"Daddy? How's this?" Glancing up from the disassembled guts of Jade's gamma gun on the workbench in the Tinker-Tribe's domain, I looked over to where Glitter had been creatively applying hotglue and metallic spray paint and smiled at her latest masterwork.

I had helped fabricate the rough, heart shaped hunk of metal and snipped lead aprons she was holding up proudly. It gave me a chance to practice transformation magic, my plodding progress through the spellcraft primers from Diamond City actually brought me far enough to not only be able to cast the advanced spell, but to not explode the component materials in the process.

I would never have thought I'd ever learn spells of such complexity at this age, but somehow I had nearly made it through all the books we bought back in the Great Green Jewel. I could almost be considered prepared to take the entrance exam for Celestia's school for unicorn foals in Canterlot now.

Beyond functionality however, everything had been made at Glitter's direction and I gave my honest praise to all the artistic flairs she had added. "That looks awesome sweetie, I'm sure Aunt Swan will love it."

Telling the bored filly I wanted to build something for Swan gave my daughter a project to keep busy and work on together before things got dangerous. I had only thought of something to carry around one of Swan's radioactive balefire apples for her, so she could keep drawing rads from it over time. Beyond something convenient she could wear and open like Jade's lead lined box when she needed, I hadn't considered aesthetics, which my little filly assured me was much more important than I seemed to be taking it.

Letting her fix my own 'boring' idea that didn't take into account the critically serious business of being pretty also let us spend time with each other, something I wanted to make time for no matter the risks to come, or because of them. Everyone was already starting on the earliest stages of our rough plan, but until the first steps were done we had time and seeing the little filly so happy was the best way to spend it I could see.

Hiding out in Motool town with all the Tinker-Tribe breezies had the added benefit of being calming and quiet too. Who knew when I'd have an opportunity to work with so many spare parts and tools again, the gremlins of the Flutter Forest made us feel welcome and let me have access to as much of their 'collection' as I wanted. It gave me the chance to make sure all of our weapons and armor were in the best shape possible before we left, along with working on a few projects.

When I was done, Jade's gamma gun should be several times more powerful and last a good deal longer for one thing. The rusty old ambulance nearby was actually capable of flight again for another, meaning Jade would have her very own Followers ambulance to haul the first shipment of potions and healing supplies back to Castle Equinox in. I did leave the sloppily applied white paint and cute pink butterfly and cross symbol to Glitter's discerning eye though. I had also put the finishing touches on one of the breezie's miniature train cars designed for ponies to ride the hub transport, making sure Jade got her ride as promised, along with any of her sisters like Ivy who might want to indulge.

I got the idea my daughter had things on her mind too. Glitter's mood was mostly upbeat as usual, but those pink eyes sparkling back would cloud with thought occasionally, as they were now. I assumed part of it was probably preparing to leave the Breezie Nation, every time we spent awhile somewhere and she settled in, we ended up leaving again and throwing things in the air for the filly.

I hated that she had to keep moving and knew a proper parent was supposed to do things like provide stability for their kids, not wander around the wasteland and continually put them in danger... Glitter loved staying in the hub with all her fairy friends, just like she had been happy barking orders at amused Minutemares in Castle Equinox, running the streets of Goodneighbor with the Filchers and learning things she shouldn't, going to school with kids her own age in Diamond City, having her own room and home back in Sanctuary...

She always bounced back and got over leaving somewhere, but it always hurt too. I wanted to stop putting her through this over and over, the fact she'd have little brothers and sisters all too soon only made that desire more imperative too. Glitter was at least a tough little survivor and used to moving around even before I adopted her, a baby though... let alone babies... They needed security and stability, some kind of a plan for a real life, not just randomly lurching from one fight or clue to the next.

"Glitter honey... Mommy's friend from outside, Velvet, she told me I was being selfish and I needed to let others handle stuff like this. She wanted us to go where she is, a fancy place outside the Commonwealth, away from the Institute... somewhere safe for you and mom and your little brothers and sisters when they come. I hadn't asked you about it yet, but is that something you'd want? No more moving around so much? No fighting and running away?"

The hopeful, happy look she blinked back with made me wince internally, but I asked and wanted her opinion. I wasn't going to influence it with a sour face or try to nudge her into saying what I wanted to hear. "Somewhere we could stay? Really daddy?"

"Really. She had a point, it's not fair packing you all over the place like this. You seem a little sad leaving the hub, so I should have asked sooner. I can't make any promises, but you're a member of this family, you get a say in things too."

Glitter's wide eyes sparkled a moment, glistening with moisture having it made clear she and how she felt mattered. She opened her mouth in a wide smile, but paused and flicked her gaze up in thought instead of blurting out the first thought she had. It made me proud to see such consideration and intelligence working under her furrowed brow, but a little sad too.

That was a filly thinking grown up thoughts, not just whatever she truly wanted. "Umm... what about Grandma and Grandpa though? An' Uncle? If we left... who'd find them? How would you ever find out if Great Grandpa was good or not either?"

"We have a lot of friends here now, I'm sure they'd help sweetie. That's not for you to worry about, I just want to know what you want. It's ok to tell me anything."

"Would it be close?" Glitter again looked happy to be reassured and considered, but was wiser than her years and squinted at me suspiciously. Considering she had gotten as good as her mother when it came to figuring out if I was fibbing, I didn't have much room for anything other than the truth.

"I don't know, Manehatten's far away if we went there, maybe they'd send us somewhere else though. Velvet wasn't very clear on that. It could be anywhere, but we'd be together and she said it would be safe."

"But! If it's far... what about Aunt Swan? an' Peri? an' Ivy? What about their babies? Or all our friends back home? All the nice ponies we met? Would Auntie Val an' Zed an' Witchy come with us? Would we ever come back and visit?" What started out as worry started ratcheting up towards a panicky jabbering that made me rush over, hugging her tightly and stroking her mane soothingly.

"Glitter, it's alright. I know moving around is hard, that's why I asked. It'd be one more move, but then we wouldn't anymore. I'm sure we could visit and I'd want everybody with us too, but I don't know any specifics. I didn't say we had to go either, I just wondered what you thought. Er... sounds like you don't like the idea so much though..."

Catching her breath, Glitter thought on it one more time before giving a nervous shake of her head and whinny. "No... I don't think so daddy. I don't like leaving behind places so much I guess, but we're always close . I don't think I'd want to go somewhere far away. This is home, I'm ok so long as you an' mommy are always with me. Is that ok?"

Planting a kiss on her forehead, I nodded in relief to her. "Of course it's ok sweetie, whatever you feel is ok, what makes you happy is important. Besides... you're definitely not getting away from me that easy!"

Latching on to her hindlegs and giving a mock growl, I tickled her with my feathers and laughed with the squealing filly trying to struggle away. When she whooped in air and yelped for help, I had the tables turned by a flock of breezies watching the fun, helping the foal pin me down and tickle back with a swarm of delicate wings. Despite the twinge of pain between my eyes that came every time I felt their wings lighting on me like that, the simple joy of playing with my daughter made it unimportant.

I got the idea the breezies would miss us too and felt a little better at Glitter's attitude over the parting. We might keep going all over the Commonwealth, but we were never too far and we always made new friends like she said. If we hadn't, the cloud of tiny fairies attacking at her direction would still be hidden and alone themselves out here. They'd certainly never throw themselves at a 'beeg-pony' so fearlessly, even in something as simple as a tickle battle.

Flapping my wings and giving a careful full body shake managed to throw them off gently enough and I stalked after the gasping filly trying to get away that they were playfully guarding. The wide, breathless grin spreading on her flushed face widened as I closed in, just before she gave a bright yell and pointed a foreleg at me with a whooping battlecry. "Get'im Auntie Val!"

I had enough time to turn around and see the obfuscating cloud of breezies part with squeaky giggles, making way for the bright red and orange merc to tackle me and grab my hindlegs in her claws, hanging me upside down for Glitter, herself and all the breezies to attack en masse.

By the time Val let me thump to the floor and sat down beside us, my ribs ached from laughing so hard and the griffon kicked at me idly with a paw. "Outflanked by a filly boss! Yer pop fell fer classic diversionary tactics, good stra-tee-gery kiddo!"

"W-Where... would... s-she ha-have learned to be so d-devious I wonder V-Val..." I wheezed back, looking up to her innocent whistling and chuckling with a twinge of disappointment. If Val was back then what time we had to play was running short...

"Not from me, dunno what yer implyin' boss! Must be from all the sneaky breezies, you should'a seen 'em out there!" Val swatted me with her tail and yanked me back up to my hooves with a grin. Her voice was light and easy, but she winked to the flock of Tinker-Tribe that had returned with her, reminding me of her deadly serious errand in case I needed it.

"Is it going ok so far then Val? We ready for the next steps?"

The manic gleam in Val's violet eyes made me hopeful as I quietly counted the Tinker-Tribe commandos that had gone with her out to the forest, all present and accounted for. "It was friggin hilarious boss! All them fancy tanks and APCs o' theres ain't worth a fart in the wind versus a squad of these little buggers! Thought they'd just take a leisurely sunday drive through the forest, ha! Half a dozen pieces of heavy armor all goin' tits up put a real crimp in their day so far! Course them hellhounds poppin' up when they tried gettin' out ta fix em didn't hurt neither!"

"Bad soldiers no breeng beeg machines tu Breezie Nation Fast Shroud, ve breaky gud!" A sweaty Tinker chieftan Tingle Smoke grinned as his tribe cheered their success. The 'Gremlins' of the Flutter Forest had repelled yet another invasion, meaning things were on track for the next stages of our plan.

"Great job, all of you. Now to pick up where you left off and make sure they never try this again. Ready to help me fix a few last things with the Brotherhood before I leave?"

"Ve fixy! Ve like fixy as much as breaky now Fast Shroud, ve miss repair-pony teachy us so many tings!" Tingle and his tribe took a bow together, holding their little sharpened screwdriver spears, wrench staffs, deepwell sockets worn like power hooves and other tools up in salute.

Collecting Jade's radiation weapon and quickly slotting in the casing containing the new balefire apple power supply, I gave a low bow back and smiled wistfully to all my comrades in tools. "I'll miss teaching you guys what I know too, but you're already well on your way to being proper repair-breezies, keep learning from everypony we leave behind. Take special care of Ivy's bratty little orphan Wicket for me too when he gets here. Don't tell him I said so, but he's got talent, so you can teach each other a lot."

Glitter wasn't the only one who'd miss staying here, and they wouldn't just miss her either. I caught a lot of tiny sniffles and brave nods back from the Tinker Tribe, but they put all that aside to foist more spare parts into my hooves and follow us out towards the hub's shield and the buzz of activity outside. We were all repair crew with a job to do, my little gremlin friends were ready to see it done with us.

The area surrounding the stump shaped admittance building outside the hub's shields had become a hive of activity. A variety of Brotherhood and Minutemare tents were set up in a makeshift command post around the entrance, ringed by rusty liquid tanker train cars and Vertibuck's in the process of being modified to handle the next phase. As I tracked down the Brotherhood mare Proctor Candygram directing her own crew of repair ponies with military precision, I caught sight of the minotaur hunters of Salt Lick returning with a variety of corpses from the forest to be butchered too, so everything was coming together well.

I was glad the Brotherhood of Friendship's head engineer was good at her job and clever, requiring little more than the basic gist of what I wanted to get right to work and making progress at a rapid clip. Using the spare jet engines added to the Vertibucks assigned to this mission as huge vacuums wasn't all that difficult, but I realized most of the scribes busily working at it had never seen a proper old world pest control pony, so didn't understand what I had asked for.

Proctor Candygram was a connoisseur of old world tech though, she had run into the much smaller equipment to suck up swarms of twittermites and other pests before, scaling it the concept up to capture a cloud of breezidores wasn't hard to get across to her. Working with her let me get a closer look at her odd power armor frame too, complimenting her on the modifications that allowed her to walk on her withered hindlegs, what would have been a career if not life ending injury when she was younger.

I did have to put up with some griping about stealing away one of her most talented scribes in Summer Wind, but it seemed fairly good natured ribbing. Candygram understood why she left the Brotherhood and couldn't blame her, I got the idea she just liked seeing me sputter and turn red at her teasing that Summer left to "Go follow after a cute buck first and a Princess second.".

Seeing she and the others had things well in hoof, I retreated from Candygram's snickering and toured the staging area nervously. The Fauna-Tribe and minotaurs were helping to work with the variety of heavy hides and leathers, roughly patching together thick protective gear to cover the areas left exposed by the Brotherhood pilot's power armor.

None of the pegasi in the sleek black and red trimmed power armor looked like they enjoyed having the patchwork additions added, but impressing on them all that just a single scratch from a breezidore would be enough to send them crashing got them to put up with it. Jade and her Followers were passing out recently filled vials of Addictol to all of them too as a precaution. We agreed the Brotherhood didn't need to know the Willowheart tribe breezies helping to pass the little green bottles out were actually the ones who made the stuff. Disguising the origins of the miraculous drug as artificially made Addictol was a good idea 200 years ago, it still was now.

Zed was helping haul out the impressive supply of repellent he and Scribe Blossom had been brewing steadily and distributing it to the squad of power armored Knights outside the big command tent. The environmentally sealed Steel Ranger armor made them impervious to risk from the breezidores, so all they had to do was help corral the little pests in the right direction and I wasn't too worried about their part.

Ducking in to the command tent let me look over the tattered map Elder Macson and Preston were eyeing critically, moving little pieces of junk representing their forces and the incoming enemies and arguing about timetables. Two clusters of caps, bottles and other junk were closing on the valley of the Ministry of Peace hub from the north and south like the a pair of scissors.

The group showing the Gunner's estimated positions was bigger and had a lot of heftier pieces of junk to represent the tanks and vehicles arrayed against us. Several of these were already tipped on their side and left behind the main force though, Val, the gremlins and the hellhounds had already been wreaking havoc out in the woods, whittling away at the enemy.

Checking over the map again, I stared at an unmarked spot on the edge of the Glowing Sea and double checked my own pip-buck map. No reason to let everyone know about that little plan yet, but the griffon prowling protectively two steps behind me should be happy. For now I let her go wander off into trouble with Glitter, hopefully keeping them both from getting bored while I attended to one last unpleasant detail before we left.

Following the faded signs inside the hub, I made my way towards the isolation wards alone, my steps slowing and getting heavier the closer I got. Blowing Storm and a detachment of Securi-Tribe breezies guarded the door I arrived at eventually, but made way and let me enter without question. The security breezies had been pretty dubious about letting anyone in the hub to begin with, but they actually looked excited and ...fulfilled. For the most part, running security for the Ministry of Peace had been quiet and calm for ages. They still regarded everything from outside with suspicion, but looked like they enjoyed doing their job and keeping a close eye out for any potential threat.

Not that the pitiful mare behind the glass of Isolation Room #3 was much of a threat... True Blue's head spun from the corner she had been sulking in when I came in, holding her foreleg to her chest and hiding it with a wince as I trudged up to the glass. One thing to be thankful for here, the complicated runework etched in the walls and glass barrier separating us did what I hoped, all outside magical influence was negated in here, the sad mare looking back was True Blue herself, not Vega...

"Hi Lt. Blue... umm... are you ok in there?"

She sniffled and peeked up from behind her bangs, the hub had stripped all her Minutemare gear away when it teleported her here, so she couldn't even hide under her hat. "G-General... I'm fine, no... I'm not fine, but I'm comfortable I guess. I'm so sorry sir..."

Sighing and taking a seat in front of the glass, I took my own hat off and waved off her apology. "True... it's alright. You didn't know right? Nopony really does I guess, I'm sorry we have to lock you up in there, but so long as you're inside, the Institute can't take control of you again. Is there anything we can do for you for now?"

The miserable look she returned convinced me more than any protestations or arguing she could have come up with. True Blue's eyes welled up with tears and she held her foreleg out, unable to do more than peek at the offending appendage as she answered in a croak. "I-It doesn't hurt... b-but can someone do something about this? A-At least if it wasn't sticking out, I could pretend I was a real pony a little..."

The curved blade jutting from her foreleg was covered in her own dried blood, though no fresh fluid was leaking onto it at least. Her voice was so sad and small just acknowledging it, I felt terrible for her, and hated Vega even more for using her. The question of what to do with her and the much less cooperative and likable Brotherhood synth next door was a pretty uncomfortable one, especially since she was honestly shocked to find out she had been a synth the whole time.

"True, try not to talk like that, you are a real pony. It's not your fault how you were born, but I've met other synths that are as real as you and me. We're going to find a way to help you, somehow... just don't give up hope."

"Real?! L-Look at me sir! I'm one of those... those things! I'm a robot doll! Everything about me is a lie! My life, my folks, my home in Hangmare's Alley, everything! Kind of hard to deny with that bastard just taking me over and leaving this thing sticking out!" Lt. Blue wailed back in fury and pain, holding her foreleg out in accusation as she dissolved into sobs.

"I don't see a thing True, I see a scared filly in a bad place, but a scared pony, not a machine. You don't know everything is a lie either, who knows how long you've been a synth. I bet your folks are real and waiting for you back home. P-Probably don't want to see them again with that poking out though I'm guessing, so why don't we try to fix that first?"

It took a minute for her crying to taper off, when it did she managed to take a shaky breath and look back up to me with that reverent look I had gotten used to seeing from the Minutemare. Normally her adoration made me a little uncomfortable, but anything closer to normal was better.

The hopeful, curious whisper she managed didn't sound so close to breaking at least. "W-Why are you being so nice to me sir? I'm one of them... y-you hate the Institute, don't you hate me too? I m-might have tried to kill you..."

"That wouldn't have been you though, that would have been Vega, who yes... I do hate. You not at all. I er... have my reasons, but let's just say I feel sorta responsible. What you are is a lot less important that who you are, you're still True Blue to me. That body of yours isn't who you are, just what you're in. Since it's your body and you're in charge, try to concentrate and make that blade go back in. I know you can do it, just try."

Screwing her face up with effort, the poor synth glared at the dull crimson blade and a sweat sprang up on her brow as she puffed and cursed at it, distracting herself by continuing. "Y-You're really nice sir... I wish I was strong like you, but I'm just not... I thought I was doing good and became a Minutemare because I wanted to make things better, but I'm really just a spy..."

"You're more than that, you might have never known you were a synth at all if Vega wasn't trying to use you to get to me True. I'm not very strong at all, but I know what it's like to feel like a stranger in your own skin. The Institute messed with me too, right?" Flapping my wings idly to demonstrate, I kept encouraging her painful effort back on her leg and continued after getting a weak chuckle from her. "I had to learn how to deal with a body that wasn't what I was used to, I'm still not very good at it, but it does get easier. I'm sure you can do it too, just think about what you want and make it happen."

She gasped when the curved blade quivered and nearly lost her focus, but redoubled her efforts and seemed to get the hang of it. Finally the deadly weapon built into her leg slid back into place, the pale blue fur of her leg sealing back together immediately.

The wide smile of relief and joy on her face looked a lot better on her than that sad mope and I cheered with her as she pranced in place happily, hugging her foreleg to her chest with a squeal. "It worked! T-Thank you sir! Oh that's so much better!"

"I bet so. Sorry I can't do much more to help, but it's good to see you smile again."

Just mentioning it made that smile slip a bit, though not fading entirely as she answered softly. "Sir? W-What happens to me now? Do I have to stay in here forever? I-If you could learn from me by... b-by taking me apart..."

"Stop. Don't even think that way. You're not some experimental subject to dissect True, no matter what the Brotherhood tries to say about the spy in their own ranks. He's not nearly as cute as you are anyway."

"S-Sir!? C-Cute?" Seeing the filly turn red and squeak was a good sign too, so I didn't think Jade would mind a little flirting to lift her spirits.

"Cute, definitely. I'd never allow anypony to cut up a cute filly just to tinker with either, so rest assured. I'm afraid you'll have to stay in here for now though, it's safe and the breezies have promised to help take good care of you. We're going to try to find the Railroad and see if they can help you more too. They can free synths without locking them up, so you're not going to be a prisoner forever if I can help it. I wish I could do more, better... but we're not abandoning you. I wanted to be sure you heard that from me before we left. You're a real pony True, you're a Minutemare and our friend, and you're not alone, even if it feels that way."

Trotting up to the glass and resting her own hoof on the other side from mine pressed there supportively, True Blue beamed as tears ran down her pink cheeks and she gave a firm nod. She looked down at the etched glass separating us ruefully, giving a tired giggle of frustration and shrugging. "I umm... r-really wish this wasn't in the way sir, a h-hug would be really nice after all that..."

Bowing to our innocent captive with my hat to my chest, I placed the black fedora on my head and tipped it to her. "I'll just have to wait for you to collect I guess, but I will be waiting. So no feeling too bad or lonely until then, ok? You're going to get out of there and be free, I promise. Vega and the Institute are going to pay for using you, that's a promise too."

I hated leaving her locked up like this, a prisoner for the crime of being born a synth.. The best I could do was try to reassure her and do the best I could by her and the other synths of the Commonwealth, for my Grandpa Fin's part in their creation, I felt like I owed her that much. Looking back to her from the door, I admired the brave look she returned, waving with her normal-pony looking foreleg again and smiling brightly.

Her cheer followed me down the hall and gave me the determination to keep my word, putting aside her own fears and pain to yell and stamp her hooves. "Give 'em hell sir! I'll be waiting too!"

A light rap on the huge barn door made me disintangle myself from a lot of sweaty alicorn and stagger over in a rush, peeking out from the creaking door swinging open to find the bright red face of Witchy waiting nervously. Her amber eyes flicked down and saw I was sans armor, turning the poor batpony a brighter crimson as she looked away and stammered in her squeaky voice.

"S-Sorry! E-Everyone's looking for you and the Princess, er... n-not looking s-since we heard... but I got volunteered to go and... t-they're coming Fast, so I must i-interrupt the Princess' p-private time and..." Witchy's fluffy ears kept twitching at the grumbles and whines behind me, perking up at Jade's gasp and several crashes as she looked for her lab coat.

Nearly matching the thestral's blush, I scratched my mane sheepishly and swatted my tail at the big hoof reaching for me she couldn't see. I hadn't really meant to get ponynapped and forced to rush playing around with three beautiful alicorns, really... things just worked out that way somehow... Peri had caught me inside the hub leaving the isolation ward with her new gift, the ancient, illustrated Pony Sutra I found for her in the Treasures of Jamocha Plains. While trying to fend her and all her new ideas off, Swan spotted me and the spacey filly trailing after me insistently and decided her sister had a fine idea she wanted to go along with, before she got all 'icky' as part of the next step of our plan.

I had actually gone to Jade hoping she could convince her sisters to wait until we were all back at Castle Equinox, finding her gleefully riding the Flutter Expess around the breezie capital of Willowheart, giggling and snorting her delight circling the room on the toy train. Rather than save me when her ride ended with a hiss and toot of a tiny train whistle that just made her grin again, my Princess got a very naughty, mischievous look and she ended up agreeing with them instead...

She did at least admonish them we didn't have a lot of time, but was in a playful mood after her ride with our daughter. Plus her own carefully masked nervousness over what was to come was getting to her, and I could always take the time to soothe her if nothing else. It was quite a way to say goodbye to our stay in the Ministry of Peace anyway...

Bucking back with a hindleg to shoo Swan's big hoof back again, I muttered in embarassment to Jade's poor royal guard who had been forced to interrupt us. I hoped only her sharp hearing picked up where we were hiding, but wasn't too sure considering just how loud a giant mare along with her two normal sisters could get.

"Heh... umm... r-right, sorry Witchy. We're coming, are they almost here?"

Along with Witchy's anxious nod, the hub maneframe brought my pip-buck map up in my vision and started displaying red dots marking the two groups closing in on Willowville. That was one reason I didn't feel too bad about taking a little time to spend with the mothers of my foals, the protective computer wouldn't let us get too distracted from ensuring the Breezie Nation was safe.

183 TARGETS CLOSING IN RANGE REPAIR-PONY. ROOT SECTOR PRESSURE HAS REACHED TARGET READING. THE BATPONY IS CORRECT, HAD SHE NOT COME I WOULD HAVE ACTIVATED YOUR ALARM... ENOUGH PRE BATTLE JITTERS AND FOOLING AROUND. NOW IS THE TIME.

Stumbling to the door breathlessly, Jade adjusted her askew tiara and blushed at her guard, tossing her mane and trying to put on a more regal bearing. The effect was somewhat ruined having to turn and swat at Peri with her wings before her blue sister succeeded in dragging me back to the dark barn, but she shook off the lusty giggles coming from the pair of them and put on a stern frown.

"E-Enough both of you! W-We are very busy and I believe we are all as relaxed as we need to be, h-honestly... how I let you convince me to..." Jade nickered her exasperation, laying her ears back against their whines

"They convinced you? Here I thought you convinced me hon... I don't remember them having to try very hard if they did... didn't you say we should all...."

Before I could continue my smirking reply, Jade hugged me to her chest and shoved a hoof in my mouth, giving a crooked grin to Witchy watching me struggle in her grip, her calm, closed eye expression marred by the way one eyelid was twitching as she hissed back from the corner of her mouth. "I am sure I do not know what you are talking about love... T-Terribly sorry Witching dear, we will accompany you out immediately while my sisters compose themselves. One moment please."

Jade's answer caught Witchy in the act of trying to peek around her bulk, her slitted eyes having no problem making out the pair of alicorns pouting as they shuffled up and looked for their scattered belongings. Raising an eyebrow down at her loyal guard made Witchy clench her eyes shut again and spin on the spot, chirping as her leathery wings fluttered nervously. "O-Of course Princess! I'll just w-wait... out here..."

Easing the door shut, Jade let me go to flop to the hay covered floor and wiped her damp brow, hiding in her wings as she cringed against the door and I staggered after my armor. "Oh we are horrible... y-you are both a terrible influence sisters. A P-Princess should not be caught like a schoolfilly right before a dangerous battle with lives at stake... H-Hurry up and get ready!"

"The stuff we're doing is why it's a good idea sister. You were very tense and worried, now you're not, right? I feel lots better anyway..." Peri doffed her tan Minutemare hat and shrugged back calmly, the odd mare never felt embarrassed in the slightest, so didn't see any issue.

Swan just grinned from above her and nodded crazily, not moving to get dressed as her alluring outfit was remaining off anyway. She hoofed at her own article of clothing instead with a demure smile, clearly pleased with the rough necklace wrapped around her long neck that made our pip-bucks chatter every time she opened it. "Me too! I like the breezies barn to play in, I wanted to use it one more time before we left. I had to thank Fast for my pretty present sister. Plus Peri learned lots of fun stuff to try, you sounded like you liked it too... Besides, we wanna have lots of foals, so we have to play lots!"

Jade groaned at her blue and purple sisters blinking back and nodding happily, holding a hoof up between her knitted brow and trying to clear up another of their misconceptions yet again. "Sisters... more mating does not equal more foals... You are both merely doing that because you want to at this point. W-Which is fine... but we have devoted enough time to fun. Now we must get down to business."

Peri and Swan both wore matching pouts, their lower lips stuck out and their ears drooping. Fighting my wings into my trenchcoat, I stood beside Jade and pulled my saddlebags over to root around in as I agreed with her. "She's right, I feel lots better about all this too now, but we can er... c-celebrate more once it's all over. I'm glad you like your present Swan, be sure to thank Glitter too for making it look nice. Here Peri, I didn't have time to make a necklace like Swan's, but I want you carrying one of these balefire apples too and I'm pretty sure you won't eat it anyway. Remember, stay out of danger if you can avoid it, right? You have a b-b-baby to think about, so stick close to Jade and stay safe, both of you."

I had to backpedal from Peri swinging her head down sharply and staring muzzle to muzzle, her bright golden eyes widening with interest when I stammered on her recent good news. "Oh? Are you going to fall on your face again Fast? That was funny, do it again..."

"N-No! I'm not gonna... gonna..."

Having Swan's big hoof push her sister aside so she could poke and nuzzle at me next to her wasn't helping that swimmy feeling fogging my head, nor was the mischievous grin she got bobbing her head along with Peri. "It is! Val told me he did that because of the B word. Baby?"

"S-Stop it! I'm not gonna pass out dammit, t-this isn't funny you two! W-We got lots of important hero type stuff to be doing and..."

"Baby! Peri will have a baby, and Jade will have a baby, and I will... hey funny tree, tell Fast I'm going to have a baby too!" Swan wiggled her rear and swished her tail back and forth merrily, far above her head and forelegs planted in front of me.

I tried to stagger away from her playful grin and the blasted computer decided to chime in verbally, no doubt for my benefit as I couldn't focus on text... "MINIMUM POST COITUS TIME NOT MET FOR POSITIVE TEST RESULT. GIVEN SAMPLE RESULTS AVAILABLE HOWEVER, ESTIMATING A 79% PROBABILITY OF SUCCESSFUL MATING WITH FEMALE SWAN, GIVEN THE NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS..."

"Ba-by! Ba-by! Ba-by!" Swan nudged Peri to take up her sing-songing cheer, following my stumbling escape with heavy hoofsteps shaking dust from the barn rafters.

"That is enough! Stop teasing him, we just got him to stop doing that every time the subject came up! You two think it is amusing, but you did not have to keep waking him up as sister Ivy and I did!" Jade gave a valiant effort, but I could swear I caught her biting her lip and holding in giggles that made her snort uncontrollably, totally ruining her stern orders.

"Ba-by! Ba-by! Ba-by!" Luna help me, the nearest trail of breezies passing by the wavering doorway I was weaving towards had taken up the chant...

"La! La! La! La! C-Can't hear you!"

Stumbling back to the grounds, I shook on my hooves every time Swan and Peri bounced up and down on all four hooves behind me, skipping along with a growing parade of breezies on my tail. Risking a look back just showed how hilarious they all thought it was, even Jade was leaning against the doorway and holding her sides in silent gales of laughter, her red cheeks puffed out and an apologetic look visible past the tears streaming from her sparkling blue eyes.

Trying to face forward nearly sent me tripping over my own hooves as everything started getting grey. With my eyes clenched shut and ears flat, I ran directly into Witchy's tail, not even getting to enjoy the soft cushion halting my momentum. I managed to hook my forelegs over her shoulders when she spun to catch me, dragging my way up her armored chest and pleading up to her blushing face with a grimace.

"H-Help... me..."

Looking over my shoulder to the continuing chant of 'ba-by!', Witchy tilted her head and cocked one fluffy ear cutely. Her sharp little fangs poked out as her slow smile spread, not giving me quite enough warning for her interrogative squeak of a reply. "Baby?"

THUMP!

The sun was starting to set by the time the long train of invaders made their way into the outskirts of Willowville. Stalking them silently from the trees, I smiled at how dirty and bedraggled they looked through the scope of the Last Minute already. Just getting here had resulted in the Gunners losing most of their fancy military vehicles to gremlin sabotage, the exhausted looking crew still moved with military discipline, but they wore a lot of bandages and dirt from a hellish trip through the woods.

That was just the Gunners too, the city dwelling raiders and gangers from Trotson were even worse off when I checked on them. They really thought they'd just take their overwhelming force and march on the defenseless Ministry of Peace with no problems. I doubted many of the Trotson dwellers had spent much time out in the wasteland wilderness, let alone someplace that lived up to the Everfree forest of old.

Grinning maniacally, I flitted from branch to branch silently. The heavily armed griffons patrolling the skies were sharp, and could tear me apart in the open skies, but I was a moving shadow in the gloom of the forest. Further weaking them was the short range radios I kept catching them squawking into furiously, here in the dim glow of the MoP hub, all communications bowed to the will of the Great Tree.

BREEZIES AND NON-COMBATANTS SAFELY EVACUATED... YOU MAY BEGIN AT ANY TIME REPAIR-PONY.

The text in my vision blinked and was replaced my a zoomed in map of the area, a variety of dots filled in for me by the numerous cameras and tiny Cybreezie robots hidden everywhere. The Gunners couldn't communicate, but we could...

Whispering to the little robot attached to my foreleg, I nodded and charged the whining gauss rifle held in my hooves. "Alright, here we go then... Hey, Great Tree... Zephyr. In case I don't get a chance later or anything, you're doing a good job here, your sister would be proud."

I SOMEHOW DOUBT FLUTTERSHY WOULD BE PROUD OF MY PART IN THE LETHAL EXTERMINATION OF INVADERS. THE THOUGHT IS APPRECIATED THOUGH FAST. I WILL CONSIDER IT ONE MORE THING TO ASK HER FORGIVENESS FOR, JUST DON'T MAKE IT YET ANOTHER FAILURE TO TELL HER.

"It won't be, I'm sure she'll understand too... hmmm... I hope she will anyway, or I guess we could both be in trouble. Oh well, can't let fear stop us from trying, right buddy?"

Hoping to both encourage and rattle the still annoying computer, I cast my voice altering spell and scanned the crowd of Gunners moving cautiously through the ruins below, letting the booming voice of the Shrouded Stallion echo through the eerily silent woods.

"GREETINGS EVILDOERS! YOU'VE VENTURED FAR FROM HOME ONLY TO FIND DEATH IN THESE CURSED WOODS, AND I AM IT'S SHROUD!"

The Gunner's didn't spook easy, I had to give them that... The forest was instantly filled with a lot of lead, firing lines of Gunners were shredding ruined buildings in a tight cordon around themselves and aiming up into the canopy, forcing me to mold my compact body into the hollow of my chosen tree and wait for the assault to finally slacken.

Once I could finally peek out again and scan through the enemy ranks, I was impressed again. Val told me Gunner's wouldn't visually identify their commanders for easy sniping, but I hoped one might slip up anyway. The low buzz from the ruins around them gave the Gunners pause anyway, calling for a line of flamer battlesaddle armed infantry to move up and torch any of the pests stirred up by their attack. So they had come prepared for the danger of breezidores waiting here, though thankfully only a dozen or so were armored and armed specifically against the unique danger.

Tapping at my pip-buck and the networked controls the Great Tree was coordinating, I broadcast on all channels and put their disabled communications equipment to better use. My ears flicked at the distant echo of my own growling words coming from every Gunner radio and headset below, while I tried to sound properly menacing and spooky.

"That wasn't very nice... Be careful, you'll stir up the local wildlife..."

Somebody down there dug up an old fashioned bullhorn apparently, a screeching, amplified voice screamed back from the streets and made me chuckle at the impotent rage. "You fucking lunatic! Get out here coward! Stupid ghost stories and comics for the kiddies ain't gonna stop us 'Shroud', you're all dead!"

"No ghost story, no tricks... Probably pointless, but the Princess of the Kingdom of Sanctuary wishes to extend her acceptance of your surrender for any who want to take it. She's a kind mare that doesn't want to see you all die here today, so I'm obliged to ask."

Another long stream of gunfire answered and I shrugged, flinching back from the bark being blown off my hiding spot. They kept blazing away even longer this time, forcing me to raise my voice slightly to signal the Great Tree waiting for the next command.

A hollow, 'KRUMP!' noise from the hub got the Gunners to stop firing, all of them turning towards the cloud of white mist rising in a plume from the grounds inside the glowing shield. It took them by surprise and I heard a few cheers thinking one of them got creative with some of their heavy artillery. The sharp voice with the bullhorn was pretty smart though, shouting them down and asking who the hell fired that.

Pressurizing all of the underground root sector had taken most of a day with the cobbled together air processing backups in the hub, then pumping more of the breezidore repellent in had taken another couple hours Jade and I had spent... relaxing... The effect was well worth the wait though, a furious stream of screeching breezidores was pouring out from the single blown entrance we had detonated. The flight path of the cloud of mutant monsters was right on course for them to flee this way, their mutated biology still close enough to normal breezies for the bypass spell to let them pour through the shields.

"Last chance..."

I knew Jade was listening and hoped they'd magically lay down their arms and stop. I knew the hub maneframe was right and his sister, the breezie's heroine Holy Fluttershy, would be saddened by what came next, just like Jade would be. The somber, hopeful note of 'Be Kind...' whispering to me was enough for me to know it was wrong even without thinking about it.

The steady beat of its counterpart 'Be Dark...' waited impatiently and gave a victorious growl from its prison at the expected answer though. "Fuck you and your mercy! A few bugs aren't stopping us!"

"How about more then?"

I darted from around my cover and settled on one of the few functional suits of Gunner green power armor, managing to blast a significant hole through the armored neck before the first explosions in the ruins threw off my aim. Distantly I could hear the raiders on the other side of town dissolving to complete chaos, but the Gunners still held together admirably. They managed to hold formation watching a rolling cloud of more white mist spreading out from the Ministry of Peace and through the ruins, the distant sound of triggered explosives hidden in the rotting buildings adding to the spreading fog.

"Retreat! Fall back and regroup! Flamer units, cover the rear and..." It was a pony with the bullhorn, his wise tactical decision interrupted by a silent .50 round turning his head to pink mist.

He had done well not displaying his rank or making himself a target, but he couldn't expect to hide from a batpony sniper while making that much noise. Already Witchy's mark on my compass was moving to another firing position and I heard the distant whine of her screeching out her radar noise from behind the approaching wall of repellent.

Witchy's talented voice was only distinguishable because she hit the ultrasonic range however, the growing drone of thousands of breezidores drowned out everything else. I heard muffled shouting from the Gunners trying to recover and find a defensible position, then a string of explosions and the crazed cackles my own fiery griffon tearing through their tattered aerial guard.

Another series of explosions went off behind me as I dove from the canopy and moved to back Val up, more fluffy white clouds filling the streets in an approaching line, driving the swarm of the century right towards us. A few Gunner griffons and pegasi regrouped and started pursuing us, struggling to catch Val's rapid passes but quickly closing on me.

Making a rolling dive to the streets put my arcing hooves back in contact with the earth and let me blast by a crumbling strip mall with them hot on my hooves. A trio of missiles exploded in the street behind me, making me glad they didn't have more time to adjust their aim thanks to the roar of several miniguns opening up from the shattered storefronts.

The remaining fliers peeled away immediately from the new contact, swooping and flapping for all they were worth to escape from the hidden threat of half a dozen suits of Brotherhood power armor. The red trimmed Steel Ranger suits that had calmly stood in the infested buildings and laid in ambush, now came tromping out and gave the Gunners something new to worry about.

Each environmentally sealed suit had a different deadly battlesaddle on one flank, but on the other they each wore matching grenade launchers, thumping out hissing round after round of flowery smelling repellent that made me sneeze as they added to the cloud. Trying to keep my eyes clear and escape ahead of the swarm of chittering breezidores, I launched myself back up and sought out Val. I was glad to find her diving from the bright canopy with the smoking remains of two more griffons falling behind her, scorched by magical energy weapons fire from a squad of Brotherhood pegasi waiting as their ground bound troops had.

The line of Gunners prepared for the breezidores held together and sent plumes of flames up to cover their position, giving me a target to focus on I turned to run at, leaving the Brotherhood knights to their slower approach. An intense blast of heat and bright red light behind me lifted my rump and hindlegs up off the ground, my wings flapping madly to even out as I shot a panicked look over my shoulder to what the hell that was.

Squinting against the glare, my jaw dropped and my throat dried up. A huge crater had replaced half the strip mall the Brotherhood had covered in... four green marks remained on E.F.S.. At least two suits of Steel Ranger armor had been vaporized in that fireball, one that was familiar from a memory orb found in Fort Loyalty...

'Awareness!' shouted for my attention when I turned my burning glare front again, a suit of green Gunner power armor in the middle of all the flamer units the focus of the pink mote drawing my attention. It was an Institute variant between T-51 and a T-60, unicorn compatible and opening up with a ripping roar of a minigun pointed my way chewing up the asphalt. It was the weapon on the opposite flank that filled me with dread though, something very similar to a B.E.L. was mounted there... a buckbomb launcher I presumed...

I charged directly towards the threat with lightning arcing at my hooves, zipping and zagging away from the bursts of flame and stream of 5mm rounds coming uncomfortably close, only kept at bay by the cheer of 'Be Awesome!' shouting helpful suggestions towards narrow openings. Focusing on the suit of power armor, my heightened hearing could pick up deep clunks and whirs from the launcher battlesaddle, at least it had a long reload time between shots, but another of those radioactive bombs my grandfather invented could do a lot of damage, if not derail our plan of attack entirely. I had to put it out of commission, now!

A striped blur bounded down from the rooftops behind the flamer unit while I kept them occupied, landing right in the middle of them and proceeding to mercilessly pummel the leather armored mercenaries in a brutal dance of surprised cries and broken bones. Zed ripped through four of the flamer wielding troops before they realized what was happening, the rest falling to a panic when they realized the threat in their midst but unable to use their indiscriminate weapons in such close quarters.

That gave me breathing room, though the stream of fire from the power armor's minigun remained right on my hooves. I was too busy frantically dodging to summon up a bolt of lightning, plus I wasn't sure that would work after my last run in with Institute made power armor and the shielding it boasted against matrix disruption attacks. A full cylinder of .45 rounds from Vengeance only sparked against the helmet, frustratingly close to the viewports, but none getting lucky enough to hit the tiny target.

The pit of my stomach dropped lower when a glowing red ball shot out of the launcher with a loud fwoomp! The Gunner wasn't insane enough to try to hit me so close, but lobbed the explosive towards the oncoming swarm, forcing me to skid to a halt and try to turn to chase it, getting peppered with 5mm rounds impacting my armor that felt like the beating Zed was still dishing out.

My wings spread and tensed, launching me up a few feet before giving up and crashing when the right caught a stray bullet. I hit the ground moving at least, stumbling up to a canter with more shots on my tail, lurching back up with awkward flaps and trying to straighten up and get airborne, making desperate grabs at the arcing red ball above with my magic.

Two telekinetic grabs tried and failed, I stumbled trying for a third and gulped thinking of the minimal timer on the things I had seen in the memory orb. A charging, whooping shape leapt off a broken apartment building near its path as I watched, the six legged goat springing nimbly from the remaining rooftop and carrying its minotaur rider in range to catch the brightly flashing ball.

Steelfist only had one hand to make the catch, releasing his hold on his mount to dive off it and do so without reservation. He spun and shouted in midair, lobbing the explosive like a fastball with his muscular arm and hand in a smooth motion. Not a good old buck by any means, but the minotaur was at ease with his odd posture and limbs, sending the buckbomb back towards the greatest concentration of Gunners in a blur.

I lost sight of him in the cacophonous detonation and prayed to the goddesses he was ok, struggling back up and spotting his mount perched on a single crumbling wall across the street from where it had jumped, but no Steelfist... More gunfire chewing up the street and puncturing my exposed hindleg in two blindingly painful holes got me stumbling up again though. I wove up over the curb I had tripped on and gave a desperate flap to crash through the display window of a 'Pear Family Farms' stand, landing on the dusty sign proclaiming; 'Fresh from Vanhoover!'

Panting as I fumbled for a greenish-purple healing potion, I slugged it down in the minimal cover and kept my ears trained on that clunking noise outside, couldn't let him reload again... The red mark on E.F.S. I struggled to keep track of among the swarm of others was moving closer, the roar of the minigun sending glass and plaster tinkling down over my hat as he tried to keep me pinned down.

Before I tried something desperate, I heard the booming shout of "Ad Victorium!" and the sound of ballistic gunfire was joined by an equally rapid stream of magical energy weapons. Whatever was laying down all that fire was covering me, forcing the stream of 5mm rounds away from chewing up the storefront and letting me peek out over the broken window.

Elder Macson's distinctive suit of power armor was charging forward into the fray, launching missiles out in a tightly controlled pattern of cover as the unique magical energy minigun spun and spewed crimson bolts out, hammering the Gunner suit back towards the center of the intersection he had followed me through. Keeping track of that slow click and thunk of the buckbomb launcher was impossible through the noise, but based on how long it took last time, I was getting worried when the next shot would come and where it would go... I doubted Steelfist was going to pull another miracle play and stop the next one, meaning it was up to me.

Favoring my oozing hindleg, I flexed my mending wing and rocketed out, turning where Macson was still focused and activating S.A.T.S. in time to see it wasn't all on me after all. The frozen scene I was treated to made the furious mutter of 'Be Dark...' grin and growl approval, only a little disappointed it hadn't been the one to end the threat and punish the bastard with the fancy weapon.

Icepaw was caught in the cool nirvana of frozen time, lunging halfway out of the broken asphalt his claws had parted like butter, the nearby ponyhole cover flipping through the air from the force of his breach from below. One gleaming claw was midway up in a long uppercut arc, parting through the composite layers of the power armored Gunner like tissue paper, a splash of blood frozen in a fan of crimson droplets.

If it weren't for S.A.T.S. lucky timing, I might have missed it entirely... The terrifying hellhound finished his slash when I released the spell, nearly decapitating the buckbomb lobbing Gunner and diving back underground before any of his comrades knew what hit him. It was a display that reinforced my unease around the furry killing machine and made me glad he was on our side, and that Swan had handled getting him that way... I had serious doubts I would have survived their little duel...

Continuing my flight up rather than diving on the eliminated enemy, I noticed Macson trotted right over to the shredded remains and held his position near the salvageable buckbomb launcher, but he did hold it like an immovable object. His Knights charged into the battle behind him, struggling to catch up to their brave leader and following his inspiring voice of command barking out orders, the Steel Ranger Knights forming up around him while the aerial Shadowbolt suits flitted around in strafing runs, driving the Gunners back and into chaos.

The Gunners were finally starting to break apart and lose discipline, several groups charged to the south and the cover of the rocky hills and ledges the stream of rainbows cascaded down from Rainbow Brook. The screams of their comrades falling into pit traps, getting yanked underground or messily eviscerated by Icepaw's hidden force of hellhounds made them rethink that escape route quickly though.

Those that went north to the gentler hills and ruined high class neighborhoods were cut off by several fortified homes with a view where Minutemares were stationed and well provisioned. They'd have to go to ground when the oncoming storm of breezidores overtook their position, but for now they pinned the Gunners and gangs down and left them right in the path of the swarm.

"AH-CHOO!!" The booming sneeze heralded the vast shadow resolving out of the mist from the hub and the last nail in the coffin. If seeing the gigantic filly covered in blood and gore plowing out of the clouds didn't scare the Gunners, nothing would. Despite her dripping nose and stuffy face, Swan still had the manic gleam of smashing in her wide, dragonish eyes and dove on the Gunners like some horror from the pits of tartarus, getting quite a few screams from below that looked to be music to her ears.

Granted, a mare the size of a building was generally scary enough, having her absolutely slathered in blood from the minotaur's hunting expedition only heightened the terror she was inspiring. It also served to do the opposite of all the flowery breezidore repellent, Swan was a gore covered titan of breezidore bait, charging right at the Gunners with her glowing shield up and an undulating tentacle of the swarm following right behind her.

Joining the warrior princess, I tucked my wings and dove right for the highest concentration of red on Eyes Forward Sparkle, pulling up at the last second and skidding to a halt in the middle of the street, 'Be Awesome!'. Pulling out Vengeance and Best Served, I worked fast and ran through the panicked crowd, slicing and shooting any likely target while the breezidore's and cloud of repellent driving them kept closing in. The Minutemares, Brotherhood, minotaurs and hellhounds would clean up whatever was left after the swarm passed, but I wanted to take as many heads as I could personally. The Institute, the Gunners, the gangs and other evil ponies willing to march on the breezie's homes... all of them deserved to die and I needed to see it done myself, 'Be Dark...'.

The howl of Vertibucks taking off near the hub and a few close calls from breezidores willing to brave the repellent smeared all over my armor signaled I couldn't indulge that seething grumble any more though. Flapping back up, I scanned the rapidly shrinking area of visibility, not that finding Swan was difficult... She was circling the main cluster of Gunners, the amount of power she had at her command to reach such an impressive size made her shield nigh impregnable, so the Gunners were simply wasting some of their highest caliber weapons against the blazing sphere of her shield. That and making themselves good targets, Swan sent one crackling magical arrow after another lancing down through the mist towards each burst of weapons fire, the magic bolts exploding in bright purple flashes with each impact.

I managed to catch up to the whooping filly, waving for her attention desperately among all the flak exploding around her. She opened a gap in her shield and hugged me to her heaving chest as soon as I was in with her, giggling her delight at the situation. Now she had her Fast shaped teddy bear in her hooves while slaughtering enemies that deserved it, there were very few things in life finer according to Swan, so she was giddy as a schoolfilly and a little reluctant to leave.

Sputtering at being rubbed against her warm cheek, I shouted up to her big ear and pointed to Val and Zed coming our way. "Swan! That's about enough! Grab the others and let's go!"

"Awww! Can't I smash more of them Fast!? I bet I can finish them all off before we have to go!" Swan kept right on nuzzling away in the middle of all the explosions and death around her. Only keeping one huge eye trained on the ground and targeting more victims, while the other was closed in a blissful expression right by my face.

Val swooped in with her armor smoking from a few lucky shots, circling the big mare and looping back to swat her massive flank. "Ya heard the boss goofy! Their gonna start hidin' anyway, you really wanna hunt em all down in this shit!? We got a herd ta drive, so let's... Hey, big stuff, smash that fucker right there before we go first!"

Following Val's dark claw down, Swan nodded happily and reached out with her overcharged telekinesis, picking up a small gift shop and lobbing the entire building where Val directed, literally smashing the screaming griffon in the street. Giving her a screech of approval, Val flapped up to her face and held a claw up for a hoofbump, reeling back in the confines of Swan's shield from the light contact with a hoof as tall as she was.

"Ok, nooooow we can go! Good job Swanny! Just fer that I'll let ya hang on ta the boss on the way, just watch where yer flyin!" Val gave her hard grin and glided to Swan's back, settling between her hurricane force wings and sitting up like she was Queen of all she surveyed.

Those two definitely enjoyed the simple things in life, neither Val or Swan had any second thoughts or doubts about unleashing mayhem. As far as I could tell, they'd both prefer to continue aimless destruction right here, but we did have a job to do and needed to get to doing it.

Zed flapped back to Swan's rear, riding atop her flanks in an odd zebra posture of meditation and helpfully reminded both of them of that fact. "I'm sure the others have the rest well in hoof, we have a long trip ahead of us don't we ladies?"

Since I was Swan's in flight entertainment, I wasn't going to be allowed to get away even if she did reluctantly turn away from the panicking Gunners and put the hub at her back. She flew east rapidly, drawing a growing train of breezidores in her wake and slowly gaining a dusty cloud of fleeing creatures in the forest ahead of her.

Looking back over her broad shoulder from my captive position, I absently kissed the huge lips smacking at me back and watched the Vertibucks swooping around in her backtrail while I could. The liquid tanker cars and industrial hoses strung from each flight crew significantly slowed the speedy prewar vehicles down, but they were sucking up big chunks of the breezidore swarm, free to hoof deliver those little care packages where we wanted in Gunner territory.

"That was fun Fast! I like smashy dates with you! You kill bad guys really good, so I guess it's worth all that thinking about it. So now we go south?" Swan burbled happily as she climbed above the trees, sounding for all the world as if she were on a lovely outing together and looking forward to where the evening took us.

With her stretched out and size adjusted pip-buck blinking on the hoof holding me to her muzzle, it was easy enough to bring up her own map and add a new location marker for her to follow, calling back to Val over the whipping wall of Swan's pink mane.

"A little southeast, follow that marker Swan! I didn't tell Jade about this part in particular, but we're gonna go take this present right to the Gunners dirty little secret. Ready to see what your old crew is keeping a Stable for Val!?"

My griffon friend's bright red head popped up above Swan's huge blue-violet eyes, leaning off her long horn to hang upside down and grin at me in glee. "Oh my Gawd! I love you boss! You heard him tons of fun! Let's go wreck us a Stable!"

Zed's response was less enthusiastic, a sarcastic grumble spoken from behind closed eyes. "Another Stable... wonderful..."

The trip south was a fairly long one, the foothills and mountains of the western Commonwealth shrank a little, but stayed well above the swamps and marshes to the east following the southern branch of the river looping around Trotson. The sunset put on a sickly green tint the closer we got to the radioactive wasteland known as the Glowing Sea in the distance.

There were quite a few Gunner outposts and fortifications we made diving runs at, Val pointed each camouflaged ruin out and Swan instantly swooped in. They were all understaffed with resources already sent to the Ministry of Peace, so seeing a giant alicorn covered in blood flying back down their trail had to mess with them. As far as the Gunners knew, the crazed filly was some nightmare monster from the forest their comrades had woken up, covered in their friends blood instead of random creatures from the woods and way too obvious how much fun she was having.

The swarm of breezidores on our tail mopped up whatever chaos Swan left in her wake, steadily lowering their numbers and spreading the little pests out on the edge of the Glowing Sea. We never paused as long as Swan or Val either one would like, but were making steady progress to our destination in the rocky hills.

I spotted another billboard near the crumbling road winding its way south, peering at the faded, peeling and graffitied ad for 'Grover's Roost', the first word having been crossed out and edited to read Magpie Roost. What I could make out showed a mountain peak similar to the one in the distance to the east that the roads led towards, making Map Updated, blink in my vision for a moment.

Looking to Val perched on Swan's head, I called up to her curiously and pointed out the sign. "Magpie Roost? Didn't Preston say the Minutemares had gotten some griffon volunteers from there Val? Do you know it?"

"It's like Griffonstone, just more bleak..." Val's reply was clipped and short, clearly another sore spot she didn't like talking about and not one I was sure was worth pushing her on. Glancing back at my confused look, she sighed and continued for my benefit anyway. "It's a griffon town boss, was before the war too. About as friendly as you'd expect, so don't go gettin' no sappy ideas about them joinin' Blue an her little kingdom."

"Griffons... Is it a Gunner town then?"

Swan picked up on my unspoken question immediately, looking up to her horn and Val's perch up there. "Can we smash it too Val? If it's those mean Gunners anyway... I always wanted to smash a whole town... maybe I can have another apple Fast?"

I shuddered at the gleeful look in those big blue-violet eyes sparkling down at me and held a hoof to my saddlebags protectively. Swan was already huge and I worried she had gotten too many ideas oh so carefully prancing around tiny breezie buildings the last few days. The thoughts running through her head didn't take Unity to figure out when I caught her grinning and holding her hoof up to the toy sized breezie capital of Willowheart. The opportunity to make her idle fantasies real was easy to read on her big face in front of me, an excuse to go on a movie monster rampage in a whole town of Gunners was a big draw for her...

Thankfully, Val knocked on her forehead gruffly and clucked away her own amusement at the idea. "If it was nothin' but Gunners, then yeah, I'd say knock yerself out Swany. Magpie's a free town though, not that they don't get along with the Gunners plenty good, but there's kids an families an' what not. The Gunners recruit from there, some even retire there, but they ain't in charge."

"I've heard their status as a free town is somewhat tenuous as of late. Best we avoid the place entirely, we are in Gunner territory." Zed further disappointed the eager filly, vetoing her hopes of destroying a whole town.

Ignoring Swan's groan of "Awwww..." I patted the big filly's cheek and checked my map, looking between the new marker for this Magpie Roost and the highlighted gear shaped marker for Stable 75 hidden somewhere in a nearby mountain. From what Ivy had psychically interrogated about the mysterious Stable, it had been populated by ponies and griffons originally. I supposed Stable-Tec built it near the prewar griffon town for its intended residents, like 111 had been hidden close by my old neighborhood of Sanctuary Hills.

"You'll have to content yourself with the Stable Swan, it shouldn't be far now so keep an eye out. Your pip-buck should let you see through any illusion hiding it, but if they're keeping it secret, the Gunners probably have it camouflaged or covered somehow."

I peered closely at the mountain Swan was slowly circling, leaning over Swan's foreleg holding me to her chest and trying to pierce the early evening gloom. Full dark or full sunlight would be better, my eyes didn't want to adjust completely to the middle ground of twilight.

Swan whined back as she flapped sedately along, the swarm of breezidores catching up as she slowed down to stare and uselessly battering themselves against her shield. "But I can't fit in a Stable... it's too tiny and cramped, except for that one room like the other one where we..."

"HA! Ehehe... r-right... The atrium is probably the only place big enough, I doubt the layout's the same though, so you can't teleport yourself in Swan, sorry..." I yelped an interruption before Swan could blithely give Val the play by play of the last Stable she had been to, wincing at the griffon peeking over Swan's brow owlishly and the smirk on her beak.

Too late... Val flapped in front of Swan's face, maintaining her distance and speed even backwards so she could flick her fluffy tail in my face while she spoke to the huge alicorn. "Oh? Did you an' boss have fun in the other Stable big stuff? Do tell..."

Hearing Zed's infuriating deadpan drifting from beyond Swan's beating wings cut off my sputtering answer, still sitting in that odd zebra posture and meditating, but not needing to break his calm to pile on. "They were down there quite some time, I was starting to wonder if I'd have to put our repellent to the test and follow after them..."

Swan completely ignored my red faced fuming, hugging me tighter to her chest to muffle my protests and nodding with a wide smile and pink cheeks. "Uh-huh! Fast was sad because of the Stable place like where he came from, so we played lots and both felt better! It was too small for me to follow him most places, but the atrium room was comfy and sturdy. Though we did sorta make a mess... It doesn't matter if we tear up a Gunner Stable though, right Fast?"

"S-Swan! What did I just tell Peri about boundaries!?"

Val continued as if I hadn't said anything, the two of them had disregarded me from the conversation completely... "Ya know, I still ain't taken my pay from the boss... Don't want him gettin' sad an' mopey goin' inta another Stable after all. The shrimp really managed ta turn yer big ol' crank?"

"VAL!"

Swan scratched her head in confusion, then got a wide grin and bobbed her head rapidly once she worked it out. "Turn my... Ah! Uh-huh! Fast did lots of fun things that felt reeeeally good! He had to work harder when I got big, but both ways were good. He did this thing with his tongue that..."

"SWAN!"

"I believe I heard that one when you came back up to the barn as well, of course I think everything on the west side of the grounds heard... You both certainly looked content when I was forced to wake you, but I can't see you being worn out enough to sleep half the day away." Zed chortled and I could just picture that unseen smirk somewhere behind Swan's head.

"ZED!"

My ignored protests and that wide eyed and appraising grin from Val were mercifully ended by a loud whistle and fiery explosion detonating against Swan's shield, making the powerful barrier flicker and further agitating the swarm of breezidores.

"Fuck! Hold that thought Swany, pickin' up that conversation laters. Looks like we found the place right now, down that'a way!" Val squawked and turned around, pointing a claw down at a distant puff of smoke on the northern face of the mountain.

She somewhat reluctantly opened a hole in the bottom of her shield for us to slip out of, not liking releasing me from her grip or putting us in danger without her barrier. I paused to flutter up to her frowning face before following Zed and Val's charge out through the gap, laying a hoof on her huge muzzle in a very undersized but loving 'boop!' of affection.

"It's ok Swan! Deal with the ones outside and play around however you want, just be careful and safe! Keep leading the swarm south and teleport back when you're ready, hopefully we'll be done inside by then and we can all follow the plan and meet up with Jade and the others. Alright?"

Swan kissed and nuzzled a little forcefully, cracking one eye open to launch more spells below before returning her sparkling gaze to me wiping at the sticky fur of her cheek. "Nnn... I don't like it Fast, I wanna go in and do like the last Stable. We can kill them all and then play again! Hmmph... I guess I'll find somewhere to wash up and get rid of these pests though, I think I see some nice glowy lakes where you said to go..."

Sticking my tongue out as she returned to rubbing her blood coated cheek against me, I nodded and pulled away, my eyes flicking down her long neck to her curvy but gore covered body. Despite certain unwanted impulses from 'Be Dark...' that muttered about liking the view of her matted, blood covered flanks, the rest of me agreed with her and hoped it would be enough to motivate her.

"A-Alright, but no wading around in radioactive lakes, or eating any more apples! Don't try to pry that thing open, if you want in you have to get a little smaller! Right? Don't worry, we'll be fine!" Her uncertain look was interrupted by another explosion that cracked even her impressive shield, forcing her to focus and put a little more magic into it as I glided back to swat her flank. "Go on! Go! See you soon Swan, I promise!"

I felt a little better at the relieved look she blinked down with between her hooves as I fell through the gap of her shield. She got a promise, which was more than enough for Swan to be satisfied with. A rain of her glowing violet arrows followed me down in a tight barrage, exploding in bright flashes against the mountain as I pulled up and leveled off, offering me cover to take in the situation Val and Zed were already busily attacking.

Most of the red on E.F.S. was focused on a grove of skeletal trees and shrubs roughly masking an open cave mouth. From the tumbledown scree of rocks and boulders beneath it and the glint of bright fluorescent lights behind the vegetation, I got the idea this had been a more recent change to the mountainside.

A flash of a toothed curve of light as I ran that way and disappeared into the shadows made me more certain, the blinking message in my vision reading; Discovered Location: Stable 75 enough to be sure it had been a gear shaped door. Stable-Tec hid the entrances to their Stables better than this, there was probably only a narrow tunnel or a building of some kind covering the entry originally.

The Gunners had expanded the entrance for some reason, widening it into a gaping maw and then covering it with brush and camouflage. The reasons to do so eluded me at the moment, but all the trees surrounding it acted as further cover for the tall barrels of anti-aircraft cannons. Two of which were tracking the blazing purple ball above with grinding gears and shouts of their crews, giving me a place to focus...

Creeping through the foliage, my sharper eyes adjusted to full dark and I followed my nose to the sweaty, panic tinged scent of ponies ahead, finding a crew of four matching the closest red marks on E.F.S.. While three of the combat armor wearing cannon crew cranked at the cannon, bucked shells over to reload it and prepared to yank the big lever to fire, a fourth in Gunner green power armor stood sentinel nearby.

The biggest threat was also uselessly occupied sending tracers of 5mm rounds and random missiles up after Swan, jerking after Val swooping overhead and lobbing more explosives. With the pilot's head craned back and his weapons tracking his skyward aim, his throat was so exposed it was too tempting a target. Best Served sliced through the air silently, catching a gleam of blood red from the sunset piercing the canopy of camouflage before it parted the dense, flexible armor at the joint and the few armored plates in the way.

The heavy armor crashing over on its side and gurgling with its armored legs scrabbling at the ground drew the attention of the others, all three looking down as one when the deafening noise of its battlesaddle falling silent. They were all frozen in the middle of operating the cannon however, giving me a moment to dive from the shadows and send my knife stabbing into the exposed belly of the power armor, gutting both the spell matrices running it and the occupant.

No reason to risk the healing talisman actually managing to keep his throat together, plus the effect of ripping the blade back out in my teeth and growling kept most of them from moving. I could see in the terror striken wide eyes staring back that my own were glowing red in the low light, only adding to the image of the Gunner's personal grim reaper pony coming for them.

"Greetings evildoers..." The Shroud's voice came oozing out of my fang enhanced grin, the dark personality that fueled the spell growing stronger as day gave way to night and savoring the way the Gunner ponies eyes shrank to pinpricks as they fumbled for their weapons.

One went running immediately, a younger dark yellow buck who screamed into the night, so he got to live. The other two were frozen in the act of trying to fight back by S.A.T.S., so they got selected by the targeting spell that gave 95% odds at this range and taking them by surprise. I noticed my eyes hovering over the retreating buck's highlighted outline in temptation a moment, but 'Be Kind...' was still strong and loud with friends to lend their voices, helping me dismiss the impulse.

Time resumed and Vengeance boomed out, messily dropping the remaining gun crew as I tossed a pair of grenades towards the emplacement and ran off towards the growing screams of a couple dozen more red marks. Zed was more stealthy than I was, dash after dash on E.F.S. winking out to my left, his victims weren't making all the noise though, it was the breezidores swarming that was responsible for that.

Dashing out into the clear path leading up to the cavern entrance clearly visible from the beaten trail, I let the Terrible Shotgun bark out at the Gunners rolling on the ground and running around madly, all of them trying to get away from the biting, slashing little pests following Swan lazily looping around overhead. Most of them were already suffering the effects of the breezidore's toxin. The smarter Gunners were fumbling after swatted corpses and trying to reach a dose of antidote before it was too late, so these were the ones I focused on blasting as I ran by.

A cheery string of explosions higher up the slope grew deeper and louder as the cannon ammo started cooking off from one of Val's strafing runs. That put both of the big guns we had spotted out of commission and let Swan dip a little closer, lobbing more glowing purple arrows down to the scurrying targets beneath her moonlit shadow streaking across the ground.

I made it to the cave entrance and backpedaled away from the most disciplined Gunner troops who had fallen back to the more defensible position, using a wing assisted lurch and roll to the right to avoid a lot of weapons fire pouring out. At least one flamer unit was in there, shooting out in short spurts to keep any breezidores from breaching the Stable door behind them.

A blazing red beam of magic shot out and scorched a trench in the ground following my rolling progress, forcing me to roll on my side faster and go flopping off the path of built up stone and rubble below the cavern and out of range. Flapping back up as soon as the magical energy beam cut off, I was greeted by a view that still brought a surge of panic, a dark green assaultron leaping out and galloping right at me, foreleg blades glittering in the wide cast electric lights inside.

It wasn't as fast as AssaultJack back at the castle at least, but facing a robot anywhere near her capabilities was not something I relished doing again. Given its Gunner green paint job, that made one more bit of advanced tech the Gunners were being supplied with, I was guessing this came from the same source too...

The breezidores didn't affect it at all, but flying up into the swarm was pushing the luck of the repellent still smeared over my armor. The flowery scent was still strong enough to make me sneeze if I made the mistake of sniffing at it, but had been getting weaker in the wind on the way here, making myself a tempting target for the little monsters wasn't a good idea.

Hovering in hesitation wasn't very bright either, the Assaultron never paused or wavered, running flat out at me and making a diving leap that was surprising in both height and accuracy. The vicious robot tackled me from the air and latched on like a vice, the hindlegs twisting in weird, non-pony ways to lock those strange claws on its hindlegs together around my barrel, while the forelegs smashed into my muzzle with a crunch and the coppery taste of blood flooding my mouth.

We fell like a stone, the robot twisting and writhing on the way to make sure it stayed on top and smashing me to the mountain slope, knocking my breath out and trying to keep it there with the whine of servos tightening its hindlegs around me. Seeing through a haze of spots, I ducked my head just ahead of one of those blades brightening our pocket of shadow with sparks against the stone.

For once, being a shorter pony was coming in useful... I could feel my ribs creaking under the pressure the thing was exerting, but my narrow chest was a few notches lower than the whirring hindlegs could tighten to deadly levels, the top of my head was closer to where a bigger buck's throat would be in this position too, forcing me to duck and dodge, but not ending up decapitated under the bitch robot.

"Nnngh!! GET! OFF!!" I roared and drew my head back, charging my horn and headbutting the thing's chest, unleashing a blast of lightning at point blank range.

The robot slumped and darkened as we both jittered from the shock, still locked in a painful deathgrip and powered down, but not for long if experience was any guide. Sending Best Served floating away from me in jittery magic, I wobbled it up and speared the Assaultron's flank in a spurt of hydraulic fluid oozing out, weakening its grip and lubricating my way to struggle free.

I managed to pop one hindleg free when it started beeping and whirring back to life, giving me a moment to lunge forward and wrap my forelegs around its armored chest, scratching and digging with my free hindleg to yank they other loose before it really got moving again. Pressed against it, its twitching forelegs couldn't quite slash or grab at me, settling for bashing the top of my head with increasing force as it rebooted.

Finally tugging my other hindleg free when it decided to try smashing and smothering me against the mountain, I tucked both hindlegs between us before hitting and 'Be Strong!' rose up to help with a rodeo buck. With my battered back firmly in contact with the cool stone, tossing the robot off was within even my limited use of earth pony strength.

I stumbled back up a lot slower than it did, looking up to the glare of its single red eye glowing brighter and the panels of its head sliding back. My back and wings gave a warning twinge when I tensed to take off, forcing me to try aiming Blue Moon clicking out and sparking at my side. Several pale blue beams shot out and a couple even scorched the Assaultron's armor, but none hit the glowing target sparking with crimson magic preparing to fire.

Before it could vaporize me, a whistling noise and rapidly approaching whoop made us both look up. I almost felt bad for the robot getting crushed like a tin can under a few tons of giant alicorn dropping from the sky, though struggling to not be blown back by the shockwave Swan created took most of my attention and my aching wounds didn't leave room for a lot of sympathy.

Taking a moment to lift one hoof to the tinkle of a lot of parts falling off it, Swan made a face like she had stepped in a brahmim pie before swinging her head down to me coughing on the dust of her impact, nudging her sticky muzzle against me worriedly. "I hate fancy robots like that, are you ok Fast? I got tired of watching it hurt you... Can't I stay and keep smashing all these Gunners? I'll go get smaller if you'll wait!"

Kissing her nose brought more of that bitter blood taste, though somehow this was instantly identifiable as not my own by those weird urges my body kept throwing up. Swan had been coated in meat... blood... animal blood maybe, but there was more in conveniently screaming, running packages running around to hunt out here with us... and even more inside... Even under the warring smells of gunpowder, ozone, blood and terror, there was the cloying scent of her right in front of me too...

'Be Unwavering!' gave a prim, ladylike cough and knock to the inside of my head, letting me shake free of the sudden visions of just reveling in destruction with the big mare covering for me with her blazing shield. "I-It's ok Swan! Thank you! Those things are a pain alright! W-We'll be ok, stick to the plan and we'll leave the door open for you! If we're not outside again by the time you teleport back, go ahead inside and smash all you want! Though you can help break through that barricade before you go if you want?"

Following my hoof pointing back to the fan of light marking the cavern entrance, Swan grinned back to me chugging another healing potion and lowered her head, giving a hard flip of her horn to send me flying up to her mane. Sure I had a good grip on the waving curtain of pink and her long horn, Swan stomped back up to her feet and let her shield bulldoze all the foliage out of her path, stalking up to the cave mouth and laughing in her booming voice under me.

"Yay! I'd like doing that Fast! Hey all you little Gunners, you're in the way!" I wobbled and lurched between Swan's ears as she tilted her head down to the Stable door and all the gaping Gunners staring up at her in horror.

Flinching back from the intense glow of her horn just overhead as she launched a barrage of magic into the opening, 'Be Awesome!' whooped and shouted in glee at the display of overwhelming force, Swan shrugging off every bit of return fire they tried to answer with. I actually had a hard time telling where one booming warcry began and the other in my head ended... Like Val, the sliver of Rainbow Dash had found a kindred spirit in the terrifying alicorn.

When the stars faded from my eyes and I could see more than a bright yellow negative afterimage, the tightly knit group of Gunners holding the entrance was splattered in steaming giblets on the crude walls, scorched blood splashed across the faded yellow '75' on the outside of the gear shaped door ahead. Swan kept her shield partially up to block off the breezidores angrily buzzing outside, but ushered Zed and Val inside as she thumped down to her belly and cocked her head to make me go tumbling off.

She immediately returned to nuzzling at me trying to get up, her enjoyment at playing doorknocker giving way to a concerned frown as Val and Zed dashed inside and secured the entry area of the Stable. "You're sure Fast? You don't like Stables... I feel funny leaving you alone, I don't like it... This is why you didn't tell sister Jade where we were going, isn't it?"

Patting her full cheeks and waving off Val's impatient gestures to get a move on, I smiled back to the big filly and nodded seriously, glad for the rush of affection and warm feelings that helped lull 'Be Dark...'. "I know Swan, I don't like splitting up either, but er... I have lots of good memories we made together now, I'll be ok going inside this one. Val's with me too, so I'm sure she'll keep an eye on me. Give us a couple hours, your pip-buck will tell you when. Ok?"

Her frustrated snort nearly blew my hat off and she furrowed her brow uncertainly, watching me trudge under the tattered banner fluttering overhead that read; 'Welcome to Stable 75' in blue and gold. Patching in to the door controls on the other side of the gear shaped gap, I stretched my foreleg and the I/O cable as far as I could to wave at her through the gap as the rusty gear rolled sideways in the glare of tiredly flashing yellow lights.

I cut the cycle short so a crack remained and the maglocks remained disengaged, no obstacle for the lonely looking mare squinting through it after me staring back, but enough to keep the Gunners outside and stuck with the breezidores. Blowing a kiss through the gap made Swan smile and give a happy whinny as she stood again at least, tromping away from the cavern to chase the smattering of gunshots still out there.

She did call over her shoulder as her shaking hoofsteps faded, giving a worried look back and warning me sternly. "Alright, I'll come back soon. No getting hurt while I'm gone Fast, o-or I'll tell on you to sister!"

I hated leaving her alone like that, just like I hated not being exactly forthcoming with Jade about where I was leading the breezidore swarm specifically. I did tell her we were going into Gunner territory after all, so I didn't really lie... I just omitted details...

Turning back to Zed waiting and Val impatiently tapping her claws near the corroded steel doors leading to the depths of the Gunner's secret Stable though, I was willing to put up with a little guilt for now. I didn't come here alone or put us at any undue risk getting here, it was on our way and the best opportunity to assault the hidden bunker.

Beyond just being a Stable-pony myself and not liking the idea of the cruel mercenaries holding a place so similar to home, they couldn't be allowed to hang on to a Stable for actual, strategic type reasons too... Though yes, mostly it was I didn't like them in a Stable and wanted to take it from them...

This was going to be as expensive a night as I could possibly make it for the Gunners. I wanted to put a severe crimp in their plans to attack Castle Equinox or run roughshod over the rest of the Commonwealth, the worse their losses were for cooperating with Vega and the Institute, the better.

When I joined Val and Zed in the entry area, the playful griffon wasted no time pinching my cheek in her claws and clucking, her joking masking real concern watching me try to hide a shiver entering another Stable. "No gettin' sad an whiny boss, or I'ma takin' my pay an cheerin' you up, an we ain't got enough time fer everything you owe me! 'Sides, this is gonna be fun! Dunno why the assholes in charge kept this quiet, but right interested myself now! Usually yer the one fer all the big mysteries and ancient history junk."

Zed rolled his grey eyes at me struggling and slapping at the griffon mercilessly pinching and tickling, reaching out and tapping the door panel with a smooth motion of his hindleg as he drolled. "Ahem... I appreciate your confidence and good humor, but I still don't like these cursed places, so let's get a move on... Soonest begun, soonest done."

Val and I looked up from where she had me pinned and sputtering on her tail, blinking back at his long suffering sigh as we struggled apart and straightened up. "Yer no fun at all stripes... Fine, fine! Serious business, ooooh look how stern and tough an' on guard I am! Uh-oh! Check that lump over there, I think it twitched! Might be a threat Zed!" Val put on a flat expression and drew her pistol, holding it near her head and looking around in mock vigilance, pointing it at one pile of body parts after another.

Chuckling under my breath at Zed's deadpan stare, I bit my lip and whacked the still teasing bodyguard with a wing gratefully. Val's stern violet eyes immediately twinkled with her hidden good humor and I was glad again to have her as a friend. She was bravely putting aside most of her own worries about where we were and how she felt, always loyally watching out for me, trying to keep me in good cheer with her antics.

"Right, h-he's right Val, quit making me laugh! Let's go and see what they're hiding in here, then take it away from them."

Grinning broadly, Val gave her pistol a fancy spin in her claws and nodded to the long, flickering hallway beyond the door. "That's more like it boss! Let's go wreck some shit!"

I still shuddered a little passing into the shadows of the mountain and the depths of Stable 75, but it wasn't so bad with friends at my side. Even those of our little group like Swan who couldn't join us, or Jade, Glitter and Witchy safely going ahead to meet up later, the sweet song of five Ministry Mares, all the friends and people counting on us, they all were with us and a bright shield in my heart to light the way.

Of course there was also that small whisper that had no issue with going down into the dark. Not as warm or nice a barrier to hold up against whatever lurked down here, but I supposed like my cutie mark, having a sword to go along with that shield was a good thing too. Something sharp and dark and decidedly deadly.

Despite my desire to believe in the bright and good like the Equestria of old, I realized I clung to both tools equally when pushed. Light or dark, shield or sword, whatever was at hoof and would work. Defending the Breezie Nation with the shield had been right and good, but stabbing at the heart of the Gunners here with the sword was right too. Maybe it was thinking like that that led the world to this state, but if so it only made me realize I'd repeat those mistakes as easily as they were made to begin with.

I still hated that the world I was born to was destroyed because of them, but for once I actually felt a little understanding as to how.

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

Arcane Blacksmith-------------------
---Getting a break to focus on being a repair-pony again in the MoP hub, working with the Tinker-Tribe, Brotherhood of Friendship and Minutemares, has refined your skills and let you practice new magic. Use of transformation spells, lots of spare parts and unique components has opened up new armor and melee weapon recipes at a proper workshop!