I woke with a groan, why was my bed so hard and thumping around like that? Wincing at another jolt, my eyes opened and focused on... the Shrouded Stallion?

"Mama Xara!! He's awake!" a young voice screeched, driving a spike of pain through my head. Slowly focusing past the Shroud toy sitting right in front of my muzzle, I looked up to see the young colt Short Stack holding it there.

"I see that little pony, I am sure your vigil was very helpful. Now let me see to him alright?" the old zebra mare spoke up to my side as everything thumped again.

Short nodded and leaned back to me whispering, "I knew the Shrouded Stallion wouldn't die from that! Um... here, I took care of it for you," he held up the toy and moved it back to rest against my side, before hopping down out of... where was I? He dropped off a fuzzy edge in front of me and I could see him peeking over it, walking along as cracked roadway receded in front of me.

"Easy little pony, here, drink," Xara spoke softly, pushing a foul smelling zebra potion in front of me. I swilled some of it down and looked up at her questioningly. "You came close there, visions or no, I was concerned your stars had changed. We are finally free of that dark place thanks to you, but I'd rather it not be at the expense of your life," the zebra said as I sputtered on the brew.

"W-Where?" I asked, pulling away from the jar she still held out, feeling the world come into somewhat better focus.

"Look out the cart and see, the smoke still hasn't quite cleared yet," she gestured out where Short Stack had jumped off the... cart? Ow... yes, another bump sending a wave of pain through me confirmed I was in a cart. Following her hoof, I saw Poncord over Short's head behind us, falling away in the clearing night. A thin ribbon of smoke etched the night sky, trailing across the moon peeking out from behind the retreating clouds.

Slowly, I raised my head and tried looking around, the old mare and myself were in a charred wooden cart clopping down the road. I had been wrapped in bandages in several places and covered in a ratty blanket. Craning my head back, I could make out Preston's funny hat at the front of the cart pulling us and a red rocketship off the road ahead. "Where.. where are we going?" I asked feebly. This was the direction I wanted right now anyway, but I had to get back.

"To your home of course. Where your shadow comes from, I've seen it in my visions before little pony. A sanctuary for us all," she nodded cryptically. Ok that was getting really bizarre, she knew where I came from? Using the word "Sanctuary" no less. I forced another drink of the potion she held out and felt marginally better.

"Wouldn't happen to be 'hills' in this sanctuary, would there Xara?" I asked, determined to not be outdone on vague comments.

She chuckled merrily and nodded, "It is called so on the map Sturges has shown me, I simply know that's where to go. Where we were trying to reach before we were trapped in that terrible place. Now hush, rest and eat, you lost quite a bit of blood and probably have a concussion. Here, you should take pony medicine as well," she answered and pushed a packet of Rad-Away to my face distastefully.

I slurped on the nasty orange flavored goop with a grumble as she rooted around in the cart, bringing out some kind of dried meat I looked at dubiously. Cooking meat in Cogsworth's stew was one thing, it was pretty tasty and easy not to think about it being meat. Gnawing on a hunk of dried flesh though... ugh... I supposed it was just taken for granted up here, a pony had to eat and farming didn't look like enough from what I had seen of the wasteland so far. With a grumble, I nibbled at the offered food and watched the Red Rocket pass by anxiously, we'd be back soon and I could get back to the Princess...

Sturges had noticed the conversation in the cart and trotted back to walk beside Short, giving an appreciative nod. "WoooooWHEEEE! That was one hell of a fireworks show back there Fast! Quick thinkin' setting up an overload like that, shame about the armor though. Still, bet that Hellhound never saw it coming!" he said happily.

I groaned and went back to working on the meat, my one experience with power armor had been more than enough for me. I could go the rest of my life without seeing another of those giant monster things again too. "What was that thing? It was horrible..." I answered with a shudder.

"Oh yeah, Stable-dweller, guess you wouldn't know. That back there was a Hellhound, big, nasty, mutated Diamond Dog with a bad attitude. Must have made its den under Poncord, all the fighting must'a woke it up. Right territorial those things are," Sturges answered sagely. Wait I hadn't told them I was a Stable pony had I? I looked up at him in confusion. "Oh... No worries, just had to go through your stuff for medical supplies, saw the barding in there. Never heard of 111 though, just open?" The fellow repair-pony answered quickly.

"Um... sort of... it's a long story," I answered sadly. Though he sounded familiar with Stables anyway and spoke like one opening wasn't terribly shocking. That was good, maybe they could answer some questions for me. "You know about other Stables Sturges? Other ones opening? Where are they?"

"Sure! All kinds of great salvage and tech comes out of those things when one shows up. Fairly nice settlement made outta one that opened a couple decades ago too, Stable 81. Kinda snobby ponies, but they'll deal with the outside at least. So you really do come from one? Didn't just find the barding huh? Explains a lot," he rattled off.

Preston turned his head back to the cart as I heard the asphalt give way to wood beneath his hooves, "Heads up folks, we're here. Looks like we got company too, some kinda robot coming up. Not blasting us already anyway..." he said tensely.

"It's ok, I know him," I croaked up at him, getting a surprised look in return as we crossed into Sanctuary Hills.

"I say, make your intentions known there. I am armed and have been charged with protection of the premises," my robot pal spoke up, floating into range. Grunting with effort, I sat up and looked over to him, catching his attention easily. "Master Fast! Thank goodness! So good to see you safe, oh but you look a fright! Did these ponies do this to you?" he asked sternly, his weapons coming up threateningly.

"Cogs it's ok! They're who the Princess was supposed to go after, they helped me get back, they're friends buddy," I soothed the agitated robot and tried crawling out of the cart. Cogsworth hovered up to my side, his eyestalks going all over me taking in the damage and placing his claw on my shoulder to steady me. "Cogsworth... is she ok?"

The loyal Mr. Handy bobbed up and saluted with his buzz saw limb smartly, "Of course sir! As requested I have attended to our guest with utmost care. She slumbers peacefully where you left her, nary a feather out of place."

The refugees of Whinny watched with interest after seeing the robot wasn't a threat and started following my trudging progress up the street. Preston unhitched himself, leaving the cart at the bridge and Mama Xara hopped out of the cart behind me, the two of them walking to either side of me to help me along. Long Jump and Cloudy Sun brought up the rear with Sturges, their foal Short Stack trotting along looking at Cogsworth and my ruined neighborhood curiously. Up ahead, a small fire was still burning at the entrance to my house's garage, keeping the chill at bay and providing a little light. As we approached, my pip-buck flashed text and trumpeted in my ear;

Mission Completed!: As You Wish

Objective Completed-
-- Lead the Whinny Refugees to Safety

"So, we finally get to meet this Princess of yours Fast? Well, I told you I'd kiss her hooves for sending you if we got out of that mess, have to keep my word," Preston nickered to my left. The Minutemare looked even worse for wear than when I met him, fresh bandages wrapped on top of old ones. The damage painting a picture of the long, hard road this group had traveled to get here, at Mama Xara's direction apparently.

"Well... She's was hurt badly, I don't wanna wake her if she's sleeping just for that Preston, you can pay up later ok? We can take a peek in on her though, I was worried leaving her here alone-" Cogsworth clucked testily, "-er, not alone of course Cogsworth, just...with me... not here," I tried to soothe any injured electronic pride.

"Yes of course young sir. I do believe Celestia herself would have been a grudging substitute for staying yourself as well," the robot teased.

I flushed, but had to admit he was right, I hadn't wanted to leave her with anyone, Cogsworth was the best possible anyone I knew here though. I trotted as quickly as I could manage as we turned up the driveway and reached the open door. I sighed in relief and happiness seeing the blue alicorn stretched across the couch I had left her on, sleeping peacefully.

I turned to whisper back to the others proudly, "See, there she is. Meet Princess Jade everypony, I'm sure she'll wanna talk to you all when she wakes up," I beamed.

"WHAT IS THAT DOING HERE?!" Cloudy Sun shouted with a grimace of hate, pulling her foal back to her and shaking a hoof at the princess. The others wore looks of surprise and concern looking in on her and I blinked in confusion at the mare's reaction, then felt a stab of annoyance at her.

"Sssh! Quiet! I said she's sleeping, what's wrong?!" I asked in confusion, the others were looking from her to me with a variety of expressions, none held the recognition or gratitude I had expected.

Sturges whistled and rubbed his hoof through his pompadour, embarrassed. Preston was surprised, but that faded to something approaching acceptance. Long Jump was trying to calm his wife with concern. Short Stack wriggled in his mother's grip looking around at everyone with the confusion I felt on my own face. Only Mama Xara seemed unperturbed in any way, of course the zebra said she saw the future, so I supposed she wasn't unprepared in the slightest, actually she looked at me sweetly and shrugged.

"What's wrong? What's wrong is we come all the way here because that stripe says it's safe and there's a fucking monster waiting on us!!" Cloudy screeched, snarling at Mama Xara and me in turn. Suddenly she pushed Short Stack back out of the garage and floated a rusty knife from her ratty dress, moving towards the couch, "She's hurt? Good! We should kill the bitch before she wakes up!"

My pistol appeared in front of her face before I had the slightest clue I was going to do it, "STAY AWAY FROM HER!" I bellowed. I could practically feel my eyes burning in fury and the yellow mare froze instantly. I moved to take up as much of the door as possible and started advancing on her, seething.

Preston quickly jumped between us, "Whoa! Hold on there! Everypony be cool! Fast, it's alright, she's not going to do a Celestia damned thing!" He shouted, turning back to the yellow unicorn, "Cloudy, drop that thing right now! What are you thinking!?"

The knife dropped from her green field of magic to the floor, but she glared around Preston fuming, "What am I thinking?! I just told you, I'm thinking we should kill that thing before it wakes up! Don't look at me like that you damn fool! Quit coddling that lovestruck Stable-pony that doesn't know a damn thing! She's a monster, none of you know! You didn't see those things in Fillydelphia! You've never seen what her kind really are, the things they did! I'VE SEEN IT! Those monsters ripping ponies to pieces! Tearing foals from their mothers! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT SHE IS!!!" Cloudy screamed, tears streaming from eyes narrowed in rage and pain, as she shook and pointed at the alicorn on the couch.

I racked the slide on the pistol, ejecting a cartridge just to be sure it was loaded and make my point. "SHE IS A PRINCESS!" I boomed back at her, "You're right, I don't know much, I have no idea what you're talking about! I DO know you would be dead as Discord without her though! I know SHE sent me to save you! I know you owe her your miserable LIFE! and I know if you hurt her, I. WILL. END. YOU!" I roared at her, forcing her back down the driveway through sheer will.

Now I knew what it felt like when mom got that look in her eye... the reaction I saw on their faces was the same she could create. They had all backed away slowly, their eyes shrinking to pinpricks before the storm raging in front of them. I knew I meant it too, right or wrong I'd do it and be unable to stop myself before it was over. Looking past her, I saw her foal Short staring past the others in terror and suddenly the fire I felt in my head eased off. I lowered the pistol and sat down with a thump.

Mama Xara broke the silence, the only one largely undisturbed by the whole exchange. "That is enough I think. Everypony is tired, bodies and souls. Cloudy, I know why you feel as you do, but this filly is not those you knew. Fast, no one doubts your word on this matter. If she sent you to us, she has our gratitude, no one would think of hurting her," Cloudy sputtered and Xara snapped her head to her, silencing the mare with a momentarily furious look, before turning back kindly.

"I think this is best left for the light of Celestia's dawn. With your permission Fast, I think I would be quite comfortable in your lovely home. I will sleep in the living room and grant you your privacy, but if she awakens I hope to help her injuries and should continue to treat your own. There are many other nearby homes for everyone else to spread out to, yes?" she asked calmly.

I relaxed with her soothing voice and nodded, eyeing Cloudy a moment before answering. "The house next door to the left is off limits. It belongs to a friend of mine. Anywhere else is fine." I stowed the pistol away again and dragged myself back to the couch, pulling one of the blankets nearby down to the floor in front of it and flopping down, staring out at the door with my head resting on my hooves.

The others relaxed and gave their awkward nods goodnight before filing out. Long Jump put a hoof around his wife's shoulder and guided her away, giving their foal Short a nudge to follow. He looked upset and glanced back as they walked away, I sighed and waved as he went. "Sorry Short..." I called softly to him, he gulped and looked conflicted, but nodded before following his parents out.

Mama Xara gestured to the blankets I had stacked near the couch and I waved her on. I expected her to try to talk or defuse things, but she was true to what she said about saving it for the day, merely nodding thanks and taking several of the blankets out of the garage to the others as they started looking about for a place to sleep.

"Cogsworth..." I called out to the door and waited as the robot bobbed forward from where he hid beside the doorway. As soon as I had the gun on Cloudy, he had moved and readied his weapons, if it had gone bad I had no doubt he would have incinerated all of them if needed. "Could you stay out there and keep an eye out?" I asked softly.

"Of course sir, rest easy, only the zebra will be permitted to approach," he answered quietly and turned back to his hiding spot. Good robot.

I huffed and stared out at the night sky, looking at the moon framed in the doorway. I laid there in front of the couch with my head buzzing angrily, I couldn't think productively about anything that had happened, I was just angry. As I fumed, I felt a light touch on my shoulder and heard a soft whisper drift down,

"S-she was right you know..."

I practically sprained my neck spinning back over my shoulder and looked up into two blue pools half covered by weary lids, a blue wing had reached out and gingerly touched me... I was no longer angry... or able to think.

"P-P-Princess Jade!" I stammered and tried to get my legs to work right so I could get up and get Mama Xara. Before I could manage, she stretched the wing down and stilled my legs as they flailed.

"Just Jade. I tried to tell you... A-Are you alright? How did you get so hurt Fast?" She whispered gently, a tear glimmering on her cheek as she looked me up and down wearily, "Oh... oh mother... you went didn't you? T-Those were the ponies in Poncord?" she asked putting things together.

I nodded slowly, staring up into those beautiful eyes... "You couldn't. S-Said they needed help, I had to."

She sighed sadly and stroked my bandaged side, tracing the wounds I wore, "You foalish... y-you could have died. What were you thinking?"

"......duh......."

"F-Fast?" she asked in concern, raising her wing up again. Thinking... yes, I could do that. Really.

"You couldn't Prin... umm... J-Jade..."You almost did die... I had to help. I... I..." I didn't have a good answer that didn't seem wrong with her so concerned and upset at my actions, but looking in those eyes I couldn't lie either. Fine, the truth then. "Because when I heard how much you wanted to save them, even when you were so hurt yourself... I thought to myself... I-I'd do anything for a filly like that, I wanted to."

I risked a glance up to see her looking down with wide, confused eyes that shone wetly, crap...

"I'm butchering this, why can't I talk to fillies without utterly screwing it up? I-I know that's wrong to say to a P-Princess! Sorry! But... I thought maybe I could be like... like your knight and at least help you?" I finished lamely, blushing and hiding under my hooves.

Her eyes widened in surprise for a moment, softening with a sad smile. "Fast... It is just Jade. I- I am no princess. You... you know nothing, do you? A-About my kind?"

I shook my head slowly, "Your kind? You're a pony. Alicorn ponies are still ponies like anypony else, just Princesses too... I mean, I never saw another besides Celestia and Luna before you anyway, so I assume... Maybe the world was destroyed and there aren't any kingdoms anymore, but a Princess is still a Princess."

Her smile grew brighter and she sniffled, "Thank you Fast, you are one of few to say I was a pony like any other, even though I am like this... That mare was right though, there are things you do not know... There are many other alicorns out there and we... we did bad things in the past. I-I am sure she has a reason to hate my kind so much. I will try to explain it all to you... tomorrow..." she yawned wearily and laid her head back down on the couch over me, looking down through heavily lidded eyes before closing them. "We should both rest, just... I am no princess Fast, I wish I were."

I set my head back down, going back to looking out at the moon and muttering quietly, "You are to me..." shutting my eyes.

I heard a rustle and my eyes snapped open as her wing reached down and covered me in warm feathers. She murmured softly as she drifted off to sleep, "Then I suppose... you can be be... my knight... if you still.... want..." her soft voice drifting off to gentle breathing as she slept.

I laid there for some time, wide eyed and red faced. She was the first living pony I had met up here. Maybe I latched on to her a little after losing everypony in the Stable and finding myself all alone out here. Maybe I didn't know anything about the world up here and little about her. Finding out there were lots of alicorns instead of just the two I knew about forced me to try to change my world view and was confusing... But I didn't care, when I first looked into those shimmering blue eyes, I was a lost cause, and it wasn't because I thought she was a Princess.

Besides, if it weren't for her, the refugees from Whinny would be dead, I only saved them because of her. I didn't care about anything Cloudy said these other alicorns did, or what anypony said for that matter. She cared about those in need of help above herself. She put her life on the line to do something about it. She made me want to be a better pony. If that wasn't a good Princess, what was?

Eventually the warm winged blanket proved too comfortable and I drifted off to sleep, happy.

Warm sunlight stung trying to needle in past my eyelids and I blinked awake slowly. Everything hurt too much to try moving, so I just let my eyes try to focus laying on the floor.

"I do not know much about treating your kind little... hmm big pony I suppose... my brews should help a bit however. If I can... ngh... get through all these bandages the little pony wrapped you up in. My, how many did he use?" Mama Xara was nickering in front of me with Prin... with Jade, standing framed by the garage door and the morning sun behind them.

"All of them," I groaned, looking up at the two as they turned to look down at me. Mama Xara was walking on her hind legs, moving about in some strange zebra way as she circled Jade, pulling bandages away from her battered hide.

The elderly zebra was in the middle of tugging a long strip away from her flank and Jade flushed, lowering a wing to cover the blank expanse she had revealed. "F-Fast! You are awake, good! You did not move when Mama Xara here came to get me. I was concerned, your wounds look even worse in the daylight..." she gasped and turned quickly, nearly knocking Xara aside.

With a grunt, I tried to push myself to sit up, masking the pain, "Oh no, I'm fine see! Why this is noth..." I tried to answer nonchalantly and started to fall as a wave of dizziness ran through me. A small gasp came from the alicorn and I was suddenly stopped a couple inches from cracking my head on the hard concrete floor, surrounded by a field of pale bluish white magic. I looked up to see her graceful horn glowing above her wide blue eyes, "Hey... got your magic back huh?" I asked, trying to play off the near faint.

"Y-Yes, the drink you left and some rest have helped a great deal," she gestured to the empty Sparkle Cola Rad bottle by the couch as she floated me up and set me down on the couch. A soda helped? "I only wish I had not lost my belongings, I did have supplies for myself that would be more effective," Jade said wistfully.

Whoops... I gave an embarrassed smile, scratching my mane and looking up sheepishly. "Uh... sorry... I forgot, I went and got them for you. Here! Hang on, sorry!" I stammered nervously and started rooting in my saddlebags frantically. The zebra and alicorn watched with amusement as I started throwing things out of the way in haste.

I realized I could have already found them had I used my pip-buck inventory to begin with, just as I finally found what I was after. I yanked the bloodstained yellowing lab coat free, along with the yellow and pink medical box saddlebags with a flourish and presented them.

Jade dashed forward and grabbed me in a crushing hug, floating her belongings up in her magic. "You got them! Oh thank goodness! Thank you Fast!" she beamed as I froze in her grip, changing colors rapidly from black to red then to blue. She released her grip and turned to the medical boxes happily as I gasped for air, "I was afraid they were gone forever! I could not lose it, is it still... yes!" she squealed with delight, opening the box with all the holotapes and the pinkish glowing memory orb.

Assured the contents of that side were still there, she opened the other box and floated out one of the radioactive healing potions and popped it open, "Wait those are no good!" I tried to warn as she drank down the green tinted potion and gave a little whinny and shudder.

As I watched, the wounds Mama Xara had revealed beneath the bandages she had managed to remove started healing properly. Unlike under the effects of the three normal purple potions I had used. Wha?

Xara held up the other potion in the box and looked it over appreciatively, "I see... I have known ghouls who have made adjustments like this to normal medicine. I believe I can alter my own recipes to serve your needs in the future big pony," she nodded and returned the potion.

"How come that worked and mine didn't? It was radioactive! I didn't throw it away 'cause it was yours but... it was bad wasn't it? And what's a ghoul?" I asked in confusion. I was a little frustrated too, I threw every bit of medical knowledge dad ever made me absorb at her when I was terrified she was going to die. Just that one bad potion was better than most of my meager supplies at the time?

Jade smiled and shuffled her hooves a bit, "I told you... there is a lot you do not know about my kind Fast. R-Radiation heals us..." she whispered with a hint of embarrassment.

Healed by radiation? Huh.. that was pretty impressive actually. Must be convenient with the world like this, some kind of special magic or something? I looked down at the empty Sparkle Cola-Rad bottle, well that explained why a bottle of soda helped her. Thinking on it now, deliberately adding "the refreshing taste of radiation" to a radish flavored soda seemed pretty bizarre. I just remembered begging for it in the Super Duper Mart with mom and finally getting a small case to placate me.

"Oh... sorry, I didn't know about that, I could have helped you a lot sooner if I had..." I replied, drooping in my seat and looking down. I felt horrible now, she had been struck by lightning and suffered under my fumbling care until now. When she had potions that would have worked properly the whole time I just forgot to return to her.

"Do not be silly Fast.. you did not know!" she shook her head and patted my head, before trotting back to Mama Xara to continue removing my clumsy bandages. "Xara and Cogsworth tell me you are a Stable-dweller? You could not have possibly known, besides I only have the two... one now. Even using both of them, I do not believe they would have been enough to heal me this much!"

That made me feel a little better anyway, I had done the best I knew how. The rules were simply different for alicorns apparently.

"That's pretty neat though Jade, getting healed by radiation I mean. I guess that's why the Hydra I had to use didn't bother you the way I expected either huh?" I shrugged up at her, curious now.

"Neat? You're not... bothered by that?" She asked in surprise and I shook my head. "Er.. yes Fast, we were born from the holy liquid found in Hydra, the taint in it doesn't harm us. Most ponies find those aspects of our biology frightening though," she answered slowly, like she was expecting the same from me any second.

"That's stupid, there's lot's of radiation around right? Being healed by it must be useful," I looked up to give a reassuring smile and noticed Preston at the end of the driveway looking in, being blocked by Cogsworth still on guard duty.

"I'm sorry sir, Master Fast has asked me to insure no one may approach Miss Jade except Miss Xara, you will have to wait," he informed the Minutemare who kept trying to peer around the floating round robot.

"So you've said all morning robot, come on, he's awake now, ask him!" Preston answered in frustration, clearly Cogsworth had been taking his task seriously.

"It's alright Cogs, let him through, you don't have to guard the door any more ok? Thanks pal," I called from the couch to him. The faithful Mr. Handy turned an eyestalk back to me and saluted, bobbing out of Preston's way and gesturing for him to pass.

"Of course sir! If you have no need of me I shall begin preparing a hearty brunch for you and our guests," he burbled and floated off.

"Finally, that robot of yours doesn't leave any room for debate Fast. I've been trying to check on you all morning and he wouldn't budge. So, feeling alright? Mama Xara said you should be ok since she was allowed to come and go as she pleased anyway," the last Minutemare walked up and ran his eyes over my wounds.

"I've felt better Preston. Look... sorry about last night, I didn't mean to lose it there just... I don't like ponies threatening my friends," I answered, feeling my expression harden for a moment thinking about Cloudy Sun pulling that knife and moving towards Jade.

Preston's face softened and he shook his head, "Don't worry about it, it's a good quality. You can be pretty scary when you want bud. Besides, Cloudy crossed the line, no matter how she feels about alicorns, she had no business pulling that, my apologies ma'am," he nodded to Jade, who looked pleasantly surprised, giving a little nod and smile. "That reminds me, I made Fast a promise and I aim to keep it, if you'll pardon me..."

With that, he trotted over to the filly and dropped to the ground, puckering up and planting a big, wet sounding kiss on first one hoof, then the next, before starting again. Jade's eyes widened blushing down at him, "W-What?" she stammered as Preston kept going with a smirk.

"I swore (smack) if we made it out of there (smack) I'd kiss the hooves of the Princess (smack) who sent young Fast there to save us missy, a Minutemare (smack) keeps his word after all," he smiled up at her between her hooves.

Jade looked from me to Preston in confusion before pulling the next hoof away, shaking her head at him. "I-I did not send him, he went on his own! Please, that is enough, you do not owe me a-anything!" she exclaimed as Preston stood back up and tipped his hat at her. "You said you are a Minutemare? You are who I was sent to find! I was trying to reach you when I heard your band had been trapped in Poncord on the radio, Fast rescued me and took up my mission without even knowing anything about it. Here! This is for the General of the Minutemares, all the way from Manehatten," she gushed happily and reached into her medical boxes, pulling the glowing memory orb out in her mouth and leaning down to present it to Preston.

A sad look passed Preston's face as he took the offered magical ball in his hooves, looking up to Jade as she sat expectantly in front of him, beaming. "I thank you ma'am, but I'm afraid the General's gone... I'm all that's left and I can't do anything with this, no horn. Don't suppose you have something a little more earth pony friendly?"

Crestfallen, Jade looked around desperately, "But.. we were told the General was a unicorn... that there were many of you still? I-I heard the reports on the radio and knew things were bad but... you are really the last? Oh no... no...." hearing the despair in her voice was like a knife through the heart, prompting me to raise a hoof from the couch and cough for attention.

"Umm... I'm a unicorn... I could look at it, if you wanted anyway... Then I could tell Preston what's on it, even if he's the last, you'd be delivering the message right? So long as he trusts me to tell him what's on it that is," I said quietly. After last night's show, I was clearly biased when it came to Jade, but I could promise to tell the truth and watch the memory for him.

Preston laughed at that, trotting over and dropping the orb on the couch beside me. "Oh sure, because you're such an untrustworthy sort there Fast. By all means, take a look, I'm curious about a message from so far away."

Mama Xara had finished freeing Jade from all the bandages and they both walked over as well, Jade sat in the floor in front of me, watching anxiously while Xara nodded and pushed me to my side, "That seems a fine idea little pony, if you are lost in dreams for a bit, I can tend to your wounds without you feeling anything and complaining, yes?"

I would have things to complain about? That sounded pleasant...

"Right! Off I go then!" I touched the glowing orb with my magic and the world swirled away.

Dad had told me about memory orbs, he often used them in his work and even knew the memory magic involved in their creation. I'd frequently get to play in his office as a foal without bothering him, because he was dead to the world with a glowing orb in his hooves, reclining in a soft chair he kept for the purpose.

They were clever bits of magic, able to allow one to experience the recorded memories of another pony as a kind of passenger. While you were inside the orb, your body was just kinda... vacant, so you had to plan out when and where to use them. Though you could speed up the process with the right magic, it was draining, so he'd be unconscious while I played at edge of his chair.

Another interesting effect was you felt like you inhabited the body the memory belonged to, it was a recording of all their sensory input after all. You didn't find out what the pony was thinking or feeling really, but say the pony was missing a leg, you'd feel like you were too. I had never experienced being in a memory orb myself though, thus it was rather alarming for a moment, feeling certain bits of anatomy missing...

I only panicked for a moment at least, being in some other pony's memory was a bit like being in S.A.T.S., you were conscious, but disconnected from your body. The only difference was everything wasn't frozen.

So I found myself in a mare, a horn was where it should be, so that was familiar at least. Although there was something additional too... wings? An alicorn? I was in the memory of an alicorn, interesting. I wasn't in Jade's memory was I?! Riding around as a passenger in her beautiful body was a complicated thought...

I was staring at what looked like a school, for a second I thought it was the old world it looked so idyllic. Clear sunny skies, the first green grass I had seen in 200 years, smiling ponies...and zebras, and griffons, Luna save me was that a cyborg Hellhound?, and alicorns... lot's of alicorns...

Jade wasn't kidding. There were blue ones, purple ones, green ones, blue ones, purple ones... hmm... not a lot of color variety was there? I only saw mares too, very lacking in variety. I did note with some happiness that while there were lots of other alicorns, none of them made me all... senseless... like Jade did. That was reassuring, it wasn't just because of how she looked that my brain disengaged anyway. There were plenty of very pretty blue ones roaming about in view I just thought of as other ponies, or more specifically as "Not Jade".

The view panned around, taking in the schoolyard and looking over the windows, opened for the warm summer day, not just empty frames with broken glass. Desks were arranged in the aged but clean rooms and students of all kinds sat attentively learning from instructors. Suddenly the view lifted and I was flying, soaring about the school, taking it all in. It was in a ruined city, but full of life, leaning and shattered skyscrapers lined the horizon, one was in nearly perfect condition though. This must be Manehatten, I saw pictures before the war, though I guessed it could be a number of places in the wasteland.

The flying tour of the school wound down, the mare I was viewing things through swept through the air by a flagpole near the walled entrance of the campus, a yellow flag with three pink butterflies fluttered on the breeze. After making a loop around the flag, the flier fluttered to the ground in front of a light tan unicorn mare with a styled red and orange mane.

The unicorn stood in front of a new looking statue of a unicorn mare with a flowing mane and a nightingale cutie mark carved on the stone flanks. She wore a pair of half moon glasses on her snout and a lab coat and medical box saddlebags like Jade, though much cleaner. The mare smiled up at the alicorn I was watching from kindly, wow... so this was what it was like to be tall...

"Greetings! I am Tender Smarts and this is the Manehatten campus of the Followers of the Apocalypse!" she waved expansively around her.

"This is a memory being recorded by my good friend Umber, the alicorn you're inhabiting, for the General of the Minutemares in the Commonwealth. So pleased to meet you!"

I could feel a smile on Umber's face, "Technically you are not meeting anyone but me Tender," I felt her say, that was weird...

"Yes, yes, I know Umber. Try to think of the pony receiving this though, hmm? Anyway, Umber graciously volunteered so we could show you all we have accomplished here, you gave a good show right?" the view nodded up and down, "Great! Now, I'm showing you all this and sending it as a memory orb due to difficulties we've had communicating effectively with you ponies in the Commonwealth.

We don't know why and I'm sure you must be aware of the issue from your side as well. It's nothing easy to pinpoint like geography, megaspell effects, or other dangers that divide our world. Rather, the Commonwealth has always seemed to... conspire against contact with the outside. Not in dribs and drabs of course, travelers make the trip and return with all kinds of fascinating information and salvage. But every concerted effort by large groups to come in from the outside has met with failure for one reason or another. The Grand Pegasus Enclave couldn't rule the skies there at their height. Umber tells us that the goddess was largely rebuffed when she tried to extend her influence in that corner of the world when she lived. Even today, the Lightbringer is largely cut off, most of the information we have comes through a friend with a clever trick using sprite-bots.

Before the war, the Commonwealth and the city of Trotson were a jewel in the crown of Equestria. The Commonwealth Institute of Arcane Technology was a place of learning that produced many great minds that worked in the various Ministries. Many of Equestria's war weary veterans retired there or worked in the private sector. There was contact is what I'm getting at, since the war however... it has largely been left to its own devices.

Since the day of Sunshine and Rainbows, the Followers of the Apocalypse have made it our mission to improve the lives those in the wasteland. The school you see here is just one result of our efforts, though we're quite proud. We believe in helping everyone regardless of what they look like or where they come from. We have set up hospitals and send aid out into the wasteland, built other schools like this one and orphanages, we try to do better, to be better than we were, make the world a better place.

From what our watching friend tells us, the Minutemare's are a group with similar goals. There to 'defend the ponies of the Commonwealth at a minutes notice' I believe you say? We know how difficult the road you travel is and want to help, from our information the Minutemare's represent a real hope for the Commonwealth and we would foster it. As such, we are sending this message along with a wing of our alicorn friends here, who have volunteered to travel there and be our representatives. They are all well trained, exemplifying our values, suited to the rigors of traveling to the Commonwealth alone and have vowed to do all they can to help.

Now I know many don't trust the alicorns, they have a dark past that isn't their fault and they have struggled since the goddess fell. Many are still confused to this day, trying to find themselves or continuing with their bad behavior as it's all they know. Many have fled Equestria entirely, forming their own societies or turning into powerful raiders. We don't know the situation there but beg you give them a chance.

We know we can make this a better world together and hope to help the Commonwealth, re-establishing ties with Equestria so together, we can do better."

I rubbed my flank painfully, sitting out under the warm sunshine and munching on the bloatsprite omelette and canned applesauce Cogsworth had managed to put together. I wished that memory orb had been just a few minutes longer, waking up to a zebra digging shrapnel out of your side was an experience I could have done without... Though having Jade heal me with her restored magic had been nice.

Preston sat in front of me, muttering to himself sadly, going over the message I had relayed with some difficulty. I could repeat what the friendly mare had said, but there were quite a few gaps I didn't actually understand. She spoke of a goddess of the alicorns, singular, not the Goddesses, plural. A Grand Pegasus Enclave, whatever that was? Somepony with the impressive title of Lightbringer and a day of Sunshine and Rainbows, like either of those things were amazingly unique for some reason. Finally she seemed to have referred to Watcher?

"I'm sorry to disappoint ma'am but you're too late now. The Minutemares are finished, I'm the last one and I'm no general. We're lucky to be alive at this point, can't help rebuild the Commonwealth when we can barely help ourselves. There are other settlements around I'm sure could use your help Miss Jade, I can help point you in the right direction I suppose. Damn shame, what Fast there described seemed like just what we need around here," Preston finally said, looking over to the blue alicorn sitting beside me.

She had managed to clean and repair her lab coat and sat nibbling at the food close by, she even fixed all the punctures and slashes in my Stable barding and I wore it again in the cool fall morning air gratefully. She frowned slightly, looking over to Preston and shaking her head, her wavy light blue mane shaking around her beautifully, I don't care how many alicorns I saw in that orb, this one was a Princess.

"B-But... I was sent for the Minutemares, the other settlements we know of are only concerned with themselves! You were supposed to be a real chance for the Commonwealth, what happened?" she cried in frustration and stamped her hoof.

Preston shrugged in resignation, "It all just fell apart with Whinny ma'am. I thought the same thing you did, that we could really make a difference, that everypony felt like I did, but... Ponies don't change, when we got called to protect Whinny, the General came and put out the call to the rest to take a stand and they... didn't." With a sigh, he pushed his plate away half eaten, "The others either just took care of themselves or died doing what we could alone. General Cake ordered me to escape with the refugees before the end, what you see here is all that I managed to save..."

Sturges hoofed him on the shoulder, trying to cheer the Minutemare, "I for one am pretty happy about that Preston ol' boy, er.. not the ones we lost on the way of course... more the being alive bit. You did your best in a bad position, I figured we were done for more than once."

"Yes Preston, we owe you our lives many times over. The others might not have held true to your beliefs in our hour of need, but your General and comrades in Whinny did and gave all they had for them. The Minutemares are not dead, so long as you hold onto those values," Mama Xara reached a hoof around his shoulders and gave him a comforting squeeze.

"I... Now what do I do? This was my mission, my sisters died to reach you and it was all for nothing? The Destroyer's lightning may as well have finished me..." Jade wailed and drooped beside me, utterly defeated.

Seeing her like that hurt... that little ember in me flared again. At the Minutemare's for falling apart and being selfish, at these Gunners for killing all the good ones left but Preston, at the raiders who had tried to finish the job, most of all at the wasteland the world had become where hope so casually died. These things hurt my Princess, they should pay...

I stood up and stamped my hooves, bringing only a little wince now. "NO! Don't say that! You... you can't give up like that Prin... Jade... Mama Xara's right, the Minutemares aren't dead, just broken! We just have to... to fix it!" I shouted, staring out at them. Even Short Stack and his parents sitting apart from us, keeping their distance from me..., looked up at that. "I don't know much about things up here, but I remember the world before the war, ponies working together can do amazing things! I saw it again in that memory! If things are broken, then you fix it! I'm just a repair-pony but I know that..."

Jade looked up at me and sniffled, putting on a sad smile while the others stared at the outburst. I didn't care what it took, if it made her happy I'd find some way to fix it, I was good at fixing things after all. If she expected the Minutemares to be a force for good in the Commonwealth, to reach out and help others and bring whatever was out there together, then that's what they needed to be again.

Spreading out and joining ponies together out here could only help me find out what happened to my Stable too. The thought of 900 stasis pods out there slowly running out of power still drove me forward. I had to believe I had time to find them, that they had spent the last 80 years working like my own, and could keep working long enough for me to save them.

Preston stared at me, a flicker of guarded, desperate hope in his brown eyes. "Fast... where would we even start? A hoofful of ponies alone in a ruined neighborhood with nothing? What the Minutemares were supposed to be, you'd need a real settlement as a base, safety, security, more ponies... the right kind of ponies... we have nothing."

I stood up frowning and started trotting away, toward the bridge out of Sanctuary. Preston called to my back as I stomped forward, "Fast! What are you doing?!"

Turning over my shoulder to look at the huddled group of miserable ponies, I glared back, "Fixing it! If that's what we need then that's what I'll do! Cogsworth! Come on!" I shouted and turned back, trotting to the cart that had carried me home, passing out of view of the others.

"Good show sir! Right away!" Cogsworth floated up behind me as I started attaching myself to the cart and straining to pull it. Pointing myself to the Red Rocket shining in the sunlight in the distance.

I had latched on to the only really productive idea I had at the moment. I just had to do something, anything, so I went with what I knew. I had taken a quick inventory of the Red Rocket, idly thinking of things I could salvage and improve my home up here before, now there was a more pressing reason to follow up. If I was going to make things better here, give some kind of start to work with, I'd need tools.

I tossed parts and tools from the sky carriage garage to the battered cart I had managed to park outside with a grumble. The place had definitely been looted over the years, but most of the equipment had been untouched. Survival related things like the yellow medical box in the restroom had been important, not scrap and equipment to build and fix things. They just sat here going to waste, well not anymore.

Floating a Horse & Horse Tools welder up, I huffed and tossed it in the cart on top of the rest Cogsworth and I had stripped from the place. My assistant was currently floating out under the overhanging roof in front of the building, pulling the lighting and capacitors I couldn't reach. I took a look out the front window and waved at him, turning back to the small utility closet behind me and the arcano-tech generator I had found yesterday, pulling my tools from my saddlebags.

Sitting on the dusty floor disconnecting the dead generator, I sighed, working listlessly. This was stupid, but the only thing I could think of. I could improve Sanctuary, make it somewhere good to live, at least dry and warm. Rebuilding a group like the Minutemares wasn't like rebuilding the generator in front of me though...

"What am I doing? Goddesses help me, she must think I'm such an idiot..." I grumbled to myself in the dark closet.

"N-No you are not... I do not think so Fast..." a meek voice spoke up behind me.

I thought I was going to hit the ceiling jumping in surprise, I spun around and stared up into a pair of kind blue eyes. Jade was filling the small doorway behind me, ears drooping and shuffling shamefacedly.

"Gah! J- Jade! Don't sneak up on me like that!" I shouted, heart hammering. I was used to being the sneaky pony, not being snuck up on.

"Oh! I am sorry, I was standing here a few minutes, I did not want to interrupt. I do not think you are an idiot though..." she spoke softly, sitting down in front of me.

Sighing, I sat facing her and scratched my mane apologetically, "Er... sorry. For that back there.. I didn't mean to blow up at everyone. I don't know what I'm even doing, saying just fix it... that's just all I know. I thought fixing up Sanctuary would make it like a real settlement and then... stuff would happen... then... I don't know."

Jade shook her head and smiled, "No, I think it is a fine idea. I have seen what kind of difference giving ponies a place to be safe and try to make things better from can make. You saw the school right? That was a ruin just a few years ago. A-Are you alright Fast? You can be very sweet, but sometimes you get a look in your eye... I am ashamed to admit I do not know much about you, when you have done so much for me and the others, but I know you are hurting."

I considered lying, just playing it off like it was nothing but... Those patient blue eyes of hers though, I couldn't do it. I could feel my own red ones welling with restrained tears and gave up, wailing in the closet. "N-No.. I wanna go home! I miss my f-family, my friends, everypony! Everything was fine just two days ago! W-well two days for me... Everything I knew is gone! I don't know what I'm doing! I-I'm all alone and... and..."

I broke down and only froze a moment when she rushed forward and hugged me, wrapping me in her wings and cooing, "Ssssh... it is alright... you are not alone, It is ok... just let it out." It was suddenly easy to do as she said and I sobbed into her chest, letting go of the last day that seemed to hold a lifetime of horror.

I thought of mom and dad and Better, Sunset and Grizz, Sprockets, Mrs. Ladle, Overstallion Shores, even Hearty Forks, of all the Shift 3 ponies I didn't know that well but had grown up around, of the mountain of skeletons of so many Shift 4 ponies, of the faces of every pony I had killed in such a short time since coming back to the surface. It may have been necessary, but the thought of the ease I had just... taken to wholesale slaughter like that...

The wasteland had barely touched me and already I had done such horrible things to survive, with hardly a second thought... so much blood... I thought of how my pistol just magically appeared pointed at a foals mother right in front of him, before I knew what was happening. That red, burning rage I never knew was there in the Stable taking over more than once up here. I was a bad pony, wasn't I?

"Ssshh, no you are not Fast... you are a good pony, do not be silly," Jade murmured down to me, apparently I had been pouring all of that out loud, sniveling in her blue hide. I looked up at her mortified, but she just closed her eyes and rocked in place. "I know all about being bad Fast, you are not it. Not even close..."

"D-d-don't say things like... like better the lightning killed y-you Jade... Y-you're the only reason I was hanging on... i-if you had died..." I shook under her. That was what had set me off, hearing her just give up like that. It wasn't fair to put that on her, but it was the truth.

She didn't balk at the weight I shoved on her though, "I know... I am sorry Fast. I guess we are both a bit of a mess hmm?" she whispered softly. "Why not tell me about where you come from and I will tell you, I told you I would explain did I not? I want you to know... and I want to know about you, you talked about before the war like you were there..." She sat back a bit and looked down softly, while I sniffled and wiped my muzzle, noting with embarrassment I had made a snotty mess of her chest.

"O-ok... I'll tell you Jade. It all started eighty three years ago..."

The sun climbed the sky, no Princess Celestia guided it, but it made its way nearly directly overhead as we talked, sitting on a stool at the counter of the Red Rocket. Cogsworth floated in occasionally checking on us, on his last trip he had returned with a handful of bottles of Sparkle Cola, after sawing his way into the machine outside adorned with the picture of an ecstatic Flutershy.

Jade sipped her Sparkle Cola-Rad and looked at me warmly, "So, not just a Stable-dweller, you really are from before the war... You are even more of a Stable-dweller than normal. No wonder..."

"What?" I asked, confused by what that meant.

"Well.. Stable-dwellers show up in the wasteland sometimes Fast. Some are good, some are bad, some do things that change the wasteland itself. One of Equestria's greatest heroes and one of its worst villains were both from a Stable. I have a book in my holotapes you should read..."

"What I mean though, is Stable ponies are different, they are often strange in the wasteland because they're closer to the way things were, growing up in safety. They are also often a little odd, depending on what kind of Stable it was, the wasteland can corrupt anything, even ponies hidden deep underground. Ideas meant to make things better, even virtues become twisted."

"You though... you are a pony from before the war. A pony who was a foal and remembers the world as it was through the eyes of a foal, through the best lens possible... It is a unique viewpoint in the wasteland, I understand certain things about you now. I can see why you thought I was a Princess for example"

She giggled a bit at the last and booped my nose. I didn't think it was that funny, I still privately thought she was a Princess. But not simply because of her alicorn status anymore at least. I took another drink and looked out at Cogsworth bobbing along, dragging the mattress from the small bed in the office with him, thinking.

I had been processing her story while I told my own, it was a lot to take in but I was getting there. This goddess that created the alicorns had done terrible things, but in a twisted kind of way she was trying to help. She had to be stopped, but I felt bad for Jade, telling the story, it was clear that losing her mother hurt her as much as losing mine did, more probably. The goddess forced the transformation into what she was now on her, and had dominated her like Watcher taking over the sprite bots. But in the end she had protected her children and they were left alone in the wasteland to fend for themselves, I could relate to that.

Being some kind of huge, hive mind amalgamation of thousands of souls had left her children confused and the filly before me now had gone through a lot to become what she was. No wonder so much of herself was wrapped up in these Followers of the Apocalypse, in her mission, in things she chose for herself as her own pony. She had to work hard to get here.

"Jade... do you remember? Who... who you were before?" I asked, curious. Was she the pony I knew now then? Would I feel the same way about her, or was she something different?

The blue alicorn sighed and looked up at the rotting ceiling tiles wistfully, "I get flashes, little bits and pieces. There are parts of lots of different ponies in me though, I think they mixed together and made something new. Though I feel certain things stronger than others. When I look at you for example, I think 'Oh, another pony my age' even though technically this body is only a few years old physically. Mostly I do not think about the past, I cannot do anything about it, but I can choose what to do now and in the future. I can be better, that is what the Followers are all about."

She paused and looked at me closely, anxiety crossing her face as she pressed her forehooves together nervously, "So, now that you know the truth, why Cloudy Sun hates my kind... what I am... D-do you... you are not scared of me too, are you?"

I nearly fell off my stool and shook my head vigorously, "No! I don't see any of those bad things you were forced to do, I just see Jade. I don't feel any different than when I met you. You're... you.. that's all that matters to me."

That rewarded me with a broad smile crossing her face with a slight blush, her eyes sparkled and she leaned down to nuzzle me happily, brain... no.... thinky... gud....

"Thank you Fast! Seeing how you looked at me made me so happy, feel normal for once... I wanted to be the princess you thought I was so badly to live up to that.. I was afraid once you knew the truth, that look would go away and no one would see me like that again. It is better seeing it in your eyes for just me though, I am glad I told you," she gushed happily.

"Ah to be young..." a voice called from the doorway and I fell off my seat with a crash as Jade gave a little "Eep!" and fluttered to the ceiling.

"Aww you ruined it Preston, I was waiting for his head to explode," Sturges nickered from the doorway.

Perfect timing guys, thanks a lot....

An hour or so later we walked back to Sanctuary together, Preston pulled the heavily laden cart with earth pony ease. It was a good thing they had come to check on us, I don't think I could have managed, even with magic and Cogsworth to help. I hadn't really thought things through that far when I came out here.

Sturges had helped pull the old arcano-tech generator and we chatted back and forth about repairs and where to start in Sanctuary. The fellow repair-pony had taken to the idea with gusto and was anxious to get to work, fixing things always felt good. We could improve things in our new home, have light and heat in the face of the dark, cool, fall evenings, have a roof over our heads to keep out the rains, do something productive.

Already he had moved past just the basic goals I had thought of working towards, optimistically looking much further ahead. Talking about turning the island suburb into a real settlement, building walls, growing food, meeting the needs of a population far beyond just the hoofful of us. Sturges would have made a good city planner or even a mayor back before the war, he seemed quite taken with the idea and was filled with renewed hope and energy that was infectious.

I guessed it wasn't such a bad idea after all, even if I hadn't thought it through very well. Turning back to what prompted it, I decided the whole plan was still worth following through on. I would help Preston rebuild the Minutemares, become the force for good in the Commonwealth Jade had expected to find and use them to search for what happened in my Stable. They were supposed to be known far and wide and held in high regard, having a group like that helping me search would probably open a lot of doors, and I had precious little to go on right now.

Fixing the broken Minutemares would require a lot more than some salvage from a sky chariot station, but I knew where to start. I simply hadn't thought of it because I was reluctant to face what it required. Jade was right though, I couldn't do anything about the past, I could choose what to do now and in the future.

As we crossed the wooden bridge back to Sanctuary, I called out to Preston to stop, "Preston, you said it would take a lot to try to fix the Minutemares and you're right, but I still think it's the right thing to do. You were right about us needing a lot and that it will be hard too. But you were wrong about one thing, you said we have nothing right?"

The last Minutemare looked over with interest and nodded, "So I did Fast, sorry I was feeling sorry for myself. Thanks for the buck in the rump, we have to find a way to fix it. So what do we have instead of nothing?"

I looked back with determination and gave up the past.

"We have a Stable..."

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

Quickdraw--
-Your weapons fly to your side practically without your knowledge! Makes weapon equipping and holstering 50% faster