The glimmering marble structures of Athon, rivaling those of even Byzuntam, did not have their beauty obstructed by a wall or palisade of any kind. This lack of fortification had Starlight raise an eyebrow at her first sight of it. Although she'd spent most of her life in a world where hardly any cities or towns had walls, she'd been in the Wasteland long enough to find a wall-free city to be starkly unusual. Even bands of common thugs made the time to build at least a modicum of defenses, yet here was this trade hub, this undisputed master of the gem and precious metal markets, left entirely out in the open. Of course, few of the town's buildings were marble – the rest were brick and mud shacks in varying states of disrepair, as per Federation norm – but they were nevertheless a sign of great wealth and prestige for the city as a whole. These structures even had inhabitants (although few), unlike the Federation capitol, and they didn't look even the slightest bit concerned over their lack of a wall. Instead, their expressions showed that they felt safe, content, and even happy. A genuine rarity in the Wasteland.

Crimson Light brothel was in this more wealthy district, which Starlight had appreciated, since that meant there was no more dealing with leprous paupers or lecherous hoodlums. These were high-class folk, like the ones she knew growing up in Canterlot. However, as class in Equestria was largely determined by one's birth, class in the Federation was largely determined by one's access to shady political connections. So as one was just as likely to meet a pleasant Canterlot noble as he would a noticeably rude or pompous one, he would be hard-pressed to find an upper class pony in Athon (or anywhere else in the Federation, for that matter) who wasn't either thoroughly unpleasant in demeanor, or kind only on the most superficial levels. The latter was the more illustriously adorned in the vast majority of cases.

The city, itself, was empty on such a palpable level that it was practically a ghost town. At least according to posters on the walls which were barely worn, the Byzuntonian Prime Minister had called for a complete evacuation. Those few who remained, mostly the elderly and the foolishly stubborn, stayed in their homes. The streets were completely empty, with not so much as stray garbage to break up their homogeneity. The city was bleak from its lifelessness, but also breathtaking from its unmolested grandeur. It was as if time had frozen just so they could marvel at all the sights that the place had to offer.

When Starlight had finally entered Crimson Light, there was only a single pony there. That brown pegasus, Comrade Bright, who wore a somber expression as he watched the three enter from behind the receptionist's counter. The colossal lobby was stripped of all furniture and décor that wasn't built in, making it feel like a shiny white abyss where the only color came from the sky, through a window.

Bright shot a glare at the Wanderer. “You have much to explain, Imperial.” His embittered voice echoed throughout the spacious structure.

Starlight rolled her eyes. “Well, hello to you too, 'comrade'.”

“Are you not know what he did? Please tell me you are not of knowing.”

“Oh. That. Did that jeopardize things?”

“No. Wasteland is thinking it was crazed lunatic, not Brotherhood.”

“Then what's the problem?”

Bright slammed a hoof on the ground. “He kill thousands for dumb staff. What hell? I was think you reform Imperial, yet he do this horrible thing.”

Starlight groaned and pressed a hoof in between her eyes. “He's still learning. Do you know how hard it is to break years, even decades of conditioning and make real psychological change? Do you know that ponies spend years regularly consulting with nurses to fix eccentricities that are tiny by comparison? He's never going to be perfect, and I'm going to be an old mare before he gets even halfway there. So, what do you expect? Would you have me zap him with some sugar-beam or do some pretentious moral grandstanding to reform him overnight? Sounds like a fairy tale to me, and a profoundly infantile one at that.”

“But you would think 'mass murder is wrong' would be top priority lesson.”

“If I may interject,” the Wanderer said, “I did not do it out of sheer malice. I was firm in the belief that I was being virtuous.”

Bright's eyes, one of which started twitching, widened to an absurd size, and he was left with mouth agape for a brief moment. “How… how on Sol's scorching desert did you come to conclusion that to kill thousands of innocent was virtue?”

“Mayor Igneous was unforgivably rude to my dear little filly here.” He gave Starlight's back a casual rub, at which Starlight couldn't help but smirk. “I take a very dim view to those who speak abusively to those for whom I care. I felt that I would have best served justice burning him and his town in purifying fire in to order to defend her honor.”

Bright, hesitant once again, looked to Starlight. “Is this true? Did thousands die because town mayor call you bad name?”

'Well,' thought Starlight to herself, 'I guess I can roll with this. It's so absurd, yet strangely in-character, that it might actually work.' Drooping her eyelids and frowning, she said, “Yeah. It's true. Igneous called me a stupid, ugly hag.” She winced at that last part. “I told him that it's good to stick up for your friends, and that's the way he decided to do it. I tried to stop him, but he was dead-set on it.” She despondently dropped her gaze down to the floor. “I feel terrible about it.”

“Is he of feeling bad about it, though?” He looked to the Wanderer. “How do you feel about what you did?”

“I will admit that I am not happy about it. However, I would like to know how word of this got out to the rest of the Wasteland.”

“There were maybe two or three survivor who escaped your rampage. News in Brotherhood spread quick, but will probably reach Prime Minister and Kaiser very soon if it hasn't by now. No doubt they will be of wanting your head for this. Glimmer's, too, just by association.”

“So. The die has been cast.” He turned to look to Starlight. “There is no turning back for either of us now. Are you comfortable with that?”

“You know what? I'm fine with it. Wenn or bust, I say. It's not like I was ever gonna get anywhere with that rinky dink cottage, anyway.”

A sigh left Bright's chest. “Well, you did not implicate Brotherhood, and Elder Big Rat is not of caring about your disgusting, atrocious act, so he is fine with it. Good for you, I guess. Now, give me staff, please.”

Starlight turned her head to Sucker Pop, who carried the staff on her back along with the rest of their belongings. At the glow of her horn, the staff was lifted off the luggage load and set down on the counter; the sound of bronze panging on marble filled the building with its own echos.

“Okay, good,” Bright said, “and before you go, one more thing. The purple alicorn, Twilight Sparkle, found out where you are going. She is fast approach the Mount Athon, travel by wing.”

“The child-princess?” the Wanderer said. “How did she accrue this information? And what of her five friends?”

“Answer one: Apparently, she is have map that give her location to important thing. What it thinks is important, I can't know, but she is expecting Starlight there, and maybe you too. Answer two: They are of having safety and security in their home Ponyville, in Equestria. Somehow, they dodge Secret Service long enough to travel back home.”

“I see the child-princess is not so haughty as to believe that her ill-conceived platitudes would thwart the Legions' might.” He looked to Starlight. “You Equestrians do not actually adhere to the idea that friendship is literal magic, do you?”

“Of course not. That's just a saying we have.”

“Please elaborate.”

“Magic is fueled by willpower and emotion, and friendship is not an emotion. You know that. When we say 'friendship is magic', what we mean is that those emotions accompanying bonds of friendship bolster magical power. One could say 'rivalry is magic', and that would also be true for much the same reason, but the Equestrian philosophy values kindness and cooperation, and friendship is obviously more conductive to that than rivalry.”

“Look,” said Bright, “you two can discuss unicorn thing in own time. Go get gem. Go. Leave. You should waste no more time.”

“Agreed,” said Starlight and the Wanderer in unison.

They turned around and exited the brothel, with Sucker Pop closely following suit, understanding that although they'd passed the point where the die was cast, their actions after this point would determine whether they'd rolled snake eyes or a lucky twelve. Next Chapter: Chapter 14 Estimated time remaining: 5 Hours, 34 Minutes