“You’re already doing great... Night!” I heaved as I flared my wings out and kicked myself off from the broken window. The pair of charged magical energy shots that struck where my hooves had just been radiated enough heat that my real rear hoof felt like it had been singed. “Just… stay alive! Just like with Galina!”

The insane laugh that came from inside Rofia’s house was cut off sharply as half the wall burst outwards. Glancing back, the Enclave power armor easily shrugged off the debris as Microburst smashed right through. Fuck, this wasn’t like Galina, this was going to be much worse.

Torquing my wings, I extended my forehooves and pitched down hard. Another pair of high pitched shots flew over my head, followed by yet another laugh. With my speed picking up quite quickly, I looked around for anything I could use to break line of sight.

The separate levels of Terrace were tempting, but the ponies still wandering the streets meant collateral damage would be too risky. Glancing at the central winding stairwell, there wasn’t enough space in the center of it to give me room to maneuver. Fuck, all that left was open air where time wouldn’t end up in my favor!

“Run all you want, little bird!” Microburst’s amplified voice sent a line of fear coursing through me. “You’ll die all the same for what you’ve done to me!” What the fuck did I do!?

Glancing up at the compass in my vision, I could see her red marker still lined up as being right behind me. Another pair of orange shots streaked through the air just under me. They sailed forward, striking the sheet metal roof of a building on the first level of Terrace and burning a hole right through it.

Twisting my wings, I rolled to the left and pulled away from the buildings. It didn’t take long until I’d flown out over the forested valley hills below. My mind raced through everything I could do with it. If I could fly down between the branches like I had the first time I came down…

Another pair of orange streaks dipped just over my wing. Again, it was close enough that I could feel the heat of the shots. It was right about now that I missed having the option of some sort of submachine gun with me. But even so, it wasn’t going to do anything against power armor. No, my best bet was to get close with my grenades. Looking down at the trees, I needed to make a judgement call.

Fuck it. I was fast running out of altitude and options, and the trees were going to do more to slow me than to help. Torquing my wings again, I brought myself back around to the ground level of Terrace. The different streets and towers of cargo containers would be better protection for both me and the random citizens, and they’d help funnel Microburst down towards the ground.

As I aimed for the closest gap in the lines of containers, the targeting info I’d had in the train fight came up. The lines that stretched from where I was to the ground showed me where each of my six grenades would hit if I trigger them. Spotting a slightly off center container with a few ponies sitting against it, if I could time the release of a grenade for just when Micro was about to fly over it…

Without my consent, my harness gave out a stiff click as one of my grenades dropped away far too early.

The red line that had belonged to it drifted down under me and out of sight, and I immediately flared my wings to slow down. Few of the ponies on the ground level of Terrace had noticed me quickly coming down toward them, and only one I could see had noticed the grenade swiftly hitting the ground behind me.

The loud crack the blast gave off however, sent all the ponies down here into a frantic panic. The strip of muddy ground I’d planned to land myself on became a nightmare of running ponies. Fuck, they just needed to clear a path just wide…

Micro’s novasurge rifles fired again, and only one bolt streaked past me. The other clipped the tip of my right wing, and instantly my feathers caught on fire. I cried out as reflex alone caused me to sharply pull my wings in, and I let out a single gasp as my harness did it’s best to help my momentum as I arched down to the ground.

The world turned grey as it had done the dozens of times I’d crashed and rolled before now. The small pony in the corner of my augmented vision flashed up the message Medical Attention Required repeatedly as I skidded and bounced through the mud. It wasn’t until the heavy thud of me coming to a stop against one of the stacked containers that I knew I’d finished crashing.

The panicked murmurs and quick hoofsteps of the citizens who’d stayed around, turned into horrified gasps as the sound of heavy wing beats filtered through the air nearby. My mind was still doing loops, but I tried to do my best to push myself up onto my side. As soon as I did, another booming laugh came through Micro’s helmet as she landed just a hoof’s reach away from me.

“Oh, I’d expected so much more from the ‘Survivor’.” She spat through her facemask, while the glow from behind her mask ebbed unnaturally with each word. “The stories paint you as some titan, but you’re just a little filly who has no idea what she’s doing.” Her bladed tail snaked its way above her back as she folded her armored wings.

Was she stupid? Did she expect me to stay on the ground? Why… no, she wanted me to try to fly again!

My augmented vision flickered for a moment, bringing up the grenade trajectories again. It gave me an idea that was risky, but I didn’t really have time for anything else. Pushing my wings open slightly, I turned myself like I was going to fly again. Predictably, it made Micro flare her own wings just enough that they didn’t obstruct her sides.

Release.

That’s all I thought as instead of jumping up, I threw myself down in the mud toward her. The click from my grenade harness was lost behind my grunt and a push from my forehooves. With a hope and a prayer to Celestia that this worked, I threw my shoulder forward at her.

She had definitely been an Enclave mare, only hopping over me for long enough to ensure that she kept the altitude advantage on me. And with the fact I hadn’t taken flight, we’d basically traded places. And just as I’d hoped, she came down right where I’d been in the mud. Right on top of my grenade.

As soon as I’d recovered from my lunge, I kicked myself as far up and back as I could. This wouldn’t be enough, but all I needed to do was to put some distance between her and me. Again, another prayer to Celestia...

The sharp pop as the grenade went off under her filled my ears with a short lived ringing. The small pony in my vision flashed as more medical warnings tried to tell me about all the bits of shrapnel that I couldn’t feel but were probably stuck in me. As I came back down from my jump, my rear hoof gave out under me and dropped me back into the mud.

So long as I’d gotten the bitch, then whatever was wrong with me was worth it.

“F-FUCK!” The rage filled scream pushed through the ringing in my ears. It kickstarted my drive to stand back up again, and I quickly turned my gaze up to find that Micro was still alive… well, mostly.

The blast had blown her helmet and the armor under her barrel to hell, as well as torn both her wings right off. But what stared back at me through the smoking and sparking power armor wasn’t the pegasus I’d expected to see. No, what stared back was nothing more than a skeleton held together by some rotten sinew and a sort of fowl glowing magic. A pressurized tank leaked out a thick cloud of rancid looking heavier-than-air gas from where it sat bolted inside her cracked and glowing rib cage.

So that is what Rot can do to a pony...

“You’re fucking dead, bitch!” Micro’s voice came from the glowing skull, and her ebbing eye sockets burned brighter than ever as she held them on me. With stiff steps that made her exposed bones creak heavily, she started to move toward me. The advanced Enclave armor was already starting to patch itself up, allowing her to pick up the pace of each step.

If I was going to kill her, if it was even possible with the state she was in, I needed to do it now.

Release. I thought again, feeling as my harness dropped another grenade into the mud. With a hop back, I brought my forehoof around and kicked it at her. Unfortunately, my rear hoof gave out again as I did, and the grenade sailed high towards the containers.

It went off with another crack, blasting a nice pony-sized hole in them and finally convincing those who’d stuck around to scream and flee. Good, no other casualties then. It really was just down to me, and her.

The trigger bit for her helmet reformed under her boney jaw, and I could almost swear I saw her bare grin widen.

“Guess it’s game over for you.” She hissed before giving an excited bite on the bit. Sparks shot from her mangled Novasurge rifles as they twisted and bent from the repair magic still working to patch them up. It gave her pause, but only for a moment. “Oh well, now we’ll get to do this the fun way.” She let out another giddy laugh while the armor’s bladed tail rose up behind her.

As I pushed myself to try to get back to my hooves, I painfully realized that my rear hoof just wasn’t going to listen anymore. Fuck! My grenade trick wasn’t going to work now that she was wingless. I needed more distance. No, what I needed was more time.

“What’s... your fucking problem anyway?” I spat out as I used my forehooves to scoot myself back through the mud. It wasn’t much slower than she was staggering over, but if I could get her monologuing, then maybe she’d slow herself down for me. “Why do you hate the Survivor so much? What did I ever do to you.”

“It’s because bitches like you and the Lightbringer think you’re so much better than the rest of us.” She forced a laugh that couldn’t cover up the clicking her jaw bones made against her skull. Worse, was as she spoke, her armor finished sealing her barrel up again, and had already started to patch up the legs. “You think you can just do what you want, when what you really need is a reality check. This just in; you’re just as bad as the rest of the wastes, cunt!”

“That’s rich, coming from a drug addict who hides inside her armor and can’t even protect her boss!” Pushing myself back again, I did my best to flash up my own grin across my muzzle. Come on, get pissed off already. Give me an opening to work with.

“Please, filly, you think I give a shit that Rofia’s dead? I’ll find a new fucking Rot dealer.” She shuddered mid-step as the armor on her rear hooves sealed up, and the powered mechanisms that assisted walking kicked back in. “You killed my mother, and you killed my sister. That is why you get to die.” Wait, what!? “Oh, you act surprised, but you don’t feel anything for them, do you? I hadn’t expected you’d remember the face of everypony who you murdered in Destruction Bay. You think killing Rofia is going to hit me after that? What does she matter when all I have to do is kill you and watch as everything you’ve worked towards comes tumbling down?”

“Again, says the mare who’s lost everything, including her equinity.” I forced through the snarling grin I wore. Again, I shoved myself back in the mud, only to have my wings and back press against the cold exterior of one of the containers. Shit.

“Well, in about ten seconds, I’ll still be alive. Which will be more than you’ll have going for you.” Her jawbone creaked as her foreleg armor finished repairing, and again, she took a shuddering step forward. With a short hop, she closed the rest of the distance between us. The bladed tail behind her flicked up over the side of her head, and I knew what was going to come next. She let out a sharp scream as she drove the blade forward.

Release.

The sharp snap of my harness couldn’t be hidden, but it was somewhat lost as I did my best to roll out of the tails way and over my grenade. The sharp screech of sheet metal being torn by her tail filled the air as I wrapped the small explosive tightly in my fetlock. With a scream, I put all my weight on my prosthetic leg and used it to help spin me back to face her.

With all the force I could muster, I thrust my forehoof forward and shoved the small grenade between her skull and her bony jaw. Letting it go, the small explosive rolled down into her mostly empty and freshly repaired armor. She let out a laugh as her tail came back around at me. It moved so fast that it was only a flash of metal I’d barely even had a chance to see.

My augmented vision fuzzed and died as the blade pushed effortlessly straight through my body. The bloody metal tip of it pushed out the other side of me, and right then is when everything hurt again. I screamed as incredible, debilitating pain tore through my entire body.

“Just DIE!” She screamed at me as the tail lifted me right up out of the mud. Another scream left my muzzle, echoing down the rows of containers. I’d hardly had time to process it in my own mind before the grenade went off.

Microburst disappeared, as did the rest of the world. All I could feel was cold as I fell into an endless dark void. It was the same familiar darkness I’d felt all too many times before. And as my entire being adjusted to it, I knew that the worst thing about it, was that I wasn’t alone.

“Welcome home, Night.” Solomon’s voice echoed through the darkness, repeating endlessly as I let out my own scream into the void.

“No, you’re supposed to be fucking gone now.” My mind was racing. How… how could he be back? Why was he back!?

Unless…

The last minute of my life replayed like a bad dream.

I’d already been hurt before she stabbed me, and then… the grenade….

“That’s right, you’re DEAD, Night!” Solomon’s mirth filled voice painfully made me feel like my head was being torn apart again and again. “So settle in, because we’ve got a long time yet together. An ETERNITY, even!”

“No, no, no! This… this isn’t happening!” I could feel my heart racing, my lungs struggling to get enough air as I went to full on panic mode. Tears streamed down my cheeks and muzzle as it all started to sink in. I couldn’t… I didn’t want to be…

But as the darkness persisted, and Solomon’s laugh never left, I started to realize that maybe… he was right. I was really gone, wasn’t I? Which meant I’d never see Buck or Hispano again. Ever.

Breaking down, I just let go. Solomon’s laughs, as much as they hurt, were pushed away. In their place my own sobs filled the darkness as every regret I ever had, made itself known. I mourned for Buck, for Hispano. But most of all, I did what anypony would, and mourned for myself.

I don’t know how long I’d been crying in the darkness, but at some point, Solomon had stopped laughing. I’d worked through exactly none of the sorrow I felt when I realized something. I could feel my legs again, my wings...

Forcing open my eyes, I found myself curled up on the floor outside of our old cloud apartments. My long mane had drooped over my matted muzzle, and I sniffled as I lifted a hoof to brush it aside. A wave of confusion washed over me as I looked around, blinking sharply as a set of midnight blue hooves stood at my side. Looking up, the slitlike yellow eyes of the alicorn next to me cast a judgmental gaze at me.

“You really are foalish.” Lilac Lace’s voice forced more disdain and disappointment through it than both my mother and Delilah combined ever could have. “I thought you’d understood, and yet, here you are again.” Lifting her hoof, she pointed to the pony-tall mirror that appeared in front of me. Looking into it as I had the first time she’d shown it to me, again, I found it completely blurred. “You’ve made it so far, and yet, you still can’t see who you really are.”

“I’ve… been trying.” My meek voice sounded… strange to me. It was the voice I’d had at the time of this all, but… I hadn’t had it in these visions before.

“Liar.” Lilac’s sharp tone literally knocked me through the floor, and again I found myself falling through the open blue skies.

I flared my wings open as I had the last time I’d done this, and then promptly remembered what came next. Twisting them, I rolled out of the way just fast enough to avoid Lilac’s dive, and watched as she punched right through the cloud below.

“Good!” She called out to me as she looped back around. The moment she’d passed another cloud however, she disappeared completely. I waited for her to come from the other side, but she never emerged. “But not good enough!” She shouted as like a freight train, she slammed into my back and propelled me down onto that same cloud again. “Pay attention.” She snarled as she lowered her glowing horn and tapped it against my forehead.

“Are you literally kidding me with this, Lilac?” The voice of a distraught mare made my world go hazy. With an annoyed huff in my ear, I felt somepony grip around my foreleg and tug it hard. It forced the world to resolve, and I was staring up at a gorgeous unicorn mare in what looked to be a half completed dress. Her pale olive coat had a luxurious sheen to it that matched the luster of her intricately styled light gray mane. “What have I told you about watching that, that… garbage.”

The mare huffed and dragged me off of the plush seat I’d been on. Against my will, I was taken on a trip through some sort of house. Not even an old house like you’d find in the wasteland. Everything looked… new.

My head turned, watching as the black and white image of a movie drifted away around the corner of a short hallway. My muzzle emitted a whimper as even the noises of the movie drifted off, and I was thrown to the floor of a small pink walled bedroom. I tumbled along the cold hardwood floor, sliding to a stop with a sharp cry.

“Do you understand what mommy does, Lilac?” The cold and almost detached tone from the mare was as sharp as a knife.

“You make dresses.” I spoke softly, but it wasn’t my voice. It was an odd feeling, but I think I was experiencing this memory through Lilac. “But I don’t want to make dresses like you!”

“Which is fine honey.” The mare offered a soft smile as she leaned against the doorway and used her magic to force a set of sparkling crystal shoes onto her forehooves. “But Mommy would literally rather die than ever see you in one of those horrible Applewood movies with their gaudy costumes. Do you understand me, Lilac? I don’t want you watching anymore of those silly movies. They’ve filled your head with enough bad ideas as is.”

“Yes, mama.” I nodded as tears welled up in my eyes. The moment the mare walked around the corner, I sobbed. Well, not me, but I sobbed all the same.

It wasn’t my feelings, but I could feel what she felt in that moment. Humiliation, anger, regret. With everything that I was, with everything Lilac was, I knew her mother was wrong. Lilac had been destined for the silver screen, she belonged there, no matter what her mother said.

“Good, you understand.” Lilac spoke up from the doorway where her mother had been. I blinked and watched as her towering alicorn form revealed itself, and the whole room around me dissolved into blank, white clouds. Looking down at my forehooves, I was me again. “For years I lived under the shadow of my mother. I was almost passed off as a joke in Applewood because of her. What could I, the daughter of the great fashion mogul Lily Lace, ever know about acting.” She snarled, bearing the pointed teeth that lined her slender muzzle. “But even then I knew who I was. And yet, it seems you still do not know who you are.”

“I accepted being Bombay! I did exactly what you wanted me to!” I shook my head and flailed my forehooves. “I understood that I wanted to help ponies, that I needed to own up to that and embrace it through Bombay!”

“Yes, it was the next step, but you’ve failed to move on.” With a flash of her horn, she made my old battle saddle appear out of thin air before throwing it at me. “Are you Night Flight!?” I stepped out of the way just in time for another flash of her horn. With it, my jump pack appeared, which again she threw at me. “Are you Bombay?” I was a bit too slow in reacting, and whined as the heavy pack nailed me right in the head. Still, I did my best to recover. “Or are you the Survivor now!?”

With a final flash of her horn, she materialized a whole lot more than just my current saddle. The blasted husk of the Architect, the corpses of Mr. Wizard, Rofia, and Hardcase, as well as a whole Cordite tank floated in her magic. With a scream, she threw them at me.

“Fuck you!” With my own scream, I kicked off from the cloud with alarming force. I only heard the gasp she made before I slammed my hoof right against her fucking muzzle. “Enough games! Just fucking tell me what you need to, or leave me the fuck alone!”

With a flash of magic, the whole world warped, and I found myself sitting, staring at the mirror in our old apartment complex again. I could feel the pain from my accumulated injuries, the suction of my prosthetic on my stump, and I could see the fuzzy overlay from my augmented eye. Sitting in front of me in the mirror wasn’t the me I’d become, rather, it was the me I’d been that day. The green eyes that looked back at me weren’t afraid of what I’d become, rather, I could watch as some sort of realization went through my eyes.

“Woah…” The younger me spoke up, leaning closer to his side of the mirror. He moved his forehoof up to touch the mirror, and I felt compelled to do the same. “What the hell happened to us?”

“Terrible things.” I answered him with a sigh. “Things… don’t go so well for you in a few years.”

“Well, we’re still alive, right?” The younger me smirked as his naive eyes wandered over my current body. “Hey, if you’re me from the future, do we ever get a Coltfriend?”

“Not… exactly?” I couldn’t fight the smile that crept across my muzzle. Even with the absurdity of talking to myself like this, that was the one good thing that had come from all of this. “Let’s just say, you do find one hell of a guy… and one amazing gal.”

“A mare?” The younger me almost looked disgusted. “I gotta say, I didn’t see that coming for us.”

“She’s not a mare, exactly, but… I do love her.” I let out a soft laugh as both of us slumped back against the walls behind us.

“What about friends? Do we finally get some who don’t care about our… you know… flight problem?” Again, the look in his eyes was like a fire had been lit behind them. Celestia, if I’d had that look when I’d been where he is, maybe things wouldn’t have ended up this way.

“Yeah, we’ve got plenty of friends. Family too.” I smirked and nodded to him, making his muzzle part with the young grin I myself hadn’t really worn that much in my life at that point. Still, it was only fair that I told him the other half of it too. “We’ve… lost more than a few of them though.”

“Yeah, but what you’re saying is… we’re finally popular! Nice.” He seemed to take the fact that I’d told him half the friends he’d make were dead, and he took it completely in stride. Not only that, but he’d gotten the wrong impression from it.

“No, you misunderstand. We aren’t popular. The ‘Survivor’? Now she’s as popular as we always wanted… to...” With a huff, I let the words roll off of my tongue. But it was only now that I’d said them that I’d actually understood them.

Lilac was right, I’d settled for being the Survivor over being myself. Everything I’d done may have been the right thing, but I’d done them for the wrong reasons. It was because I’d embraced being the Survivor that I’d started to hide in her. She wasn’t real, she never was, because she’s just... me.

The mirror rippled like a puddle, and the younger me changed. When it calmed again, what was staring back at me, was well… me. Scars, flaws, everything.

“Acting is a skill just like any other.” Lilac’s voice came from beside me, and I watched in the mirror as both she and her reflection stepped into view. “And sometimes we get so lost in what we’re good at, that we forget who we were before we started. That pony becomes just another character we play, one which we tend to shuffle away for as long as we can leave it be.” With another ripple, the Lilac in the mirror faded away, leaving the middle aged unicorn I’d seen on the silver screen. “I know the road has been tough for you, Night Flight. But I could see myself in you, even in the short time you were up in Klondike. What I’m about to say, I’ve never told anypony else, not even Mother. Many years ago, I made the mistake of losing myself in one role after another, pushing out everyone else in my life who my characters wouldn’t appreciate. And because I made that mistake, I lost something more precious than any award, fame, or paycheck could ever replace.”

Again, the mirror changed, but when it resolved, it was like I was back in her memory, looking up at her mother at the door.

“I told myself, never again. Nopony else, no crew pony, no understudy... no one should lose who they are in this world to the point that they forget what’s truly important.” The mirror rippled once more, and in it, I could see both Buck and Hispano. “They don’t need Bombay or the Survivor to be happy, and neither does the wasteland for that fact. The only pony that matters to anyone in your life, is Night Flight.”

Looking up to the intimidating, beautiful, and somber looking alicorn next to me, I knew she was right. With a leap, I wrapped my hooves around her and gave her a tight hug.

“Thank you, Lilac.” I squeezed her tightly, making her stiffen up a bit. I understood that her appearance probably meant she didn’t get many hugs, but I didn’t care.

“The capacity for ponies to be better lies in all of us.” She offered as she slowly relaxed, wrapping a forehoof around my back lightly. “But it’s you, Night Flight, who can bring it out of us and show us the way. Not Bombay, and not the Survivor. Just you.”

Her words sent an electric tingle down my spine, and I couldn’t help but smile up at her.

But as I did, I winced as a bright light stung at my eyes. Lifting my forehoof to block it, incredible pain flared up through my whole body. With a whimper, the buzzing of fluorescent lights above me filled the air, and I looked down at my leg to see a few IV lines trailing out of it.

Oh goddesses, what the fuck...

“Woah woah, easy there…” Buck’s soft voice made my mind do a loop. “How are you feeling, Night?”

“Everything hurts.” I whimpered as I flopped back down onto whatever couch I was laying on. Everything was an understatement. There were pains in parts of me I hadn’t even known existed until today. “I was just… dreaming, I think…” Still, I just needed to distract myself from the pain of being alive, because I was still alive.

“I’m not surprised. You suffered enough trauma that the inhibitor overloaded, and your whole augment had to shut off to keep it from overheating.” Buck’s mechanical paws softly ran down my body, ending up gripping around my forehoof tightly. “But what matters is that you’re okay.”

“What about Hispano?” Reaching up with my other forehoof, I placed it firmly on his warm chest. “Celestia, what about Happy!? Is he alright?” While it was nice to know I wasn’t dead, the fact was that it didn’t matter unless they were alright.

“Hispano is fine. She’s with Cora, talking with the Federation authorities about what happened.” Buck sighed, shifting his paw up to grab my forehoof. “Happy… well, he’s recovering on the Arcturus for now. I… couldn’t do much more for him than Cora already had.”

“But he’s alive, and that’s all that matters, right?” I asked him, getting a soft nod in return.

Well, that was at least one load off my shoulders for now. With a sigh, I figured that I’d finally try and find out where we were. However, the moment I looked toward the door that sat across the room, I spotted an all too familiar Saddle Arabian Prince smiling at us. In his grip, was the massive rifle he’d used to shoot the convoy.

“I told you, you can’t get away from me, Night!” He laughed, hoisting up his rifle to me.

With a light touch on my head from Buck’s paw, the form of Solomon fuzzed and dissolved into static that faded with a lightly fizzing ‘pop’.

“There.” Buck’s soft tone preempted him leaning forward and planting a kiss on my forehead. “Your hallucination inhibitor is working again,” Shifting myself on the couch slightly with a relieved nod, pain erupted from my side. “but... it’s still going to be some time before the pain suppressor can be reactivated fully without immediately overloading again.”

“Got it…” I groaned as I craned my neck and looked at my barrel. New blood stained bandages ran almost the length of me, as did more than a dozen new, but admittedly tiny scars. From the shrapnel alone, enough small mottled bits of missing coat covered my backside that I looked closer to Galina’s spotted cat-half than a pony’s flank. But nothing new was missing, and that was more than I could ask for from a fight like that.

Looking around again, I found that I was in some sort of break room or lounge. A few other couches sat dotted about, and the far wall held cupboards and a small kitchen in it. A billiards table and ping pong table sat not too far away, and the door I’d spotted before was designed like a ship’s bulkhead.

“Wait, where… are we?” I asked as I perked my ears and listened. A familiar hum ran through the walls of this place, one I’d pushed to the back of my mind earlier. “Are we in the crew lounge of on one of the Enclave cloudships?”

“That’s right, we’re on the Albedo.” Buck smiled as he carefully leaned down and scooped me up with minimal pain caused to me. “I have to say that’s some pretty good intuition, Night! The infirmary is currently in use by a few expecting mares...” The pain made me cry out into his fuzzy chest, but the fact that he held me close was almost worth it. After a moment, the pain ebbed down to dull enough levels that I could pull my face from his fur. “Sorry, I’ll try to be gentle, but the Admiral and Laika wanted to speak with you as soon as you were up.”

“I guess we have some explaining to do.” With a sigh, I tried my best to remember that Lilac had proven that I couldn’t hide behind a name anymore. And as such, I forced myself to correct my statement. “Just me, actually. I have some explaining to do.”

“You know, she’s lucky that the ponies of Terrace respect the Survivor enough to have saved her life.” The obnoxiously blue mare in an Enclave navy dress uniform may have held a neutral look across her muzzle, but she sure didn’t mince words. “If you ask me, after murdering two citizens herself, and being an accessory to the murder of the mayor, I think I would have rather let her die.”

“Dah, but even during the war, things were not so simple. And… the people love a hero. It is no surprise they came together to help Night.” Laika huffed as she rapped her paws across the jet black conference table just outside the C.I.C. for the Albedo. “You have reviewed the evidence turned over by their ship, yes? Rofia and Gadget were breaking Federation law.”

“Yes, but that gives her no right to be judge, jury, and executioner.” The blue mare slammed her hoof on the table. “With all due respect, Sky Marshal, we agreed to form the Federation because society needs order, not vigilante justice from a mare whose integrity is being judged by stories heard on the radio!”

“You’re wrong. It’s not just from the radio, Admiral.” Captain Raychaser spoke up as she appeared at the door to the conference room. Her muzzle twisted into a smile as I looked over to her from in Buck’s arms, but the moment she looked at the others, she dropped back to a neutral expression. “As you know, I requested that she try to help improve the lives of those in the Federation in exchange for the location of the Envoy’s boss. While I for one can’t say if he’s as bad as the radio makes him out to be, you have to admit that Night Flight might be a viable ally should he cause trouble. Plus, Night’s actions in compliance with my request have left the Federation better off by exposing the corruption we missed. That should be enough to prove her integrity.”

“Wait, what does she mean Envoy with a bad reputation?” Buck stiffened up as his crystal clear voice came into my head through my augment. “Does she mean…?”

“Yes, Solomon and Rook are here. And we’ll deal with them soon.” I thought back to him, giving a soft nod.

“So you are taking responsibility for her actions then, Captain?” The Admiral growled as she tented her hooves on the table.

“With all due respect, Admiral Blue Cross...” Tail End spoke up as he stepped past Raychaser into the room. “Your mother, Admiral Grand Cross, would have submitted Night Flight for a medal of valor had she exposed such corruption in the Enclave. And in that case, Rofia and Gadget’s fates would have then been the same. No trial, just Dashite protocol or summary execution...”

“Decided by a committee, mind you, not a single mare.” Blue Cross spoke through her teeth as her eyes shifted from Tail, to Raychaser, to Laika. “But I can see I’m the minority here. If it is your wish to pardon the mare, Sky Marshal, then so be it. Simply know that the next time this happens, I expect you to abide by and follow the laws agreed upon by the Federation council.”

“Dah, your point is noted.” Laika nodded to her before giving a sigh and looking up at me. “I am sorry that you were drawn into all this, Night. I am… embarrassed to say that I could not see Rofia’s actions for what they were, and I will attempt to be more vigilant in the future.”

“Yes, now, about that future.” Admiral Blue Cross leaned back in her chair with a frown. “With the deaths of Rofia and Gadget, there are now substantial power gaps in both Terrace and Sanctuary that could end up becoming a much bigger problem for the Federation the longer they are left unfilled.”

“If I may make a suggestion...” I found myself speaking up without really knowing if I should suggest what I was about to. “There’s a ghoul in Sanctuary named Ammon. I know he won’t want a job that puts him in the spotlight, but I think he’s got a good grip on what’s right for their future.”

“Right, the changeling ghoul.” The admiral spoke with a note of disgust to her voice. “Well, he does at least seem competent enough to keep the zombies in check.”

“You… know?” I gasped. How the fuck did she know!?

“Dah, thanks to you.” Laika chuckled before pointing up to her head. “Where do you think we got the evidence against Gadget and Rofia from?”

“Oh, did you not want me to have sent them that footage, Captain?” Eliza’s voice came through my head with a soft pop of static. “After Miss Hispano and her father removed Rofia’s jamming device from the tower, I made a judgement call on giving the Federation your point of view of the incident, as well as the incident with the train.”

“No, that’s… fine.” I grunted. Again, while it was nice to have the ability to see again, one of these days this whole headpiece of mine was going to get me into a bit of trouble it wouldn’t be able to get me out of again…

“And about the position of mayor…” Tail End offered hesitantly, stiffening himself up and preparing himself for what I’m sure would be a leap of faith for him to take. “I suggest you consider Captain Raychaser.” Or… for him to take on behalf of the Captain, I guess.

“Really gunning for that promotion, are we, Tail?” Captain Raychaser smirked as she shot him an incredulous look.

“Look, the citizens of Terrace won’t ever listen to anyone who used to be an Enclave soldier.” Tail End rubbed at his mane nervously, glancing up at the Admiral and Laika. “But, Raychaser wasn’t a soldier, and she knows how to run a tight ship, how to keep a bunch of ‘civvies’ in line and productive. I don’t know if she’s the best choice, but I know that if you stick her down there, she’ll have the place running like clockwork by the time winter rolls around.”

“An interesting choice.” The Admiral nodded to herself, scratching under her muzzle with her forehoof. “Given the Captain’s records, I can’t say I disagree with your recommendation. I could see Captain Raychaser performing the job of Mayor quite effectively.” Turning to Laika, she cocked her eyebrow expectantly. “What do you say, Sky Marshal?”

“Niet. While I myself like Captain Raychaser, these decisions are for the council to make, not me.” With a sigh that made her crane her neck enough to make it let out a soft pop, she relaxed slightly. “Set up an emergency meeting of the Council and propose the candidates for both Sanctuary and Terrace. Let me know their decisions by the end of the day.”

“At once, Sky Marshal.” Admiral Cross nodded before putting her hooves on the table and pushing herself out of her chair. “If that will be all then?” Looking over to the Sky Marshal, she got a small nod from Laika as she relaxed in her chair. “You will hear from me again shortly.” Turning to Raychaser and Tail End, she nodded and pointed toward the door. “If you would, Captain, Lieutenant Commander?”

The three of them filed out of the room, leaving me alone with Buck and Laika. No sooner had the door to the CIC briefing room closed than Laika had hopped up in her chair. With a quick jump, she again hopped up onto the table and walked over towards Buck and I.

“You told me that it wasn’t all bad down here, Night, and you were right.” She sighed as she stood at the center of the table and crossed her paws. “But I’ll be damned if some days don’t try their hardest to make me forget that.”

“Tell me about it.” I sighed hard enough that the pain in my side flared up. I let a whine slip through my muzzle as I shifted in Buck’s grasp.

“I have considered your request for modifying the broadcast antenna.” Laika’s words made me freeze up. “I have decided that so long as you disclose the modifications to us, you may proceed with them. And...” I could see that something was weighing heavily on her right now. “Because you helped the Federation with Rofia, if you need anything else from us, don’t hesitate to ask.”

While that was a generous offer, what more could they offer to us? I’d gotten approval for the tower, I’d learned that my dad was still alive, and…

“I need complete access to the archives on these ships.” I spat out, making Laika freeze up like I just had. “There’s a code we need deciphered, and the answer might be in there.”

“A code?” Laika scrunched up her muzzle before looking between Buck and I. “It is funny you should ask. The Envoy has requested we help them with a code as well, and I suspect it is the same one.”

“It is.” I nodded to her. “However, while I know your search for them is taking longer than expected, once the broadcast modification is done, I might have a way to speed it up by a good bit.”

“Mmmm, you hear that? Don’t touch that dial, because what you are hearing is not a test. That’s right, this is DJ PowerColt, bringing you the sweet sweet sounds of the tunes that will keep you dancing all night long, wastelanders. Thanks to some help from a little mare known as the Survivor, Factory Radio is now gracing the airwaves all the way from Klondike to Vanderhoof. So relax and get those hooves kicking, because Factory radio is manufacturing new beats and tunes daily! And to those cool cats specifically in the newly formed Spectrum Federation, this next song goes out to all of you. Keep on surviving, wastelanders! And most of all, keep on dancing.”

While it was going to still be awhile before I could dance again, it was good to hear the DJ’s voice over the airwaves. Ram tapped her hoof to the beat of the song that started up as she worked at the terminal to the Archive. While I’m glad she was enjoying herself as she prepped things, what wasn’t exactly nice to hear, was Ping’s apprehension to give us a bit of a hoof here.

“As I explained, Night, what you are asking for is the equivalent of using a cloudship sized electromagnet to search for a needle in a haystack.” His tone was relaxed, but for some reason I got the impression that he wasn’t exactly happy I’d reached out when I did. “It’s not that, Night. While I know that you and the others ‘miss me’, it is simply not a task you require my assistance with.”

“Then what do you suggest we do?” I groaned and looked up to Buck, who seemed equally at a loss as he held me cradled in one of his mechanical arms.

“What?” Ram shook her head and turned around to us.

“They’re not talking to you.” Hispano cooed as she pointed up to the side of her head. “They’re talking in here.”

“The Factory microprocessor inside Buck’s augments should have plenty of spare computational power to solve your simple search problem.” Ping remarked as if it should have been common knowledge.

“Yeah, that’s great Ping, but I can’t exactly connect like you can.” Buck laughed and held his free paw up toward the machine. “Even if I could, I wouldn’t have the slightest idea of where to start!”

“Why would you not simply use the dataspike we installed in your right forepaw and search for the keyterm? It was designed to be compatible with all Enclave cloud computer mainframes should this sort of occasion arise.” Again, Ping said that as if it should have been something we knew. And almost as those words had entered Buck and I’s heads, part of Buck’s free forepaw hinged down, and an incredibly sharp looking spike extended outwards.

“Oh, you’ve got a dataspike!” Ram gasped as she blinked at the large chrome apparatus. “That’s... terrifying, but okay! Not going to look a gift pony in the face...” Spinning herself back to the console, she hammered in a few codes and a hatch on the end of the large machine lifted up. “Just… stick it into the input slot and give it a clockwise twist to lock it.”

“Dah.” Laika nodded as she walked closer to Buck’s paw, keenly inspecting the metal spike. “Your body never stops amazing me, Doctor Buck.” While a normal pony might have felt a twinge of jealousy at that, I couldn’t do anything but agree with her. Plus, Buck was amazing in more ways that I think she’d ever know…

Unless of course that ‘examination’ she gave earlier ended up much like the time Buck spent with Holly...

Pushing that to the back of my mind, I tried to focus on the here and now. With careful steps, Buck walked around to where the panel had opened up. The newly exposed port was a simple, flat plate with a single hole for the spike. Not sure what I’d really expected, but at least something more ‘tech’ looking than that. Slowly, Buck brought his paw around and lined it up with the hole.

“Is he always this slow in the bedroom?” Hispano’s voice in my ear made me jump, which made my insides feel like it was on fire again. I let out a yelp as I pushed myself further into Buck’s fluff. Goddess damnit, Hispano… “Oh shit, Dum Dum! I didn’t mean to startle you.” While her gasp didn’t do anything to help with the pain, at the very least it reminded me that she hadn’t meant to hurt me.

With a thick snap of electricity, Buck plunged the spike into the hole and twisted his paw. There was a heavy thump from inside the machine as whatever physical mechanism locked the spike in there. My vision flickered, and a whole lot of code I couldn’t understand ran down in front of me.

“Hey, Night? You there, buddy?” Happy groaned out into my head.

“He said that it was imperative that he speak with you.” Eliza chimed in before I could answer. “I will relay your voice to the infirmary, Captain.”

“Yeah, Happy, I’m here.” I spoke up.

“I need to tell you, Solomon… is here.” He let out a rough grunt that reminded me all too much of the pain currently coursing through my own body.

“I know, we found out as well. Trust me, we’ll get to dealing with him soon enough.” I spoke up, giving a look to Hispano that she seemed to understand. “However, we’re trying to see if we can figure out the code from the book first.”

“Alright, that’s cool. Sorry I’m not there right now.” Happy forced out a laugh through the pain. “And sorry I went after that cat chick alone. But when I learned she was workin’ with Solomon, I…”

“It’s okay, Happy. I’m just glad you’re alive...” I offered to him, pausing as the scrolling code flickered away from my vision. Instead, down at the bottom of my vision, a new message flashed up.

[Search Complete: One partial match recorded for B-1919+21 V42]

“Woah, whatever you did sure got that done quick!” Ram laughed from around the corner. “But… that’s weird. It’s a redacted file from within the Ministry of Awesome, but... it’s not even a military file. It’s civilian sector.”

“Open it.” Laika barked as she walked up next to Ram. With a flutter of her wings, even Hispano moved to see what was on the screen. Thankfully for Buck and I, the file popped up in our vision as Ram brought it up.

And yet, I still had no idea what I was looking at here…

“Volume forty two of the Red Bluff Bureau of Land Management.” Hispano pushed her tongue out of her beak as she screwed up her face. “It sure sounds dull enough to me to hide a clue in.”

“What did you find?” Happy asked with more than a note of hope in his voice. More than anything, after today and out of all of us, he needed a win.

“B-1919 is a lot of land to the south of the city of Tall Tale,” Ping’s voice was a surprise to hear again, but not an unwelcome one. “Purchased approximately six months after construction on the Ark began, it, along with twenty one additional adjacent lots, were awarded to Burro Industries after a mandatory two week waiting period.”

“So that’s it then. That’s where the Ark is.” I never thought I’d say it, but… I think we’d actually beaten Solomon!

“It is unlikely.” Ping’s voice was a harsh reality check for me. Because of course it wasn’t going to be that easy. "Navigational coordinates show that while the lot is within a respectable proximity of the western coastline, there are no water features on the terrain, or any building registered of sufficient size to house something the recorded size of the Ark."

“Okay, so maybe it isn’t there.” Buck let out a sigh filled with enough disappointment for the two of us. “Something tells me that Delilah’s family would never have let it be just that simple. It's just the next piece of the puzzle. That's all.”

“Yeah.” Happy’s disappointment was just as pronounced as ours. “But hey, Buck’s right. It’s another step in the right direction.”

“What happened to the property?” Hispano called over to us. While she wasn’t privy to most of our conversation, she was far too smart to have not figured this all out by sucking it up and quickly reading through the document. “If there’s no big building there, then what did Burro Industries do with the land?”

“Records show that the land deeds were left in a public records vault in Vanderhoof, and that the land remained unused through the end of the war.” Ping’s voice audibly emit through Buck’s jaw. “In fact, there are zero logged proposals by Burro Industries to develop the land in any capacity.” Wait, Delilah had said something about Vanderhoof a while back I think, about how we’d know more once we were there. Maybe it’s the next step?

“What about anything out of place at the same time we bought it?” Happy’s voice stuck me back into the conversation, but his hesitation told me that he had a hunch about something. “Ma’ once said that misdirection was business one-o-one, and she always had a funny feeling about the deeds that were left up in Vanderhoof, so maybe there’s a clue in something else around there.”

More code scrolled down the screen, making Ram huff out a frustrated grunt.

“What the fuck, I just lost control of the system!” She crossed her hooves and shot a glare over to us. “Your ‘friend’ better not break anything while he’s in there…”

“One moment.” Ping responded through Buck. “Records show another file redacted by the Ministry of Awesome for an incident around the same time. A ship carrying two hundred advanced mining ponytrons was reportedly lost at sea near the purchased plots during their transport between the Port of Applewood and Vanhoover. However, there is no record of a weather event at the time capable of sinking a vessel that size, so the M.O.A. ruled it an act of zebra sabotage.”

“Ships don’t just sink or disappear without anyone noticing.” Laika growled as she tapped her paw on the floor and tried to sort this out.

“They do when it comes to the Ark! It is there then!” Happy let out a laugh that swiftly turned to a pained groan.

“Again, improbable.” Ping flatly stated back at him.

“No, listen, we encased one ship in a block of ice to protect this code in the first place. What’s another ship sunk to hide if it helps keep the secret?” Happy spat out. “It’s there, I know it is. We just… have to figure out where.”

“What about geological surveys?” Hispano cooed out as it looked like a bulb went off behind her eyes. “The records here show it’s only a few kilometers off the coast, and the ship was carrying mining bots, right? Are there any geological records or surveys of the area from either the Equestrian government or Burro Industries? Maybe that’s something related to the next clue at least?”

“Inconclusive.” Ping replied quicker than I’d expected. “Factory copies of Burro Industry records show that geological surveys of the lots were never completed due to the accidental contamination of the local water table during testing…” Ping paused in a way that felt like he had to take a moment to look over the information again. “It... seems that the local groundwater was contaminated by an influx of saltwater. It is not a forgone conclusion to assume that there may be a sizable aquifer underneath the purchased Burro Industry land.”

“Dig a big enough hole on the coast, flood it, sail her inside, and seal her in!” I laughed as wide smiles parted all of our muzzles, and quickly found myself groaning as my side once more reminded me that I’d been stabbed earlier today.

“Exactly, no pony would even know there was a ship there!” Happy’s laugh likewise turned to a groan. “Fuck, Night, we… we found it!”

“This theory has merit, and carries a higher probability of being correct than any other current proposed solution.” Even though Ping was just a voice in my head at the moment, I could almost picture the beaming smile he too wore in the factory right now. “I would say that yes, this is indeed the correct location of the Ark.”

While I was confident that we’d indeed found it, something still didn’t fit right. Why did Delilah mention that we’d find something in Vanderhoof? Maybe she hadn’t expected we’d be able to put the pieces together here, but… the fact she’d tried to get Mr. Wizard’s eggheads to solve the puzzle told me that maybe there was more to this. Some part of the puzzle was still missing, and I’m betting we’d find it in that public records vault in Vanderhoof.

A slow clapping came from the bulkhead door, echoing oddly in the large room. Being cradled in Buck’s arm, I couldn’t turn myself to see who it was. But, from the way his mechanical eye shifted to a glowing red color as he looked with a deep growl, I had a feeling I knew who’d finally graced us with his presence.

“Bravo, simply marvelous work.” Solomon’s haughty voice was just as I remembered it. It was so on point that even though it hurt, I raised my hoof up to give a few taps at my metal headplate to make sure this wasn’t my inhibitor acting up again. “And here if you all would have simply worked with me from the beginning, then we could have avoided all that unpleasantness on the highway.”

“We should kill him right now.” Buck snarled, finally shifting enough that I could get my eyes on the bastard.

Wearing his fancy outfit like the last time I’d seen him, I was discouraged to see that he didn’t seem to have a mark on his muzzle from where I’d decked him. While he didn’t even turn his head to look at me, Rook wasn’t nearly as reserved as his master. The narrow glare he shot at me was joined with the lightest of smirks as he stood tall next to Solomon.

“I simply came to offer my condolences on the loss of your mayor, Sky Marshal. Nothing more.” With as much mirth as ever, his slender muzzle curled into a smile as he finally glanced our way. “I…” He paused when my eyes met his, and his muzzle shrank down to a restrained frown. “don’t appreciate being threatened when I have broken no laws, and have simply sought to wrap up our business, Sky Marshal.”

“I know neither side will agree with the other, but I am to be telling you...” Laika barked sharply as she shouted at all of us in the room. “There is to be no violence in the Federation. You may continue your fight elsewhere, but not in this city.” Oh, if it had been anyone but Laika asking for that, I’d have fucking taken whatever punishment they wanted to give, just to finally put him down. “Ponyal!?”

“Yes, Sky Marshal.” Hispano answered for us, lowering Suiza from her talons. Shit she’d been fast in readying her sister. Still, it hadn’t been fast enough.

“It is an agreeable notion.” Rook answered for Solomon with his normal neutral expression falling across his mustached muzzle. “However, with our business concluded, we will be leaving the Federation in short order. We thank you for your hospitality, Sky Marshal.”

“You’re just going to let him walk out of there!?” Happy practically screamed into Buck and I’s head. “Tell me that’s not what you’re doing, Night!”

“Our hooves are tied, Happy. I’m sorry.” I grumbled back to him, pulling Solomon’s attention to me. I could feel my soul twisting as his stupid fucking smile split his muzzle again.

“Oh, I’m so glad we ran into each other again. I never did get to thank you for the first bit of help you offered us.” Solomon carefully reached into his coat’s pocket, pulling out the familiar dangling silver dog tags that only made me want to run over there and smash his muzzle in even more. With a jingle, he let out a small laugh before slipping them back into his pocket. “Perhaps once we have the Ark, I’ll feel inclined to show you my gratitude by returning your trinket to you. Until then, do take care of yourself, Night Flight. It’s awfully dangerous on the roads ahead.” With a light wave of his hoof, he and Rook turned themselves around and headed for the bulkhead again. “Ta-ta!”

“You should have fucking killed him. You promised me, Night! You...” Happy growled into my ear before a burst of static cut him off.

“I apologize, Captain, but I think it would be best if Happy continues to rest now.” Eliza’s voice held an odd, almost remorse-like quality compared to it’s normal monotone sound. “I will return to overseeing ship repairs, and will be ready to respond if you require anything else from me.”

“Vysokomernyy arabskiy ublyudok!” Laika shouted at nopony in particular, kicking her paw on the floor as she growled. The translation in my vision was a bit slow, but eventually put the words ‘arrogant arabian bastard’ up for me.

“Nesomnenno.” Hispano nodded as she slung Suiza back around her again. “I know you don’t want violence, but do you know what that fucker did to us?”

“Dah.” Laika nodded as she looked at Buck with a look that I knew all too well. “I’m sorry, but I have been lenient enough with you all. I will not stop you if you wish violence upon them, however, I cannot protect you from the consequences this time.”

“That’s… fair.” I sighed and hung my head across Buck’s forearm. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for us, Laika.”

“No, thank you for reminding me that this wasteland isn’t the same as the home I left.” Laika smiled as she brought a paw around behind her neck and rubbed at it. “Guess I still have some adjusting to do after all.”

“Well, if there’s anything else you need from us…” I groaned as I shifted myself back into a more comfortable position in Buck’s arm. The sharp pains that shot through me were worth it though as I pressed myself back against his warm fuzzy chest. “Then... ask somepony else. I’m ready for another day off.”

“Dah, understandable!” Laika offered a short laugh. “But I hope you will come see me again before you leave. It may not be the same formula we used from my time in the program, but I owe you a drink of some real cosmodrome quality vodka.”

“So, is it true then? Did you used to drink rocket fuel back in the war?” Buck snorted as his jagged muzzle split into a grin. With a sharp twist, he pulled the metal spike out of the computer and let it slip back inside his paw. “Because I'd always thought those notes were a joke.”

“Niet! No joke!” Laika snorted as Buck slowly walked us over to her. “The hypergolics they started to use may have gotten me into space, but fuck if it led to some boring nights in the flight center. That vodka for the earlier engines was the cleanest burning fuel we ever had, in both taking us up, and in going down.”

“Seems pretty irresponsible if you ask me.” Hispano cooed as she gave a few flaps, coming down softly on Buck’s other outstretched paw. Carefully, he brought her close as well and let her sit in his arm next to me.

“Let me ask you,” Laika replied with a light giggle, “if you knowingly volunteered to be strapped to an experimental space rocket, would you want to be sober?”

“Only when working on it.” Hispano rolled her eyes with a huff.

“Dah! Then you understand!” Laika clapped her paws together. “From what Buck tells me of your intellect, then perhaps one day you would consider becoming the first griffon to go to space?”

“Nah, my dad would rather kill me than let me strap myself to a giant controlled explosion. He’s already worried enough when I’m on the inside of any vehicle.” With a dismissive wave of her talon, Hispano let out a yawn. “Besides, all I really want right now is a fucking nap.”

“Well, if you ever change your mind, we will still be here!” Laika called out to us as Buck maneuvered us out of the core systems room and back into the halls of the Raptor.

“Alright you two,” I sighed and nuzzled myself against both Buck and Hispano. “It’s been a long day. Let’s go home.”

Author's Notes:

As always, a huge thanks to TheFurryRailFan for helping to get things in order for release. Always a major help to have a second pair of eyes I can trust!

Of course, a big thanks to Kkat for getting this whole Fallout: Equestria party started as well!