It continued raining after the battle of Rocketburg, all through the next day and night, then on in to the morning of Burny's funeral. The slow drizzle dribbling off the brim of my hat and the music Miles had left on a repeated broadcast matching the overall mood of the castle I looked down on from the peaked roof of one of the unoccupied parapets. I wasn't hiding this time, just watching all the activity somberly going on below, looking up to the floating town of Rocketburg now tethered to the Castle and the regular flights of pegasi between the two. I would say I was thinking, but I felt too numb to really call it that.

We'd returned by early evening and been busy getting everyone settled, the new ghoulish thestral residents of the Castle helping with all the back and forth getting the ground bound evacuees down from the clouds and dealing with them. I absently noted how happy the undead batponies seemed when we arrived, all eager to follow Jade's orders as the returning Princess and settling into new roles around Luna's castle in our absence. The Castle now boasted both a meager general store run out of the gatehouse, along with a bar started in the grand dining hall nearby Greasy Spoon's mess hall.

I'd been glad for all the extra help anyway, blearily giving what orders I could to get things going, before finding a way to retreat and fall apart. The Arcano-Cats power armor we'd managed to keep from the Gunners were all parked with the various suits we'd recovered from the Castle, arrayed around the armory my Fixer's occupied. Which to my surprise had the ancient forges fired up and working by a talented batpony smith now too. It made me sad to look at all of Burny's gleaming museum pieces standing out in the rain, their bright colors muted by the leaden skies and rain dribbling down their steely faces like tears.

The Cats themselves had been given a few unused rooms the busy thestrals had cleared already and I left them to mourn to themselves. Burny's couriers had been flying from Rocketburg over the last couple days since arriving, hauling large loads of documents, mail and their reserve of caps they'd packed up from their HQ before it was blown to hell. I'd idly listened to Burny's daughter Twin barking out orders for where to take it all and who to deliver the news to, keeping her composure despite how much she was hurting as the new mare in charge, amazed at the earth pony's strength and resolve when her dad had just...

Perching out in here in the rain also had the benefit of disguising my own tears as I thought of the old buck, seeing that last tired wink he gave, then wincing as less gentle images flashed in my mind with a twinge of pain. The blood he spewed out after grappling me out of the air to save me, thinking his armor would protect us both to some degree. The sickening sight of his ruined corpse when Jade had taken him to her ballroom infirmary and inspected him behind closed doors, trying to clean up the horrible damage and make him presentable for his funeral.

Bypass bullets... The memory of her softy crying as she explained the terrible spellcraft that had made his power armor useless made my fangs extend as I grimaced at the memory. When we shared the news with those closest to us, Summer seemed to recognize it with a fearful whinny, immediately asking for and getting permission to radio her former comrades in the Brotherhood of Friendship. I could understand why her warm yellow coat paled on hearing, Elder Macson and his troops needed to know the danger.

The Institute... they supplied that fucking sniper with bullets that passed right through power armor like it wasn't there, the enchanted ammunition made the Brotherhood's prized power armor useless and the Arcano-Cats had probably been a test run before using it on them... It left every dead Cat we'd been forced to leave behind ready for salvage, the armor still in perfect condition. It was all the Institute's fault... theirs and the sniper himself Val had identified as the Gunners #2, Lucius...

"Nnngh... Shut up... I'm not in the mood, especially after what you tried to pull... Go back to sleep and wait."

Perching up here by myself at least let me engage in a private chat with myself, wincing at the grumble of 'Be Dark...' shifting in my head. I was still annoyed with it, not to mention frightened. It had tried sneaking out again...

Once everything was settled after we made it back to the Castle and the nearly dark moon rose, we had retreated to Luna's chambers and her huge bed to just fall to exhausted sleep together. Jade and Glitter cuddled together with me and we all let go and wept quietly in each others hooves, our little filly finally sniffling her way to uneasy sleep first. Beyond the three of us, Witchy curled up against Jade's back for comfort, her squeaky cries slowly tapering away as she mourned her godfather and the small time they had together.

Val held her tears back and prowled up to the foot of the big bed too, I could smell the Wild Pegasus on her breath as she huffed and spun in a slow circle, lying down with her back to us, but twining her long tail up to brush my hindlegs in needed contact. Swan came squeezing her way in the wide balcony overlooking the sea, she'd burned off enough energy to fit, but still took up a large chunk of even Luna's palatial bed, silently nudging all of us aside to make room for her to flop down at the headboard, her soft tummy replacing the pillows as she huddled close and sniffled. The big filly had grown to like Burny too, her first example of what a grandparent was like.

Finally Zed even came in, looking worn and worried. He sat against the door out in his odd zebra crosslegged pose, closing his stern grey eyes in meditation, but keeping his focus on all of us piled in the large bed. He'd seen what had happened, ...started to happen... when Burny was hit. I'd nearly lost control entirely, if Jade hadn't stopped me... I wasn't sure what would have happened.

I was glad he was there keeping an eye on me, but his intense guard made sleeping even harder. For a long time I simply laid on my back and stared at the ceiling, feeling the hitching breaths of my family surrounding me. It was warm and comfortable, but sleep wouldn't come.

When it did, my dreams were awful. I kept seeing Burny coughing up so much blood, replaying again and again how he'd died. Visions of the griffon sniper with the cybernetic eye and of Klein in his 'Dean' of University Point disguise kept stoking the fires of hate I felt over his fate. He was gone... there was nothing I could do to change that, but the ones responsible deserved to pay... The Gunners, the Institute, all the ponies of University Point... they should all ...die... suffer their ...punishment... for their part in taking away ...mine.... my friend...

I woke up with a crash, finding myself rolling down the tiled roofs of Castle Equinox entangled with extremely strong limbs, a binding of striped fur that tumbled with me, shouting sharply. "....up! Wake up! Please Fast, wake up! Stop!"

Groaning weakly as we rolled to a stop near the edge, I was pinned by Zed grappling with me from behind. His broad chest pressed against my wings and his forelegs wrapped around mine, keeping me from fighting my way loose as I groaned at the headache I woke up to.

"W-Why... What?..."

Zed slowly let me go, his deep baritone full of wary concern. "You escaped... Even expecting it, I barely caught you Fast. All I saw was a flicker of moving shadow. What were you doing? Do you remember?"

Unsteadily getting back to my hooves, I rubbed my head and looked around in confusion. We were outside... on the roofs of the Castle facing south... In the far distance I could see both the still burning fires of the Shadowbolt base Burny had called home for decades and the imposing shape of University Point to the east of it, both coming with vague, unformed thoughts. I'd wanted to go there... wanted to...

"I think I was going to... I don't know, hunt down Klein? That griffon? Both of them maybe? I... I wanted to make them pay for.... f-for Burny..." I croaked a slow answer, holding my head in my hooves. I really had been wandering off in my sleep... I'd been about to do it again and he caught me red-hooved...

Zed huffed, looking me over closely with a gruff scowl. "The Shrouded Stallion... you've been trying to use it, haven't you? You nearly let it loose, against my advice Fast... It's getting away from you, for just a moment before the Princess stopped you, I could feel its power raging out of control... It is getting worse...."

"I know alright! Just... just don't tell Jade yet, please!" I yelped back angrily, slumping as my ears drooped and continuing in a soft, small voice to my unconvinced and worried friend. "She'll try to keep me safe if she knows. I can't be locked up for her to treat, we have to go help Fancy and... and we're getting revenge for Burny dammit! One way or another... they're not getting away with this."

He didn't look convinced, but that penetrating grey stare finally softened and he sighed. "I was sorry to see him go too Fast... It may be understandable, but you must stay in control, too many are counting on you. Giving in to the spirit will do no good, what do you think it would have done had you gotten away? Go back to bed and stay there. If you slip again, I will tell Jade..."

I gave him a grateful look and slinked back up to Luna's chambers, glad the fellow stallion was willing to go along despite the pensive stare following me all the way back to the balcony. Even if he was worried about the spirit of the Shroud getting out, Zed was my friend and understood I couldn't just sit back and do nothing.

Burrowing back into the pile with Jade and Glitter murmuring softly and Swan snorting when I pawed my way under her long tummy, I made sure I couldn't move again without waking somepony, glad to see Witchy's tufted ears twitch and one bloodshot, slitted amber eye open watchfully. It was unfair to rely on Zed and her to keep track of me when she was hurting too, so I went back to staring at the ceiling until dawn started to highlight the clouds outside, thinking wearily and talking to the angry voice in my head.

Zed was right, whatever 'Be Dark...' planned to do, if it even thought that far ahead, was pointless... I couldn't take on an army of Gunners now occupying the Shadowbolt base, no matter how much of the Shroud's power I relied on. If it had gone after Klein that would have been worse... I doubted he was even occupying the synth shell we'd spoken with at University Point anymore. The guards and residents there were complicit in a way that made that grumble at the thought, but what was I going to do? Go on a murder spree in a town of innocent ponies? Wipe the settlement out like Kellogg had years ago? I'd be no better than him...

Those thoughts chased themselves in my head all night, into the morning when everyone else woke and listlessly got up. That first day was a blur of distracting activity at least, Jade dealing with all the wounded alongside her Followers, Val consulting with Preston and the Minutemares about defending the Castle from the now closer and entrenched threat of the Gunners, while I spent time with Summer, Cool Jets and my squad of Fixers trying to help the Arcano-Cats settle in.

Both of Burny's grandfoals were hurt and angry, focusing on what they could do to take their own revenge for their Grampy Jets. With the Arcano-Cats homeless but on our side, Zeke had decided on forming his own power armor corps of Minutemares, working with me and my repair ponies to set up their own garages and begin working on all the suits we had available and the Minutemare troops eagerly lining up for power armor training.

Despite how I knew he must be feeling, I respected the bold pegasus buck keeping his crew together and focused on what they could do. I'd felt bad adding to their bad news, but had taken the time to talk with the displaced Arcano-Cats and at least tell them about their missing member Scopes. Rather than make them feel worse however, the news actually improved their dark mood. They knew Scopes didn't betray them by choice anyway, growing more determined to make the Institute that had forced him to do their bidding pay. Roxie especially had been cheered by the information, spending her day setting up a new paint shop in the Castle and painting the rusty suits of armor littering the Castle Minutemare blue. They weren't giving up on their friend or their home, vowing someday they'd all be together again and put on the best race ever to celebrate.

Burny's daughter Twin Jets spent most of that day with Jade when she was available, both dealing with the community of refugees hovering above the Castle and making arrangements for today, determined to give her father the kind of funeral he deserved and giving those who wanted to pay their respects time to get here. We needed to get going soon and had plenty to deal with before then already, but Burny's huge and spread out family deserved to see him off together and paying our own respects was the least we could do after all he'd done for us.

I was apparently too tired and numb to try sneaking out last night anyway, falling into exhausted sleep with everyone again and waking up to the drizzly morning. With the funeral weighing on all our minds, we wandered off to help with the preparations. It hadn't been hard to slip away after that, so here I sat in the rain, watching as Minutemares hauled in carts full of driftwood and built a pyre in the courtyard.

"Daddy...?" I flinched at the small, quiet voice that called up from the broken tiles and gaps in the peaked roof I sat on, looking through the gaps to find a bleary eyed little filly sniffling up at me.

"H-Hi Sweetie... What are you doing up here? I thought you'd be with your mom, is everything ok? I was just..."

"Thinking... I know daddy... I umm... I wanted to think with you is all... I'm... I-I'm really sad and... a-and..." Glitter interrupted, sitting on the musty wooden floors of the abandoned tower room with her tail curled around her hooves and blinking up to me with such wide, sad pink eyes it broke my heart, dissolving into tears as I hurriedly clambered down to hug her tightly. "I-It's not fair! Mr. Jets was such a nice pony! How come he had to... g-go away..."

"Shhh... it's ok sweetie... I know. I know it's not fair, it hurts a lot huh? But... but it only hurts us that are left behind. Mr. Jets is with the Goddesses now, he's not hurting anymore and he wouldn't want us to either, would he?"

"N-No... H-He was always happy... h-he'd probably want us to have a race, o-or party or somethin'... b-but... I don't feel like it." Glitter snivelved against me, nuzzling desperately as she visibly mustered her courage and looked up to me with eyes clouded with doubt and pain. "Daddy... I... I feel bad cause when I saw him all hurt and... a-and dying... I was sad for him, b-but I was happy it wasn't you... A-Am I a bad pony for feeling glad he died and you didn't?"

"Sweetie, no... you're not a bad pony, my little filly is the bestest pony ever, don't you doubt it. It's... it's kinda natural to feel that way, when somepony you care about dies, it makes you think how much you love all the other important people in your life and appreciate them more. I liked Mr. Jets a lot, but... but I... I'd rather it be him than you or mommy any day of the week. That may sound mean, but it's just being honest. I love you more than the rest of Equestria put together, don't feel guilty for feeling that way too, be glad you have family you love so much still here with you."

I felt a little of the wire taught tension in her little body relax with relief at my soft words, finally sniffling to a halt and trudging to the arched window overlooking the courtyard with me right at her side. "I am Daddy... I love you too. W-What... What are they gonna do with all that wood down there? A-Aren't we burying Mr. Jets?"

Watching the Minutemares directed by Preston busily building the huge pyre and covering it with a ratty tarp, I curled a wing around the curious foal and shook my head. "Pegasi don't usually like being buried in the dirt, they couldn't do that when they all lived in the clouds with the Enclave. They cremate their dead sweetie, so they can go back to the skies forever. They're... they're going to burn Grampy Jets' body and say goodbye, but you don't have to go if you don't want."

"No! I... I wanna say goodbye too daddy, I'll be ok..." Glitter yelped and shook her head, turning down the escape I tried to leave her, reminding me what a tough little filly she was, how much more used to death she already was at such a young age. Her voice still gained an angry edge when she continued, looking up to me with her shimmering gaze full of faith. "W-We're gonna get them back, aren't we daddy? The mean Gunners and that Institute pony mommy told me about? T-They're not gonna get away with it, are they?"

"No... no they're not sweetie. That's not something for you to worry about though. How about we go use the fancy baths and get cleaned up, we wanna look nice for the funeral, right? Focus on that and all the good memories you have of Grampy Jets, leave the rest to me, alright?"

She didn't even protest at the word 'bath', wiping her dripping muzzle and nodding as she came along with me to the crumbling stairs back down. "Alright daddy. I know you'll get 'em, just like the bad ponies that... t-that took my mom and sister away... I miss them too, but I bet they'll really like Grampy and they're all happy together, s-so we should try to be happy too..."

"I'm happy when I'm with you sweetie, I don't have to try. I love you so much..."

"I love you too daddy... forever and ever..." Glitter managed a weak but genuine smile, hopping up to my back and wrapping her forelegs around my neck as I bypassed the long, winding stairs and glided down the tower.

The feel of her warm little body nuzzling my mane lifted some of the dark clouds clinging to my heart, a miniature, filly shaped sonic rainboom all by herself. Even I felt a little bad thinking the same thing she had so innocently, Burny being dead was hard and it hurt a lot, but she was still safe and with me. If it had been her that died, I'd...

I shuddered and turned firmly away from the grim thought, knowing in my secret heart I'd sacrifice a million Burny's to keep her alive...

A long, hot bath with a weakly squirming little filly helped a lot. Glitter helped pull away the swath of magical bandages still wrapped around the ragged wound at my shoulder, revealing the pink flesh covered in stubbly charcoal fuzz there that had regenerated with enough carefully monitored exposure to radiation down in the Castle's reactor pit over the last day. We soaked silently in the luxurious royal bath and let it wash all the grime away, barely noticing when Jade and the others came filing in one by one to get ready.

Jade had gone exploring in Luna's huge closets, finding an elegant black dress still in good condition to wear. The ebony gown sparkled like the night sky and she looked gorgeous in it, but her somber face tempered the fancy ballroom dress into lending her a regal and sad beauty.

Val got dressed in her slinky black evening gown from Diamond City under her armor too, while Witchy grimly polished her armor, announcing her plans to wear her father's power armor along with the Arcano-Cats. The poor thestral looked miserable, her exotic amber eyes still puffy and bloodshot, but Jade stayed at her side and comforted her.

Zed wore his dark suit from his old job back in Hexington, straightening the tattered tie and brushing his spiky mane thoroughly. I kept catching his grey stare flicking to me in the mirror as I did the same, trying to tame my ragged grey mane and shrugging into my cleaned Shrouded Stallion armor. It was all black anyway and only felt right... I wasn't wearing it as a costume, but a uniform, a symbol like Burny's own suits of power armor there to send him off.

Focusing on grooming the sad eyed Glitter with me, I saw her looking around at what all the grownups were wearing and blinking down to her nicest rose colored dress waiting on her with a frown. "Are we 'posed ta wear something dark daddy? I umm... I never got any black dresses since you an' mommy let me get pretty ones. Oh! N-Not that black stuff isn't umm... pretty too... just...."

Snirking in tired laughter at Glitter eying my all black outfit and fur while trying to spare my feelings, Jade shook her head softly. "You are a lovely and colorful little filly dear, you may wear whatever you wish and not feel obligated to follow your father's dubious fashion sense. If you are concerned about it, you may do as most of the uniformed Minutemares and Followers are and tie a bit of black legband at your sleeve."

"I like my fashion sense... I think my armor's cool anyway..." I mock-pouted back, trying to lighten the somber mood any little bit I could as I floated Glitter's backpack up and started rummaging through it. "Maybe I can do better than a legband though, let's see... Don't want to try this on anything too nice, just in case. No, no, no... jeez Glitter, how many hats do you have in here?"

At least teasing her with a tickle to her tummy got a little giggle out of Glitter watching closely beside me, though I was honestly surprised on looking through her hoard. Beyond numerous Fancy Buck snack cakes she had stashed on her for 'snacking emergencies' and the pile of toys, snow globes I'd found for her, knick-knacks and assorted junk and jingling bags of caps for her complicated trades, Glitter had a big collection of hats from all over the Commonwealth cluttering her bag.

Just idly rooting through the Pinkie-space enchanted bag, I found; An Equestrian Army helmet, along with a foal's Navy sailor cap from Dreadnot and white Equestrian Coast Guard Captain's hat, her white nurse's cap she loved wearing for Jade, a Stable 114 security barding helmet with its wide plexiglass visor cracked, her furry Ushanka hat from Yakyakistan we'd found in the 'Treasures of Jamocha Plains', a cowpony's stetson from Salt Lick's rodeo fair grounds, a mining helmet with a gem light on the brim she'd traded one of the White Legs' pups for from the nearby mines, a postal cap like the Red Rocket couriers wore and police hat that looked similar from the Manebridge Police Station, one of the crimson Brotherhood of Friendship cadet hats she'd gotten from the young squires on the Prydwen, the odd propeller beanie we'd found in Bitway Games, a tattered bowler hat she'd snagged for Cogsworth after seeing the Mr. Handy bartender in Goodneighbor wearing one, a floppy red newspaper cap she'd traded Piper's sister for in Diamond City, a pink pillbox hat with a small veil like the well dressed gangster mares in the Trigger Jewels wore, the discarded Sprite-bot helmet left behind by the Rust Devils at Redheart, a Minutemare's floppy tan hat, a foal sized Shrouded Stallion fedora from Eclipse's gift shop and a costume tiara like Jade's. Glitter liked collecting junk as much as I did it seemed...

Turning over the leather flight cap and goggles she'd added recently brought me back to the present pain however, remembering her wearing it while cheering from Burny's back as he called Jade's race against Zeke with the filly as his co-commentator. I saw her flinch when I paused at it too, so gently set it aside and finally found a plain yellow play dress she never wore, a more complimentary color for its original owner, my old friend Sunset Mist. I trotted away from everypony a few paces with the garment and laid it out on the tiled floor, glad to see her sadness replaced by curiosity as I rubbed my hooves together and lit my horn.

"Ok... so fair warning, this dress may explode... I've been practicing and working on learning one of Sassy's spells she wrote out for me, but this is the first time I've tried it since I was a foal and the results back then were... not good... You ok losing this one sweetie?"

At her eager nod, I focused on the spell and surrounded the garment in the brightening glow from my horn, remembering all my lessons and seeing the spell craft in my mind, visualizing what I wanted to happen. Black... turn black... change colors to black... I was worried my muttering would be taken as an invitation to 'Be Dark...' for a moment, feeling the spirit respond to the spell casting, a desire to turn everything black, not just the dress I was concentrating on.

Glitter's hopeful look reined it in however, I felt the Shroud stand aside on looking to her wide pink eyes sparkling with the glow of bright blue magic I was producing. Everything came easier without it in the way, granting me access to the full flow of arcane energy normally routed through its prison in my head. I watched along with Glitter giving a soft gasp as the bright yellow fabric faded to a dingy grey, darkening steadily towards black as I puffed and focused.

Finally it was as dark as my trenchcoat, floated to Glitter's reaching hooves as I wiped sweat from my brow and she beamed. "Wow! Thank you daddy! That's awesome, you can turn stuff all kinds of pretty colors for me now! You're lots better at magic than before, I bet you can be a cool wizard even!"

"It's thanks to all of mom making me do my homework sweetie, so I guess neither of us can complain that much when she has us do it, huh? I tried this spell for Sunset when I was your age, but just turned the Stable barding to swiss cheese. I still wouldn't say wizard-pony, but it has been coming easier lately."

Jade joined me in smiling at the filly wiggling her way into the simple black dress, playfully huffing at Sunset's name and forgetting for a moment at least what it was for. She didn't miss me rubbing my aching head, but chose not to dwell on it with Glitter and everyone else already hurting enough. "You see dear? Learning is very important, hard work pays results for everypony. Now you look very pretty and proper, just allow me to fix your mane and we may... m-may join everycreature downstairs..."

With the reminder of what we were getting ready for, the brief moment of brighter moods dimmed again and we returned to quietly getting ready. I felt nervous and unequal to the task of being around others, but there were a lot of folks waiting to say goodbye who were in pain too. Hiding and putting it off wouldn't change the fact Burny was gone, maybe joining together to offer each other comfort and pay our respects would help.

It was still drizzly outside, but the pegasus residents of Rocketburg had been flying up in the cloud cover above the Castle, clearing the rain away to leave a brighter and drier canopy over the open courtyard full of ponies. They'd been making their way here all morning after the news on the radio Miles related yesterday, those who could make the trip and were welcome.

I was guessing any mail in the Commonwealth was going to be delayed awhile, it seemed like every postal cap wearing courier pegasus was here instead of winging their way between settlements. Quite a few had come with the cobbled together sky chariots they rented out to customers that could pay for the service, well off ponies like the leader of the caravan post settlement of Bunker Hill, Kettle Corn, who we greeted in hushed tones in the crowd.

Mayor Shamrock of Goodneighbor was in attendance, still dressed in his funny ancient red coat and tricorne hat that had been cleaned and pressed. His dark red griffon bodyguard provided the ride and prowled behind him when he met us with a subdued smile, most of his normally manic, Mint-al induced good cheer dimmed by his obvious sadness. Burny had been the first Diamond City noble to deal with him when he had chanced into becoming the leader of Goodneighbor and been a friend over both of their long lives.

While it was good seeing him again, it was clear just how upset he was, vowing "Not one fucking Gunner sets hoof in Goodneighbor now, see how they like not having the best place in the Commonwealth to spend their blood money..."

To my surprise and mixed feelings, he'd brought Ivy along with him too. The green alicorn came trotting up while he was still scowling with a hard smile, telling stories about Burny and their assorted adventures over the years. On the one hoof, I was delighted seeing the mother of one of my foals again, Ivy looked radiant, even in the simple black dress and veiled hat she wore. On the other hoof though... her warm smile faded as soon as she saw me, the gentle caress of her thoughts touching mine via unity filling her in about our time apart in an instant.

(Oh... oh Fast... Sister... I am so sorry... So, so sorry...) Ivy's soothing voice in my mind was a welcome balm, speaking telepathically as she cantered to us and hugged us both with a shudder, sharing all our grief and pain in a rush of unity.

That was probably one of the worst parts of being a telepath... Ivy felt it all, all the time... She didn't have to know Burny personally, she knew him through us and shared our feelings and memories all at once. I could hear her sniffle even as she and Jade buried me between them, forcing me to wheeze up as I stroked her neck softly to comfort her.

"I-It's ok Ivy, we're ok. I'm er... I'm really glad to see you though, Burny would have really liked you. A-Are you ok? Being around all these people who are sad... it um... must be hard..."

She released me from the embrace with a teary smile, leaning down to nuzzle and answering out loud with at least a little of her normal good cheer and teasing. "I'm fine Fast, you worry too much over us. I hope Mr. Jets would have liked me as you say, I like him just from what I feel, not just from you either. As you say, there is much sadness from all these ponies, but also happy memories, funny stories shared, pride and... love... so much love for one pony who touched so many lives. I feel the grief too of course, but the love is stronger, love is always stronger..."

I didn't miss the way her lids came down as she trailed off with a smile, or how her hoof lightly traced her tummy. Even without the unity connecting us letting me feel her warm emotion and longing, I'd know to stretch up and give the green beauty a kiss. We'd been apart awhile, but she'd always be a special somepony to me.

"Yeah Ivy... you're right, love is pretty awesome. I... We all really missed you, are you ok otherwise? Your orphans?"

"Oh they are fine, very excited to travel to the MoP hub and meet real fairies soon. We received a letter from Periwinkle via Mr. Jets' fine couriers actually, they should be ready to receive us shortly. You should be more concerned for yourself, Umbra and my sisters have noticed all the activity this way and stories of you in the area. I convinced them not to crash the funeral at least, but they will be on the hunt soon enough." Ivy answered with a soft smirk, giggling lightly at my flinch over her warning as we wandered through the crowd.

"Great... Thanks for that anyway Ivy, we'll be out of here soon, that's just one more reason to get going sooner. I figured we were drawing too much attention lately..."

I felt her thoughts probing mine as my voice lowered on plans of leaving, her smile quirking to a frown for a moment, then returning even brighter as she raised an eyebrow and spoke. "Oh yes, they've been diligently keeping an ear out. Tales of a wedding are already causing quite a stir you two... They're paying scavengers in Unityville for ancient bridal magazines and sending so many requests to Ms. Saddles in Sanctuary for wedding dresses I'm afraid the poor mare will be overwhelmed. Congratulations! I see sister Swan has already claimed next, so I suppose I should get in line now before Periwinkle finds out. Though I guess we'll have to find some other pony worthy of performing the ceremony as well as Mr. Jets..."

Slumping at her teasing turning somber with the realization the old stallion wouldn't be able to marry anypony ever again, I looked up blearily to Swan trotting through the crowd with Glitter on her back to see over everyone's heads, most of her overcharged energy burned off to fit in with everypony else. She'd been so excited catching the bouquet, but Burny wouldn't be there to let her have the same treatment and his death hurt even the invulnerable filly.

"T-Thank you sister, I wish you had been there with us. We had planned a repeat ceremony at some point that more could join in, but as you say, we must find somepony else to... t-to..." Jade's answer started out firm, but dissolved into tears as she matched my own sad thoughts, hers flowing freely as Ivy nuzzled her, while mine trembled on my cheeks as I grit my teeth and tried to hold them back.

I flinched at the growl of 'Be Dark...' rising up when my sadness turned to anger by fighting the tears, but Ivy stopped dead in her tracks, pricking her ears up and looking down at me with worry in her wide green eyes. (Fast! What has happened?! That voice is...)

(The Shroud... yeah, you've got some catching up to do Ivy, we found out some things and... it's getting worse...)

Ivy narrowed her eyes and her horn glowed as I felt her rifling through my memories, latching on to the ones I volunteered and flicking through them rapidly. The Shroud's tomb below our hooves standing empty, the thestrals of Dreadnot attempting to carry out 'Operation Knightfall' and blast me to Zebrica, Klein's clinical curiosity and breezy statements of fact concerning the spirit trapped in my head...

She took it all in and gasped, rushing forward to curl her wide green wings around me and lightly press her horn to mine in worry. (I... I see... Oh Fast.. it is worse than I thought. That voice is much clearer now and the damage you have done up here...)

I caught a brief glimpse of the mental construct depicting the Shroud's prison in my mind as Ivy reached it and shuddered with her. The chains around it sagged, some of them broken entirely. The power lines connected to the stasis pod and my magic beyond it were frazzled and shorting out. The black stasis pod itself was a wreck... huge dents buckled its hatch from within, twisting its smooth shape into a battered and bent ruin leaking swirling shadows around it, the red light from the cracked porthole brightening and dimming in rapid pulses.

"Hey, at least we know I'm not crazy now, that's something... Right?" I shrugged with a weak smile to Ivy's horrified expression, remembering how little I could hide from the psychic alicorn with a wince.

Jade clearly didn't find even my lame joking very funny, giving a vocal whinny as she took advantage of Ivy's field of Unity between us to yelp silently in the hushed crowd. (I never believed you were crazy Fast and I do not find it amusing! He was experimented on sister, as a foal! I am glad you are here to help me talk sense to him, he needs rest and to avoid putting himself in situations that exacerbate the problem. We were able to acquire some of the Institute's notes on the spirit, perhaps with time I may...)

(Klein's notes aren't going to tell you any more than what we've already seen Jade. Even if he knew more, I'd expect him to keep it to himself as a bargaining chip. We'll ask again when we find the bastard's real body and I can put a bullet in that stupid brain in a jar of his if he doesn't fess up. Until then, we just have to keep going as we have.)

I hated shooting down her optimism and that crestfallen look she got at my grumble of a reply cutting her off, but we'd already been over the holotape Klein let her have and argued about it. While it did give her more hard data and numbers to work with, the basic gist behind all the clinical reports was about what we already knew. The imprisoned Shroud had resisted every test the Institute had tried on it while in their custody and corrupted everypony that messed with it. The case of one of Mobius' helpers on the project being driven completely insane was the most prominent example and the asylum he'd been placed in was at least near where we were going anyway, so it was worth a look, but the outlook wasn't very rosy and we both knew it.

Before either of them could follow up on the uneasy frowns and chilly concern I could feel flowing off them, a familiar voice joined theirs, a soft and melodious murmur I hadn't heard in quite awhile that made me look up eagerly for the source. (Sisters? You are both here as well? What was that about Fast?)

I had to look up to the source of Magnolia's sweet voice joining the small pocket of Unity, distracted somewhat as it seemed to spread and connect Swan and the alicorn members of the Minutemares in the Castle in one network. Still nowhere near the intense field of telepathy around Trinity Tower, but growing stronger with more minds linked together. She was easier to find at least, gliding down from the cloudy skies near the gatehouse with a skinny tan pegasus right at her wing, both of them coming in for a landing and cantering towards us as the purple alicorn found us too.

"Fast! Princess! You're both ok!" Miles reached us first, weaving through the crowd nimbly and speaking breathlessly in relief. He gave Jade a short bow as Magnolia trotted up behind him, then grabbed my foreleg and shook it frantically as he kept jabbering. "I knew you guys were around when all this happened, so I.... we were both really worried! I try to keep your exact location out of the news, cause of all of Magnolia's sisters and the Gunners and all... but the wedding thing spread around anyway and... Jeez it's good to see you guys!"

I was surprised when the lanky pegasus buck launched himself into a hug with both Jade and I, shivering slightly and raising his wings to add to the gesture, gripping us both tightly around the necks like he was making sure we were real. When Magnolia gave him a gentle nip to nudge him away, I saw how bloodshot his eyes were and heard him give a sniffling chuckle sheepishly, smiling up to the stunning mare at his side and scratching his mane.

Magnolia looked amazing, dressed in a black gown nearly a match for Jade's, her long reddish-violet mane styled and clean. Her green eyes sparkled as she curled a wing over Miles in support, speaking softly to tamp down on her obvious joy at running into us again. "We were both concerned sister. Miles knew Mr. Jets well and has been very upset, seeing you here is a pleasant silver lining to the occasion."

"Fucking Gunners... I can't believe they... they just..." Miles hissed in anger despite Magnolia's soothing, biting his lip a moment before shaking it off with a snort and forcibly putting on a smile. "A-Anyway, congratulations you two! I wish we had been able to be there, even more now since Burny... but it's really great you two tied the knot and he got to do it. I wanted him to do the same for us, but I guess we'll have to find somepony else."

Choosing to focus on the positive as usual, Jade gasped and pranced up to her sister, both giving a little squee at Miles' declaration. "Oh!? Sister is this true? You and Miles wish to..."

Magnolia's lavender face turned rosy as she nodded happily, squeezing the smaller pegasus buck to her side giddily. "Yes! Is it not wonderful sister? Miles asked... proposed... that is the term, proposed to me! There are still many questions we must answer beforehoof, but we are promised to be mare and colt!"

"Really? Congratulations to you too then guys! That's really great! It's good to hear with... with bad stuff going on like today. You two are a great couple, so I'm sure it'll work out. What kind of questions though?"

Magnolia's ears drooped a moment as a sad look crossed her face, answering nervously with a shrug. "Oh, well... There is the question of how to be together for one. Miles and his radio station are in Diamond City and I am... unwelcome there... We already sneak around a lot to ignore that edict by the nobility there, teleporting directly to Miles' trailer is not as much a solution for living together as it has been just to... s-see each other... Then there is Umbra and the others..."

"Oh dear, she is not standing in the way is she? I have been writing her and attempting to calm her down, but have been unable to receive many replies, f-for obvious reasons..." Jade spoke sympathetically, her warm blue eyes growing troubled as they flicked between Miles and me.

In reply however, Miles gave a nervous bark of laughter, a little louder than he obviously intended when he stuffed his hoof in his mouth to muffle it, then stammered on in a whisper. "Hardly Princess... Your sister and the others are all really interested and supportive, they wanna learn all they can about weddings now, so they think us having one is a great idea. It's just... er... marrying into the family so to speak kinda put me at the top of their list for their compatibility potion try outs. They want... umm.... w-want..."

By how red his face was turning, I didn't need to be a psychic like Ivy to figure out just what those mares wanted. Ivy tittering laughter just confirmed it, smirking at the two of them with merriment in her voice. "They have the most shared memories and personal experience of Miles after you Fast. These two courting has given them plenty of juicy gossip in the unity mill, so they've decided he's an acceptable trial run of the potion you recovered for us. You should be honored Miles, Umbra's being most discerning with the other applicants in Unityville."

Even I had to grin at Miles turning even redder and shrinking behind his wings, though I did try to straighten up when Magnolia defensively curled her wing over him tighter and stamped a hoof. "Sister Ivy! I-It is not funny! Umbra is being most unreasonable! She will only allow Miles to take the potion if he agrees to... t-to mate with a minimum number of us! We wish to be able to marry and have foals, but Miles and I are both unsure about... s-sharing..."

Jade managed to comport herself much better than me or Ivy, though I still caught the demure smile she hid behind her hoof before lightly touching the poor buck's shoulder in comfort. "I am sorry, though it is not so bad, is it Miles? I know well how ...awkward... it can be, but I am encouraged Umbra is willing to focus on something other than capturing Fast. We need fine young stallions like yourself to lead the way testing the compatibility potion and ensure genetic diversity to save our species. I for one vouch for her choice of you as an excellent first try Miles, I hope you will consider it and help us. Your marriage to sister Magnolia should serve as an example to them as well, teach them the difference between mere mating and the bonds of true love and maretrimony."

"You have to wait sister, I'm next. I caught the flowers and everything." Swan's voice booming from overhead made me jump in surprise, cutting off my snickering at Miles when her long forelegs wrapped around my barrel and squeezed me to her chest like a teddy bear.

Glitter hopped off the big mare and eagerly pranced between Ivy, Magnolia and Miles, cheerily greeting old friends as Swan stretched her neck overhead and nuzzled her sisters in greeting. At least my embarrassing position got Miles to stop cringing and come out with a wry grin, blinking between Swan, Jade and Ivy and managing a chuckle. "Ok... I suppose it may not be so bad. You look like you're ok with it Fast..."

Rolling my eyes and giving him a flat, deadpan stare back, I snorted and wriggled in Swan's grip. "Oh yeah, super duper alright... so long as I stay ahead of Umbra and all the others. At least I'll have some other stallion to compare notes with, spread the workload around a little bit. I'm already more than satisfied with the three I promised Umbra, and that was at nowhere near her schedule, but all she's getting out of me."

I could do without Swan's instant agreement, bobbing her head rapidly as the others giggled. "Fast is way too slow, he made me wait foreeeeever! I do like his love stuff now though, so I see why he waited. You should make more of our sisters happy like he has me and sisters Ivy and Periwinkle!"

Looking between them still laughing as Swan released me to nuzzle my mane, I sighed as I looked all around at the crowd filling the courtyard. It was a sad occasion that brought us all together again, so I felt a little guilty for having my spirits lifted, but it's probably what Burny would have wanted. There were creatures from all over the Commonwealth in little huddles like ours, talking, laughing, crying...

He was still bringing folks together, even now.

The rest of Burny's funeral went smoothly enough, all things considered. For a couple hours the crowd simply milled around, chatting and taking turns going up to the pyre of driftwood Burny's corpse rested on to say their goodbyes. Thanks to Jade's painful but careful work, the old buck was only covered in a sheet from the chest down, wearing his aged leather jacket with his strong old wings splayed out under him, his grizzly beard cleaned of all the blood and trimmed by his daughter Twin. He looked serene staring up at the grey skies with his wrinkled eyelids closed, nopony would know how the bypass bullet nearly blew him in half at the barrel if they hadn't seen it themselves.

Eventually as the skies grew darker and the castle's lights came on, the ceremony itself came and everycreature found a seat on the cobblestones. Twin Jets spoke lovingly about her father, all of their playful arguing and unresolved disagreements forgotten. Twin broke down and cried only once, but kept on speaking through the tears in a firm voice, telling everyone that Burny's legacy wasn't going anywhere. "Whether it's balefire winter, 200 years of rain, or sunshine and rainbows, the mail keeps moving in the Commonwealth thanks to the Red Rocket Courier Service!"

She was only one of Burny's many foals, several of which spoke after her and reminded me what a big family the old buck had made since he was exiled from the Enclave. Pegasi, unicorns and earth ponies from Twin's age and younger took a turn to talk about the stallion they called dad. After him were the Grandfoals like Zeke and Cool, who each took a turn as well since they were there, less of the younger generation like them spoke to the crowd though, relying on those two to speak for them.

I was a little worried about Glitter watching all of them speak, seeing a daughter delivering a eulogy for her father had to have her thinking of being in Twin's place more. She kept glancing to me with tears in her wide pink eyes, but she didn't cry out or look away and she refused any gentle nudge to go take a break, planting herself between my forelegs as I sat on my haunches and making herself a thoroughly immovable little earth pony.

Finally it was Jade's turn to speak as the Princess of the Castle to end the service, fluttering her way up to the pyre nervously with me at her side. She bit her lip as she looked over Burny's corpse for a moment, then wiped her eyes and stood proudly, raising her voice above the normal soft, melodious tone she used, to address everyone crowded around the old buck in a ringing voice with none of her shyness or nerves getting in the way.

"I did not know Mr. Jets as well or as long as many of you who have spoken here today, and for that I consider myself poorer for the loss. In the time I did know him however, he became like family... To myself and my husband, our filly who saw him as 'Grampy Jets' just as he liked, my dear friend Witching who spoke earlier was his god-filly. I am honored he performed my wedding service and will be forever grateful to him. It pains my heart to see his passing, I... I tried my hardest to save him but... in the end he at least went peacefully, surrounded by his friends and family. Now we commend his body to the skies he so loved, may the goddesses watch over his spirit forever after."

At that, the power armored Arcano-Cats moved forward in unison and Witchy and I joined them, surrounding the pile of driftwood as an honor guard seeing the old buck off. Zeke wore Burny's gleaming red and white armor himself, calling out for all of the armored Cats and Witchy to fire the magical energy weapons mounted to their armor for the duty. Blue Moon clicked out from under my wing to join them, it was somehow fitting the weapon my Grandpa designed be one of the bright beams that ignited Burny's pyre in a crackling pale blue shot. Even Jade and Glitter joined us, the filly firing the boxy Righteous Authority in her muzzle and a pale blue beam from Jade's horn blazing out, surprising me again that she knew any such destructive magic.

The kindling crackled and the flames sputtered a moment, making me concerned the damp wood we had on hoof wouldn't burn well enough to get going after a couple days of rain. While I was worrying, the strange sensation of the Shroud pushing for control came, this time without nearly as much pain in my head and an odd sense of... respect? It was weird enough I gave the spirit a little slack cautiously, feeling my horn light up in casting a flame spell I was normally no good with.

It was subtle, not the huge pyrotechnic display 'Be Dark...' had managed on other occasions, but a spiraling snake of flames winding its way through the flickering pyre's branches. Steam hissed out of the sodden wood and the temperature rose noticeably, drying things out enough to ignite on their own before the difficult to spot magic winked away again. Only Jade noticed and rose an eyebrow at my horn extinguishing, as stunned as I was on recognizing I... or the Shroud rather... had cast the helpful spell.

You actually did something nice? You liked him too, huh?

I realized I was getting too comfortable having private conversations with the dark spirit in my head. Zed told me not to talk to it, but I was simply shocked at the sullenly communicative Shroud's behavior. I could feel things from it, but it was highly unusual for those emotions to not be concerned with murder or selfish desires. I knew it loved Jade and Glitter, Ivy, Peri and Swan, Val, Witchy and even Zed too, but it was usually with that disturbing possesiveness mixed in. There was a little of that now too of course, anything or anycreature the Shroud viewed as 'MINE' was jealously guarded, but losing Burny had tinged it with actual remorse. Not that those more normal pony emotions dissuaded the frustrated fury and desire for revenge baking off the angry mote of blackness in my heart in the slightest...

We stood silently as the flames grew and slowly consumed Burny's body, hiding him the bright glare pushing the evening gloom back. I watched the sparks and embers swirling up into the sky with the smoke somberly, taking comfort in Jade and Glitter pressed against me in silent tears as the darkened sliver of the moon was tinged blood red through the haze. As ominous as it looked, I took grim satisfaction in the sight. Once the shadow covered the moon entirely, I'd know exactly where at least one Institute head who needed to die would be...

That's right.... Revenge... Just wait...

The day after Burny's funeral, we made what rushed arrangements we could around the Castle before leaving again, seeing off all our friends during the night and early morning. Ivy especially was reluctant to leave, holding up Mayor Shamrock until just before we left ourselves to stay close and eyeing me worriedly. Spending at least some time with her was nice, but the fear I could feel dripping off her soured all the affection a bit. The psychic alicorn could hear the Shroud impatiently biding its time in my head and was terrified for me, the ancient spirit had grown so much stronger in her absence and there was nothing she could do to help restrain it again.

At least I got to savor the love I could feel driving her concern too and tried to focus on that. Shamrock was willing to be patient enough to let us share one night together in Luna's opulent chambers, enjoying his own accomodations in the noble wing of the Castle while we comforted each other. If Peri had made it too, all four of us could have been together again, but three out of four was still wonderful. We didn't even get up to any shenanigans. Mostly we just enjoyed Luna's huge bed being able to fit everypony and caught up, sharing a small pocket of Unity together thanks to Ivy. We might have gotten a little distracted taking Swan down to sleep near the leaking reactor in the pit beneath the Castle... but she wanted to be fully charged before we left and fooling around together in the radioactive lair was difficult to resist for awhile. I even got to sleep without dark nightmares plaguing my dreams, grateful to her for one night's restful sleep where I didn't worry about wandering off in the middle of the night.

The three alicorn sisters had spent quite a bit of time together in their own private psychic conversations too. By their darting glances while we prepared to leave, I had a good idea what the subject was and left them to it. Even Swan seemed worried, frequently rubbing her belly and watching me closely.

At least the three pregnant mares had other things to discuss out loud, comparing notes and sharing their bond in sisterhood. Hearing their complaints about early symptoms made me feel a little guilty, absently listening in as they laughed over differing cravings, swollen hooves and morning sickness, I'd never seen anypony so happy over feeling so uncomfortable.

I had noticed Jade taking more and more of an interest in any can of Cram she could find lately, but didn't realize what kind of disgusting creations she had been making out of the ones she hadn't taken to hoarding. Hearing her lovingly describe the taste of the fatty, greasy canned meat mixed with powdered apple chips or marinated in Sparkle Cola made me queasy. Ivy piling on with sheepish admission of taking advantage of Goodneighbor's culinary businesses making her chocolate covered Radroach made me falter a step and turn green as I wandered nearby in the courtyard. Swan actively pulling out some of the treats she had saved from the Arcano-Cats races, served with local Miretank Meat she shared around to their pleased murmurs as they mixed and matched things, got a low gurgle out of my stomach.

I was heartened to see Twin Jets joining them and laughing ominously about how, "You ain't seen nothing yet girls!" The horror stories she then started sharing about her own pregnancy with her daughter Cool made all three alicorns listen raptly. Their widening eyes stayed locked on the mature mare, who I could swear was intentionally trying to scare them into nervous gulps. Twin grinned and poked at their tummies once she had them speechless, holding her hooves wide as she laughed. "And I thought I was big as a house by the end, you fillies are gonna be HUUUUGE!"

Swan's eager smile down to the much smaller older mare at the joke soured when Jade explained what 'huge' meant in this instance, frowning at her belly in thought. "But I like being big all over... Not fat..."

It was good hearing them all laugh together, despite Twin's best efforts at being scary, even the unpleasant aspects of pregnancy seemed to fascinate and delight the three of them for the most part. Twin Jets herself deserved the comfort too, still remaining strong and unwavering despite her sadness weighing her down. She only let it show as she prepared to leave for Diamond City to take her father's place as matriarch of Burny's herd, having me carry her luggage to the waiting Red Rocket drawn sky chariot like a proper gentlecolt to get me away from the others.

Her rich brown eyes were drawn down in an unbending line and her lip quivered when she paused at the rusty door to her ride, her commanding gaze holding mine and her voice low and tight. "They're not getting away with it... Right Fast?"

"Right Ms. Jets... I promise, the Gunners and the Institute are going to pay..."

She gave me a fierce hug at that, her adult earth pony strength dwarfing Glitter's as she squeezed and shuddered against my mane in a restrained and hidden sob. When she pulled away, she wiped her eyes forcefully on the sleeve of her smart business suit jacket and nodded, her expression steely and full of faith, but her voice quavering ever so slightly as she boarded and waved goodbye. "Good, I'm trusting you with it then Fast. Take care of my little pumpkin and idiot nephew for me. D-Dad saw you as one of the family, so I know you won't let me down..."

She trotted off before the tears stubbornly quivering on her cheeks could spill down again after that, leaving me giving a respectful bow as she boarded her ride and winged her way off into the leaden skies. Afterwards we waited long enough to see Ivy off as well, joining her and Shamrock at the old ghoul's own private sky carriage pulled by his griffon bodyguard. Parting with the green alicorn wasn't any easier than last time, especially with the rapid and worried psychic conversation I could barely catch flitting between her and Jade.

Unfortunately we didn't have time for long goodbyes, Ivy's ears pricked as she hovered up with Shamrock's carriage and she stared toward the city with an annoyed huff, rushing in for one final hug as she directed our attention to the specks flying from the broken skyscrapers. A rather large gaggle of her sisters from Trinity Tower making their way here forced us to get going in a hurry, diving from the cliffs the ancient castle was perched on and flying low over the sea to slip away.

From there we flew north most of the day, following the coast in silence and skirting the city of Trotson entirely, hiding or relying on Jade's invisibility a few times to escape her sisters. We passed by the crumbling obelisk of Bunker Hill and crossed the northern loop of river around the city, following the elevated highway ruins that led towards Finch Farm and the smoking crater that was formerly the Sausage Ironworks. We took an offramp before returning to the area I hadn't been since escaping Moondancer's labs though, turning east to the land jutting out into the Celestial Sea further on this side of the river, eventually finding a small settlement that made my pip-buck chime as we flew overhead; Discovered Location: County Crossing.

There wasn't much to the place, instead of being built in some surviving ruin or point of interest, the main thing in County Crossing's favor seemed to be geography. It was a tiny village of ramshackle huts made of salvage junk on a flat stretch of ground, between the outskirts of the city ruins and the wilderness to the north. I'd made my way through those woods once already when traveling south from Mareford with Fancy, but I'd stuck to the winding roads and had been half delirous.

Looking over it as we came in for a landing, I realized just how dense and ominous the skeletal forest looked from the air, stretching to the northeast far beyond the distant speck of a giant Mr. Handy marking the Robronco Galleria I could just make out on the horizon. My eyes hung on the northern vista and I could feel a strange tug that way, but had no idea why. Something the Shroud was muttering about... something it wanted that way, I could feel 'Be Dark...' pulling at me, but had no desire to follow its insistent siren call. We had enough to deal with, weird shit the ancient spirit wanted probably wasn't very good.

The town itself was fairly busy and full of an eclectic mix of wastelanders. It seemed to be a kind of trading post or waystation for this area of the Commonwealth, a bit like Jamocha Plains was in the south. I saw a wide market full of tents and rickety stands, staffed by ponies, zebras, minotaurs and even a few buffalo to my surprise. There was salvage from the city being sold in some, while others hawked radhog meat and tanned hides from the forest.

A few tattered tents were put up on the outskirts of the settlement, nearby a pair of crude cabins under construction by earth pony carpenters using the wealth of lumber in the area. These newer buildings jumped out due to the twin flags of the Minutemares and Followers of the Apocalypse fluttering in the chilly breeze overhead, and the gaggle of ponies wearing matching uniforms of the two groups putting aside their work to come trotting over excitedly. It seemed Preston had his troops adding other towns back here in the north to our growing Kingdom of Sanctuary, though everycreature here seemed very interested in the Princess herself showing up.

A middleaged pink earth pony mare with a vibrant violet and yellow mane under her tan hat had the bars denoting the highest rank of the Minutemares on hoof and led the way, side by side with a twenty something lavender unicorn buck with a rich maroon mane wearing the lab coat and medical box saddlebags of Jade's Followers. Both of them bowed low to the muddy ground before their Princess smiling invitingly in greeting, waving them up with a blush while an elderly peach earth pony mare with a greying orange mane trotted up to join them from the gathering crowd.

"P-Princess! General! Honor to meet you all, I'm sergeant Holly Sprig, this is Doctor Fennel Float, w-we've been expecting you! Welcome to County Crossing your highness! Sorry, it's kinda a new outpost, so we only got tents to get you out of the rain." The Minutemare in charge waved back to the ongoing construction and tents sheepishly, his Follower friend taking over before Jade could reassure them.

The doctor stallion was the younger of the two, but they both sounded like excited foals reporting to the Princess of the Commonwealth, if anything the fellow medic looked even more apologetic at the accomodations as he gave another bow. "Y-Yes, sorry your highness! We don't even have a clinic for you to inspect yet, we have been providing care from the tents anyway if you wanted to look. Oh! Um... this is the leader around here, Peach Syrup. Mrs. Syrup, this is Princess Jade, we told you she was coming!"

The older mare was understandably gaping up to the tall Princess and her giant sister looming behind her, along with most of the stunned residents treated to the surprise of a huge alicorn landing in their little hamlet. Eventually she managed to drag her eyes back down to Jade giggling lightly and holding a patient hoof out, taking the offered limb in a firm hoofshake and chuckling at herself.

"W-Well tarnation! Would'a thought the big one would be the Princess, er... not that you're a dainty little thing yourself your highness, just... wow! Pleasure to make your acquaintance, we've been right tickled since we joined the Kingdom, never thought we'd rate a royal visit so soon though." The mare in charge grinned and warmed up to Jade quickly enough, just her friendly interaction enough to get some of the cautious crowd to come closer, though Swan giving a pleased whinny and brilliant smile to the attention helped too.

"It is my honor Mrs. Syrup, thank you for joining the Kingdom of Sanctuary and receiving us. Please do not be intimidated everycreature, my sister Swan may appear scary, but she is a lovely mare and very gentle. This is my husband Fast and daughter Glitter, our stallwart guardians Valkyrie and Witching, and our friend Zed. We will not be in the way long. Though I would be delighted to see your progress here if you would care to offer a tour in the meantime?" Jade put everycreature at ease with her kind voice speaking loud enough for them to hear, allowing the mare in charge to lead her forward and introduce her around to the curious crowd.

Sgt. Sprig snapped off a hearty salute to me before cantering to catch up, reporting to the General of the Minutemares with nearly the reverence Jade got. "Sir, your friend Miss Star has been in regular contact and we've got troops stationed with her helping to keep a lookout on the target. We can let them know you're here and take you out there in the morning, or tonight if you want of course sir. It's just been a pretty boring stakeout so far and Coastal Cottage isn't very far away, so it won't take long. Umm.... i-if you are planning on getting some rest tonight though, I'm sure all the troops would love to meet you and the Princess?"

"Sure thing Sergeant, it's been a long flight, so I'm sure we could all stretch our legs and take a break. Send a messenger to Fancy and let her know we're here in case something comes up, otherwise tomorrow sounds fine. Let us find a place to crash and some food for now. Glitter sweetie, why not take the tour with mom while we go look around?"

Glitter didn't need any encouragment, already prancing along behind Jade and cheerily waving back past Witchy taking up her protective guard. Val perked up at the sight of a dingy watering hole and sauntered off too, smacking her beak at the prospect of alcohol for a parched throat. I caught Zed giving me that appraising stare of his again, but the sight of a few attractive zebra fillies decided him and he took the offered invitation too, leaving Swan and I alone for the moment.

Taking off my hat to hold to my chest with a fluttering, mid-air bow closer to her face and waving out to the town around her, I smiled to Swan and shrugged. "Want to take a walk Swan? Find something tastier than the stuff you and your sisters have been coming up with and have a little date with me?"

Swan snorted and giggled at me waggling my eyebrows and being corny, taking my small outstretched foreleg in her much bigger grip and prancing along like I was actually leading her anywhere as a gentlecolt. I'd found when going to new places with the super sized alicorn, it was generally best to demonstrate she was safe and wander around where folks could see as much, while keeping her out of the way and entertained. With one of the smallest ponies around hovering up where she could nuzzle and speak easily, most people got the idea Swan wasn't quite so terrifying by the care and attention she showed and the fact I wasn't frightened of her at all. Plus I wanted to spend time with her anyway, I'd gotten to know Swan well enough to know when something was on her mind.

We stopped at several junkyard stands and scrap made shops, Swan remaining outside when I peeked in to check out the wares available. I did stop for a minute at the local weapon merchant to buy up whatever rarer ammo types available, not taking any chances when an Institute Director was waiting. I thought the poor mare running an awning covered food stand selling a variety of savory meats and a hearty vegetable stew was going to have a heart attack when Swan poked her head in under the patched tarp and snuffled at all the food. The loud grumble of her belly sounding too much like a growl and the drool dripping from her muzzle made the poor lime coated chef go white, scrambling to start tossing sizzling brahmim steaks from the cinder block grill so she wasn't on the menu.

Shoving her happily munching cheeks back out sheepishly, I had to insist on paying and calm the poor mare down before rejoining her, smirking at Swan's cute, eyes closed smile as we continued our slow loop around the outskirts of County Crossing. It took some distance and comfortable silence before she finally spoke up, nickering at me rubbing my head as the sun sank to the west and the steady ache between my eyes increased. "Sisters Jade and Ivy are worried about you Fast..."

I flinched at her quiet declaration, missing a lazy flap of my wings and nearly tripping in midair as I turned back. Her brow was drawn down, not quite a frown, but a little vertical 'I want' line had shown up between the two blue-violet pools. She still sounded easy going enough, not nearly Jade or Ivy's level of concern anyway, but she'd been thinking on it...

"Er... How about you Swan? Y-You're not scared over me, are you? I saw you three talking a lot, umm... in your heads with Unity anyway. I know pretty well how they feel about... things... but I haven't talked to you about it much and I should. They explained stuff about the er... the Shroud?"

Nodding eagerly, Swan looked relieved and happy just to have her opinion asked and given such obvious weight, smiling brightly at me fidgeting with my hat in my hooves and biting my lip. "The mean ghosty-pony in your head, they told me lots about it. They're afraid of it, but I'm not really. It's why you fight so good, right?"

"P-Probably... yeah..."

"Then it's ok with me. You don't do anything bad to good ponies. Sister Jade will fix you. I just don't like everybody being worried, a-and I've been thinking of other stuff..." Swan brushed off the prospect of the ancient spirit with a flick of her tail, she'd never been bothered by even the worst cases where I'd lost control, so I supposed it wouldn't be so simple.

"Other stuff like what Swan? I don't like everybody being worried either, that includes you. Wanna talk about it?"

Swan's full cheeks turned a bit pink at my earnest question, giving a soft smile as she trotted along and hummed in thought a minute before answering. "Well... I'm not scared of the ghosty because I like smashing with you when you get all angry like that, it's fun! But... I've been thinking about our baby and what to do besides smashing. I like it, but I don't want little ponies like niece Glitter or our foal getting hurt... When the Gunners attacked and I was protecting Glitter while you were gone, I... I actually thought about running away with her Fast..."

That shamed admission made me lurch in surprise and gape back to her darting eyes with a yelp. "You?! Thought about retreating? Wow Swan... I... I never would have thought you'd ever back down from anything. Umm... that was good though! Not being worried enough you had to think about it, but I mean... putting Glitter and our baby first."

"You don't think I'm a big scaredy-filly? W-Wanting to run away and hide...?" The pained whine and pinned ears that came with her reticent reply made me realize how much this had been bothering her, stopping in place and shaking my head firmly.

"You are definitely not a scaredy-filly Swan, nopony would ever say that. Not that most ponies would dare, but I don't think so either. I know you feel bad about running and hiding because of what happened to you when you were a filly, but your yak friends wanted to keep you safe too, for the same reasons. Putting kids first is the right thing to do, that's why I get so worried and overprotective about you guys being in danger. It's nothing to be ashamed of Swan. If anything ever goes wrong, if you think Glitter or any of our foals are in danger, e-even from me... I want you to run away. Jade would stick together no matter what I said, but if it's an emergency I'm counting on you to take her and Glitter and teleport far away. Sometimes running away takes a lot more courage than staying to fight. Ok?"

I was glad to see Swan flutter her wings in relief, sputtering at her lips smacking my cheek and grinning. "Okie dokie! I'll protect us all really good, I promise! I do want to keep going on adventures and stuff with you though Fast, but I miss guarding somewhere I can make safe for them, like I did for my sisters back home. I want... a place like that, a home type place, where we can be together forever, like you said about the married thing!"

"You want... oh... Oh!" It took a minute to really take in her hopeful, uncertain look and what she was trying to get across, clearly a difficult and new idea for her, but so simple it made me laugh in relief, continuing quickly at her unsure snort like I was making fun of her. "Sorry Swan, I'm not laughing at you, it's just... That's all stuff I want too! That I've wanted this whole time actually. Er... I hadn't really figured out much detail since all this happened and I ended up falling in love with you and your sisters along with Jade, but I'd been basically keeping the same dream in mind, just with more of you is all."

"Dream... you mean like the one with all of us in your Stable? Nnn... I don't know, Stables are small and cramped... I don't want to live in one...." Swan's ears drooped as she tried to let me down gently, just making me snicker more and shake my head reassuringly.

"That was just a dream-dream, not like a goal dream. I wouldn't want you staying somewhere so uncomfortable, just like I want you to be however makes you happy, so I wouldn't ask you to stay normal all the time to fit either."

"But where then? You don't want to go to our tower with all our sisters and stay there, and I want you to be happy too... Magnolia is worried about being able to be married with Miles and live together too. The Grandpa-pony had a home and big family that was nice, before the dumb Gunners killed him... I just... I never thought about the future much before, the mother and then Umbra thought of stuff like that. Now I have to, for our foal even if I don't want to." Hearing how much thought Swan had already put in, I smiled and hovered over to boop her nose, planting a kiss between her flaring nostrils that reliably cheered her up.

"The fact you are thinking of that kinda stuff shows what a great mom you'll be Swan, and what a dumb-dumb I can be too for not talking with you about it before. Sorry, it just didn't seem like a big deal for you, so I didn't think when I should have. I was just sorta hoping you'd stay with us in Sanctuary..."

"Sanctuary? Where your little house is? I've seen sister's memories." Swan crossed her eyes to me leaning on her muzzle and blinked curiously, her huge gaze lighting up at the thought giving me encouragement to keep going.

"Y-Yeah, that's it alright. I know you've never been and it is a small house, but that's home for me and it is for you too if you wanted. Umm... there is a big lake around it for you to swim in! Plus it's an island with lots of different creatures for you to guard. We haven't been back in too long, what with all your sisters staking the place out and all, but eventually we'll get things sorted out with Umbra I'm sure, she can't stay ticked at me forever... Jade will fix my brain, we'll beat the Institute, find my parents and brother, and... and just be one big family together. That's my dream Swan, and it wouldn't be the same without you, so... umm... i-if you wanted to be together forever I mean... then..."

The rest of my stammering reply was muffled by Swan's lips smacking my whole face with a giddy squee, flopping her rump to the mud to grab me in her hooves and rub her cheek against me as she burbled happily. "Yes! I would like that Fast! That sounds like a nice home place to guard and be happy! I'm glad I talked to you about it! Umm... we can still go out and smash bad ponies though, right?"

"I somehow doubt we're going to run out of bad ponies that deserve a little smashing anytime soon Swan. Plus, with all our friends and family nearby, we'll always have plenty of foalsitters right? So we won't have to worry about them or Glitter getting hurt either. I'm glad we talked about it too. I'd been getting so caught up in bad stuff, I forgot to think about the future and the good things to work towards. Thanks..."

If nothing else, having a giant filly whinnying happily as she hugged and nuzzled the little stallion in her hooves so tenderly definitely seemed to put the creatures of County Crossing at ease. Even as intimidating as Swan was, when she let her guard down and expressed affection she wasn't so scary and I spotted a few peeking out of town at us with clear relief. Still a little embarassing being the big mare's teddy bear, but sinking into her warm fur and hugging her back was the most relaxed and calm I'd felt since the battle of Rocketburg and Burny's death. My headache slacked off even as the first stars twinkled above and the mutter of 'Be Dark...' quieted in the warm glow I felt in my heart.

Swan used to hide out in her pond away from even her sisters, she'd been upset and afraid of the future when they'd started allowing normal ponies to build the settlement of Unityville around her. Now she didn't want to be alone, she actually wanted to live in a town full of normal ponies and had given the future more thought than I had lately. Allowing the Shroud to tempt me with anger and thoughts of revenge had been blinding me to all the things I was supposed to be fighting for.

As much as I'd taught Swan, she had plenty to teach me too and I was grateful for the reminder, gently pulling my way loose with a parting kiss before leading the way back to find the others.

We ended up spending a the night in County Crossing before leaving, all taking an evening meal together and arranging for rooms at the local log cabin inn, drying out near the roaring fire that was its main selling point. It was a wet and chilly flight up here and I didn't want Glitter catching a cold, even though Jade had kept a dim shield up to keep her cozy on her back on the way.

The next morning we headed for Coastal Cottage early with a squad of Minutemares leading the way, trotting along the broken two lane roads towards the coast under the dim purple glow of Swan providing a shield from the rain overhead as she tromped along with us. It was still rainy and chilly enough for Glitter to ride atop Swan's head and nestle in her flowing pink mane for warmth, just her fuzzy yakyakistan hat poking up near Swan's long horn as she watched the new scenery flowing by. This far north was close enough to the edge of the Commonwealth to see the slow swirl of the barrier storm causing the drizzle and wonder what exactly Grandpa was up to now... who he was keeping out or in wherever he was hiding...

Clopping along down the cracked asphalt wasn't as fast as simply flying for the map marker my pip-buck displayed as our objective, but it was nostalgic and peaceful. The troops escorting us kept an eye out from Miretanks as the loamy ground started getting sandy and the smell of the Celestial Sea filled our noses, letting us try to enjoy the sedate walk together and ignore the tension in the air.

With Glitter warm and safe with her sister, it also gave Jade the opportunity to stay close, keeping her voice low as she spoke up in a worried tone. "Fast... You are sure about this? I know we have promised Miss Star help, but are we not doing exactly as Professor Klein wanted?"

"I don't like that part either hon, but in this case we both want the same thing at least. Who cares why he wants Vega dead, so long as I get to kill him..."

She clicked her teeth at me growling at the end, frowning anxiously. "We should care dear. I know Vega has done terrible things and... c-cannot be allowed to continue as he has, though I do not like the thought of going with the goal of killing him to start with. Playing into Klein's hooves does not seem wise, even if our interests align here."

"No... but him wanting us to do it too doesn't change the fact Vega needs to die. He's the one who's been screwing around with the ponies of the Commonwealth the most all this time, he runs Diamond City from the shadows, sells drugs and experiments on folks with them, plus he's tried to kill us repeatedly. Returning the favor seems fair to me."

"An eye for an eye ends with all the world blind Fast... We must try to be better than that. Please at least keep it in mind and do not indulge that.... s-spirit's influence..." Jade huffed back, but her reply quavered at the end as she acknowledged the sleepy growl of 'Be Dark...' making my head twinge in pain.

"I'll try hon... I have the feeling we haven't seen even half of the evil shit Vega has done though. I know you want to see the best in everypony, but some are just rotten to the core. Even Klein said he's crazy, he'll just do more harm if he has the chance. First we'll deal with Vega, then we can go back home to Sanctuary and build the teleporter to take me to the rest of the Institute and... and decide what to do about them from there. Ok?"

She still looked worried, but nodded hesitantly and didn't press for more, leaving us in awkward silence as we followed the curving roadway to the east where the forest fell away. Sandy dunes with patches of spindly weeds took over the terrain, rising in bluffs before dropping to the shore.

It was atop one of these rises our destination rested on, a dilapidated old seaside cottage with peeling seafoam green paint with white trim. It would have been a cozy little home before the war, now it was a wrecked ruin with half the building torn away, revealing the rooms inside and ponies moving about. There were several Minutemares mixed in with what looked like raiders, though slightly cleaner and less insane looking ones anyway.

Perched on the broken chimney sagging towards imminent collapse was a familiar white griffon who was alert as always, squawking when she spotted us and gliding down to land before us, as we entered the grounds around what my pip-buck labeled as soon as I crossed some invisible threshold; Location Discovered: Coastal Cottage. Freya prowled up to us with her long white tail swishing, giving a smirk that didn't quite mask the tension she was carrying in her lithe feline body.

"There you fucks are, took you long enough! Boss was gettin' worried you'd welch on us, yer cuttin' it awful close assholes. Told her it was probably Val here, always was late for everything..." Freya ended her inspection of our small troop at Val, pausing only a moment at the huge Swan looming behind us, she flicked Val's beak with her yellow claw and starting a shoving match immediately.

"Ain't my fault, we been doin' important shit bitch, big, crazy-important hero type shit you an yer cunt of a boss wouldn't know nothin' about! Boss always keeps to the contract though, said we'd show an' we did, since you can't handle yer problems on yer own an' need our help. Ought'a be kissin' my claws fer comin' along to pull yer fat outta the fire!" Val screeched and pushed back, getting up in the pale merc's face to glare eye to eye.

Not wanting them to devolve into a full on brawl as soon as we got here, I was forced to cough for attention and speak up, ending the argument with the Shroud's voice seeping into my own. "Enough! Give it a rest you two, we're here now, just like I promised. So, where's Fancy and what do you need us to do Freya? I assume a professional like you has the lay of the land and some kind of plan already?"

Praising her skills worked nearly as well on Freya as it did Val, thankfully pulling away from my friend to puff her chest out and ruffle her feathers. "Damn straight, just need you fucks ta be expendable decoys shorty. C'mon, boss is upstairs, been waitin' for ya. We'll fill you in there."

Freya opted to fly up to the second story of the wreck of a cottage rather than walk up the rickety stairs, leaving us to follow the same way and take in Fancy's little headquarters below. There were quite a few former Trigger Jewels members, still dressed in tattered suits and dresses, while the more raider looking ponies were clean and well armed. They looked to only cautiously deal with the Minutemares saluting their Princess and General as we swooped overhead, standoffish but behaving themselves anyway.

I had to marvel at Fancy's charisma and leadership ability to bring together her little gang and make them obey, though I imagined the profusion of drugs I saw all over probably had something to do with it. There was even a vending machine that had been repainted and rigged to dispense Med-X, Dash, Buck and more. She hadn't been destroying all the stock she'd been taking from Vega's drug dens up and down the coast, but using them as pay and enticement instead.

We had to leave Swan outside, as just the big filly stepping hoof inside the cottage would probably destroy it completely. The Minutemares who brought us here stayed with her and joined their fellows already here, relieving them from their dug in positions all facing the shore, exchanging hoofbumps, jokes and cigarettes the paused to chat over and be updated.

The rest of our little party flew up to the second floor, touching down at the landing of the sagging staircase and trotting down a narrow hallway to a ruined bedroom facing the sea. It must have been the master bedroom of the cottage when it was whole, containing a large and musty bed that had been covered in clean silk and showed signs of use. The tall windows offered a great view, continuing from the main room to a small, round sitting room that was part of a tower with a conical roof of rotting shingles. Windows ringed this room, giving a cool, salty breeze and panoramic view of the Celestial Sea.

The occupant we were here to find was only interested in those facing northeast however. Fancy Star barely registered our arrival, keeping her eyes glued to a rusty telescope on a tripod and muttering when her griffon bodyguard announced us. "Finally... I was starting to think you weren't such a goody four shoes after all and forgot all about saving my smoopy pie."

"My daddy always keeps his promises lady! Even to big meanies like you, cause he's awesome!" Glitter whinnied and came to my defense, puffing her chest out and stamping her hooves at the former Overmare of Stable 114.

Snorting back at her as she finally turned to face us, I pulled my little filly back with the soft sigh of 'Be Kind...' rising up as I got a good look at Fancy. The golden curls of her mane and tail were frazzled, her normally spotless white coat and magically armored black and red dress were dirty. There were bags under her bloodshot eyes and most of her snide, domineering attitude was missing when she huffed back. "Yeah, yeah brat, he better be..."

"Is it that bad Miss Star? How may we help you rescue your special somepony? We are at your service and truly wish to help." Jade took over kindly, tilting Fancy's wearily hung head up with her wing and wiping at a smudge on her cheek and the tear trembling there.

Freya answered for her, waving to the wide and broken windows and the telescope Fancy had been using. "Take a look yerself there 'Princess', ain't gonna be a tough skull ta crack."

Pulling out her binoculars as she shoved her way past the snowy white merc along with me and Jade, Val stuck her beak up and clucked proudly. "Maybe fer you ice queen, but that's why you had ta come crawlin' ta us. I'm sure yer just a wuss that can't get the job done and... woooo... Alright, maybe ya got a point..."

Joining her at the window and not liking the way her smirk turned to a grimace as Val panned her cracked binoculars, I took a look at the small island Fancy's telescope was focused on and shared the sinking sensation I could see on my best friend's face. Freya wasn't exaggerating...

It was a small island just off the coast to the northeast, curved like a crescent moon to follow the shoreline and occupied by only a few ruined homes. They were big, fancy homes however, mansions almost, holding up over the centuries better than even the best earth pony crafted houses I'd seen in our travels. They were still weather beaten and worn, their cheery paint peeling and roofs sagging. In a way it looked like a fancier version of Sanctuary, a single road crossed from the shore we were on and wound its way through, before forming another crumbling bridge to the north that followed the shoreline to the horizon.

It was the occupants I could make out from here that were the problem... Just squinting with heightened alicorn vision let me see the pale specks of Gen 1 synths patrolling the island, guarding both bridges and ceaselessly trotting up and down the road. Most of them were focused on one large manor house towards the center of the island, several guarding the rusty wrought iron gates in the tall brick wall covered in dead ivy. Beyond them was a circular drive winding around a greenish bronze statue of an earth pony in a suit, peering at it in the scope of the Last Minute, I could make out the pompous expression behind the small glasses perched on its muzzle. The monument to who I was guessing was Vega's original body stood proudly before the leaning pillars of the front of 'Svengallop Manor', as my pip-buck map labeled it after hearing about the place previously. Beneath the balcony sagging above the ornate double doors of the entrance were more synths, among them was a pale yellow pegasus stallion in a long black leather coat and sunglasses that made my mouth dry up and pulse quicken. A Courser...

"That is an evil place Fast... Cursed..." Zed made me jump as always when he spoke right in my ear, the sneaky zebra appearing like magic beside me at the window and frowning at the island.

"Well, it's definitely the right place anyway and that Courser is enough to spook me by itself. You know this island Zed?"

"Neighlem Village is not far to the north, my people know about that island well and avoid it. Very dark magic has tainted it Fast. You lack some of my honed senses as a Venator Noctis to feel it, but it radiates evil. I am unsurprised to learn it is the home of one of these Institute ponies of yours. I will be going with you..." Zed nodded and kept his stern grey eyes locked on Svengallop Manor, making clear his intention to go no matter what my plans ended up being.

I didn't feel whatever he did, but looking over the small island of wealthy homes did make my tail bristle and the low growl of 'Be Dark...' resonate. Giving the manor house and grounds one more scan through my gauss rifle's scope, I turned to Fancy and Freya expectantly. "Ok, I see why you needed help. What's the plan? I'm guessing you've been staking the place out awhile, but how do you know Vega's not already in there with Neighson?"

"Because, he's been running around doing his business using my Snuggleboo's face and showing off in Diamond City with that synth copy of me. Vega doesn't use those teleporters of theirs much and I remember him whining about not having fancy labs like his friends. He's been keeping Neighson locked up and keeps moving him so I can't find him, but he'll bring him here tonight." Fancy huffed back, anxiously flicking her green eyes back to the windows repeatedly.

Freya ruffled her employer's mane comfortingly as she continued with the more practical aspects of our goal here, hooking a claw towards the windows. "Asshole travels around in a sky carriage, big, fancy model. He likes movin' around up on the surface, calls it his little playground... so doubtful he'll teleport in. Prick will show up eventually with the hostage, when he does, all our minions here an' yer goofy Minutemares attack the place, distract them robots long enough for us to fly in. There's a big skylight on top o' that place, figure that's the best entry point. We send in a small strike team ta storm the place, grab the boss' buck, kill the prick and get gone again."

I was surprised when Fancy finished in a small, sad voice, full of pain warring with hope and much more humble than I'd ever heard the obnoxious filly. "P-Please... I need your help stupid, I have to get Neighson back safe. I'll do anything... just please, please help me..."

She had to really, truly love that stallion to swallow her pride like that... I was still gaping when Jade rushed to her, curling her wings around the smaller unicorn in a warm hug and nodding firmly to her stunned and sniffling upturned face. "We shall do everything we can Miss Star, do not worry. You and your special somepony will be reunited, have faith and trust in us."

Fancy actually took some comfort in the kind embrace before pulling away and rubbing her eyes forcefully, a little of her normal, haughty attitude coming back like a mask in the presence of her reformed raiders moving about nearby and absently watching the activity. "Y-You better, c-cause you owe me and all... You have to do what I say and get my snuggleboo back, you can do whatever you want to Vega after, but we get all the loot in there."

Val and Glitter both pouted at being cut off from ransacking the small mansion, but were held back by me holding a hoof up first. "You can have all the normal crap for caps Fancy, but any Institute type arcano-tech is mine. I need it to get to the rest of them. Deal?"

I caught several of her crew pausing to watch the exchange as I held a foreleg out, the brief hitch in activity going back to normal as Fancy's pale hoof met my dark one in a firm shake. "Deal, I don't care about that old world junk anyway. Just Neighson and caps, in that order..."

"Alright then, let's get to work and get ready for them to show up then. Come on everypony, we've got an Institute head to go kill..."

After spending a bit of time going over our collective troops and strategizing, there wasn't much to do but wait and laze around Fancy's rough camp at Coastal Cottage. The tension between her little gang of raiders and gangsters versus the proud Minutemare troops made it an uncomfortable place to hang out too.

Even Glitter wasn't able to make friends with the rough band of ponies under Fancy's command as she normally could, getting roughly shoved aside by one very unwise earth pony wearing the bloodstained metal armor of a raider. She was just trying to help and curious, but as soon as the asshole pushed her out of his path and called her "Brat" I was on him and snarling, having to restrain myself from ripping his throat out with the Shroud's voice growing stronger as night fell. He was lucky to escape with only a broken muzzle and a healthy dose of fear that kept the rest in line.

After that little run in, I stayed close to her, walking the sandy dunes and looking for seashells for a bit. Glitter tended to learn from whatever group we were around like a little sponge, so I didn't want her anywhere near the assholes Fancy had under her sway. It did let me go over our plans with her and make sure she understood what to do anyway, patiently listening to me going over it for the dozenth time.

"You stay with aunt Swan and Witchy, right sweetie? You never let them out of your sight while we're gone. If they say you have to run away, you don't argue, you listen to them and go. Even if that means leaving me or mom behind, you stay safe and don't worry about us."

I went over it all again in my head and tried to reassure myself at our rough 'plan' to tackle Vega's fortress hideout. Convincing Witchy to stay here at the cottage and set up with her anti-materiel rifle to snipe from the excellent perch Fancy kept an eye out from had been hard enough, since it meant leaving Jade without her royal guard. Swan had been harder, only assuaged by the request to help the Minutemares and former raiders diversionary assault on the island and my desperate plea that she guard her little niece. She was just too big to go in with us without smashing the walls down, an option I'd prefer to save for an emergency. With those two out here, Glitter could stay safe with Witchy in her sniper's roost and I was sure the batpony mare would hear any trouble getting close, while Swan could come in any time to raise a shield or teleport them away.

Rolling her pink eyes at my worried nattering, Glitter sighed patiently as she scuffed at the sand and dug up another shell. "I know daddy, I'm not a baby... If you're so worried, just let me come too! I wanna see the big scary mansion, I bet it has lots of neat stuff!"

"I know you're not a baby sweetie, but you are my little filly and I want you to stay safe. It's bad enough bringing you this close, not to mention all the other stuff I've exposed you to. I sometimes think I'm a terrible parent you know... When your brothers and sisters start getting here, I think I'll just have a nervous breakdown."

Giving her a tickle to her tummy wiped the frown from her muzzle at least, laughing as she leapt into a hug and grinned back. "You worry too much daddy, you always save me if I'm in trouble. I can't wait to have lots of little brothers and sisters, so I can be a good big sister and protect them too!"

I smiled proudly at her puffing her chest out as we walked back, eyeing her blank flank in contemplation a moment. "You'll be a great big sister Glitter, and I'm sure I'll need all the help I can get. Eventually all this will be over, somehow... then... I don't know. Have you thought of what you'd like to do other than that? We need to stop running around and dragging you all over the Commonwealth, putting you in danger like this... What do you think about the future sweetie? You know your opinion is important too."

She paused at that, scratching her silvery mane in deep thought and scrunching her muzzle. Finally she shrugged and smiled brightly in reply. "I dunno daddy, whatever you want, so long as we're together. I'd like going back home to Sanctuary, or maybe living in the Castle like a Princess. Home would probably be best though, I like our house and my room, and I miss Cogsworth and Sturges and Sassy and everypony there. I want to meet Grandma and Grandpa, and my uncle Better, I gots lots of aunts, but only one uncle. I think we should all live there and be happy, but we should still go all over the place and see all our friends like Mayor Shamrock, Miss Cocoa, Ms. Jets and all the pegsus kids. Oh! And Rusty and Copper in Hexington, so I can see Lila and Heidi lots! The fairies, the White Legs and Minotaurs, everycreature we met! We should stop the bad Institute and everycreature should be happy and get along with mommy as a Princess for them all!"

Her happy reminiscing was infectious and I gave a soft smile back, patting her head and hoping her innocent view of the future came true somehow. The faith and hope she had sparkling in her eyes still amazed me sometimes, that a little filly who had lost everything when we met could look to the future with such optimism was a miracle in itself. That she could share that belief and kindle hope and friendship in others just by speaking like this was magical.

"You'll still have to go to school again though sweetie..."

I laughed as she tossed her head and groaned at my reply, galloping off with a gentle nudge to go play like she could avoid getting an education beyond Jade and I tutoring her. Along with her more lethal lessons she got from Val, the long diatribes about the glory of Princess Luna she learned from Witchy, or the graceful zebra martial arts, alchemy and spiritual ruminations Zed offered.

My smile as I watched her leap up to swing from Swan's long tail turned to a grimace at the pang between my eyes, 'Be Dark...' fully awake with the dark moon rising in the sky. What place did it have in our future? I knew I couldn't continue like this... it was getting stronger and louder. At least it cared about Glitter too from what I could tell, but what if it hurt her or Jade? Our baby? Our friends? Everything I learned about 'Project Knightfall' from Klein's data agreed with the myths and legends Witchy, the ponies of Eclipse and Zed all said. The Shroud was dangerous... I was dangerous...

Rubbing my head as I trotted around to the rotting porch built around the tower of the cottage, I paused at a pair of soft voices overhead and looked up through the broken and hole riddled roof. Jade was sitting with Fancy still tethered to her telescope and waiting, the two mares quietly chatting together as they kept up the vigil.

"...so worried about him, my poor, brave smoopypie... W-What if he's hurt? I'd do anything to save him, we have to... he has to be ok..." Fancy sounded like she'd been crying, making me quietly tuck back into the shadows and disappear as I listened to Jade's reply.

"I understand Miss Star, Fancy... When our special somepony is in danger or needs help, it is hard to remain calm when all we wish to do is help them. I would do anything for my Fast as well, w-will do anything to save him... so I sympathize with your plight." Jade's reply was soft and comforting, but I caught the anxious fear in her voice and cringed.

I wasn't the only one either, Fancy was a master at reading ponies, her sniffling voice hard and frustrated. "What do you know about it? Y-You and that stupid buck are still together! I heard about your wedding on the radio even! Prancing around like you're living some kind of fairy tale when my Neighson has been held hostage... We were supposed to be married too, if Vega gets his way, he'll put on his crazy show tomorrow using fakes! Don't talk to me about wanting to save somepony that's right here!"

There was a long pause at that, I kept trying to unobtrusively peek through the rotting wood to see Jade, but only got flashes of blue here and there. My ears pricked up when I heard soft sobbing however, the pain and worry in her choked voice made my heart hurt as my wonderful, brave and clearly scared wife answered.

"M-My special somepony may be here at my side, b-but it feels as if he is growing further away and I am in danger of losing him. N-Not only due to the physical threat assisting you in your struggle will surely entail, but because.... b-because he is... s-sick... I purport to be a doctor, yet I cannot heal him! I am a wife who cannot help him! I know well the lengths you would go to to save your Neighson Fancy, for I would go further if needed for Fast. You may take that as a comfort or as a warning, if you had any thoughts of harming my special somepony to save yours... I will not allow it...." Even I had to gulp at Jade's sweet voice turning to a predatory growl, I could hear them shift overhead and just imagine her looming over the smaller unicorn threateningly.

I also felt a stab of guilt... My ears drooped and I bit my lip in my hiding spot, a heavy, painful weight on my chest making my breathing hitch. Jade was always so optimistic and put on a brave face, kind and caring to everypony, but she was hurting so much and hiding it so well... The knowledge I was the one hurting her made a wave of panic crash over me. I wanted to comfort her, lie and tell her I was fine and not to worry, but that would just make her worry more.

I couldn't lie to her and she knew it, my deteriorating mental state was more and more obvious to the trained physician and I couldn't hide it. Putting us into danger and engaging in all these battles was making it worse, hurt her and ponies like poor Burny, for what? My family? The noble goal of stopping the Institute? Saving the ponies of the Commonwealth and making a brighter future for everycreature? Or was it the tempting whisper in my head... the louder and louder refrain of; '...Revenge....'?

Despite my talks with both Glitter and Swan about the future, did I really believe any of it? Could I really somehow end up with a happy ending, when the biggest threat to all the people I loved wasn't the Institute or wasteland monsters, but me...

A sharp gasp from overhead and shouts from around the Cottage broke me from rubbing my head and muttering, trying to will the Shroud back to sleep when the new moon was high overhead and the night was dark. Rushing out from my hiding spot and following everyone else taking cover and pointing up, I spotted what was causing the commotion and felt my eyes glowing as they narrowed to a determined scowl.

There, up in the starry sky still filled with patchy clouds that helped pick it out, was a pristine prewar sky carriage, practically a small limosine fit for a Princess, it was long and deep black, even the windows tinted to a matching shade. An overly extravagant conveyance for a pompous, self important lunatic.

Vega...

By the time I made my way up the rickety stairs to Fancy's roost, the pale mare was jittering at her telescope, practically hopping in place as Vega's sky chariot glided down, drawn by a pair of big winged Institute mutant alicorns. Jade was still beside her, staring out the windows and hurriedly wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her lab coat as I joined her, hesitantly raising a wing to stroke her back and glancing up to her bloodshot blue eyes.

Turning back to Vega's ride landing in the circular drive of his ancient home, I heard and felt the others charging up to join us, Val, Witchy, Zed and Freya all crowding the windows as Glitter shoved her way through to squeeze between Jade and I and hook her forelegs over the rotting windowframe and watch.

She lacked our enhanced vision or the telescope, binonculars or scoped weapons we were using were using to spy on our target, but remained quiet instead of insisting on a look, sensing the grim and tense atmosphere in the silence that fell over Coastal Cottage. The Minutemares and Fancy's gang all knew this was what they were waiting for, that soon the fighting and dying would begin...

Even the Shroud knew it, straining to get loose and making my head pound. Shut up and wait a minute dammit, we can't just go in guns blazing yet.. Soon, ok?

The furious snarl in my head answered impatiently, but did fade to a dull roar as I looked to Glitter and Jade anxiously. I could see the curiosity bubbling to get out in Glitter's upturned face and indulged her, floating out the Last Minute and propping it on the windowsill for her to peek through the scope. She grinned and nuzzled my chest before leaping to the offered view, maintaing the deathly silence as the Courser waiting at the entrance trotted forward and opened the door of Vega's ride like a simple bellhop.

A pale stallion emerged, wearing a well cut blue suit, his poofy pink and violet mane well groomed and a pair of spectacles on his muzzle that weren't there the last time I saw that face. Neighson Svengallop... Or Vega wearing his son's face rather... His bearing and mannerisms were different, much more confident than the buck I'd seen briefly in Stable 114. My ears flicked at Fancy's sharp inhalation, but she grumbled to herself anxiously, clearly recognizing the pony that looked just like him wasn't in fact her special somepony. She loved him enough to not be fooled by Vega's synth copy...

Vega stood straight and proud in his son's body, looking over his manor a moment before turning his attention to the pegasus Courser waiting patiently while the white Gen 1 synths swarmed around his vehicle. I was focused on the biggest threat and the focus of a lot of animosity since I'd left the Stable, feeling my eyes turn dragonish as I watched him barking instructions to the deadly synth.

Zed's deep voice was hoarse and stunned beside me, the uncharacteristic shock making me look over to his wide grey eyes locked on Vega as he croaked. "W-What is that... that thing...? It is an abomination!"

While I agreed, I was still confused at Zed's reaction. The zebra's face was pale and his eyes shrunk to pinpricks. I just saw a monstrous asshole in the shape of a pony, but it seemed like Zed was seeing a whole lot more and not liking what he saw at all.

The Gen 1s moving to the trunk of the long Thundega Motors sky carriage drew my curious attention away however, absently noting the vehicle's make as coming from the manufacturing plant I'd nearly died in when I first met Glitter. Of course he'd insist on riding around in that... A trophy from his numerous deals with businesses in the Commonwealth to act as shell companies or places to experiment. My fangs lengthened as I gnashed my teeth, thinking of the smarmy prick riding high above his little sandbox for the last 200 years.

It was only when Fancy yelped aloud that I paid attention to what they were removing from the trunk, turning to see them pulling out a bound pony with a pale coat and bedraggled pink and violet tail matching Vega's synth. "Neighson! That's Neighson!! See! I knew they'd bring him! That's my smoopy!!"

Again I was somewhat touched by Fancy's obvious love in recognizing her special somepony, especially since he was wearing an ugly iron mask that hid his features. Vega must not want anypony seeing an exact double of himself while he held him captive, imprisoning his own son for weeks. He looked dirty and beaten just from what I could make out, roughly hauled out and dumped at the wide front walk of Svengallop Manor.

Vega meanwhile had barely paid any mind, continuing his shouting to the Courser and pointing a foreleg around imperiously up to the ruin of a mansion. When he was finally finished, the pegasus synth flapped its pale yellow wings and took off into the night, while Vega trotted up to the wide doors with the Gen 1s dragging his son after him.

I puzzled over him sending away his most threatening guardian, but Fancy's screech as the real Neighson disappeared into the gloomy manor tore my attention away. "Now! We have to save him now! Freya! Take me there! Everypony else, attack!!"

"Dammit Fancy! Wait! Don't just..." I yelped after her as her golden tail knocked her telescope aside and she threw herself at her waiting mercenary, the pale pair launching themselves out the broken walls with no hesitation.

With the spoiled filly shouting to her gang as they soared off, what I had to say on the matter was irrelevant. Fancy threw caution to the wind as soon as she saw her buck, flying into danger without paying any mind to strategy or cooperation. Her employees needed no more than her word, half of them drug addled and most bored waiting around, former raiders who had been forced to wait, now free to engage in mayhem as they liked. Whether I liked it or not, the attack was on, the Minutemares below looking up to me hanging out the window watching them charge towards the bridge. Annoyed as I was, I couldn't entirely blame her, if it was Jade in Neighson's place, I'd do the same thing.

"Fuck! That stupid, spoiled... Dammit! No choice, everypony follow the plan! Minutemares, charge! Keep them busy and fall back, remember you're just to draw their attention, so don't get killed! Swan! Be careful!" I shouted down to the waiting troops lagging behind Fancy's gang, ending by turning to Swan sitting outside and peering in the windows.

The wreckage of Coastal Cottage gave a warning creak as Swan blasted off with a giddy whoop, shifting under our hooves in the wall of wind her huge wings kicked up. Tensing and spreading my legs out for balance, I breathed a sigh of relief when the ruin held and turned to Glitter, taking the gauss rifle from her little hooves over her pout and hugging her tightly.

"Remember sweetie, you..."

"Stay safe with Witchy an' Auntie Swan, uuuugh! I know daddy... I'll be fine! You an' mommy be careful, get the bad guy so we can all go home, right?" Glitter huffed and groaned back my instructions, her anxious pink eyes looking up hopefully as she squeezed me tight.

"Right you are sweetheart, we will return safely and then... all go home together, yes... We are trusting you to be a brave and responsible filly until we are reunited, do as Witching and my sister say and this will a-all be over soon. We love you very much dear.." Jade joined us in a rushed hug, taking the opposite cheek I did to kiss before being forced apart all too soon.

Taking up Fancy's former spot at the window, Witchy poked the long barrel of her anti-materiel rifle out the window with a determined bow of her head to us both. "Fear not Princess, I will protect Glitter as if she were your highness herself. T-Though I wish I could keep my post at thine side..."

"Don't worry batty, I got Blue's back for ya! C'mon, let's get while the gettin's good boss!" Val smacked her fellow guard's back reassuringly and darted out the window, waving us after her impatiently.

Jade and I flew out together, clawing for altitude and trying to catch up to Freya's speedy flight. The island ahead was already lighting up with bright blue beams of Institute made magical energy weapons, clashing with the multicolored return fire from our forces assaulting the bridge and the brilliant purple arrows of Swan's spells exploding as she raked the island in a speedy pass. E.F.S. was full of madly jittering red and green dashes as we crossed the water far overhead, catching up to Fancy and Freya in time for Jade to cloak all of us in her invisibility while we slipped into enemy territory.

She couldn't cast the spell on all of us for long, but it was a short distance to cover and gave us the best shot at sneaking in undiscovered. I could still hear her straining by the time we landed on the flat roof of the huge house, my pip-buck filling in the empty outline on my map with a house icon and chime in my ear; Discovered Location: Svengallop Manor. All of us reappeared in time to see Fancy racing for the large, circular skylight in the center of the roof, floating out an ornate gold plated magical energy rifle and wiping at the dusty glass frantically.

"Neighson! Neighson I'm coming! Freya! Help me!" Fancy didn't even give me the chance to take a peek and get the lay of the land, stamping her hooves on the thick glass and wailing.

Her faithful mercenary yanked her back by the tail before the pane of glass she had already cracked filled with blue beams of M.E.W. fire from below, melting holes through the glass as E.F.S. lit up with more red dashes a lot closer than the swarm that had mostly passed out of range. I scowled at her as I crept closer, so much for the element of surprise...

Val came to the same conclusion without a word, flying up high enough to lob 25mm grenades down at the barrier and shatter the skylight. Judging by a couple red dashes winking out in my vision, the rain of jagged glass shards must have taken some out anyway. I crawled up to the lip and peeked over to at least take a look, not quite as willing as Zed to simply jump over the edge in a spinning striped ball and bound down into the thick of things blindly. Whatever he was freaking out about after seeing Vega, the zebra stallion was pissed and nearly as reckless as Fancy herself.

My glance gave me the basic layout I used S.A.T.S. to freeze time and take in completely. The skylight was above a very large room on the ground floor, framed by balconies on either side of the main entryway and full of Gen 1 synths. Unlike the outside of the manor, it was surprisingly well preserved and opulent. Polished wood ornately carved and crafted the railings and banisters, dusty and only slightly tattered draperies hung here and there, the floor was shining dark marble, broken up by pale tiles and gold trim making ornate circular designs matching the skylight directly overhead, while an elaborate fireplace provided light along with the working electric gem lights.

Zed was frozen in the act of pulverizing a clump of Gen 1 synths with shock batons down on the ground floor, paying little heed to the others above and firing down at him or up to the window from the balconies. Choosing to trust in the devastating zebra's martial skills, I focused on the synths aiming up at us, trying to pick them off with the Last Minute to clear a path to follow safely.

Freya flopped to her belly nearby when time resumed, joining me in shooting down on the room as the whining gauss rifle cracked again and again, shredding the heads of four synths before S.A.T.S. ran out of spell charge. She chuckled gruffly after laying down a full clip of light machine gun rounds, shouting over the noise like she was enjoying herself. "Not bad with my rifle shorty! Ready ta take it to em?"

Before I could answer, Val did it for me, diving down from above and streaking straight through the broken skylight with a whoop and rain of red M.E.W. beams from her flank. She had both of her 12mm pistols in her claws and I could hear them booming repeatedly as I jumped up, pausing to snort at Fancy prancing in place behind her merc.

"Not much choice now, is there!? Just keep your boss from doing anything else too stupid! Fancy, stay up here with Jade if you don't wanna get shot!"

I ignored her petulant whinny and rolled over the side with Freya, dropping down into the wide open room and flaring my wings to level off and make a pass at the synths firing from the balconies with the Terrible Shotgun and Deliverer. Without even communicating intent, Freya proved how professional she was at this kind of thing by taking the opposite side of the room, the strange cryogenic freezethrower on her flank covering the synths lined at the railing in ice and following up with carefully selected shots from her pistol that shattered them.

We'd never actually worked together much before, but in a way it was familiar and comfortable, like fighting with Val at my side. No surprise since they'd grown up together I supposed. Looking between the snowy white merc and the bright crimson one bounding around below, I had to smile a bit. Fire and Frost... working together again.

With the four of us fighting in unison, what followed was a dance of destruction in the richly appointed room. I ran and shot and slashed in a frenzy, but the rising influence of 'Be Dark...' didn't feel like it was enjoying destroying synths as it would living targets. For that, I was glad the defenders in here had been nothing but what it considered wind up toys, no blood, no bloodlust, no going out of control...

Eventually the last shot rang out and there was silence, save for my allies and I panting and warily looking around. A few more synths had joined in from nearby rooms and hallways, but it seemed like we had gone through the first wave and had a break we cautiously came together to take advantage of. Considering it safe enough for now, I waved Jade down from her perch anxiously watching from the skylight, allowing her to gently glide down with Fancy floating in her pale blue magic beside her.

The spoiled filly had her eyes clenched as they drifted down, but they popped open when her scrambling legs made contact with the polished floor, instantly galloping about the wreckage of destroyed synths and shouting. "Neighson! Snookieookums!! Where are you! NEIGHSON!!!"

Thankfully, Freya grabbed her and held Fancy back from simply charging off from the main room we had cleared and finding more trouble somewhere. It didn't look easy to calm the frantic mare down, but she must have a lot of trust in Freya, sullenly obeying her admonishments. "Chill out boss, we'll get 'im, but ya gotta stop freakin' out. Gotta be deeper in, so let big blue there do her healin' bit while we look around, ok? Stay with the Princess pony..."

Jade had already done as the griffon said, her horn glowing with soothing healing magic as she trotted about, checking us all over and trying to corral us together. She wasn't having much success with Val eagerly looting ammo from all the Institute M.E.W.s the scrap heap of enemies had used, though surprisingly Zed had wandered off too and paid no mind to her clicking her teeth over his numerous wounds.

Once I was pronounced healthy enough, I joined the zebra standing in front of the ornate fireplace, staring up to the pristine portrait hung above it and gaping to other, smaller ones ringing the room. His face was still pale and his mouth hung open in shock, small, strangled noises of rage and stunned horror escaping his muzzle. Granted they were pretty creepy portraits, the eyes seeming to follow me as I cautiously approached and tapped his shoulder. The biggest one above the fireplace seemed to be Svengallop himself, the original, prewar Svengallop, a white pony with a poofy pink mane in his blue suit, the same small spectacles on his muzzle and a smug look on his face.

"Er... Zed? You ok? You've kinda been freaking out since you saw Vega... what's the deal buddy?"

His head turned to me slowly, his mouth working silently a moment as he took in my curious look. "Vega... that... that thing was this Vega you wish to kill? This is... if only I had gone with you to their idiotic party in Diamond City, I would have known... Fast, this creature is a monster far removed from a pony... This is... this is madness..."

"Oooook... That's what I've been saying though, I told you the Institute heads were all crazy, what's the deal with this one? You caught a glimpse of Klein before and didn't freak out. I mean, Vega's an asshole and completely nuts, but..."

"Soul jars!" Zed's shout got my complete attention as he pointed a shaking hoof up to the portraits lining the tall chamber, his well defined muscles trembling as he stamped and raged. "He has... all these ponies... his family! This Neighson that Miss Fancy wishes to rescue is in grave danger! Not just his life, his very soul!!"

Fancy charged over at that, wailing in fear to the shocked zebra. "What about smoopy!? What do you mean stripe!?"

"Please Zed, calm down and tell us what has disturbed you so. We do not understand your issue with these... admittedly unsettling portraits..." Jade's soft voice calming for calm seemed to settle even Zed, her worried blue eyes flicking up to the oil paintings of various stallions along with the rest of us.

The more I looked, the more I felt something really was very ...wrong... about those pictures... It wasn't just the eyes following me as I shifted my head back and forth, it was like they were... screaming? They weren't though, each stallion was posed for their portrait with generally smug or satisfied expressions, their smiles frozen in place and time. Why did I think that? Why couldn't I shake the idea either? Each one I looked over critically gave that same impression, except for the largest one of Svengallop himself, that beneath the smiles the ponies pictured were screaming at us, wails of pain that sent a shiver down my tail.

One was of a unicorn wearing combat armor, an assault rifle held in his forelegs as he posed before a battlefield. Another was an earth pony with a hunting rifle, wearing leathers and furs before a forested backdrop of green tinted snow. The next was a lanky unicorn with a full toolbelt over his immaculate jumpsuit, posing with a long wrench before a backdrop of Diamond City and the complicated water purifier in one corner of the field. Next was another unicorn pictured in a library full of books, wearing ornate wizard robes and a pointy hat like Starswirl the Bearded. Then a buck in front of a room full of terminals and gadgets... Another was a muscular earth pony frozen in an action pose diving through the air with his outstretched foreleg smashing a Ponitron. A dapper looking stallion with a gleaming, gold hilted longsword. Nine of these smaller portraits followed this pattern, ending up at a picture of Haycom Svengallop in a labcoat like Jade's, before a room of bubbling potion making equipment.

The more I looked the more my eyes hung on not just those creepy eyes of theirs, but on their cutie marks... That part of each portrait seemed to glow with life and vibrancy. Thinking of them along with how each was posed, the common thread came to me. Their special talents... Each picture portrayed the pony in their element, the cutie marks matching the talent they seemed to possess.

Zed started pacing the room in thought, muttering to himself and clearing the circular design at our hooves of destroyed synths and the glowing green goop several had self destructed into. His hoof followed the sinuous designs worked into the dark marble, even those bits of gold trim seemed to move and slither in the corner of my eye, snaking about the room in trails that led to a point just below each portrait. Almost like a... a spell matrix...

Our circuit of the room ended at a blank spot on the wall another line of serpentine runes led to, Zed stared up at this spot with feverish intensity before finally speaking, his deep voice quavering in shock as he confirmed what I was starting to suspect after putting it together.

"These portraits are all a type of soul jar... they each have a fragment of soul embedded in them, that of the pony pictured most likely. But this kind of array and spell... They are not like your statuettes Fast, these are the result of a forbidden ritual of Soul Enslavement, they are bound to this Vega creature. I could see it when he appeared outside, shadows of their spirits tied to his, enslaved... His own children... He does not plan to kill Miss Fancy's buck, he plans to add him to the collection, to tear his soul apart, a fate worse than death..."

As always, Zed was brutally honest, ignoring Fancy's cries and furrowing his brow in thought as she shouted. "W-What!? Worse than... WE HAVE TO SAVE HIM!!!"

Jade acted as a soothing pillar for the sobbing mare, curling a wing around her shaking back and giving a determined nod. "So we shall... we must. To do so we must remain calm however, they do not appear to be here, so we must search. I assume this Vega must have some hidden location to do such a thing? Fast is quite talented at finding secret passages and such, while Zed is obviously very knowledgable about this kind of thing. I am sure we will... will find him in time, yes?

At her hopeful look, Zed blinked up and nodded back. "We must find him before the new moon reaches its zenith, that is the only time he can perform a ritual like this. Judging by this ritual chamber, he must be below this spot somewhere, it will not work elsewhere. We should seek the way down, quickly!"

"Right... everybody spread out then, in pairs, nobody goes alone in this place. Jade, you're with me. Val and Zed, Fancy and Freya. If you find something, give a shout. Watch out for more synths and traps, the Institute loves making complicated bullshit, so the way down will probably be hidden behind a moving bookshelf or some nonsense, check everything. Focus on the ground floor since we wanna go down, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's some kind of twisty slide from upstairs at this point. Ok?"

Val huffed at not being at my side like a loyal bodyguard, but couldn't argue and we didn't have time. Everyone spread out and started exploring Vega's well preserved manor, in a rush now that we realized we were under a time limit I nervously glanced up to the skylight to check on. The darkened moon was just starting to come into view of the opening overhead, if Zed was right, we had to get this done before it lined up directly above...

That wasn't even factoring in the gunshots and explosions I could still hear outside, Swan and Witchy were out there... Glitter... Plus all the Minutemares and even Fancy's gang. I trusted my friends and had told them all to put their safety at the forefront, but the longer this dragged on, the worse it would be for those helping us.

I knew Vega was a monster, but learning just how much of one he was made 'Be Dark...' strain and resonate, all the evil magic tainting this place just strengthening that steady pulse in my head. This was a real evildoer to punish... to kill... to take revenge for all the horrible shit he'd done in the Commonwealth as the Institute's Public Relations head. Playing with ponies' lives on the surface like they were his toys, enslaving the souls of his own children over the years, for nine generations by the portraits on the walls... I wouldn't let him add a tenth. It ended here...

"Wow... I knew he was crazy, but this..."

Jade and I simply gaped at what looked to be Svengallop's office, a richly appointed room that reminded me of his office in Diamond City he framed me for his 'murder' in. We'd been doing a thorough if rushed exploration a few rooms down the wing we took on the first floor, but this room jumped out and screamed batshit insane as soon as we poked our heads in.

It had a large desk with a terminal illuminating the space before the ornate gem light fixtures buzzed to life, bookshelves full of rotting books crumbling to dust, rusting file cabinets and a few tasteful leather seats leaking soft cloud stuffing to the thick saddle arabian rug muffling our hoofsteps. It was the rest of the decor that was severely off though.

Newspaper clippings, photographs, posters and more were hung haphazardly everywhere, linked together by a web of strings and pushtacks strung up by one crazy spider. The newsclippings were yellowed with age and brittle, but still legible enough and put up in some bizarre kind of order I trotted slowly around the room to make sense of.

A photo of Nick Hearts n' Hooves leapt out at me and I wandered that way with Jade right behind me, peering over my head curiously as I looked over that cluster of madness pinned up on the wall. There was both a faded news photo of the living, prewar pony he used to be, along with a newer image of the synth we both knew now. Several of the clippings I had already read on finding his original body in Mareford, though they were new to Jade reading about his shooting by the Winter Gang.

"Detective Hearts n' Hooves... so this is what he looked like. He was a handsome stallion, I did not know he was engaged Fast. How awful... for him to remember all of... this... Why would Vega put this here?" Jahe spoke in a whisper as her feather lightly touched the prewar image, her bright blue eyes misting sadly as she tilted her head down to me.

"Public Relations... I read that much from Dala's files hon, it was his idea to experiment on the hero cop... make her and the Institute look good, get more funding from the Ministry of Peace..."

Moving away from the little cluster of craziness and only absently noting the brochure for 'Scenic Fog Harbor' that looked recently pinned nearby and connected by a thread, my eyes squinting in pain focused on a large poster of a familiar mare that drew my attention. A pale blue mare with an amazingly long, pale lilac and lavender streaked mane, wearing a veil and studded, purple leather jacket, before a backdrop of what I was guessing were non lethal beams of colored magic and fog, beneath the glitzy font reading; Countess Coloratura Veternas Benefit Tour.

Rara... I'd seen similar posters in the casino beneath the Ministry of Morale, not to mention finding her bones in a dressing room within the Sideshow Lounge. This was the singer who had he'd once managed, younger than I'd seen her and still going by the name several of mom's holotape albums listed. A string led from the poster to a faded image of Ministry Mare Applejack, her old friend by what I read back then. Both mare's images were marred by marker scrawled epitets that were none too flattering.

'Big Macintosh Memorial Concert going ahead under cloud of scandal'.

Countess Coloratura's veteran's benefit concert in Ponyville will go ahead as scheduled, even after a scandal that's ended with the singer now known as Rara's talent agent fired and under investigation by the MoM for allegations of fraud, embezzlement, bribery and illegal drugs. Asked for a statement, Miss Rara bravely admitted her addicton to Med-X and has vowed the show must go on, even while undergoing MoP rehabilitation, pledging to donate from her own pocket and refusing any pay from the remaining gate. Ministry Mare Applejack appeared with the singer in support, confirming her plans to attend the benefit concert to be held....'

I muttered the faded article out loud for Jade, trailing off as I thought over what I had already learned and piecing things together. A talent agent, Vega had been a talent agent and stolen from a benefit concert for veterans towards the early years of the war. Somehow he must have squirmed his way out of jail time, a few nearby articles detailed his trial, becoming smaller and smaller blurbs, ending with a brief mention of 'fines paid'.

There wasn't much covering the intervening years or how he wound up shaking hooves with Klein before the gates of the gleaming new domed building I found in another article nearby, reading;

'Public Relations Director for recently completed Commonwealth Institute of Arcane Technology chosen'

Despite accusations of corruption and complaints from the MoWT, the new PR Director of CIAT vows, "Only the best and brightest will be admitted to the new EEA approved Institute under his watch. I know talent and that's what we're after here, the talent to advance Equestria in its struggle against the striped menace!" While some question the controversial choice, Mr. Svengallop has already begun admissions and a PR blitz to...'

Trotting slowly about the room, I noticed more familiar notices, clippings and brochures. The sales brochure for 'Saturnite Knives' made in Sausage Ironworks, Thundega Motors announcing record first quarter earnings due to military contracts, mock up images of various bottles reading 'Addictol', magazine articles for 'Bitway Games secretive new gaming system coming this fall!'. All the things the Institute had a hoof in... all his wheeling and dealing, experimenting on ponies through shell companies... It was like a bizarre trophy room and peek inside his fevered brain...

I paused and gaped up to posters for, 'The Shrouded Stallion Television Series! Coming This Fall!' and 'Alicorn Angels Adventures!', not just in memory at Vega's meddling with my hero and Hubris Comics, but because of some of the newer articles and photos tied to the Shroud's poster with fresher looking threads. A photo of myself stared back, several in fact, one fresh from the Stable and still wearing my blue and yellow barding, another in the Shrouded Stallion Armor I'd recovered while I was still a unicorn, finally others where I had the dark wings at my side now. Some of the scrawled insults and rantings scribbled over it all was fairly insulting. 'Meddling Brat!' was most prominent...

Near the personal rantings and images of me, a string led to a photo of Jade in her Princess Dress from Diamond City. More threads connected her to a grainy image of Trinity Tower and Umbra, a tattered patch bearing the cross and butterflies of the Followers of the Apocalypse with a big question mark near it, aerial photos of Sanctuary with long threads connecting to other settlements we had gotten to join her growing kingdom with their own clusters of notes and scrawled rantings. I didn't care for the angrily sketched words of 'Princess Bitch' marring Jade's picture, though I was confused why she was tied to both an image of Fancy and a large poster of Princess Celestia.

Putting together the lunatic thought process laid out in the room was an exercise in futility though, this all meant something to Vega, but we didn't have time to try to puzzle it out. The terminal atop his cluttered desk was more interesting and I patched my pip-buck to it hopefully, trying to put aside my headache to focus on the scrolling code and crack the advanced security. Maybe there'd be a simple command like' Open Secret Door' or something...

No such luck however, just a long list of journal entries it looked like, forcing me to copy everything to my pip-buck and hurriedly browse for anything that caught my eye while they downloaded. The early ones from before the end had a lot of unkind things to say about Ministry Mare Applejack in particular, standing in the way of his crooked deals and generally being the 'Apple-Cunt' that stole away his 'Songbird'. A few had mad plans to get her under his sway again once she started working at the MoM Casino in Goodneighbor, but thankfully Rara had rebuffed all his advances, much to his already insane displeasure.

The ones after the war increased his steady mental decline, adjusting to the apocalypse none too well, but still performing his function as head of Public Relations. Keeping tabs on things like the destroyed Steel Ranger base in Bunker Hill when it was still a safe bastion working with the Institute, lists of all the Stables in the Commonwealth that made my pip-buck chime a couple times with 'Map Updated', data on enclaves of survivors on the surface and poorly thought out ideas on 'rebuilding Equestria' from the relatively safe and secluded harbor of the Commonwealth.

I scrolled ahead impatiently through these, zeroing in on dates about 80 years ago curiously. It was here where things got really weird, after the reports of 'Securing Stable 111 test subjects successfully'. I pulled up the entry that jumped out at me the most, dated about a week after the Institute's invasion of my home and titled with the name I was looking for the most.

'Entry# 234021-- Fucking Mobius!!!'

Traitor bastard! Mobius turned on us, but somehow it's my fault!?! He's the one that wanted that Stable in the first place! Saying 'Oh Vega, it has to be now! Can't wait any more, I need you to take them before another cycle, blah, blah, blah'! Who cares if we were a little rough and maybe missed one!? More than 1000 ponies there, and he freaks out over one! I always hated that old buck, Klein fawns over him still, mad at me, just because I'm the one that deals with Kellogg and the surface! They all look down on me! Mobius was worst of all! I always hated how full of himself he was anyway, explaining all their arcane science crap like I was some stupid foal, just because I'm not one of them! Who's the smart one now, huh!? I kept telling Klein he wasn't right, always second guessing everything we were doing, getting in the way! Now he's out there somewhere in the forbidden zone, messing with all my plans, taking away all the resources that way. Sparkle World, the megaspell arrays, everything! He can't run that far, the Commonwealth is all there is, it's my snowglobe to play with! I'll show him! I'll show all of them! I'll be more talented than Klein's precious idea pony ever was!'

Grandpa... He was the one who ordered my Stable be taken? But why? Why leave it to function as it should for 120 years, was there a reason for the timing? The mention of taking it before another cycle was curious... Kellogg attacked on Shift 4, right after we went under stasis the last time. Did he not want us waking up? He was upset because they missed me, his guinea pig somehow carrying the Shroud's spirit... Vega's rantings had become crazier too, Mobius had already hacked his brain into thinking the bubble of the Commonwealth was all that existed. Why?

Skipping ahead to more recent entries just showed how he'd declined over the years. There were quite a few dated to around 50 years ago and the Night of the Broken Mask in Diamond City. Vega had his hoofprints all over that, detailing information on the different factions that had tried coming together back then, only to be split apart and decimated by Vega's synth infiltrators. A previous generation of brave creatures like Doc Scalpel from Hexington's stallion friend, Mama Xara's father and tribe, even files on a young Burny Jets fresh from his exile that made my eyes water looking at his youthful face...

After that things were fairly quiet, he'd successfully cowed the creatures of the Commonwealth with the fear and mistrust he'd sowed, keeping tabs on things and meddling for various experiments the other directors wanted to carry out. Things picked up again 8 years ago when the skies cleared and Klein started making requests and plans, but Vega was still addled by Mobius' reprogramming and couldn't grasp the idea of a wasteland outside the barrier surrounding the Commonwealth.

Then came the flurry of activity in the past few months since I woke up... Upending his safely controlled settlement of Hexington had pissed him off personally, everything I did from that point on making Jade into a Princess for the people here had just made him crazier and angrier. The entry after the night Jade got her mark and he framed me in Diamond City was especially full of bile;

'Entry# 503595-- Princess Bitch!

Hate him, hate him, hate him! I hate that runty little bastard, slipped away from the useless D.C. guards! Going to replace them all soon enough, and their uptight asshole leader Stone! Went through the trouble of 'dying' early to frame him for nothing! Now I have to twiddle my hooves until the ritual, let my idiot son pretend to run things with that Stable cunt of his! Going to send that meddlesome bitch to Dala soon, wouldn't be worth the trouble if she wasn't such an excellent source for a smooth talking heir.

Stupid brat thinks he's so smart, stealing my ideas! Putting up some mutant freak as a Princess is going to ruin ours! Everypony just loves that big blue monster! Ruining everything! Just like Mobius! The one we missed... He stinks of the forbidden one! I know they're connected, even has a Project Small Wonder spying on him! Klein never paid attention to that project, but the goofy fucker just loved talking about it. Talking down to me about it more like it! But I listened... always smiling and keeping him close if I needed to use him. If I can just catch the crazy coot now, then Klein will see!'

Well, that confirmed the Institute didn't know Mobius and I were related anyway... I didn't like the conviction Vega had that Grandpa was spying on me somehow, Project Small Wonder... I'd heard that before somewhere. One of his little Cybreezie robots maybe? I knew the rest of the Institute spied on the Commonwealth using synth ravens, unobtrusive little agents that were essentially flying cameras.

Interesting reading as it was, none of it was getting us any closer to Vega in the here and now. He was somewhere beneath our hooves and time was running out. I was glad when my pip-buck chimed when it completed the download, at least I could peruse it later and look for more clues.

For now, I was glad to hear Val's squawk from elsewhere in the manor, full of wary excitement calling out for me. "Hey boss! Ya wanna take a look at this fucked up shit right here, thinkin' it's a good bet!"

I had to pull Jade away from gazing up to the poster of the Shrouded Stallion show with a little shiver running down her cloudy tail, putting the disturbing office behind us to gallop out to the main room and find my griffon friend prancing on her paws with a dusty bottle of high class bourbon. Zed wasn't with her, but a wave of her claw as she slugged back the liquor showed the way she turned to lead us down, snorting at me eyeing the bottle in her grip with a raised eyebrow.

"Found the kitchens and booze first boss, wasn't gonna just leave it sittin' there. Anyhoo, me an' stripey found somethin' weird, right up yer alley. Stripey's still lookin' it over, but says it's probably it by that zebra hoodoo of his sniffin' around at the ground." Val prowled down the dusty halls in the lead, swishing her tail as we passed an empty dining room.

The chamber she led us to was towards the back of the house, still in line with the great hall and its creepy paintings watching us leave. It was as tall as the main chamber, taking up the full two floors with graceful arches and clouded windows. It was a round room with a domed roof, the woodwork covered in peeling white paint and the dirty floors covered in checkered green and yellow tiles, along with dirt from broken planters and long, desicated roots trailing across the ground. A conservatory... it must have been a lush little indoor garden once, judging by all the dead and dried plants in the stone planters ringing it.

It was the centerpiece of the room that was indeed very strange, even for Vega. A huge birdcage of golden bars sat in the center of the room, a matching console built near the simple latch barring the gate in. Sitting before it was a gilded and fancy chair and matching ottoman beside a short table, placed to sit and view the odd cage in posh comfort. The weirdest part was the 'bird' in the cage however, sitting stock still on her haunches was a pale blue pony straight off her posters in Vega's office, Rara... Or Countess Coloratura judging by her elaborate outfit and mane.

Her blank face was covered in a dark veil, long and dark false eyelashes beneath the gauzy material. Her mane was dyed pale lilac striped with violet was tied up in a long, flowing topknot that reached the floor and her tail matched its length, curling around her hooves. She wore the violet leather jacket from the poster, darker studded bands at the sleeves and her hooves matching the collar at her neck. Vega made and locked up a copy of the singer he'd once managed who spurned him... Just more evidence of how crazy he was.

She didn't react to our presence, her long lashes remaining serenely closed, despite Val bounding in to perch on the curved golden bars near the top and rattling the cage cheerily. "See? Pretty fuckin' weird, right? Already tossed the other rooms nearby an' they were all borin', but this kinda jumps out at ya, don't it? Figure unless the Ice Queen found somethin' even crazier in her wing, this is it, huh?"

Zed was prowling around this weird construct slowly, sniffing at the tiles and tapping the floor with his hoof as he cocked his head and perked his head to listen. "I wish Witching was with us... her echolocation and hearing would be useful, but I believe there is a passage beneath this strange cage. The console terminal is locked however, if you would Fast..?"

"Ooooook.... definitely weird... Right, I'm on it. Does she er... say anything? It's a synth, but is it one that's alive?"

Jade followed me down the short step leading to the sunken floor of the conservatory, pausing at the gate to the cage while I connected to the terminal and calling out in a curious voice. "Hello? Miss? Can you hear us? W-We are here to help if you are a prisoner... Hello?"

Landing beside her with an amused cluck, Val pulled out her twisted whacking stick she used for my training and poked the mare through the bars, shaking her head and shrugging. "Don't do nothin' Blue, we tried already. Just some fancy windup toy we're guessin', what'cha think boss?"

Following my nose as I flicked through the lines of code flashing before my eyes, I took a closer look at the small table and chair setup nearby. A glass bottle with a fading rainbow label and a straw sticking out of it was still perspiring water that ran down to the polished wood. A bowl of cherries with several pits rolling underhoof looked fresh and tasty, along with the delicious smelling half eaten eclair resting on a doily. Vega had been here... recently.

"It's a good bet alright, go get Fancy and Freya while I work on this. There's gotta be some kind of trick to..."

I gave Val a firm nod as I cracked the terminal, interrupted by a melodious voice speaking up suddenly that made us all jump and look to the imprisoned synth. "Greetings Master Svengallop! It's sooooo wonderful to see you again. I owe everything to you Master, you're the best talent agent in Equestria. Without you I'd still be some poor, boring, common filly in Manehatten, instead you made me a Countess! You deserve everything you get and more, nopony understands how important you are! Your silly colleagues would be lost without you Master! Please let me sing just for you!"

At that, music started blaring out of hidden speakers above, clouds of fog filled the cage and beams of colored light flashed as the mare in the cage started singing a lively and loud song, the beat making the room rattle with the loud thumping as she gyrated and sang;

Pinning my ears back at the overwhelming noise, I scrambled to find a way to shut it off through the open terminal and breathed a sigh of relief on finding the proper command. Countess Coloratura froze on her hindlegs with her back arched in her energetic performance and returned to a calm posture on all four hooves again, expectantly waiting with her sky blue eyes focused dead ahead. She wasn't an advanced synth that thought and felt, merely a toy that didn't even recognize we weren't Vega, going through rote responses as it was programmed.

On the plus side, Val didn't need to go get Fancy and Freya after that. The pale pair came charging in behind us at the noise, Freya in the lead with her pistol out and her watchful glare flicking everywhere. Only once she saw it was safe did she allow the anxious unicorn mare behind her to come in, galloping up to me at the console and stamping her hooves.

"What the hell was that!? He probably heard all that noise stupid! What if he hurts Neighson! What in the world is this crazy setup anyway!? Who's that!?" Fancy's gold plated M.E.W. focused on the placid synth, hovering in her bright yellow magic as she snapped at me impatiently.

"A songbird... Just shut up and hang on a second Fancy, I'm working on it..."

"Slavery of a different sort to feed his ego. This Svengallop seems to delight in using others, feeding off their labors and talents for his own benefit. If he had his way, all of the Commonwealth would be little more than this sad doll... I still do not like the idea of killing him, but he cannot be allowed to do this to others..." Jade stood at the bars and stared at the mindless robot wistfully, her ears drooping in thought over what was a difficult decision for her.

I winced at the voice of 'Be Dark...' snarling in answer, it was simple for the Shroud... and me... Vega had to die. Nothing 'Be Kind...' or 'Be Unwavering!' could frantically whisper changed that, kindness and generosity were wasted on him. I was somehow unsurprised the firm voice of 'Be Strong!' agreed with the Shroud, the sliver of Applejack's soul remembered him... It wasn't often the Ministry Mares disagreed in their little roundtable in my brain, but they did here.

I didn't like being on Fancy's side however, the angry wail she answered with too close to my own thoughts on the matter. "Fuck him! He took my smoopy! Wanted to experiment on me! Replaced me!! Your pet zebra says he wants to do worse too! Some awful magic hoodoo on his soul! He's dead, you hear me 'Princess'! DEAD!"

Zed snorted at her dismissive wave towards him and insulting words, looking back up from his investigation to sigh softly to Jade. "Your kindness to even such a creature is admirable Jade, but wasted. He's no longer a pony deserving of consideration, or a pony at all. He's a monster of dark magic, just the kind of thing I was taught and trained to destroy. Do not falter in this, harden your heart or stay back, but he must die."

Fighting my pounding headache, I scrolled through the long playlist of songs and controls for the stage effects, finally finding a hidden command reading; 'Release Mag-Locks? Y/N?' and resoundingly hit yes. The room rumbled and machinery underhoof ground and clicked, getting a squawk of surprise from Val as the cage shook and started to rise.

Below the round golden platform that formed the bottom of the cage, a high tech and clean elevator waited, just enough room for all of us to squeeze in. This was definitely it, a way down below Svengallop Manor, into the lair of the Public Relations Director of the Institute. A glance out the dusty windows of the conservatory served as grim reminder the clock was ticking, whatever waited in his Sanctum, we didn't have long to stop him.

"Alright everybody... This is it, ready?"

Looking up to my friends and temporary allies, I didn't see any hesitation as they answered with firm nods and moved towards the secret elevator. Whatever was down there, everyone was resolved to face it together. Even Jade bit her lip and shoved her doubts aside, giving a supportive nuzzle as I disconnected my pip-buck and joined her.

I gulped at the Shroud chiming in its own affirmation and rubbed my head as I hit the switch and the elevator rumbled back down into the dark. Our unseen questionable ally was straining to come out and hunt Vega down. Please... Just behave, work with me, us... and you get what you want, what we both want. Much as I disliked and feared it, I was sure we'd need his help too and prayed to the goddesses I could control it.

The passageways beneath Svengallop Manor turned out to be uncomfortably familiar, for both myself and Fancy. Once the secret elevator reached the bottom with a ding, we found ourselves in the clean and shining metal hallways of an Institute facility just like Moondancer's labs we'd both been locked up in. The walls were gleaming white, painted with colored stripes leading the way through the warren of tunnels and rooms.

From what my pip-buck's quasi-reliable mapping feature showed, Vega's lair wasn't nearly the size of Dala's labs, matching what Fancy said about his whining jealousy of his colleagues. Svengallop hadn't been an arcane scientist like the others, so he didn't rate the same facilities. His ego fluffing Coloratura synth upstairs went along the same theme, an insecure narsicist who thought he deserved more than he got.

More Gen 1 synths stood in our path as we rushed through the winding halls, slowing us down as we kept working our way lower. The limited views I got of the rooms branching off from our path made it seem like this place was glorified storage mainly, there were storerooms full of drugs, weapons and other commodities for Vega to use in his dealings with the surface. A glimpse of one room full of spotless Fluffer Batter dispensers made me gulp and use up a grenade just to wreck the horrible devices. Whatever the Institute planned on doing with them, it couldn't be good.

We were in too much of a hurry to really explore however, even Val was forced to refrain from looting to keep up, squawking angrily when I pulled ahead too far on lightning wreathed hooves propelling me forward. Only Fancy and Zed were in as much of a rush, keeping pace with me as we plowed through the opposition. Fancy was only concerned for Neighson, but I had an idea Zed could feel the building thrum of dark magic in the air even more accutely than I could.

I still wasn't much of a wizard-pony, but my horn itched in the presence of such powerful magic still beneath our hooves. Both the Shroud's spirit and those of the Ministry Mares were resonating in my head in time with the ethereal pulse of arcane power that kept building. Looking over my map again while pausing at an intersection of hallways marked with magical runes, it looked like this entire complex was part of Vega's ritual chamber, spiraling down around the open space on my map beneath the round main hall of the Manor and its creepy portraits.

Skidding around another turn towards the gently sloping ramps leading down, I was brought up short by an unexpected sight that shocked me enough to nearly get me killed. Elder Macson of the Brotherhood of Friendship was waiting around the bend, opening up with the tri-barreled magical energy weapon on his flank as I skidded to a halt dumbly.

"Boss look out stupid!" Val screeched as the lines of blazing magic traced their way towards me, tackling me out of the way and taking cover behind the corner of a branching hallway before the ramp down.

She had no second thoughts on finding the leader of the Brotherhood here, peeking around the corner to fire her booming 12mm pistols. Shaking my head, I poked my head out from her protective guard and watched her rounds tearing into his armored leather coat, floating out the Terrible Shotgun and blasting along with her. I didn't particularly like Macson anyway, and 'Be Dark...' had no issue whatsoever firing on him.

The bastard demonstrated that spooky speed and grace I'd seen glimpses of again, charging forward despite the hail of gunfire filling the narrow hall. Freya had already taken up the corner opposite Val and opened up with her chattering light machine gun, a line of impacts going up the fluffy hellhound fur lining of his coat at his neck in what should be devastating wounds that barely slowed his pace.

He was met by Zed galloping past us before he reached our bit of cover, engaging in a furious back and forth of hoof to hoof strikes that left me stunned. He could fight on equal terms with Zed!? I'd never seen anycreature that could duck and dodge Zed's expert strikes, let alone spin and buck the muscular zebra into the wall with a painful sounding crack.

With him occupied for the moment at least, I flapped past Val and dove down the ramp, activating S.A.T.S. mid-dive and targeting his scarred face. Time resumed and my gleaming .45 revolver crashed repeatedly, blowing Macson's brains out just as he reared to follow up on Zed rolling out of the way. When the big red earth pony simply melted to a puddle of green goop, all of us paused in the ringing silence in confusion.

"A... A synth? Of Elder Macson? W-Why..." Jade cautiously poked her head out with a curious tilt, gaping at the puddle at Zed's hooves.

Val huffed as she reloaded her weapons, sneering at the destroyed synth. "Why'dya think Blue? This is the egghead fucker what screws around with folks up top, right? Must plan on replacing Mr. metal britches here..."

"Of course they do... That would give them control of the Brotherhood of Friendship and their cloudship... Vega would be the one to manage replacing ponies on the surface alright, he must have them in..."

My musing over the Institute's plans was cut short by movement down the hallway that made Venegeance snap up in my magic out of reflex, though I fell short on getting a look at the pale yellow pony zipping around the corner and firing a boxy magical energy weapon in her mouth as she flew right at us. Summer!?

I couldn't move... couldn't shoot... Logically I knew it was a synth, but shooting the sweet pegasus filly's face charging at me was just... I couldn't do it... Even the snarl of 'Be Dark...' fizzled out in shock, she was somepony the Shroud viewed as 'MINE', it couldn't cope either and I just sat dumbfounded as her shots zeroed in on me.

A series of golden magical beams from behind me took care of the problem before I'd taken more than a glancing shot that singed my feathers. My mouth hung open in shock as I watched Scribe Summer Wind vaporized to a puff of glittering ash and turned slowly to Fancy's shout. "Fuck that bitch, I don't like that little turkey anyway. Come on! Neighson's waiting!"

Vega was pulling his toys out of storage, even knowing it was just a synth infiltrator, I felt sick to my stomach walking through the pile of dust that had looked just like Summer. Who else had he copied and intended to replace? Who else might come charing out to kill us wearing a friendly smile?

The answer made the ember of anger in my head flare brighter and hotter as we pressed on, now facing not just blank faced Gen 1s, but the friends we'd made all over the Commonwealth. Zed nearly froze when faced with his own grandfather's weathered face down one hall, forced back in duel of zebra martial arts by his master that ended with Val blowing his limbs off with a well aimed string of 25mm grenades when he dodged back. The zebra returned the favor when she was blasted by a lever action rifle held in the claws of Magpie, the ghoulish griffon an expert marksmare apparently, but unable to move her waddling gait fast enough to avoid Zed snapping her neck in his hooves.

I had to rely on the Shroud to face Preston Gardens ducking out of cover to fire his hoof cranked magical energy musket, one General of the Minutemares facing the other in deadly combat despite my distaste and the hurt whisper of 'Be Awesome!' over the betrayal. If it weren't for the influence of 'Be Dark...' to lean on, I didn't think I'd be able to simply... decapitate him like that, teleporting in range to slash out with Best Served in my fangs and my eyes glowing.

When the sexy Cocoa Latte came sauntering out of a room down the next bend, I could have sworn Jade took a little pleasure in grabbing her in a field of her pale blue telekinesis and slamming her to the ceiling. She still wasn't able to kill even a synth, but she wasn't above stopping her with extreme prejudice, giving a little huff at the curvy mare struggling in her grip before Val pressed her pistol to her warm chocolate and cream colored mane and blasted her to another puddle of goop.

She was so absorbed sticking her nose up at my questioning look, neither of us noticed Mayor Shamrock slipping out of the shadows with the knife hidden in a switchblade harness under the sleeve of his ancient red coat and aiming to slit her throat. Thankfully the watchful Shroud did, pushing her aside and slicing his foreleg neatly off, allowing Freya to freeze the rest of him and shatter the ghoul to icy chunks with a rake of her claws.

"T-This is horrible! Vega has plotted to replace so many important ponies, put the Commonwealth under his control through his copies! He... no... please no...." Jade cried at the ice melting to goop at her hooves, looking up in time with me to see another synth guarding an important looking door at the bottom of the next ramp down.

I shared her reaction, my mouth drying up and tears forming in my burning eyes. A grizzled old red pegasus stallion in a leather jacket, a plasma pistol in his bearded muzzle lighting his wrinkled face in baleful green light as it aimed at Jade standing as frozen as I was. Burny...

He'd copied Burny Jets... An obsolete copy Vega must have had waiting to take control of the Arcano-Cats and Red Rocket Couriers, now practically a living ghost. I couldn't kill him again... I couldn't see him die all over again... I knew it wasn't really Burny, but I'd last seen that face burning up in the flames of his funeral pyre, and now it was... Please Goddesses, don't make me see it again...

Yes! Please! Do it! Anything was better than having to kill the kindly old buck again. I willingly ceded control to the Shroud's tempting whisper, clenching my eyes shut and feeling my horn light up. I felt my magic reaching out, casting complicated spells I didn't know, the sounds of roaring flames and my friends gasping just encouraging me to keep my eyes firmly shut. I retreated from whatever it was the Shroud was doing that I couldn't, hearing the crackle of a torrent of flames, feeling the wave of heat and smelling the disturbingly savory smell of cooking meat that made my fangs ache and mouth water.

When it cut off again and silence reigned, I warily cracked an eye open, glad to see nothing barring our way now. The end of the passage was scorched and blackened, the pristine white paint bubbled off the walls and nothing but a pile of ashes remained where the Burny synth stood. I'd cremated him... again...

Thank you...

I winced at the stab of pain between my eyes answering my weak gratitude, stumbling forward as Freya slapped my back and pushed past. "Holy shit twerp! Not bad! Guess I gotta admit it Val, yer boss is worth the open contract after all! How come you didn't pull that shit out earlier shrimpy?"

"Shaddup bitch, course boss is worth it, he's my cuddly lil' pony pal partner! Worth a hundred of yer bratty bitch, 'bout time you recognize!" Val shoved her fellow mercenary on to the door with her ruff of feathers puffed up proudly, her loyal endorsement helping the shout of 'Be Awesome!' drag the Shroud back. Her claws scratched my mane for me soothingly as she paused to lean down and whisper once Freya and Fancy had gone ahead out of earshot. "Er... you ok boss? That uh... not that it wasn't awesome or nothin', makin' that kinda fire outta yer horn what was even all dragon shaped an' what not, but... that weren't you, was it boss...?"

Jade joined her at my other side, curling a wing over my shaking back and nuzzling anxiously as I regained control, brightening the mote of 'Be Kind...' with her worried voice. "F-Fast? Are you alright? That spell... you..."

Looking up to them both with a grimace, I turned it to a shaky, insincere smile and shrugged at Fancy frantically working at the terminal locked door. "F-Fine... I'm fine, really... I just couldn't... I-It's alright, I'll be ok, let's just get this done and get out of here. Quickly..."

Turning away from them both, I was brought up short by Zed's intense grey stare and clenched jaw. He looked torn, but angrier than before and I flinched at his hoof jabbing my chest. "Do. Not. Do. That. Again... I warned you Fast, I've looked away when I shouldn't have out of friendship, but you are playing with fire. Like it or not, when this is done, so are you. I will assist your mare in keeping you under her care by force if needed. I will go tell her sisters of Trinity Tower where to find you myself if I must, leave it to them to keep you locked up and too worn to think of escape."

Jade sputtered at his warning as I trudged to the blackened door and pushed Fancy aside to patch my pip-buck to the singed port. "W-W-What!? Zed! What are you going on about? W-While I agree Fast should stop and rest so I may care for him after this, threatening to call my sisters to imprison him is..."

The zebra wheeled on her worried tone, stamping his hooves and snorting to silence her. "If it will stop the Shroud from escaping, I will most certainly do it. Everything I was taught says I should kill him myself now, before that can happen! But I... cannot... Locking him up somewhere where its base appetites will be sated is the next best thing. By all the spirits I should force him to go back now... this Vega is the worst kind of enemy for Fast to face right now, a madpony engaging in psychological warfare with one teetering on the edge..."

"I'm NOT leaving!! I'm ending this, I'm killing Vega, then I'm going to go after the rest of the Institute to destroy it! I'm going to save my family! Protect Jade and everycreature else I care about from them EVER hurting them! Don't try to stop me Zed... I'm glad we're friends and I understand what you're saying, but don't get in my way..."

Even keeping my glowing eyes focused dead ahead and on the scrolling text before them, I could see Zed's frown harden as I staggered under the blinding wave of pain in my head. The Shroud's voice leaking into my own made Freya take a wary step back as I struggled to crack the security, though Fancy paid no attention and kept impatiently pacing in front of the portal. When it opened before her, she didn't even have a chance to go charging in more than a single hoofstep before being thrown back out and crashing into Jade's side reaching for me by the loud boom of a shotgun.

Jade caught the bleeding unicorn mare in her hooves and raised her shield on instinct as the others dove to either side of the doorway, focusing on healing the bloody wound at the base of her neck and beneath her damaged battledress' chest. Whatever hit her went for center body mass and had at least been mostly stopped by the frilly armored garmet made by Sassy Saddles, but her wind was knocked out and she was dazed.

"Greetings Evildoers..." A very familiar voice called out from the darkened room, two glowing red spots in the shadows staring back when I peeked around the corner.

It was a wide, open room with the far wall nothing but windows looking out to an illuminated, rough cavern pulsing with green light. That and alicorn night vision enough to make out the silhouettes of two ponies before the lights buzzed to life with an absent command to the terminal. One big, one small...

Me... Us... They'd copied us... There stood a Princess and a Shroud staring back, the blue glow of magic lighting up the rakish fedora and gleaming .45 revolver that popped up and fired almost instantly, the heavy rounds pinging against the metal near my head and driving me back from my short glimpse.

They wore cleaner and less singed versions of my Shrouded Stallion armor and Jade's labcoat and tiara, but were otherwise exact duplicates. I was somewhat annoyed getting even that glimpse of myself with another Jade standing beside him, getting a good look from the outside how short I looked next to the regal blue alicorn. When both Freya and Val started firing their freezethrower and grenade machinegun in unison at the pair, I was downright infuriated at the smirk the false Jade wore as she raised her own shield and weathered the storm. That looked nothing like my wife... How dare they make this thing in her image!

As the smoke and freezing white mist cleared around the glowing blue shell, a terrible scream and eerie chanting filled the silence, the straining voice raised in terror enough to get Fancy to struggle against Jade's grip with a gasping cry. "NEIGHSON!!! Freya, save him!"

Needing no more than her contract holder's order, Freya bounded through the doorway before the synth Jade's shield faded and released her fake knight. Val paused only a second before following her old partner, shouting over her shoulder as she went. "No offense you two, kinda feel weird killin' yas an all, but fuck it!"

Zed was right on my heels when I summoned an aura of lightning and followed, dashing out into the room rapidly filling with death in the form of freezing mist, small explosions, beams of magic and whining ricochets of gunfire. It wasn't a huge room as the unfinished chamber beyond the windows hinted at being, more some kind of observation room with blinking terminals and consoles along the walls, facing the view out. As such I was surprised at how nimbly the fake Princess and Shroud moved, prancing back from the fire and returning it with spooky accuracy I could only guess was aided by the pip-bucks I saw on their forelegs.

White lightning wreathed the hooves of my copy, sending it propelling around the tight space rapidly in zigs and zags that made it a difficult target to hit without worrying about friendly fire. More disturbing was how well it worked with its own Princess, blasting back to her side the instant Zed launched himself at the crackling barrier of her shield springing up again and hammering it with his hooves. The glimmering blade in its teeth slashed out and forced the zebra back, unable to even attempt to parry with his dense bangles against what I was pretty sure was the very knife Vega used to frame me in Diamond City, one of the 100 'Saturnite' blades the Institute had let loose in the wasteland. The shotgun and revolver hovering by its head remained trained on the two griffons dodging back from the blind fired shots, while the fake Jade kept sending out rings of anesthetic spells to harry them.

The crackling trail of black electricity at my hooves criss crossed the white ones the copy had left fading away as I charged at it, spotting the flicker of arcing magic at its horn just in time to divert my course when it turned from Zed flipping back for space.

Sweet Celestia! How accurately had they made this thing!? The blast of lightning magic from its horn met mine defending Val and Freya and lit the room in a blinding flash as they clashed together in the air between us. The lights overhead flickered and blinked in the pulse that exploded outward and the floor shook, giving me an idea this rounded room was some kind of construct bolted to the cavern walls I could see through the windows, with the vague impression of a long shaft below where the baleful green light was coming from.

Flapping up to the low ceiling to give the griffon's behind me space to shoot as I dove forward, I glanced out and got a little confirmation. I couldn't see to the bottom and whatever was going on down there to cause the screaming, but I saw catwalks spiraling down, interspersed with modular capsule like rooms with windows looking down like this one. The rough stone walls were carved with more of those sinuous runes in vertical lines, heading up to the portrait room of the manor above no doubt.

Diverting my attention even for an instant still wasn't a good idea, I was smashed out of the air just as I drew a bead on my double chasing Zed with the Last Minute, tackled by an all too familiar ton of blue alicorn that pinned me to the steel floor as we skidded to a halt. The sneering, haughty face lit by the bright blue-white glow of her horn was awful to see as she grinned, cooing in Jade's voice while I fought under her half heartedly.

I couldn't hurt my wife... it was worse than being faced with Burny and our other friends so far. Even while feeling the rage from knowing logically she wasn't her, she still looked and sounded exactly like my Princess... "There, there 'my love'.... Just be a good buck and hold still, this will only hurt a moment, like getting a shot..."

A furious roar made her flick her blue eyes away just before she was suddenly knocked off me in a blue blur, Jade's goddess voice tolling out and echoing out to the cavern. "GET AWAY FROM HIM YOU BITCH!"

If it weren't for the deadly serious situation, it would almost be amusing to see the two blue alicorns roll to a tangled stop and wind up in a slap fight of flailing forelegs and sparking horns. There was intelligence behind the weird behavior though, with the two of them mixed up, the synth Jade couldn't act out of character without becoming a target. The excellent infiltrator had her down pat, not just looks and voice, but mannerisms and her pacifist beliefs too. Neither alicorn Princess fell back to using the deadly skills they surely possessed, instead remaining locked in a stalemate of play fighting and whinnies that left Val and Freya too confused to do anything other than focus on the fake me fighting Zed.

Through all the insanity, Fancy came galloping straight through the room, heedless of the bullets and beams wildly firing and flinging herself to the large windows out as I staggered back to my hooves. Her keening cry was breathless and fearful as she bashed her hooves on the reinforced glass. "NEIGHSON! I'm here sweetiepie!! Just hang on! You leave him alone you ugly robot freakshow!"

"Aha, there's our audience now son! Excellent timing! Just wait a moment and I'll deal with all of you!" A crazed, tittering voice answered her, getting a scowl from Fancy that looked like it could melt steel as she charged for the door to the catwalks down.

"Fast, help!" A stereo cry drew my focus back to Jade... Jades as they struggled and shoved each other, looking between the two identical mares speaking over each other.

"Stop this abhorent copy!"

"Miss Star is still injured!"

"We must help her!"

"Stop the ritual!"

"Ow! No mane pulling!"

"No biting either!"

Dragging the Last Minute back to my grip and forcing myself to ignore the screeches of pain I could hear from Val dealing with my double, the gauss rifle wavered in my telekinetic grip between the two Jades. My headache was splitting me in two, that terrible ...cracking... sensation I'd felt when Burny died rising up again as the cries of the Ministry Mares tried to soothe and hold me together. I couldn't hurt Jade... Even if I could pick the right one, I couldn't hurt that sweet face, I could never...

NO! No you don't... you're not getting out dammit! I don't trust you to know either! You'll never lay a hoof on her, you hear me!? NEVER!

Clenching my eyes shut again with my weapon waggling from one Jade to the other repeatedly, this time I relied on the Ministry Mares spirits rising up in song. Fancy could tell her Neighson from Vega's copy... The warm motes of light I saw behind my eyelids representing the slivers of the Elements of Harmony's bearers resonated with my own heart as I forced myself to take in a slow breath and focus. Don't see her with my eyes... see her with my heart. No matter how well crafted, there was no way to copy my Jade, make a duplicate of the most wonderful mare in the world, program some synth to be even a shadow of her pure soul.

In the darkness struggling to take over my vision and mind, those five colored lights danced and glowed, spinning around a warm, soft, kind... blue flame of light glimmering in the darkness to the right. Just focusing on that soothing light made my heart soar, the snarl of 'Be Dark...' flinching back to the shadows it banished as the Last Minute whined and floated to the left.

I still couldn't bear to open my eyes and see the shell wearing her form, but I knew my Princess and wouldn't permit some false thing to exist and sully her. The gauss rifle gave a flat crack as I cringed pulling the trigger, opening my eyes to see Jade splattered with glowing green goo that held a pony shape for just an instant, like a water balloon being popped.

She gave me a relieved look full of concern at me panting raggedly and rubbing my head, but didn't even have time to get to her hooves before a roaring flicker of lightning charged at her with a glimmering blade held in its teeth. My ears popped when the Shroud surged forward again, the light of the Ministry Mares waning and exhausted after helping me already. I was glad for its help too at least, teleporting between Jade and my growling copy, stopping its starmetal blade with my own only inches from her graceful neck.

The synth me strained and grunted against my guard, the sharp fangs in its mouth gnashing into the wooden handle of the long kitchen knife, its red eyes boring into my own glowing and slitted like a dragons as it reared back and slashed out again, parried blow for blow while I defended my Princess.

Did I really look like that? At first I was just insulted and a little self conscious seeing the short little stallion from the outside, but now... It was a snarling, snapping, vicious little miniature hellhound in pony form, flapping its wings to engage in an aerial duel and drive me back. Was that ...me? Or was even this a poor facsimile, a pale shadow of the monster in my head.

"NO! I'm not you! I'm not like this thing!! I'M NOT!!"

This synth was everything I hated about myself given form, my voice rising hysterically as I ducked back from another sparking clash of blades. The feeling was apparently mutual too, to the Shroud's spirit, it felt like fighting me... all the weakness and cowardice it bristled against when it didn't get its way. We were working together, but in each case I could feel we were really fighting the other...that terrible cracking, splitting sensation only growing when faced with my mirror image.

It was an act on the synth's part however, it mimicked flawlessly, but cold machine intelligence was driving it instead of the pounding rage and fear pushing me forward recklessly. Its own shotgun floated up as I lunged after it dodging away, hammering my chest with booming shots that blew me back to Jade crying out and catching me with at least a few ribs broken and blood oozing from my neck and cheek. If it weren't for the blue field of her shield blooming to life around us, the next rounds sparking off the barrier would have blown my head off and hers in turn.

"Doppelganger!! Deceiver! I'm gonna rip you apart down to every last screw and turn you into a fucking toaster! Thou foul pomunculous is an affront to the Goddesses! Monster! Faker! Piss poor, piece of shit, cheap knock off motherfucker!!!"

Dazed and sucking in a burning breath as I snarled and struggled in Jade's hooves, I felt her healing magic pouring into me as her teary voice spoke in a cry, overriding the growls and crazed shouts I was loosing in a bloody spittle flecked stream of curses. "Sssshhh! Fast! Stop fighting! Let me heal! Y-You must! Trust in our friends!"

She was right, as always... Even if the Institute had made copies of Val and Zed too, they wouldn't be driven by friendship as they were. The agile little bastard was annoyingly quick, but those two knew me so well that the accuracy of the copy worked against it. The griffon who'd taught me nearly everything I knew about flying was on it before it even flared its wings to dodge back, slicing one off completely with her flaming sword and only narrowly missing its neck. Before it could clumsily touch its flickering hooves back to the floor, Zed was there and waiting, sweeping its legs out from under it with a graceful spin of his hindlegs and denting the steel tiles inches from it jerking its head away from the strike.

Unfortunately our bond worked in the synth's favor too, they were hesitating... almost imperceptibly, but Val couldn't bring herself to follow through the slash of her Shishkebab, and I'd never seen Zed miss that close up... The nimble little fucker was taking every opening too, flapping hard and shooting up from their pincer attack with the knife in its teeth tearing a long gash down Val's side and its floating .45 booming at Zed flipping away, knocking his hindleg out from under him in a ragged wound before he could land.

It had advanced combat programming and I could see its wounds already regenerating as fast as a Courser too. I wasn't sure whether to be horrified or flattered they'd essentially made one of their deadly Courser models in my shape...

Freezing time with S.A.T.S. when my double did an agile barrel roll and skidded to his hooves with its shotgun taking aim at Jade, I took a moment to take in that snarling face highlighted by the targeting spell with disgust. Beyond the glowing outline of its head, I saw a trail of blood leading to the catwalks and Freya's long tail just disappearing through the door after Fancy. Val was making a dive assisted by her powerful red wings after the synth copy with her flaming Shishkebab in one claw and the other holding the gash pouring blood down her side. Zed was flanking her, several bullet wounds dribbling down his flanks and a shredded hole in his leather armor from a shotgun blast, his striped mane singed and wild as he was frozen in the act of leaping at my double to cut off its avenue of escape. They were right with us, bloodied and hurt but determined to stick together.

No... Nobody else was dealing with this pathetic fake but me. Even in the cool timeless of S.A.T.S. that hateful voice was with me, but I wouldn't let it take over this time. Technology and Arcane Science was going to bring it down, the things that I liked and knew, ME... Not the madness trying to split me in half to rage and go berzerk. I was doing this... not the Shroud.

Running through the additional menus of the overcharge mod, I selected the shot and let time resume. I had to struggle against Jade's protective grip as the magical energy cannon at my side activated, but it was my voice that came out through gritted teeth, pleading with her to trust me.

"Jade.. Drop your shield, now!"

She let me go and the sphere of magic surrounding us faded away instantly, the warm glow of her healing magic intensifying now that her focus wasn't divided. The synth's red eyes widened when Blue Moon's barrel clicked out from under my wing and the jeweled crescent was surrounded by swirling runes and an overglow of magic, but dodging or fleeing wouldn't help. One of the two pilfered storage crystals on my pip-buck dimmed as the charge was consumed and the guaranteed hit lanced out in a brilliant beam of destruction.

The flat, pale blue blast of magic vaporized it in blinding light, spearing straight through that snarling face and out, shearing through the metal roof of the observation room we were in it had flailed its single wing to clumsily retreat to. The beam melted its way in a jagged line as I pranced back, hearing the rumble of stone sheared off the walls overhead and snorting off the glittering pale blue dust that drifted through the air as the room shook.

"Fuck! Go, go go! After Fancy and Freya, quick!"

The others all charged off ahead of my frantically waving hooves, dashing for the catwalks as heavy boulders started denting the ceiling and the room gave a warning creak as it leaned towards the open space at the windows. I could vaguely hear Vega and Fancy shouting somewhere below in frantic yells and gloating laughter, but it was unimportant until I could push the breathless Princess at my side out to safety.

We bolted from the room together, out into the ritual chamber below pulsing with magic faster and faster. Down to the sound of Vega's crazed voice cackling crazily.

The observation chamber fell from the cavern walls just as we dashed out the door, tearing away a good chunk of the metal catwalks spiraling down the shaft under our hooves and forcing us to the air. If it weren't for Jade spreading out her shield into a domed canopy overhead, the falling boulders would have probably smashed at least one of us out of the air. It was a brilliant display of magic that left her sweating and straining under her blazing horn to maintain, a much stronger version of the shield she often used to keep Glitter and the rest of us warm and dry in the rain.

All this was taking a toll on her though, just a glance at her tired face looking back to me in worry as we dove clear was enough to tell. There were weary bags under her beautiful blue eyes as she moaned and lit her horn up in a layer of overglow, straining to heal all of us as we flapped out into the open space and got our bearings.

The room we'd just escaped was indeed a modular capsule of pale painted metal with a wide yellow stripe, similar to the trailers and constructs Stable-Tec put up outside my old home to act as control rooms and checkpoints. More of them were bolted to the rough stone walls on the way down, connected by rusting catwalks and stairways groaning and shaking as the one I'd destroyed crashed down.

It took a second to find Fancy and Freya, the pale unicorn had charged recklessly down the stairs and was nearly at the bottom, her wounded merc flying nearby and firing down at the threat to her boss giddily laughing as it shot blue beams of magic up at her. Vega...

He was at the bottom, in the center of a complicated circle of runes and gadgets, ringed by figures wearing the green robes of the Children of Balefire conducting the ritual. More of his synths most likely, though one or two were wearing the pale jumpsuits and labcoats of Institute scientists I'd seen in Dala's labs, though the highlighting color was pink instead of pale yellow like I'd seen there. They looked totally absorbed in controlling the pulsing spellcraft swirling around them though, ignoring the threat and focusing solely on the squirming victim at the center of it all.

Neighson, the real Neighson, was strapped to a steel table in the center of the circle, struggling against the straps holding him down on his back in the spread eagle position of the Institute's emblem. Held in some kind of harness above him in the center of the circle was an odd relic that didn't match all the fancy circuits and wires running to it, a jagged shard of black mirror that pulsed in time with the magic, spreading a pall around it that made my mane bristle. The thing hurt just to look at, the eye seemed to slide away from staring at its oily surface every time I tried, barely taking in the runes and bones defining a curve on one edge. At the head of this torture device was a large portrait of the buck himself, standing proudly with a fancy magical energy rifle floating in his telekinetic grip before a backdrop of Diamond City. The portrait glowed with intense green magic, connected to Neighson in flickering lines of baleful energy that made my skin crawl.

Before him was Vega, Vega's real form... A floating robotic life support system with a diseased brain bubbling away in its reinforced jar of pink fluid. Like Dala, he hovered above the ground on a levitation talisman and displayed a sneering face of the original Svengallop on the monitor attached to his body. He had numerous other armatures like her too, tipped with claws, weapons and weird devices waggling around crazily.

Unlike her however, he had numerous panels ringing his silvery barrel of a main housing below his brain. He didn't display one cutie mark like Dala had, he had ten... an eleventh blank panel was flickering with the same green magic surrounding them, waiting to receive the image of multicolored beams in a fan that was on his son's dirty flank. They were as varied as the portraits upstairs, but easy enough to figure out as matching the talents those awful pictures displayed. A rifle, a bubbling beaker, a glowing terminal, an Equestrian army helmet, a silhouette of a pony balancing upside down on one foreleg... The largest panel was directly below the screen of Vega's smirking face, what appeared to be the rear half of a pony with a bright sparkle on the flank... He had a cutie mark of a cutie mark... That was Vega's special talent, other special talents....

All these details were taken in and processed in an instant, the adrenaline and absolute fury I felt on spotting his real body slowing down time as good as several doses of Dash. He was there... he was RIGHT. THERE. I could finally kill him! A dark and terrible joy filled me as I dove straight down, leaving Jade and the others behind with my burning glare locked solely on the robot abomination.

As I flew down leaving a contrail of black lighting, I barely listened to Fancy's wails, charging headlong into danger and blasting away with her gold plated M.E.W.. "Snookie! I'm here!! I'll save you!!"

"Too late my dear! Far, far too late! I've merely been waiting so I can put on a proper show! Glitz and glam you know! A spectacle! Klein didn't think I could, doesn't believe in me, thinks he's sooooo much better! But all the pieces are in place!" Vega's voice rose to a crazed shriek in return, the disturbing chanting and pulses of magic around him growing louder in response.

A rumble from overhead drew my eyes upward for an instant, a round opening in the ceiling of the cavern sliding open to reveal the gloomy manor house above and the skylight showing the new moon directly overhead. The pulsing green light grew brighter in response, the runes lining the walls and floors glowing that ugly green that made my eyes ache.

Then a terrible noise filled the air, an awful, unholy rending noise that lodged right in my brain and made me flinch. A wet, tearing sound... a noise that made me think of Val's claws on the chalkboard of Magpie's 'detention' room, of party balloons in the Stable being squeezed and squeaked at some birthday party long ago, of gnashing teeth chewing on tin foil... It was all of those things and none of them, an unnatural noise I couldn't even understand, but hated on an instinctual level. Alien and awful, the only thing I could even compare it too was the noise I heard before escaping to Stable 111 on the last day and seeing the green mushroom cloud of necromantic balefire hell on the horizon.

I'd hitched in the air and paused on hearing it, holding my hooves to my pinned back ears and finding the others above me doing the same. Looking back down through squinted eyes, I saw the culmination of Vega's ritual, his screaming son unleashed a terrible wail as his cutie mark was torn from his flank, hovering in the air before his monstrous father watching with avarice displayed on his screen.

The pale blue buck on the table moaned as his colors faded when it was ripped away, his vibrant purple eyes turning grey, his matted but still poofy pink and lavender mane fading and drooping as his struggles slowed and Fancy screamed. "NEIGHSON!!! NO!"

'Be Dark...' surged forward and resonated with the evil magic, volunteering to be helpful and unleashing a blast of lighting downwards. It didn't aim at Vega however, two of the robed figures in the circle were nearly incinerated, falling to smoking heaps as the magic flowing around them wavered.

"Nnngh... The casters!! Take out the ones casting the spell, quick! It's not done yet! You can still save him Fancy!" I managed to shout as I dropped into a dive and fired the Terrible Shotgun at the next ones in the circle, fighting the blinding headache pulsing in time with the magic surrounding us.

Zed was ahead of me, rocketing down and landing with all four hooves smashing into the heavy harness holding the shard of black mirror, he was nearly crazed bashing at the crystalline housing to get at it, reminding me of the description he'd given of the artifact his brother stole. A mirror of black glass... I wasn't sure if this was the same one, but it definitely matched the warning he'd given about it should we ever find a piece of the relic he was charged with recovering.

Fancy had adjusted her aim at my shout as well, firing golden beams down along with her loyal merc swooping down in a weaving course with plumes of white mist blasting out of her cryo weapon, Freya's snowy coat was bloodied badly and she was suffering from blood loss, but performing her job loyally despite the return fire zeroing in on her.

That gave Jade a focus to dive after, rocketing past me with her shield up and aiming for the pale pair in the worst condition. Val was right behind her, lobbing grenades down that blew another spell caster nearly in half at my order, further disrupting the vile ritual to Vega's screeching fury.

There were still enough left to keep going though, I sped on as I watched Neighson's glowing mark split in half with their rising chants and that awful noise again. A sliver of his mark was cut away and formed a smaller version of the same image, slowly floating towards the waiting panel on Vega's robotic body, while the larger portion drifted towards the portrait.

I fired wildly along with Fancy at the bastard, hammering against the glowing shield one of those gadgets on his flailing limbs threw up around him. Both our hopes fading as the fragment of Neighson's soul plastered itself to the crystalline panel and glowed brightly.

As soon as it was shining on Vega's barrel shaped body, the blue beams of his magical energy weapon limbs suddenly became more accurate, setting Fancy's frilly dress on fire as she dove down the last steps and hit the rocky ground, screaming and rolling around to put it out. More devastating beams slammed into me, scorching my magical armor and clipping one of my wings, sending me into a tailspin I tried to turn into as I crashed.

I did manage to slam into another of the blank faced cultists, slashing out with Best Served as we rolled to a halt and flopping to the stone floor when it melted away beneath me. I groaned as I stumbled up to my hooves again, firing Vengeance at the nearest spell caster woozily and finally succeceding in blowing its synth brains out on the fourth shot.

More than half the casters were down now, but enough were still chanting as the remaining fragment of Neighson's mark drifted towards the portrait. I didn't have Zed's knowledge of dark magic like this, but I got the idea it getting there was bad... His soul would be trapped in the painting, forever as far as I knew. The Ministry Mare statuettes in my saddlebags still humming their soothing song were 200 years old and pristine, indestructible...

But Vega was right there... My gauss rifle whine as I drew a bead on the jar containing his horrible brain beyond all his waggling limbs and screens. I didn't care about Neighson really... I cared about revenge... about finally ending Vega...

DAMMIT JUST WAIT! I snarled to myself and activated Blue Moon with a thought, lining the secondary targeting reticule at the pretentious portrait and firing wildly as the glowing cutie mark drifted inches away from the oil painted surface. The hovering image was unharmed by the barrage, but the painting was too large for even me to miss at this range. Pale blue beams perforated it and set it ablaze to Vega's screeches of fury, at least making the sullen mutter of 'Be Dark...' a little happy at causing him pain and ruining his plans.

All of his magical energy weapon tipped arms aimed at me, forcing me to leap to the air again as he ranted and fumed. "Bastard! Meddling brat!! It doesn't matter, I'll just have to keep the original receptacle alive a little longer!! You'll get yours! Everycreature will see who's in charge of this show! Just wait! My little showstopper should be here any..."

His insane screaming and titters of dark laughter were interrupted by a resounding crash from above drawing everyone's attention. Everypony but Fancy anyway, I absently noted her dashing past the grinning Vega and tearing at the straps holding Neighson down, sobbing over his pale form as what remained of his mark drifted back to his flank slowly. The furious roar overhead and rubble crashing down the shaft took my attention away however, not only due to the sudden need to dodge more than Vega's beams. I knew that booming warcry...

A blazing violet ball smashed straight through the skylight far overhead, rocketing down the tunnel and bouncing off the walls with a scream that shook bones and shattered glass. "WHERE DID YOU GO SNEAKY LITTLE PONY! GIVE HER BACK!!!!"

Making a desperate roll to get out of her way, I avoided getting smashed by Swan streaking down and splattering the remaining cultists. She would have got Vega too had he not floated away in a hurry, even his simulated face flickering with staticky fear on his monitor. The main reason she missed however became obvious when I got a look at her wildly swinging head sniffing the air around her frantically, she was blinded... I could see bits of bone around her eye sockets bubbling with regenerating tissue, bleeding off the power she'd stored up to heal and shrinking down small enough to fit indoors.

Clinging to her long neck and head by the horn was a bleeding and weak looking Witchy, nearly lost in her rippling mane, but waggling a weak hoof and squeaking in a whisper to Swan's flicking ears right by her bloodied face. "Left Swan... P-Princess... forgive me..."

As soon as she was given direction, Swan started firing bolts of magic to the left, using Witchy's weakly guiding hooves to aim blindly and sending Vega skittering back from the raging alicorn. As concerned as I was for both of them, what she had screamed coming down was echoing in my head with a growing sense of terror. If they were here... where was Glitter...

I could feel my eyes turning to two glowing suns of hate as they snapped back to Vega, brought up short when I found his robot shell tucked away in a corner. The screen was blank, along with all the panels of stolen cutie marks, the limbs were drooping and lifeless. He wasn't there...

A crazed giggle drew my glare to a side tunnel leading to more pristine Institute hallways. Vega was wearing his son's face again, the lunatic synth cackling gleefully in the face of the Last Minute spinning to face him with a loud whine. Before I blew the smirk off his rotten face however, another pony emerged from the shadows behind him. The Courser... It had come back, the mission Vega had sent it off on clear enough by the limp little bundle hanging from his teeth by her scruff.

Glitter...

She wasn't struggling, asleep... knocked out... that was it, that had to be it... please... My heart stopped until I saw her little chest moving, then lurched when the Courser pegasus tossed her to Vega's back and gave a little salute with its wing. "Mission accomplished Director Vega. Current orders?"

Vega held a hoof up dismissively, his wild violet eyes never leaving mine as I trembled in place. Both the Shroud's spirit and the Ministry Mares were resonating in harmony at the sight of my daughter in his grip. Only the threat of that Courser close enough to snap her neck in a heartbeat held me back from doing something very violent...

"You didn't think we weren't watching you, did you Subject 111-3-42? Did you!? HA! Who do you think you're dealing with!?! I'm the head of Pubic Relations! I manage ponies to dance to my tune! I've been doing this longer than you can imagine! I'm the one who manipulates public opinion in the Commonwealth! NOT YOU! Klein wanted to see you break, well he's gonna get it! The whole Commonwealth will see! You're no hero, you're just another experiment! Another one of MOBIUS' TOYS!!!" Vega gloated giddily, enjoying watching me panic at his mercy.

He didn't find it nearly so funny when Zed pounced out of the shadows from the catwalks above, the sneaky zebra had slipped off and spun through the air over Vega's discarded robot body, his pip-buck bearing hindleg coming down in a blur that smashed the thick glass jar and the brain inside.

While I wished he'd gone for the synth body and Glitter, the horrified screech that got out of Vega was still very satisfying. The crazy, evil bastard stomped and tore at his mane, shrieking at Zed flicking brains from his hoof with a scowl and prowling forward cautiously. Held in one hoof was the shard of mirror he'd been after, Swan had succeeded in smashing the housing he'd had trouble getting through on her way and he'd apparently scooped it up.

Holding it up now, Zed growled at Vega in a stern, knowing tone. "That was the remains of your original form and tether to this world demon... The artifact you used to accomplish this foul ritual is out of your reach now as well, it's over...There'll be no escaping death this time, it's long past time for you to release your descendants from their enslavement. "

"RELEASE MY DAUGHTER THIS INSANT!!" Jade's goddess voice absolutely filled the cavern as Zed's deep growl tapered off, a glance her way showed she had formed that curved blade of magic above her head and her eyes were dragonish and blazing brightly.

She was still pouring magic into Swan and Witchy behind her, even though her horn was starting to spark under the strain of so much powerful magic. Her efforts and the open golden locket Glitter had helped craft herself that was pouring out rads around Swan's neck were enough for one cloudy blue-violet eye to crack open under the bubbling tissue, rolling towards where her sister pointed and stamping a hoof with a rumble to the room. Swan had shrunk to only about double Jade's size and was steady losing stature, but was clearly ready to destroy anything in front of her.

"Drop the kid fucker... Last asshole what tried it I torched, gonna burn you slow though if'n you don't leggo the lil' boss..." Val landed beside me with her flaming sword shaking only slightly in her weakened grip, slugging back a purple healing potion as fast as she could whiskey and tensing into a crouch.

Surrounded and with the last of his cultists brought down, Vega still laughed crazily, his eerie eyes were mismatched sizes and jittering madly as he ranted back. "Screw all of you! You think you're the first that tried to stand up against me!? I've brought them all down, used their very public deaths to keep the masses in line! Just like I will you! You'll be my masterpiece actually! Proof to Klein that Svengallop is the most talented of all!! My show is going to go on, no matter what you try to ruin it! It's a new dawn in Equestria! You want this pathetic brat? Come and get her... Y3-58, keep them busy for me, will you?" At that he turned on his heel and ran down the passage with his head thrown back in crazed giggles as his Courser rocketed forward.

"NO!! GET BACK HERE!!!"

I didn't see anything else but Glitter bouncing on his back, charging forward in a flicker of lightning heedless of anything else. I didn't care about Fancy and Freya freeing the dazed Neighson, Val and Zed turning to follow at my sides, Swan roaring as she swatted the pegasus Courser out of the air like a fly with Witchy blowing its wing off with her anti-materiel rifle as soon as it smashed against the wall, not even Jade hovering worriedly in front of her sister as she continued to focus on healing them both.

I was going to kill him... not just kill, I was going to torture him to death slowly, scoop his eyeballs out with a rusty spoon and eat them, string up his puppet body by its own intestines and make him dance for my daughter's amusement once she was safe. When I was finally done I was going to take his head and parade through the halls of the Institute with it on my way to collect MORE...

My headlong charge after Vega was cut off by the Courser slamming into my side with a flying buck, knocking me away from the passage and skidding to my hooves after a tumbling roll across the cavern. The synth dodged Val swinging her Shishkebab at it from behind, using its remaining wing to leap away from her grenade machinegun and return fire with a compact submachinegun that impacted her armor on its way up to her head. Zed leaping off her back pushed her aside and gave him the elevation to catch the bastard, though the Courser met his heavy hoofstrikes blow for blow as they fell in a tangle.

Witchy's high pitched wail and rings of devastating sound broke them apart, slowing the Courser down for an instant that Swan started launching exploding purple arrows from her horn with. If she weren't still half blind and relying on the thestral hanging off her neck to aim, she would have nailed the Courser in that barrage. As it was it had just enough space to weave between the violet blasts, charging right at the two of them instead of away and sliding beneath her long legs with its SMG aimed up at her belly...

I let go. The only thing able to distract me from trying to go after Glitter was the sight of that weapon aimed at Swan's belly and the new life there. My ears popped with teleportation magic as soon as the Shroud jumped forward, crossing the distance and grappling with the Courser in a rolling ball of flailing hooves, wings and snapping fangs, tearing the SMG from his muzzle before it bucked me back off from going for its throat.

I could swear the blank faced killing machine smirked when it turned away from me trying to scramble back to my hooves and absently noting the swirling shadows under me. I was getting closer and closer to the edge and it saw it, it knew what it was doing... The Institute made M.E.W. under its remaining wing fired blue beams up at Jade next, sparking off her shield as I roared at it.

The last threads of sanity I was able to hold on to was trying to reason with the crazed spirit, think dammit! It's not trying to kill me, otherwise this would be a lot more painful! It's trying to hold us back, buying time! Vega's goading us! Just back off a little bit and think things through!

Launching myself in a frenzy at the Courser daring to fire at Jade fluttering back from the onslaught of magical beams just ended with the synth anticipating my charge, using its remaining wing to dodge and slash my side with the curved blade that clicked out from its foreleg in one deft move. It followed up with a buck as I flinched back and slid to the cavern floor, then jerked from Witchy's anti-materiel rifle blasting a hole through its ribs to reveal the gleaming metal bones and circuitry inside. Her pretty face was weary and puffy from what had to have been a severe beating, blood marring her gleaming armor and her fluffy ears drooping tiredly, but she'd never looked more beautiful...

The thing danced back from a rain of Val's red beams from her M.E.W. as she screeched and dove at it, scorching its yellow coat and slick tan mane, but not slowing in its return fire that sent Val into a crash with her wing smoking. Zed dove in again while I struggled back up, panting as I watched the synth match the zebra's martial prowess again. Zed seemed faster this time however, his eyes were bloodshot and his nose was bleeding along with his other numerous wounds taken so far and poorly healed by Jade's rushed spells and healing potions, but he wasn't backing off. His hooves were a blur hammering into the robotic killer, snapping limbs back at unnatural angles and denting the thing's metal skull showing through tears in its synthetic flesh.

Vengeance was shaking in my telekentic grip as I tried to aim accurately at the flurry of attacks, squinting against the blinding pain in my head blurring my vision. They grappled together too closely to get a shot, but I saw a clear path to the passage Vega had taken and decided on taking the opportunity, trusting Zed to handle it without my help. Dashing forward in an electric flicker, the damn Courser still followed my course and I heard disgusting sounding pops and snaps as its limbs bent back into shape, locking around Zed's barrel and rearing back to slam him to the floor headfirst with a sickly sounding crunch.

Zed was still moving... his muzzle broken and grey eyes dazed, but he was struggling up when I glanced that way. The Courser using its single wing to dive after me was the bigger worry, accurately predicting my path and aiming to intercept. I fired Kellog's old revolver at it on the fly, the .45 AP rounds drilling into it, but not stopping its momentum. The fucker was going to delay me from chasing after Glitter...

Mid-dive, the Courser was surprised when it was enveloped in a cloud of freezing white mist by a screeching griffon zooming down on it from above. Freya kept pouring it on and didn't let him get away, smashing it to the ground with frozen chunks of flesh falling away from its metal bones and pressing her 12mm pistol right in the thing's eye, pulling the trigger repeatedly with a sneer. "Now we're even shorty!"

Before I could do more than gape in gratitude, the Courser got its whining hindlegs under her and bucked, throwing her off and trying to get up again with grinding, staticky noises of shorting circuits and broken limbs. It never got the chance though, Val was right behind her old partner, diving from above and giving a slap of claws as she passed the snowy griffon flapping out of the way, tagging in...

The two old partners worked together flawlessly, Freya's cryo weapon had slowed the Courser, Val followed up by pinning it down completely. Her flaming Shishkebab lanced down and speared right through the Courser's chest, melting through its innards and the stone floor beneath. She was bloodied and shaking, but stood on her hindlegs and bore down with both claws gripping the sword, pressing all her weight down and grinding the white hot blade around in the synth's chest.

"How ya like that fucker!? Fire n' Frost baby! Lil' bit of freezer burn for ya! We got this boss!" Val gave a tired grin as her paws pinned the Courser's flailing forelegs and she kept waggling her sword in its guts, waving me on weakly.

Jade surprised me by streaking down and landing on the Courser's ruined head, tapdancing on it with stomping hooves and her eyes glowing a blazing blue, a look of absolute fury on her perfect features. She reared back and kept smashing it, driving a crater into the rocky floor before both it and she stopped. I'd told her what Coursers were, that they were essentially fancy robots as far as I knew, but I was still surprised to see her being violent period, let alone against something that did have a pony's shape.

When she finally stopped, I paused in worry at her panting down at the puddle of goop the Courser melted away into, staggering back and shaking her head. Her eyes changed from the dragon slitted rage to the soft, round pools that looked up to me in pain, but she fluttered her wings and flicked the goo from her hooves, turning to me with a determined nod. "Glitter... w-we must... we must save Glitter..."

The warm, steadfast looks I saw from everyone behind her strengthened the song of the Ministry Mares one by one, letting me fight back long enough to give an exhausted nod back and take in the damage. Everyone was hurt... potions and magical bandages were being hastily dug out and passed around in the silence of the high cavern. Swan had two milky eyes in her scowling face again, steadily shrinking as she burned through the radiation to heal enough to stamp a hoof impatiently. She lowered her head to let Witchy slide off, the poor thestral opening her leathery wings showing several scorched holes through the membranes, but managing to stand firmly and trudge to her Princess' side. My friends each limped close, all of them ready to face whatever other surprises Vega had lined up as part of his 'show' and get Glitter back.

Beyond them was Fancy, hugging her still dazed and pale buck with furious tears in her green eyes staring back. Neighson's colors still didn't look right and he wasn't responding to her worried nuzzles, gurgling weakly as Fancy spoke up with venomous hatred dripping from her honeyed voice. "Let's go get the asshole stupid... He's gonna pay for doing this to poor snookieukums..."

"R-Right... Let's go."

I lurched off the crystalline platform I dizzily found myself on with the Terrible Shotgun floating ahead of me, snapping back and forth as I took in where I landed. The short passageways we'd followed in Vega's lair had led to one of the Institute's teleporter pads, still waiting and crackling with magic and a destination locked in. Vega wanted us to follow...

Even knowing that, I didn't care, it didn't matter... nothing mattered but Glitter. I'd follow the bastard into Tartarus if I had to for her, him knowing and expecting it was irrelevant. At least where I wound up wasn't that bad anyway. It took a minute to place the richly appointed office as I crept out from the open bookshelf hiding the secret teleporter, though the glance out the full length windows beyond the red curtains to one side helped.

Diamond City was laid out below that view, brightly lit under the patchy stadium lights ringing the marketplace I found myself looking down at. The Sparkle Cola shaped food stand at the heart of it all was unmistakeable. Even this late, ponies trotted about the marketplace busily. Pegasi flitted about the bundle of cloud buildings hovering overhead. The streamers and flowers decorating every avenue were different, but otherwise the Great Green Jewel of the Commonwealth was unchanged.

Another zap behind me drew my attention away from the terminal on Vega's desk blinking with a pixelated image of a sun in some form of lockout, not that I cared to take the time to crack his office terminal in D.C. Jade appeared on the teleporter pad and looked around anxiously, trotting up to my side to make way for the others following one by one. She bit her lip and shifted on her hooves impatiently as I stalked out into Vega's less insane looking D.C. office, worriedly following as I made my way to the door on finding nopony here.

Poking my head out, I saw the gloomy hallways of the upper decks, but no traps or waiting danger yet. I was still a wanted murderer here, not that that was going to stop me... it just made things more complicated. The D.C. guards were just doing their job, they didn't deserve to die trying to do so...

Nnngh... I shook my head and snorted as I heard Val squawk as she appeared with another zap and prowled out with her pistol drawn. Instantly at my side while I fought with the howling voice of 'Be Dark...'. The Shroud was going to kill anything in its way if I let it... Lowering my head and focusing on my breathing for a moment as the teleporter zapped again, I struggled to hold on, staring at the floor and watching my shadow ripple beneath me.

Focus... Stay in control. Don't lose it now, Glitter's counting on me... us... We have to work together dammit, otherwise he's going to win whatever sick game he's playing. He wants to piss us off... don't play into his hooves. This time, his stupid little show is NOT going to go his way...

"F-Fast...? Are you..." Jade's trembling voice in my ear made me look up with a start, waving off her concern with a forced reassuring look.

"Fine... I'm fine... Focus on healing the others Jade. And... please, s-stay out of the way..."

I didn't like her crestfallen expression, but she didn't try to hold me back, nodding weakly as I prowled out on hearing Swan snort and stamp her way out behind Zed and Witchy. She could see better at least, focusing on us at the door with a growl. "Let's go find the little rat and smash him... now...."

I had to scratch my itchy mane at her dragon eyed growl making my wings twitch, ill timed or not, the sympathetic growl of the Shroud loved Swan when she got all smashy... wanted to revel in destruction with her and then... NO! FOCUS DAMMIT! Slapping myself at the last pair of zaps from the teleporter, I checked over my weapons and drank down one of Jade's green tinted healing potions as Fancy, Freya and Neighson piled out of the secret room in Svengallop's office.

"I don't know where he went, but we can bet it's going to be somewhere showy and public... The crazy bastard is a showpony, he wants to put on some insane bit of theater for everycreature here. Try not to kill the guards here, but if anything gets in the way... I can't make any guarantees Jade...

"T-Try your best dear... I... I understand. Allow me to attempt for peace, you focus on what must be done to save our daughter. N-No matter what is required..." Jade sniffled and rose her head, laying a comforting wing on my shaking back before I darted off into the halls.

To my surprise, Zed charged out and kept pace with me, nudging me down to the right with his head down to the floor and his nostrils flared in long sniffs. "He went this way... now that I've been in its presence, I won't lose this trail of dark magic Fast. Hurry... I do not think he can escape using his technological tricks, but am unsure."

Puffing breath as I ran with him, I strained to think straight and ask a breathless question as we went, anything to keep my focus and sanity. "What makes you think so? Why'd he have that mirror thing anyway Zed, is that what you've been freaking out about? What is it really?"

"Now is hardly the time..." Zed huffed back, but stopped when he got a look at my bloodshot eyes. From the weird flexing sensation and Zed's expression drying up, I imagined they were shifting back and forth from slitted to normal, glowing to dark, pleading and slightly mad. It was enough for him to humor me anyway, sighing sadly as he turned his grey gaze forward and grunted. "Yura's Mirror... A fragment of it at least, an artifact my ancestor made using the Black Book ages ago. A tool of necromancy, imbued with several spells concerning souls... Showing their true image in its reflection, capturing them, copying them, tearing them away and dividing them. You see why my duty to collect such artifacts and lock them away is so important to me now?"

"Yeah... that... what Vega did with that thing, to his own son, his sons! And that noise..."

"He's weak right now however, the ritual causes instability until he assimilates his stolen fragment, and the tether is still where it belongs with his son, not his prepared soul jar. I can see the enslaved spirits swirling around his false body, they migrated there when he switched over from that mechanical monster. I did not see or sense such when he possessed the young Minutemare back in the Ministry of Peace hub however. I do not understand how they do such things, but am hopeful destroying his current form will end him. Do you think he can slip away?" Zed spoke in a quick, clipped voice, explaining things he'd kept to himself rapidly and looking over with a curious tilt to his head.

I could tell he was trying to help, posing a question about arcane technology to me to keep me calm and occupied as we ran on, shoving past surprised servants working here in the halls of Diamond City's nobility. Working the problem did make me feel steadier somehow, giving it consideration and shaking my head.

"Dala... Klein... I've never seen any of them bounce from one synth to the next. If I understand the way they're networked, their real bodies are like a hub, administrator access to all the synths on the network. When you destroyed his brain, Vega freaked out... I don't think he can get away either."

"Ya mean when we blow the fucker's brains out and he turns ta goop, he's gone, right? Like gone-gone? Good! Let's nail the creepy bastard boss! Then we get the kiddo and we're home free! It'll be cake!" Val put on her forced cheeriness she'd always worn like a mask when we met, bumping flanks with me with worry poorly hidden in her violet gaze.

Still following Zed's lead, I nodded and faced front again when tears trying to blur my vision. She was trying to help too, pushing her own hurt and fear aside I could see as she glanced down to the black lightning flickering around me. A mare in a frilly black and white maid's outfit came out from one of the side doors blurring by ahead of us and screamed when she saw me coming, so I could only guess even their help wasn't doing much for how bad I looked.

She reminded me of the mare who had led Val and I to Haycom Svengallop's office here before, refreshing my memory and helping to dredge up the night Jade got her cutie mark and I was framed for the liar's murder... If we were where we thought we were, then the large, open chamber the D.C. Nobles had thrown their pretentious banquet should be just ahead. The hall should come out on a balcony overlooking the great room that acted as a lobby for the upper stands with its elevator to the field below, most likely where Vega was going. He had a stage set up down there, the crazy talent manager probably couldn't help but want to use it.

"Fast, Stop!" Witchy's panicked voice squeaked out behind me, fluttering on her blurring wings to catch up tackle me as we burst out into the open chamber.

The limited view I got of her fearful face showed her tufted ears perking madly, picking up the clicks of weapons being cocked well ahead of me as we tumbled forward and she shoved me down behind the polished wood paneled railings. I was glad Val and Zed both were quick to bounce back from the open doorway behind us, as the air filled with lead and magic the second our snouts came out. Witchy covered me with her heavily armored form as the barrage kept going, wood splintering and whining shots pinging off her Lunar Guard armor as she pressed my struggles down with her eyes clenched shut.

Warily peeking out of some of the rather large bullet holes when it finally tapered off and she let me go, I got a look at the ambush waiting on us she had heard before it was too late and saved me from recklessly charging into. A full compliment of D.C. guards in their strange uniforms and armor of old sporting equipment was down there, along with a lot of Gunners grinning eagerly at the violence. Behind them all was the military leader of Diamond City, still dressed in his pressed Equestrian Army uniform and combat armor, holding a gleaming .45 automatic in his muzzle.

Next to him was Vega, cackling crazily and pointing a jittery hoof up, bouncing Glitter on his back as he hopped and screeched. "Fire! Fire! Fire! Kill him! The murderer's after this poor filly I rescued from his clutches Stone! Kill him!"

More shots rang out in response to his gleeful lies, cut off when the booming shout of General Stone overrode the fake Neighson. "Belay that! Cease fire dammit! Fast Times, you are wanted for murder, surrender yourself peacefully!"

Arrgh!! I held my head in my hooves and swayed under the wave of pain in my head and undeniable bloodlust. Please, don't! I spotted the Diamond City guards we'd saved in Bitway Games down there among all the others, I didn't want to kill the nice mare who'd... who'd taken a message to Stone for me...

"NNGH!! O-OUT OF MY WAY STONE! No! Dammit! I-I wrote you.. warned you... that's not Neighson Svengallop! The Institute... they... yOu'rrRe ALL gOing to DIE... NO! He's... y-you're... Please!"

"General Stone! I am coming out to speak with you! I trust I may do so without fear of being gunned down?" Jade spoke up bravely as I cringed and bashed my head against the stone floor, barely waiting for a gruff affirmative before striding out to Witchy and I before I could stop her. She was scared, but held her head high and stood at the balcony overlooking all those guns, healing her loyal guard who leapt up to her side despite the bloody wounds to the flank she'd taken protecting me. Jade spoke regally to the skeptical earth pony in charge in a ringing voice. "My husband tells me he sent you a message sureptitiously? I assume you received it and know its import. It is the truth. That... thing... beside you is not Neighson Svengallop, it is a monster that has foalnapped my daughter. WHO I WILL HAVE BACK..."

Staggering back up to peek over the shredded railing down at the room and try to help Witchy cover her, I could see all the poor guards of Diamond City give a collective gulp at Jade's goddess voice echoing in the open chamber of fancy tiles and velvet curtains. The Gunners looked unmoved and still eager to shoot the Princess standing proudly before them, but were part of the show and under orders apparently. Vega wanted a fight between me and the defenders of Diamond City, wanted me to kill them all... NO! Just stop and trust Jade, believe in her!

Still wincing at the furious grumble muttering '...Princess... Obey...' in my head, my heart was pounding as I focused on little Glitter down there. She was still asleep... was she drugged? What had Vega done to her!? Did he just not want to deal with her struggles? Was she ok?

Stone finally broke the silence, fishing the scrap of paper I'd sent him from his jacket pocket and raising a neatly trimmed greying eyebrow at Jade. "I did receive such a communique. I do remember this is your daughter as well Princess, not some random filly to be saved Mr. Svengallop... We will sort this out in the D.C. jails, both of you. Charges of being a synth carries a heavy penalty around here, if you can prove your case, of course your husband will not be harmed."

"OH I CAN PROVE IT MOTHERFUCKER!" Fancy screeched and shoved her way right by Jade, scowling down with Freya carrying the real Neighson before her like a sack of apples as her employer played to the gasping crowd. "This is my smoopiepie! Not that lying bastard! You wanna shoot somepony, shoot that thing!"

Instantly half the guns in the room swung towards Vega, then the half wielded by the Gunners shifted their aim to the D.C. guards in response, resulting in a tense standoff with my daughter still in the middle of it. Stone somehow still looked calm and collected, turning mildly to Vega fuming behind him and approaching slowly as he spoke. "Neighson Sven... Whatever you are. Surrender immediately and release the filly. All of our Gunner 'guests'... lower your weapons and stand aside, this is my jurisdiction and your assistance is no longer required."

I crept out in the expectant silence, standing at the curved stairway down and flaring my wings with a burning glare locked on Vega's face turning red with rage. The whine of the Last Minute taking aim at his head made him snap and dive for the doorway out to the rest of the upper decks curving away towards the outfield, shouting insanely as he galloped off. "Fuck you! You're not beating me!! FIRE!"

The Gunners were loyal to the Institute and Vega, opening up with a cacophonous hail of weaponry on the guards who thought them on the same side. Jade's shield bloomed to life around her and Fancy cringing back with Neighson in her hooves, while Val, Swan, Zed and Witchy all leapt into action. As soon as I saw him escaping again however, I let another chain holding the Shroud back snap and dove forward with a bloodcurdling howl that even got the attention of the hardened Gunners.

Of course they recovered quickly and took it as a reminder of who their priority was, two griffons swooped up to cut me off, one of which had a 2mm rainboom speed slug blow through his heart. The second wasn't as lucky... My horn glowed with inky black magic and a curved arc of shadows blasted out, bisecting the Gunner completely, the two halves falling with a wet splat when I simply dove right through, bathing in its blood and licking my chops as I made for the windows.

Blasting the wall of glass with the Terrible Shotgun, I smashed my way out through the rain of shards and flew out into the open air, banking to follow the curved wall of glass of the upper stands I could see Vega galloping through. Keeping pace with the bastard wasn't difficult with as fast and gracefully as I found myself flying, but I couldn't risk shooting him while he held Glitter.

I could see my reflection in the glass, superimposed above Vega's crazed face sneering back. No wonder the maid screamed... The glowing, dragonish dots of my eyes were burning, my face was nearly as crazed as Vega's, fangs bared in a foam flecked grimace and shadows swirling around me along with the black lightning. I was losing it.... I knew it, but that small, rational worry was pushed aside. Glitter... Get Glitter away from him, then... then nothing else mattered.

If I could see her, I could make a grab for her. My horn lit with a rippling, dark blue light, even the field of telekinesis that surrounded the sleeping filly was corrupted and dark, but it still worked right at least. My moment of relief as I saw her prone form lift gently from Vega's back ended when his own horn fought my grip, the pinkish glow of his magic playing tug of war and keeping her down.

I could overpower him though... I didn't want to hurt Glitter by being too rough, but I could feel the incredible amount of magical power I had at my disposal. Blowing Vega's grip aside was foal's play, I just had to concentrate and... Before I could do so, I was smashed out of the air by a screeching bundle of feathers and claws raking at me, another Gunner protecting one of their employers. Dammit!! I was so close!

Falling in a tangle with the viciously clawing bastard, I winced at its talons tearing into my armored trenchcoat and ripping into my side. The brown and grey griffon merc had abandoned caution to pull me away from Vega, relying on his predatory advantages over ponies to try to overpower me. While I didn't have his claws or sharp beak snapping at my face, I did have fangs and a disturbing hunger I'd been trying to hold back.

No reason to anymore though, lightning crackled around the griffon squawking in surprise and pain as I wrapped my forelegs around his barrel so it couldn't escape. When he tried pulling his head back in reflex, I snapped out and felt his windpipe in my mouth for an instant, then I crushed it...

His grip in my guts fell away weakly and I snarled as I kicked off his falling corpse gurgling down to the Diamond City marketplace below, drawing attention from the crowd who'd noticed the commotion. Before I'd taken another unsteady flap up and sought out Vega again, a hard impact of a .308 round to my back made me stumble in the air, roaring in anger and pain at the griffon who'd fired the smoking hunting rifle above.

Diamond City was infested with fucking Gunners... They were swooping up from military style tents set up in the empty outfield stands, their pony troops firing up frantically as the griffons led the charge and swarmed. I didn't have time for this shit... I swore as I took aim at the leader of the closest group who'd just shot me, then blanched when a purple flash appeared between the three griffons and a familiar purple alicorn started firing beams of magic from her long horn. Magnolia...?

Her long reddish violet mane was rippling like a torch as she blasted one griffon from the air, slamming him into a second with a buck that sent them both falling. The third with the hunting rifle was quick though, snapping his aim back before she got her shield up. A shout from below saved her with a glowing blast of plasma nailing the griffon before he took the shot. Miles soared up to save his fiance and help, the lanky pegasus shaking in the air and paling as the griffon melted from the S.A.T.S. assisted shot from the pip-buck I'd given him.

I wondered if Miles had ever killed anycreature before... He clearly wasn't a fighter and was jittering with adrenaline as he and Magnolia gave a shaky wave and zipped off before more Gunners came after them, the DJ's voice cracking like it used to on the radio as he shouted over the gunfire filling the skies. "Go Fast! We've got your back! W-Whatever this is!?"

By how sweaty and disheveled he and his special somepony were, I wondered what exactly we'd interrupted them doing in his wingstream trailer with the blinking radio tower down below. Magnolia wasn't exactly supposed to be in Diamond City and it was late... My nostrils flared and mane itched as the greedy mutter of 'Be Dark...' kept ranting and pushing for more. First I'd kill Vega and every fucking Gunner here, burn down all of D.C. if that's what it took... then I'd claim every filly like her on a mountain of their corpses...

SHUT UP! Clenching my eyes shut in pain and trying to focus again, I wavered in the air from my streaking course over the marketplace, saving me from the stream of magical energy weapons fire from above as more griffons and a few pegasi targeted me. They were on my tail before I could recover and I still hadn't found where Vega disappeared to, looping past the windows shattering behind me from the close shots chasing behind me.

A stairwell blurred past as I pulled away, diving to the jumbled mess of wires and poles supplying power to the marketplace that were strung with streamers and flowers for Vega's stupid wedding. Ponies were running and shouting below the tattered tarps and junkyard roofs racing beneath my hooves, trying to get out of the way of the Gunners' indiscriminate fire. I was nimbly diving between all the obstacles that were slowing them down, but innocent people were going to get hurt.

Nngh! I CARE DAMMIT! Sorta.... just try! Try to be a hero! Like you used to be! Glitter first, but we can't...

Fighting with the Shroud again slowed me down, but through one throbbing eye I kept open this time, I saw a gaggle of foals ahead and that seemed to sink in. Glitter's little friends from school... Foals... The Shroud couldn't hurt foals, Luna had commanded him to protect them in one of Glitter's bedtime stories, and her orders still seemed to hold some weight.

With a petulant growl, I looped back around the leaning tower of the Sparkle Cola bottle shaped eatery I was just passing, my darkly flickering magic reaching out to every wire, streamer and bit of junk nearby as my pursuers banked to follow. I barely felt the rapid fire peppering me as they gained, focusing on the web of junk in my telekinetic grip and sending it all slittering at them, tying them up and dragging them down.

A vicious grin spread on my muzzle when the tangled Gunners were obliterated by a string of purple arrows from Swan blasting by. She wasn't much larger than Jade at this point, but she was in top form again and wreaking havoc among the swarm of Gunners chasing the bright violet ball of her shield plowing through them. Between her and her sister Magnolia, the air was filled with sudden zaps of bright purple magic as they teleported around, impossible to pin down or stop.

I regained enough control watching the battle crazed filly helping me out of love instead of pure rage I could feel pounding in my temples, I managed to think constructively and started flicking through menus on my pip-buck as I darted off. Locator tags... all I had to do was pull up Glitter's and I'd have a marker in my vision to find her, wherever Vega hid. It was difficult to focus however, my vision blurred and I felt cold... blood loss... how much damage had I even taken? It was flowing from the deep claw wounds in my guts and numerous bullet holes, pattering down from my limply hanging hooves as I lost altitude.

I was too numb to really notice, the only thing that was important was my daughter, but I had to live long enough to find her. I fumbled for a healing potion as I flew on, woozily noticing the Gunners weren't able to get close to the floating buildings above the field, the pegasi residents were firing multicolored beams of magic at any of them that got close. My eyes and ears focused enough to make out Twin Jets standing on the fluffy edge of the largest island, shouting and blazing away with a multi-gem shotgun and her hooves glowing with cloud-walking magic. The Gunners had made a serious mistake killing Burny, almost every pegasus in the Commonwealth would never forgive them... launching themselves into a battle for revenge that was spreading all throughout Diamond City.

I nearly made it to the cover they offered, popping the cork from the crystalline bottle of green tinted healing potion and floating it to my lips. Assault rifle fire stitched up my back and crippled my right wing before I could though, sending me crashing down to the muddy marketplace and smashing into one of the stands headfirst.

That didn't help the incredible headache I already had... I groaned and tried to get to my hooves, flopping down as they trembled and gave out under me. No... Come on, keep going... They were already chasing, a hail of bullets tearing up the packed earth and tracing their way towards where I feebly struggled.

A bright blue shield blazed to life overhead before they found me. Jade was standing protectively over me with Witchy at her side, her eyes glowing brightly along with her horn holding back the attack. Woozily looking up, I suddenly found a bottle pressed to my muzzle forcefully by another mare in a labcoat, this one light yellow with a frazzled brown mane. Doctor Cotton Swab... The D.C. doctor at the surgery center.

She shoved my head back and forced me to gulp down the brightly glowing super healing potion with a worried nicker, digging in her doctor's bag on the ground before her as we both sheltered beneath Jade's shield. "Y-You're a terrible patient Mr. Times! You're lucky I decided to join your wife's Followers! Now hold still, this may pinch..."

I couldn't help yelping as she jabbed my flank with a large syringe of Hydra, though I was glad it didn't burn when the dangerous drug hit my bloodstream this time. Being an alicorn had its benefits, the flux made medicine was soothing as it bent my wing back into shape. Even better was the vial of Med-X she followed it up with, easing the wall of pain the Shroud had been keeping back.

Getting back up on shaking legs and flexing my wing, my head snapped up to Jade grunting as a powerful explosion went off overhead, cracking her shield under the blast from a big griffon in power armor with a missile launcher. Dr. Swab pranced back when I snarled and turned to the threat with shadows rippling around me again, giving a low growl to the threat that had attacked MY Princess...

Before I had a chance to dash out and kill it, the armored griffon jittered in the air under a blast of lightning magic that crackled and spun around it. The source was a pale mare in flowing blue robes speckled with stars and a bright orange mane falling from under her pointy hat, grinning cheerily at me despite the chaos as the griffon crashed to the ground with its spell matrix shut down.

Corona... my magic teacher... she'd come out to help too, yelping as she dove back and sent more spells up to the night sky. "You're not the only one good with a bit of lightning magic my little student! Though I see you've improved! Get going!"

Right... Feeling the warm glow from so many friends and allies standing up for us, even here in the great green jewel where we'd been framed and exiled, I managed to steady myself and brought up Glitter's tag, turning to the blinking arrow in my vision and nodding that way to Jade giving me a worried look.

"I... I know where she is! This way! He's not getting away, we're getting her back! I promise!"

"Y-Yes... we shall, I believe in you dear. Let us retrieve our daughter, together." Jade gave a firm nod and galloped out at my side, dashing down the winding paths through the cluttered marketplace and towards the arrow in my view leading the way.

Val swooped overhead to cover us, squawking as her grenade machinegun kept thumping small grenades out that blew attackers out of the sky. Any who survived were taken down by her dual 12mm pistols in her claws, the one with the ebonwood grip belonging to her ancestor, my Auntie Broom... somehow even she was with us in all this madness, an echo of her bawdy voice ringing in my ears with Val's trying to reassure me. "I see the fucker boss! Up on the dumb stage! We got 'im! The kiddo's ok!"

"We shall rescue thine daughter, fear not Princess! Even if I must lay down my life!" Witchy squeaked as she flew overhead with Val, both guards doing their duty to the two of us charging forward to the outfield and the fields of crops grown out in the open space.

Zed appeared from the shadows of one of the warren of alleyways in the direction of Nick Hearts n' Hooves' office, galloping along close to my flank with a stern expresion. "We will put an end to this, without you losing what thin semblence of control you still have Fast... You must not let it out..."

"Shut up silly zebra! I like Fast like this, I'm mad too! We're gonna get niece Glitter and smash that stupid fake pony, and all his annoying Gunners, and anybody else that gets in the way! Like that! Whatever that is..." Swan swooped in as we crossed the fields, snorting angrily as she pointed to Vega waiting on the flower festooned wedding stage up ahead with Glitter, then blaching as her still cloudy blue-violet eyes looked up.

As I looked to follow her pointing hoof, I noticed something was off... The deep darkness of the night of the new moon was lightening somehow... The eastern skies behind the giant scoreboard above Vega's stage decorated for his stupid wedding was taking on tinges of sunrise, but that wasn't possible! A quick check of my pip-buck as we ran on confirmed that much, Vega's ritual had taken place at midnight, not even an hour had passed since then, but the blinding light of the rising sun coming over the battered outfield was unmistakeable.

The dark speck framed by the brilliant light was as familiar as the booming Canterlot voice that stilled all the fighting with just one stern command echoing over the stadium too. "THAT IS QUITE ENOUGH! CEASE THIS FOALISH FIGHTING AT ONCE!"

I knew that voice... echoing in my memory with a severe spike of pain that made me stagger to a halt before the stage and gape. The Shroud knew it too it seemed, a fluttery feeling of panic and a fresh wave of furious anger clawed at my skull with its snarling words. 'BETRAYER! HARLOT! JAILOR! FOUL WENCH! REVENGE!'

I'd last seen the kind face drifting down on pale wings overhead on tv as a foal, or frowning down in one of the Shroud's memories when she'd imprisoned it 1200 years ago... Princess Celestia...

Everycreature in Diamond City froze and turned to the sight of the Princess of the day gliding down on a beam of sunlight cresting the scoreboard, a living goddess daintily landing on the center of the stage with Vega gleefully prancing in place. Staring up at that waving rainbow colors of her immaculate mane and tail drifting lazily around her, my rational mind tried to make sense of what I was seeing and offered up a cold calculation.

The samples in the Ministry of Peace... The ones in the fancy cabinet... The ones of the Princesses. They'd done it... the Institute actually did it, they made a synth of Princess Celestia... They'd copied a goddess and played their hoof, this was Vega's big spectacle. I'd expected him to put his fake Fancy up as a Princess, but this was his trump card.

Squinting through eyes blurred by pain and the throbbing rage trying to get out, I turned to the shuffle of movement all around us as ponies started kneeling in awed whispers. Some were skeptical and stayed up, but the fighting had stopped completely and crowds were gathering. An audience for Vega's insane little play...

"My, my, my... My poor little ponies, such violence. I simply had to intervene. You have been the victims of so much strife and hardship and I'm afraid it's my fault, but I have returned to make up for it, to set things right... I am sure you have many questions, so please lend me your ears and allow me to explain." Celestia's sweet voice rang out without booming in her royal Canterlot voice again, drawing everycreature in as she smiled and fluttered her wide wings.

"HA! That's right! This is a real Princess, all you stupid fools listen up and..." Vega giggled and stamped his hooves in sheer ecstacy at our dumbfounded faces, though even his took on a note of surprise when the synth Celestia gave him a withering look.

"Silence... You have done enough Svengallop. I've not forgotten how you sullied a memorial for the brave buck who saved my life once. Be quiet." Celestia shut Vega down with a huff, his face screwed up in rage and turning red as she softly continued. "As many of you may have guessed, this pony, indeed I myself, are connected to the mythical Institute you all fear. A group of misunderstood ponies who've hidden away and tried to bring about a new dawn to Equestria. Given the state of the surface lo these many years, I'm sure you can understand their need to remain secret. Unfortunately, their interactions with you poor dears suffering on the surface have been handled by the corrupt pony wearing the guise of Neighson Svengallop now. I'm afraid the terrible reputation the brave group of arcane scientists and loyal Equestrians I myself owe my life to has been earned solely through this evil creature."

This was clearly not going according to Vega's script... He raged and fumed in response, clutching Glitter before him like a shield. Her eyes were blearily open, but she seemed dazed and unresponsive to my pleading look as he shouted. "What the fuck is this!?! Y-You! You stupid bitch! You're supposed to... you're mine! You do what I say!"

"NO, I DO NOT." Celestia's voice boomed and flattened Vega's ears as he gaped back, something dark flashing in her lavender eyes as she turned back and it disappeared again, the rising sun behind her bringing full daylight to the Commonwealth thanks to the mellow golden glow of her horn, impossible as it was. "As I was saying... When I learned of Mr. Svengallop's betrayal, I knew I must act, despite the concerns of the brave Institute scientists who only recently were able to give me freedom of movement again."

"I am sure many of you have read the tale of the great hero, the Lightbringer? You know I have been trapped these centuries and forced to watch you all suffer. It has saddened me greatly and I was immensely grateful when the Institute you have all feared freed me, created a new body that I may retake my throne I never should have abdicated. Know that the mercenaries known as the Gunners are under my command now, dedicated to reforming their ways and helping us usher in a new age to the rest of Equestria." At an absent sweep of her golden shod hoof, the remaining Gunners perched and galloped up nearby, giving stiff salutes to the Princess she smiled to receive.

Finally she turned to Jade, getting a sad, misty eyed expression with a soft smile, continuing with a convincing sniffle. "While my sister was lost beyond recovery, I was heartened to sense the presense of another Princess struggling to do the good works that must be done in her place. Princess Jade, it is an honor to meet you, I hope to see you as a sister that can take up dear Luna's mantle and return Equestria to its former glory with me, restoring the diarchy and balance we so foolishly abandoned. I see you even have your own little knight wearing the shroud of her own, how delightful. I'm proud of all you've done and look forward to working with you to better the wasteland for all creatures. What has brought you to such violence here?"

Jade was as flabbergasted as I was, reticently stepping forward with me staggering behind her to the stage. 'Be Dark...' was howling, straining to get loose and go after the 'BETRAYER', no... the synth, the synth in Celestia's form. Calm down!

My wife was able to recover while I wasn't at least, giving a wary look to the beaming synth and stammering meekly. "A-As you say... Svengallop... he... h-he has done awful things... he has my daughter. Yes, yes! He has my daughter and I want her back! NOW!"

Jade stood straighter and prouder as she got her hooves under her, focusing on the only thing that mattered in all this insanity and flaring her wings, puffing her chest up in the face of the taller Celestia raising an eyebrow at her and turning to the still fuming Vega. "Is this so? I am... Very. Disappointed..."

Shut up! If playing along with this craziness gets her back, I don't care. I bit my tongue and snorted as I joined Jade, glaring at Vega jabbering in shock and giving a low growl. "Give her bAcK.. nOw.."

Vega looked as lost as I was, but got a crafty grin and shouted out to the crowd, speaking to somepony I was just as sure as he was had to be out there somewhere, watching... "Klein! You bastard! This is my show! You can't... I'm not going to be upstaged by some runt or this thing! I'm not done! Just you watch! You want her back so bad brat!? Your precious daughter? Sure! Take her..."

At that, Vega gave me a knowing wink and tittered in a whisper, leaning down to Glitter's drooping ear and grinning that crazed smile the whole while as he swatted her flank and sent her trudging forward. "Project Small Wonder, access code SW4023-4328 Alpha... Would you kindly walk a few steps forward to your father..."

My heart dropped and my blood ran cold when Glitter blinked slowly and stood up, numbly taking a step forward. As ordered...

No, no, no, no... It couldn't be... s-she couldn't... c-couldn't be... this wasn't happening... I felt dizzy and that awful cracking sensation in my head came again, my ears and wings drooping as I barely registered Jade's teary gasp behind me. Glitter was still taking slow steps forward, her eyes far away and lost as Vega cackled and gloated.

"Surprised!? So was I! I knew you stank of Mobius! Crazy old bastard never gave up on this little project it seems! I don't know why he stuck her with you, but his original research was still in the archives! Including the backdoor access codes in the base programming! Your precious 'daughter' you've fought so hard to reach is nothing but one of his little dolls! Though I must admit, he's gotten better at making them, hasn't he!?" Vega snorted and laughed openly in glee, ignoring the glower of the fake Celestia nearby as Glitter took another few shaky steps forward and halted, staring blankly ahead.

"G-Glitter... please... please sweetie, no..."

I croaked out miserably as it all crashed down on me, Vega's words just adding to that cracking in my head. It felt like one long, spidery crack spreading down a quivering pane of glass holding back an infinite void of blackness, slowly reaching the point where the whole thing would just shatter. Mobius... Grandpa... he did this too...

"Mr. Svengallop... that is quite enough. I demand you put a stop to this and..." The synth Celestia narrowed her eyes and huffed, but was interrupted by Vega throwing a full blown fit.

"Shut up bitch! This is the best part! The big reveal! The look on your stupid fucking face is priceless! How about it Klein!? How's this for pushing him!? You wanted to see? Here you go! The great big hero of the Commonwealth all you idiots look up to, he's going to be killed by a little bitty filly!! Or he'll kill her in front of all of you, proving what kind of monster he really is!! Either way, I WIN!!! Glitter dear, would you kindly... I don't know, shoot your father for me?" Vega was practically rolling in laughter now, giggling madly as he ordered Glitter around and she obeyed.

She fished the boxy M.E.W. Righteous Authority from her little backpack and held it in her muzzle, turning back to face me and firing a shot that scorched my hoof as I gaped and that cracking got worse. Shadows were swirling around me in a maelstrom now, matching the darkening clouds overhead that were dimming the impossible sunshine slowly nearing the moon still in its proper place.

I could feel the chains snapping in my mind, the song of the Ministry Mares breaking apart as I watched the little filly take another step and fire again, another painful shot torching my chest as I stood there dumbly. All this time... I saved her... I adopted her... I loved her... and she was... just another trick of my Grandfathers...? A spy to watch me!? A LIE!? A DECIEVER! A BETRAYER!!!

I heard Zed give a worried grunt behind me, charging forward only to be knocked aside by a tendril of the shadows swirling at my hooves when he leapt forward with a frantic shout. Jade! Valkyrie! Anyone, stop him! Quickly!!"

The patchy clouds overhead were swirling and flashing with lightning as I grit my teeth and clenched my burning eyes shut at another shot winging me. One half of the heavens consumed with the dark pall they cast, while the other was lit by the sunshine only Celestia could summon like this, the moon hanging overhead in the middle growing darker as the sun touched its edge and started slipping behind it. The red rage in my head was spilling out, murderous fury directed down to the little filly taking another faltering step forward.

NO! You won't hurt her! I don't care what she is! I WON'T HURT HER!!!

The last bits of myself that were hanging on forced the Shroud back, trembling on the spot as much as Glitter now standing within hoofs reach. She was crying... Tears ran down her blank face staring back at me, she was in there dammit... she was real! The magical energy weapon in her muzzle was shaking as she looked up and aimed at my head.

Vega was getting annoyed at the delay, I wouldn't hurt her and she hadn't seriously hurt me yet, despite his orders he repeated in a furious shout. "KILL HIM! Do it you stupid doll! OBEY!"

"Nnn... I... w-won't..." Glitter's shaky voice replied in a low whisper, her brow furrowed and her ears pinned back as if she was in a great deal of pain. When her pink eyes opened again, they sparkled with the little filly I knew and loved, a look of miserable shame mixed with unwavering love.

"SHUT UP!!!"

I screamed and my star metal knife shot out, guided by the Shroud while I kept my eyes trained on Glitter. I didn't even get to enjoy watching the glimmering blade taking his head off. Standing at the center of a growing cyclone of howling wind that whipped Glitter's silvery mane and made Celestia's long tresses a flowing torch that actually seemed to flicker with flames.

"I... won't... I won't! I WON'T! I... LOVE... DADDY!!!" Glitter screamed and spit out her boxy pistol, shaking on the spot as if in a seizure and yelling louder and louder. "LOVE! DADDY! LOVE! DADDY! I LOVE DADDY!"

In the midst of this fit that broke what remained of my heart to watch, a slowly growing swirl of magic was surrounding her. It was white and pure, sparkling in the dark and lifting her slowly from her hooves. Glitter hovered up, her pink dress fluttering around her, showing the blinding light centered on her flank as she spasmed and flailed. It built to a crescendo that pushed back the shadows, bathing the entire outfield of Diamond City in its brilliance as an image formed there.

Glitter gained her mark... I briefly saw it, a bright torch of burning flames, surging forth from broken chains that surrounded it. Then the light faded and she simply hung there a moment, the all too brief glimpse of her beautiful pink gaze shimmering at me through the tears suddenly went blank. Her pupils disappeared, leaving empty pink circles devoid of life as she fell to the stage in a heap, wisps of smoke coming from her ears.

Jade dove past me as I just stood there, looking down at my... our daughter... The big blue alicorn scooped her up in her hooves and wailed, a layer of overglow surrounding her horn as she poured magic into her limp little form and cried out in terror. "Glitter! GLITTER! W-Wake up! D-Do not... Please Goddesses, YOU MAY NOT TAKE HER AWAY!"

"Oh my... it seems this little pony isn't merely taking the name of my sister's servant. I thought I locked you up quite well, but apparently I should have destroyed you... Shrouded Stallion." Celestia stared down at me cooly as Jade sobbed, briefly giving a distasteful look to the puddle of Vega's remains.

"BOSS! C'mon boss! Chill out! S-She's fine! B-Blue's got her an'... an' she'll be ok! Just calm down dammit!" Val squawked over the howling wind and made a dive at me, knocked aside by a whipping tendril of shadows as my mind broke looking down at Glitter's prone form.

"ShUt uP... aLL oF yOu SHUT UP! I'm nOt... aM... aReN't... nO! NO! NO! NO!"

"I was far too lenient in the past... willing to allow my sister and my student to make their own mistakes and learn from them. Too afraid to be firm when I needed to be... Not a mistake I plan on making again. No, Equestria's future will be ruled by a Princess unafraid to make the hard decisions, to take matter into her own hooves when needed. I should have destroyed the Shroud ages ago but I was weak... I am not now, nor will I ever be again..." Celestia's icy voice spoke up and drew my burning glare up to her own growing dark and fiery, the sun passed behind the moon and bathed Diamond City in an unnatural light already clouded by the swirling storm overhead.

As I watched, her kind lavender eyes changed, the whites turning black and the color shifting to a burning orange. Her flowing pastel mane lit light a torch along with her tail, her teeth growing as sharp and predatory as my own as she tensed in a crouch in front of me. She was an immovable object in the growing storm that darkened the skies and pushed all my friends back.

Bolts of lightning streaked down around us, falling in a rain that hammered the ramshackle buildings of Diamond City which started burning under the assault, but I didn't care anymore. I didn't care about anything... Glitter was... whatever she was, she was... gone... Tormented and enslaved until she just... shorted out... Gone... Gone... Gone baby gone... Everything was gone...

I felt more chains snapping and didn't care, meeting Celestia's fearsome stare and flaring wings with my own wreathed in shadows and black lightning. There was something to take all this hurt and anger out on... another of the Institute's lies... She had Celestia's mark that I saw growing as dark as the eeriely eclipsed sun overhead, the bright yellow circle of the sun turning black and the wavering flames around it growing brighter. She had her form, her power and maybe even her mind, but it was just another trick... a lie... a betrayal...

The Shroud's bottomless rage for that sneering mare pawing the ground was soothing, something to lose myself to and get away from the pain. I managed to tear my eyes away with some effort, glancing past Jade curled around our daughter in a miserable ball. All our friends, our family... they were still there, struggling to get close in the tempest of unleashed arcane power blowing them back.

"S-SwAn... dO wHaT yOu ProMisEd.. P-Please! RUN! R-RuN AwAy! NOW!!!!"

Speaking to the confused and teary eyed Swan was almost impossible, the last rational words I managed to choke out before the final chains in my head snapped with a fearful wail from the Ministry Mares. That battered and broken black stasis pod in my mind, the Shroud's prison... broke completely and a rushing wall of inky blackness poured out, consuming everything.

The last thing I saw was Swan giving a conflicted nod and a bright purple flash, then my view was filled with the synth Celestia lighting her horn in flames and chuckling. "Oh? You wish to pick up where we left off so long ago creature?"

With a crack of thunder and the sensation of centuries of hate and frustration boiling out, I barely felt my body rush forward to meet the flaming, twisted parody of Celestia the Institute had made, roaring in fury with a sound like the end of the world all over again.

For me it was. Jade and the others were safe, that was the last thing I cared about. I retreated into the comforting dark and just...

Let go.

New Perk Added!----------------

Thought You Died-------
---With the seal broken, its questionable if you're still you or alive at all. Nopony who witnessed the climax of Vega's last spectacle is sure who or what you are anymore. You gain +10 Health per 100 Karma you've accumulated in your far flung adventures. Your karma is now reset to 0 and your faction rating with all the communities you've met may have been changed. As an upside, you gain +10% damage and immunity to critical hits if you survive.

Quest Perk Added!----------

Shadowy Shroud- Rank 3---------
----The Shrouded Stallion of legend is loose on Equestria again... While under its influence, you gain access to vast power and an array of terrifying magic, but are no longer in control. Any terrifying presence speech checks have a highly increased chance to succeed.

Author's Notes:

Phew, ungainly and big as it is, this chapter ends Book 2 of FoE Commonwealth, thanks for slogging through it. The chapters going into Book 3 from this point should go back to a more reasonable size and meandering pace, so don't worry about everything being this bad from now on. Hope you all enjoyed and continued reading.