"All security pony guards please report duty to Security Head Quarters"

I woke up.

My PipBuck started the automated radio like every other morning, a regular alarm clock for Stable 154, I muted my PipBuck and buried my face inside the pillow, the boring news were the same buckshit everytime. I groaned into the pillow at the new day of the same boring work, but I jumped out of surprise to a familliar snicker.

"Good morning 'Hero'.." I heard a familliar mare's voice say.

"Very funny, Rose.." I replied in a tired and hoarsed voice.

"You better get up, you don't want to miss your shift... Once again..." Rose said in with a joyfull voice.

Why she was making my life harder? I had some time before morning shift is starting.

"Get up you lazy buck" My pillow was levitated and brought down on me quickly after, smacking the back of my head in the hope it'll make me get up.

"I have some plans for you today..." Rose said, a touched annoyed because I took my time with getting up.

I got on all four hooves, and walked slowly toward her, mostly of me still half asleep, but to look silly in the process.

I was preparing my lips for a 'good morning' kiss as I walked towards her .

Rose laughed and mouthed "In your dreams.." Then quickly poked the 'Lock' button next to my door with the tip of her horn and swiftly stepped backwards, making me bang my forehead at the metal door..

"At least the door shows love!.." I shouted over the vent above my door, I could hear Rose's giggle.

I quickly unlocked the door and looked to my left, there she was... Walking away... The most beautiful mare in Stable 154. Her black tail swinging behind her gorgeous light red-ish hide. I fetched my Stable utility barding and quickly walked after her. Trust me when I say it's very hard to put a Stable barding without looking at your own body and walking simultaneously.

As I finally succeded putting on my Stable barding I heard trotting getting closer behind me. But when I realized what was happening the gray pegasus with deep blue mane was already tackling me and pinning me down. I looked upwards toward the gray pegasus' golden eyes.

"Still having a crush are we, Shitface?" he said, grinning.

"Kiss my ass Shrapnel" I said back with my own grin.

"Bitter much?" he replied as he helped me to stand up, still grining.

Behind Shrapnel were a stallion and a mare following him slowly.

Caliber, a large blue earth pony with white-yellow mane, pair of bright green eyes and a Shield for a Cutie-mark. He was tall, almost two times my size. He was wearing his normal Security barding and a holstered gun on one side: A heavily modified holstered gun. Both the holster and the gun itself. Not just to be able to go around Caliber's massive body, but also to let him pull his gun with his teeth. I knew how it worked because I designed it...

The mare was Custard. A pale-white unicorn with a brown mane and a list for a Cutie-mark, she was writing notes on her Pipbuck. Of course she was. She had to take notes on her Pipbuck; She was a Rationing manager, that means she had to know on the fly every single drop of water in the Stable. And it's hard work in Stable 154...

The reason is that when we were foals. We were told our Stable is the biggest in Equestria. The Stable was designed to hold up to 2500 ponies! We were also told the standard Stable occupation was supposed to hold between five hundred to one thousand ponies. so we were the biggest Stable known. other then that there was another reason our Stable was so special; We're the only Stable known to hold Pegasi as dwellers. We're currently only 1500 ponies so alot of space in the Stable is unused, but in that huge number of ponies there are six hundered Earth ponies, six hundered Unicorns, and only three hundred Pegasi.

You see?... When I was younger, there were false rumors that caught tension between the the three races; Some Pegasi started to think that they don't have enough rights and it 'isn't fair' for the Overmare to be only unicorn. And that because of the ratio of them outnumbered one Pegasi to five Earth ponies and Unicorns they'll be exctincted in Stable 154 in short time. If it was to natural causes or if it will be the Earth Ponies and Unicorns destroying them, since then there are the 3 sections;

The unicorn quarters is the biggest. With the special thanks to Maintenance 1, Armory U and P and most of the generators, they're the major part of the the Stable.

The Earth Ponies quarters is the medium sized, it was designed to hold their own population even if the rest of the Stable was burnt alive, they have their own facillities and currency, Stable 154 is much like a town because of the massive size.

And the Pegasi quarter is smallest of all, though it supposed to be bigger by itself then a normal Stable. This was quite enough to shut the rebel Pegasi for good. Since then Pegasi are known to be watched more carefully, but are still equal dwellers of Stable 154, the reason that there are only 1500 ponies is that the Stable was sealed two hundred years ago when only three hundred ponies total made it to Stable 154. I feel like this is a great place to start telling what we know of the outside, but I'm really tired of this story by now... Radiation and this stupid pony-zebra war is the only things I can describe without getting into details.

"Gunner" I heard Shrapnel calling out for me. I suddenly realized I was walking super slow behined the three, head-deep with thoughts.

"Huh?" I called out back to him.

Shrapnel flapped his wings and then took off, landing next to me. Our quarters and stable in general was built to handle pegasi flight.

"Don't tell me you are still in love with her..."

...Wait? What? I wasn't even thinking about her!

"Wh-? I wasn't.." I mumbled as Caliber and Custard turned around, looking over their shoulders at me. Caliber was grinning. Custard just stared at me with her mane over her face as always...

Shrapnel tried to cheer me up, I wasn't even thinking about Rose! They are probably just trying to make me mad. They do that sometimes... That's how it goes between us, you have a card to embarrass your friend? Use it...

"Goddesses damn it you are in love" Shrapnel said with a mock-realizing look.

"Not this again Shrapnel... Just... Urgh... Do me a favor and"

"And what?" He cut me off with a hoof-smack to my chest "Let your little heart pound out of your chest until you realize you're a pegasus? And she is the fucking Overmare?!".

And there's that again!

"You know what Shrapnel? Fuck off!" I yelled at him, angry.

I pushed him aside and walked by as I took a big look at his Cutie-mark, an explosive device. He's the best with those, he can make a grenade out of an empty can of food and some gunpowder. No tools, not even a way to make an ignition. He was talented. Well... In his own way... With friends he's very awkward and he made others pissed without realizing. But we learnt that he had no control over it, he got his Cutie-mark after he lost his parents, as a foal...

He tried to help somepony with moving a cart full of supplies to Storage 2 in the earth pony quarter. Storage 2 is where the least fun things are stored: malfunctioning weapons and equipment, random scraps and some pieces of junk that could be recycled. When he found out that the storage room had boxes full of gunpowder wired to a bomb, he tried to warn somepony. He ran to his parents and they came quickly as they could, after they arrived they found the pony hiden deep inside Storage 2. They confronted the unicorn that stole the explosive device and tried to blame the pegasi for the damage he was about to do. He said that if they'll try to leave he'll blow the whole earth pony quarter, when Shrapnel sneaked around and found the detonator, he disarmed it and saved hundreds of lives. But the unicorn killed his parents before somthing could have been done. I was there, I saw his parents lie dead, he was mentally broken for months. He blamed himself for that, but after the incident he decided to use his talent for good, and good only. He's socially mute if you can call him that. We all know that he never means to make us mad... Well... When we know he isn't trying to make us mad..

"Damn... Don't take it so seriously Gunner..." Caliber said, trying to cool the mood a bit.

I walked away, angry. Each stomp was harder then the former. I went to the Cafeteria room, where Rose went. Trying to find somepony who understands me. I took a plate with my teeth, waiting in line, like everypony else. I had some time before my shift, so I decided to eat something: I'm rage itself on four hooves if I'm working hungry.

After I had what's called a 'breakfast plate' which includes two apples, canned oatmeal and water. I took an empty table as my new isolated fort. While eating I could see Shrapnel, Caliber and Custard entering the cafeteria. I turned around so they won't recognize me, but I'm sure there wasn't another light brown-ish pegasus with a Security-Maintenance barding in Cafeteria on morning shift, I put my tail on a bet they saw me but decided not to bother me, if you ask me? They chose good. As I walked out the cafeteria, I saw Rose eating with some other Ration and Security Superirors mares, some of which I knew. I never really made female friends, well with the exception of Custard. I don't think I ever wanted to get to know other mares. It's not that I'm shy or anything like this, I just don't want to for some stupid reason, I like my lonesomeness.

I walked my way to the Security-Tech elevator, although I could just fly through the pegasus access, I'm not a fan of flying. As much as it's fun I'm flying just for practice or working out at the gym, not as a way of life. I'm more of an earth pony than a pegasus, but that's just me and my laziness.

I entered the elevator and just wished it won't stop for others to come in, I really hate company when I'm pissed and I really don't want my superior seeing me bucking myself to death when I'm trying to be nice when I can't, especially not inside an elevator.

Fortunately the elevator didn't stop on it's way. I was relieved to see that I'm one of the first few to reach up here, being on Security-Tech means you are one of three kind of ponies, CC [Control Center], HQ [Head Quarters], or SM [Security Maintenance].

With my luck: I'M maintenance... CC are the bag and tag part, they made everything documented and organized behined the scenes. HQ were the field operation part, they had to make sure everypony is reporting twice a day every shift switch, and they knew everything happening on the field. Maintenance was keeping the guns and equipment top-shaped, but we have ten ponies at SM, seven of which are unicorns. So we spend most of our shifts tinkering with unused guns and building useless stuff out of boredom, sometime we get the pleasure to be deployed if we're lucky enough. I once built a security-bot in my 'free time' at SM as a self-achievement, first one in 120 years in Stable 154 but it's a tale for another day. I went to the SM room, looking about to make the walk more interesting, since I wasn't allowed to fly here I can't just skip over some of the operator desks, but like I said: I'm not a fan of flying.

"--And then he tried to hide behined a pillow!... What a retard?.."

Was the first thing I heard when I entered SM. It came from a light-blue earth pony mare, I was rarely in the same shift as her since only five of us were shifted every time while the other five had a free time period I was usually with the unicorns. But it's a refreshing change to work a shift with her. She did look cute, but I doubt she thought the same about me.

"The 'Hero' is here... Huh" Was the comment I got from one of the other mares after clearing my thorat so somepony will notice my existence. Before something destroys this moment, I want to make clear why ponies call me a hero; the way I got my Cutie-mark. I hate the way I got it and I hate it since. I basiclly stopped the pegasi from being marked as a kind of pony who have no right to exist at 154. How I managed to do that was the reason of my nickname. Some ponies are just using it to mock me of the previous Overmare's overreaction to my 'success', she didn't stopped declaring my heroisem until every pony in Stable 154 knew every piece of hair on my body. The majority of ponies, the mature ones, are taking that serious and thanking me for that. But there are the ponies who call me a 'Hero' just to get on my nerve or just to mock me, and it dosen't help that everypony knows who you are when you mess up... So it's more fuel for the minority. Talking about fuel, I listened to the story of the light-blue mare, and I must admit it was interesting.

"...You heard me? Fucking 5 gallons of pure fuel were stolen today, now I know the crime rate wasn't high since... Ya know" She whispered "... The 'Incident'.."

They were talking about Shrapnel's parents... I know how hard it can be for some ponies, so nopony has the guts to say it out loud. Shrapnel is a bit oblivious to his sorrunding sometimes. Don't get me wrong: He's a very smart and active pegasus, but the trauma has left him scarred in some mental places so he can be a bit weird sometimes. So I can't blame him on that, so why the hell I'm so mad at him for that?

"So I heard it's 500 bits reward for the pony who gets the fucker to the hoof of the law. We are the law, we can make quick cash and get to hit this stupid pony right up his ass!"

I sat at my stand, listening as I tinkered with an old project of mine. Suddenly, my PipBuck fired up a message, it was HQ!

"SM Gunner please report for duty at HQ, I repeat: SM Gunner please report for duty at HQ.."

My eyes widned as I looked at the voice pattern of the message on my PipBuck, I quickly jumped on my hooves and ran for the main lobby of Security.

I ran a bit too fast. So when I tried to run through the hallway, I bumped into a familliar-looking mare on her way to Control or SM. I turned around mid-fall so the mare'll fall on me instead of the floor, after the initial impact I shoved myself away from her and offered the mare a hoof.

"I'm so sorry. Are you alright?" As the mare got up I could see her deep-red eyes staring at me, and I noticed her dark-black mane and her light red-ish hide, I'm soooo doomed...

"Rose?... Umm... I meant... Overmare... I'm..." My gaze fell down in shame."...I'm so sorry. I'm just in a really big rush and..." she put a hoof on my muzzle to shut me up, and then raised my head to eye level with her as she looked at me. I could see my gray eyes through the reflection of her red eyes. She was smiling at me, why? I just bumped into you, and I'm pretty sure you're in 'Overmare-mode' right now, she always is, she never was 'Rose-mode' with me, not in a long time. She knows I hate it when she calls me a 'Hero' and she must be blind if she dosen't know my feelings for her, but today's morning... Why was she at my room? Wasn't she at her Overmare-really-important-morning-things? And can she please stop staring at me with her cute face like this?

My cheek were suddenly blushing. Rose giggled at my embarresment and my blushing face, she liked to make me feel like that...

"I'm very sorry Overmare. I promise I won't be a problem anymo--" She stepped towards me and kissed me.

Rose kissed me!

My wings flared in surprise. My eyes widned and I felt like they were about to pop out of their holes. It was ten seconds, maybe fifteen, but it felt like a lifetime and I enjoyed every single second. Rose disconnected from the kiss and looked at me with a smile as I was freezed out of surprise, my eyes following hers.

"Now don't you have a really big thing you were doing?" She said in a calm and sweet voice as she was stepping out of the way and gestured me with a hoof to keep walking.

"I... Uhh... I was..." I mumbled.

My mind was telling me to kick myself for the original and very confident answer to the Overmare.

"Don't you worry there Gunner. You'll be punished for your little accident. I can assure you that the punishment will be very unique" She winked, I blushed even more as she giggled.

"I hope you can take care of body parts as you take care of guns. Because it won't be very pleasent to some of your limbs" Rose added.

I just couldn't move. My heart's racing and I could feel my face heat radiating to my mane, my body just simply stood there as the Overmare looked at me and enjoying my moment of self destruction.

"You won't be dissapointed from me again Overmare.." Was all I could just say beyoned my burning face.

But I just stood there, not able to move like my body was under an anthestic spell of some sort. There was a sting on my flank and I felt my body getting covered by something that felt like a very thick fluid, then I was floating!

At first my thought was that I was injected with some sort of a very strong Med-X, but then I quickly realised I was being towed by unicorn magic. My body glowed red, similliar to Rose's telekinetic glow. A whisper was sounded from my left, where Rose was a second ago.

I could make out something that sounded alot like "Just relax..."

I felt another sting and a weird cold feeling on my left side spreading through my body. As my vision blurred and gone dark I heard her saying another thing to me, but I was too drugged to make it out before I blacked out.

I woke up, the first thing I noticed is the really bad headache I had.

The next thing I noticed was that I was in an unused living quarter. There were some posters of Stable-Tec such as 'Thank you for choosing Stable-Tec!', 'Everypony is important to us!', 'Stable-Tec! We will be there for you!' and this kind of crap. It was all over the Stable's corridors and never really changed something, we all lived here since we were born and taught to be productive and helpfull for the Stable. So the posters were just a useless reminder of how to live our lives, the boring and repetitive lives we had in Stable 154. Sure, we have some free hours and alot of ways to spent them. But after you get your Cutie-mark you have a routine that stays with you until you die.

On the other hoof... We were told that if you stepped outside you were turned into liquid within seconds, although I'm old enough to know it's just a way to make foals keep their distance from the Stable-door, it's still scares me sometimes that the only life in the world is inside a Stable or a hideout, nothing else left alive after the megaspells killed every single thing in Equestria, trees, grass, buildings, life... We were also told that the trees and grass down here are exactly like how it was two centuries ago, but in the books they look a lot bigger and also the leaves aren't yellow-brown colored, but green. And the apples here are just like smashed weird red balls, but softer and somehow edible, and don't make me even start about the taste of them..

After a couple of minutes I could feel my legs, when I tried to move them, I couldn't: I was tied from my hooves with my belly on the floor, I panicked and tried to scream for help, but my mouth was closed by a leather-rope around my muzzle: An improvised gag, I thought I was about to be killed, but for what? Or maybe it was Shrapnel's new way of having fun, but Shrapnel wouldn't go that down would he? Maybe it's some of the ponies who want to see how much of a 'Hero' I am? I tried to remember what happened before I ended up here, tied and with no barding, wait... I'm not wearing any barding? It must've been a sick joke of somepony having beef with me, but who would do that? If I lost my barding it's a 300 bits fee! I don't have more then 50...

What? I don't need bits anyways...

I suddenly heard a mare's voice "Oh... you're awake, thought you were weaker then you looked..."

I groaned in pain as I felt the cables holding my hooves getting tighter, I was held hostage... I can't reach my PipBuck, hell... I couldn't even scratch my already sweaty mane, I tried to talk, but all I could do was to groan behined the gag.

"I'm sorry for the painfull method, but a punishment can't be fun, not for you..." The mare said in a joyfull tone.

She sounded familliar but the drug effect can make it sound like anypony, I tried to get the gag out of my mouth and speak, but it was too tight. I was glad I was still half druged, I bet it'll hurt like hell to get this gag on my mouth with no drug effect or painkillers of some sort. I was sure I was under Med-X effect, though I could feel my headache... That part made it all seem too odd, but the situation was worrying me far more then the drug itself.

"Well, now that you are awake we can start punishing. Shall we?".

I looked to both sides, I didn't see her. She was somewhere behind me, but the drug was making it all sound distorted and underwater-like. I felt lashing on my back and tried to scream in pain, but the gag wouldn't let me, I could only wish she'ill be over soon. I felt another lash lower on my back, this one was hurting much more! Tears of pain started to form in my eyes. After a few more lashes I felt like I'm getting stabbed by a knife mutliple times in my neck and upper back. Groaning for help and tears of pain streaming I wiggled and tried to break free, then I felt a telekinetic force forming on my back, it was petting me? Was I her pet? I felt it going toward my lower back... And from there to my tail...

I started to panic as I felt it going to a place I wasn't a fan of getting hurt in, she was squeezing to make me wiggle in pain. She enjoyed it, I was dead certain the bitch enjoyed it.

She squeezed harder, I wiggled more and harder.

She was trying to make me suffer, what's that punishment she is talking about? What have I done?

My train of thoughts hit me so hard I could feel my head getting crushed under a large rock, and a Unicorn quarter-sized generator, and thousand Calibers ontop.

'Now don't you worry there Gunner, you will be punished for your little accident, but I can promise you that the punishment will be very unique'

My jaw would drop if the gag wasn't making my mouth to stay closed, it was Rose! But... Why?... Was she enjoying it?... My head's hurting just from being tortured in a warm room after being drugged, I didn't need the thought of the Overmare raping me! I heard her doing something behined me I wasn't sure was good.

"Your punishment is over... By the way?... I didn't even touched you... It was all a new drug we developed"

I felt another injection on my back. I slowly saw that I was never tied up. There wasn't a gag on my mouth. My headache dissapeared as it didn't happened. My barding was on me and I had no lash marks or stab wounds when I looked at the mirror levitated by me.

"What the hell just happened?!" I said in a shocked voice.

"It's the new drug of ours. It's making the victim to feel like he's being tortured, but we don't need to touch him. I know it was cruel and I'm very very sorry, but I knew you would understand this. After that I won't use this drug ever again" Rose said, sounding very guilty "At least not on it's current state"

"I forgive you. But next time? I prefer to be actually raped if I was told before..." I said with a grin as I rubbed my no-longer-aching neck.

Rose smiled weakly back "The kiss in Security? It wasn't a drug effect, nor a way to make you freeze yourself. It was the least I could do for you if I was about to 'torture' you... But you freezed and made it alot easier"

I blushed, looking down in embarresment. I felt a hoof on my shoulder, I looked upwards to look at Rose. She was smiling her usuall cute smile. Her black mane covering most of her right eye and her deep-red eyes looking straight at me. Tears were slowly forming in her eyes as she started crying.

"I'm so sorry!... I'm so so sorry Gunner!... I'm a stupid pony!" Rose whimpered.

"It's Okay Rose, I'm fine... See?" I said as I waved a hoof along my body to show her I wasn't hurt, although it sure did felt like I was.

"No Gunner!... It's not fine! It's everything BUT fine!" She cried out while I walked towards her and hugged her.

Rose really wasn't comfortable with the idea that the pony she had just tortured was embracing her and forgiving her. I could feel she was excpecting me to react alot more aggressivly for that. I wanted to... But I just couldn't... Could I?... I was glad it was over before anger washed over me, I was glad nothing really happened, but it was still one frightning situation to be trapped in.

"I can't understand how can you forgive me just like that! Is it because I'm your Overmare? If I wasn't would you react the same?.." She continued to whimper.

I placed a hoof on her shoulder "Look, don't take it so hard on yourself. You're the Overmare and you need to put your job before your friends, I know it's hard for you to understand how, but I forgive you... I can't be mad on you for that!... And take the situation in like that: If you didn't tested that on me?... Can you do that for another pony when you have no idea how bad the results are? Could you do that for me again when you know how bad it will be? If anything, I'm angry on you for putting Me before your position as the Overmare!"

Rose looked at me, her red eyes were now blood-shedded and tear-soaked. She was shaking and probably sick because of the sight of the drug. She knew it won't be pleasent for me but I knew for sure she wasn't ready for those results.

"I'm so so sorry Gunner!... I really really am!... I just didn't thought it would be so painfull to you!... I can't believe I even took that in mind!..." She was mentally broken.

Maybe I was the one being raped. But Rose is really sensitive when somepony She cares for's getting hurt, especially when she can change things up.

"I don't know if I can make it up for you... But please forgive me for that!..." She hugged me and cried into my mane, I hugged her back and sat down on my haunches as Rose curled up to a ball infront of me. Her forehooves were still hugging me and Rose just kept mumbeling for herself. I wasn't mad at her, not even a bit despite my thoughts of killing the pony who tied me up and tried to rip my privates off of me.

Rose's the Overmare, she is just doing her work as one. I can't be mad at something she would definitely avoid at all costs. But with increasing population of pegasi in Stable 154, I guess it was designed to replace shock bullets. Some pegasi can take a shock bullet or two without even slowing, yup... Wings can make your endurance increase if you workout enough. So my guess is that Rose needed a pegasus volunteer who she knows and would tolerate her. But after what happened I know that she would choose somepony else if she could spin the wheel of time backwards, a pony who would be mad at her.

Did Rose said she'll make it up in ANY way?

I should slap myself just for considering that, not to mention she is in no shape to even talk in full sentences. But if I would slap myself infront of Rose she would think it is an aftermath of the drug, or a reaction or something. I need to make myself a note on my PipBuck to slap myself everytime Rose isn't in the area for about two years just for the idea even reaching to my mind. But right now she's just hating herself for what she did, and I hate to see her like that.

"Rose..." I whispered... She was still crying out.

"Rose..." I said again a bit louder.

She stopped whimpering for herself that she is a bad excuse for a pony and looked upwards slowly towards me. I looked at her with a comforting smile. Her red eyes looking at me, sprakling in the mixture of light of the ceiling's lamps and the tears in her eyes. I wiped her cheek clean of tears with a hoof and helped her sit up.

Rose just sat next to me and had a hard time even looking at me. The guilt was visible on her about what happened that she didn't even wanted to touch me, she was shaking violently like she was being electrocuted with low-voltage pulses.

I hugged her hard, clenched my eyes and said slowly "I can't see you like that, I know how much you're hurt. But remember I accept it. And if you need to do more expirements, you can call me. Don't even hesitate about that, I prefer to suffer before other ponies. I know you can't see me suffer but can you hurt other ponies without knowing how devistating it could get?"

Rose hugged me back and said weakly "Thank you Gunner... But I can't hurt you, I won't disturb you anymore"

Rose tried to stand up, now twitching rather then shaking. After taking a few steps toward the bathroom she stopped to throw up, she was certainly sick because of that. I wonder how it looked like from her point of view that it made her so sick, did I actaully screamed? Did I reacted in the real world exactly like I did in the drug affected world? I then reailized I wasn't called for a real deploy mission in SM, and this was the 'unique' punishment the Overmare planned... I felt a bit sick as I realized she was planning it all along, but she never thought it would be like that, that's why she was at my room this morning...

Shit! how long have I been out?!

"Rose?" I said, sounding a bit worried..

"Don't look at me..." She replied with pure guilt taking over her voice.

"Rose, I know you are really sorry about that.." I started walking toward her "I did say I forgi--"

"NO!" she screamed at me and raised a hoof to stop me. I stood still, a bit stunned of her reaction, "Don't get close to me!... I'm a monster!..." I looked at her, thinking how to react to this

"I... You're not a monster Rosey.." I said

"Dont call me that!"

There was a slight break

"How can you forgive me just like that?! Even look at me?!... I'm getting torn apart here! The most mentally strong pony in Stable 154 who can handle some of the most messed up things others can't. And I'm throwing up of something I did when I just have no right to!... I knew it could be a bit strong! I knew the risk! And here I am! Getting torn apart when you are the real victim!" she gulped and panted heavily in anger.

I just stood there, feeling sad for her, although I was the real victim like she said, but I hate self-pity.

"How can I live like that? Knowing that I just hurted my best friend!?..."

Did she called me? Well I know how to react to that!

"....And I'm crying here like a little filly when I clearly have no right! I ca--" I jumped and kissed her. Not just to shut her up, but to show her I didn't care about getting hurt, it was for a better cause.

Her eyes were wide out of surprise, but slowly closed them as she accepted she wont get away from that kiss even with all the locked Stable doors in Equestria. Her horn started glowing bright red and I could feel her forehooves bounding gently around my neck. I didn't know why or what she did with her telekinetic glow until I heard the door in the end of the room closing, Rose wanted that kiss to last and nopony could tell her otherwise.

I acompanied Rose to her living quarter when I saw Caliber talking with a Yellow Security unicorn mare next to the Overmare's living quarter, they both jumped when they saw their Overmare pale and sick-looking, shaking and barely walking. They first looked at me weird as they apperantly knew I was held for an 'Expirement' in the unused quarters. But Rose said she isn't feeling too well out of building exhaustion on the expirement as she entered her living quarter. It was somewhat true, but I guess she just didn't want to answer on questions if she said simply 'I raped Gunner and it was too much for me, the drugs aren't what I expected and I'll stop working on them'. Yeah... I can see how this would end... Caliber said something into his PipBuck, probably a field report about Rose or just answering pager duty while the mare Security checked me up, probably thought I was sick too because of something the Overmare didn't tell them. She was half right, but I didn't need Security to know what happened there. The Security mare did found out I was all smeared in tears, I told her it was sweat but she didn't believe me after she saw tear trails on the back of my barding.

"ID?" She said.

"Umm?... What?" I asked simply.

"Are you fucking deaf? You heard me! ID?!".

Caliber stopped his report to look why the unicorn mare's so pissed.

"Gunner, SM" I showed her my barding with the Maintenance Personal logo on it,

"Right..." She said "Real ID?".

I looked at her for a second like she's trying to fool me, then turned to Caliber "Hey-hey, Cal... Tell her I'm not lying! you know me!... Come on.." Caliber looked at me suspiciously with his green eyes.

"Sorry Gunner, you're arrested for interrogation. Until we find out what really happened"

I was shocked at first, the Overmare just told them it wasn't my fault! They can't disregard what the Overmare said seconds after she said it!

The unicorn put on me hoofcuffs with a flash of her horn "Come on gas thief... This way" She said as she pushed me toward Security.

What?! Gas thief? Really? I was with Rose this whole time! she knew where I was since morning! Caliber saw me this morning! It's probably another sick joke or weird way to avenge me for something. But my luck wouldn't work like that, I'm sure it's real this time. Unlike Rose's punishment, this was going to be pretty messed up if she'll try to innerupt this out, then ponies will think she has a weakness for me and start using that, and I doubt ponies will hear the words 'I raped him when it happened' as a by the way alibi. I'm on my own then.

After limping with the damned hoofcuffs on my forehooves through the Stable, we finally reached Main Security Center. We passed CC and HQ. After we pass SM we're going to be at Intrrogation. I tried to think of reasons somepony will really think that about me. I have to consider they won't just lock me up at Interrogation just becasue a random filly said so. They probably have proofs, but unless somepony changed my PipBuck's settings so I was out twenty six hours and not actually out for two hours.

I couldn't be awake in this time, I barely woke up after the two hours or so. It can't be more than 3 hours in extreme cases, somepony could have framed me. But Security probably know that there are ponies who are searching ways to make my life harder then they are supposed to be, they need to have solid proofs.

I entered interrogation. My first time here because my security work was limited to gun modification and once or twice a year a field job that including telling foals not to run in the corridors and keeping the Stable quite as it could be, very exciting...

As I entered the interrogation room. An old buck sat infront of me, he had reading glasses ontop of his temples, a caramel colored hide and a silver-gray mane. He sat behined a raised table with a terminal on it and some documents labeled with random names. I sat on a chair infront of the raised table and he immediatly began talking.

"Where have you been this morning shift?" He said in a deep voice.

"Umm. The Overmare woke me up, telling me about the expirement she planned for me. I met Officer Caliber on the way to breakfast, I went to my morning shift at SM. After a while I was called for my expirement, sir.." He read something on his Pipbuck and typed a few letters on his terminal while nodding in aprroval to the guard behined me that it was all true.

"I see... So you have any idea why you were called here?" He leaned closely to his terminal screen "Mister... Ehmm... Gunner?".

I shook my head slowly "No sir" I was nervous. I knew they knew something I didn't knew, and they knew I knew they knew I didn't knew... Urrghhh... you got the point...

"Have you heard about the missing fuel incident Mr. Gunner?"

"Yes sir... Are you really suspecting I stole it?... I heard from another--"

"No Mr. Gunner" He cut me off, I blinked at the confusion that started in my head as he finally raised his face from the terminal and looked at me for the first time since I entered Interrogation, he said with his deep voice "But we need your help Mr. Gunner, for the sake of the Stable"

I was surprised. Why Caliber and Security was so sure I did something wrong? did superiors were good at lying to their seniors?

"Help? My help?... Wh-why?" I said, really confused.

"You see Mr. Gunner? We are at one of our best years since the Stable was sealed 200 years ago. But there's one problem; the Stable Door" he said with a 'Brace-yourself-for-your-jaw-getting-dropped' tone.

"The Stable door has been damaged by radiated creatures, 'Radroaches'. They are a common threat at the surface, but are very rarely appearing inside of a Stable. For our knowledge, they can't survive in un-radiated habitats. And they are destroying our supplies of fuel" I was shocked, life on the outside?! There was life on the surface? There was a surface?

"But... Sir... If the creatures can't survive in un-radiated habitats... Aren't we safe then?"

He laughed a dry and sarcastic laugh "I wish so Mr. Gunner" He said as he slided his glasses upwards on his nose. Wait... The Stable isn't radiation proof then?

"They have infected certain places of our Stable with their radiation, and we're currently working on eliminating them. But we need to prevent further damage to Stable 154" I nodded to his words, beggining to see the full picture "Here's the part where you're entering the plan Mr. Gunner" he said with a very uncertain voice "We need you to repair and re-seal Stable 154, after that you'll be returning to your normal Security Maintenance routine" he said. Something in his voice was very suspicious, like he wasn't telling me the entire plan, but I can't just say 'no', it's a serious business, the future of the Stable. I had to make my choice: Do I want to sacrifice my own life for something that may or may not be able to save Stable 154? Something that may kill me before I succeeded my mission? It was alot to think about, I knew I didn't have alot of time to think about that, but if they called me for this job they are really desperate, or they just want to put my 'Heroism' to a test for fun.

"I need to think about that sir" I said, worried.

"I know it's alot to ask Mr. Gunner, but for the Stable's sake... I urge you to think about that and reply ASAP... Understood?"

"Yes sir" I replied weakly.

I slowly returned to my living quarter, I made my way through the other ponies who just finished morning shift getting replaced by night shift. I opened my living quarter's door, got in and pressed the 'Lock' button next to my door. The door closed and the click of the locking mechanisem was sounded from the metal door behined me. I walked inside and looked at the mirror next to my door,but  instead of the light-brown pegasus I usually see, with the light-gray eyes and black and blue striped mane. I saw a tired bag of meat with wings.

I crushed on my bed and said to myself "Do I really want this?" And instantly fell asleep because of the messed-up day I had: Lost a friend, drugged and interoggated... Three things I never planed on going through, and all in the same day...

I woke up to the same regular morning radio of Stable 154 coming from my PipBuck, my barding was still on me, and I was still covered in sweat and tears. My eyes were hurting like after a harsh night... Because it was a harsh night.

I got up and slowly went to my living quarter's door, I pressed on the 'Lock' button that was in the same place as ever, the door opened and I saw Shrapnel curled into a ball and sleeping next to my door. I looked at his sleeping body, a bit surprised at first...

Maybe it's a drug hallucination?... No... Rose said she wouldn't let that happen... So why is he here? And why sleeping here?... Was he trying to wake me up last night and got tired of waiting?

"Shrapnel?" I said with my morning-hoarsed voice, he opened his eyes quickly after, his wings streching out and he faced me with his golden penetrating eyes."Wh-what are you doing here?" I asked with a yawn.

"Waiting for you to get up. I know what happened to you"

At first I thought that Rose published my 'Heroisem', but I quickly realized he was talking about the missing fuel and my interoggation.

"I'm maybe better at building explosive devices. But I want to help" he said with an insisting voice as he got up from the floor.

"Look... I am not even sure if I want to do that myself... But if you're so eager... At least I know I have someone I can trust"

Well... At least I didn't lost a friend I thought to myself Now how to make the interrogation and raping a bit more fun to remember?

"So? Let's get to work!" he said with his normally eager face.

"Whoa there... Cool your jets... We need to report Security and the Overmare's office about that, or they'll kick us out of there as soon as look at us" I said with a hurry before he could fly his way to the Stable's door.

Shrapnel nodded "So how are we supposed to report to them? Through a PipBuck message? Or a--"

"Just let me do the talking" I cutted him off, already sending a voice message transmission to Security.

"This is Security. What's you report?" I heard shortly after sending a pager transmission so I could speak with an operator at Control or at HQ.

"This is Gunner, Security Maintenance. The elder talked with me about the Stable's door problem... I'm ready to help" I said in the most Security-ish voice I could.

"Stay on the line for a second..." I heard from the Operator-pony on the other side of the transmission. I heard a re-addressing mechanical sound from my PipBuck.

"Mr Gunner?... Do you have an answer about our talk yesterday?" He asked with his deep voice.

"Yes sir. I'm ready to help and I hope you don't mind I bring help with me... Sir" I tried to say with a 'Proffesional' voice I clearly don't have.

"Very well Mr Gunner, very well... I'll meet you after the Stable door is repaired. If you have any personal equipment you think can help you on your task it'll be very much aprreciated. You're doing a fine job for you Stable's sake" He said and ended the transmission quickly after.

"Think you still have your hacking chip of yours Shrapnel?" I said with a sarcastic voice, clearly knowing the answer.

"If I have?! Can't stop upgrading it!" Shrapnel said with a smile, just continuing our little show of ours between us.

We advanced to Stable 154 door's room. Shrapnel was flying with his body hanged from his wings, still too tired to fly noramlly. He was tinkering with his chip and PipBuck mid-fly, unicorns can use a PipBuck when they're walking or running. But we, the pegasi can do that while flying. We finally reached the massive gear-shaped platinium door, the door was slightly rusty in some edges and the numbers '154' were printed backwards, to spell them correctly from the other side.

Last time this door was opened it was two hundred and whatever years ago, and I was about to be the first pony in 154 to see the outside world since then. I was nervous and excited like never before, I knew it could kill me out of radiation exposure or the massive door can crash me accidently, or I could get locked outside... But what are the odds?...

What really ARE the odds? my mind said.

"We need to open the Stable door, fix it's railing and the breach so it would close properly" the Security guard pony on duty said as an order.

"Yes sir" Shrapnel said and flew toward the control panel, activating his chip and prepearing to connect his PipBuck to the panel.

Shrapnel's Cutie-mark may be an explosive device, but that didn't meant he can't use a chip to hack them up from a safe distance. That was the original idea, but Shrapnel just kept upgrading his chip to be able to hack to almost everything in the Stable. Good thing he was a high ranked officer. Actually, the previous Overmare's personal assistant for sometime. But he was replaced because the accident's mental impact, since then he has no work... He made his place in the Stable, and he's in a mental state that can't allow him to work in a permanent and unchangeable working place.

"Are you ready Gunner?" Shrapnel asked with a skeptic voice, he was so eager before that to finally see the door up close and maybe even see the outside, but probably regreted his thoughts as soon as we walked inside the Stable's door room.

"Ready as I'll ever be buddy" I said with a very concerned voice, like I was about to change something major in my life...

Stable 154 door was massive, about twenty five times my size. It could let through an army of ponies in seconds! As I looked at shrapnel, he was pale more then ever, his gray hide became almost white as he was hypnotized by the Stable door's complicated mechanisem.

"I knew this would be a bitch to hack, but I didn't knew it would have more buttons then the entirety of the Stable!" Shrapnel said, clearly not knowing what he's supposed to do exactly, but if somepony could open this door it can be only Shrapnel.

The Overmare before Rose, her mother. Actually kept the Stable door's codes in an encrypted file that only she could unlock, and didn't had the chance to pass it on to Rose. So we're actually locked rather then locking ourselves inside.

After some mumbles of Shrapnel of technical nonsense I half-understood; I was an engineer-pony, not a hacker or a one of a kind programmer. I had a knowledge at firearms and I could build some impressive stuff, I was kind of good with hacking but not as good as Shrapnel or some other ponies at SM.

"...Anndd... DONE!" Shrapnel said after furiously clicking seemingly random buttons on the control panel and his PipBuck.

A weird mechanical large arm that was attached to the ceiling started moving and released steam in a worrying rate. The arm moved toward the door on railing that attached the arm to the Stable, the arm itself slowly started to strech out to the middle of the door. After getting assembled fully, the arm pulled the gear-shaped door inwards and put it on the door's own railing, the door rolled aside and uncovered the first sight of outside for all of the ponies in the room.

A technician mare fainted and was qucikly moved to recover in Medical, I blinked repeatedly at the weird light pouring from the outside world, I wasn't exposed to this kind of brilliant light in my entire life! But it was a very dark-like light, like it was the pony-reaper inviting you to your death, or Nightmare Moon welcoming her new army. Some ponies tried to tell us to close the door, but if we already opened it we better finish what we came for. I quickly saw what the Security buck said about the 'breach' that need to be sealed; a crack on the left side of the door-frame, about a pony size, was making the gear-shaped frame to look broken.

"I need a chunk of metal, about 5 kilograms. A blow-torch and some tools" I said to a Security pony next to me, he didn't moved his eyes from the inviting but scary outside and nodded, after a while he started trotting to bring me the tools.

"You know you can leave if you're afraid, helped me enough until now" I said to Shrapnel, that was still shocked of the outside view.

The outside was a weird horizon with some mountaines and hills around and some dead bushes and trees scattered all over, there were piles upon piles of pony-skeletons next to the entrance, they tried to enter but were too late... Did nopony heard them? Or was it too late to open the door after the megaspells fell?... I walked slowly to inspect the damage, but as I got close a weird creature walked in sight, with his two wicked antennas twitching more rapidly as I got closer. My Eyes-Forward Sparkle lit up, last time it lit up was years ago, when a bully tried to lock me inside Storage 3.

The PipBuck marked the creature as a yellow dot on my E.F.S and there was a grayed-out option of S.A.T.S [Stable-Tec Automatic Targeting System] flashing in red.

I wasn't bearing a weapon so I couldn't do anything to bring up S.A.T.S. I advanced slowly, realizing I was the only one who saw the creature, as his antennas stop twitching. E.F.S marked him a red dot and he charged at me. I tried to move out of the way, but the creature was too quick, it attached it's weird wet legs around my face and neck and revealed two weird teeth that tried to eat my face off. My PipBuck started clicking at me as I tried to buck the giant roach off with one forehoof and kept it away from my face with another forehoof whilst walking slowly backwards. I cried out for somepony to help me out, after it's teeth were almost scrathing my nose and already spat weird mucos on my face I heard a gunshot from my left and the giant bug screeched in pain and blew into pieces infront of my face. I quickly spat a few times and wiped my face furiously with both of my forehooves so I wouldn't swallow accidently his remains. I looked backwards and saw Custard with a smoking pistol levitated next to her. The glow of her horn was the same white color as around the gun, she panted like she held her breath for a good minute or two as she dropped the gun out of her levitation and trotted my way.

Custard hugged me "You stupid buck!"

I hugged her back and saw over her shoulder Rose and Shrapnel trotting for me, they were worried as hell.

"Who's the retard who planned that?!" Rose said as she hugged me hard, not letting me steady my breath after what happened.

"Who told you to do that stupid thing Gunner? And why did you stepped THAT close to the outside?!" Rose didn't stopped for a second with her questions, clearly can't stand to see me suffer even a pinch to the mane after yesterday.

"I'm fine, thanks... Geez" I said to Rose. Shrapnel hovered in place behined her, waiting for his turn to say his worries.

"You were supposed to stay clear from the door until the tools are here Gunner" He said as he landed, hugging me a short and friendly hug as he stepped back, feeling visibly uncomfortable of hugging me, he never was a huggy stallion.

"Never do that again!" Rose frowned at me, her deep-red eyes gazing at me with a sad and worried look on her face. We were walking toward Cafeteria after everypony said how stupid I acted and hugged me until I was sure I'm making hugs my number one enemy from now on.

I switched the conversation topic to the Stable door.

"Next time I get this close I'll bring a gun.." I said incidentally.

"You're not going near this door as long as it's up to me!" Rose said with her Overmare-ish angry tone. Shrapnel looked at me like I was crazy for even thinking of working on the door again. Custard stayed silent as she was most of the time. She was pretty mad that I forced her to shoot a living creature though, Custard is more of a pacifist mare, but she was the only one with a gun on the ready, I don't want to think how it would end if she didn't noticed I was in trouble in time.

Nopony talked after that, if looks could kill I was probably burning alive right now. I looked at my PipBuck to understand why it clicked when I was near the radiated-roach-thing... How'd the Security elder called it? A 'Radroach'?... Near the 'Radroach' creature. I had my usual bars of limb functionality, and the usual general health and my inventory sorter. But I had an extra bar now, 'Radiation meter' that was slightly filled, Celestia's mercy! Who the hell implemented that into a PipBuck? Well I guess it's somehow makes sense to be used in the outside. But it's still messed up that Stable-Tec knew that we will need those! They planned on releasing us to a radiated world? Or just as precaution? Either way this'll be handy to some ponies out there. I wish I wouldn't need to use THAT in the future! We were walking slowly in the corridors, I saw that everytime Custard and Shrapnel made eye contact they both blushed and looked away. Something have gone wrong when I was a lab rat or that something happened between those two?

"What's the matter with you two?" I asked Shrapnel and Custard after they made eye contact for the fourth or fifth time, they both stopped in their tracks simultaneously, Shrapnel shot his wings up in embarresment and Custard just blushed as a reaction. They both slowly looked backward over their shoulders with widened eyes and red faces. Custard didn't say anything like her usual behavior. Shrapnel started to mumble that he don't know what the hell I was talking about.

"Don't tell me that you two are together!" Rose said in a teasy tone that just made Custard look more red then white and Shrapnel to gaze down until his head was hanging and accepting that his secret has been revealed.

"Having a crush are we?" I said in a mocking voice that was supposed to remind him of how he acted when I had a crush on Rose, well... Still has...

"It's not like that!" Custard protested, looking at Shrapnel with a face that melted his cheeks into red blush.

"It isn't what you think, I just love her too much to keep it a secret" Shrapnel said as he tried to dig into the floor with a forehoof, probably trying to hide his shame from us.

"Shrapnel... I guess you have an apology to Gunner?" Rose said with voice that told me she knew something I tried to hide for years...

Oh NO!... Is she talking about my feelings to her?

"Sorry Gunner. I never knew how it was to fall in love" I blushed and smiled, I blushed because of Rose's way to get out an apology from Shrapnel, and because she knew I was in love with her. And smiled on the other hoof about that I didn't saw him that happy since we were little foals.

"I'm happy for you two guys. But it could have been alot less embarresing to you two if you just said it to us" I said, but then realizing that when your friend is about to get his face eaten it's not a very good time to declare you're a couple.

"And you two?" Custard said, clearly trying to move the embarresment to our side.

"What about us?" I asked with my best innocent-sounding tone I could make out of my mouth.

"Can we know what happened at the expirement?" Shrapnel asked. looking curious and having no idea that it will probably make him sick. He's maybe socially awkward, but he isn't a tough buck when it came to torturing.

"Just a new drug I worked on" Rose said, trying to help me to get out of the weird position Shrapnel put me in.

"Oh, what's the new drug's name? What have you made?" Shrapnel asked, not getting it that Rose tried to make him to shut it about the expirement, like I said: He wasn't good at communicating ...

"Oh you'll see soon Shrapnel, don't you worry" Rose said, leaning closer to him and whispering "It's a surprise" and making him shut up with a blink, he was so hyped about that though, last time Rose did an expirement it was a new kind of explosive powder that she was trying to make, we needed to mine into the ground to expand the Stable after all although we have plenty of spare space. Shrapnel made everything he could with it, he even checked if it was edible... The poor fellow was sick for a month... That pretty much summed up his releationship with said powder.

"Don't try to change topic. Something happened there, Caliber told me that" Custard said, being a bit more chatish then ever.

"Look... I don't want to talk about that... Let's just say that this drug won't be on the big screens" Rose said, clearly starting to recall the horrors she witnessed.

"Well... But what about you two?... How's things are with your little romance of yours?" Shrapnel asked.

I blushed, Rose was clearly less embarresed then me.

"R-romance?" I said with a tone so non-charismatic that I could do C.A.T all over again and still fail despite me knowing how to pass it by now...

You see? C.A.T [Cutie-mark Aptitude Test] Is a test that everypony in a Stable is doing after they get their Cutie-mark, the symbol on your flank that tells everypony what is your profession in the Stable.

Caliber's Cutie-mark is a shield for example, this says he is good at protecting, C.A.T is the test that 'simplify' your Cutie-mark. So if your Cutie-mark isn't obvious, like mine: It tells you what you are good at.

Everypony is doing C.A.T for another reason, 'S.P.E.C.I.A.L Test'. Everypony gets this sort of IQ test before they are assigned to their work. Seven categorys, each have numbers from one to fifteen: one is the least you can have and fifteen is the most you can have, every letter tells something else, but nopony give a crap about those, so not alot knows their meaning, I still remember what each is but I can't tell how it's supposed to impact your Stable life.

The 'S' in S.P.E.C.I.A.L stands for 'Strength', how strong the pony is, how much he can carry on his PipBuck sorting spell, and how resistant he is to injurys. Though I doubt somepony is counting on 7+ Strength to make him a god when your biggest threat in Stable 154 is getting your wing stuck in an air vent... Happened to Shrapnel, twice...

I'm really tired of S.P.E.C.I.A.L and the test have nothing to do with your life after that. So trust me when I say it's just a one time test,. After you finish it nopony cares about the results. It's a good way to show-off when you're a foal and the first and only in the stable's history to get Intelligent 14... Though no other foal really cared that I got this number...

"Gunner?" Rose asked, snapping me out of my wandering thoughts... I do that every so often.

"Umm... Yeah?" I said while trying to shake myself out of my thinking bubble, she rolled her red eyes and smiled.

"Come on 'Hero'. We got work to do with your face"

My face was hurting after the Radroach attack, but it was just some cuts and bruises and nothing that could kill me... At least I wished so... Is radiation more lethal with open wounds?

"Rose... I'll live.." I said with a sigh.

"So let's see for how long shall we?" Rose replied with an unamused voice, she wasn't in a mood for jokes... As ever...

"You don't need to act like my mother all the time you know, I can take care of myself like I always do!" I replied, getting annoyed of her mother-like behavior, though I'm actually a bit older...

"I may not be your mother, but you need somepony to watch for you!" She countered with her soft and quiet voice. "And I was your friend before I was assigned as an Overmare" Rose added, whispering under her sigh.

I looked down. I knew she just cared for me. She was sick after she saw the expirement's result... So I'll guess that as for now, Rose'll go nuts over every scratch on my hoof...

"Fine..." I said with a defeated stomp "Let's get me fixed up.."

"Nothing that a healing potion can't take care of" Rose tried to comfort me. She knew I wasn't a fan of needles or stitches, or even Medical in general, so she was probably going to do her Overmare-ish speech to get Medical to hand her over a healing potion and say that she 'Don't want to take even the slight risk of me getting radiation sickness'. This was probably Rose's real motive and not just as an excuse to keep sharp stuff off my face, but I doubt that a few scratches will cause Rad-sickness. Though my Radiation meter was rising when I was next to the 'RadRoach'. So I better just shut my muzzle and let her do the talking.

We arrived to Medical, Custard and Shrapnel didn't stopped nuzzling each other for a second. A bit too cheesy to my taste. But as long as they don't go too intimate in public I can live with that. Rose talked to a medical mare pony while Custard and Shrapnel still didn't stop their nuzzling on a bench in the corner, Rose smiled and thanked the medical pony as she levitated a bottle from a first-aid box, the box was yellow with three pink butterflies printed onto it.

"Drink up" Rose said with a warm smile as she opened the bottle and offered it to me. I took the offereed levitated bottle in my teeth and faced up to drink it. After only three swigs I could feel my face getting a bit warm and the wounds and bruises getting cured as they never existed. I felt much better and less sleepy then before. I never knew what this potions had inside, but they're artificial unicorn healing spells.

Sure, there were the stronger ones, 'Regeneration potion' that were better then any Unicorn-made spell. But they're rare. Infact they're so rare and expensive that our Stable couldn't produce them at mass production even with our limited technology; As good as it was, we could make one or two a month, and they were consumed within seconds by a pony that was injured enough to use them. They were in slightly smaller bottles, and I could drink three or four regular healing potions in under twenty seconds, so they were a compact but a very effective version.

"See? Was it worth all the arguing?" Rose said with a sweet voice. Shrapnel and Custard giggling at me for letting her act like my mother.

"Urrghh... Is everypony in this Stable having a better time then me?" I said with an annoyed deep sigh, Rose rolled her eyes with a chuckle. Shrapnel and Custard were still nuzzling on one of the benches in the corner of Medical. I just sat there with an empty potion bottle at my haunches, it all was quiet....

BOOM.BOOM.BOOM.

Three rapid explosions were sounded from the Stable door's direction. Rose jumped in alarm and looked at me with a very worried look, Shrapnel and Custard stopped nuzzling as Custard hugged Shrapnel out of fear... She's acting like a filly sometimes when she's scared. On second thought Custard's acting like a filly in general...

"What the hay's happening!?" Rose shouted over a Security pony who ran past Medical's opened door.

The guard stopped and shouted back at her "The door's breached! And those radiated creatures are inside!" And quickly trotted to help with the breach.

"Stay in here! Don't move unless you have to!" Rose ordered us.

She got an approving nod from Shrapnel who was hugging Custard and "I'm coming with you!" from me.

"No! Stay here and keep them safe!" Rose said as she levitated a key-card from her barding to me, I grabbed it with my teeth and sorted it automaticlly with my PipBuck as I reached out to my Stable barding and put it in one of the pockets.

"What's this key-card for?" I asked with a loud tone, mainly of Rose being in a bit of a shock.

"For the Pegasi armory! If stuff goes down. Go there and take some guns for self defense!" Rose ordered and trotted off out of sight, our Stable was attacked by radiated creatures... I guessed that they weren't the weird Radroach from earlier, because we saw that a well placed shot will kill them. With the normally twenty guard ponies near the door I doubt it was some roaches trying to make a home out of our Stable, I heard screams and gunfire, more then I would like.

"Fuck that. We can't stay in here!" I told Shrapnel.

"How're we going to get Custard to the armory? I bet they already disabled all of the elevators and I don't want to try and haul a pony for the first time when I can drop her accidently three or four floors down!" Custard looked at him with a worried face, she was a small pony next to Shrapnel, but he was a bit bigger then average anyways. He looked and embraced her to try and clam her down.

"I'll go, keep Medical locked no matter what, I'll come back when it's safe" I said to Shrapnel, he was visibly uncomfortable with me going alone, but he wouldn't leave Custard behined, we were friends a long time but he knew I could take care of myself, Custard was a very sensetive pony, she barely shot her gun earlier but she had too, in the same topic where the hell did she got that gun anyways?

"As I'm out, I want you two to find supplies. It may take me some time and somepony could get hurt. So be ready for everything... Got it?" I said in a surprisingly confident tone that came out of nowhere, but my charismatic skills can wait... I was about to run and be in a real danger.

A thought popped in the back of my mind.

Maybe it's still the drug effect and I'm still asleep?

But even if so I won't let my friends get hurt. Not even in my dreams... Next Chapter: Chapter 2 - First Steps Estimated time remaining: 6 Hours, 3 Minutes