G-good morning everypony, that was Sweetie Belle singing about civilization... which was good... Er anyway, on to the n-news, bad news that is. The Gunners look like they've cemented their hold on the captured settlement of Whinny, um reports here to mem or t-to the station I mean, have said a handful of refugees from the town have been making their way north trying to escape pursuit, but have been targeted by raiders once they passed out of Gunner territory. S-some stories say they're being led on a pilgrimage by the last Minutemare, or travel with a zebra witch, but most agree they're in trouble. Anyway here's umm... Dion Trails with The Wanderer for them, we wish them the best, or I do I mean, I'm Traveling Miles for Diamond City Radio, soo enjoy the music... right.

The elevator ride was long and slow. I kept my ears up and flicking around, listening for any mechanical failure, but it was actually smooth for being two hundred years old, like me. I looked up at the approaching sky and shuddered, I could hardly remember the sky and there it was again.

I wished mom was here, she'd already be up the shaft and doing loops and dives, with enough room to really stretch her wings. The last memory I had of her was locking her in a tiny box deep underground, it was so unfair... She hated being buried down here, she should be here to fly free again under that approaching sky.

I could see light blue and tinges of pink as I got closer to the top, morning sky? It looked that way in the morning right? Or was that sunset sky? That would be ironic, to finally escape Stable 111 and see the actual sunset, without my childhood friend Sunset Mist being there to share in her namesake.

I checked my pip-buck's clock, if it was still accurate, then yes, that had to be morning sky up there. I wondered how that worked with no Celestia to guide the sun anymore. With a grind of gears and squeal of rotors, the elevator crested the lip and locked in place, leaving me no longer caring about the answer.

The sun rose above the horizon in front of me with no Princess Celestia accompanying it, flooding the world with light and color. I squinted and held a hoof up, not wanting to block the glorious sight, but so used to the artificial lights of the Stable I was overwhelmed by the real thing.

I blinked tears away and looked around as my eyes adjusted to being back in the real world. I was sitting in the middle of the large circular lift on top of a hill. The world that sunrise illuminated was a wasteland, but it was the world again, not the grey walls I had been staring at for the last twelve years. Brown might have replaced grey as the predominant color, charred and sickly trees reached toward the sky like skeletal hooves calling to the heavens for Celestia and Luna, but it was different. Even somehow beautiful.

Down the hill, I could make out the ruins of my old neighborhood. We had run from our home to the Stable when the alarms sounded and the footage from Canterlot was broadcast, so it wasn't that far. I had always wondered what happened to our little house, it looked like it hadn't been obliterated anyway, so that was something. I had dreamed of going home for years and now it was in sight again.

Text flashed across my vision from my pip-buck with a fanfare, interrupting my view for a moment.

Mission Complete!- Welcome Home
Primary Objective-
---Escape the Stable

--------------------

Discovered Location- Stable 111

--------------------

Mission Added: Where the Heart Is
Primary Objective-
--Return Home

That was getting weird, but I accepted it for now. I could always disable those functions on the pip-buck if I wanted, but it had been handy leaving the Stable. I just wish I knew how it did some of the things it did on its' own.

I sat there quite awhile, watching the sunrise and thinking. The warm light burned away the worst of the feelings still plaguing me after waking up alone in the dark, deep in Stable 111, then walking out through a massacre that took place eighty years ago. I was still alone, had no idea what to do to find my friends and family that had been ponynapped, with very few clues to search for them. But I was alive, I had a chance.

With a tired sigh, I got up and turned away, walking towards the gate checkpoint we had to pass to get to the Stable years ago, grimacing at the pile of skeletons waiting there. The guards had checked our IDs and let us through the crowd, these ponies weren't so lucky and died when the balefire bombs hit.

The trail down the hill was so different from when we took it up a lifetime ago. The now barren trees were vibrant and full of life and colors, the memory was a little fuzzy though. I was just a foal and I made the trip up carried the whole way by mom, who blew by anypony in her way in a blue and purple streak, flying low beneath the branches that had... leaves? Yes, leaves that made like a roof... My pegasus mom had rocketed under the canopy at full speed, landing in front of the Equestrian Army guards at the gate, while dad ran up behind us. Now I was going down the hard way, like dad had climbed up.

There was a little creek with a small hoofbridge that had been just a blur the first time I had to navigate. The poor wooden bridge was rotten and falling apart, so I considered just trotting through the shallow ribbon of water, until I approached and my pip-buck started clicking gently.

It never made that noise before... a quick glance at the device showed it was the Geiger counter, warning about radiation. Of course, we had been taught about the widget in the Stable, but I had never heard it working. That's kind of what the Stables were designed to prevent.

My body's rad count was still far in the blue-green end of the rainbow coded gauge and the water was only mildly radioactive, but I gave the bridge a try anyway, no reason to suck up rads when I didn't have to. Surprisingly, the bridge held and I crossed to the trail leading back to my old home, Sanctuary Hills. The barren trees started to fall away and I cautiously trotted out of the woods, towards the street that ran the length of the small island defined by the river parting around it.

Discovered Location- Sanctuary My pip-buck informed helpfully...

'Well, things could be better' I thought, as I stood on the cracked and broken sidewalk and looked over the destruction. Most of the houses still stood at least, that was something, only half a dozen or so had collapsed completely that I could see. The remaining homes were rusty, weathered skeletons of their former selves.

Large holes showed in every roof and wall, shingles and siding panels were strewn about and everywhere was silence. E.F.S. confirmed my solitude for me, along with the fact I had discovered Sanctuary Hills. Wait... a single green hash mark showed on my compass, partially obscured by my objective marker. Interesting.

The sidewalk made my hoofsteps ring out in the silence as I trotted towards both markers at the bottom of my vision. The pip-buck said they were friendly, so I didn't want to startle them. As my old house came into view, I was floored by bitter nostalgia, the small teal and white house was faded and battered but it still stood.

Clicks and clanks drew my attention to the present however, I turned to take a good look at the friendly mark on my Eyes Forward Sparkle. In the front yard, a familiar floating ball with multiple arms puttered in the dead flowerbeds, beneath the large living room window in the front yard of my house.

Dredging up the memory of the robot's name was hard, it had been so long, finally it came back to me, "Cogsworth?" I asked quietly.

The Mr. Handy stopped pretending to work on the non-existent flowers and turned slowly, a slight hitch caused him to bob down a moment, before he leveled off and faced me. Well, he pointed the front of his body and aligned two of his working eyes on me. One seemed to have pretty slow focus control but the other started looking me up and down, the third just hung there limp. The protective covering of the best eye narrowed suspiciously before a wide red scanning laser took stock of me, causing the eye covers to retract in surprise. "Master Fast?" the old robot squawked with a hiss of static.

"Um.. yeah. Hi Cogsworth, long time no see I guess," I replied to the Robronco Mr. Handy helper robot my parents bought when I was a toddler and things were getting hectic for them both.

We had spent a good deal of time together; he always kept one of his three eyes on me, made me lunch sometimes, watched while hovering nearby when I first started going out into the neighborhood, guarded me from the evil changeling in the closet all night if I asked. Somehow he was still here, though much worse for wear.

"Master Fast! It IS you, oh how wonderful! How utterly joyous to see you again, my how you've grown! Though you are looking quite young for your age, I believe your 213th birthday is in 67 days, congratulations sir!" Cogsworth gushed, flailing his multiple limbs and bobbing happily, except for the odd jerk or drop.

I suddenly realized how happy I was to see him, to have someone to talk to. I liked being alone, but I had a pretty traumatic day full of loneliness. "I-It's good to see you too Cogsworth, how... how have you been?" I looked around at the wreckage around me and guessed it couldn't be good.

"Oh fine young master!" he chuckled artificially, "A little in need of service perhaps, but still hard at work! Have you seen this years daisies? They're doing quite well so far!" he gestured proudly to the flowerbed and the sickly plants struggling in it, I supposed that did constitute doing well out here... "Where are your parents young sir? I assume they're not far behind? I shall prepare a celebratory breakfast when they arrive and you can all regale me with your doings for the last 208.7 years, perhaps young miss Sunset will join us after her and her father return as well" Cogsworth asked hopefully, a hint of longing in his voice processor.

That brought a stab of pain to the heart, if only Cogsworth's reality was true. "T-they're gone Cogsworth, they were taken away... but I'm going to get them back" I answered the optimistic robot sadly.

"Of course sir! Why I imagine they're just having a bit of fun, a little hide and seek I imagine, just like old times what? Come, come, let's not keep them waiting, I take it we're IT, yes young master? Then we're off! Ready or not here we come!" he replied and immediately turned and began bobbing down the street, his two working eyes swiveling around rapidly.

"Wait Cogsworth! They're not..." I shouted, galloping after him, watching as his sensors identified something nearby just as my E.F.S. did and painted it red. If Cogsworth had that function he was ignoring it, since he turned and bolted right for it. "No! Cogsworth that's not anyone friendly!" I shouted, drawing one of the 10mm pistols I had brought out of the Stable.

The demented robot was undeterred and floated into one of the more ruined standing houses, "I see you in here! Oh my!" he called after entering, followed by the sound of his buzz saw weakly powering up and a screech.

"Cogsworth!" I screamed, charging into the building and coming into view of the odd robot fighting with... a parasprite? It looked sort of like one from the pictures I'd seen, round, puffy body, four wings, six legs, fuzz, but it was twisted and wrong somehow, bloated and sickly. Hungry as well, since it snapped at Cogsworth with its fangs, before it noticed me and turned. I seemed to be more appetizing... I didn't think parasprites ate ponies, but I didn't feel like finding out. I dove to the side to get clear of Cogsworth before triggering S.A.T.S.

Time froze and I could take in every detail of the pastel colored beast snarling at me, while unable to move out of the way. Using this in combat was different than the safety of the Icebox with my friends shooting at cans, I was already trying to hold still then, so this odd sense of disconnection from my body wasn't as jarring. S.A.T.S. had targeted the... Bloatsprite? That's what it said this was anyway.

The pip-buck identified the creature and divided its strange anatomy into a number of various targets, each displaying a percentage change to hit. I stuck with the highest chance and selected three shots to the body. The HUD showed the spell power cost of the action I requested, about a third of what was available, then went to work when I accepted the command.

I felt my aim adjusted automatically as time returned to normal, the pistol zeroing in on the creature and unloading three rounds center body mass. The nasty thing was practically vaporized, the remains spattering the floor with a sickening splat.

Cogsworth wobbled a moment, looking down at the remains before turning back to me. "Nasty little pests, have to call an exterminator I suspect. Good show young master, I do hope Mistress Bright knows about that dangerous pop gun of yours however. Now, not who we were seeking was it? We'll just have to try harder!" with that he flew off out the back door, seeking ponies that weren't there. At least not in the range of his game.

This process was repeated 3 more times in different homes or yards, Bloatsprites usually got drawn out, but a swarm of 'Radroaches', as they were called according to the pip-buck, came crawling out from under the porch of Sunset's house and attacked this time. Each time I charged after Cogsworth and blasted whatever he had stirred up, but I didn't have a lot of ammo to spare on games anymore and those radroaches brought back bad memories.

Standing on my hindlegs, I reached up with my forehooves and pinned the manic machine, "Cogsworth! They are not here, they are gone! Someone took them! I have to find them and I need help, I'm all alone here and I need you with me!" I screamed at him. My breath came out in ragged gasps from trying to keep up with the robot, who stilled finally and hovered in a most dejected manner.

I let him go and fell back to my rump, trying not to cry in frustration. I looked around focusing on something other than my family's deranged Mr. Handy, focusing on the Red Racer scooter rusting a few feet away. If only Sunset had grabbed that and brought it to the Stable...

A few long moments later, that I spent trying to roll the poor rusted scooter on seized wheels, Cogsworth finally spoke up again, this time much softer and less manic. "I'm sorry sir...these last couple of centuries have been.... difficult. I spent my time trying to adhere to my last command from Mistress Bright, along with my regular duties, but things have taken a downward turn the last 62.1 years or so."

Last command from mom? I tried to remember.... the news interrupted cartoons, showing Canterlot in a big pink bubble, talking about the Princesses trapped inside, protecting those outside. The alarms sounded and mom scooped me up off the floor, lots of tense talking with dad as he grabbed our stuff.. Then mom fluttered up to the robot, kissed the round body between the eyestalks and said...

"Take care of yourself sweetheart..." I muttered sadly.

"Yes indeed Master Fast, I tried to adhere to the order, but the Robronco service truck hasn't come through the neighborhood in 208.9 years, so proper maintenance has been a challenge. I thought I'd never see another pony that was friendly, let alone one of my family units. I... I was excited to see you and dared to think your parents may be about. Forgive a foolish old robot sir," he answered pitifully. Great, now I felt worse.

"It's ok Cogsworth, you've had it rough. Look, I don't think we'll find mom and dad anywhere nearby, so we can't do anything about that right now. But we can do something about that maintenance, since I happen to be a repair-pony now, how would that be?" I sighed, pushing the scooter aside and standing up to touch the round body with a hoof, looking up at his crooked eyestalks.

"That.. would be wonderful sir, thank you," he answered gratefully.

I gave him a pat on his casing and started walking back home next door, absently grabbing the scooter back in my magic to take with me. Maybe I'd fix it up sometime so I could give it back to Sunset. Cogsworth bobbed behind me as I turned to the garage door of my house, opening it with a screech of rust and walking in.

Between the parts and components I had on me in my saddlebags, plus junk I could salvage from the garage, I had actually made some decent progress on Cogsworth. He was currently suspended from the old hoist that was mounted to the back wall of the garage, powered down while I had my muzzle stuck in his rear access panel and tinkered with his spell matrix and logic talismans.

I had let him stay powered up to chat while I did the mechanical repairs I could manage with him active, but this was sensitive work and I didn't want to electrocute myself. So he was shut down at the moment, limbs and eye stalks hanging limply. Doing the repairs helped center me and let me go over all I had been through lately. It felt right to be doing maintenance, not running around, fighting, figuring out mysteries.

I whistled to myself and checked the progress of the defragmentation of his memory storage on my pip-buck that was wired into his innards, everything looked good. I gave him another once over and ran through the list in my mind before rebooting him; his eye stalks were repaired, levitation talisman had been cleaned and realigned, limbs lubricated and tightened, his buzz saw serviced and his attached flamer refilled (why a robot designed as a butler had a flamethrower I'll never know, but it worked again), the worst of the rust had been scraped free and now his internals were as good as I was going to get with what I had.

"Alright buddy, here goes nothing," I said, hitting the reboot command and disconnecting my pipbuck. I latched the access panel as Cogsworth hummed back to life, sounding much better if I do say so myself.

"Oh my, that is wonderful.." Cogsworth whispered as he came back online, experimentally moving his limbs and eyestalks. I listened carefully as he went through calibrating his sensors, each eye whining softly as he focused in and out. "Ahh, proper vision again! I simply don't see how you fine ponies manage with only two," he burbled, swinging his limbs about smoothly, activating the buzz saw then puffing out a short burst of fire from the flamer.

"Easy Cogs! Careful with the fire!" I yelped, ducking back. Maybe I shouldn't have repaired that, but it needed fixing and I had the feeling he may need it.

"Terribly sorry Master Fast, no worries though. Simply getting used to operating near acceptable standards again! I do thank you so much, you have grown into a fine repair-pony! May I disentangle myself and test my movement?" the odd robot asked politely.

I started disconnecting the chains holding him up and nodded, "Of course Cogs, give it a whirl."

I stepped back and watched carefully as the old robot tentatively lifted up and bobbed forward, moved forward and back, left and right, spun clockwise and counterclockwise, lifted up and lowered towards the ground. Finally he gave a jubilant spin, flailing his limbs and hovering back to bob happily in front of me, patting my head with his clawed limb.

"Truly impressive young Fast Times, jolly good! I despaired of ever operating at these levels again, I am so delighted you have come home!" he cheered happily. I was actually a little happy too, I had helped him and I wasn't alone anymore, it was good to be home.

Now that I was sure he didn't have a figurative or literal screw loose, I thought it was time for a little more in depth conversation with my new companion. "Cogsworth, I told you earlier someone took mom and dad and my little brother remember? Someone would have shown up outside the Stable about eighty three years ago, there would have been a lot of them with ponies and robots, advanced tech and firepower, along with a bad attitude. Did you see anyone like that come through?"

Cogsworth whirred and hummed to himself carefully, tapping his manipulator claw on his case thoughtfully, "I'm afraid not young sir, not that I noticed, or remember noticing rather. I feel much more clear headed thanks to your kindly ministrations, but I have been not quite right it would seem." I sighed and slumped, they didn't have to come through here to get to the Stable, but I had hoped. Cogsworth tried to be positive and console me, "I'm sorry sir, I wish I had something to tell you. Though from your description they don't sound like the usual lot of ponies I've grown accustomed to around here."

"Other ponies? So you've seen others around?" I asked curiously, looking out the garage door to the silent, empty neighborhood.

"Oh yes sir! I have on many occasions through the years, though they're usually of a most unsavory sort. Dreadful clothes, crude manners and very rowdy, not proper, civilized ponies like yourself at all if I do say so. I have taken to concerning myself with chores inside or in the back yard when those types have stuck their muzzles in around here. Though there have been somewhat better sorts here and there. There were some in Poncord that only threw sticks and rocks at me when I went on a bit of a hover about town once. I was hoping to find that blasted Robronco service truck..."

Nodding thoughtfully, I started walking toward the door into the house from the garage. So there were other ponies alive around here that weren't the ones who invaded the Stable. Beyond just having some flesh and blood ponies to talk to, there was the chance someone would know something about what had happened, or at least give me some information about the state of things up here.

Cogsworth was eager to help but he hadn't ventured far or kept up to speed on the state of the wasteland around him, so he could only tell me so much. I'd have to go out there and find someone, hopefully not one of those rough customers Cogs had described. I had the feeling he was understating or misremembering just how rowdy they may be. As the door into the kitchen swung open, my pipbuck chimed.

Mission: Where the Heart Is
Objective Completed-
--Return Home

Objective Added-
--Search for Survivors

I was glad I had taken the time to work on Cogsworth and relax myself before coming inside. Even calm and feeling a little better, walking back into what was left of my childhood home was like a buck to the gut. Dirt, grime, mold and chaos reigned, but enough was still there for my faded memories to keep trying to impose themselves over the present.

The cracked counters and falling cabinets surrounding the rusting stove I would watch mom cook at, humming a tune and fluttering around the kitchen above my head. Rotting scraps of notes, pictures, a Ministry Mares Calendar open to October, displaying a faded picture of Princess Luna and my last report card from Miss Patience adorned the fading hulk of the refrigerator.

I shakily approached the big pink box and held a hoof out to one of the photos on the door held in place with a Wonderbolts magnet, it was faded and corroded but I could still make it out. Me in front of a huge cake mom had spent all day on with me prancing around her, my eyes closed and cheeks puffed out as I blew out the candles. Mom hovering above me, pulling dad and a very young Sunset into a hug to be in the picture Cogsworth had taken. I smiled and carefully removed it, tearing up as I looked at the past, I flipped it over and read mom's looping script written across the back,

"Fast's fifth b'day! He asked a friend to come, I'm so proud!"

Cogsworth had floated up behind me and pointed his newly repaired eyestalks down to the photo, "That was a good day sir, you were all quite happy."

I floated the photo to my saddlebags and sniffled, "Yeah, it was..."

Having the photo felt good, I wanted to keep a reminder of what I was looking for. Rubbing my eyes, I looked back to the refrigerator and pulled it open with a sticky, tearing sound and a squeal of hinges. Whatever abomination the food in here had turned into thankfully wasn't bad after the initial cloud of stench. I coughed and gasped a moment and looked back inside, a couple Sparkle Colas sat inside that I levitated out before shutting the door again. I opened one and stored the other, taking a long drink.

"Cogsworth? Kind of a shot in the dark, but you know of any food around here? I have some snack cakes on me, but that's it and if there's nothing else I should stretch them out, any ideas buddy?" I asked hopefully.

The robot rose up and shuddered, "Snack cakes! Heaven forbid, I admit it's been some time since I last went to market, but I am fully equipped to provide something more nutritious than that with what we have on hoof in the vicinity young sir. I feel aghast for neglecting breakfast while you generously serviced me, you take your time taking stock in here. I shall return in two shakes and begin lunch immediately!" With that he hovered back outside and set to his task, I decided not to think too hard on where he was going to find something for now.

The rest of the house was a series of similar moments triggered by different things, like a nostalgia parade. The living room we had run from after watching the fate of Canterlot on the television, now sitting dead with a crack down its screen. Dad's office upstairs where he sat at his desk beneath the crowded bookshelves, that now held rotting husks of books, while I played on the floor behind him. Mom and dad's room I'd tiptoe into when I had a bad dream to sleep between them. They'd reassure me, telling me bad dreams were just Princess Luna checking up on me, teaching me not to be afraid.

Finally my little bedroom, where just in the spot I had obsessed over for years sat my Shrouded Stallion figure, waiting for me to come back for it, it took awhile but I reclaimed it at long last. I smiled at the dark stallion in the black coat and hat. A glance around where I got it rewarded me with his action sub-machine gun I floated up and pushed into his grip. A lot of ponies liked the Mysterious Mare Do Well more, including Sunset. We'd often have her Mare Do Well figure alternate between fighting or teaming up with my Shrouded Stallion.

I listened to all the Shroud's radio shows and got every comic I could with my allowance. I had begged mom and dad to get me a Shroud costume for Nightmare Night since I already looked like him a little with my dark coat. I knew I had nearly driven everypony I knew bonkers talking about him and his adventures. When they announced the Shrouded Stallion TV show coming soon I had nearly passed out from joy, crossing off the days on the kitchen calendar waiting for it. Unfortunately it had been permanently canceled, along with the old world. I tipped the tiny hat on the figure and chuckled with inspiration, drawing out the odd Ministry Mare statuette I had acquired in the Stable and floating her up next to the Shroud.

"Oh no! The Mad Mechanamare is after me! Please can't someone save me?!" I said in a horrible impression.

"Not to worry Ministry Mare! From the Shadows arrives... The Shrouded Stallion! That dastardly villain won't lay a hoof on such a paragon of kindness and beauty, even if it costs me my life!" A much better and well practiced Shroud impression intoned, the figure swooping in to bob in the air next to the statuette.

"But Shroud, that would be horrible... you're already hurt, let me heal you!" The Fluttershy figure gasped.

"Tis but a flesh wound my lady! His corrupted, clanking, clattering, contraptions of crime can't hurt me! When the fiend shows himself he'll get some of the same!" The Shroud replied fiercely, turning swiftly back and forth, pointing his silver sub-machine gun in all directions.

"But Shroud... umm.. the, the Mechanamare is a real pony underneath not a robot.. I don't think you should hurt her, even if she does bad things.. Maybe she just needs a friend, y-yes I bet that's just so, you should be kind..." Fluttershy whispered back tentatively, but with conviction.

I cocked an eyebrow and looked at the figure, that was weird... I had planned for a pretty standard Shroud adventure, save the pretty girl, beat up the bad guy, save the day, that kind of thing. Just fooling around fulfilling promises I made myself if I ever found my toy. Instead that had kind of taken on a life of its own there at the end... and my horrible impression based off very little had drastically improved. The little yellow pegasus statue had gone from being the damsel in distress stand in to... well, to Fluttershy from what I had heard of the Ministry Mare.

Weird...

With a dubious shrug, I floated both figures to my saddlebags and flopped over onto my small bed, rolling onto my back. I tried to ignore the musty smell and just enjoy being there again, staring at the water-stained ceiling. I heard Cogsworth come back in and start working on whatever he was preparing in the kitchen. Thunder of an early fall storm rumbled in the far distance, idly I wondered how dry I was likely to stay. Some repairs were needed if I was going to stay here and I needed a base of operations anyway, this was my house after all.

Long term, I'd have to keep an eye towards fixing up what I could here to have somewhere warm and dry to store food and drink, keep out the elements and wildlife and base my search out of. Luckily, I was the greatest repair-pony I had met in the world so far after leaving the Stable, so I could do the work. For now, the garage had been the most intact room in the house so far and where I'd have to spearhead my advance from. It had no windows to let in the wind and rain, and was built of sturdy brick with a tin roof that was easy to repair.

The burst of Cogsworth's flamer coming from the broken windows broke me out of my thoughts and I leapt up, crunching over the long shattered glass and sticking my head outside. Instead of attacking Bloatsprites, Radroaches or some new wasteland horror, I just saw Cogsworth hovering in the middle of the street. He had gathered a pile of wood from the blackened shrubbery and demolished houses and started a small fire, a large pot hung by its' handle in his claw, which he swiveled over to rest directly above the quickening flames. Ok, I guess there were some valid reasons to equip a butler with a flamethrower after all, still seemed like overkill though.

My robot friend turned an eyestalk my way and waved the limb with the weapon in question merrily, "Not too long Master Fast, I shall alert you as soon as it is ready! Please go back to your most entertaining adventures!"

I flushed a little in embarrassment and waved back feebly, "R-right... Thanks Cogs. I was just.. um.. thinking, yeah that's the ticket.." I answered, slinking back into the bedroom. I shouldn't have repaired his audio pick ups quite so well...

I managed a short nap waiting for Cogsworth to finish his work, waking to a heavenly smell wafting into the bedroom. I trotted down the hall back to the kitchen and found him serving the delicious smelling stew he had concocted somehow while I finally got some decent rest. After downing half a bowl sitting at the grimy kitchen table in my old seat, I felt better than I had since before entering pod #101 eighty years ago.

My pip-buck clicked lazily as I ate, marking the meal as lightly radioactive, but it was totally worth it and really it was unavoidable up here. It could have been radioactive and tasted bad instead. "Oh wow Cogsworth, I don't know how you managed it, but this is great! Thank you so much, I really needed this pal, what is it anyway?"

Cogsworth wobbled with pride in the air nearby, watching me slurp the stew down. "Just a trifle sir, a few local herbs and spices, tatos, carrots and seared bloatsprite meat," he answered happily.

I froze with a huge mouthful of the ...Bloatsprite stew... Cogsworth continued watching, waving with his manipulator to go on. I did leave him to his own devices when he said there were ingredients nearby to make something with... and it was delicious. Even fighting the urge to spew it out, I had to admit that. I eventually managed to clench my eyes shut and swallow it all down, looking back to the expectant chef with a sickly smile.

"R-really... I never would have guessed... seriously. Thanks a lot Cogs, that hit the spot alright," I answered honestly.

Cogsworth bobbed on the spot in a nod and gestured for the still steaming pot, "How wonderful to hear sir, I was so hoping you'd enjoy it! Would you care for seconds?"

I jumped up from my seat and waved him off nervously, "No, no, couldn't eat another bite! Really filling and tasty, I was just thinking I'd go take a walk and look around! Let it digest and all, ahhahaha..." I stumbled, heading for the door.

Cogsworth didn't seem to notice anything wrong though, simply picking up the remaining stew. "Of course sir, glad to be of service! Enjoy your stroll, I shall clean up here, unless you need me?"

Licking my lips subconsciously, I marveled again at how good it was, especially considering the ingredients... "N-no I should be ok, just a quick canter around the neighborhood. It was really good..." I sighed faced with reality up here, "I'll finish it off for supper, ok?"

The robot bobbed and swung the pot around, "Yes of course! I shall set it back to simmer, it will be even better when you are ready to dine. I think I shall do some cleaning, I hadn't noticed how terribly ramshackle things had become inside before your wonderful repairs and fear I have been lacking in my duties. Enjoy yourself sir!" he waved.

Returning the gesture, I walked out and felt a cool wind pick up from the north. It was pleasant right now, but with rain on the way I was concerned it might get chilly tonight. I should do some searching around the other houses in the neighborhood for anything I could use like blankets before it got dark. I trotted over to the still open garage door and dumped all my extra junk I had been hoarding off, keeping only the bare essentials of; my tools, the best 10mm pistol, Fork's funny knife that had been labeled 'Best Served' for some reason in my pip-buck inventory, the two healing potions and the bandages I had found and other consumables, and my personal treasures.

At the sidewalk I looked left and right, deciding on starting the neighbor to the right and working towards the larger wooden bridge over the river that headed towards Poncord. I didn't want to go looting our other neighbors house to the left yet, that one belonged to Sunset and her father, the stuff in there was theirs.

Mr. Hawthorne had been a naughty pony... No wonder dad didn't want me or Sunset playing near his house and mom always watched him with barely restrained violence gleaming in her crimson eyes. The wrecked remains of the house nexr door didn't offer much at first glance, until I reached his "office" in the back. A decent chemical lab had been set up next to a desk holding his terminal and a floor safe beneath it. I had once read the basics of picking a lock, but I had no bobby pins with which to test the theory. Thankfully that proved not to be a problem after breezing through the simple security on the terminal and finding a command to unlock the safe.

Inside was a pile of golden bits, another 10mm pistol with more ammo and a cornucopia of drugs. Dash, Buck, Mentats and a different flavor of the same called Party Time Mentats, Med-X, Hydra, Fixer and a couple more purple healing potions. I whistled at the stash I had uncovered, scooping them up in my magic, before turning to the terminal to scroll through the entries logged within out of curiosity.

Entry-1
"Finally got this thing working, decided to invest some of my profits into the business so to speak. Who would'a thought getting kicked out of the M.O.P could have turned out so lucrative huh? Glad I thought ahead before they caught on and downloaded those recipes, the PTMs especially have given me damn near a monopoly. Buying this place was more than worth it too, last couple years it's turned into a goldmine, less competition than back in Willowville too. Lots of veteran ponies around this area, with habits they picked up fighting the stripes and eggheads with a taste for mentats. Keeping a low profile, making connections with the neighbors and spreading out into Poncord, don't want to shit where I eat after all."

Entry-2
Fucking bitch! Had a visit from one of the neighbors. Pegasus cunt was all smiles, tray full of cookies in hoof, brat playing with that creepy robot of theirs out on the sidewalk. Said she was the welcome wagon round here and breezed right in the door like she owned the place, 'just setting these down in the kitchen' she says, but shuts the door behind her. Thought she might be a customer, heard that one was ex-military too from some of my other clients who mentioned she might have some experience with Dash. Those pegasi love the stuff if they get a taste for it, left the brat with the robot outside so mommy could make a little purchase I figured, so I didn't say anything.

Alright, kinda hoped maybe she had something else in mind too way she sauntered in, all fluttering eyelashes and sweetness. Oh how wrong I was.. Soon as that door shut, bitch bucked me down the hall, bounced off the ceiling and put me in a choke hold before I could see straight. Thought she was gonna tear my head off and barely made a noise doing it. Leaned in real close and starts whispering in my ear, knows what I'm doing she says, doesn't like it, doesn't want it around her brat, doesn't care 'bout the cops I pay off. Says that just makes things easier, tells me I go near her stupid foal or any foal for that matter, they'll never find the body... Makes me believe it. Makes sure I remember too, fucking dislocated both forelegs in a flash before shaking her flanks down the hall. Then she's back to sunshine and rainbows again. Tosses the phone down the hall and tells me to call a doctor, I seemed to have suffered an accident she says, all concerned good mommy again. Thought about going after the gun instead, teach the cunt some respect.

Then I look in those red eyes of hers and see Tartarus waiting. Her face looks all nice and sweet but those eyes... Celestia and Luna could be standing in her way and that mare would still tear me apart, put me back together and do it again if she felt like it. I've met vets like that before, best to just stay far, far away and try not to get on their shit list. Just nodded at her and started crawling for the phone like a good little pony. Tells me to enjoy the cookies and remember our "lovely little chat", then just trots on out and I hear her babbling to her brat about how much I liked the cookies they made together.

That psycho mare is scary..."

I gave a sad chuckle reading that entry, Mr. Hawthorne had gotten a peek at former Lt. Bright Skies-Times I had never seen, but knew had to be there. I had seen those eyes used on others on a couple occasions, during her work as head of Shift 3 Security. Every pony who had been the actual focus of that look stopped whatever they were doing and backed away, very slowly.

That bit about Dash was concerning, mom couldn't have ever used that stuff, right? I looked over the handful of red inhalers I had taken from the safe with a frown. I had overheard bits of conversations between my parents I wasn't supposed to over the years. Things she had done in the war they talked around, even just between the two of them. She never said anything about those years to me, no matter how much I asked for war stories as a colt. Said she didn't have any good stories from that time for me, that there was nothing good about war and no reason to talk about it. 'War never changes' she said.

I rifled through the rest of the files, nothing else nearly so interesting though. Complaints about deals gone bad, cops on the take shaking him down for more, records about customers and their habits, dirty secrets to use for blackmail, about what I'd expect. With a sigh, I downloaded his stolen recipes then deleted them from the terminal. Like any knowledge, it wasn't good or bad by itself, but no reason to leave it lying around where just anypony could find it.

I walked back out of the drug den and nearly ran right into another bloatsprite just hovering at the threshold. I jumped back with a yelp and went for my pistol, triggering S.A.T.S. out of reflex. With time paused, I did a double take at the pip-buck readouts and got a good look at the little winged ball, winged metal ball...? "Sprite-bot" was displayed on the targeting system.

I remembered these things now, they'd hover through the neighborhood occasionally, cheerful music blaring from their speakers. With a sigh, I canceled S.A.T.S. and stared at the weird little robot as it just hovered there, then there was a hiss of static issuing from the speaker and a staticky voice came out.

"Well, hello there. 111 huh?" it spoke, bobbing towards the yellow numbers on my barding, "Never run into one of you before, welcome to the wasteland, you still look new," it spoke with a hint of sadness, mixed with hope.

"Er... hello? I didn't think you guys did anything but play music," I replied dubiously, looking over the little flying robot bobbing up and down before me.

"Oh, these have always done more than that, I'm just using this one for the moment. Call me Watcher, and you are?" it... he? answered with a chortle.

"Fast Times," I said, sticking a hoof out, then blanching when I realized it couldn't exactly return the gesture. "Watcher? So you watch through these things? Where are you? I.. I need help, please... something bad happened in my Stable and I don't know what to do. If you watch things, maybe you saw whoever attacked us and stole the ponies in 111, eighty years ago or so? Er... though I guess that was a long time ago." I asked hopefully. Whoever this was they had been polite and were presumably a living pony somewhere on the other end. The first I had spoken to on the surface, even if it was through this intermediary, please let him be a good pony, I could use a break.

"Eighty years? Then how are you... you know what nevermind. I swear some of the crackpot ideas those Crusaders tossed out there... let's leave it for later. I'm not sure about any attack, I knew there was a Stable around here somewhere, but that's it. I could look into my records here, but I don't have much time, these things are flaky and I have a limited window in the Commonwealth."

"You just left your Stable, right? You're awful clean and well mannered anyway, so let me give you some advice, watch yourself out here. Things are getting better, but the Commonwealth is its own beast that will eat you alive if you let it. I've had bigger problems closer to home until recently, so I've left it alone mostly. You're in better shape than certain other ponies fresh out of the Stable, but it looks like you've been very lucky so far. Make yourself some friends and help each other, nopony can go it alone up here."

"If I may make a suggestion, you may want to start south, there are things that can help you in Poncord. Best of luck Fast Times, I'll be watching," the sprite-bot gushed, on the last word there was a squawk of static and machine language, before the cheerful oompa music I remembered started playing. The little robot did an about face, floating off down the street as the first drops of rain began to fall.

"One of those annoying little drones spoke to you Master Fast? Are you sure? I have tried interfacing with them from time to time, very single minded and simple things. Though my attempts to probe them for information were rebuffed in expert fashion from some outside source, so I suppose you must be right. What did it say sir?" Cogsworth asked with disdain for the sprite-bot that hovered out of Sanctuary Hills, back the way it had come after making its' circuit of the island, blaring its' cheerful music in the steadily increasing rain.

Cogs had helped me drag the couch from the living room into the garage, where it was mostly dry and covered with what blankets and pillows I had found that could still be called such. I sat back, watching it go through the open garage door an gave a confused reply. "It said things are dangerous out here, to find friends and stick with them, and it suggested trying to the south. This Watcher sounded like I wasn't the first Stable pony he had run into, maybe there are others that have opened properly..."

I mused, thinking it would be nice to meet ponies from other Stables, shared experiences and all that, even if they weren't from my Stable. If they had functioned properly and opened back up, then I bet they were bastions of civilization out here in the wasteland. Then I was struck by the dark thought that maybe they also had secret passages, hidden teleporters secreted somewhere in their depths that didn't belong there, one more reason to try to find them.

"There's a thought sir, I am certain it is a worthy line of investigation at any rate. What about this heading south business? Do you think whoever is using that... runt... can be trusted?" Cogsworth asked as he continued working away in the dripping living room, shoving broken and battered furniture aside and clearing the worst of the destruction. As he spoke my pip-buck gave a new message;

Mission: Buried Secrets
Objective-
-- Investigate Other Stables

I hoped it would assign some map markers and give me a lead, but like most of its "Investigate" objectives, this was left up to me to figure out. I wasn't particularly surprised though, the location of Stables were guarded secrets. Even 111 had an illusion spell cloaking the large, obvious elevator on the hilltop, anyone without a pip-buck or other way to bypass it would just see nothing much. You'd have to stumble into one basically to find it if you weren't supposed to.

Daunted by another thing to do I had no idea how to accomplish, I fiddled with the strange arcano-tech device on my foreleg. Most of its functions had been wasted living in the safe and secure Stable. I flipped through the menus idly... Health was rarely an issue and was handled by dad or the other shift's doctors. Inventory was handy but usually you weren't carrying so much it was difficult to keep track of down there. S.A.T.S. and E.F.S. were designed around combat, so me and my friends probably had more experience than most using it in the Stable just through our yearly shooting tournament. The map wasn't really needed since you couldn't go too far at all in a Stable, though ponies did manage to get lost rarely. Finally the strange mission tracking function had never been active until I woke up from pod #101. Oh, I forgot, the radio was useless too, nothing to pick up but the Stable P.A. system I groused, clicking it on just to check the functionality.

To my shock, sound started pouring out of the device on my leg, low, somber music filled the garage and the lulls between the thunder of the storm outside. I had no idea what kind of instrument made sounds like that, but it was beautiful. It soothed my heart and let me stop thinking for once and just live in the moment. I walked to the overhang the open garage door created to stand and look out at the world I now found myself in. Anywhere that created and shared something like this couldn't be all bad. I looked up to the cloudy skies and thanked the Goddesses for a world with such ponies in it.

As lightning etched across the sky, I saw a flicker of movement up there illuminated in the flash and gasped, a pegasus!? In shock I ran out into the street, shielding my eyes and straining to see in the pouring rain. Yes, a blue pony shape was up there! It was flying erratically southwest, lurching and dropping with none of mom's grace or speed, losing altitude quickly. After the thunder from the last flash of lighting rolled away, I realized I heard pops and bangs to the east and watched the pegasus jerk and shudder with the sounds, gunfire? Someone was shooting at them!

I didn't think, seeing a blue pegasus above me, even if it was too dark to be mom, just drove all rational thought from my mind. I pounded down the cracked street through the pouring rain, chasing after the weaving, rapidly descending shape.

"T-that was Octavia, live from Canterlot folks always a er.. classic. Any-anyway here's something new from Manehatten, courtesy of DJ Pon3, a rare duet from Velvet Remedy and... her husband C-Calamity, here's um.. 'Right Behind You Baby' so enjoy," the radio spoke up, completely ignored as I charged towards the bridge to the south leading out of Sanctuary Hills. My eyes locked on the pegasus definitely in the middle of a barely managed crash landing while under fire.

The upbeat music blasted from my hoof as I crossed the bridge. I could see the roof of a building around the bend, with a large red rocketship peeking up that seemed to be the pegasus' landing zone. Even as ragged as their flying had become, I was sure they were going to make it, despite the harassing ground fire picking up as they lost altitude. Then a bolt of lightning split the sky, streaking for the tall red rocket and striking the pegasus as they approached it. The pegasus hung there in the sky for a bare moment, smoking from the strike, before plummeting to slam into the large rocketship with a hollow BONG! and bouncing off to the roof of the building, hitting with a resounding crash.

I screamed and put everything I had into more speed, tearing into the lot of the brick building they had fallen to, a sky carriage station. Looking around desperately for a way to climb up, I angrily shook my head to clear the annoying message my pip-buck volunteered;

Discovered Location- Red Rocket

A dumpster behind the station was the closest to a path up I could find and I growled in frustration, grabbing everything I could spot to start stacking on it to reach the roof; old tires, boxes, scraps of rusting sky carriages, cinder blocks. Everything I could see was snatched up in a field of blue magic and stacked frantically, as I scrambled up my makeshift ladder as it formed. With a desperate leap I hooked my forelegs to the red edge of the roof as the pile collapsed under me. I scrambled with my hind legs against the brick wall below me, grunting and shoving myself up.

With a final push, I fell face first into a huge puddle on the roof as the rain poured down, before pushing off and stumbling forward to the prone blue form, shouting worriedly. "HEY! Hey please be ok! Don't worry, I'm..." and then I froze in awe, my eyes widening as my mouth fell open in shock.

There, right in front of me, breathing shallowly and still sizzling from the lightning strike, lying in a pool of rainwater as it sheeted off the now dented and leaning rocketship above her, was a goddess. I don't mean a figurative goddess (though part of me noted with awe she was that beautiful) I mean a real, actual-factual goddess, as in a wings and a horn...

I rushed forward and looked her over carefully, I supposed since she was alive she wasn't a real goddess, but a princess, maybe she was related to Luna? The medium blue color seemed to fit with the princess of the night anyway. Her bluish white mane hung limply around her in the rain, her left wing was bent at an alarming angle and her horn was blackened and sparking at the tip. She wore a yellowing white lab coat and had saddle bags made from yellow and pink medical boxes. Both of which were stained with blood from a number of wounds, that seeped and mixed with the rushing rainwater.

I frantically pulled out every potion, magical bandage and vial of Med-X I had on me, dumping them out on the roof. Shivering in the cold and from the terror I felt for her life, I was unsure where to begin when her eyes fluttered for a moment.

One cool blue eye weakly opened and looked up at me, before closing again and passing into unconsciousness. One look was enough, my brain stopped working entirely looking into that deep blue pool. My heart stopped, I couldn't breathe... if the radio hadn't piped up I may never have moved again.

"T-that was Velvet Remedy and Calamity with Right Behind You Baby on Diamond City Radio, now here's the Four Stars with 'Balefire Bomb Baby'..."

New Perk Added!---

Gunslinger-
Fancy shooting there deadeye! You gain +25% accuracy in S.A.T.S. while using a pistol or similar short weapons.

Quest Perks Added!---

Alicorn Lover-
There's no denying it, you've fallen in love at first sight. You gain unique dialogue options with Alicorns and have improved reputation with any you meet.

The Shrouded Stallion-
Hey, it may not be a Ministry Mare statuette but you've been reunited with a piece of your own soul! You gain +5% sneak and +5% sneak attack damage!

Author's Notes:

Thanks as always to Kkat and all the other great authors I've read here, hope others enjoy my contribution for what it's worth. Have been greatly enjoying making this so far.