Coffee, it turns out, is a lifesaver...

I was even more sluggish than normal when I woke up for a dreary day in the Commonwealth, the caffeine that thankfully worked on my new biology as it should, helped me get woke up and ready to try for a more successful second day of our diplomatic tour. Of course initially waking up with Jade alone helped too, waking up to Jade's moans and realizing we had already been sleepily beginning our day in a delightful way helped even more.

I thought I was just having a very nice dream, slow and sweet and strawberry flavored. It took a bit to figure out we had actually come together in our sleep and were working our way towards consciousness together. Blinking blearily at the dirty and cracked window and the rain pattering against it, I shrugged and kept up the sedate pace to Jade's increasing sighs of contentment.

Taking our time was nice given how exhausted I was, I must have been a little too energetic last night, I was actually sore all over and able to keep things down to the tender affection without getting too worked up and frenetic. As wonderful and easy on my bruised body as that was, when we were done I just wanted to go back to sleep again. Her insistent nuzzles and kisses kept me from hiding under the pillows, but I really wished I could ignore her pleased nickering as she tugged the thin blanket away to start our day.

Trying to crawl after her and drag her back for more fun didn't work either, she gave a conflicted sigh at my hooves clutching her bountiful rump as she sat at the edge of the bed and floated her armored lab coat over, but pranced away before I could get a good grip. "Much as I would enjoy more of that.... j-just that way.... W-We are quite busy are we not Fast?"

"Nnnnn... don't care, let's just forget the whole wasteland and hide here all day.... it'll be fine."

My princess tittered to herself and fastened her yellow medical box saddlebags to her magnificent flanks, cutting off my view to my whines. "I know you are not actually so selfish Fast, stop pretending. Do not try to go back to sleep, I will send Glitter in to be sure you cannot. No rest for the wicked Fast..."

True to her word, I barely started to drift off again before the rickety door was slammed back and added another dent to the wall in here under a burst of tiny earth pony strength. Glitter leapt to the bed and proceeded to start bouncing, ignoring my groans and whines, dragging me by a hindleg out of bed and off to start the day.

Since the only real eatery in town was 'Death by Chocolate', she was rather excited to get out and get breakfast. She tried pouting with a weapons grade lip quiver and puppy eyes as Jade, Val, Ivy and myself went over the impressive menu after she had succeeded in shoving me out into the rain and to the restaurant, trying for more chocolate even after her binge yesterday.

I got a good idea why so many ponies living here tended towards the portly side after going over it with her, my foreleg propping my head up from just slamming to the dirty table and sleeping on the spot. The main crops that came into Jamocha Plains were sugar, chocolate and coffee, so that's pretty much what they had. Mixed in with a bit of regular wasteland fare here and there, but sugar coated, chocolate dusted Sugar Apple Bombs seemed like overkill, and frosted Cram just sounded disgusting and looked worse when Jade actually ordered it...

The light orange mare running the place was on the pleasantly plump side herself, still quite attractive despite her momentary look of panic seeing Glitter charging through her doors again. She calmed when I made her stick with plain donuts fresh from the rusty old conveyor driven donut manufacturing station and brahmim milk, that was as little sugar as seemed available on something for breakfast, and it let me console her with watching the clattering automated machine work with her.

It was the coffee that saved me from sluggishly thinking of what to do today, strong and hot with plenty of sugar. A couple cups of the bitter brew got me going again, thanking Celestia that caffeine was on the list of substances I could imbibe and still expect to work properly. Dad always enjoyed his cup in the mornings too, even the instant stuff back in the Stable that tasted like motor oil, preventing me from ever picking up the habit.

I'd have to reconsider with this on tap, I still had my doubts about where it came from and how it grew here, but it was good and it worked, prompting me to ask Jade about it. The alicorn medic brightened and wiped a few errant crumbs from her coat, sipping her own cup before answering. "Certain substances work on us, others don't. Since you are wondering about alcohol however, I can answer that. It is technically a poison that taxes the liver and kills brain cells, our bodies are very poison resistant."

"Are you feeling awake enough to get started Fast? I'm quite interested in meeting this Cocoa Latte pony." Ivy looked up from the scrap of parchment she was working on diligently, having a mindreader along could only help dealing with the leader of the town.

"Yeah daddy! Let's go already if'n you won't lemme have some of the better treats! I really get to be in charge of business stuff?" Glitter slurped her milk I had relented and let her pour chocolate into until it was a deep mud color, trembling with excitement over getting to help.

"Yes you get to do all the money type stuff sweetie, the pony we're going to see is pretty crafty so I need your help. She's not going to be very happy about the whole 'Treasures of Jamocha Plains' debacle too."

My little filly grinned and thumped the bundled up Saddle Arabian rug, turned into a makeshift bag under Val's watchful guard. "Don't worry! You gots the treasure, that's all that matters. I like my hat though!"

Val blinked and started cackling, ruffling her silver mane with her claws as they shared some joke I was missing, the treasure was worthless. "Oh you're slick kiddo... Stick it to her fer sending us on that wild goose chase! Keep her away from yer pop too, she knows how to mess with him and screw it all up."

"Another reason I'm coming along this time Valkyrie, between us I believe we can keep Fast under control hmm? He's in a much better frame of mind today anyway, plus I am curious about her myself. Here we are dear, what you asked for?" Ivy finished her coffee and wiped her muzzle, the red quill pen I had given her continuing to scratch out a note she floated up for Glitter's perusal.

Jade and I both tried peeking around the filly slowly going over the long note, mouthing the words but rapidly running through all the numbers that gave me pause. Finally she nodded in satisfaction and beamed at us, "All good! How much she can skim off'a stuff that comes through here, how much she's gotta kick in, stuff like that an' what you said ta put in. I dunno if they can help fight though, they don't even gots a lotta guards."

She had noticed too then, like the business owners, there seemed to be a lot more mares than bucks guarding the walls and not enough of them at that. I caught Ivy giving the pudgy mare warily watching Glitter a scrutinizing look, picking at her thoughts and mentally shrugging to me. (The same, adoration and fear of Cocoa Latte in equal measure. Things were once worse here, they are better because of her, but she did things that frighten them to do so.)

I sighed and pushed away from the small table, adjusting my hat to a dapper angle and dusting off my black trenchcoat, preening my wings a moment before stopping myself with a hoof to the face. I was awake and worn, fully satisfied last night and more this morning, yet the thought of going to see the stunning leader of this little community had me sweating and primping, like a nervous colt preparing for a big date. I wished Ivy could give me more to go on than fear and adoration, but I understood it. That mare was like a force of nature, everything in this place hinged on her and her alone, and as far as I could tell, she managed it through sheer personality.

"Alright, l-let's go see the mare in charge then. I'm counting on you sweetie."

Just the vote of confidence made Glitter squeal and jump from her chair to give me a hug, making me feel a little more sure about this in the process. I had her with me, I could manage limited exposure to Cocoa, right...

The goddesses love making fools of us all for thinking things like that...

We trotted across the trading town to Cocoa's office home after inquiring with a guard to make sure she was still there, the mare in charge wasn't an early riser either at least. The previously locked door off the street was not secured today, poking my head in the dark office space on the ground floor was met with nothing but a battered old potbellied stove in the corner warming the place so I called out, trying not to be rude and not to get a stashed gun in my face for just barging in.

The lyrical reply that came back should have put me on guard, a breathy, amused voice answering back from above along with some movement. "Ah, just in time! Come on in Mr. Times, please! I'll be with you in a moment. Leave your griffon downstairs and make yourself at home!"

Val growled up at the stairs and narrowed her violet eyes, "I really hate that bitch boss..."

"She's not sticking you on your own down here this time Val, let's go everybody."

I crept my way up the leaning set of stairs first, poking my head over the floor of Cocoa's apartment above her cluttered office and trying to find where she was hiding. The living room and kitchen area was unchanged, no ambush or anything.... that was good.... A dented old hotplate on her counter was bringing a pan of water to a boil beside her crazy coffee machine, that shouldn't account for all the steam wafting through the chill apartment though...

E.F.S. said there was only Cocoa up here, but there were ways around that. She sounded like she was down the short hall, humming musically and moving in a rhythmic canter on spongy linoleum. While she was occupied, I moved around her prefered lair carefully with Val, setting her heavy bundle down and lightly tossing the room just in case. No landmines in with all the cushions... no hidden guns.... so far so good, I hated relying on Glitter, but if we were it was damn well going to be safe first if we could help it.

Heightened senses were a bit of a bother here, under all the coffee, chocolate, perfume, dust and mold, there was an underlying scent to everything that made my mane itch, sweet Celestia she even smelled sexy... how did she do that? All the steam carried the smell of clean pony and ancient shampoo, wait... shampoo... steam...

I realized the trap I walked into a second too late, turning to bolt for Jade at the stairs and nearly running face first into Cocoa herself. The shower, she was in the shower and came right from it, again intentionally playing to her strengths and succeeding as my wings shot straight up. I wouldn't be surprised if she had jumped in at our approach just for effect, dripping steaming water to her ratty floor and covered in a robe that didn't really live up to the name, more of a slip of silk, designed not to cover or absorb water, but to draw the eye in just the right way.

Her light tan face was slightly pink from the heat and scrubbing, long damp two tone brown and cream mane falling into it from a loose towel and obscuring her lidded almond eyes. That rich brown gaze flicked to my wings for barely a instant, registering the reaction she wanted and returning to holding mine like a snake charmer.

I could feel the goofy expression stretching across my face in a leer, but couldn't stop it, leaning forward and cursing at the nubs of my fangs twitching out as she purred softly, running a squeaky clean hoof under my muzzle to tilt my head up to hers. "Well hellooooo there my new Shrouded friend, you have good things to tell me I hope? You return and the Gunners didn't, so I can only assume so."

Yes, good things... whatever she wanted to hear.... just keep prowling and rubbing against me like that... keep doing.... "Ahem! Fast.... aren't you going to introduce us?" (Down boy...) Ivy spoke aloud and in my head, helping me shake off that wonderful aroma and skitter back to Jade's protective wing, thunking my head repeatedly and hiding behind Glitter puffing her little chest out.

"Oh? I was expecting just the Princess, not one of her sisters as well, the griffon too? I did ask she remain downstairs Fast. Well.... she is quite lovely though... I suppose if you wanted this much of a crowd I could be amenable to it, after our business is done of course. The foal is going to have to leave though, we frown on that kind of thing in Jamocha Plains now." Cocoa was only phased for a moment, turning the conversation back and trotting right up to Jade, Val and Ivy staring down at her. While I sputtered at the insinuation and how matter of fact it had been, like she said the same thing to others on a regular basis.

She did that same pacing appraisal of each, poking and squeezing where she wanted with her caramel colored magic to Val's squawks, looking down her nose at Glitter eyeing her suspiciously and dismissing her. Val's warning growl of "Knock it off!" was enough for her to move on from her, focusing on where she was having success and trying to get around my daughter guarding me.

Even Ivy blushed bright red at some of what she was doing with that talented telekinesis, her blue tail bristling and standing straight up as she yelped and took an unsteady step back. "G-Glad I meet your approval Miss Latte, my sister asked me to come along. Pleasure to meet you, I'm Ivy." (My word... I see what you mean Fast, she does have quite a presence doesn't she? Rather forceful too, even her thoughts are a bit much to take in and guarded, I've only rarely met a pony with such a force of will. I sense no real malice, though she looks to take advantage. I'll try to give you anything useful, but do not rely on it with this one...)

Getting the big green mare to flinch only encouraged Cocoa, licking her lips as she resumed stalking after me surrounded by a barrier of fillies I cared about. Her sparkling brown eyes fluttered and she swayed her flanks in victory, the first tinges of her magic immediately slipping under my coat again to grope with widening eyes at the reaction she was getting, of all the things Moondancer's version of the I.M.P. had enhanced, her favorite part was pretty clear. "Send the filly away and us adults could have some fun, after we get this boring old business out of the way mmmmm? Who cares about caps when there are such other ...substantial things to discuss?"

I groaned under the attention, even with my radiation meter safely down to the clear blue end of the dial, this mare was far too skilled to deny, if I was still charged up I'd already be pouncing on her by this point and we hadn't been her five minutes! Teetering on the edge as it was, it was my daughter who saved me, taking stomping steps forward under Cocoa's surprised stare.

"I care about caps! You ain't trickin' my daddy lady, he'd never bring me for icky stuff, I gets ta do all the business stuff, butterin' him up won't work! S-So you just knock it off!" Glitter yelped and jumped up and down in front of the dripping mare, waving her forelegs up rapidly at the glowing horn in Cocoa's damp locks.

For a moment, a weird expression crossed Cocoa's face, all that sweet, honeyed seduction frazzled and replaced by annoyance, but she was smooth and wiped it away almost instantly. Her magic stopped at least, letting me pant relief and cringe against Jade giving a relieved gasp herself, wings still springing up when her gaze shifted from Glitter to me repeatedly and she cooed almost convincingly. "Your daughter? Well... what a ....darling little angel.... how sweet of you to let her come along with daddy! Even letting her think she has a job with all the big ponies in their grown up business? If you're done indulging her we could send her off with your griffon, get down to work with all the big ponies?" Cocoa recovered a bit, swinging her flickering magic back on Jade and Ivy, just to keep them off balance by the sudden rush transmitted through Ivy's thoughts that made me blush.

Cocoa still had that alluring come hither look, but kept prancing to one side and the other, getting cut off by the foal stopping her at every angle to her increasing frustration. "Nuh-uh! I ain't goin' nowhere so quit tryin'. You wanna talk business right? Daddy, why don't you go fiddle with the funny coffee machine thingy in the kitchen, I got this! Business first lady."

I had been trying to focus on Cocoa's strange brewing machine as a distraction, having it actually suggested gave me an out and I inched my way around a surprised Cocoa with Jade staying between us. I shrugged to the confused leader of Jamocha Plains and floated my tools out with relief. "Er... actually that does sound fun, if you don't mind Miss Latte? It doesn't sound healthy, I can probably fix it."

For the first time since I had met the master of feminine wiles, Cocoa Latte actually looked off her game, one of those beautiful brown eyes twitching as she tried me again. "C-Come now Mr. Times... fun is fun, but we could be having sooooo much more... Tinker if you insist, but tell this br... b-beautiful little filly to run along so we can engage in our ...talks."

"Sorry Miss Latte. Glitter is Ambassador of Cuteness for the Kingdom of Sanctuary, she handles business type stuff, really. Anything else is stuff for umm... l-later... only if the Princess says so. We came here seeking an alliance, trade, all that jazz, that's her department." Given permission, I cracked the case on the hissing coffee contraption and stared at its guts with interest, this put the brewoluxe back in the Stable to shame.

Jade plopped down beside me, spreading one big wing wide and effectively closing off the kitchen from the small living room, sticking her nose up and waving over to Glitter with finality. "And I do not say so. We did say our daughter handled finance did we not? It is her you must bargain with."

"Y-Yes you did, but I expected somepony a little bit older than..." Cocoa stammered back, interrupted by Glitter coughing loudly.

Before Cocoa had a chance to recover, Glitter whispered up to Val, that crafty grin spreading on the griffon's beak again. With a deft swing, Val thumped the tied bundle of Saddle Arabian carpet to the floor in front of her, allowing the little filly to clamber up and hold her pip-buck high, squinting and hoofing a button to fill the apartment up with a pretentious, long dead voice.

"Welcome to the Treasures of Jamocha Plain, I'm Mayor Trenderhoof, creator and curator of the Treasures. Within the walls of this..."

Glitter cut the recording off before it got going, drumming her hindlegs on the huge carpet-bag of useless junk she was sitting on with a smug look and waiting. The reaction was as if she had slapped Cocoa right in the face, her brown eyes widened and kept going down to the heavy pack, back to Glitter's pip-buck, then up to the keycard swinging from her pale muzzle on its leather lanyard.

"M-Mayor Trenderhoof... I know that name, but not many other treasure hunters do. D-Did you... did you find it?" Cocoa called over weakly, trying one more time to deal with me and getting only a bored grunt of affirmation, aha... a clogged intake line, no wonder this coffee maker made such a racket.

The dirty plastic keycard clacked to the coffee table beside Cocoa, forcing her to turn back to the foal who threw it beaming at her, eye level sitting on top of the 'Treasures of Jamocha Plains' itself. "Ya-huh! My daddy found it! And got your key thingy back, you can have it, dad's so great he didn't need it anyway!"

Ivy was shaking off being the subject of Cocoa's focus, smiling internally at what she was getting from the mare in charge and sticking at Glitter's side. Still not much, but Glitter had effectively short circuited her plans.

"We... we had an arrangement didn't we Mr. Times? Surely my tip and my keycard entitle me to a share of the profits from our cooperative venture, don't they?" Cocoa tried again, getting an annoyed snort from Glitter being snubbed again.

Glitter dug in the pockets of her rose colored coat and withdrew the scroll she had Ivy write up for her, holding it out imperiously under Cocoa's muzzle. "Maaaaaybe, mom an' dad say it's too much ta haul around and all, we already took what we want. We can negotiate for it! Here, this is what I want."

"Y-You can't be serious, allowing a foal to run things for you like that... ugh let me see what you have here, I'll indulge this a moment. Surely you wrote all this for her right? Let's see..." Cocoa snatched the rolled up scroll from Ivy's writing supplies in her magic, scanning over the long list of her flowing script with rapidly widening eyes. "No more than 3%... Providing real estate and a monthly stippend of food for Minutemare garrison... Minimum 25% charity work by Followers covered from profit... No tarriff levied on healing goods... Known Institute technologies outlawed... Adherence to royal decree within prescribed limits... w-what is this!?"

"A contract! Auntie Val and Aunt Ivy helped me, but it's my numbers. That's fair. I worked hard on it!" Glitter grinned back proudly, seeming to enjoy Cocoa cantering back a step in shock as she read over what she came up with.

I had tried reading over it, all the numbers made my head spin and I had no idea how the young foal could speak such fluent legalese at her age. Essentially it was a contract for an alliance between Jamocha Plains and Sanctuary. A lot of things we had never really thought to codify and put down in writing before, the blanket 'be better' usually serving in its place.

This place ran on caps and numbers though, and Glitter was a whiz when it came to that stuff. Ivy wrote it for her so her blocky script didn't make it look childish, Jade and I offered our opinions on things we thought important and Val told her how contracts typically worked, but the bulk of the work was all Glitter.

"Princess Jade! Mr. Times! F-Fast.. this is a poor joke, sending this little filly out with your demands you plainly set up for her. I won't be swayed by a foal, no matter how cute. I don't care for you using her to... w-what's this about a 'minimum sugar and chocolate allotment' at a... 90% discount sent to Sanctuary on a regular basis!?!" Cocoa tried to rally and refused to believe this was all Glitter's doing, until she hit that little addendum anyway...

Jade and I both arched a matching eyebrow at the little filly wincing and turning from her perch, giving a weak grin and shrugging. "I umm... just added a little... you know, f-for everypony back home? That's fine isn't it daddy? mommy?"

Watching Glitter employing her glistening puppy eyes seemed to unravel Cocoa more, her face was getting red and she snorted a little puff of steam from her flaring nostrils. Ivy's voice in my head gave me a hint at the problem, though I didn't understand it. (Daddy... she doesn't like that word Fast, your relationship with your daughter is agitating her and she is obsessed with that treasure.)

"I do not think you need your own private shipments of desserts dear. There are more important issues we were to discuss, yes?" Jade answered for both of us primly, letting me continue peacefully working and not paying any attention to sexy mares or talk of caps, though keeping an ear flicking that way.

"Right mommy! Don't worry, we'll get there!" Glitter answered happily, waving a little hoof for Cocoa to continue reading.

"This is ridiculous! Y-You're letting her... putting her in charge?! I won't be swayed by this nonsense, sugary foods for a filly is right out! Price regulation!? A maximum I can raise prices on my goods per quarter!? 10% is unacceptable! 25%!" Cocoa's attractive mane was falling in her eyes in strands and getting rather wild at her shaking her head around like that, the longer she dealt with Glitter, the more her facade of sex appeal was cracking.

"8%! And I want my sweets! Umm... i-it can be a little smaller shipment though." Glitter fired right back, forcing the older mare to deal with her directly.

"Eight!? Y-You're not even negotiating the right way! You're supposed to come up and meet me in the middle dummy! 20% With exceptions for Goodneighbor! And assurances these Minutemares will take orders from local leadership!" Cocoa now leaned in to get face to face with the foal, forgetting everything but the barter she was getting sucked into.

"Am too doing it right! 5%, 10% for Goodneighbor or other really big towns only! Minutemares help, you don't need ta order, just ask, just like my daddy!" Glitter's nose went up proudly and she stamped a hoof, getting a clatter from her sack of 'treasure' that drew Cocoa's twitching eye.

"Are not! 18%! I don't ask for help either, I help myself! You can't count on anypony kid! And what's this lunacy about freed farms?! You want half!?!" Cocoa's alluring robe hung off her shoulders messily now, her tail flicking in agitation and giving it that same crazed, wild appearance as her mane.

Glitter leaned in as well, eye to eye in the increasing confrontation from her perch. "4%. Thought I wouldn't see that comin'? Mom an' Dad might not be that umm... 's-savvy' but I am! You was just gonna scoop up every lil' farm he fought ta free weren't ya meanie! Half is bein' nice, partners like."

I paused cleaning a few corroded contact points at Jade's gasp, slaves and the local slavers and farms that used them were her main point of interest here, but that had seriously never occurred to either of us. I just thought we'd go kill slavers, set slaves free and just kind of be on our way. Cocoa had been talking about helping to get rid of them as a way to take them over? More impressive, Glitter was ahead of her?

"17% I... I hadn't said a thing on the subject yet! If he and his precious Princess wanted to do it anyway, what do you care who takes over so long as they don't use slaves?! I don't need partners!" A flicker of guilt crossed Cocoa's face and I saw her eyes dart to Jade and I watching with the same surprised look, before returning to the pink stare of Glitter snorting back.

"Nah, just need my daddy ta get rid of them, then let you get rich huh? Have all them farms that make sugar and chocolatey treats, but not share! Selfish! A-Ali... 'Alliance' means partners anyway stuuu-pid, you sayin' you just want somepony ta be your sucker?!" Now they had reached sticking their tongues out at each other...

(Fascinating isn't it? She's forcing her to regress, taking all of Miss Latte's weapons away from her and exploiting quite a few mental weaknesses. If your daughter had my abilities, she'd be a nightmare Fast....) Ivy gave an awed whisper in my head, watching the verbal tennis match play out with a stunned expression.

"So what if I am!?! Your parents are such a do-gooders, they don't care right!? I could get them to do whatever I want brat! Bucks are so easy it's not even funny and yours is even easier! The Princess there is way too naive and an easy enough mark too! They're rubes!" Ow... I wasn't sure what 'rube' meant, but none of that sounded very flattering...

"But I ain't... You want help takin' those farms, we wanna free the slaves anyway. But since my mommy an' daddy are such good ponies, they wanna be partners instead'a takin' em for ourselves. You get what you want, we get what we want. That's fair. I'll even throw in the treasure if you agree to all my terrr--eermmsss..." Glitter teased in a lilting voice from her seat, patting the awkward bundle affectionately.

Cocoa couldn't stop herself from following the gesture again, her gaze hanging on the untold riches from the fabulous Treasures of Jamocha Plains. She bit her lip and shifted on her hooves, turning to try anypony else instead of the merciless little filly and getting Jade's disapproving huff as a surprise. "Glitter... that is not fair. We do not make friends by cheating those we hope to befriend."

"MOOO-OOOM! Sssh! We're negotiatin'!" Glitter winced at the blue alicorn shaking her head, a panicked look of a surprise ruined crossing her face.

I yanked the filter from the pretty fun coffee machine and felt obliged to weigh in, joining Jade and nodding to her. "She's right sweetie. We want to be friends, no fair tricking her, show her."

Both Glitter and Val gave stereo versions of "AWWWW!", though Val's added "Yer fuckin' this up boss!", both pouting and begining to tug at the thick knots of carpet tassels holding it all together.

Cocoa looked between us all in bewilderment, "B-But... you said you found it..."

"We did. That's the Treasures of Jamocha Plains in there alright. Other than a few items we took, but nothing any different really."

The leader of the trading town blinked back, still not getting it. "Then what cheating? You're not lying, I can tell... Why are you..."

"Because they are rubes sometimes... but they're my rubes an I love em." Glitter rolled her eyes, yanking the last knot undone in her teeth and leaping off as the carpet unfurled.

Cocoa was frozen staring at the pile of junk, that one eye twitching a mile a minute now. Finally her whole head twitched and she wailed at the trash spread in her living room, shaking her head and trying to blink it all away. "W-What!? This is... this is it?! THIS!?! You can't be serious! This is...." A few quick clicks to my pip-buck brought up the message waiting down in the 'Treasures' vault Glitter had partially played, that she listened to with growing horror.

Val snorted with satisfaction and nodded at her staring between all of us, "Yep, I know just the feelin' missy, but this really is it."

Cocoa's eye kept twitching as she took in all the old world knick knacks, tired sniffles that started turning to bubbling giggles, wiping tears away as she started laughing. "All these years! All this time, the caps I put into it myself alone! For this!? Some 'Treasure'! And you just gave it away! Bwhahaha! Oh kid, I feel bad for you now, it's not an act is it? They're really this naive?!"

Feeling a bout of old world corniness coming on, I tipped my hat and held a hoof out to the mare shaking with laughter before it turned angry. "Well... Back in my day, somepony'd say the real treasure is friendship, so let's be friends Cocoa, tell me how we can help without trying to trick us into it. I'll do whatever I can, let's do something about the slavers and the Gunners, together."

"Just so Miss Latte, we do not seek to cheat you, or take over your town as the Gunners would, only to help and ask it in return. I cannot abide slavery and you do not seem to like it either, perhaps we do not possess Glitter's forethought on what happens after, but those slaves will need help. New ponies to make your town grow and run those farms fairly benefits everyone, does it not?" Jade bowed her head and held a slender foreleg out to the smaller mare, still chuckling to herself and wiping tears away.

Cocoa's own foreleg shook as it reached out tentatively, unsure brown eyes looking to the tall Princess and getting only a sweet nod of assurance. Finally she took it, shuffling shyly and whispering back. "O-Ok... friends... right. I-I'll try it... I really don't like slavery either, that is the truth, umm... your highness. We have our reasons for not trusting easily around here, but... I think we can work together, help some ponies, a-and make some caps of course..."

"Good. Still have a crafty little filly to work all the business type stuff out with don't you? She's a tough customer and I really count on her, so give her a challenge. You can tell me all about these slavers first and we can get started on that while you two work, errr with Ivy to referee I think... How's that?"

She gave a long, grateful look as I wiped a final tear away from her smiling cheek and stood straight, trying to look dependable and at least a little intimidating, even while looking up to the taller mare. I got a weak chuckle anyway and she glanced and Glitter, sticking her tongue out with a smile. "You'll start helping, just like that?"

"Just like that. We're no good at any of this stuff anyway, tell us where to go and how to hurt them. We'll go do what we're good at, bring the slaves we rescue back here if they'll come. Looks like you need more ponies helping here anyway, give them a place to stay and food, then you can all make Jamocha Plains the big town you want it to be, the Kingdom of Sanctuary will help our new ally however we can. I promise."

Glitter whooped and jumped for joy, giving a playful hoof to Cocoa's shoulder and grinning ear to ear. "See?! My mommy an' daddy are the best in Equestria! Even if they mess up good deals. If you admit I'm right, I'll let you have... 15% ok? To be friends."

Cocoa's tan foreleg shot out and met Glitter's pale one in a hoofbump instantly, sniffling with a soft smile at the foal. "Deal. You would'a had me kid, I think being friends is better than trying to out barter you, pint sized barracuda."

Mission Completed: X Marks the Spot

Objectives-------
---Eliminate the Gunner treasure hunters
---Find the Treasures of Jamocha Plains
---Return to Cocoa Latte

Another ramshackle hut waited ahead of us in the marshes, offering a moment to get out of the increasing rain, but filling me with dread. Nothing moved there... an empty pen near the battered old world barn spoke of slaves chained there, but nopony was around, just like the previous three of these we had explored.

Once Cocoa Latte decided to work with us, she was a wealth of information. She had been making her own plans for quite awhile, her apparent population problems made her too weak to carry them out, but she had been preparing to do just what we were. Ivy was still intensely curious about that, hoping to keep prying while she stayed with Glitter, reassuring us she sensed no trickery or betrayal from Cocoa, just a mystery she had latched on to.

With her explanation, several map markers appeared on my pip-buck and Jade, Val, Zed, Witchy and myself had been going down the list on the way to Sapphire Sparkles School, the largest slaver outpost here in the southern Commonwealth. That left Glitter and Ivy to work with Cocoa back in town, hammering out boring details and getting to know each other better, while we got to work.

I squelched down the muddy trail leading from the winding rubble that used to be a real road, using the rusty mailbox to find the path and avoid the dangerous crops. It turns out Razorcane was named that way because it was literally razor sharp, dark green spears with long narrow foliage, making an effective fence wherever it was planted. I dreaded what the larger Cocoa-bomber and Twitch-tree plants could do after slicing open a foreleg just poking at the sugar canes, and all I had to do was stick it in the nearest muddy puddle to heal, farming sounded dangerous here...

Eyes Forward Sparkle showed everything clear, not a soul stirred on the tiny slave farm, just upping the creepiness as I went to investigate and see if this one was like the others we had found. We'd been sticking close to or on the ground in the heavy rain, trying not to make ourselves big targets up in the air which made for slower going, giving me plenty of time to worry over the scenes we had found so far.

I gave a heavy sigh pushing open the corrugated steel door to the shack and finding one that matched. The place was a bloodbath... four rough looking ponies around a battered table, cards strewn everywhere in all the blood that splashed the walls and pooled on the rough wooden floors.

No, not strewn, cards were stuck right in the wood and the corpses themselves, matching the narrow slashes on the slaver's coats... Somepony got here before we did, slaughtered every slaver on the farm in increasingly creative ways, had either freed the slaves or left them to escape by the empty pens, but had done nothing else.

Val lacked my squeamishness and pushed past me in a rush, rifling through the corpses and loot remaining. Raiders hadn't done this, or Gunners, definitely not Minutemares doing good, no.... somepony on a mission had systematically slaughtered the slavers and moved on without touching a thing.

Not that they didn't deserve it by the evidence left behind, whips and broken chains, buckets of leftover slop to feed the missing slaves garbage, but this was still a bit much despite how much the murmur of 'Be Dark...' agreed with the results. Jade gave a whinny and hugged me with her wing as I trudged away from the door, clearly disturbed too, but happy to be out on one of my dangerous outings again as promised.

"Perhaps we should simply fly by the others Fast... I do not know who has done this, but we do not need to poke around each farm between us and this slave market. Those ponies need our help and there were many of them by the sound of it, I am anxious to see this done and return." Jade nuzzled me reassuringly, keeping up a dim blue shield that kept the worst of the heavy rain off us.

"Bah, yer just ancy ta get to that MoP hub place Blue, told ya it ain't far from Summerset Plantation an ya get all worked up ta come. Good havin' ya along fer the craziness though." Val hooted as she came back out of the shack, stuffing caps and salvaged ammo in her pockets as she stretched her wings.

Zed was pacing the small yard of the farm, looking at the muddy ground as he walked and examining every little detail he could before slipping his batwing talisman thing around his neck. The leathery wings so similar to Witchy's pushing their way out of his back as he spoke. "Perhaps our mystery friend has already been there as well? They certainly seem to have been busy, recently too."

Witchy fluttered up to the leaning tin roof of the shack and looked to the south, her tufted ears twitching a moment before she shook her head in reply. "I don't think so... There's some noise and activity that way, just where this school place should be. Whoever or whatever did this, I don't know if they got to this slaver fortress yet."

"Ok, we'll fly closer then, just makes our job easier I guess, we can focus on the big problem if all these little ones have been handled. Get us away from all the local critters too, come on guys." I nodded back to my friends and took an unsteady flap up, flying in the rain and wind was harder than normal, giving Val the opportunity to smack and critique my progress the whole way.

Staying low let us sneak up on the dim glow in the gloom ahead, a good thing too as eventually too regular shapes resolved in the dead trees around the low structure. The slavers occupying the ruins of an elementary charter school had set up guard towers, around the fenced playground in the back of the staggered two story structure, giving a good idea where the slaves were kept.

If we were higher, we'd have been spotted by now, even against the leaden grey skies. Keeping near the ground also let me take note of more than a couple dripping spots of color in the marshes, slime zombies... more the closer we got, and different colors? Yes, that really was one with pastel orange glop instead of pink... I drifted a bit nearer the craggy rocks it was passing for a better look, only to be yanked back by my tail just ahead of a wave of murky water and a lot of teeth.

The goopy zombie was just gone... snapped up by an enormous maw of jagged teeth, the small island of dirty green rocks moved and I realized it was attached to the giant ...radiagator? A huge, reptilian thing that was its own little island in the swamp, some prehistoric monster of rock and scale that gave a guttural growl at the snack it barely missed adding to the slime creature.

"Radcrag boss... watch yer step. Told ya there's nasty creepy crawlies down this way." Val answered my panicked jabbering, keeping a safe distance to watch the swamp-dragon looking thing crawl off to slightly deeper waters.

It essentially looked like a giant radigator, except for the craggy stone looking back and head, and the split tail. It had a greenish glow in the cracks and crevices of its rocky back now that it was moving, and I was disturbed to see pink oozing from between a few and those sharp teeth.

Jade was obviously thinking along with me, offering a more clinical appraisal. "I do not like this, you said you saw such creatures in the sewers as well Fast? If the local wildlife are ingesting those slime zombies, they are vicariously eating the 'Fluffer Batter' compound... It is spreading out to the environment from somewhere and there appears to be sufficient radiation to activate it."

"I don't like it either, hopefully we'll find out, the notes I read mentioned schools..."

The fading yellow shell of an old bus stuck nose first in the mire ahead, gave a closer landmark to stop at, sticking closer to the muddy roads that rose and fell from the muck. It had crashed from above while on the way to drop off by all the tiny little skeletons, landing outside a subdivision of rotting little houses which gave us a spot to spy on the school ahead after I shook off the near miss. Close enough to go over the layout of the complex and see the slave pen in the back, while Zed slipped off into the marshes for a closer look.

Playground equipment had scrap and boards tacked to it in ugly conglomerations, offering little shelter from the rain and practically none from the chill. A few fire barrels under some of this thin cover lit the horrific yard up, revealing a few pony shapes sprawled in the mud and little twitches of movement even my eyes had trouble picking out. It was all adding to a growing ember of fury the longer I scanned the place through the Last Minute's nightvision scope.

At least Jade was thinking of more than just putting the mysterious stranger who hit the smaller farms ahead of us to shame at the view, cramming herself at the dirty window I was looking out of and worrying aloud. "There are a few, surely more inside... how will we get them out of here? Forced to stay out here, many will be too weak to make the trip back to Jamocha Plains Fast."

"They probably have carts... that's something I guess. The slavers aren't going to need them anymore..." I tried to keep the growl out of my voice in answer.

She must have heard it anyway, an unhappy whinny coming with her reply. "We must consider their safety first Fast, not merely punishing those admittedly deserving slavers. Given your recent string of destruction, it would be best to get them clear beforehoof yes?"

Alright, she had a point... the last thing I needed was to go three for three lately and blow the place up, killing those we were here to rescue in the process. Nevermind I had been considering going up to the heavy clouds overhead and working up some lightning to bring down... Though a charred maintenance building atop the roof of the main building looked like it had taken a hit from the storm already.

Val surprisingly didn't rise to a joke about liking my recent streak of pyrotechnic displays, narrowing her eyes through her cracked binoculars and clucking, flicking her long tail at the next window down in the moldy kitchen. "This ain't right boss... They ain't moved this whole time, no patrols, no assholes bringin' in fresh meat, nothin'. Place is dead."

"You are more right than you know..." Zed pushed through sickly brown weeds at the water's edge just outside the window, seeming to appear from nowhere and sending me falling back with a yelp. He didn't even disturb the water?! Come on! I was starting to suspect he enjoyed showing me just what sneaky was all about by that smirk and raised eyebrow, "You should see this, all of you. It's safe, even for the loud griffon."

"Ain't loud, I'm confident stripey. Ain't sloggin' through that muck either so better be no slinkin' around involved..." Val pouted and pointed a claw at Zed's mud dripping hooves.

"There's no need." The zebra stallion shrugged a reply and turned back, choosing to walk merely as his preference apparently, as he didn't say a word about us fluttering after him.

I really hoped he was sure since he was leading us right at one of the treehouse watchtowers around the back of the school, making no attempt to hide or be quiet. My ears flicked at Witching Hour making that high pitched whine behind me, looking back silently and getting a slow shake of her head in answer that matched what E.F.S. was saying, nothing ahead of us that it could detect.

Zed stopped at the gnarled roots of the scorched tree and pointed a hoof up the bits of board and scrap nailed to the side, leading up to the platform of junk and rippling canvas above. What I had taken for a guard was just a propped up hunting rifle poking out of the scrap made blind, nopony was on duty.

Flapping up to get a better look wasn't that informative, the underside of the dripping tarp was splashed with blood in what had to be a fatal spray, there were clumps of lavender slime dripping between the cracks in the boards and coating the rickety metal chair, but no body, no zombie, nothing. No slime going up the makeshift ladder, not that anypony on guard up here would let one of those things get that close to begin with.

"I flew to the two nearest to this one as well, the same thing there, different colors of sludge however." Zed called up in his deep voice, giving an errant sniff towards the puddle of purple slime nearby and clearly not liking more than just the sickly grape flavor.

After pillaging the sniper's roost, Val landed up on the hillock of dirt the tree grew from and snorted towards the ruined school. "So, maybe they woke some up or somethin', got attacked by the nasty slime balls and didn't know how ta deal with em. Sounds like it works out fer us huh boss?"

"Not if the poor slaves are still in danger Valkyrie! Hurry!" Jade gasped and made a beeline for the rusty fencing of the playground and thankfully still not meeting any opposition, making my heart race at the way it never seemed to occur to her in her concern.

Rusty chain link and barbed wire kept ground bound slaves in, but without the perimeter of snipers or guards on the ground, served as no barrier for her simply flying over. Jade arrowed for the center of the playground and the slumped bodies there, E.F.S. still displayed no green, but it was lighting up with red...

Several tiny forms lifted away from the dead ponies in the mud, the buzz of brilliantly orange wings cutting through the rain and sending me diving forward as fast as I could fly. I yelled on the way, trying to draw their attention and thankfully getting Jade to bring up her bright blue shield.

S.A.T.S. locked on to one of the creatures that had been snacking on the dead slave, for one moment I thought it was wrong or misidentifying the tiny pony shaped thing. It looked like a Cybreezie from a distance, the glowing overlay in my vision insisted it was a 'Breezidore' instead though.

Using the targeting spell for a better look, I accepted it was right, this was something new, a name Val had mentioned before but I had never encountered. Breezies shouldn't have wings that big... they definitely shouldn't look like tiny, sharp toothed little monster ponies with glowing red eyes... They had terrible odds to hit just like the little robots though, forcing me to go with buckshot from the Terrible Shotgun and hope.

One out of six went down, or was splattered like the bug it looked like. Two weren't diverted from their course after Jade, but kept running into her shield and chattering angrily, unable to touch her. The other three darted right at me, several scratches on my exposed coat burned instantly as two passed, the third latching onto my neck and burrowing in with painful needles of teeth.

Best Served flashed out and cut the gnawing little bastard's head off, leaving it stuck fast in my neck but no longer actively chomping as the tiny body fell away. I turned to spot Val incinerating one attacking Jade with her magical energy weapon, streaking past Zed and Witchy dealing with the other two.

Trying to face the last one assaulting my Princess, my vision got blurry and I felt my heart speed up. My pip-buck throwing up warnings about unknown poisoning I shook off. Luckily Val was faster than I was, slamming against the immovable barrier of Jade's shield and tearing the little monster in half with her claws.

Meanwhile I crashed... hard... I wasn't the only one either, Witchy fell into a tailspin as the last red mark winked out under Zed's hooves, barely caught by the tail in the zebra's mouth before she hit the ground and flopping weakly where he set down. Jade's shield flickered away and she charged towards us, torn over who was in worse shape until I waved her on unsteadily, if it was poison I had the better chances waiting.

Her graceful blue horn lit up and she pranced in place over the gasping batpony, not liking what she was getting from her magic and rummaging in her packs frantically. I swayed in place and hoped alicorn biology would win out over whatever those little monsters had done, but was getting concerned at my racing heart and stumbled trying to flop my way up, falling in the mud again and groaning.

Suddenly Val's dark claw poked in my mouth, I rolled an blurry eye up, making out the headless Breezidore corpse she had tracked down in the other claw. A sweet taste was on my tongue as Val hissed impatiently, "Suck on it boss, hurry up, batty needs some too."

Doing as instructed made the pounding in my head back off and everything felt a lot better, a bit like a pleasant buzz when alcohol still worked on me actually, loopy and goofy feeling, this was nice! As soon as I sighed in relief the griffon flapped over and shoved Jade aside, dipping a claw into some bulging growth on the flanks of the bug-like monster and pulling it out dusted with a glittery gold color, repeating what she did to me by sticking it in Witchy's mouth and ordering her to suck on it.

As I managed to get my hooves under me and enjoy the euphoric sensation, I noticed Witchy had a single scratch on her foreleg, not the several I had taken as they came at me first. Maybe alicorn biology was winning after all, but those things had some pretty potent poison apparently. The cure looked stronger for Witchy too, her amber eyes crossed and she gave a wide, silly grin, tittering to herself in the mud as her breathing slowed.

Goggling at Val knowing what to do medically when she herself didn't, Jade was instantly curious, floating up another corpse and poking at the tumorous looking bulges. "How? What?!"

"Breezidores Blue. Nasty little shits, make their own antivenom, but gotta not like, totally obliterate em ta get it. Save the stuff, always pays to have a little Nectar around down this way. 'Sides, sells for a good chunk o' change, stuff will fuck you up like nobody's business." The griffon mercenary shrugged at her stammering question, she did used to live down this way and I could see how those monsters could be a problem, and how fun the cure could be.

"Could they have killed all the slavers?" Jade asked, staring around the vacant playground and seeing only corpses, joining Val in looking around in the muck for more antivenom to add to her medical supplies, my dizzy eyes tracking each little bundle of the delightful Nectar stuff they gathered.

Val waggled a claw noncommittally, keeping a wary eye out as she searched. "Maybe. Probably not, Breezidore's ain't usually quite stupid enough ta attack a fortified settlement, scavengers mostly, poison a lone pony in the marsh and feast on em awhile. These probably just smelled a free meal, boss interrupted em."

"Excuuuuuse me Mr. Breezidore, terribly rude to come knocking at dinner I know, just thought we'd ask ta borrow a cup of Nectar is all, sure you don't mind!" I giggled to myself, talking to the decapitated Breezidore head I absently pulled off my neck, wondering where he got the spiffy monocle and top hat.

Witchy rolled laughter, covering her gleaming armor in muck as she flopped her way over, howling and clutching her sides. "S-So sorry! Got any more! Teehehehe!"

"Er... they should be fine in a minute, might'a give em a little much fer the venom, won't hurt em Blue." Val scratched sheepishly at Jade rolling her eyes and watching with concern, I had forgotten what being drunk was like and was quite enjoying the sensation.

Satisfied no more Breezidore antivenom was to be found and we weren't going to keel over, Jade's clear voice rang out, heedless of any slavers or other monsters lurking about. "Hello!? Please do not be frightened, we are here to help you! Is anypony here?!"

"Hellooooooo" I giggled up to join in, waving a hoof at the rainy sky over my head and watching the fading afterimages.

Eyes Forward Sparkle lit up with a single green dash as wary face peeked out from the old foal's playground, dirty and bundled in rags, clearly terrified in the shelter of junk, but unable to resist that caring voice. After a minute, an elderly pale green buck hobbled out from the largest hovel, built in the shadow of a peeling sea serpent shaped slide, heavy shackles slowing his already limping stride as he cautiously approached.

"Yer her... the Princess?" He managed a hoarse whisper of shock, staring up at the towering blue alicorn over his bent old form.

Jade nodded softly, hushing Witchy and my own tapering laughter impatiently and taking a rushed step towards the obviously hurt old stallion, pausing at his reflexive cringe. Undeterred, she spoke in a soothing coo and inched closer, "Yes, P-Princess Jade, we are here to rescue you, please do not be afraid. I am a healer, may I see to your wounds so you can leave this awful place?"

A couple more sickly looking slaves had leaned out of their hiding places in the shelter behind him, a few murmurs of 'Princess' echoing the word, followed by several dropping to the mud to kneel before the sopping wet princess trying to save them. All carefully hidden even from E.F.S. to avoid the spindly little creatures out here.

The old buck in front of us managed to get partway down too, before her wing lifted his chin back up and I caught a flush under his grey beard as he stammered back. "H-Heard the radio 'fore they took us... just never thought... and that's the Shrouded Stallion?"

"Zat's me!"

I forgave him for being less than convinced, flopping around in the mud with a pretty batpony sobering slower than I was, thus in a very forgiving mood at the moment. The costume was right, if muddy, and all that alicorn smiling at him was undeniable, drawing a hopeful nod from him. "R-Right this way Princess!"

She had to crouch to shove herself into the rickety shelter, taking a short look around at the ratty blankets and scrap shoved against every entrance and lighting her horn up brightly. The pale blue healing magic swirling around another pair of slaves too sick to move from where they goggled at the alicorn in their midst. Quite a few bruises and bloody scars across the back started healing under her skills, getting the nervous trio coming out of hiding to relax.

Jade was only concerned for their poor health, but signs I was seeing made me worry whether she could do anything at all and quickly helping me sober up after I staggered in behind them. Both of the ill slaves had a sickly pallor, actually seemed to be sweating bright pastel colors where they lay unmoving on the floor, colors matching the buckets of frosting smelling glop I spotted in the corner.

"T'wouldn't try miss... them that get that sick, don't tend ta recover..." The elderly stallion tried to wave Jade off from healing them, sweating so much the resemblance was impossible to miss, the young mare on the cardboard bed was turning into a slime zombie, a pastel blue one.

"I must try! How is this happening? Where are you getting this terrible concoction?" Jade cried at what her horn was telling her, magic healing could fix a lot, but it wasn't working here.

The old buck snorted weakly, giving her a kind but impatient look. "Where else miss... slavers feed it to us. Lots of us figure its the only bright spot when we get caught, they ain't stingy with the food at least, but... well, you see what happens. Not ta everypony, but those of us what start catchin' it, get stuck out here till we get better, nopony really gets better though... They usually cart ones that sick away before they can... they turn into..."

Jade looked horribly conflicted, staring at the sick who needed help, but help she couldn't give, while the others passed out the few looted weapons from the dead slavers. "I am aware of the result. There must be a way to help them however. What happened here?"

"Where are the slavers who did this..." I added through gritted teeth, furrowing my brow and shaking off the fading buzz in my brain. What had happened was less important that what was going to happen as far as 'Be Dark...' was concerned.

A fearful look crossed the elderly buck's face, pointing up towards the steel double doors in the back of the school. "No idea, they ain't been outside all day though. Something happened last night, when the storm came in. Lots of gunfire up front, ponies out here wit' better hearin' than me said they heard screams, then it just stopped. Not a peep since then. Breezidore's smelled the blood, already on them three out yonder before we knew what was happenin', we all hunkered down where we could while they ate and prayed."

The glow from Jade's horn kept getting brighter, but her furrowed brow told me she wasn't having any success. She'd burn herself out trying if I let her, better to focus on what we could do for now and come back. "You said they stick you out here, does that mean there are more slaves inside Mr...?"

"Muddy Mire, aye, the healthy stock's all kept in the great big section mostly, jim-naz-e-um?" Muddy answered in a careful drawl, "If yer goin' in there, would appreciate if'n ya could open the gates beforehoof? Not doubtin' the famous Princess, but we're a mite antsy to leave while the gettin's good. Just in case more of them bugs or somethin' worse comes snoopin' around ya understand."

"I'll get the lock boss, get her movin' so we can get outta this slop." Val flew off towards the fence without being asked, grimacing at the increasing rain the thin shelter had offered a short reprieve from.

A nudge got Jade to reluctantly agree, passing out a few medical supplies from her stores and pointing a wing back towards the yellow wreck of the school bus to the north. "Very well, those who can move help those who cannot as well, if you wait for us at those ruined homes, we will come for you as soon as we rescue the others. D-Do what you can to help the sick..."

By Muddy's grim expression, I tried getting her to the doors and out of the slave pen playground in a hurry. My outstretched hoof inches from the rusty metal pushbar in, when a twin flash and crack of gunfire sounded out behind us, freezing her in her tracks. Her shocked face started turning back on creaking hinges, forcing me to flap up and hold her cheeks to stop her from looking.

"Don't Jade. Don't go back." I pleaded and held her shimmery blue eyes, willing her to just be blissfully ignorant, think the best...

"Was that...? W-Why! How could they!! I could try to find a cure! Some way to help..." Jade gasped and trembled, threatening to just bulldoze me out of the way to charge back anyway.

Zed was a lot more blunt than I was, shoving the door open and answering in a stern whisper. "That was helping."

I gave a sad nod and tugged her towards the waiting entrance with me. "Come on Jade, let's focus on who we can help now."

I really should have expected what waited on the other side, a scene from my own single year going to school above ground, the Stable didn't exactly have a playground though so I had forgotten. Before recess, came lunch. A ruined cafeteria wouldn't be a problem in any other wasteland wreck, but this one had gotten up to Institute business before the end.

If it weren't for the varying colors on top of pink, I could have mistakenly thought we were back in the MoM hub from all the slime splattering the ceiling, walls and floor, some of it long dried, more of it quite a bit newer... Though the hub had power, this school was a dim nest of shadows, the smoking building on the roof had been the generator apparently.

The gurgling snarls and growls of more than a dozen multicolored horrors milling around the big room matched the Ministry hub back in Goodneighbor though. Quite a few of them were clustered around bigger versions of the dispensing machines found in the hub too, two of them in a row lined the set of bars to slide lunch trays down, each with six spigots dripping goop that the slimy zombies were slurping up, until we came in anyway.

Val's red magical energy weapon started streaming fire immediately, recognizing the threat and how to deal with it, she hissed in annoyance as she tossed her precious Shishkebab to Witchy. "Gotta burn em batty! Yer better with one of these than Zed, sorry, outta luck this time buddy!"

Witchy caught the weapon deftly, but fumbled taking a swing with the doused sword when a pale yellow zombie charged her, getting the starmetal blade stuck fast in the goopy corpse until Val screeched instructions. The Shishkebab ignited when Witchy adjusted her grip on the handle, torching the slimy monster as the blade started glowing white in its chest.

Without Glitter's boxy little Righteous Authority, that left just three of us with the means to put these creatures down for good. Thankfully the cafeteria was a tall room, enough space to get up off the ground and away from the snapping monstrosities, none of whom were pegasi. Another cluster came sliding their way in through the doors to the locker lined halls, but clumped together enough for a single bolt of lightning to char them to a crisp and give us a moment to breathe.

Fluttering back to the goopy ground, looking around the school cafeteria was painfully nostalgic. I went to a school like this once, and while the slavers had given it their own sadistic touches, it was still basically the same as my own. Cheery decorations rotted on the walls, lots for Nightmare Night, but plenty of artwork under all the slop made by long ago foals.

A chalkboard by the doors out caught my interest, blocky letters of pastel colors matching the slime in here divided it into six sections, dash marks below each counting as... votes? "Pinkie Keen, Twilight Grape, Apple Orange, Lemon-shy, Rainbow Berry, Rare Prench Vanilla... they were having them vote on different flavors?"

The clatter of several rusty buckets kicked by an angry blue hoof came with Jade's pained reply. "Flavor appears not to matter, the results are the same. They have been feeding this to those they hold prisoner!"

"Sure Blue, stuff never runs out right?" Val pulled one of the blue spattered handles and matching sludge dutifully chugged out, proving her point as she continued. "Cheaper. Less overhead keepin' slaves if'n ya ain't gotta worry 'bout food. Been eatin' the stuff themselves looks like, that's better'n most slavers. Like the ol' guy said, least they don't skimp on the grub."

"I don't understand though, Mr. Mire said turning into one of these takes time and only happens to some of the slaves right? Why are there so many now?" Witchy flicked sludge from the Shishkebab in disgust, working on the same odd puzzle I was on impaired faculties, her eyes still a little mismatched from the Nectar.

"The zombies were eating the stuff, maybe it's like a craving or something? If they've been dumping slaves who were turning out in the marshes, maybe there were enough to come back to get more?"

"It most likely affected those slaves with enough radiation built up in their systems to react with the compound, from what we learned in Goodneighbor that was what triggered it. Let us move on quickly, the remaining prisoners have been here all day if they survived." Jade huffed and headed for the narrow halls outside, in the general direction of the gym we had seen outside.

With the five of us and our experience dealing with this kind of undead from the MoM hub, we made fairly steady progress. Slowed a bit by Val picking open one locker after another, until she finally believed me there wasn't likely to be much of value other than lunchboxes and books.

The place was creepy, all flickering lights and slime spattered hallways, shadows that seemed to dance menacingly in the residual high from the Breezidore anitvenom. The slavers had used classrooms as their own sleeping areas, giving Val more spots to loot as we moved.

The Principal's office and Nurse's office were together, up at the wide open front doors that showed a barricaded front drive, but nothing living. Whatever happened here, it started at the front doors. Fires burned under the overhang outside from the shells of a pair of turrets, blood and signs of fresh damage to the building were everywhere, lots of weapons for Val to loot where they had fallen, in what looked like an assault vicious enough for a horde of slimy zombies anyway. But no corpses.

They offered a spot worth poking around in for a moment, Jade instantly heading for the Nurse's supplies while I dug around in the administration terminal still glowing on its own power.

"Morning Announcements--

Welcome to another wonderful day of learning students! I know we're all excited for Nightmare Night, but let's leave our costumes at home until then if you please. Also a reminder, no outside food is permitted without a signed waiver by your parents. We're lucky to be one of very few test schools for our delicious 'Fluffer Batter', telling all the smart ponies of the Ministries what your favorite flavors are is our little part for the war effort, so remember to cast your vote today!"

The voice that played reminded me of my own teacher Mrs. Patience, a practiced matronly tone belonging to the principal of the place. By the amount of golden prewar bits and gems Val hauled out of the safe in her office, I somehow doubted she was as nice though. The slavers used this space, but nopony had gotten in it before Val's talented claws cracked the safe, and school administrators didn't make that kind of money. Bribes... Institute bribes.

After the audio file of the kindly sounding mare, it looked like the slavers had been using this terminal for their own purposes. A ledger of mares, stallions and foals, notes on where they were 'procured', wasteland accounting of paying Gunners for new slaves, getting paid by various clients for sending them out. A shipment was due at Summerset Plantation today actually... interesting.

I stuck my head in the nurse's station to check on Jade, worried at her paler color as she read another terminal in here, one belonging to the school nurse. I doubted it had been locked by the way her worried blue eyes scanned the screen, looking up with a start when I coughed quietly. "I... I believe I know why there are so many of these creatures here Fast... read..."

Nurse Willow's Log - 23020

Documenting my objections to this Fluffer Batter nonsense, heading right for the Ministry of Peace hub if I think my little ponies are in any danger whatsoever, as instructed by my superiors, not the MoM and certainly not those cold shoulder scientists from C.I.A.T. installing the things. Had a spike in tummy ache visits, but willing to go along with that just being some students going overboard, the stuff is very sweet. Advising we limit the allowed intake or number of days per week it's available for lunch.

Nurse Willow's Log- 23024

This is ridiculous! Mrs. Lecturn not only ignores my suggestions when I'm the health expert, she's doing the exact opposite! Encouraging eating that glop every day, voting on flavors they keep adding, now I catch wind of this insane memo! No outside food? Not even for faculty no less?! I understand Ministry Mare Fluttershy's hopes for the project, food shortages will become more and more of an issue as this awful war drags on and we're the only ones thinking of things like that, but I don't like any of this at all.

Nurse Willow's Log- 25219

Worst. Day. Ever. Now I know I don't trust that glop or that school, but I'm not sure what I can even do about it. As if the biggest fear of every school nurse coming true wasn't enough, this on top of it...

Freak accident on the playground, little Custard Tart fell off the slide in just the perfect wrong way and... He was gone before I got there, gone the second he hit the ground to be honest, but I still blame myself. Kept it hidden from the kids, floated him right out and kept up my brave face, talking and smiling like he was fine, took him to my exam room, locked the door and cried out in my office while the parents and authorities were called.

Might have magicked a few apples for teacher into a nip of apple whiskey at my desk, so I didn't think anything of it at first. But... I heard him moving in there and I knew... I knew he was gone! I checked, double checked, triple, quadruple, quintuple checked! My hoof was shaking reaching for that door and I swear I heard a growl, then like magic those eggheads from the school are in my office and shoving me out, to the Pinks who were waiting.

I yelled and screamed when they went in, hung on the doorway and saw that scary looking buck crack the door, then there was that funny zap noise, like all the kids make playing Space Captain Andromeda, and I got bucked in the face! Kept me out of my own exam room for hours, carried the bodybag out just as the parents arrived. Funny too, how'd the MoM and their research partners get here before the parents? Why'd they get called at all?

I know why. I lied... That stallion made it seem like a really good idea, but I saw that exam room before they made it all spic and span again. Purple slime all over the table where little Custard was... grape was his favorite flavor...

Going to the MoP. After I go home and finish a whole bottle of apple whiskey, then a few more.

I staggered out of the little office with Jade at my side, trying to make this new piece fit with all the others and thinking aloud as we joined the others numbly. "If you die... it turns you into one?"

"The children here were on a steady diet of it Fast, but I believe so. Harmless enough without radiation to cause the reaction, but a timebomb when the victim perishes." Jade nodded sadly, getting a glance from Witchy and Val, but Zed's complete attention.

The zebra sniffed at one of our more recent attackers and grunted in response. "I hoped I was wrong. There are alchemical herbs and potions that cause the creation of an undead, when applied to a corpse properly by a trained witch doctor. The whiff of necromancy was faint but fresh though. Not the first time ponies have meddled with dark magic they should have left alone."

Val tromped out to the open entryway outside the offices, taking a look at all the blood and carnage with fresh eyes and scratching her head in thought. "Soooo... All these slimy fuckers infestin' the place, didn't come from outside? They're all..."

"The slavers, I believe so Valkyrie." Jade's answer stunned her, but not for the same reasons.

"Meanin' some nut came an' wiped all these bastards out last night!? They gotta die ta turn into all these things right? So who's the crazy fucker killing all the slavers? Hell wanna shake his hoof after this, mighty impressive!" Val's crazy grin didn't make me feel better about whatever had done this.

"Maybe it was raiders? A group? Or the Institute?"

She jingled her pockets in reply, drawing attention to all the loot she had taken out of here so far. "Raiders raid for stuff boss, or ponies, or fun, but they don't just leave good booze and drugs layin' around. No energy weapons fire so probably not no synth hit squad. Guess it might'a been more than one, but seen this kinda thing before. Take away everyone and everything someone cares about, they can get pretty determined to do some serious damage an' not care what happens to them. Risk of being a slaving asshole, sometimes karma comes knockin'. Still impressive, somebody took these assholes apart, from the front door in."

"Someone strong..." Witchy added, tilting her head and staring up at the ceiling, a bloody, pony-shaped dent dripped down before her hooves.

Jade wiped a dirty old fire drill map by the door off and tapped it impatiently, pointing out the quickest route to the gym. "Someone who killed all the slavers, but did not free their captives. A dangerous degree of cruelty with no thought to the innocent, let us hope it has not cost more lives than just the slavers here."

Much as I agreed with laying waste to this place and the ironic fate suffered by those who ran it, she was right. Without caring about the slaves in need of rescue, this was little more than raiding with less purpose, violence for its own sake, revenge if Val was right. We had to do better than that.

"I hope so too, let's go."

The amount of multicolored slime spattered against the bent steel doors ahead kind of killed most of my optimism, the growls and snarls ahead digging a deep hole to bury it in. The doors had been barricaded from the other side, but the couple dozen red dashes on E.F.S. wouldn't have been held back by the rusting barrier long.

Before despair took over, I started picking up clumps of green, pairs or trios of friendly dashes moving together back and forth, scattered in the echoing room beyond. Creeping forward with Zed let us peek in to the gloomy light filtering in from the holes and dirty glass in the roof, a disgusting and macabre scene that made me agree with Jade more.

Rickety wooden bleachers along one wall had been folded out and cobbled into cages, along with a pair of large freestanding conglomerations of chain link and scrap. The green marks weren't in any of these... puddles of pastel glop were piled at the bars, along with barding and weaponry that wouldn't fit through the narrow spaces, the slimy zombies they were originally attached to however, did.

Inside each of these were dripping pony shaped sludge monsters, milling around or gnawing on bits of bone or meat, no way of telling if those were all slaves or slavers, they were equals now. The only bright spot were the smaller cages swinging gently from chains strung up in the rafters, a few terrified and pitiful slaves sat in each, hooves dangling to the snapping monsters underneath them.

I caught the eyes of one dirty orange buck and held a hoof up at his widening stare, begging for silence and getting a scared nod back. Ok... lots of zombies... big room... metal cages... I made the shushing gesture to the colt again and tapped my pip-buck, I hoped he got the old world sign for time, but it wasn't like I saw a lot of ponies wearing watches out in the wasteland.

He just had to hold on a second, the slavers work gave me something I could use and I had just the griffon to help me, running back to her and giving a determined look to Val. "Ok, think I got an idea, I need you to do what you do best Val."

"Kick ass? Blow shit up? Light stuff on fire? Look awesome doin' it boss?" She grinned back and I tried to soften the blow that was sure to come for Jade with a bit of tired humor.

"Be loud."

The zombies had all congregated where food was, either slop in the cafeteria or fresh pony here, but fairly listless without a way to reach the slaves. Having a blazing red griffon come swooping in and lobbing 25mm grenades all over the place got them nice and riled up, all looking away from the swinging cages at Val weaving her way through them.

Once she had blown the bleachers cage to burning tinders and was sure she had their attention, Val did as asked and landed atop the bigger of the two cages out on the rotting wooden gym floor, stomping up and down on the bars, bashing her unlit Shishkebab against the metal and hurling insults, making herself the center of attention for the horde smooshing against the cage to try oozing up to her.

Jade was already prancing anxiously now that she saw those she could help inside, held back by Zed and Witchy a safe distance back, while I hid in the shadows of the door waiting. Even Val looked a tad nervous as the numerous creatures started oozing together and inching their way up the bars, igniting her flaming sword and slashing back a ropy tendril of gunk reaching for her.

"Anytime now boss!" She screeched and hacked another charred hunk of swirling, multicolored blob.

"NOW VAL!"

As soon as her paws left the metal surface, I unloaded the strongest blast of lightning I could conjure, the rusty bars conducting the blast and making it glow white hot as I poured it on. What was left was a bit of nightmare sculpture, a smoking and brittle crust of cooked zombies frozen in their snarling pursuit, but that got almost all of them.

While we finished the stragglers, Jade had already flown up to the cages, speaking soothingly and healing what wounds she found, though these were at least in marginally better shape than the ones left out in the rain. Once the last immediate threat was gone, I traced the chains back to the winches to raise and lower them, bringing them down for Val's claws to get to work.

They were quiet and timid, obviously shaken but no wiser than we were as to what happened. A golden middleaged mare was answering Jade as well as she could when I trotted up, "We didn't see much of anything till those things broke in, then... s-saw more than we wanted to."

"A-Are you really the Shrouded Stallion Mister? T-The real one like on the radio, come ta save us from the monsters?" The young colt I had met eyes with galloped up once his cage was opened, skidding to a halt at a safe, wary distance just in case.

"That's me, see the Princess kiddo? Don't worry, we're getting you out of here ok? Can you tell us what happened here?"

His red maned head bobbed rapidly, gushing out what little he knew. "Rain came in, then all the lights went out, we heard lots of guns and stuff, Pillory locked the doors when she came in to hide, but those things got in anyway, then they... t-the others..."

Jade wrapped a wing around the shivering colt and nuzzled him gently, trying to hide the view he must have spent hours watching up there. "Ssshhh, it is alright now. We will leave this awful place immediately if there is no one else to save."

Pointing over to a metal door off to the side labeled 'Equipment Room', the older mare shrugged with disdain. "Pillory Lock, asshole in charge of this place. Like little Reed said, locked himself in there and left us to our fate, jabbering about shadows and demons coming after him. Was alive when he went in anyway."

My eyes burned looking at the door and I started stomping that way as soon as she said 'in charge', a slaver, the king of this little shit mountain... I wanted a talk with him, now. Val joined me in time to start working the lock, but both of us were stopped by Jade shoving her weight around to block us and rap lightly on the door.

"Excuse me... Pillory? Do not be afraid, the creatures are gone... it is alright to come out now..." Jade's kind voice made Val and myself groan and pout together, I didn't want to make nice with the coward, I wanted to drag him out of there and stick him in one of his cages, then decide where to go from there.

A long minute passed without a peep, Jade trying twice more and getting no response to my increasing frustration. Finally she sighed and held a hoof up sternly before moving aside. "Be better. That includes giving even such a foul pony a chance, do not simply shoot at the first thing you see please? We are not like whomever did all this, are we?"

"Nooooo...." I was forced to agree through gritted teeth, waving Val to open the door with her pistol drawn and ready. We wouldn't shoot first then, but one chance was all he was getting.

Turns out he didn't need it. After Val checked first, she moved aside and showed the small storage room beyond, wire mesh cages and shelves that once held balls for playing games and other toys now held shackles and chains. In the very back, cowering behind stacked crates and a big flamer propped up on them, was a dead stallion.

Greyish purple with a white mane, leather armor and somewhat well kept clothing, slowly getting saturated by cream colored goop sweating from his pores. A dozen empty Med-X needles were scattered around his little nest he hid in, he had opted out the most peaceful way possible, delaying his death and only on his way to changing into one of the slimy undead.

The few slaves who craned their necks to get a view gasped at the sight of their former master, his eyes blank whites rolled up in his head and slimy foam on his muzzle. Jade turned to hide the sight and comfort them, but the mare cut off her consolations. "We're glad he's dead Princess, seen plenty, one more body ain't nothing to us. That ain't the creepy part..."

"Creepy part?" I asked curiously, Med-X overdose was a pretty tame way to go, if it weren't for the slime the pale buck would look almost serene compared to most wasteland deaths.

The little colt Reed finished for her, head low to the ground to peer between Jade's long legs. "He's pale Mister Shroud..." Yes... a rather pale lilac coat and perfectly white mane, still wasn't seeing the problem. I raised an eyebrow and gestured for him to continue hopefully.

When he did I gave my own gasp, staring into his wide green eyes and seeing only honest surprise. "He wasn't when he went in there, bright purple and a a dark blue mane."

Val gave a long, low whistle to fill the stunned silence, torching the corpse with her red M.E.W. and clapping her claws heartily. "Now I really wanna meet the badass that did this, never met anybody that actually turned a pony's mane white before. Heard of one ol' pony that ran into a sleepin' dragon's lair ta get outta a rad storm gettin' that reaction, but ain't never seen it though. We're lookin' fer allies and what not boss, the crew or thing that did this, that's who we should get!"

"I do not think that is the kind of help we want Valkyrie. Alright, come everypony, let us put this awful place far behind us." Jade gave a little shiver and led the way back to the crowd of slaves gathering cautiously, speaking to each frightened question in turn.

Her priorities never wavered, making me wish we could meet whatever did this too and have a chat ourselves. All the dead slavers saved us a lot of trouble, but if we made it first, so many slaves could have been saved instead of the hoofful we trudged away with. Another failure, we had been striking out left and right on this horrible trip, only on our second day. This hadn't been about doing good, it had been about blood and there was way too much, guilty and innocent alike.

Even at my worst, I hoped I wasn't like that, resolved again to not become like that. This is what happened when that dark whisper in my head was free to revel in hate, I wasn't going to be that way, no matter how hard it was.

The slaves helped immensely when we walked out of the gym doors and back to the front of the school, pointing the way to a crumbling old county garage where the school buses were stored and serviced. Long yellow carriages built for holding a couple dozen foals had been a convenient way to haul the slaver's wares around.

Now they gave us an easy way to deal with a dozen weak slaves and I was grateful the slavers kept them up, plus I could see another use for it in the future, after we got these poor ponies back to Jamocha Plains. My tools came out in a cloud and started stripping every unnecessary bit of weight from the conveyance as possible, no need for chains or manacles anymore, every ounce counted to get this thing airborne.

Jade won more awed reverence by stepping right to the harness and immediately expanding it out to fit her broad chest, refusing to hear any word against it using logic against me. "I am stronger than you are Fast, a better flier as well, if we run into trouble I am best staying with our passengers while you are best defending me. Is that not so my little Knight?"

Grumbling about it wouldn't change her mind, so I stayed on her tail the whole way back, adding my own telekinesis to hers in lightening the load as much as possible. Her pale blue magic mingled with my darker and we made a dim cyan lantern in the gloomy sky, making stately progress back to the glow of the settlement ahead, the others circling the old bus defensively.

Stopping at the crashed bus and ruined subdivision let us add Muddy Mire and a couple more slaves still holding out hope for us. Plus it let me quickly start stripping everything of any use off the wrecked bus, I was running low on spare parts and used up my last levitation talisman, but a few hearty bucks got the old lift system on our bus to kick on again, making the trip back easier as long as the spark cells could hold out.

With the reduced strain, we made better time and arrived in Jamocha Plains a little after noon, met in the park at the center of the walled town by Glitter, Ivy and Cocoa herself charging out of the auction house. The leader of the small community was kind and true to her word about disliking slavery, sorting out the small number of rescues we managed, sending them off with her loyal townsfolk to be dried off and fed.

Glitter and Ivy told us their dickering went well, the little filly actually looking impressed at her competition as Cocoa spoke with all the slaves. Talking about numbers and caps, quickly losing my interest and letting me check over the bus again now that it was empty, thinking of how I hoped to use it.

The husky voice of Cocoa sneaking down the aisle of rotting seats sent me flapping straight up in surprise, bashing my head on the already dented roof to her soft snickers. "Sorry! Peace, I promise, I won't mess with you anymore, for now.... it is so much fun though. A terrible shame what happened, but at least you saved some hmm? That just leaves Summerset Plantation, if you really can manage it, and I think we have an alliance Mr. Times."

"Ow... g-glad to hear it. You and Glitter get along ok? She likes you, never hear her speak of somepony she's haggling against with such respect." I stuffed a hoof in my hat to unflatten it and tried to keep a safe distance from the gorgeous mare, fighting my wings in the enclosed space.

She smiled and looked out the dirty windows at the little filly splashing in mud puddles outside, nodding as she took a seat. "It's mutual, reminds me of myself at her age, you're going to have your hooves full Mr. Times. She's already a master using those puppy dog eyes and overall cuteness, wait till she learns the grownup versions. Though at least she has a better dad than I did, I doubt she'll learn nearly as early."

"Oh... n-not if I can help it, no. I'm er... sorry that happened to you, I heard rumors, about where your dad made you work, and... other stuff."

I took a seat across from the mysterious mare arching a lidded eye my way, wiggling in her seat and sighing softly. "I'm sure you have. Miss Ivy was curious enough, if we're going to be ...friends, I suppose you deserve the truth instead of what gossiping mouths have to say. I'm not sorry about working there though, I learned a trade and got good, met a family of girls I care about and trust, helped protect this town. Would you like to know what happened to my father? The former leader?"

"Umm... ok, glad you trust me, I heard silly rumors that you..."

"I killed him." Cocoa finished for me, making it a statement of fact instead of rumor and shrugging.

"W-Why?" was all I could manage, stunned at the casualness of the comment.

"For the same reason I trust you, even before I decided to actually trust you. You hate the Institute like nopony else right? The radio's always been clear on that. I say I killed him, but what I killed wasn't really my father, he was a worthless, drunken old bastard that only cared for caps and staying independent. Then one day he's totally different, sobers up, starts making plans, plotting with others... I'm veeeery good at what I do though Fast, and you stallions all get so silly and talkative when you're done, found out things I wasn't supposed to. He was going to let the slavers in, start selling my girls, so I killed him. Then he melted." Cocoa's voice never rose, keeping that soft, demure tone as she actually spoke to me for more than five minutes without deliberately trying to seduce me.

"A synth?"

A hard little smile curled her muzzle as she nodded, "A synth. Not that I knew beforehoof. Not the only one either. Also not exactly easy to root them all out in the scramble to replace him that followed, but as I said.... I am very, very good at what I do. It left us a bit shorthoofed and me with a bit of a reputation, but free, from everypony. The gals running things now are ones I grew up with, maybe some aren't quite up to their jobs like poor 'Doctor' Creme, but I trust them all completely. Now we're trusting you too, try not to let us down, ok cutie?"

"I'll try, I promise. Let's hope taking the Plantation place goes better than this did, I er... have a plan this time at least."

Those sparkling brown eyes lit with merriment and made my wings twinge, but honestly done instead of forced, which somehow made her prettier as she mused. "Oh? Your filly has told me a little about your 'plans', should I be scared of this one?"

I gave an only slightly fang-y grin and waved to the rusty old bus around us, looking out to the few Jamocha Plains guards gearing up to take Summerset Plantation with us. "Nah, we're just making a delivery, no problem..."

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

Pathfinder----------
---At least you're getting better at flying with all this running around! Travel time to remote locations in the Equestrian Wasteland is reduced by 25%. The drain on sky carriage spark batteries is likewise reduced.

Reputation Change!--------------------

Jamocha Plains-- Liked
---Of course the only success so far on your diplomacy tour needs more help than they can really give in a fight with the Gunners. But friendship is its own reward right? Dealing fairly and honestly with the charming ruler of Jamocha Plains has earned you an ally with her own talents, along with the truth of what happened there.