I ran down the hallway, screams all around me, everypony was panicking and running in random directions, all but the security ponies who were running towards the Stable door, I ran past Storage 2 as I looked at it...where Shrapnel's parents died...it reminded me that I cant let him down...he wont be able to lose me as well.

Gunfire of heavy firearms was sounded all over, battle saddles V3.01 for my knowledge... [What? my name's 'Gunner' after all]... A battle saddle is a heavy weapon that can be placed ontop of barding or even bare hide. It is designed to help Earth ponies and Pegasi to fire with their mouth-trigger or S.A.T.S weapons that normally can be used by Unicorn levitation or some super-talented non-unicorn. I had a special one made for me at SM... But it was the other way around and it'll take time to find it under the pile of unfinished and unused projects.

I was directly under Armory 3, all I had to do was to fly four floors above me. I stretched my wings and flapped them a couple times, took off and flew upwards. A buzzing came noise from behined me and my mind diregarded the sound as gunfire-buzzing at first, but it came from directly behined me, not inside my head like a normal headache or a ringing sound of a sudden loud noise. My head turned around and behined me I saw giant flying bugs, some had stuffed bellies and some had blood leaking from their weird pipe-like mouth. My gaze shifted back up just in time before I splatted against the ceiling. I quickly landed on the pegasi access that is built into Storage 3's and Armory P's connecting corridor. They were the top floored rooms, and basically only pegasi could go there like it was next door [Ehmm... Wings... Ehmm].

The weird flying bugs stared at me with a very hungry face, my mind thought for a second and realized they were giant radiated mosquitoes! We had some in Stable 154 that entered with my great-great-great-great [Add a few great] grandparents two hundred years ago. But those were almost a pony size! They were instantly marked as red dots at my E.F.S and the grayed out S.A.T.S option was blinking again with red, I had no weapon on me so I did the only thing I could do: Flee for my life.

I didn't knew how much blood one could suck, but they were thirty or so, and I was pretty sure they could suck my whole body dry of blood after a minute or two. I ran and took off shortly after to build some momentum. I was about to get to the armory when I remebered I need the key-card, my heart stopped for a moment when my hooves tried to catch it mid-air and almost failed.

I held the key-card in my teeth as I started slowing down the closer I got to Armory-P. I leaned my head sideways and slided the key-card with my teeth. Panic started to form inside me as my ears picked up the sound of the mosquitoes getting closer behined me. Finally the door opened and my hooves jumped inside Armory-P with their own mind. Quickly after I mashed the 'Lock' button until I was sure the door won't open, I jumped to the sound of the weird radiated mosquitoes banging on the door with their wicked body, they slowly lost their interest in me. I tried to settle my breath and turned around to what my mind thought is heaven: Armory-P had everything that I had dreamed in my dirtiest dreams and even more! Equipment. Ammunition. Rifles. Carbines. Sub Machineguns. Pistols. Revolvers. Light Machineguns. Heavy Machineguns. Sniper Rifles. Shotguns. Rocket launchers. Battle saddles. Armor. Tools. Modification benches and something that will give Shrapnel a heart attack--Explosives as long as the eye could see...

I just didn't know where to start, but one thing I knew for sure: I'm sooo coming back for more... I took three grenades. A battle saddle [The most advanced I could find, labeled under 'Non-Conventional Weapons'] and ammo belts for it. Full-body heavy pegasus armor and a backup pistol just in case. I was about to exit Armory-P after checking my PipBuck sorting spell for medical supplies: Of course I didn't have any.

I was making last adjustments to the battle-saddle when a loud roar was coming from the Stable's door direction. My body freezed in panic and I didn't know what to do for a minute or two...

"Relax Gunner... Even if this thing is inside the Stable. You're safe up here..." I said to myself.

When the Pegasi armory door unlocked. Three of the radiated mosquitoes were looking right at me with their blood thirsty face, literally.

S.A.T.S lit up with a clickable option for once. I slid into S.A.T.S for the first time ever against real enemies. Time slowed down almost to a stop and I got sometime to process my sorrunding, E.F.S tagged the giant radiated mosquitoes as 'Blood bugs'... How the hell my PipBuck knows that I have no idea: I never saw this bugs before! But it wasn't the right time to figure this out... S.A.T.S was depleting it's rechargeable battery pretty fast. And I'm really not in the mood to confront them without it, I tagged and aimed once for the head of the closest of the three, twice to the body of the blood-stuffed one and twice for the left wing of the farthest away, I didn't have enough battery to aim for another body part.

Time sped up as I excuted the shooting spell: And blew the closest bug's head off of his body with green slimey mess... It was disgusting but I prefer to keep my blood inside me in exchange. The second bullet missed but the third did the damage; The blood stuffed Bloodbug exploded into green and red slime all over the place. Some landed on me as I quickly tried to clean it off me... It was sticky and warm and gross... The third didn't even blinked after S.A.T.S missed his wing completely. My teeth bit down on the battle saddle's muzzle trigger and quickly sent some bullets downrange in the Bloodbug's direction. Note to myself: The Luna-damned bastards dont fear bullets.

But one random bullet did managed to tear his leg clean off and to make him crash out of the pure recoil of the battle saddle shot. No wonder it was labeled under 'Non-conventional weapons'... After E.F.S checked my sorrunding; I was clear for sometime. There were some red dots in the corner of the E.F.S map... But they weren't in my way back to Medical.

My pegasus armor was too heavy for me to take off and land four floors below me so I took it off. But I kept my other equipment on me. I also took out the S.A.T.S chip that was inside the helmet of the armor. It can be used sometime after... Maybe at SM for some of my projects? Or just to learn how it's working? But there were other concerns like helping Shrapnel and Custard out.

I jumped down and stretched my wings outwards to glide down instead of just fall down. My landing was swift and the second I touched the ground with my hooves my eyes looked about... Some ponies were still running to safety and some were trying to help others to reach to safety.

I began trotting to Medical as the same roar from before was sounded but this time alot louder. After stopping for a second to figure out if it was just an effect by the vents that are scattered everywhere... But if it's a vent-effect then the sound would come from all over, not from behined the corner that connected my corridor to Medical... Oh sweet Celestia please don't make me see Shrapnel or Custard in the monster's mouth...

I turned around the corner. My battle saddle sounded a cocking noise as my hind leg kicked it. I looked around. Holding a breath and searching for threats, the corridor was empty of life.

I walked slowly down the corridor with all the cautious my body could deliever to my hooves. My eyes saw the door to the Medical room to where Shrapnel and Custard were twenty minutes ago.

My hoof knocked three times gently as I said toward the air vents "It's me... Gunner... Are you guys alright?"

No answer...

"Guys?... Custard?... Shrapnel?..."

Panic started growing inside me as my hoof pressed the 'Open' button next to the door. The room was dark and everything was a mess... Beds and medical desks were thrown everywhere and shattered glass from the broken lightbulbs were scattered all over the room.

"Guys?!... ARE YOU HERE?!" My mouth roared in panic as I took a step inside... Only hearing my own echo and hoofsteps from inside the room.

There were bullet holes and blood visible in the staff room... After walking inside the staff room my mind started realizing it was a massacre... Oh Luna help me... Medical ponies were lined up and shot with automatic weapons...

They were mutilated and were shot alot more then any pony or pretty much anything could survive... My stomach made me throw up the second my eyes landed on some ponies that were cut open!..

I tried to find Custard or Shrapnel in the mess of bodies but relieve washed over me when I didn't found them there... Where the hell are they? This wasn't a wildlife work... Somepony did that!

"Oh... We got another pegasus right here! Let's have fun with him too!" Was heard from the Medical entrance as I turned around toward the voice.

I turned around and got bucked in the face. The hit was so hard I could hear my jaw dislocating and my body was dropped down on the floor... Blood came down from my nose and my face hurted like it was crushed by a Stable door... My mouth tasted bile and Iron as everything was starting to blur. I just could make out a pony-like figure looking at me with what looked like wierd, filthy and bloodied cloths as it walked closer.

"This one's a though one. Eh?" The figure said.

"Another buck will do!" One other figure said as it walked to my line of sight.

I was lying with my head on the floor. Everything  blurring out and it felt like the rape-drug effect all over again. I tried to get up but fell back down to the floor, which made the two figures to burst out laughing.

"This stupid dwellers actually thought the 'big monster' is here!" One laughed out, with an emphasis on the 'big monster' part.

I wanted to hurt them so much. But when I tried to get up again anger washed over me when one of them bucked me down again and they both started to roll on the floor from laughter...

With no air in my lungs and burning pain that felt like Celestia herself was inside me. I fought to keep my eyes from rolling inside my head and my vision was starting to blacken in the corners of my already blurred sight... My ears perked up to the sound of a gunshot. The two figures jumped on their hooves. Another gunshot was heard and one of the figures' head was blown to a rain of brain and blood. The other figure picked up a rifle-looking item and tried to aim it at the gunshots' direction.

"SON OF A BI--" He screamed as another gunshot was sounded. The bullet teared through his throat and he made choking-like noises while blood sprayed out of the gunshot wound. He dropped to the floor and twitched in pain.

My body was ready to die by the pony who shot the two figures. My eyes focused on the new figure's legs as it entered the staff room. The figure looked at me and quickly jumped over me. My muzzle was already coughing out blood and I was sure that the buck from earlier was killing me. With my eyes closed and panting for air, I still could hear the mess the figure made behined me... Probably looting the medical supplies...

Sound slowly felt like it was getting farther and farther away when my mind accepted that everything was about to end. I suddenly felt a sting on my back and heard a distorted voice. A cold feeling spread throughout my body and my face was moved upwards as some sort of liquid entered my mouth. I quickly tried to swallow it to prevent suffocating. After a few gulps everything quickly felt better and my eyes went wide open, I panted heavily as my body felt like it was repairing itself slowly...

"Thanks Luna you're fine! You were out for hours!" Said a familliar mare.

"R-Rose?..." I whispered, a result of being injected with a painkiller syringe mixed with me making sure I'm still alive and awake. She hugged me and levitated me on my hooves.

I was a bit shaken and out of balance when Rose looked at me with her red eyes and grinned to see me still alive and not-so-bucking.

"Thank you Rose, I really don't know what wou--" She hoofed my muzzle as she always does when the situation gets too sticky.

"Don't thank me. You would've done the same if it was the opposite. I'm just glad you're still alive..."

Rose was shaking visibly. It could be a result of seeing me like that. Worrying about her Stable being attacked... Or you know... KILLING A PONY!...

"What the fuck's happening?" I asked as my body finally obeyed me and gave me the control over it.

"Ehmm... First: Language..." My eyes rolled automatically at that answer.

"Second: They are raiders. They are phsycotic, sick ponies who had lost their minds outside. But some were forced to do that.." Rose said with a sad and somehow mercyful tone.

"It dosen't matter why they do that. We need to send them out of here now!" I replied, my mind simply couldn't think of a pony that enjoys this fucked up things!

"What's the damage? How much are they?" I added after checking myself out to see if something was out of place, everything was fine... Even my Cutie-mark was in the same place as ever on my flank.

Guess this is the time to describe the little fellow... It's an oldschool rifle crossed with a wrench and a giant gear behined the two. The rifle means I'm a very aggresive and a very heat-headed pony [According to C.A.T]. The wrench meant I had an urge to make everything right, as long as I can try and do something to change it... I will [Still according to C.A.T...]. You can call it a version of an Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, or OCD for short. And the gear is to symbolize something else that even C.A.T couldn't find out. The elders did warned me that it wasn't something like other Cutie-marks: Something about settings... And settings can change... But they took that as a techincal symbol... So they threw me in SM...

Rose's Cutie-mark's a heart symbol punctured by a red flower: A rose... The heart means she can be a very caring mare. But the flower's meaning is that she isn't as harmless as she might appear to be. She can still hurt just like the flower: Very beautifull but can cut you when you try to pick it up. She is here to stay, and I'm glad she is.

"They shot everpony they passed and they gassed the air vents to the Pegasi quarters and most of the panic rooms... And let those radiated creatures in... I'm afraid we are the last of Stable 154.. They are about four hundred ponies..."

They gassed the pegasi?... The fuckers did what?... Wait, did she just said they're four hundred!?

When my gaze fell to the bodies I felt sick... But my eyes caught something that the two raiders had in common; a bulge under their sides. As I ripped their pathetic rags for cloths, there was a weird symbol that they both had on their flank... Just beside the Cutie-mark... It was a face of a pony we thought was a legend: Nightmare Moon. They were mercenaries or a part of an army of some sort, but the odd thing was that the face-symbol was welded into them, it was part of them... Like a second unwanted and unnatural Cutie-mark...

My stomach contents started to make their way upwards as I figured out one of them had a list of names in his sidepack. The list had some crossed names. My mind quickly realised it wasn't pony names, nor living creatures... It was settlement names!

It had all the Stable numbers!... But only ours and one other was crossed... There was a place named 'Ponyville' that had an X next to it, like they tried it but failed. A retry symbol on a place named 'Twilight camp'. It wasn't a very efficent list when most of the places were marked with X or weren't even touched... They did crossed out Stables 154 and 155... They already destroyed a Stable?...

"They were paid to kill!... They aren't a random gang of raiders... They're mercenaries!.." My muzzle spat out in surprise.

Rose was skeptic about it until she saw the second Cutie-mark and the name list...

"We can't stay here... They'll butcher us if we'll stay!.." Was another thing that my muzzle said with it's new own mind, the painkillers didn't let me feel my mouth so everything I wanted to say was shot out of it... Please don't think lewdly about Rose... Please don't lewdly think about Rose...

"What about Shrapnel and Custard?" My muzzle asked... First time my body complied since... Ever!

"They're safe in the panic-room inside my room, this panic-room isn't connected to the main air ventilation. But I can't let you leave them there" She answered... A boulder fell from my heart... They're still alive!..

"What about officer Caliber?" Was my mouth's another question.

Rose looked at me with a disapproving face, I felt my heart flinch as she shook her head.

"He didn't made it... I'm sorry Gunner..."

I bucked one of the bodies of the mercs so hard it made a bone cracking sound. I just wanted to cry out but my eyes wouldn't let me. My body won't let me cry as long as Custard and Shrapnel need me. They won't just wait there until I feel better to get up and help. My emotions needs to be put aside for now.

"What about you? You're talking like you're staying" I asked, finally me and not my mouth.

"I am staying... I'm the Overmare and I need to stay here as long as I'm alive" She wasn't talking for serious, right?

"That's nonsense Rose! I'm not leaving you here!"

Rose looked at me with a sad face.

"I'm sorry Gunner" Rose said with a sad tone as she kissed my cheek.

Her horn was glowing red and she telekinticly pushed me out of Medical. I flapped my wings and hovered free of her horn glow. My muzzle bit down on the battle saddle trigger and shot a medical tray next to Rose as a warning shot; to let her know I won't leave her.

"You won't shoot me Gunner. I know you too well to know you love me... You won't dare to hurt me" Rose said with a calm voice.

"No... You're wrong... I rather to die and let the world burn with me as long as you are in danger... You're... Not... STAYING!..." I shouted and bucked a flower pot toward her direction, then I shot at the same medical tray again. She avoided the flower pot but the medical tray flipped from the shot and hit her head directly. Her eyes rolled upwards as she passed out and fell to the floor. I quickly flew to catch her before she bumped her head on the floor.

"No, I'm the one who's sorry Rosey.." Were my last words to her before I mounted her on my back with a couple of tourniquets that I've found, my instinct told me to take some meds. After looting Medical for some meds I flew towards the Overmare's quarters.

The Stable was messy and shots were still sounded, followed by death screams or manical laughs. Usually both... The corridors were bloodier the closer I got to the Overmare quarters. My body stopped to noises that came from a living quarter next to me. I slowly walked closer toward the door and opened it.

My eyes didn't believed the sight: Two mercs apperantly were really horny after a long day of killing. So they did their fucked up threesome with a body of a unicorn dweller. I was disgusted by the sight. They were so loud and into it they didn't even noticed me entering the room. Not even flinched to me cocking my battle saddle with a buck. But they did screamed after I sprayed them until they stopped their fucked up orgy.

I trotted for a while through bodies and ruined furniture and equipment, empty and destroyed guns were scattered all around and bullet shells were covering the floor. I finally reached the Overmare's quarter and looked inside through the opened door. The lights were out and the room was pure darkness. When I fully entered the room my right side was crushed under a buck, my body fell down and another hoof was placed ontop of me from the right side. I tried to get up but a cocking sound that was sounded from my left side freezed me in place. The hooves grounded me as the pony pushed his hooves againt my body and quickly took all of the air out of my lungs... [not again!]... Then he pressed his weight even further down on me.

"Stay down or get shot" A mare said from my left side with a worried but angry voice. The room was dark and I was trapped with other two mercs that were holding me down. One of them locked the door behined me and was about to turn on the lights.

"Don't do anything stupid and I might let you keep your brain inside your head" The mare said in a more calm and more recognisable voice, but my ears were ringing out of the buck and lack of oxygen.

The lights finally lit up as my eyes scanned the room, it wasn't so messy compared to the rest of the Stable, as soon as the lights were present and my eyes adjusted to it the hooves that pressed my lungs empty and kept me pinned to the floor got off me and a gun's hammer was uncocked. They both were surprised of something. Maybe of me hauling the Overmare unconsciousness and tied to my back, or that they won two in one, or just because I made it this far without getting shot. And with my luck it could be that they were about to start some things like the mercs from the living quarters and it just got more interesting for them...

"Gunner?!"

My ears shot up in surprise to the sound of Shrapnel's and Custard's voice. I got up on my hooves and looked at them, Custard and Shrapnel... They were terrified but relieved to see me alive plus with Rose on my back.

"What happened to Rose?" Custard said as she examined Rose. Shrapnel peered outside through the one-sided window, it acted as a mirror from the other side.

"Rose planned on staying in here. I couldn't let her do that..." My voice was a part regretfull and a part confident. "She's is just passed out. I threw a medical tray on her head.." I quickly added to calm Custard down so she wont shoot me for hurting Rose.

"Sorry 'bout that buddy" Shrapnel apologized. a bit ashamed he almost broke my ribcage.

"Don't worry. You did good to protect yourself" I looked at him with a grin, "And to protect Custard here.." I added and looked over at Custard, who looked at me back to the mention of her name. Her cyan eyes looking straight at me.

"Where's Caliber?" Custards voice became very worried, making my heart flinch as I recalled about what happened to him. Should I lie? Will it help if they'll know the truth?

"I'm-I'm sorry Custard... He's in a better place now..." My voice was broken.

Custard's cyan eyes were slowly filling in tears. She shot living things and lost her Stable, now she lost a close friend... She had the right to be sad... She cried into Shrapnel's mane while he embraced her.

"What should we do?" Shrapnel asked.

"Thought it was clear by now: We get out of this death trap, I know that they're paid to kill us. They probably don't know how to use the PipBuck tracking system, but I won't stay here long enough for them to figure it out" I answered with an overly confident voice.

"So we're going to make our way through the Stable. Get out of here and find help in other settelments" Was my answer to Custard's very unsure questioning, she was alot quieter noramlly, but the current situation probably forced the talkish side of Custard out of it's shell.

Shrapnel opened the door and we quickly trotted our way through what was left of Stable 154, as we trotted I heard gunshots from behined us, three mercs were chasing us and they sure looked like they were enjoying the hunt, when we entered the Stable door room, the door was out of place and filled with explosive and bullet holes.

"I would like to get this kind of weapon" Shrapnel joked with a sarcastic voice. We were almost out when my ears jumped in surprise to the sound of automatic gunfire. My hooves suddenly stopped in their tracks and my body forced me to look over my shoulder

My gaze was locked on the horror that seemed like a nightmare: Custard was lying motionless in a pool of blood on the floor.

"NO!!!! YOU FUCKING PSYCHOS!!! LEAVE HER THE FUCK ALONE!!" Roared out of Shrapnel's muzzle as he flew full speed toward one of the three mercs and pushed him backwards. Shrapnel pulled up and let the momentum to splatter the merc and crashed him against the metal walls. The other two mercs were firing upwards to try and kill Shrapnel, but they were terrible shots. I slid into S.A.T.S and targeted the bigger and more armored of the two mercs while time slowed down. My aim was directed toward his chest four times, but my battery couldn't support another well-placed shot, so I marked the first's chest three times and the other merc's head twice and hoped it'll hit them as S.A.T.S was depleted fully.

Two of the three shots went clean through the bigger merc while the third entered into his body but didn't shot out, it was entering in such an angle that the bullet just stopped inside him and probably ripped everything inside his body on it's way. The smaller one's ear was scratched by one of the bullets and made him duck and groan in pain while the second shot completely missed. But Shrapnel landed next to him and pinned him to the floor with a hoof before he could run away. The young merc's barely a stallion... He's in the same age of getting a Cutie-mark! And he's killing ponies for fun! My guess was that one of the other mercs was his father or something, Shrapnel started to buck his face with a forehoof.

"WHAT?... THE?... FUCK?... IS?... WRONG?... WITH?... YOU?..." Shrapnel shouted, every word followed by a buck to the merc's face.

The young merc just looked at him and didn't move. He accepted his own fate and he didn't flinched or even reacted to Shrapnel's hits. And while Shrapnel didn't finished his work, he had better things to do then to murder a foal. Shrapnel quickly flew to Custard and was clearly enraged, she had several bullet wounds to her torso and was bleeding heavily out of them and was shaking in pain, but she was still conscious and still breathing... Barely...

I wasted no time and quickly sorted out a healing potion as my hooves trotted as fast as they could, I reached out and bit off the potion bottle's neck, then I opened Custard's mouth to let the bottle's content pour into it. I used my other hoof to sort out a Med-X that I was able to find in Medical earlier. Using my teeth I sticked the syringe in Custard's side, the bullet holes were slowly mending and her breathing started to steady. The bullets were pushed out of the now mended wounds and Custard let out a relieved sigh and stopped shaking, Shrapnel hugged her and cried.

"Com'on Shrapnel. She'll be fine. But we need to go" My words were deflected off of him and he didn't even moved, he wasn't listening and I'm sure this time he heard me.

"Shrapnel... She's fine... Come on now.." I said whilst stepping once toward him.

He still hugged and embraced her, tears were streaming down his face as he whimpered.

"Shrapnel, we got to go n--"

"FUCK OFF GUNNER!" Shrapnel cutted me off with a scream and looked at me with his golden and tear-soaked eyes, his face was angry and something deep inside me was telling me he really wanted to kill me. And he was on the verge of killing me.

"I'm not leaving you here Shrapnel..." I whispered slowly

Shrapnel's wings flared upwards in anger and he was about to jump and buck my brain out if I won't stop, but we both knew I wouldn't stop. And if it'd come down for this: He'll kill me and I won't even try to fight back.

"Right now you can hate me to the point of decapitating my head off. But until you manage that I need you to be safe. The mercs will be here any second now and they'll fill us full of bullet holes if we won't get out of here. And if I need to push your fat-ass all over Equestria just to keep you safe: I will!" I said with a serious voice that made him flinch and look a bit less threatning.

"And if I need to kill myself to keep you, Custard and Rose safe: I.FUCKING.WILL."

His wings fell limp on the floor, his head hanging in shame and he stopped whimpering.

"She's fine, and she'll stay fine as long as you keep her safe. So keep her out of danger and never put me before her... NEVER!" I was angry on him that he fell apart on me. I knew it's hard to stay strong after whatever that just happened, but I cant leave them both here to die just because Shrapnel wasn't functioning after he saw Custard getting shot.

"Custard's life is in your hooves Shrapnel, and until you get your shit together... your life is in my hooves. I can't let you guys down as long as I'm alive and bucking!"

He looked at me, remorse filled his golden eyes, his gray body shook and his wings were folded in their resting place ontop of his sides.

"You're more then family to me. And you know how much family is important, and you wanna know something?... I never even knew my parents!... This is why you never saw them! My parents died serving the Stable, they did it to keep their loved ones alive... I never knew them, and nopony ever bothered to look up why or how they died. I was raised with no parents, my father's brother raised me my entire life. He had his own fucking problems and after his brother's loss, my father, he totally lost his sanity. But he tried to raise me to make sure my parents didn't die without somepony to continue their legacy. He's now dead after depression killed him, I had everything I could want my entire life, and still I had my mental breakdowns. But I was always helping my closest friends, they are my family..."

I hated self pity now more then ever, but this was the only way to make Shrapnel to take a hold of himself and start listening.

"I-I didn't meant to.." Shrapnel mumbled.

"Don't be sorry, just grab Custard and let's get our tails out of here" I said calmly back, Shrapnel gently picked up Custard as she tried to position herself ontop of him, we walked outside and took our first steps in the Wasteland and I noticed the skeletons were piled up at the side of the door, probably some of the guards 'cleaned up'.

The first thing that happened was that the location 'Stable 154' appeared in both mine and Shrapnel's PipBucks, Shrapnel looked tired and a bit sad, I was just glad we were out of this horrible death-trap, we didn't have a specific direction to go so we just picked a random way and took it.

The first feeling I felt was the cold wind that blew into my mane, it sent shivers down my spine and made my hide to crawl violently, Shrapnel felt the same as he shook his head and his deep-blue mane shook with him and slapped me... We kept walking and were amazed by how large the outside was! We didn't have walls or ceilings to limit us. From what we were told back at the Stable, the Pegasi were flying all over the place and changing the weather 200 years ago. But it seemes a bit fairy tail-ish when you actaully see that the 'clouds' you were told about were alot more like flying bundles of cloth then the solid thing they made it in the books.

Shrapnel was using his mouth to light his lighter and closed it to put the fire out repeatidly, after a while he was bored and he threw it inside one of his many utility barding pockets. The trees and bushes were long dead and naked, after some traveling Shrapnel spotted an old shack on the top of a hill that looked strong enough to stay standing even after all of those years of radiation and Celestia knows what else.

When we entered we learned that the shack had three beds. Two were parallel and the other one was at a weird attic thing. There were two rooms and some old furniture and Unicorn skeleton remains that were scattered on the ground, me and Shrapnel were a bit shocked to see a real skeleton up close. For the first time we saw one from up close that was once a living thing and not a picture or the fake ones back in our First Aid class in Stable 154. After we got the skeleton outside the shack we searched for food and supplies but the shack didn't provide supplies of any sort, except for a safe behined a painting. Shrapnel thought he could pick the lock, he reached to his barding and took out a screwdriver and a bobby pin and started his lock-picking magic. I gently got Rose off me and placed her on one of the beds. I then took Custard off of Shrapnel and helped her to reach the bed, she sat on the bed and was still under the Med-X effects, she looked around with drug-wide eyes and slow blinks.

"There's only one more bed, when you finish with the safe you better sleep, I'll guard" I told Shrapnel.

"What?... N-no... I'm fine... You better catch some sleep yourself..." He said with a confused tone and a very surprised look.

His gaze fell down and he looked like he was thinking about something, his face told me he knew something and that something wasn't good, but I didn't asked anything about it as he resumed to unlock the safe.

"It's not up for debate. You'll need rest after you spent the night on the floor next to my room" I ordered and walked inside the pretty empty and small side-room that was once a restroom, I really needed to take a break to refresh... The toilet was old and with no water stream, but we won't stay here for long. Just for now until Custard and Rose will feel better to travel, I took off my battle saddle and sat down to refresh, after a while Shrapnel walked on me...

"Whoaa... S-sorry buddy..." He said as he covered his eyes with a hoof and turned around back to the main room of the shack

After sitting there embarresed and waiting for nature to finish his business, I fetched my battle saddle and put it on me as I walked toward the main room, Shrapnel was sharing the bed with Custard, he nuzzled her slowly as she sleeped in his embrace. He was awake but so tired that he barely moved.

Rose was still unconsciousness on the bed in the other side of the room, directly opposite from Custard's and Shrapnel's bed. She was covered in a Stable blanket that my mind suspected Shrapnel took from the Overmare's quarter... I did had a bed for myself but chose to stay guard, it was afternoon when we left Stable 154. Now it was already night when Custard and Shrapnel were nuzzling and kissing as my gaze wandered outside through the cracks on the walls.

Suddnely the thought hit me.

We're the last ponies from Stable 154... my mind told me.

Exactly, that's why I have to stay strong..for the others, as long as we find another Stable or settelment to make it our new home, we'll be fine.

What makes you think there are places to stay, or even accept us... If the world out here's like those mercs back at 154... You made a huge mistake the second you left My mind replied... As the argument inside me just went on, it did stopped to the sounds of Custard and Shrapnel starting to... Do stuff.....

"Guys... Quit it" was my reaction to make them stop before it gets too romantic...

"You better get some sleep... You look terrible, Shitface." Shrapnel said after realizing that I was still in the room.

"Yeah. You should rest for a while" Custard added as she stopped nuzzling Shrapnel's deep blue mane and looked at me with her penetrating cyan eyes. She still looked a bit drugged from the Med-X from earlier but was sober enough to communicate [And to have some time with Shrapnel...] The Med-X was so strong that she acted like a dead pony even hours after I injected her body with it, she could see and hear but she couldn't feel anything for the entire time, until now I guess.

"No. I'll stay guard tonight" I countered, feeling a little tired but still in shape to stay up and protect them for a while.

"Come on Shitface! be reasonable: You can't be awake the whole night! You need to rest and refresh yourself!" Shrapnel said

"I-I need to think about... Something..." was my only words this night as Shrapnel knew he couldn't force me to sleep, and he was too tired to even try.

I walked outside and took a big look at the sky, the moon was shining and illuminating everything in the area, rocks... Dead trees... It was stunning me and forcing me to stare for a while... It was so magical and in the same time so threatning...

"Whoa there... Can't let Nightmare moon take me..." I whispered to myself, sounds of what my mind wished weren't what it sounded like came from inside the shack, how can Custard and Shrapnel even think about doing that after this messed up day?... I figured they both were lost in their own problems back inside the Stable... Custard was a quiet pony and didn't had many friends, me and Shrapnel met her after we scared off a bully who bucked and laughed at her for not getting a Cutie-mark in time, she was the last one to get a Cutie-mark and she never was confident in pretty much anything in her entire life. Shrapnel lost his parents for nothing but hatred... So if being together will help them get over whatever's happening, they can do that whenever they want to... Well... Whenever I'm not in line of sight...

It was midnight when they stopped their time together. Luna be damned they have some passion [And one hell of a stamina...] to each other... I entered the shack and really hoped that I won't catch them in the whatever they did, but I saw them both sleeping, infact they were sleeping so heavily that they didn't even flinched when the door closed in a very squeaky fashion.

Rose was in the same position on her bed as before, a thought crossed my mind that the medical tray might've done a permanent brain damage to her. But after a closer look at her PipBuck, I saw that her health status screen showed she was asleep rather then passed out, but probably didn't woke up yet.

Moving my look from Rose to Shrapnel and Custard, my first thought was one that I just can't deny:

No matter what happens... I will keep them safe

After looking at my PipBuck I started scrolling down on my sorting list to check my equipment: Five healing potions. Some painkillers of several sorts. And some bandages were classified under 'Aid and meds'. It showed some ammo belts for my battle saddle, three grenades and some pistol clips under 'Ammunition'. And the backup pistol and my battle saddle were under 'Weapons' . Why and how the hell weapons were sorted in my PipBuck? Some of my old stuff from the Stable were still listed though, like my weapon-moding multi-tool and some spare parts I always kept in my pockets, but it won't mean nothing out here in the Wasteland.

Something that really annoyed me was that everything had the word 'CAPS' and a number next to it, and it appeared the second I stepped a hoof out of 154, maybe it was a glitch? Could PipBucks even have glitches? My mind stopped thinking about those 'CAPS' after it gave me a serious headache. It was late night when my eyes began to close every few minutes, I shook my head everytime they tried to shut, but it didn't helped my headache at all. Instead I started to look for a way to entertain myself to stay awake, after ten minutes of playing with a  small rock, I decided to look outside at the passing clouds in the sky through the cracks of the shelter's walls, an hour passed and my body was so tired I just let him fall asleep.

I woke up in a dark and cold room, lights flickered as my eyes were locked on four ponies: Custard, Shrapnel, Caliber and Rose. They were standing in a circle around me. They all looked at me with disturbing and creepy smiles, suddenly the floor under Caliber opened and he fell inside, I let out a scream as he fell down... My head turned around on it's own and my eyes were shocked, Custard was getting beaten to death by the mercs... I tried to run to help her, tears in my eyes, but my hooves weren't there! nor my body! or anything!.. Like I wasn't there!.. Then I was forced to watch Shrapnel's parents dying slowly and painfully on the floor as he just watched and cried for somepony to help and save them, he stopped crying and turned around slowly and look straight at me with an angry and broken face..

"YOU COULD'VE SAVED THEM!!!" Shrapenl screamed in a demonic voice.

"Shrapnel?... I-I don't..." My mouth said without my permission, though this is how I would have reacted.

"YOU FUCKING SELFISH AND CARELESS FUCK!!!" He screamed again in a louder and more demonic voice, my body flinched in pain as I felt my body getting crushed under his hooves, my body suddenly was replaced by the young merc's body and my face looked up at Shrapnel, he was bucking me in my face and chest and he enjoyed every buck more then the former... His eyes were totally black and filled with anger.

My vision went black as he bucked me harder and I woke up in the same room from earlier. My eyes focused on Rose, she was looking at me with her cute face, her red eyes were part covered by her black mane and she was smiling a small and inviting smile.

"Ro-Rose?" was all I could say. She motioned me with a hoof to get closer, and my body did so without me even wanting to, but it wasn't me..my body was covered in blood and filth and I was wearing something that looked like animal fur..it was the body of a primitive and murderous pony! was this how my mind pictured me?

"If you really loved me. You would've left me back at the Stable... I knew all along that you will hurt me just to think of yourself... You deserve a better torture then the excuse for a tickle that the drug was..." She said with a very calm and warm voice as her gazed wandered away from me, like she was happy to say all of that, like I chose wrong by taking her with me so she won't be raped and killed... She suddenly looked at me and whispered something that made my heart stop:

"I never loved you...".

I looked at her with tears filling my eyes, was it really happening?, the same bucking feeling from the merc back in Medical was replayed on my face, but this buck was stronger.

"Another buck.." Rose ordered, the merc nodded and bucked me again.

I quickly got up by my own screaming, panting and sweating. It was just a nightmare...

Shrapnel and Custard got up from my screaming, they panicked at first but calmed down when they saw everything was fine..

"What happened?!" Shrapnel jumped off the bed and shot his wings up, Custard was still in bed and looked to see if Rose was still sleeping, she still was in the same position as I placed her.

"Just... Just a nightmare.." I succedded saying over my violently shaking body.

"Want to talk about it?" Custard said with a weak voice.

"No.." Was my reply as I bucked the door open, going out to breath something better then the dirt inside the shack. I needed some time for myself.

I watched at the horizon as the sun rised. My mind just kept thinking about the nightmare, was it how I felt about myself? Was it how I think others see me? I just couldn't think of anything specific as in the distance my eyes caught a pony being chased by five poorly armed ponies. I didn't wait a second as I launched into air and flew towards them, three stopped immediatly after they spotted me and started shooting bullets at my direction, are all Wastelanders bad shots?... The other two kept their chase like it was a sport... Oh... Wait..

I bit my muzzle trigger and shot my battle saddle to try and hit one of them, and did managed to land a hit on the forehoof of a raider as he screamed in agony, the raiders stopped to see what happened to their friend. What a stupid mistake...

I stopped and hovered above them as I slid into S.A.T.S, time slowed down and E.F.S quickly marked the two still healthy raiders, the injured raider was already taking cover behined a rock as the other two realized how doomed they were.

I targeted the two raiders and started shooting with no specific limb or place to hit as I excuted the spell. One the raiders got his eye blowned-off and my stomach was trying to get out of my throat. The second raider got shredded when he tried to reload, the bullets went clean through his chest and knocked him backwards six or seven meters. The injured raider tried to blind fire with his teeth but making his head visible in the process and making himself an easy target for me.

I bit down on the muzzle trigger and shot twice while his head blew into pieces. My stomach won the battle and sent me vomiting all over the place. After several waves of vomiting mostly stomach liquids I went after the two remaining raiders. They didn't went that far away when E.F.S spotted them three hundred meters from where they have been last time. I flapped my wings and launched myself into the air and flew as fast as I could.

When I reached shooting range E.F.S was suggeting to start spraying runs. The first spray run was useless: All I managed to hit was only rocks and dirt, after doubling-back behined the raiders I focused the second spray run on the closest raider to me and turned him into a meat sack after just a dew bullets, it was gross but my stomach was too empty to throw up again. It was now me after a raider after the poor pony, hunter became the hunted had never been more litteral.

The hunted pony was a black unicorn with dark purple mane. He suddenly stopped and turned around, pouncing back at the raider and bucking him in the chest and neck two quick hits. The raider went down like a dull as the unicorn jumped off of him and started panting. Judging by the position of his body he was ready to put me down as well. I hovered in place not so far from him.

"Whoa there, I saw you needed help" Were my first words to the black unicorn. His left eye had a nasty from his forehead all the way to his cheek. He was full of bruises and wounds and he looked spent, he laughed as a response.

"Wh-Why are you laughing?" I asked

"Helping me? 'Say it was why ya killed those fuckers. But what is it for ya?" He added with a chuckle.

I just looked at him weird for a long minute.. "Wha-what? I don't want any payment! I saw you needed help so I--"

"Look, kid. 'Prreciate that but if ya have nothin' worth saying just get yer tail out of here before they send more hunters" The black unicorn cutted me off. He wasn't very polite, but then again he was being hunted by those phsycos and was just helped by a random pegasus.

"Why were they hunting you?" I asked and landed as he tried to trot away.

"The fuckers don't need a reason" He answered with another chuckle after looking over his shoulder and right at me "Where have ya lived this time?... In a Stable?"

"Yes.." I whispered, showing him my blue and yellow Stable barding. The numbers '154' printed on the back and collar.

"What now?" He blinked in confusion.

"I'm fresh out of Stable 154. Those mercs attacked us and killed everypony inside, except me and some others".

"Shit... Look, I'm sorry. But ya better get the fuck outta here kiddo" was his respond "What's yer name by the way. Kid?" He added.

"Gu-Gunner" My muzzle spat out as the sudden exhaustion started to grow and the adrenaline started to wear off .

"Gunner? Alright kiddo. Ya better go and meet Grip, he knows me and he owes me one. Look fer him in Ponyville's outskirts, he has his own little camp of his. Tell him I sent ya" The unicorn smiled and added "Oh. And if he asks about payment buckshit or something? Tell 'em I'll pay next time.." He said with a wink with his good eye and was about to trot off.

"What's your name?" I tried to shout, he didn't heared me and trotted away.

"Quite the 'badass' he is..." I said to myself with a mocking chuckle. My hooves started walking back to the shelter when my body fell down, my vision blurred and I fainted out of physical and mental exhaustion.

"Let me see him.."

"Rose. Don't take it too hard on him though... He did wh--"

"I DONT CARE SHRAPNEL! I dont care why he did it."

There was a stop and a gulp.

"I do care to know what in Celestia's name made him do that! I want to know why he's so stupid for even doing that!.."

I woke up to the sounds of argument... Why not?... My eyes slowly opened and I realized that we were in the shack. My eyes picked up Shrapnel blocking Rose's way to me, she was pissed on me and I could tell that even without her shouting all over the place.

"...Throwing a medical tray on me to disable me. Kidnappes me and then he is passing out in the middle of nowhere where he murdered other ponies!..." Rose screamed at Shrapnel. I was glad Shrapnel was in the way, otherwise she would have been choking me to death by now. She tried to move Shrapnel aside but he was too big for her to even try, he was slightly bigger then average after all.

"Let me see if he's alright.." Rose said with a more calm and caring tone.

"Sorry Rose... I aprreciate you're trying to help but you already tried to hurt him.." Shrapnel answered..

SHE WHAT?!...

Rose?... Tried to hurt me?!...

"What's going on?" I said in very weak voice. I sat down on the bed and was greeted by the most happy face from Shrapnel and Custard, and happily for me I couldn't see Rose.

"You got us worried there Gunner.." Custard said from the opened doorway.

"Welcome back buddy!.." Shrapnel said with a very relieved and happy voice, Rose pushed Shrapnel away and made him fall with the help of her telekinetic, Custard tried to catch him but she was so small and weak next to him she almost got crushed under his weight. Rose looked at me with the angriest face I have ever had the mis-pleasure to see on a pony's face in my entire life.

She levitated the backup gun from my barding's sidepack and pointed it towards me. My eyes widened in shock but my body was too weak to do anything. If she really wanted to shoot me I had no way to protect myself.

"Give me one good reason not to blow your head off Gunner.." She hissed with a very angry tone that assured me she wanted to shoot me.

I just looked down and said nothing.

"That's what I thought..." Rose said as she cocked the gun's hammer with her telekinetic and pressed it against my forehead.

I didn't even flinched as I whispered in a calm voice. "You can shoot me... I would understand..".

She pressed the gun harder against my forehead and hissed louder "That's the problem with you! Care only about us! You don't give a flying fuck about yourself! You hurt yourself when you're helping us! And I can't live with the idea that you almost died out there just to save somepony you don't even know!" As she continued, each word was softer and calmer then the previous...

"I'm no longer your Overmare anymore. So you can stop acting like you really care for me" She quickly tried to hold back her tears "You're ready to die for us... For me..." She whimpered to herself

The gun dropped out of her leviation field as the mare jumped and hugged me while tears started to fall down from her eyes, she was really heart-broken.

Custard and Shrapnel looked at me with shocked expressions as they didn't knew how to react to Rose's change of mood. Is this all a dream? Am I still in Stable 154 and everypony's still alive? Or is it really happening and Rose is really suffering right now?

"Don't cry Rose... I'm sorry for what I did to you. But remember back at the unused quarters? You said that if you ever could do anything to make it up for me you would?" I asked Rose, her deep-red eyes looking straight into mine.

"Yes.." Rose nodded as I wiped a tear off her cheek. A deja vu struck my mind as the situation became very familliar.

"So you just did. I want you promise me this one thing: That no matter what, never pick me over yourself or Custard or Shrapnel" I said with a very confident and serious but in the same time very calm and reassuring voice.

Rose slowly nodded her head, Shrapnel looked at me with a raised eyebrow and opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but quickly closed his muzzle in a second thought, Custard was still surprised in general.

"Ya finished with yer ass-kissing back there?" a voice sounded from outside.

"Yes Seth Shadow... Come in" Shrapnel said, clearly annoyed to remember the presence of the pony who he just invited inside

The black unicorn entered the shack and looked at me with his one good eye.

"Welcome back to the world of the living kiddo" He said with his signature chuckle.

"Thank you very much for bringing him back to us! how can we return you the favor?" Custard said with a cute little smile.

Seth looked back at Custard with a grin "No need fer that ma'am. The kid already payed his part" he said as he moved his gaze back to me and the grin broke into a smile. "We're equal now. Eh kiddo?" he said with a little stomp and a snicker.

"What're you talking about? Where and when have you guys met?" Rose looked worried, she probably thought that I made myself new and very [Very...] obnoxious friends.

"Not so long ago. The kiddo took a real good care of some not-so-friendly ponies back there. Helped me out to put them to sleep if ya catch my meaning" Rose looked at me like I needed to explain why I just went on a random rampage of killing some random raiders to help a random and very [VERY...] impolite unicorn... Wow this was random...

"How'd I got up here anyways?" I tried to move the conversation topic as soon as possible.

"I hauled yer little tail up here. It was the least I could do if I was going to keep ya alive" Seth Shadow responded, I looked at him with a thankful smile.

"Thank you. Can I ask you a question?" I asked the black unicorn

"Sure thing" He replied with a grin.

"Why were you being hunted by those raiders?" I quickly said after.

His face turned very serious and annoyed "Ugghh, alright... I'm from a camp. Four hours trot or six hours by walking directly east from here. We're three hundred or so and we're trying to live our lives, I'm from the warriors of the camp and those little fucks attacked us two days ago. They kidnapped everyone they could so they could sell them for slave traders.." He stopped to Rose's and Custard's shocked gasps "...But they decided to 'enjoy' with some of the prisioners if ya catch my meaning, I was sent to free whomever I could... But you saw how well that ended".

He's from a camp not too far from here!... We could settle down there!..

Wait a second there Gunner.. my mind told me you just learnt they are getting attacked by raiders!..you cant bring Rose into there!

Right...so what are we doing?...I think I know what to do!

Oh no, I know what you are thinking about. You are a stupid pony Gunner... A very stupid pony! my mind said in protest to my idea.

"I'm going to help. But this time it is going to be more of a deal. A favor if you'd like to call it. We'll help you with your raider problem, and we'll get a place in your camp in return" I said with a bartering voice, my three companions' faces all shot up with shocked faces. I got pretty much the same respond from all of them:

"You're what now Gunner?!"

"Gunner? You ain't thinking straight buddy"

"Umm, are you sure about that Gunner? It sounds very dangerous!"

"I'm very aware of the danger. But this is our best shot! Maybe even the only shot to get a somewhat peacefull life! Where those mercs won't find us. And I can't expect them to take you guys in without doing something back, plus I won't let raiders to endager your's or others' lives. So why not hit two apples with the same hoof?".

"Wait, what do you mean by 'take you guys in'? You are coming with us! You have to!" Shrapnel insisted. Rose looked at me with the same look I gave her back at Stable 154, when she tried to convince me she is staying.

"Guys... I am coming with you, but I need to make sure you're safe first." I told them with a sigh, they were sick of the kitsch too...

"You guys aren't replaceable..." I stopped and gulped "But I am..."

Is it just me or that the kitsch-meter is higher then regular?

"What?" Rose screamed "No!... You're not replaceable! There's only one you!.."

"But so there are only one Rose, one Shrapnel, and one Custard... I prefer to die for you then live on without you..."

Yup... Kitsch-meter levels are peaking right now... But this was the only way I could describe it.

"Ugghh, it's nice and all; But I can't" Seth said with a part disgusted tone... He isn't a fan of a sticky and cheesy conversations...

"What do you mean you can't?" I asked with a very aggresive voice, I cant let them roam this Wasteland!... We're barely a day out and we're deep in trouble already! With no food or water in a random filthy shack and our only hope is the home of a very [VERY] obnoxious unicorn.

"It isn't me ya need for that, I'm just a warrior like I said: Ya should talk to Storm, he's nice if you know him but some say he is a bit crazy... Even if ya make it to 'Twilight camp' I'm afraid that they wont let ya in. And let's say Storm is feeling kind and letting ya'll inside. There aren't much supplies like ya're probably used to, say like in a Stable. Food is very limited and we're using it as efficent as we can, and we're getting robbed by those fuckers everytime so the food is getting more and more scarce. I'm afraid ya wont be able to join 'Twilight Camp'.

"What?!" I asked "You can't be serious!".

"Dead serious kiddo.." He answered as he walked down the hill and was on his way back to Twilight Camp, we followed him... Well I followed him as the others tried to convince me to give up about the camp.

"But-but... I offered to help you with the raiders! If nopony is stealing your food, there's enough for us aswell!" I tried to sound reasonable, he chuckled his usual chuckle.

"I wish, but as ya said: Ya're fresh out of a Stable. Ya can't beat four hundred or so raiders, that are well armed and very experienced in killing stupid enough ponies to fuck with them, like ya... No offense".

Ouch.

"I can try! if I'm not in the camp so why would you care? why would you care if I live or die!?"

"Because!.." he hissed as he turned around quickly with an angry stomp, "If ya'll fail... And ya WILL. They'll attack us to replenish their lost equipment and supplies from the battle, or to retaliate, or even just fer FUN!"

I knew he was right, but I couldn't dismiss the option to help others in need and to protect my friends!

"Look, kid... We'll get to Twilight camp and then ya'll talk to Storm about that little idea of yars, if he agrees: Good fer ya, if he isn't: I just can't help, it's as simple as that"

We were walking after Seth Shadow, who seemed very tired by now.

That's when my mind really processed what was happening.

Your life won't be the same ever again...never..everypony back at Stable 154 is dead, it seemed like a second passed when I got bucked in the head by the merc back at medical, but it was alot more then a second, five hours or so..Luna knows how much they have killed in that time?!

You are the only survivors of this Stable, all the others have suffered enough to die in this stupid Wasteland, you on the other hoof can save them from suffering more

My mind was right: There are ponies who still need my help, I'm replaceable: If I die. Rose and the others will forget me eventually, but you can't forget the innocent victim, the unreplaceable.

The trauma they'll take from seeing me die will be heavy but it's better then getting them shot or killed, if I'll have to: I'll kill whoever it takes to keep the three of them alive. I just knew that no matter how I will save others, I don't want to be called a 'Hero' once again... I'm here to help others and that's it... I never knew why I do that, or what makes me do that: I just dd.

We started walking in midnoon, it's now starting to get dark, and after walking for couple of hours Rose started to barely stay on her hooves.

"Are you feeling alright Rose?" I asked.

"Yes... Don't-don't mind it... I-I'm fine..." She replied, I quickly grabbed her with my forehooves and wings and placed her on my back.

"What are you doin--" She tried to say as I hushed her with a wing.

"Just rest now, don't you worry about me" I said with a caring tone, Seth made a chuckle noise at our little moment.

Rose wasn't very comfortable with me hauling her on my back, but she was so weak from not eating well for a while and fell asleep like a little filly after five minutes. Her slow and warm breathing on my neck and mane felt good in the cold late afternoon.

It was sunset when we were about three hours walk from Twilight camp, Rose was sleeping on my back as Shrapnel and Custard walked beside us, nuzzling... Can they stop sniffing each other already? I never had a marefriend before, Rose is my first one and probably the only one I'll have... Even though I'm not even sure she really does considering us as a couple. Even if we are; I prefer to haul her on my back rather then to sniff her mane every time I can.

"Hello there Rose" I whispered over my shoulder when I felt her waking up.

"Hello Gunner..." Rose replied weakly.."I hope that I'm not too heavy for you..." She said with a weak snicker.

"Nope, you're just too perfect Rosey..." I whispered to her with a cheesy voice. When I looked back at her, her cheeks were blushing so hard they almost looked like she grew a second pair of eyes.

"I still need to.... You know..."  She ran a playful hoof on the top of my wing "Make it up for you" Rose whispered in my ear with an even cheesier voice then mine.  I felt my cheeks go hotter as they blushed even harder then Rose.

"I hope you're hungry love" She whispered with a teasy voice.

"Wh-why?" I mumbled for a second.

"Because you'll get to taste me..." Rose whispered with a lewd voice.

This made my whole body to blush so hard that my hide became almost red-orange instead of the regular light-brownish color. My heart started to beat harder and I felt my muzzle break into a grin as she nibbled my right ear. My wings flared upwards, that's the problem with wings: They show their host's feelings. If you're angry, sad, happy or the worst: Sexually aroused... It's called a wingboner.

Is she teasing me or she is serious?! Was my mind's first thought. The second was Celestia,thank you! . The third was I'm not sure about that...

"Wh-what?" I stammered weakly back at her. Trying to sound surprised but keeping my voice low, folding back my wings so the others wont suspect anything.

"You heard me love, we're going to have a bit of a 'together time' you and I" She whispered with another nibble..

Yup!... She's teasing me for sure.

Or is she? My mind thought for a second She might mean it this time

Even after all of this time? After all those teases back at 154?, that answer pretty much hushed my mind for good.

"What'd you mean?" Was my answer. Of all the questions in the world... Can I ask something more idiotic?!.

"You know what I mean exactly... And I promise this'll make it up for you"

So she was just trying to make it up for me... Not out of real feelings for me.

Does she think I'm this kind of pony? I don't see what's the buzz about 'paying with sex' shit...

"Although... I do promise I'll enjoy it too..." She said "And this is the least I can do to show you just how important you are to us. To me.."

My wingboner started raging right now and even my nethers made themselves noticeable.

"You aren't replaceable. What makes you think that?" Rose asked, a bit sadder.

"Because the three of you have been through hell. You need a helping hoof to guide you, I'm yet to suffer such horrible things, Shrapnel's parents... Custard's sociality problems... Your anxiety..."

"Yes... But it all happened back in the Stable. This is the Wasteland... This is a different world!" she countered..

"That's why you'll need me: Out here you'll encounter other problems and things then in 154! Worse ones. Another stress or mental damage you guys will have. It... It'll destroy you! I'm yet to be in that stage, or... At least I'm pretty sure I'm not in that stage..." I said with an inconfident tone.

"So don't ruin yourself, I need you more then a companion or a body guard, I need you as my friend.." She paused, I could feel she was about to cry. "I need you as my buckfriend... I love you..." She whimpered..

I didn't knew how to feel. On one hoof I was dancing on the sun with Celestia out of happiness. On the other hoof I felt a cringe, like I have failed myself... I can't just hurt myself for Rose, she'll need me... Since we were foals I knew I had something for her, I liked her since our first meeting, but I never thought that I'll hear her say that. She truly loved me, I finally had somepony who cares for me... But she always said how much she cared for me, so why do I feel it just now? This feelings are meaning another thing: I can't let anything hurt her, I need to be strong for Rose... I need to do my part.

I'm the one who needs to lead this group through this Wasteland. Next Chapter: Chapter 3 - A Glimpse Of Hope Estimated time remaining: 5 Hours, 11 Minutes