"Boss! Hey dammit! Wait up!" Val squawked from where I left her struggling to keep up behind me, taking cover behind the corner I had blindly dashed around, firing her pistol frantically at the Gunners spraying my path with automatic weapons fire.

Her own enjoyment at taking apart what Gunners I left in my wake was warring with the note of breathless concern and agitation in her voice. Her focus was trying to shoot her former comrades concentrating their fire on my reckless charge, while mine was solely on plowing forward, blasting anything directly in my path with the Terrible Shotgun, ignoring the shots I barely felt puncturing my armor over the steady pounding in my temples.

She didn't like me pulling away from her protective guard, I knew that... She'd been pretty clear about how it bothered her and I promised to try to do better, I promised... 'Be Strong!' but...

"Hey Fast, guess who gets'ta be yer babysitter tonight!"

I winced at the pang of memory and kept tromping forward, letting my hoofsteps clang on the stairs winding their way up and down in the vertically oriented Stable and leaving her further behind. Every time some fresh snatch of Auntie Broom's voice drifted up from my memory, the raw pain and sudden grief fed that roaring furnace in my head. The voice of the Shrouded Stallion echoing ahead of me was taking advantage and stoking it, but at the moment I simply didn't care.

"You're all going to die down here..."

A pair of overly muscled earth pony Gunners leapt out when I skidded through the next turn, the power hooves assisted buck on top of X-Cell augmented strength made my ribs crunch, tossing me against the wall where the unicorn wielding a pair of rippers followed up instantly. Sparks flew from the steel wall right beside my head thanks to a timely dodge, the miniature chainsaw bouncing and skipping against the metal long enough for me to grab it from the field of yellow magic in my teeth, parry the second following up, and plunge it in the surprised wielder's eye.

I bucked the corpse towards the earth pony and lurched away, barely noticing Zed flipping forward and engaging him in furious hoof to hoof combat, calling after me as I sped back up. "Fast! Stop this at once! You're injured! Wait for us!"

"Aw, gots a boo boo kiddo? C'mon, no cryin now, buck up and show me what a toughy ya can be, just a scratch!"

My head pounded in time with my hooves getting up to a gallop again, black lightning flickering around me, making the lights overhead flicker and speeding me up, leaving Zed's concerned call behind. The next barricaded intersection of Gunners waited ahead, right in front of where I wanted to go conveniently, the Security office.

They had fallen back to a well defended rally point, firing blindly at the approaching pocket darkness dousing the flickering Stable lighting around me. I hadn't actually consciously thought of this kind of spell work before, but it was simple enough once I caught myself doing it. I knew exactly how the illumination systems in a standard Stable worked, turning them off was foal's play.

Part of me savored the effect just the bit of theatre rewarded me with too, beyond more useful benefits down in this tomb. The Gunners blazing away ahead were increasingly only lit by their own muzzleflashes and magical beam weapons. I didn't have any issue at all seeing them in pitch black, but they couldn't say the same.

Not that I needed the red tinted haze alone to track them down, the smell of fear was cloying and thick down in the stale air here. Gunners definitely covered it better than typical raiders or gangs, rarely showing any outward sign or failing in their military discipline, but they couldn't stop themselves putting off that delicious smell. It complimented and sweetened the intoxicating, coppery scent of blood as I fired back with the Last Minute.

The 'fwoosh' and flashes of heavy weapons coming to bear made me speed up the pace, charging forward in a flicker. The grenades being flung haphazardly towards the darkness were easy enough to catch and toss back as soon as they touched the shadows, missiles and balls of plasma were a different matter. Even more worrisome was the dim blinking lights hurriedly hidden by more metal crates and trash right in the target area, mines...

Shit..., the ones I could hear Val and Zed finishing were just buying time. They had adjusted tactics and set this whole stretch of hallway up as one big booby trap, going for mass destruction and plainly not thinking about structural integrity too much.

I had a heartstopping flashback to getting caught by a similar trick back in Thundega and nearly dying for charging ahead like this. The worried 'tsk' of 'Awareness!' bringing them to my attention just before hitting the point of no return, causing a moment's indecision that seemed to stretch out. I wasn't thinking clearly, just retreat and let the others catch up....

"Ya like fireworks huh kiddo? Nah... the ones me an' yer ma played with weren't near so pretty, loooots bigger though!"

No, not backing off, not slowing down... faster... 'Be Awesome!" whooped as I poured on the speed and flapped over the first beeping mines, spinning gracefully in the air and landing upside down on the curved ceiling. The electricity at my hooves propelled me right at the approaching storm of weapons fire, straining to plow straight through. I considered my shouted warning behind me a victory at least, managing to worry for my friends trying to catch up before everything became fire and noise.

When the smoke and dust started thinning, the surviving Gunners poked their heads up, coughing and peering into the destruction warily. Large dents buckled a few panels in the walls and rubble shifted slightly, but the lack of any other movement and the flicker of the lights overhead trying to come back had them cautiously optimistic.

"Ha! Take that ya crazy asshole!"

"Think there's enough left ta fill a thimble?"

"Can it, the traitor's here too, make sure we got all of em. Maintain discipline and don't get cocky!"

"Oh yeah! That bitch, wanna bet she loses her shit gettin' another pony she likes killed?"

"M-Make sure he's dead first! Can ghosts even die!?"

"Dammit knock that shit off! I told ya he ain't no ghost!"

"Are you suuuuure?" I purred around the hilt of my knife from where I had teleported behind their backs, hanging from the ceiling as easily as Witchy. I let them get one short glimpse at me watching their bickering, before killing all the lights again with a reverberating 'click', casting them into inky blackness that rapidly filled with screams.

The next noise I was consciously aware of was rubble shifting and Val's worried coughs, soaring around the bend and sending the last wisps of smoke and dust swirling around her as the lights came back and she spotted me. Zed was galloping right behind her, the two of them freezing at me panting raggedly in the middle of a slaughterhouse.

"H-Holy shit boss..." Val's beak hung open in a stunned expression for a moment, then rapidly hardened into a frown as she stomped forward, squelching through the spreading puddles of blood dripping from the walls and ceiling. Her claw shot out and slapped me in the muzzle, making me stagger back and flop to the viscera strewn floor as she squawked. "What'd I tell ya about runnin' ahead asshole!?! Stop doin' that dammit!!!"

I tried standing back up and realized my hooves were shaking and wouldn't bear my weight, flopping towards her as a lot of pain rushed in to fill the void left by all the adrenaline. My gurgle of "sorr... reee..." brought a pained look to her face as she rushed forward again, helping me up and clucking angrily.

"S-Shit... that ain't all theirs huh? Serves ya right though dumbass! What the fuck ya think yer doin'?! Save me some at least! Ya got some kinda bug up yer ass an' just took off, look at yerself now! Ya better have some kinda damn good excuse or I'm just gonna hurt ya more! Er... once I make sure I ain't gonna kill ya doin' it!" Val was torn between concern and the desire to keep smacking me, settling on jabbing at me and finding the numerous wounds I hadn't quite noticed up to this point by my whimpers and hisses of pain.

Zed strolled up with none of her haste or anger, taking in the scattered corpses splattered and plopping from the walls and ceiling with an appraising stare, then turning that curious expression on the two of us struggling in the slop. Considering I couldn't provide much more in the way of answers than yelps and groans, he put a steady hoof on her shoulder and nodded to the waiting Security office. "I'll help tend his wounds so you can hurt him at your leisure Valkyrie, I believe that's where he wanted to go anyway. I'm interested in whatever answers you can squeeze out of him myself, this way..."

At that I got tossed none too gently over Val's back like a sack of apples, while she grumbled back to me. "Right... good call stripey. Better think o' somethin' convincin' crazy... Seriously, what the fuck boss!!"

Her muttering blended with the fragments of memory still rattling around in my head as things got fuzzy, the voices of the present and past alike enough for me to reply. Though I wasn't sure if I was answering her question or just confused who was asking. "A-Auntie... Broom..."

Knew I wasn't that rusty... All the fledglings snicker behind my back, but I'm still sharp enough to hold my post, not like poor old Lizzie. Tough enough to rough up a few young'uns from that prick Squall's squad too, them Gold Squad twerps think they're tough, but sing like a canary if you threaten to start cuttin' bits off. Of course getting answers just leads to more questions, talkin' with the outside isn't supposed to be possible, but somebody's sure as hell doin' it.

Things have been goin' downhill the last bunch'a years, but nice and slow like so we wouldn't notice. Imagine if I weren't so stubborn ta be hangin' on to my job all this time, my replacement wouldn't figure it out either. Hell, if Doc Stitch hadn't brought all his snoopin' straight ta me I might not have either. Hopin' ta catch Squall in the act, got a few smart cookies in Pink Squad what can figure out all the computer nonsense he's gettin' up to, just hope they crack it in time.

Things are comin' to a head here, damage has already been done and dunno if this old bird can fix it. Knew I shouldn'ta taken this job... and ta think, my goofy ol' Aunt had ta pull strings ta get it for me. Guess I am glad to have lived so long after the end, had kids and even grandkids here, but what kinda life is it gonna be with all this cloak and dagger crap goin' on? One more fight in me I guess, fer them... Not leavin their future in Squall's claws, that's fer sure.

Looking up from the security desk with tears standing in my eyes, I didn't feel so bad at my earlier confusion after playing the audio file still uncorrupted on the terminal. The voice crackling from the speaker was a lot older than I remembered, but Val really did remind me of Auntie Broom now that I was a little more clearheaded.

Her glare did soften a little at the rushed explanation given as Zed treated my wounds, prowling between the battered desk and her post at the door back out to the halls. After listening to the last audio file Auntie Broom had left, Val squinted at the terminal I had unlocked sitting at Auntie Broom's very own desk. Her tail lashed behind her in frustration, but she wasn't pummeling me where I sat for my lapse at least.

Not that much anyway... Another slap to my face made me amend that, wincing at each hard smack, but hurt a lot more by the furious tears in her eyes and her harsh words. "Some old griffon bitch dead a hundred an' fifty freakin' years!? THAT'S what yer goin' nutty over!?! This is MY revenge boss! MINE! It ain't about you and it ain't about yer ma's dead friend! It's about ME and MY dead friend, ASSHOLE!"

"Don't call her that! V-Val... I'm sorry, I... I know I screwed up, I just..."

Her dark claws clamped my muzzle shut before I could even try to continue, her violet eyes narrowed as her voice got low and dangerous. "Save it! Don't even fuckin' start boss. I ain't losin' my shit when they... what they did ta me! You tell me ta stay cool and I am, but soon as you hear this Broom was here, suddenly all bets are off huh?"

"No! Val I... I really am sorry! I lost my temper, I didn't mean... I'm as mad for you as I am for her! It was too much, t-there's this voice in my head that..."

Finding one of a number of oozing wounds at my shoulder, Val clamped a claw over it and squeezed, coming muzzle to beak and ignoring my whimper of pain. "Shuddap. Not interested in yer crazy excuses. You stay put boss, let stripey patch all this shit up while I go do a lil' scoutin' and find somebody ta relieve some stress on, 'fore I do somethin' I'll regret. If yer butt moves off'a that seat 'fore I get back, I'm lockin' ya up in one of them cells over yonder an' doin' this myself. Got it!?"

"G-Got it...." Following her glare over to the pair of prison cells crowded with more crates and junk, I nodded weakly, not doubting her threat as she stalked off.

I released a shaky breath and slumped in my seat wearily when she was gone. I didn't like the thought of her wandering around on her own, but considering my own actions, I couldn't really complain without being a huge hypocrite. A thought I saw mirrored in Zed's firm grey eyes and silent reproach. as he helped me shrug out of my blood soaked armor and started treating the numerous wounds I had obliviously taken.

At least most of the seething anger that had tried to take over was shocked into misery and self recrimination, she sounded so mad... I didn't mean to disregard how she felt, make her think Auntie Broom was more important to me than she was. I didn't mean to overshadow her old pain with my fresh one.

"I... I have that radioactive apple from the hub Zed, you don't have to do all this. Just back up a little so it doesn't make you sick and..."

Before I could morosely unwrap my balefire apple from the lead lined apron floating from my packs, Zed snatched it away and shook his head sternly, continuing more standard healing as he muttered in reply. "It sounds as if we have a few minutes to wait, maybe a little discomfort will teach you the lesson she wishes you to learn."

"What, that I'm a selfish asshole that made her feel worse? Sure... I guess I should suffer a little bit more."

Zed seemed to have improved his skills during our stay in the Ministry of Peace, along with restocking his tribal remedies that he dumped to the desk before setting to work. He wasn't nearly as skilled or gentle as Jade, though I was willing to bet some of the rough treatment was his own form of punishment. I was surprised I hadn't taken more serious damage charging ahead like that, so I kept my mouth firmly shut on the healing potion he shoved there as he dug shrapnel from my ribs.

"You scared her..." The zebra's deep voice was low and even when he spoke, not angry or accusing, just stating a fact. Somehow that made me feel worse.

I opened my mouth to attempt some kind of lame reply, prevented from voicing it when he pulled a cork from a glyph marked gourd from his zebra potions and shoved it in. The spicy taste that flooded in when he tipped the brew up with his hoof was somewhat familiar, more of that soothing, pale potion he made me drink back at Summerset Plantation when I lost my temper and blacked out then.

After making sure I took a few healthy swigs and watching closely, he shook his head and moved on to wrapping bandages around my barrel, muttering around the strips of magical cloth in his teeth. "Beating yourself up should be enough suffering, you see how losing control hurts others, yes? I took it because radiation makes that temper of yours more difficult to manage. Not what you need right now... That is getting worse Fast, I'd be more concerned if you weren't somehow still able to show no reaction to that brew. "

"Yeah... I get it, sorry Zed. Actually this stuff is pretty nice, warms me up inside. What is it anyway? Did you make it?"

He shook his head and nickered gruffly, stoppering the gourd and stashing the remaining few swallows away again. "This is far beyond my meager alchemical skills. Grandfather made it. It's a treatment for corruption of black magic, necromanctic and demonic possession. If I had brewed it, I could believe I simply hadn't done so correctly. That would be easier to understand anyway."

"Easier than what?"

He gave a guarded, flat look in reply, eventually sighing and betraying a little confusion and concern that surprised me. "Than how you can reek of dark magic and the taint of the stars when you get like that, yet not either vomit or burst into flames drinking an exorcism purgative."

"F-Flames!? What the fuck Zed!?!"

I gaped and held my stomach in panic, glaring at the zebra stallion's deep chuckle, not entirely sure if he was having a joke at my expense or serious. "Spontaneous combustion is a very unlikely side effect... I'm sure it's fine. The spirits have a more interesting path for you anyway. This griffon friend of yours Valkyrie was upset about for example, 'Broom'? She was here in this Stable? Who was she?"

"Brunhilde... She was a friend of my mom's back before... everything. She taught me the oath that got Val to make a contract with me. I... I knew she was dead, like everybody else back then. Seeing her name and how the Gunners hurt her too, like they did Val... I wasn't more mad about her than Val, I was mad about both of them. I... I just saw red."

Zed hummed in thought and trotted over to the stained sink in the nearest cell, soaking several rags along with my bloodstained armor. With my wounds tended, he tossed the rags back for me wash the sticky blood matting my fur. I felt a little queasy realizing I was as coated in gore as Swan had been acting as breezidore bait, scrubbing with shaking hooves while Zed rinsed the ichor from my trenchoat. I didn't really remember the details of slicing those Gunners to giblets, but the evidence was undeniable.

My hurried cleaning revealed the blue and silver, sword and shield mark on my flank, the winged clock serving as the hilt uncovered from a glop of jelly I had the sinking feeling had been an eyeball. Zed chuckled at how green I turned pawing it away and pointed at it, musing aloud thoughtfully. "Interesting you would run across someone you knew here, perhaps Jade's interpretation of your cutie mark is correct after all. You have a habit of being in the right place at the right time."

"Right time!? H-How is this the right time!? I'm a century and a half too late! She's dead! Exiled! Her and her whole family if what I read is right! I'm never in the right place when I could make a difference! I'm always too late! My family was taken eighty years ago and I missed it, Auntie Broom was run out ages ago, Glitter's mom and sister... Val and her friend... I'm always too late!! All I can ever do is play catch up!"

I wasn't sure why Zed's calm, deep voice made that helpless anger surge up, but it definitely did with his shrug of an answer. "Not the right time as far as you are concerned, but the spirits follow pony timetables as infrequently as they do those of any other creature. Your preference doesn't change the role they have for you to play."

"I don't care about your stupid spirits or what they want Zed! I care about... about who I care about! What kind of special talent lets me always show up too late!"

In answer, Zed snapped my mostly clean trenchcoat in his teeth and brought it back, offering it significantly along with his reply. "The original Shrouded Stallion was referred to as Luna's sword and shield, yes? Her avenger and defender? You are able to avenge this friend of yours from so long ago, if not defend her. Or perhaps you could call it justice instead, if it makes you feel better."

At his words I had a flash of the memory orb I found in the home of the creator of the Shrouded Stallion comics I grew up with, of the question Princess Luna herself had asked Bobbing Cane before allowing him to use the character. What was the Shroud's virtue... Mr. Cane's answer had been justice, and what was revenge if not corrupted justice?

"What's the difference between the two Zed? Do you know?"

Most of my anger fizzled out at his wry chuckle, replaced by somber curiosity and weariness. Though I was disappointed at the black and white zebra answering in shades of grey. "I'm no philosopher Fast. I imagine it's mostly a matter of perspective. Grandfather would say justice is impartial and seeks to restore balance, while vengeance is personal and only continues the cycle of imbalance. I'd say they are two sides of the same coin."

"Jade would want me to prefer justice, but when I saw Auntie Broom's name... I wanted revenge. I want revenge. Val deserves her revenge too. I know it's wrong... or it was in the world I grew up in. There's no laws or courts or cops anymore though, is it even possible to get justice instead? Don't the Gunners deserve to pay? If your spirits brought us here, maybe they want me to take it for her."

"There's an old Roaman saying like that actually Fast. 'When fortune smiles on something as violent and ugly as revenge, it seems proof like no other, that you're doing the spirit's will.' I'm no shaman either however, I don't even attempt to guess at their motivations. I am a shadow hunter, I know the touch of evil when I see it and am concerned when I see you reveling in it, just as Valkyrie is worried for you. Answering darkness with more darkness is a dangerous path Fast." Zed answered with that annoying lack of judgement again as he helped shove my wings back through my coat, letting me mull it over to myself.

"When you do that, it's like answering a question with a question Zed... It'd be easier if you'd just say I was wrong and not to do it. Or that your potion there drove some kind of... demon out of my head, so I'd know it wasn't me... S-Speaking of spirits and all... I have been getting worried about it. Ivy couldn't say whether it was me or something else, but... W-What do you think?"

"I'm still amazed Grandfather's potion doesn't cause some reaction myself Fast. My every well honed instinct tells me you have a very dangerous spirit clinging to you, yet it doesn't consume you somehow... I still wouldn't indulge that darker nature too much. Finding another soul jar is probably not the defense you think it is..." Zed's reply and pointed kick of my saddlebag containing the Ministry Mare statues made me gulp guiltily. I hadn't told him I had added Rainbow Dash and 'Be Awesome!' to the set, but he always knew anyway, able to sense the products of zebra necromancy on me.

"I felt better when I found it though... They help, er... keep that bad voice quiet. They were until I saw Auntie Broom's name anyway. I umm... don't talk to Jade much about it, a-and we've been so busy at the hub I kinda put it off, but... Do you really think I might be... p-possessed?"

"I don't know Fast, as I've told you before, you are an oddity. Darkness can grow in any heart however, whether from a foreign spirit or from the seed of evil that waits in all of us. Those statues are as strange and full of opposing forces as the internal battle I see you struggle with however. Which is why you should be cautious relying on them." Zed usually didn't get into details concerning zebra beliefs, or have anything good to say about my collection of soul jars at all.

"Why? They're good, they make me feel better... I like them. They're like the essence of the Elements of Harmony, that's as good as you can get, right?"

"Yes, they contain an echo of the most powerful and positive pony magic in history Fast. They were also made through the foulest and most negative zebra magic ever recorded. A strange combination hmm? If they help keep your darker nature in check, that's good. But a muscle grows as strong as it needs to be to meet the weight resisting it." The zebra's answer was mysterious as usual, but I thought I got the gist of what he meant.

I did feel better and that shadowy Shroud in my head was muted and restrained by the Ministry Mares more effectively with each I found, but it fought for freedom harder and escaped more spectacularly as their quiet whisper grew stronger. All it took had been the right trigger to let it surge free again.

"T-Thanks Zed... er... for keeping an eye out for me. It's hard to talk about this stuff with anybody else, knowing you're watching and don't think I'm crazy helps. You uh... s-still don't think I'm evil or crazy, right? You'd tell me if I really was?"

Falling back to all fours, Zed clapped my back and chuckled in that soothing baritone, nodding solemnly. "I would, I am a Venator Noctics, if I were positive you were corrupted by a dark spirit, I'd take steps... That is what friends do, isn't it? That's also why I am sure we were brought together for a reason. Whether you truly are host to an dark spirit, or are simply hurt and angry over the fate of your friend."

"Regardless, I wouldn't call you evil. Despite my specialization when it comes to dark magic, or perhaps because of it, I've found it hard to label anything completely evil, even in a world where truly foul and dark magic exists. Like your question of justice or revenge, it's usually a matter of perspective. Whatever the answer, it's unlikely to be as simple or satisfying as you hope for. The spirits rarely are." Again, Zed could be more comforting instead of so blunt and honest, but he was trying anyway. Just that made me feel better.

Val's snort from the door made me jump, prowling in and sticking her beak up derisively. "Quit with that stripey hoo-doo! Oooooo, spooky stars an scary spirits.... wooooo! You zebras think everything is all oogie boogie ghosties or what not. Boss ain't got no spooky spirits makin' him pissed an' don't need one ta feel that way. We gots plenty'a good reasons without you bringin' yer wacko religion inta it!"

"Everything is connected to the spirits, good and ill, Fast's path, yours, this Brunhilde's and my own. His string of ...coincidences... should be proof enough even for skeptics like yourself. I was trying to help him look on the brighter side. This griffon brought the two of you together, now the spirits have brought you full circle. Whether you seek vengeance or justice is up to you." Even Val's dismissal of his beliefs didn't phase Zed, simply cleaning up his welcome healing supplies and allowing her to tromp up and glare at me.

I winced under her stare, shuffling nervously but not daring to move from where she told me to stay. She still looked a little mad, but had sounded more like herself making fun of Zed and coming to my defense. I still felt beads of sweat springing up on my forehead under her silent glower, looking up hopefully and trying to apologize before she started hitting me again.

"Val... I'm sorry, really. I know getting back at the Gunners is about you, not about Auntie Broom. You're more important to me. You're right, you're here and alive, while she's dead and gone. I didn't mean to hurt or scare you like that, I just..."

I flinched when her claw clamped my muzzle shut again, but it was a much gentler grip and she sighed softly, glaring at Zed until he rolled his eyes and trotted off to the doorway, letting her speak privately and with a kind grumble. "Just lost yer shit again... Look, I get it. That friend of yer ma's, I er... I didn't mean ta call her a bitch. If it weren't fer her teachin' ya how ta make the contract, we wouldn'ta wound up together, so I owe her too ya know... I was a lil' jealous ya got all worked up over her an... Ya pissed me off."

"Umm... I noticed... Sorry!" I flinched at her threatening balled fist tilting my chin up, but was relieved to see a twinkle of her normal mischief in her eye instead of real anger.

"Ya can't go runnin' off where I can't bodyguard ya and get hurt like that though jerk! These fucks killed another pony pal of mine I cared about a-as much as you, so think about that kinda shit before you go all crazy again, huh? N-Not that I'm sayin' ya really are crazy... umm... I kinda listened in a little... how come you ain't said nothin' about, er... all of stripey's zebra hooey ta me? I might not'a smacked ya so hard..." Seeing Val scratch her arms and shuffle sheepishly, I realized I wasn't the only one who felt ashamed, feeling my ears droop as I answered in a quiet whisper.

"I deserved it though. I shouldn't have... I get scared too and didn't want to worry you. Seeing Auntie Broom was here and knowing how they hurt you both, that umm... that angry, mean part I'm afraid of took over and I wanted to get revenge, for both of you. N-Not that you need me to do it for you either, I was just being selfish. Sorry...

"Payback boss. They did stuff the griffon way here in this hellhole right? Payback. That's what I want... Call it justice or revenge either one, but we're gettin' some cause these fuckers deserve it. They owe us an' the bill's come due, so we're takin' it outta their hides. Yer old auntie is just more on the tab. But we're doin' it together, got it? You keep me from losin' it and I do the same fer you. We're partners right?" I nodded solemnly and sniffled at Val's firm demand, taking her grudging permission to get up and hugging the tense griffon.

Somehow Val's version sounded better, making me wonder if Stable-Tec had a valid point setting this place up to learn from the griffon's culture. Payback sounded better than revenge, even if it wasn't far off. She hated the Gunners more than I did after what they did to her, but was able to keep her cool looking at it as a settling of accounts. A balancing that was at least closer to Zed's definition of justice than the blind rage that had threatened to overwhelm me.

She was right. If it weren't for Auntie Broom, Val and I might never have wound up together. So I owed Brunhilde Stormwing a deep debt myself, one I intended to pay. The seething hiss of 'Be Dark...' kept trying to to surge back up at the thought, but feeling Val return the embrace helped put it in check.

"Right Val. Sorry. Let's go get some payback then, for both of us and Auntie Broom."

The housing for the Lieutenants of the Stable was not far from Security, rather luxurious accommodations compared to the less secured residential wings earlier. Since there weren't nearly as many Gunners in residence as their predecessors, all of the Squad leader's rooms were occupied and mostly scrubbed of tenants from 150 years ago.

Val had made a quick patrol of the area already, allowing me to go looking around since she had already cleared it. The pocket waiting at the security office had been the only ones nearby. Rapid Reload and the last of the Gunners had to have retreated further into the administration wing. In my Stable that wouldn't be much room to hide in, but the map I managed to download from the security terminal showed another difference between 75 and 111, this wing was one of the largest and fanciest areas we had found so far.

The officers of the Stable received special treatment apparently, another cultural difference with griffons that Val helped explain on my confused look at the spacious officers club recreation area. I was glad to hear her sounding back to her cheery self, grinning and swishing her tail with a chuckle. "Of course the mucky mucks get better stuff boss, they're in charge right?"

"Isn't that unfair though? I mean... the Overmare back home got a nicer room, but it wasn't that much nicer. They really needed their own bar?"

Considering the gloomy bar was still kept well stocked with alcohol that Val had immediately started pillaging, I supposed asking her that was a silly question even before she nodded crazily. "Uh-huh! Everywhere needs a bar boss. What's the point in higher rank if'n ya don't get perks?"

The bar was down a passage leading back towards the weird training simulation room in the previous section, only confusing me more when we ducked our head in to make sure it was clear, and found ourselves staring down through glass walls at the bottom of a set of bleachers, overlooking the rough cavern and city scene. One of the recordings we found earlier said the residents watched a tournament of the squads competing down there for pecking order, but they watched from the elite admin area?

"Why would they make everypony else come in their exclusive little area to watch the show then? Wouldn't that just be rubbing it in?"

Val grinned and nodded happily in response, turning back to the residential areas after making sure the litter strewn stands were empty. "Zactly! Now yer gettin' it boss!"

"Wealth among griffon circles means little without the envy of those below Fast. Being rich doesn't mean anything if there aren't those who are poor and jealous of success." Zed actually understood better than I did, answering in a dry tone but not bothering Val in the slightest as she agreed completely.

She did eventually figure out he was being sarcastic, expanding on his explanation like she was trying to explain a difficult concept to a poor student. "Peckin' order boss... Makes them on the bottom work hard ta reach the top, and them on top work hard so they get ta stay there. Competition an' what not. If everybody was all even steven, why would anybody try ta stand out and move up?"

"Fulfillment? Pride? Community?"

Each of my confused guesses were met with a groan of disappointment from Val. "Noooo! You an' Blue are too fulla that goody-goody pony nonsense ta get it boss. You would'a got eaten alive in a Stable like this, posed ta do things the griffon way right? Ya work hard ta get rich! Enjoy the finer things!"

"Money isn't all that matters Val..." Her dismissive scoff in response made me glower at her, nudging her affectionately and trying to bridge the cultural divide. "You don't think so, right Val? Riiiiight?"

"Nnnnn.... alright, alright! I admit it, ya been rubbin' off on me boss, makin' me go soft and believe in some of that pony silliness. I guess there is stuff that's as nice as gettin' rich. But this is the Griffonstone way. You asked, I'm just tellin' ya." It took a minute of puppy eyed pouting to make her crack, but Val did roll her eyes and give in as we ducked in the residential rooms.

Zed made an effort to keep things light and on safer subjects than revenge with the two of us, chuckling from across the hall and needling the griffon. "What kinds of pony values have so enlightened you Valkyrie? I'm sure Fast would like hearing specifics, I know I would. You've found more to life than the values espoused here since coming under his employ?"

"Shaddup stripey..." Val growled back, picking open a small lockbox of caps from underneath the bed of the Purple Squad's commander. My curious stare made her ruffle her feathers and dart her eyes away, grumbling at my hopeful expression. "Nooooo.... stop it boss.... Don't make me say it, just quit yer cutesy bullshit right now..."

"But I don't pay you... If that's really all that matters then what if you're not happy and you leave? I have to know what's important to you so I can make sure you know you're appreciated Val."

Adding a lip quiver that would have made Glitter proud pushed her over the edge, Val's face got redder as she kicked at the floor and muttered under her breath petulantly. "the... f-family, love, junk..."

"What was that? I couldn't quite make it out..."

Teasing a blushing griffon wasn't a good idea, but did make me feel better, even as she grabbed my lapels and slammed me to the rusty wall, raising her wings to hide from Zed's chuckling and scowling at me with a whisper. "Don't gimme that, them freaky alicorn ears heard me just fine dammit! I said the touchy feely crap alright! Happy!?"

Lunging at her grimacing beak for a kiss made her sputter and squawk, dumping me to the floor as I nodded happily. "Very happy Val. I love you too."

"ERRRGGHH!! Least yer back ta bein' annoyin' and cute boss. C'mon, lets go goofy!" I got put back on my hooves by a rough claw grabbing my scruff and a firm yank, but she did nip my neck affectionately before storming off.

Having a respite to explore and calm down helped a lot. I still felt fragile and the growl of 'Be Dark...' kept trying to throw up reminders about Auntie Broom to reignite the fury still lurking under the surface, but Zed's talk gave me more motivation to keep it under control. Joking and taking comfort in my friends was an even better balm too. Val was worried for me and that distracted her from her own anger, while I felt the same about her. Focusing on each other gave us both the strength to put aside our own selfish desires, reminding me again how powerful the magic of friendship could be.

Smiling at her mock pouting and playful shoves, I felt enough courage to poke around in the former rooms of the Lieutenants of Blue and Gold squads, starting with the yellow trimmed door marking Lt. Squall's quarters, the one who exiled Auntie Broom so long ago. I still felt a seething anger thinking about him, but he was long gone and my curiosity distracted me, hoping to find out more about the Institute's meddling here.

At least the Gunners didn't seem interested in old terminals in general, at most using them to add newer files, holotape games or to vandalize, but not able to clear the ancient file fragments that filled in more of the story. I assumed the Institute would keep their hoofprints off the remaining files pretty well, but reading between the lines wasn't hard and verified what I had already guessed.

Squall sounded like a more stereotypical griffon from what little I could dig up. His biggest complaints had been the ways the griffons in charge were expected to meet their pony subordinates in the middle, several of his initial entries bitching at length about having a cutie mark tattooed on his flanks on entering the Stable.

From his cryptic later entries, I got the idea the Institute had passed along the idea of making all of them get branded with the stark barcode and numbers still partially visible on Val's flanks too. Clinical identifiers that helped sort their little experiments and catalog them...

Putting the ancient ranting of a griffon supremacist the Institute easily manipulated behind, I felt up to braving Auntie Broom's room, though I found even less there. No faded pictures of mom's old friend collected dust on the walls, no steely grey feathers stuck behind the desk, not even the faintest whiff of anything but a more recent occupant, who hadn't made much use of the private bathroom's shower by the stink. Not that I would even recognize Broom's scent if I did catch it, I didn't have a nose capable of picking it up as a foal.

The most I got was even less than her elderly voice from her office terminal, a few fragments of the earliest entries to her personal terminal, another luxury reserved for the higher ups. Just a little text, but enough to make me chuckle sadly at the difference between Auntie Broom's initial reaction to receiving a cutie mark and Lt. Squall's;

"Damn tattoo still hurts. Just sure my crazy Aunt is out there laughin' her ass off somewhere, all her preaching about pony nonsense to everybody that would listen, and she finally got her way. My own cutie mark... jeez... Probably pulled strings with her pony friends to get me in here, just so I'd have to get one of these damn butt stamps she was always so gaga over. Least there was a storm cloud and a wing to pick from. No guns, claws, explosions or cool pictures at all though! Hafta talk to the nerds running that machine and add some better images to the database."

Puzzling it out over my shoulder, Val snorted laughter and mussed my mane, trying to cheer me up and marginally succeeding. "Ha! They didn't put nothin' badass ta stick on griffon flanks in that kooky tattoo machine? I would'a asked fer the same thing boss, I like this Broom gal! Wonder if they added more, figure out how ta cover this crap up with somethin' better."

"Really? Would you want a cutie mark Val?"

Swaying her flanks at my interested stare, Val smirked and shrugged in reply. "I'd like not havin' this damn thing on there anymore. I ain't one of them Groverite kooks wantin' to be like a pony, but a cool tattoo wouldn't be bad. Maybe a flaming claw, or a volcano, or a big freakin' gun! Oooh, or one like yers, huh boss? Since we're partners an' all. Would ya like puttin' yer mark on this here booty? Stake yer claim?"

"Yes... N-No! Cut it out Val, n-not funny..."

Despite the blush warming my cheeks at her fluttering eyelashes, I was glad to be forgiven. I hated when Val was mad at me, putting up with her teasing and joking around with her was a welcome change from feeling hurt and angry thinking about Auntie Broom, and she sounded a lot better than she had focusing on taking her own revenge too. Of course watching her bound along ahead of me with a musical bounce to her flanks gave that dark mutter in my head something else to focus on. Compared to 'Be Dark...'s other areas of interest, the frisky growl and itchy mane was pretty benign at least.

Coming closer to the Atrium on my map, we found the officers of Stable 75 had their own mess hall too. A smaller eating area and kitchen was connected to the common cafeteria at the bottom of the vertical atrium. The Administration keycard opened the door there, allowing us to take a shortcut back to the surface once we had tracked down the last of the Gunners at least.

I checked my pip-buck for the time and was briefly tempted to fly back upstairs to see if Swan had returned yet. Her locator tag was flying north from the Glowing Sea however, she'd be back before long, but we still had some time. I wasn't too sure what to tell her when she did arrive either, or if she'd even be able to fit in the Stable. It wasn't like Swan was apt to be as disappointed or worried as Jade would be finding out I lost my temper again, but the battle crazed filly might not be the best influence either.

For now, we decided to keep the escape route open and in mind, putting the Atrium at our backs and following the trail of shipping containers being sorted up there. All the ordinance the Gunners were getting came from deeper in the Stable, towards the more traditional Admin area that was closer to my own Stable.

It was still oddly different, as the Stable store we passed attested to. Back in 111 we didn't really buy or sell things, but the rusty cash registers were still stuffed with golden prewar bits, along with plenty of bottlecaps. A variety of luxury items like cigarettes, alcohol, tattered old copies of Wingboner magazine and other bits of junk lined the shelves we investigated.

There were even a few rotting toys shoved at the back of a lower shelf, a wealth of cherry bombs Val cackled at and snagged, along with a stack of Stable-Tec lunch boxes. I was delighted to dig up a foam dart gun I grabbed for Glitter, a simple, plastic, hoof operated pump weapon the little earth pony filly would probably enjoy. Of course what limited toys for kids in this crazy griffon Stable would be explosives or practice guns...

The buzzing signs leading further in listed a bank along with the storage and maintenance level, confusing me, but also giving us a likely goal. "A bank? Really?"

"Somebody's gotta keep track of the cash boss... Ya really didn't get paid at all back home? That's crazy!" Val raised a disbelieving eyebrow at my questioning why a Stable would need financial institutions.

"No, I didn't need anything the Stable didn't provide already, what would I spend it on? Why would we need to be paid to do our jobs? If we didn't, we'd all die."

"Yeah but... nothin'?! Nope, wouldn't work in a griffon Stable boss. Gots ta get paid ta do work, an' have stuff ta blow it all on too! Maybe they still gots cash ta rob outta the place, huh?!" She didn't sound convinced, but found something to look forward to anyway.

"I'm betting on it. If they kept all the supplies storage locked up to sell and parcel out back here, this is probably where they're getting gear from the Institute too. They'd want to hide one of their teleporters somewhere secure, I'm a lot more interested in that than any money. That's probably where they're holed up at too, so let's be careful and... H-Hang on, lemme stop in here first..."

The door to the Overgriffon's office was just ahead, making Val groan as I ducked my head in. I was a little disappointed the Gunner in charge wasn't still sitting behind the crescent shaped desk strewn with papers, but curious regardless. Most of the files and newer additions to the terminal were concerned with shipping all the goodies the Institute was supplying the mercenaries with. Seeing just how much was getting routed through here spelled out in black and white was concerning, along with a record of how long they had been at it.

The biggest things coming into Stable 75 were suits of power armor we had been running into with more frequency. Most of it detailed more mundane shipments like ammo, weapons, combat armor, drugs and food, an efficient operation keeping a full fledged army marching. There were a few interesting notes about much bigger toys, like the newer tanks and vertibucks the Gunners had been using, but most of these were simply receipts and records keeping track of the flow of goods. The bigger stuff all seemed to be going to 'Whinny Base'....

"That's why the Gunners drove Preston and the others out of Whinny! There's an industrial relay there!"

Map Updated blinked in my vision at the discovery, giving me somewhere else to investigate later and a chance for a little payback for our friends from Sanctuary too. Even Val had been curious why the mercenaries had bothered taking over the old home of Preston, Sturges, Mama Xara and the others back home, driving them all the way to Poncord and our fateful meeting to escape.

There wasn't much more to be found snooping around in the Overgriffon's terminal, but I did find the standard recording from Vice President Scootaloo I expected, letting it play from my pip-buck as we returned to the halls. I was surprised to hear a bright and vibrant voice chirping along with the tired sounding mare I had heard elsewhere though.

"Hey, is it recording Scoots? Is it? Huh? Howboutnow? Huh?"

"Yes Gabby, they can hear us, stay professional remember? Hi there ponies..."

"And griffons!"

"Of Stable 75!" Both voices finished together, the infectious cheeriness of this Gabby lifting Scootaloo's normally sad sounding message up into a chuckle.

"If you're hearing this, then... I guess things didn't work out so well..."

"Aw, don't be like that Scoots! If they're hearing it, that means they survived and are starting a big adventure together, ponies and griffons helpin' each other out, finding a better way, right!?"

"R-Right... Yeah, right Gabby. I'm Vice President Scootaloo of Stable-Tec,, and my griffon friend here is Gabriel of the Talon's Department Stores. You residents of Stable 75 are hopefully safe and sound. Just surviving isn't all we're hoping for though. Like Gabby said, we hope you'll find a better way together than either ponies or griffons did on their own."

"Since me and the Crusaders are such good friends, we thought you Stable dwellers could be too! I learned a lot from my pony friends and tried to spread the magic of our friendship back home to Griffonstone and all over Equestria through my chain of Talon's Stores. Maybe not as well as I hoped... but I'm sure I just needed more time, which you guys have got oodles of! Us griffons might not be super nice sometimes, but we can be!"

"And us ponies can plainly learn a lot from the griffons and their way of doing things, so that's what we hope for from you. Stable 75 is meant to be a collaborative effort, the griffons have a different way of running things than we do, but it's a form of government that didn't result in blowing the world up, so they've been put in charge."

"But the ponies have lots to teach us too! You guys will even get to pick your own cutie marks! isn't that awesome!"

"As Overgriffon in charge of everyone, it'll be your job to try to help everyone get along and blend our two societies together, so one day you can rebuild a better world back on the surface. We also planned a few research projects to help achieve that goal, detailed in your documentation. We're hoping to find out the causes of violent tendencies and ways to manage them, so the new culture you come up with will last longer than we did. That's secondary though, the priority is for everyone to survive and get along, in whatever way works best."

"I know you guys will do great! I really wish we could see how it all turns out, but I'm sure it'll be lots of fun! Just take care of each other ok! You can do it!"

Val gaped at the recording clicking to a halt, smacking her face with her claw and shaking her head slowly when she recovered. "Gawd... Freakin' Groverites, that goofy Gabby is an embarassment ta griffons everywhere..."

"She sounded nice Val, I like her. She actually reminds me of you..."

What I thought was a compliment ended up getting me shoved into the nearest wall with a squawk and pounced on by my irate bodyguard, struggling under painful noogies scratching my itchy mane for me. "What!? You tryin' ta piss me off again boss? Why not just call me a big wuss!"

"Ow! Ow! Ow! I just meant you both sound like really nice griffons that get along with ponies and.. OW! VAL!"

I was apparently just digging this hole deeper, yelping as Val's eye twitched and she punched and smacked me mercilessly. "Try again boss, that's two strikes... I sure as hell don't sound that sappy and goofy dammit! I'ma badass griffon an' you better recognize shrimp, 'fore I..."

"Of course you are! Y-You're the toughest, bestest griffon in the world! You're both really sweet and awesome and nice too though! Or she sounded like it! You like ponies too right? You're my best friend and I really love you Val! That's all I meant! Please stop hurting me! AUGH! No pinching!" Peeking up from the brim of my battered hat, I tried one more time in a rush, cracking open an eye and relieved to see her pause with a bright blush straddling me.

Zed's deep chuckle ahead snapped her out of it, turning even redder and screeching at his retreating back. She tossed a dented tin can from the floor at his head, huffing in annoyance when he dodged without even turning to look at the missile. "Now that Fast puts it that way, I see it too. Perhaps this Gabby griffon was an ancestor of yours?"

"Oh I'll show ya just how sweet an' nice I am Zed! Lemme give ya a nice, friendly, pony type hug till I snap yer stripey neck!" Her tail snapped back and forth in agitation and she leaned down to whisper once he was safely out of earshot, torn between annoyance and a distinctly pleased look on her face. "Oh you mushy lil' bastard....Yer payin' fer that, laters... when I can really wring it outta ya. Yer just lucky I er... y-yeah, I love ya too jerk... a-and that I'm not just awesome, tough an' mean, I do gots my softer side an' I'ma forgivin' griffon."

"D-Don't forget humble..."

"Damn straight! Prolly the most humble griffon out there!" Val bounded down the hall, leaving me wheezing and dizzy on the floor and hoping she remained too flustered to catch the sarcasm.

We started meeting resistance again the closer we got to the bank, forcing us to put aside the lighthearted joking and exploration that had smoothed over my lapse in control. I could see Val and Zed both keeping a close eye on me, but I was worried enough for both of them.

The voice of 'Be Dark...' was biding its time, I had to rely on it as I had since leaving my Stable and it knew it. It occurred to me more than once that if it weren't for that shadow lurking in my heart making it so easy to pull the trigger, I probably would have died the first time I was faced with killing another pony to survive.

It had been a lot harder back then, but not as hard as it should have been. Realizing how I had simply taken to murder and mayhem like a duck to water was an uncomfortable thought, easy to disregard with how everyone in the wasteland just accepted that was how things were. Ponies really could get used to anything, the ones here had adapted to the griffon way of doing things, we had all dove headlong into our first real war with minimal provocation, even the Ministry Mares had changed and gone along with the end of the world after all.

That voice had been there from the beginning though, maybe it had even been there back in Stable 111, but was merely quiet without the proper stimulation. Was it really the same little voice everyone had in their head? A tempting whisper that led us collectively down the road that ended in apocalypse? Or was it actually something worse?

Whatever the case, it was a sword with a sharp, double edge. Despite my reticence picking it up again, I had to use it, even if I risked hurting myself every time I did.

The oddity of walking into a bank in the heart of a Stable had to be put aside dealing with the Gunners waiting in ambush. It wasn't a cavernous bank lobby like you'd find above ground, but the layout was similar. A counter with pens hanging from rusty chains and strewn with tarnished prewar bits offered a bit of cover, charging into the room and firing around it to the pair of barred teller windows.

A par of Ponitrons clomped out from recessed charging stations on either side of the room, pink beams of magic firing from their cloudy domed heads wearing battered old security peaked security hats. Zed rolled out to deal with the one on the left, while the Terrible Shotgun hammered the one on the right back.

Cackling to herself, Val peeked over the counter and scooped clawfuls of bits into one of the Stable-Tec lunchboxes she had looted, stuffing it full along with a grenade she pulled the pin on and tossed over the barricaded teller windows. When it blew, it was with the sound of golden coins raining down, perforating the Gunners hiding back there with expensive shrapnel.

Before I could move to follow Zed's lead to finish them off, Val grabbed the barrel of my shotgun and raked more coins down it, grinning maniacally. "Payback! Right boss?"

I smiled back, charging to the groans coming from behind the counter and the shouts echoing from the open vault door in the back. The makeshift ammo made the counter displayed in my vision flicker from 'SLG' to "COIN' and I noticed the increased wear it caused to the weapon on blasting the face off a pony peeking out from the round vault door.

It did have a certain irony that made it worth grabbing a tattered canvas bag of more bits from behind the counter though. It was all blood money, every bit they used to keep up their pocket economy, every cap we found stashed further within from the mercenary company and their contracts. Though Val did keep snatching up the usable wasteland currency for herself.

"We don't have time to loot as we go Valkyrie, you're going to overload yourself..." Zed huffed spotting her picking out another bag of caps and stuffing it in her bags with a jingle.

Tossing another bag from one of the open lock boxes lining the passage his way in answer, Val shook her head and kept looking for more as we moved forward, somehow able to tell the difference between bits and caps with just an appraising shake of the weight in her claws. "Then help carry it. This here's back pay stripey, my severance package what they owe me. Guess this might be one of the reasons they keep this place secret boss, must stash some of their cash here. If'n I knew about it, I would'a robbed the place a long time ago. I ain't the only one neither. We gotta get Swanny ta haul all'a this outta here 'fore we go!"

While plain old greed and hoarding probably did factor into it, the open crate of red buckbomb's I noticed on the way to the large door labeled 'Storage' seemed more likely. We were definitely on the right path, all the Institute provided equipment flowing from this Stable originated down here somewhere. The source of that was worthy of keeping a closely guarded secret, even from their own members.

I was mildly tempted to just set the explosives to blow and destroy this whole den of evil, but Buckbombs were as powerful as balefire eggs. Even the Gunners weren't using them against us, unwilling to risk bringing the mountain over our heads down on us.

Entering the storage chamber, we were met by several suits of brand new looking green power armor, blending in with the rows of unoccupied suits waiting near the doors to be shipped out. A storm of missiles and 5mm rounds forced us to split up, diving to the aisles of crates and shelving containing more of everything we had seen so far.

The Gunners who had fallen back here to make their last stand had dipped into their toy chest, leaving us facing a dozen suits of advanced power armor. They ran through high end ammo for the variety of heavy weapons like their pay would be docked for any rounds left in the clip too.

One thing Val's thorough looting of everything on our way here had turned up was armor piercing rounds to match at least. Vengeance boomed out .45 AP bullets as I ran through the aisles, penetrating the helmets of even the Institute made power armor in my path. Being a lighter armored target made me susceptible to the explosive 5mm rounds chewing up the floor at my hooves like a string of firecrackers however, forcing me to keep moving and dive for the safety of the shadows, hobbling on a crippled leg from just being close to the line of fire.

At least the remaining enemies seemed to be part of Rapid Reload's supply squad that was the most numerous in the secret base, all the combat oriented griffons and ponies had apparently already been thrown at us on the way here. The difference in skill was noticeable, but their equipment was making up for it.

My wings carried me up to the top of the shelves to chug a healing potion and recover, glad the inexperienced Gunners weren't checking all vectors. A seasoned griffon would never overlook me hiding out up here, but the desperate ponies still had a blind spot when it came to above. My perch also offered me a good vantage to watch their red marks charging around on Eyes Forward Sparkle, and let a crazed voice reach my sensitive ears that I immediately followed stealthily.

"You hear that!? They're here! They're gonna overrun us dammit! Do something! Call in reinforcements!" Rapid Reload screeched from deeper in the storage area, her red dash jittering near a green one that didn't match Val or Zed behind me.

The calm voice that answered made the sulking voice of 'Be Dark...' flare to life, speeding my limping pace atop the shelves. "Gunners Plaza has been notified, a response won't make it in time to do anything however. You threw away too many resources following Vega's insane plans, don't ask me to clean up your mess, I've more important things to do. The only reason I came in response to your distress signal was to ensure containment, be grateful for that much."

Rapid's answer added to the fury pounding in my head, the non hostile she was talking to was from the Institute alright... "Don't blame us for taking the fucking orders! He's one of you assholes, you're supposed to be so smart! Teleport some of your fucking robots in here then! Anything!!"

"You should have notified me before blindly following one of his plans, Vega has become unstable and military strategy is not his domain, it's mine. This Stable and everyone in it is under my jurisdiction, as it always has been, you take your orders from me alone. These errors in communication are very inefficient, resulting in mistakes like this and your fiasco at the Switchboard. I'll have to see about streamlining the chain of command... For now, I'll not put even more of our own assets at risk covering for your mistakes. I suggest you resolve the problem yourself, at least a trial run of the YK-Mark 3 prototype will provide valuable data. If you fail, operations will have to be moved to Whinny Outpost entirely. This facility, and all personnel... will be written off as a loss." Creeping closer, I peeked over the crates separating me from the two isolated dashes on E.F.S., scowling down at the pair with eyes burning in the dark.

The stallion standing there looked highly out of place, a tall, well groomed, brown unicorn with a white muzzle and darker mane. He stood out among all the dirty and military dressed Gunners, wearing a well cut blue suit under a pristine lab coat, adjusting his horn rimmed glasses as he drolled to the frantic mare wiggling her way into an impressive piece of equipment.

The hulking suit of strange power armor Rapid Reload was squeezing her plump body into would have taken more of my attention, but the stallion she was talking to was one I had seen once before, in a memory orb... Dr. Klein, head of the Advanced Systems division of the Institute.

"Greetings Evildoers..." The Shroud's voice growled out before I could stop myself, flaring my wings and glaring down at them, my gleaming revolver trembled in my magic.

I managed to fight back the impulse to kill them both on the spot. Klein had to be a synth body, he'd just melt anyway and leave me with nothing. Rapid was at least interested enough in living to squeak and freeze, having nearly wedged herself in the odd armor. It was dark and a large portion of the front was flipped up to allow access, making it hard to puzzle out. It was a great deal larger than even a Steel Ranger suit. Thick armor plating formed a rounded back, short, robotic legs partially retracted into the big body. The more I looked over the pilot's compartment, the more it gave the impression of a robotic vehicle, rather than a shell of armor shaped like a pony.

While seeing Rapid's eyes shrink to pinpricks and her face pale satisfied the angry voice trying to assert itself again, Klein's reaction wasn't nearly as enjoyable. The evil bastard actually looked bored... glancing up at me and tilting his glasses for a better look, speaking in an unconcerned, conversational tone. "Ah... Subject 111-3-42, so this is who all the fuss is about? I see Dala managed to succeed after all, curious."

"Yeah... the monster she made has come for you now Klein. Prepare to face Luna's wrath for your sins... Death has come for you, all of you, and I am it's Shroud! But you Rapid.... you belong to Val..."

The Shroud's voice kept oozing up into my words and it savored the heady smell of fear coming from Rapid still frozen in place, but Klein's unconcerned head tilt just infuriated me more, looking up at me like an interesting species of bug. His eyebrows even raised at the aura of black lightning flickering around me as I seethed at him.

"Hmm... The Shrouded Stallion? I'd read the reports, but thought it was simply a madpony playing dress up. You're emitting a curious magical energy signature however... Project Knightfall? I'll have to confer with Swirl after he's done with Vega. Try to take him alive, I'd like to study that one. If you'll excuse me, I'll leave you to attempt to handle this breach Sgt. Reload, I'll have to disable the relay however, your probability of maintaining security of this facility is unacceptably low." At that, the bastard simply turned and trotted further into the storage area, leaving Rapid gaping behind him.

"DON"T YOU FUCKING MOVE! GET BACK HE..." I roared at him, the way he sedately kept going without even a wince further enraging 'Be Dark...'.

Before I could shoot the son of a bitch, the shelving I was perched on exploded under a missile impact, sending me crashing down in a rain of crates and junk. My shouting and dramatic perch made me a target for all the other Gunners I had totally disregarded on coming face to face with the Institute head.

I groaned where I crashed to the floor, rolling my dizzy eyes up to the suit of power armor that had blasted me looming overhead. The pilot reared up, raising his armored forehooves and preparing to stomp my head flat. A burning, white hot blade skewered him from behind before he could dance a jig on my face, erupting from his chest and melting the spell matrix housing.

Val was scowling behind the dead Gunner when she tore her Shishkebab free and let him fall to the ground in a heap right in front of me. Several 25mm grenades thumped out from the launcher on her flank as she helped me up in a rush. "You alright boss? What the hell you yellin' about back here? Lucky I heard yer dumb ass too!"

Shaking off the ringing in my ears from the concussion inducing blast that nearly splattered me against the ceiling, I turned back to where Klein had disappeared. I could just see his tail vanishing down a long aisle of shelving and a section of wall slid aside to go further in. My view was obstructed by the hulking robot armor powering up between us however.

There was a deep hum and the ground shook as the thing got to its heavy steel hooves, a crackle of corrupted magic lighting up a long set of horns at the front of the thing. Even standing, the legs were short and thick, the rounded body twice as tall as a pony and covered in dull green plates. Getting a better look when my eyes stopped spinning, I realized what it was modeled on and gaped, a yak... a huge, steel yak...

The thing was like a walking tank, even more so than the best of the Institute's advanced Steel Ranger suits, the backs of its short legs even had treads, heightening the comparison. The entire front face plate had been lifted away to allow Rapid to squeeze into the pilot's compartment, now bolted back in place and turning on us slowly. A yak with magical energy horns glowing green along with the cold eye ports. A cannon was mounted on one armored flank, while the other side sported something that looked like a scaled up version of my gauss rifle. It had two long prongs crackling with magic, surrounded by magnetic field generating rings, a rail gun...

"Val! Watch out! That's Rapid in that thing! She was talking to..." I yelled over the rising whine coming from the oversized gauss rifle powering up, flapping up out of the line of fire and still seeking out Klein behind the thing.

My warning to identify the bitch was unnecessary, Rapid Reload's smarmy, panicked voice boomed out of the cold metal face, as the noise of her rail gun reached a pitch that was hurting my sensitive ears. "You two are dead!! I'm not getting drummed out over this shit! You're not fucking this post up for me Traitor!!"

When the sparking rail gun at her flank fired, it made my ears pop and distorted the air around the rainboom speed slug. Val had tackled me to the floor and rolled away just in time, looking over her shoulder, I could see the large hole blasted through the metal crate we had been in front of, and the crate behind it, and the shelf it was on, and the next one...

A flickering glow was coming from the secret passage Klein had taken behind the hulking armor. I felt a sense of panic that had nothing to do with the weird war machine on spotting it. The teleporter... it had to be back there, Klein was disabling it right now!

"Val! I gotta go! She was talking to an Institute guy, he's getting away! Can you..." I yelped and struggled back to my hooves with Val, cut off from continuing as Rapid stomped around to face us again.

The rounded, armored back of the yak shaped suit clicked up, revealing a battery of mini-missiles that fwooshed out, forcing us both to frantically dive away from the string of explosions. Answering with the rapid thump of her own grenade machinegun, Val screeched and danced in the air, staying ahead of green beams of magical energy lancing out from the thing's tail.

"Go on boss! Bitch is mine anyway! I'ma gonna peel you out of that fucking thing Rapid! Hidin' in some ugly robot ain't gonna save ya!" Val waved me on, sending a stream of red M.E.W. beams down that barely scorched the paint job.

I didn't want to leave her to face this thing alone, quibbling in the air to myself indecisively and torn between her and Klein. The huge cannon on the armor's other flank boomed and decided for me, my clumsy dive pushed faster by the wave of explosive force just behind me. I smashed through another row of shelving and ended up flopping to the floor with the secret passage enticingly in front of my spinning eyes, the flickering lights and sparks sending Klein's looming shadow dancing on the steel walls.

'No... No escape... Mine...'

The growl of 'Be Dark...' helped me get back to my hooves, staggering towards the passage and shouting back to Val. "J-Just hang on! I'll be right back Val!

Zed was in there with her... it would be fine, I couldn't let Klein get away and destroy a path to the Institute, to my family, yet again. Every time I got close it slipped through my hooves. I wasn't going to let this chance get away, despite how 'Be Awesome!' grumbled at leaving Val on her own. Rapid was hers to take revenge on anyway, Val was too tough to let some prototype piece of tech get in her way, she deserved her payback, it wasn't my place to interfere.

All valid arguments, but all ones thrown up by 'Be Dark...' and the rising imperative to follow Klein, to hurt him, to find a way to the Institute and make them all pay. For revenge.

"FREEZE KLEIN!"

Even the roar of the Shroud's voice down the rough passage didn't make the Institute director before me flinch, pausing in his rapid tapping on a control console of the sparking teleport pad and looking over his shoulder with a resigned sigh. The crashes and booms coming from behind me made me anxious, darting my eyes between the bored looking synth and the flashes lighting up the storage chamber, where Val and Zed were dealing with the huge robot armor without me.

"Don't you fucking move... Just stop whatever you're doing to that teleporter, I want it and you are not fucking this one up for me..."

The bastard actually turned and sat down, taking his glasses off in his rust red colored magic and polishing them on his clean lab coat bearing the spread eagle pony emblem of the Institute. "You again... Very well subject 111-3-42, and what will you do should I leave this teleport pad functional?"

"Kill you... all of you..." Again the Shroud's voice came out of my mouth, answering immediately while the rational part of me was still considering what exactly I would do.

"Well, that's hardly incentive for me to do as you say, is it? Indeed, it would seem to be in my best interest to ensure this relay is inoperable, by any means necessary. Go ahead and shoot if it will make you feel better, it will merely activate the self destruct function, which is enhanced on my own model and sufficient to destroy this device. I'd advise an alternate course, why are you so determined to destroy us anyway 111-3-42?" Klein spoke like he was turning over an interesting puzzle in his hooves, not reacting to the explosions and blasts coming from the storage chamber outside, while I flinched at each new noise. My friends needed me... but...

"Don't call me that! I am not some damn experiment of yours and neither is my family, or the rest of the Commonwealth! I want them back! NOW!"

Klein's eyes flicked up in thought for a moment, apparently getting data from wherever his disconnected brain was lurking in his lair. "Hmm, aha, here it is. Mr. Times then, yes, your file is interesting, I'd left it to Dala and Vega up to now, but perhaps that was an error. It's riddled with ranting from Vega however, so you'll forgive me for not being too interested. I've left dealing with the outside to him as he has all these years, but things have changed and he's become increasingly unreliable. You and the mutant 'Princess' seem much better at manipulating public opinion, perhaps we can come to some kind of accord. Beyond granting Dala the chance to study her only success and try to duplicate it, cooperation may be to our mutual benefit."

"W-What?! No, I want my family back, period! I'm not helping you with any of the sick shit you get up to or selling my soul to do it either! You want to talk, fine, but my family comes first!!!"

"If you want your relatives back, that's all the more reason to cooperate Mr. Times. I can grant you others from Stable 111, their value as test subjects is minimal compared to putting a stop to your interference. However, those of Shift 3 are not within my power to grant, they are in the possession of a mutual enemy." Again the mad Institute head didn't break his calm or raise his voice in response to my growling and shouting, just making the fires of rage burn hotter.

"Mobius... Mobius has them then?"

'Mine... Revenge...'

"Indeed, very insistent about taking that particular group of ponies for himself. So much so that when we did acquire them and missed you, he became completely deranged and turned on us. He's been a thorn in our side and delayed our important work by decades." Klein huffed back in reply, straightening his tie absently as if he was discussing a twittermite infestation.

"Acquired!? You slaughtered everyone in Shift 4! Sprockets! Hearty Forks! FOALS!!! What kind of important work makes it ok to kill kids you evil bastard!!!"

'Murderer... Let me...'

The way he rolled his green eyes at my snorting shout just pissed me off more, shrugging and looking down his nose at me gnashing my fangs. "An unfortunate mistake, Vega and his outside contractor were in charge of that. I see you've already dealt with his agent on the surface, leaving us missing a go between you could easily fill in for. I assure you our work is important however, a benefit to all of ponykind. A way to raise the savage descendants we've found ourselves surrounded by back to a proper society, to restore Equestria as it was. Mobius and his treachery have delayed that outcome and allowed the wasteland above to fester, kept us sealed away here and prevented us from doing anything about it all this time."

So it was Mobius... Grandpa.... that was responsible for keeping the Commonwealth cut off from the rest of Equestria. Not just keeping outsiders out, but making sure the Institute stayed in? Much as I hated the smarmy stallion in front of me, he wasn't as obviously insane as Dala or Vega had been either, the first rational link to the Institute I had run into outside of runaway synths.

"What are you talking about? Nothing I've seen out of you exactly screams wanting to help anypony... You've tried to kill me repeatedly, experimented on me! You replace ponies with synths! You're building your own private army down here of nothing but violent psychopaths and mutated victims!"

"Means to an end Mr. Times. Unfortunate steps on the path of Arcane Science! You can't make an omelette and all that. I've only recently become aware there's a wide world outside, threats of savage wastelanders and upstart kingdoms. To restore Equestria will require force of arms along with wise leadership. The Commonwealth must be consolidated to proceed, outside invaders like the Brotherhood of Friendship repelled and strong factions above brought to heel. You yourself have done much the same according to Vega's furious reports, you simply don't have access to the same means." Klein started taking on fervent tones of a fanatic as he talked about his plans and goals, giving me valuable insight, but also increasing my anger and adding shocked rejection to my response.

"I'M NOTHING LIKE YOU!! I'd never..."

Drolling out with a raised eyebrow, Klein ignored my shout again and interrupted. "Oh? You've made judgements and decided who should be in charge of various wasteland settlements, haven't you? Measured this world against your own old world morals and found it lacking and unacceptable?"

"But..."

"You've killed those you've decided deserve death for failing to live up to those views. Raiders and slavers? Criminals in a land with no laws? You pass what you call Luna's Judgement on them without any oversight or being held to account?"

"I..."

"You seem willing to do whatever you feel is necessary to 'fix' the wasteland by your own standards, and to find those taken from you of course. Both rather selfish motivations. We are not so different Mr. Times, the only difference is we have greater means and information than you do." Klein finished with a smirk, returning his attention to the sparking control console as the room shook from another blast of Rapid's cannon outside and a string of explosions.

Vengeance had been shaking and drooping at his assault of logical points and the internal battle going on in my head, snapping back up when he moved and I roared at him. "DON'T MOVE! J-Just stop!"

Looking over the rims of his glasses, he gave a disbelieving snort and continued on, tapping away at the controls as he spoke in a bored tone. "You can hardly threaten me with that and we both know it. I'm merely making an adjustment. I'm willing to extend you a very rare invitation Mr. Times. By the data we have, had you managed to not infuriate Vega so much, our talent scouts would have approached you by now anyway. There we are... now, this relay station will overload on the next teleport, which is targeted to a private facility where we can have a more productive talk. I can promise access to all the Stable 111 subjects still in our care, along with a path towards the ones you truly care about. If you chose to come that is, if not I'll simply take it myself and close this door behind me as it were. The choice is yours."

Klein gave a flourish of his hoof to the crystalline platform he stepped up to, waiting with a self satisfied expression while I gaped. I winced at the spike of pain between my eyes at the struggle going on up there, the voices I heard each taking a side that I'd be divided by even without them.

Answers... All the other 111 ponies and answers about Grandpa and where he took the others. A path to the Institute and the chance to make them pay if they were lying. To get what I wanted, to take back what was 'MINE', to get 'REVENGE', he was just offering to let me in and dangling tantalizing bits that I had been seeking since leaving the Stable.

"M-My friends, call that bitch off, shut down that insane armor first!" I flinched at another ground shaking round of explosions and the ear-popping noise of Rapid Reload's rail gun.

Klein gave a bored look down the passage behind me and the dancing shadows of flickering flames, shrugging when his green eyes returned to my burning crimson ones. "I'm afraid it's autonomous, not on the network, neither the armor or the pilot. Ms. Reload is a real pony, though replacing her would have most likely been more efficient, the Gunners wanted certain assurances of good faith. Besides, she is providing excellent data on the Y series robot armor. It will work itself out, one way or the other. This invitation is for you alone however, secrecy is still a priority. I'll not have some exile griffon descendant or filthy zebra infiltrator along for the ride. Make your choice."

The pain in my head was escalating at his ultimatum. 'Be Awesome!' rejected leaving my friends behind instantly, along with a good part of myself. 'Be Unwavering' rose up to counter the selfish longing for Klein's promises that I was struggling to ignore. 'Be Strong!' snorted and stamped, labeling the synth in front of me a liar and not to be trusted. The worried mote of 'Awareness!' kept throwing up every rumble and flicker of light behind me, making me aware of my friends fight I left them to. The last soft voice was the first I had found, 'Be Kind...' didn't need to be loud, the disapproval radiating from it reminded me of Jade and what she would think, of her beautiful face marred by a frown of distaste.

Fighting all of them and raging against the chains binding it was 'Be Dark...' though. I could feel it surging with renewed strength after conserving its energy, Zed was right... the harder it fought against the Ministry Mares, the stronger it got. They tried to push it back down and it strained and bucked more. The Institute... the ponies from MY Stable, a way to get to MY family, a path to get to what I WANTED. A chance to go through that teleporter and KILL THEM ALL if they didn't give me what was promised. MINE and WANT kept hissing up in my mind, fighting to take over and barely held back, locked in a battle where the gentle whisper of Fluttershy's spirit led the charge.

My friends though... Val... Val was hurting, we were here for her too. She had been right, it wasn't all about me and what I wanted, I wasn't that selfish... I couldn't be! It was wrong... giving in was wrong... I didn't want to leave her and Zed behind just to go after what I wanted for myself.

MINE! REVENGE! NOW!

No! I wouldn't leave her! She was my friend! Zed was finally my friend too! It had taken so long just to make this much progress with the dour zebra, but he really cared now! He was watching out for me all this time, keeping an eye out for the voice ranting at me to leave him behind. I shouldn't... wouldn't... I swayed on my hooves, Klein's impatiently tapping hoof growing blurry as the pain in my head doubled at the roaring ranting answering me.

MINE!! REVENGE!! MURDERERS! BETRAYER! REVENGE! NOW! NOW! NOW! NOW! NOW!

NO!! I won't do it dammit!!! I don't care if that annoying voice is some stupid spirit or curse, or just me being selfish and going crazy! It's not the Shroud! The Shroud wouldn't leave his friends behind to be selfish! The Shrouded Stallion's better than that! If it... if you won't see that, you're... you're WORTHLESS!! And I...

I screamed with effort and opened my teary eyes, shoving back with the rising song of the Ministry Mares as the snarl of 'Be Dark...' faltered a moment. I took control of Kellogg's gleaming revolver from where it wobbled in my erratic telekinesis during the internal struggle. Vengeance, that was the name my weird pip-buck gave this gun after I took my revenge on its previous owner. I left Jade and the others behind then to do it, but I wouldn't this time. Fitting to use it to blow a hole through Klein's head now.

The Institute director was thrown back, half his synthetic brains splattered on the wall he slumped against. Even with most of his skull blown off, that smarmy voice still gurgled out from the remains of his white muzzle. "Hmm, interesting. We'll have to revisit the issue at a future date Mr. Times. Considering you survive..."

At that, the synth body glowed a bright green. Instead of melting into a puddle of goop like every other synth I had seen however, the Director's body exploded in a blinding green flash like a plasma grenade, throwing me back and scorching the half of my body facing it when I flinched back.

I groaned and winced at the plasma burns, weakly twitching my right wing and gagging on the smell of burnt feathers, fur and singed tail. Staggering my way back up to my hooves, I took one last look in the secret chamber, feeling a salty tear add a line of pain as it ran down my burned cheek, taking in the ruined teleport pad. I threw it away... my first real chance to get some answers and it was gone.

While 'Be Dark...' muttered and sulked, it begrudgingly went along with the victorious Ministry Mares, joining the frantic pink mote of 'Awareness!' and the stern shout of 'Be Awesome!' in drawing my attention back to the present and the end of the passage I could see from where I got thrown.

Sucking down one of my few remaining healing potions Jade brewed for me, I lurched towards the flickering flames engulfing half the storage chamber and the heavy rumbles and stomps of the dark hulk of Rapid in her armor. It was done and I did it for a reason. Bad enough I left my friends to deal with that thing for this long, they needed me and I wouldn't leave them behind.

Mission Updated: Buried Secrets

Objective-
-- Investigate Other Stables
-----Investigate Stable 114
-----Investigate Stable 95.5
-----Investigate Stable 75

"Yee-haw! I'm gonna get you outta that thing eventually bitch! Buckin' around's just delayin' tha inevitable an pissin' me off more!" Val's cackling laughter greeted me as I exited out into the burning storage chamber, her glee somewhat annoying until I saw the obvious pain it was masking on taking in the scene.

She was riding atop the yak shaped robot armor as it bucked and thrashed around the room, holding tight with both claws to her blazing Shishkebab pierced straight down atop the rounded shoulders, melting through layers of heavy armor. Despite her loud whooping as she rode the bucking contraption, Val had taken some serious damage, scorch marks marred her riot armor and blood darkened her crimson feathers, running into one squinting eye as she kept her tenuous grip on the rampaging armor.

Other than the hole streaming rivulets of melted armor around the burning starmetal sword, Rapid's armor didn't look like it had taken much damage either. Both of its flank mounted heavy weapons were intact and swiveling madly to aim at Val in their blind spot. I did notice the tail mounted light magical energy weapon that might pose a threat to the crazed griffon had been sliced neatly off however, the sparking stub lashing wildly at her.

Zed charged forward as I choked on the smoke filling the room from the fires spreading everywhere, his own pale coat similarly covered in crimson bloodstains. The injured zebra dodged the glowing green horns swinging wildly by a hair's breath, ducking under the rearing armor and giving a buck that dented the thinner plates on the underbelly with a resounding 'clang!'. By the time he had leapt aside of it stomping to the ground however, I could see the damage already beginning to repair, the armor bending back into shape even while it stamped and bucked.

I wondered for a moment just how they had both taken what looked like lighter arms fire, then had my brief question answered for me as a crate nearby just beginning to be engulfed in flames started to really catch fire. The box stuffed full of ammo started cooking off and firing in random directions, forcing me to scramble away and still taking a few stinging impacts against my magical armor.

Another crate across the room exploded in a huge fireball, grenades or mines presumably. That explained some of the shakes and rumbles I had felt even down the secret passage. The fires quickly spreading were creating a much greater danger than just the roiling black smoke filling the room, all the ordinance packed away in here had become a minefield.

"GET OFF TRAITOR!" Rapid's yak shaped armor boomed and stampeded through a burning set of shelves, finally managing to dislodge Val and throwing her across the room.

Following her arcing course with a rocketing takeoff 'Be Awesome!', I grabbed her in my telekinesis before she smashed into a raging fire engulfing the far wall. When I managed to catch up to her singed feline form, I wrapped my hooves around her and flapped hard, narrowly avoiding the ear aching crack of Rapid's rail gun on target to blast her. We instead veered off course and came to a rolling crash between aisles, thankfully out of our crazed enemies line of sight and near Zed crouched in the shadows.

Val groaned under my protective embrace, shoving me off with a coughing fit and speaking in a hoarse voice. "Kaff! Kaff!... B-Boss? What're ya doin' here? Back already? You catch yer Institute screw head? Kaff!"

"Y-Yeah... Don't worry about that Val, we've got bigger problems anyway, right? Looks like that thing is pretty tough..."

Val frowned and followed my wincing gaze to the secret passage, clucking at the sparks still flickering that way as she rose to her paws in a crouch matching Zed and myself. Even she wasn't anxious to let Rapid know where we were in all the chaos, despite what she said. "W-We got this bitch well in claw ya know... Just about ta finish her off. W-What the hell happened? Ya let some egghead fuck you up that much?"

Zed spared me from trying to answer her glower at my burns, peeking over some of the few crates not already on fire that hid us from Rapid's rampaging armor smashing through the room. "Don't mind her Fast, she's exaggerating. That pony machine is indeed formidable, I've fought Steel Ranger armor and not had nearly so much trouble. It's already repairing the gap Valkyrie was trying to open, through much thicker armor than I've ever seen. The weapons it wields are quite powerful as well. The only weaknesses I've seen are the thinner armor beneath and its slow speed."

Joining him in peeking up at the yak armor plowing through a wall of fire and tearing through the steel shelves beneath with those glowing horns, I had to agree with his assessment. I'd never seen a machine like that either, though I doubted anyone had, Klein did say it was a prototype. It already looked as pristine as when I first spotted Rapid squeezing her way into it too. If only I had just shot the bitch then and there... Val deserved her revenge, but putting her down would have served justice just as well, and spared us from dealing with the mechanical monster now.

Turning to the bleeding griffon gulping down a normal, purple healing potion beside me, I came to the same conclusion, knowing she wouldn't like it. "He's right Val, that thing's too heavily armored to take down easy. It does look slow though, let me go distract her while you dig up some more firepower from all this crap."

"What!? No way boss! Nuh-uh! Ya ain't runnin' off alone again, what'd I tell ya!!" Val's squawk of indignation made the green eye slits glowing from the facial plate of Rapid's armor swing our way, making us all duck back down in a hurry.

"I know what you said, that's why I'm asking instead of just doing it Val. It's the best way, it's slow and I'm Fast. Get it?"

Checking my pip-buck while she groaned at my lame joke, I was even more optimistic this may work with a little backup. Giving her a friendly nudge and hopeful look, I couldn't help but think of my old best friend Grizz and how we'd both chuckle at the same play on words involving my name. I passed up a chance to find him too... and Sunset... but I did it to help my new friends. I hoped they'd understand.

"Still don't like it boss... Kaff! Kaff! Bitch is mine, ain't fair lettin' ya go be bait again. We can take her down right...." Val shook her head angrily, but her rejection was cut off by the boom of Rapid's cannon obliterating the thin bit of cover we sheltered behind, tossing all of us back, with Val instantly grabbing me and trying to shield me from the blast.

Shoving my way free from under her woozily, I grimaced at the shrapnel peppering her orange fur, a large chunk wedged directly in her crossed out Gunner's barcode cutie mark. She gasped and tried to stop me from pulling away, coughing up blood as her talons grabbed my scarf and held me back weakly.

The heavy, stomping hoofsteps of Rapid's armor approaching made the argument moot. Her amplified voice crackling from the speakers of the flat face of her armor. "There you are! Taking you fuckers down will almost be worth all the damage you caused!"

Her rail gun was charging, the rings lining the twin prongs glowing brighter and lighting up, chasing each other down the barrel as it approached full power. There was still burning deitrus between us, but not enough to stop that thing's rainboom speed shot. I gently pushed Val's claw aside, taking a few precious seconds to stroke her cheek as she coughed and struggled.

"Let me protect you this once Val. We're going to get payback for your friend, together. Just let me handle this part and be ready to take her down with me when you're ok. Zed! Help her! Please!"

My zebra companion had once again gracefully dodged out of the way, shoving charred junk and shelving off of himself with only a few oozing wounds. Zed glanced between us and nodded, ready to take care of their wounds as soon as I drew Rapid away, with none of Val's arguments against the reckless plan starting to form in my mind.

Knowing she'd be alright in his care, I pulled free of Val's flailing claws and stood between her and Rapid in a predatory crouch, feeling my fangs lengthen and my eyes glowing. The sensation was a little off this time though, 'Be Dark...' was being petulant and pouting, for once not rising to the invitation of a little slack in the chains binding it. Part of me or something else, I needed its help and this was a bad time for it to not cooperate.

"You won't hurt her bitch! Thine crimes have already sentenced you. Prepare to face Luna's wrath, Death has come for you, and I am it's Shroud!"

I had to focus on the voice altering spell instead of it happening subconsciously as it had more and more often. Once again, a little bit of theater helped in unexpected ways though. Hearing the Shroud's voice growling out of me protecting Val made Rapid pause, guffaws of static filled laughter booming out of the robot armor tromping closer. "Fuck you crazy! I'll blast you both to paste with this thing, you wanna go first that's fine by me. Hope there's enough to sponge off the walls to collect the bounty!"

Taking advantage of her pause, I activated S.A.T.S. as the crescent tip of Blue Moon clicked out from under my singed wing, crackling with magical power as time froze. The targeting spell identified the huge robot as 'YK-Robot Armor Mark 3', offering a wealth of targets to pick from, with typical lower odds to hit with the magical energy weapon.

I wasn't counting on my somewhat increasing skill with M.E.W.s though, cycling through the additional menus of the S.A.T.S. Overcharge System pilfered from Institute tech. All the fighting to get this far had fully charged both crystal modules, meaning I had two guaranteed shots of magnified power. While my vision hovered over the glowing rail gun for a moment in temptation, I shifted my view to the blunt face of the armor and accepted the shot.

When time resumed, a layer of overglow enveloped the magical energy cannon at my side, rings of eldritch runes circling the extended barrel and the crackling blue diamond tip. The wide, flat beam blasted out while Rapid's cackling laughter was just beginning to taper off in concern, slamming into the armor's faceplate and pushing it back in a blinding display.

The tank like armor dug its steel hooves in, but was still skidding backwards as the armor plating up front took the brunt of the blast. The whole face and upper forelegs glowed first orange, then white hot, melting layer after layer of armor as Rapid screamed from inside.

I had vaguely hoped the critical shot would turn her to sparkling ash, but no such luck against all that mass. I had a good idea Rapid got pretty cooked inside her pilot's compartment at least. When the beam cut off she was still screaming, the half melted front pooling ribbons of melted metal at her twitching hooves.

"OH YOU FUCKER! YOU ARE DEAD TWERP!!" Rapid's voice warbled out of the scorched speakers, growing clearer as the advanced repair systems in the crazy armor were already undoing what damage I had managed to inflict.

I had expected it, but watching the cooling streams of melted armor reversing direction and rebuilding the armor so quickly was disheartening. Still, my main objective had been accomplished, Rapid was enraged and focused solely on me. The robot yak stomped its hooves and swung its flickering horns around, shaking off the attack as the eye slits glowed and stared me down like the light of a locomotive screaming down the tracks.

"You'll have to catch me first bitch! C'mon! Show me what that ugly thing can do!"

Pawing the floor in twitchy anticipation, I noted the lightning aura flickering around me was pure white and felt a little off. Rage wasn't fueling my magic at the moment, I'd almost swear 'Be Dark...' actually was... pouting, it was a strange sensation actually, feeling that little dark mote drawing back and turning away, intentionally not helping me as it had for so long.

At least I had other help to rely on, 'Awareness!' yelped just in time to pull me from my internal discord, letting my own reflexes and 'Be Awesome!' dodge Rapid's cannon, zipping across the room in an electric flicker towards the door out. I stood by the exit as the tank like armor shifted to follow my progress, flapping my wings to bat away cinders, ash and shrapnel from the narrowly avoided blast.

"Swing and a miss! You'll have to do better than that!" I managed to keep the shakiness out of my voice while taunting her, feeling a lot more fear and adrenaline than I had gotten used to doing things like this. Did the dark Shroud in my head really keep all that at bay?

Not something I had time to ponder, with or without 'Be Dark...', I had poked the Ursa Major, now I had to deal with her throwing her head back and screaming in frustration. "RRRAAAGGH!!! HOLD STILL YOU LITTLE SHIT! GET BACK HERE!!"

I spared one last glance to where Zed and Val were sheltered, seeing them already up and moving, the flash of a very annoyed violet griffon eye looking back through the smoke and flames. She could slap me around more if we all lived... For now Rapid's rail gun was charging again, making being anywhere else a very good idea.

I ran down the long, lockbox lined passage with my heart hammering in my chest, taking a flying hop off the round vault door threshold and a flying leap to vault over the barred teller windows, landing awkwardly on the half shredded counter we had sheltered behind on the way in and panting. I shifted on my hooves anxiously, letting the supportive voice of 'Be Unwavering!' ease the tremble in my legs and looking back down the passage.

My concern that Rapid wouldn't take the bait was short lived, I heard her ranting and the heavy stomps of her armor approaching, then shaking that reverberated even through the sturdy Stable-Tec construction. My ears flicked at several clicks and whines of machinery in the piece of tech chasing me, then a low grinding noise that was approaching rapidly as I loaded the Terrible Shotgun with some of the explosive rounds pilfered from the Gunner's stockpile.

Gaping at the limited view I had, any hopes of slowing her down with the narrow Stable doorways went down in flames. The weird robot armor had folded in on itself, plowing forward using the tank treads on the backs of its legs, now in contact with the ground thanks to its lying down position. In this new configuration, the horrible thing was fast too... much faster than I had counted on dealing with.

A hard flap sent me flying back as it smashed through the teller windows and the counter I had perched on, those glowing horns obliterating any obstacle as they flailed wildly and shook off the rubble. The two heavy weapons at the flanks had swiveled up to the back to squeeze its way here, I barely avoided the limited vertical range of the rail gun before it blasted out another slug, distorting the air and punching through the heavy gauge wall behind me.

Looping through the air, I dove back for the floor, firing several rounds from my shotgun floating beside me. S.A.T.S. was still recharging, so the wild rounds weren't as accurate as I hoped, the explosive ammunition made up for it however. The wide spread bursts hammered away at her rail gun, twisting the delicate ringed barrel into a useless piece of scrap that fell away.

If she waited and hung around long enough, I had no doubt that amazing piece of arcano-tech could reattach and repair the devastating weapon. Luckily she wasn't inclined to do so with me cackling as I slammed to the floor, wiggling my rump and flicking my tail teasingly as I galloped for the wide Stable passage out.

"Nyaa-nyaa! Boy you really suck Rapid! Even worse than all the other Gunners I killed in here! Hell, you're not even worth my time! I think I'll just leave!!"

"YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE YOU BASTARD!!" Rapid screamed behind me as I got up to a gallop and left her behind, trailing electricity at my hooves.

A worried look back over my shoulder made me adjust my straight course into a series of zigs and zags, just ahead of a stream of machinegun fire chasing me. What I had mistaken for ornamental vertical tubes mimicking a real yak's braids were actually weapon barrels. Now they were flipped up and pointing at me, pouring out heavy rounds through tongues of fire that lit the blank face swinging back and forth after me.

Tossing mines stolen from Gunner crates behind me haphazardly didn't do much to slow her down, while the apparently armor piercing rounds she was spewing after me tore through my Shrouded Stallion armor when they caught up to my dodging course. Wincing at one white hot bullet wedged in my flank, I skidded through a 90 degree turn and dove for the Officer's Mess, letting my wings take over for my injured leg and crashing behind the kitchen counter in the gloomy room.

Cowering in the shadows under the long counter, I gulped down my last radioactive healing potion and tried to dig the bullet from my flank as it was painfully pushed out. 'Be Strong!' helped as I bit my lip and tore it free with a muffled yelp, but the pain from all my injuries so far was catching up to me. Normally I could just push through and keep going, but I was getting the feeling the sulking 'Be Dark...' usually helped with that too.

I took a shaky breath as I heard Rapid's stomping hoofsteps reach the door, shuddering to myself as her horns tore her way through the narrow doorway and her voice boomed out. "WHERE ARE YOU RUNT!! YOU'RE NOT GETTING OUT OF HERE ALIVE!!!"

Hearing her stomp and smash her way through all the tables and booths just beyond my flimsy hiding place, I shivered and felt a cold sweat on my coat. The relief I felt when she barreled her way out through the exit to the regular mess hall and Atrium we had left open was so great, I couldn't get my shaking hooves to move to reveal myself and follow her. I was scared... more scared than I had been since the first raiders I had run into after leaving the Stable. I couldn't do this...

Not alone anyway...

Closing my eyes, I tried to put aside the shaking of Rapid going on a rampage trying to find me outside, ignore the booms of her cannon and missiles, calm my racing heart and not feel ridiculous or insane talking to myself. Instead I tried to picture that black stasis pod in my head, hear the chains binding it, feel the chill in that shadowy portion of my mind Ivy helped me find.

"Whatever you are... If this is... a-actually the Shrouded Stallion somehow, or just some schizophrenic personality... or some spirit like Zed thinks... I could use a little help here..."

'Worthless?...'

A petulant mutter rose up in answer, surprising me actually getting a reply from my own head, while also making me facehoof and growl in annoyance. It actually was fucking pouting!? Withdrawing its aid because it got its feelings hurt!?! The voices of the Ministry Mares sometimes disagreed with me and made their feelings known, but they never stopped helping me like 'Be Dark...' had apparently decided to do.

"Oh you son of a... Really!? I'm having an argument with myself!? Fine, you're not worthless! I get it! I stand by what I said about priorities though, my friends matter more than getting revenge! I don't want to be that selfish, I'm NOT!"

'Want... Mine... More...'

"SCREW IT! IF YOU WANT TO RUN AWAY, I'LL GO FINISH OFF THE TRAITOR MR. BIG BAD SHROUDED STALLION!" Rapid's frustrated shout helpfully distracted me from the obstinate voice in my head, giving me motivation to get up and get moving.

"You hear that!? She's going after Val! Now, you can help or not, but I doubt me dying would be good for you either! Either way, I am... I am doing this! With or without you!"

Abandoning my hidey hole was hard, mustering up courage on my own to face the Institute made monstrosity tearing through the Atrium outside. When I stood at the door out, stamping my hooves and flaring my wings angrily, it was at least me in charge, my own will and bravery stilling the shivers still running down my tail. I was keeping this bitch busy and trusting my friends while I protected them, whether I had some spirit helping me or not.

Well... whether I had all the spirits in my head helping or not rather. The harmonious melody of the Ministry Mares rose up in approval, the bawdy note of 'Be Awesome!' the loudest as I glared at the hulking armor turning towards my shout.

"Hey! Over here slowpoke! Thought you'd never catch up!"

I was glad I was already tensed for takeoff, rocketing up in a black contrail flickering with lightning, just ahead of a stream of mini missiles from Rapid's humped back. Her screeching voice rose above the racket from her twin machineguns tracing rounds behind me as she spun to follow my course. "FUCKER! I'M SPLATTERING ALL OF YOU BASTARDS, BOUNTY OR NOT! YOU AND THE TRAITOR ARE DEAD!!"

'Mine....'

The growl of 'Be Dark...' joined the song of the Ministry Mares, a deeper and somewhat dissonant note that still sang the same tune for once. I could feel its strength join theirs as I hit the rounded wall of the Atrium, charging ahead running along the walls with the lightning at my hooves getting darker and more powerful.

Still possessive and selfish, but the threat against Val made it somewhat more agreeable again. I'd take the help and worry about being possessed by a self serving and whiny spirit later. Zed did say I wasn't evil anyway, his potion would have done something if it was bad... right? I had the feeling that rising growl pushing me on faster was somehow related to Grandpa Mobius and whatever he blanked out of my memory beyond himself, but for now I had more pressing concerns.

I led Rapid back to the Atrium for more room with less burning and exploding obstacles, that much was at least going according to plan. In here I could fly freely, even if less gracefully than Val or the Gunner griffons that had inhabited this place. 'Be Awesome!' and 'Be Dark...' actually harmonized and took up the slack, letting me leap to the open air ahead of Rapid's cannon blowing a large hole in the wall behind me.

Hammering away with the rest of the drum of explosive shotgun slugs did visible damage, but it was already stripping the metal floor and mess hall benches for materials to self repair as I reloaded. It had to have one of the Institute's most advanced repair talismans to regenerate that quickly, it was on par with the sole Courser I had run into, and that thing had been nearly unstoppable.

Trying anything to drag this out and stay alive, I looped through the air and grabbed some of the already ruined scaffolding and stairs littering the floor of the Atrium from our entrance with my telekinesis. Straining along with 'Be Strong!' I managed to lift a squalling heap of mangled metal and throw it at Rapid's armor, buying myself only a few bare seconds as her glowing horns shredded through it and she cackled.

"HAHAHA! THIS IS AWESOME! I'M INVINCIBLE IN THIS THING! IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE I SWAT YOU LIKE THE BUG YOU ARE!" Rapid's booming laughter as she shrugged off the attack fed that flickering anger that kept me going, mainly because she was right...

My wings beat frantically as I climbed higher, hoping to get out of her most lethal range and gain a little breathing room. Adding Thump-Thump to the Terrible Shotgun barking through a fresh drum of explosive rounds engulfed the indomitable armor in flames, denting the thick plates and wrecking the cannon for a few moments, but doing little to actually stop it.

When she stomped her way to the wall beneath me, my jaw dropped as the thick steel hooves were covered with the glow of magic and she started climbing the vertical surface after me, spraying the air around me with the chatter of her lighter weaponry while the cannon repaired itself. Gravity magic... something I had learn the barest bit about in my magic primers, it was built into that thing. So much for leaving it trapped down at the bottom of the cavernous Atrium.

Seeking shelter from the stream of machinegun rounds tracing after me, I dove for one of the remaining walkways ringing the shaft of the Atrium, catching my breath as the dense metal under my hooves pinged and dented from her continued assault. Think stupid... no machine is flawless, everything has a weakness...

'Let me....'

No! I had the feeling letting 'Be Dark...' off the chain entirely was an extremely bad idea at the moment. I still felt fragile from letting it take over once and now it was pissed, straining and demanding freedom. I had to admit I did need its help, but I couldn't let myself rely on it too much as a crutch. It could work together with the Ministry Mares helping me, but I needed to stay in control. Letting it loose would be as bad as charging ahead blindly as Val was so upset about, I trusted her and Zed, my friends would come, they just needed time. Just think...

Those glowing horns, two heavy flank mounted weapons, light machineguns and a magical energy weapon tail, plus the impressive repair talisman and other magical features, like the spell letting it keep tromping up after me... All that would take a lot of power...

A Steel Ranger suit of power armor had limitations for the spell matrix and weaponry power requirements, gaining more would require a bigger spark reactor than would fit on a pony sized suit of armor. The Institute... Klein, had gotten around that by scaling the whole thing up into the hulking, yak shaped robot armor. It was big enough to be packing around a much heavier spark reactor, but that much power use had to be a strain with the way Rapid was throwing everything at me.

KRAKA-THOOM!!

Diving out over the railing, I unleashed the strongest bolt of lightning I could and kept pouring it on. As soon as I paused to cast the spell, Rapid's twin machineguns zeroed in on me, a trio of bullets chewing into my left wing and sending me lurching in the air, still streaming electricity out as I lost elevation.

The glowing horns were acting as lightning rods, lighting up brighter as I kept up the onslaught. Adding a layer of overglow that made my horn ache, I was able to unsteadily grip Thump-Thump and the Terrible Shotgun, sending more 40mm grenades and explosive slugs against it. The armor crouched against the wall and slipped a few inches, the cannon firing wild and missing me by bare inches as it clung in place.

Those glowing green eyes on the blank faceplate flickered as the repair talisman kicked in, it was drawing on too much at once as she tried to keep firing at me. If I could just do enough damage, I'd overload the repair system if not fry it. Another white hot bullet passing through my armor and the shoulder beneath in a spray of blood, while I roared and kept dishing it out. Come on... just a little more!

'Let... me... out...'

'Be Strong!'

I wasn't sure which voice I latched on to as a lifeline, screaming with effort and drawing on the last reserves of magic I had in the tank. By the way the lightning stream connecting me and Rapid flickered darkly and then blazed brighter, I assumed the dark Shroud was in there. The unthinking idea of diving directly at her more than likely came from that snarling part of me anyway, surprising both me and Rapid as I slammed into the dense armor of her face with all four hooves crackling.

A cowpony buck braced against the wall probably came from Applejack however, Rapid reared back in surprise when I slammed into her, giving just enough room to slide against the wall and wedge myself beneath the thinner armor of the robot suit's belly. My exhausted muscles strained to shove her away from the wall as I activated S.A.T.S. and tore through the menus. I had one more critical shot stored in the S.A.T.O.S. module, it was now or never.

Time resumed with my selection made and Blue Moon clicked out at my side, the barrel crackling against the chest of the yak shaped armor. The swirling runes surrounding it were nearly washed out by the lightning still pouring out of my horn, the pale blue-white beam blasting out in the close quarters outshone even the electricity surging over the armor however.

At point blank range, I felt the heat of the magical energy beam pushing Rapid back even further from the wall. Rivulets of melting armor ran down and burned my hindhooves still shoving at her. I could hear the servos in the suit whining to hold on, adding to the power load reaching critical levels. With a screech of twisting metal, the huge robot was forcibly torn away from the wall, taking paneling with her as the suit finally overloaded with a shower of sparks and a whiff of ozone, then went dark.

Unfortunately I followed it down, fighting against the darkness creeping into the edges of my vision and the tempting lull of unconsciousness. We both crashed into the pile of scrap metal taking up most of the Atrium floor, Rapid's dead armor hitting like a bomb and blowing me off course from following right on top of her, instead rolling to a painful stop among a twisted steel staircase.

I groaned weakly and flopped in place, trying to move and not able to despite the panicked shouts of 'Be Unwavering!', Rarity's spirit kept me conscious, but that was about all she could manage. What minimal movement I could manage only made me aware of the jagged piece of scrap lodged in my side from the fall. Hissing in pain, my horn gave a few weak sparks at my attempt to remove it, forcing me to slowly grip it in my teeth instead and pull it free.

Well before I could do more than simply watch the blood oozing from my side, I heard the robot armor powering back up with a low thrum. Squalling metal was shrugged off as it slowly rose from the impact crater and tossed aside scaffolding, though I was heartened to see it wasn't repairing damage anymore. It rose to its hooves and stomped forward one slow, lurching step at a time, its systems coming back online with unhealthy sounding whines and clicks as it approached, while I rolled an eye weakly up to the dead stare of dimly glowing eye slits.

If I had been able to follow up after shutting it down, I might have stopped it permanently. Instead I only served as an annoyance, the repair talisman might actually be fried, but that was no delay to Rapid's sneering voice coming closer. "NOW YOU LITTLE SHIT... NOT SO SCARY NOW, ARE YOU!? I'M GONNA ENJOY THIS! FIRST I THINK I'LL STOMP YOU FLAT, ONE PIECE AT A TIME..."

Trying to crawl away only put my hindlegs dragging behind me out where the thick, armored hoof could slam down on them. Rapid stomped my right leg with a sickening crunch of bone and I found the energy to scream, dragging myself forward with my forelegs and bleeding wings one inch at a time when her hoof came up again.

She had her foreleg raised and was savoring taking her aim above my remaining hindleg, laughing at the way the first was crushed into a terribly new shape a fearful glance back showed too much of. My horn sparked uselessly again at the thought of trying to teleport away in desperation, wishing I both knew how to do it intentionally and had any magic left to pull it off.

A rapid series of 'fwoosh' sounds made my ears flick, just ahead of a series of explosions engulfing Rapid's armor and tossing me through the air limply. Val's angry screech made it through the ringing in my ears and I was caught in the air by a red and orange blur, zooming away from the frustrated shouts of Rapid and a series of heavy 'clangs' and sharp cracks behind us.

My stomach dropped at the sharp climb from a more proficient flier, woozily looking up and trying to get the two worried looking griffons above me to resolve back into one. Val was here... my bodyguard saved me... She had a quad barrelled missile launcher over her shoulder, still streaming smoke from the assault I guessed saved my life, clucking anxiously and slapping my muzzle.

"Boss! Snap outta it boss! Don't sleep ya goofy fuck! C'mon! Where's them potions of yers?!" Val's dexterous claws patted at me rapidly, digging in my saddlebags and all over my scorched and slowly repairing trenchcoat.

"G-Gone... used... last one... T-Thank you... Val..."

My weak groan and fumbling hooves pawing at her soft feathers just seemed to annoy her more, shoving my reaching forelegs away from the hug I wanted before simply passing out. She kept digging in my packs until she found the wrapped balefire apple Zed had returned to me, ripping the lead apron away and pressing it against my chest forcefully.

"Shaddup ya silly bastard! Here! Now.. g-get better dammit! Right now! Jeez boss... how'd ya let her fuck ya up so bad!? C-C'mon! Heal faster!" While having the highly radioactive apple pressed against me did help, just reaching up with my forelegs to hold it with her help was a struggle.

The soothing tingle of radiation did focus my vision enough to see her satisfied that I could hold it in place, then quickly reload the long missile launcher with red tipped missiles from a large green duffel bag slung over her shoulder. As soon as she had reloaded, Val stood on her hindlegs at the bent railing of the scaffold she had sheltered on, yelling down to Zed and those continuing clangs and cracks of noise. "Incomin' Stripey!! Keep it up!"

Another four rapid 'fwooshes' came with her missiles lancing down to the unseen floor of the Atrium, followed by four more explosions detonating against Rapid's unstoppable armor. Once that was done, Val turned back to reload and I heard the clangs and cracks resume, Zed was down there... fighting it with his hooves?

I flopped over from where Val had propped me up and dragged myself to the edge behind her as she reloaded, hugging the tingly apple to my chest as I inched my way forward to see. Zed really was fighting that tank hoof to hoof, though I did manage to spot a pair of odd powerhooves on his forelegs that were causing the sharp cracks with each graceful hit. They caused a little mini explosion with each skillful strike, ballistic powerhooves? He must have found something in the Gunner's stockpile to help too.

Val again screeched down at him to move and let loose with more missiles, pounding the increasingly dented armor back as Zed flipped out of the way. She spotted me sprawled out behind her as she turned to reload again and squawked angrily, grabbing my mane and shoving me back to the seated position against the wall I started at in a huff. Blinking dizzily from where she shoved me, I realized she had taken me all the way up to the top scaffold, the door sign buzzing overhead reading; 'Stable Entrance'.

"Dammit! Stay still!! Quit squirmin' around back there and hold that thing in place!" Val forced my forelegs back into hugging the radioactive apple to my chest, glaring at me to try moving again before she returned her attention to the enemy below.

Even with their improvised upgrades to firepower and Rapid's armor no longer able to repair itself, I wasn't sure they could do enough to put her down. It was still essentially a tank designed to shrug off everything thrown at it. So the sight of a pink and purple blurry shape suddenly filling the door beside me was more than welcome.

I had spotted Swan's locator tag nearly on top of us when I led Rapid away on that mad chase, looking up to her shoving her way through the door leading back up to the Stable entrance was prayer to the Goddesses answered. My eyes even focused on her face looming overhead, taking in her wiggling progress and the wide eyed gasp of horror meeting my my gaze.

She disappeared in a flash as things got blurry again, a much brighter and closer violet flare of her teleporting beside us to bypass the door slowing her down made me see stars. She actually fit up here with us so she had burned off a lot of energy to follow, her eagerness for the fun of a good fight now turning to real fright I could hear in her worried cry. "Fast!! What happened!? What did this..."

Swan's voice dropped to a growl at the end, her worried nuzzling swinging away and seeking out the target Val pointed out happily. "Welcome back big stuff! That fucker right there hurt yer lil' squeezy toy, wreck her ass!"

As soon as she spotted the yak shaped armor, Swan roared in fury and lobbed a string of exploding purple arrows of magic after it. "YOU'RE NO YAK! YOU'RE BAD!!!"

Given the absolute rage in her voice, I was somewhat amazed she refrained from following up on her threat immediately, swinging her big head back down to me and nudging me anxiously. She grabbed the glowing apple in my hooves away in her teeth, trying to shove it in my mouth with a kiss and make me eat the whole thing as she had. What was basically a mouthful to Swan was enough to choke and gag me, making her pull away and adjust her plan with a brittle crunch of her sharp fangs.

Feeling her soft lips pressed to mine, I sputtered and coughed on the stream of tingly, rock candy like fragments she shoved down my throat with her agile tongue. I managed to swallow down about half, whining weakly as she pulled away and spit the rest out onto the discarded lead apron beside me. I could feel the tingles all the way down my throat, a surge of radiation going off like a bomb when it hit my stomach letting me focus on her dragon slitted eyes worriedly watching.

"You stay and feel better Fast, I'm gonna go smash that ugly non-yak thing flat!" Swan flared her wings and lifted off backwards over the railing, her frightened expression hardening into a determined scowl.

Val whooped and danced in glee watching her dive away, cheering at the explosions and hard impacts I could feel reverberating through the scaffolding. Given Swan's new cutie mark and her feelings on yaks, I couldn't imagine a worse possible design for the Institute to use against her. Devastatingly effective against practically anyone else, but against the enraged alicorn mare down there? Klein was about to get all the data he could want on his tin can getting its ass kicked.

The magical radiation suffusing me from the inside out was doing a world of good already, though my head and horn still ached and my broken leg still felt like it was packed with glass. The disquieting sensation of things moving around and regenerating inside me would never feel normal, and restoring blood loss wasn't nearly so easy.

Despite Val's immediate protest drawing her from rummaging in the pilfered green duffel full of new toys, I lurched my way to the railing again, flopping down with my chin between the metal bars to peer down and at least watch. I must have made better progress since she didn't drag me away again, grousing over her shoulder as she returned to rooting through her loot. "Told ya ta stay put boss... yer tickin' me off again! You... uh, g-gonna be ok? Don't you try jumpin' down there dammit!"

"F-Fine... not goin' anywhere Val, t-trust me..." I gurgled back and spit out a wad of thick blood, blinking woozily at the clink of bullets that had been lodged in my guts forced out through my mouth.

Watching Swan and Zed fight below made me feel better at least, if not physically. Swan had reduced herself down to double Jade's size to come in after us, her desire to be with others and join in overriding her former obsession with remaining a super alicorn as much as possible.

No matter the size though, Swan was a warrior princess, a force of nature with a personal vendetta. Her long pink mane and tail rippled behind her like a torch as she pressed forward with her onslaught of magic and heavy hooves. Even Zed was hard pressed to back her up without getting in her way, ducking and rolling through the storm of spells she was launching at the increasingly battle damaged robot yak.

The humped back and thick plates there had been dented in and skewered with a number of dissipating purple arrows. One hindleg was encased in crystal, turning it into a useless stump Rapid couldn't retreat on properly. As I watched Swan tore the stuttering cannon from its flank in the blazing grip of her telekinesis, swinging the long barrel around and beating the bitch like a drum with it.

'Be Dark...' savored each impact, longing to drive me down there with her, even with an unwilling, nearly broken body. I winced and cried out when the long, glowing horns caught Swan in the ribs, the corrupted magic tearing into her side as she grappled with it.

Even from so high above, I could smell the burnt hair of Swan's coat as she wrapped her forelegs around the horns, planting one hindleg against the scorched chest and the other firmly on the steel plates buckling under their combined weight. Swan strained against Rapid, the screech of protesting metal drifting up along with her roar. "YOU DON'T DESERVE THESE HORNS!!!"

The raging alicorn ripped the magical energy horns and flat faceplate away, revealing the sweaty and bloodstained face of Rapid Reload wedged in the pilot's compartment underneath. Swan fell back with the flickering horns clutched in her hooves, claimed as a trophy by the mare that wrestled on even terms with the hulking armor. She was bleeding profusely from the slowly sealing wound in her side and had several angry burns, but she definitely won.

Groaning and fidgeting weakly, I tried to call her back as I fumbled out Kellogg's old silver revolver Vengeance with my hooves. Spotting what I was trying for, Val squawked and turned away from the number of red spheres she was fiddling with, buckbombs... she had raided one of the shielded crates of the Institute made weapons of mass destruction.

"What'dya think yer doin' boss! We got this handled, quit it already and...!" Val reached out to stop me, but paused when I didn't fight, instead shoving the gleaming revolver towards her reaching claws.

"Vengeance... Justice... P-Payback, yours Val... Y-You... deserve..."

Raising my head and nudging the hoof cannon towards her took a lot of energy, spots formed in my view of her violet gaze softening as she looked between me and the frantic whines of Rapid below. That selfish part of me howled at giving away the punishment the bitch so richly deserved, but I didn't trust myself to make the choice. It was Val's, this was about her, not me, not ...it.

With me too weak to do much of anything beyond one last shove of Vengeance toward's her limp claw, it was her choice. The mercenary was in charge, the eager, tempting voice of 'Be Dark...' rising up when she snatched the gun away and glanced between all of us, flexing her dark claw on the trigger when her gaze hovered over the crippled armor below.

When she shook her head and shoved it back in my saddlebags, that shadowy Shroud stammered in surprise and confusion, unable to understand her forgoing her revenge with a firm shout. "Stripey! Tons of fun! We're gettin' the fuck outta here! Move!"

"B-But... revenge... payback?"

Val smirked sadly as her claw spun the hoof shaped dial on one of the buckbombs at the top of the sack, the slow but increasing beeping fading as she kicked the whole sack off the edge of the landing. That done, she yanked me up to her back and took off, joining Zed and Swan rising up to meet her and fly for the exit.

"Fuck it boss. Gettin' us outta here and somewhere ta heal you up. This is good enough, let that bitch rot in this damn tomb." Val muttered back softly, turning to the bloody Swan landing beside her at the narrow passage back up to the gear shaped door to Stable 75 and snapping her claw in front of Swan's anxious gaze fixed on me. "Hey, Swanny! You good ta get outta here quick like? 'Bout ta be a big kaboom if'n those things work as advertised! Let's go get you an' the boss fixed up!"

Teleporting with a likely concussion wasn't an improvement to the sensation, my ears popped at the bright flash of Swan's magic transporting us out to the cool air added to the shock and blood loss that made me shiver against Val's warm feathers. Everything was loopy enough already, the world turning inside out and upside down for an instant nearly made me lose the radioactive meal still gurgling in my guts and regenerating me.

Through the fog and darkness creeping in, I managed to glance back and focus on the mountain behind us as Val led the way, waiting for some sign it was over. The blast that eventually came made the entire mountain shudder, birds took flight as a plume of flame and dust belched out from the expanded cavern entrance, the rumble of shifting boulders and rubble was music to my ears.

A lullaby in fact, knowing it was done and we were out, flying east toward the rising sun just beginning to tnge the dark horizon, was permission to relax and let my exhaustion overtake me. I fell into the hooves of unconsciousness waiting like an old lover, a comforting embrace away from foreign voices and pain trying to swallow me up.

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

Better Criticals----
---Practice with the S.A.T.S. Overcharge Mod has granted you advanced training for enhanced combat effectiveness! Your stored critical hits now dow 50% more damage when triggered!

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

Foam Dart Gun---
---Who knows why this combat oriented toy seems imbued with a mischievous, explosive spirit that makes you want to duck and cover. Whatever the reason, you gain +10 to the Explosives skill!