intimidating glare. To my side, Starlight was watching with wide eyes and a magical grip on her Lancer, and I couldn’t help but notice how Sickle had moved to the side, still relaxed, but with her attention clearly focused on the alicorn.

“It’s as much about intent as anything else,” I continued. “What I said might have been misleading, but it was not something that would cause any harm to anyone. What you said was intended to harm me, and I suspect was done without any consideration to the real damage your statement could cause to others.”

“Damage to others?”

“You didn’t just try to hurt me,” I said. “You undermined the credibility of everypony here, and potentially exposed them to real harm. I missed the worst of the changeling paranoia, but we all studied it. Some ponies had their lives destroyed just because someone thought they might be a changeling. Some ponies who had been victims of changelings were treated with suspicion and ostracized. When you outed me, you didn’t just say I was deceiving them. You said that every pony with me was trying to deceive them, too. If these soldiers decided that I was a threat that had to be dealt with, do you really think they would stop with just me?”

Her ears flicked. “If you hadn’t been trying to mislead them, none of that would have happened.”

“And,” I continued forcefully, “you tried to out me in front of Singe, who had just seen changelings wipe out her entire settlement. She was already terrified that we were all changeling imposters intent on hurting her, and you didn’t even consider how that information would hurt her.”

She frowned. “While I most certainly did not intend to distress her, that hardly compares to the lies you have told. You are a changeling imposter. You intend to lecture me on the values expressed by the Elements of Harmony, but you flout the very nature of one of them.”

“Not as much as you seem to think. I prefer honesty.”

She scoffed again. “You are a professional liar.”

“And that’s why I prefer honesty,” I said. “I know how damaging a lie can be, but I also know how much more devastating the truth can be if it’s used as a weapon. That’s why intent is important.”

“Nonsense. The truth might be unpleasant at times, but ponies deserve it.”

“You almost put Sickle through a wall because of a cruelly delivered piece of truth.”

Echo flinched, ears flicking back. “...She was being intentionally insulting. That is hardly the same thing as simply being honest.”

“And I then delivered the exact same truth, with different wording and intent. Same message, but it’s no longer insulting.”

She silently considered this, still frowning.

With her protests halted for the moment, I took on a more conversational tone. “Ponies like to imagine the truth is nice and simple, but it’s very complex. An incomplete truth can be as misleading as any lie, if not more. If you went up to Singe and told her I was a changeling, that would be technically factual, but the impression you would give her is far from the truth. She wouldn’t know every other piece of information that would be necessary to see the truth. She wouldn’t know anything about my history, who I am, or what I’ve done. She’d have every reason to think of me as being like the changelings who attacked Rust. Trying to tell her the truth like you did would mislead her more than any deception on my part.”

She remained silent, thoughtful.

“The Elements aren’t about being perfect,” I said. “Applejack, the bearer of Honesty, told the occasional lie. Rarity could be self-centered. Pinkie Pie had her sad days. Sometimes Rainbow Dash let her friends down. Even Fluttershy had the occasional temper tantrum. And Twilight… well, I’m not quite sure what the opposite of Magic is, but I know there were times when she was a bad friend, especially when she was younger.”

Echo’s eyes had widened, once again staring off into space with a vacant expression.

“You remember this,” I asked, “don’t you?”

“We do,” she quietly replied, eyes unfocused.

“I might be an Infiltrator, but I try to be honest. No, I’m not perfect. I’ve told plenty of lies, of course. I try to make sure they help others, but sometimes I’ve failed at that. There are lies I shouldn’t have told.” I raised a hoof toward Starlight. “It’s almost cost me friendships, nearly gotten me killed, and caused all manners of problems. I’m trying to be more honest, but I’m not going to be perfect. Nobody is perfect. What matters is our intentions. I don’t try to mislead ponies in ways that will harm them, I don’t cheat them, and I keep my promises. That’s what makes me different from ponies like Big Gun or this Council Aurora was talking about. I may have to lie, both directly and through omission, but I still try to deal honestly with ponies.”

She thought on that for several seconds. “This seems… very counter-intuitive.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” I said. “The simplest distinction is whether your actions help or hurt others.”

“That does not clarify anything,” Echo said, turning to look at me again. “You have all killed many ponies. That seems like ‘hurting’, to me.”

“Ponies who were directly trying to hurt others,” I said. “There’s a big difference between being imperfect and intentionally trying to harm others. The ponies we’ve killed were ones who murdered and tortured other ponies, or who were trying to do so. We did so because we wanted to help others, not because we wanted to hurt them.”

Sickle chuckled from across the tent. “Well, I wanted to hurt them. It’s fun.”

“You should probably ignore anything Sickle says in regard to morality,” I said with a frown. “Though I should note that she goes after raiders that hurt other ponies, rather than innocents.”

“Of course I do,” Sickle said. “Raiders give a better fight. More fun. Plus, I get paid more.”

Echo looked critically at Sickle. “Many of the arguments you have presented seem… familiar, but the result still seems hopelessly muddled. Perhaps you could clarify, Whisper; given that Sickle enjoys hurting others, and has admitted to have tortured, raped, and murdered many ponies, why should I not kill her for the sake of helping others?”

“For the same reason we haven’t,” I said. “It’s not necessary. She changed her ways, even if only a little. Now she goes after raiders and such, rather than innocent ponies. If she does start going after innocent ponies, then we’ll stop her, but I doubt it will come to that, and I doubt we would need to resort to killing her to do so.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Sickle said, rattling as she flopped down on her side. “Might be funny.”

Echo hummed softly, considering her for another moment before nodding. “Yes, I think I understand.”

“Good,” I said, nodding as well. “Then, while I won’t ask you to lie for me, or even to support any mistruth I might give, I need to ask that you won’t directly call me out on any misleading or incomplete statements like you did in there.”

“Unless I believe you are attempting to bring unnecessary harm upon an individual.”

I smiled as she made that connection. “Yes, exactly. Very good.”

She smiled as well, mane flowing a little more actively, as if she were energized by the recognition of her success. “Good! Now that we have resolved that… small misstep, we should begin studying your magic. We have much work to do. Hmm. I should find something to take notes on. I wonder if these ponies might have some scrolls and quills I could make use of.”

I sighed as the moment of satisfaction passed. “If you don’t mind, I’m exhausted. The last six hours or so has been one stress after another, and I need some time to rest and recover. On top of that, I’d rather not be doing flashy magic in a military camp that’s already rather wary of me. Could it wait until we’ve left? We could even lend you the spare PipBuck for taking notes, once we get it back.”

“Hmm.” Her smile had vanished, replaced with a thoughtful frown. She nodded. “I do not like delaying, but I suppose that is an acceptable reason. I would not want to compromise the quality of my work due to excessive stress on the subject. Very well, we shall begin tomorrow.”

“Good,” I said, turning to Dusty, who was waiting patiently beside me.

He spoke before I could. “Serenity is going on the offensive, and they’ve already infiltrated at least one settlement. How likely do you think it is that they’ve infiltrated this group of soldiers?”

“That’s something I’ve been wondering myself,” I said. “My PipBuck hasn’t shown any hostile contacts, but we know how unreliable that can be when an Infiltrator is involved. Personally, I think the odds are low. Soldiers tend to be a close-knit group, and being isolated like they are would make it much harder to infiltrate their ranks. Even if someling managed to avoid suspicion, the knowledge that changelings are in play is going to increase suspicion of any unusual behavior.” I paused, looking to the entrance of the tent. “All the same, I think it would be a good idea to keep a watch.”

He simply nodded.

“I shall assist,” Echo declared. It seemed strangely comforting that she was contributing.

I had found more of my sisters, long dead, talked a potentially genocidal alicorn down to something approaching a reasonable pony, came across the destruction of an entire settlement, was surrounded by Enclave soldiers, had my identity revealed, and was faced with the knowledge that Serenity, having already murdered a number of ponies, had claimed a weapon of tremendous power. So much was happening.

I wondered what the next day would bring.