From the bell tower of Boreas Elementary, I could see fairly far since it was one of the highest, tallest buildings at the top of the mountain the town of Magpie Roost was hidden away on, though the view was grim and uninviting. To the west was the lower mountain that hid Stable 75, wisps of smoke still barely visible from various spots on the sheer slopes, leaking from numerous air exchange points I was guessing. To the south east was a brightly lit settlement of some kind, centered on a sprawling compound with a huge radio tower reaching for the cloudy sky, slightly bent and melted but obviously repaired. Beyond both and to the southwest was the most ominous part of the view that made me wonder why Magpie brought us up here, the Glowing Sea...

We'd flown all the way up the edge of it in the night and Swan had gone farther, but this was my first time getting a good look. It wasn't very pleasant either... The light grey cloud cover turned dark and green that way, bolts of neon green lightning illuminating the hellscape below, a land of scorched earth and melted ruins. The stormy skies that way swirled with another barrier storm, making me wonder what exactly it was trying to keep in or out this time.

Somewhere beyond all that ruin that screamed 'keep out', my Grandpa Fin was hiding... apparently behind the unnatural barrier that kept the Commonwealth sealed off from the rest of Equestria. Why was he doing it? Why had he done anything he had done? Turned against the rest of the Institute, taken my family, messed with my brain and erased my memories... I'd never been so close to the source of all the answers I wanted, filling me with brooding thoughts that seemed to match my strange company.

The old ghoul Mabel Magpie stared in the same direction, her yellowed eyes distant and firmly locked on the horizon, while her scaly claws fidgeted on the gleaming 12mm pistol she had brought with her from her strange shrine to an old friend. She'd been very quiet after confronting me with a picture of Auntie Broom and my younger self, climbing to the small tower housing the cracked and corroded school bell atop her odd fortress.

Considering I wanted to have some kind of productive conversation, Val perched on the roof nearby, giving us space and keeping her weapons trained on Magpie. She was in earshot, but less likely to interrupt her former caretaker with a little distance. Looking past her, I spotted the young ward of my host prowling the rooftops further away, the grey and red Bruno flicked his gaze our way occasionally, but stayed away like Val and Magpie's own guards, the much nicer Lila and Heidi holding their post on the other side of the tower. Just a few of the numerous subjects of Magpie's kingdom that Bruno looked over, keeping his back to the southern vista we faced, instead staring out to the bustling town of griffons and ponies to the north, where threats were more likely to come from probably.

"Ya didn't have wings in the picture..." Magpie finally croaked out a few words, raising a questioning eyebrow down at me hooking my forelegs over the edge of the bell tower and fighting with the very appendages she mentioned, twinging up at hearing their existence acknowledged.

"Yeah... I umm... stuff happened since I woke up. I didn't have them back then, they're kinda new..."

My answer made the old buzzard chuckle to herself, grabbing my wing and stretching it out to its full span critically. "I can tell that much, ya ain't preenin' em enough and they don't listen well, do they. Shudder ta think what ya look like flyin', I bet little Val there has her claws full dealin' with ya. So... you really are him, huh? Fast Times... the pony brat she liked so much. Hilde talked about ya you know..."

"She did? You umm... you really knew her? How?"

"Been around a long time kid, watched the balefire bombs go off right over yonder when it all ended..." Magpie waved her claw to the Glowing Sea, giving a little shiver and turning from the view to pad over to the opposite side of the tower before continuing. "Never left my post, even after I ...died and kept goin' like this... Made sure the little ones got out, some of em an' their parents evacuatin' that'a way, to the Stable, Hilde was one of em. Was a helluva shock when she came back fifty years later..."

"They exiled her... I read about it." I joined Magpie in looking over her city, my ears drooping and a hard edge creeping into my voice.

Magpie nodded and sighed, her gravelly voice getting thick for a moment. "Yeah... Hilde an' the others didn't talk much about it, but I gathered. Like pullin' teeth ta get em ta even mention the crazy place, was on their honor not ta reveal Stable secrets... Hell, I still didn't know where it was, even all these years later. You really wrecked the place?"

Flicking my eyes to the rocky peak that looked to have crumpled in on itself a bit since we left, I gave a firm nod back and answered in a growl. "We did... They deserved it, they were working with the Institute, getting supplies from them, so I took it away from them. Auntie Broom... she... she made it here? Did she... did she have a good life?"

Even the iron look on Magpie's rotting face softened at my quiet question, giving a long sigh and crossing her forelegs on the edge of the belltower railing, leaning over with me and looking at the ruined town. "Wouldn't call it good kid... I mean look around, and this is a helluva lot better than it was a hundred and fifty years ago... But... she did live and make the best of it, things are only as good as they are now because of her, she lived how she wanted and died surrounded by friends. This town wouldn't be here without her."

As I looked down and tried to absorb that, Val interrupted by swooping up to the broken peak of the bell tower and hanging over the edge, squawking at Magpie with a sneer. "You taught us it was you what started this place ya old hag! Oh I knew it was all bullshit! Shouldn't believe nothin' what comes outta her crooked beak boss!"

"Had a reason fer that if'n ya'd lemme finish brat! Gawd yer as a big a clawful as ya were as a chick, never respectin' yer elders! Shoo!" Magpie screeched at the intrusion, literally shooing Val off with her skeletal looking wing and groaning down to me. "Really was a reason fer that... Not givin' her the credit what was due I mean."

"I'm listening... Go on Val, let her talk."

Val's pouty frown was distracting and she didn't leave her upside down perch, but kept her beak shut as Magpie sighed, waving out to the ruins below. "When Hilde an' the other outcasts came here... Jeez... All'a this was a warzone kid, bunch'a squabblin' clans fightin' over the scraps what was left. Her an' all them other exiles were better trained an' better geared than them though, they came here 'cause here was home, fer Hilde and the other old'uns anyway."

"What little I got outta her about where she'd been fer the last half a freakin' century wasn't much, but she was still sharp an' adjusted ta all this crap quick enough. Had a plan ya see... She whipped this place inta shape, took over the school and found me right here... in a bad way. Was her idea, all'a it..."

Magpie's voice grew soft as she spoke, whoever she was before becoming an undead ghoul, she knew Auntie Broom and cared about her, prompting me to put a a hoof on her rotting shoulder and nudge her along. "Starting this town you mean? Or the ...school? Val told me a little, but I'd like to hear the whole story."

Glaring at her former student, Magpie croaked laughter and nodded in reply. "Oh I bet she had a few choice words, but I ain't apologizin' so just forget it twerp. I always done the best I could, even when it weren't enough or my little ducklings didn't like it."

I frowned at Val sticking her tongue out, glad to see she was willing to keep her contribution down to just that much. Whatever past these two had, it was part of a bigger story, one I wanted to hear clearly and without interruption. Auntie Broom was here, she made it out of the Stable and started a town... I should have known that even the wasteland wouldn't be enough to keep her down and swelled with pride at mom's old friend.

I also couldn't help looking down to my cutie mark and wondering again if Jade really was right. Maybe fate or chance or even Zed's spirits really did bring me to the right places at the right times, even if I didn't think so or like the universe's definition of 'right time'. I would have wanted to spare my old babysitter from getting kicked out of her Stable at all, but that event had apparently touched a lot of lives...

One quite a bit by the choked voice coughing gruffly and continuing, wiping her leathery face as she kept speaking. "A-Anyhoo... Yeah kid, she started this place an' laid down the law, kept the peace fer a good number of years fer an older bird like her out here. She always had us preppin' fer the future too, said no matter how bad things was, we could make em better together... That kinda hooey and this here symbol still stamped on her butt made a lotta folks think she was full on Groverite, hell... half the reason that cult is still goin' strong probably, but she was just a good gal."

Shaking off the somberness to her voice and holding the engraved handle of Auntie Broom's old pistol for me to see clearly the mark she meant, Magpie gave the pistol a dextrous spin in her claws and sighted down the barrel, taking aim at the three story office building flying the Gunner's pony skull logo with a sneer as she went on.

"She knew those Gunner assholes would come out one day and make trouble, so she got ready as much as she could before the end, then left it ta me. Made sure when they did come and tried ta run roughshod on us, we was strong enough ta push em back. Was a rude surprise when those assholes found themselves outgunned, convinced em that settin' up shop down there at the old GNR radio station was in their best interest. Couldn't keep em out entirely, but the Roost has stayed free all this time."

Looking back over my shoulder to the south, I realized the radio station I spotted must be what Val had called 'Gunner's Plaza' before, which my pip-buck confirmed with a flash of 'Map Updated'. Even the name made sense as I thought on it, Galloping News Radio.. GNR... GuNneRs... How clever..."So, she helped found this place and made sure you were ready, what about the rest? How'd you wind up in charge? Come up with taking in kids? Was that her idea too?"

Magpie nodded at my questions, filling in the blanks for me as I pieced it all together. "Yup, she said I was a teacher anyhoo and was obviously not goin' nowheres anytime soon, bein' all dead and what not, so I should be in charge. Said to erase her and the other exiles so those Stable assholes wouldn't hold it against us, no tellin' how long that prick that kicked her out would hold a grudge. As fer the kids... well, beyond makin' sure brats like Val here didn't end up as an' omellette or completely addled, it did help keep me in charge. Bunch of hard birds livin' here, but not a one of em wants ta mess with the one they still call Ma... Plus... Hilde told me ta take care of the little ones, like I always had..."

Val had finally held her tongue enough, I saw it coming by the way her feathers puffed up just before she rolled her eyes and drawled out. "Oh yeah, everybody looooooves ol' Ma Magpie. Lemme show ya just how much 'Ma'..."

"Hush up brat! I swear ya ain't too big fer me ta swat that fanny of yers again fer good measure!" Magpie's screeching actually looked to cow Val, my tough bodyguard sent a protective claw to her flank out of reflex and retreated to the rooftops.

Magpie continued with a tired sigh once she had settled to brooding further away, returning to our more private conversation. "So anyway, I did what she said, erased my friend from the history books... I kept my lil' memorial though, couldn't stand ta just throw it all in the trash... Glad I did, without her pictures she dug outta her the rubble of her old house, I wouldn't believe you really were... you really are him... So c'mon kid, I showed ya mine, you show me yers. How the hell are you alive? Nevermind the wings, you should be long dead. Spill..."

I sighed at the question, my ears drooping as I looked off into the far distance to the north and collected my thoughts to tell the story again. Me sleeping away the last two centuries was a lot less interesting than what had happened to Auntie Broom... The view to the north was slightly nicer at least, from here I could see everywhere I had been since leaving my own Stable, pointing a weary hoof to the dreary ruins of Trotson beyond the swamps and river surrounding the shattered skyscrapers as I spoke.

"I was in a Stable too, though mine was a lot nicer than 75, even though we spent most of our time asleep... in stasis I mean. I grew up there... then about 80 years ago something happened... the Institute. They took everyone, my friends, my family, everypony but me... One of the first Gunners as they are now was behind it actually, some asshole named Kellogg..."

Mentioning the legendary Gunner got a surprised look from Magpie, tilting her head to ask a question. "That prick? Wish I never laid eyes on him, or told him ta move on and take his bullshit down south with the rest of them assholes. The Gunners was at least stayin' ta themselves once they figured out they couldn't storm the wasteland and take over. But that bald bastard taught em all about the new world they was in an' gave em the freakin' mercenary idea... Should'a just executed his ass."

"Don't worry, I did..."

She gave me an appraising look at that, sounding out a low whistle and clucking. "Really? Color me impressed kid. Say what you will about that old merc, he was one tough cookie a century ago, heard he only got tougher after becomin' some kinda Institute ghost. Alright, I believe ya, you really are the pony brat Hilde liked talkin' about when she was drunk. She really did teach you the oath, huh kid? An' you offered the contract ta Val of all squabs... almost enough ta make me believe in yer goofy pony goddesses..."

"Huh? Why? I mean... I was lucky to even remember it at the time, she might have ended up killing me instead, but other than that, what's the big deal? I seem to have a special talent for being... lucky I guess. I was in the right place at the right time is all."

Magpie gave a sad chuckle at my shrug, looking over to Val still watching suspiciously from a distance as she dug in her battered purse at her side. "You don't know the half of it, do ya kid? Hell, I do and I hardly believe it... Hang on, lemme see here... Oh put that peashooter away brat! If'n I was gonna shoot him, I'd use this dammit!"

Val scowled at Magpie waggling Auntie Broom's old gun at her absently, turning in a huff and watching over her shoulder in little peeks. The ghoul ruffled what remained of her feathers as she muttered to herself and pulled out a thick, beaten old ledger and propped it against the railing beside me. I could barely make out her chickenscratch writing that filled every line with tiny script, watching with interest as her claw scanned through flipping pages rapidly.

After pausing at a few lines I finally made out enough to tell were names before flipping forward to find the next set, I was starting to get curious. Finally, Magpie seemed satisfied with her inventory, nodding to herself in satisfaction. "Thought so, memory ain't what it used ta be, but I knew it wasn't that bad yet."

"Er... what do you mean? What is all that?"

She put on a proud grin with her reply, leaning down to whisper to Val's grudging curiosity at being left out. "Yer merc there thinks I don't care about my lil' ducklings, but I do whether she believe it or not. I keep records see, especially where... where my friend's concerned. Why she were such a disappointment ta me fer awhile. Figured the apple fell pretty damn far from the tree when she joined up with them assholes what tossed out her great, great, great, great, great, great granny. I was actually proud when she turned traitor."

It took me a minute to work through the implications. Magpie took in abandoned eggs and chicks... but she kept a ledger, she kept track... "W-Wait... are you saying..."

"Hard ta tell since that Crimsonclaw blood got mixed in though, stuff keeps showin' itself everywhere it pops up. How the hell it got so spread around when it has a tendency ta turn ya inta a big ol' target I'll never understand... Hell, even little Bruno there has that big red target on his chest!" Magpie muttered to herself while I gaped, trying to get my head around it.

Val herself took my shocked face for some threat she was quick to return for, scowling suspiciously at the old crone blithely unaware of what she had just told me. "What're you gettin' up to hag? Don't let her mess with ya boss, she's crafty and mean as they come!"

Maybe I wanted to believe Magpie, the fact she ignored Val's questions and kept this a secret seemed to support it in my mind. Though when she rubbed her claws together and almost intentionally tried to prove Val right I had to wonder. "None of yer business! Grownups talkin' brat. Now then... what ta do about you... Cain't hardly turn in my old friend's little buddy, but I ain't so soft as ta let an opportunity fer profit just walk on by. So mister famous hero Fast Times, let's talk brass tacks. I gotta get somethin' outta this little meeting, an' as ya can see it ain't just fer me."

The sudden change of subject made my head spin, watching Magpie stuff her ledger back in her purse with a huff and give me a hard grin. I really would never understand griffons, despite the shock of running into someone who knew my Auntie Broom and cared about her, who knew about me through her... who even watched over her ancestors... the old buzzard was back to talk of caps and profit. Though I was at least heartened to see her wave out to all the young griffons flitting around the schoolyard, ending on our escort of Lila and Heidi watching us curiously.

"Y-You want... er... R-Right... ok... Well, I uh... I did mean what I said earlier. We can't pay as much, but we have lots of friends and want to help, you let Minutemares in your town already, my wife's Followers would love to join them I'm sure."

Magpie already had a greedy glint in her brown eyes, waddling closer and shaking her head with her more rotten claw held out in a 'gimme' gesture. "Already takin' heat lettin' them Minutemares in though, only did 'cause they offer contracts. Heard about them Followers from em, long as they don't go nutty with the preachin' like those Groverites, we'll take free medicine an' what not, Gawd knows some of these fools could use a lil' birth control, make my job easier. Go on... keep goin' kid..."

Realizing I was suddenly trapped in some bizarre kind of negotiation, I desperately wished Glitter was with us... My little filly would be a match for this old crone, while I was severely outclassed. "Umm... Food? We know a lot of farmers, you really look like you need it, so I'm... s-sure we can work something out?"

"Better... gotta arrange delivery somewheres else though, can't be seen ta be dealin' with you sappy ponies too much. An' don't even think about any of that 'allied settlement' nonsense I hear from other towns... Never know how the hell you managed ta convince that lil' sexpot Cocoa up north, but ain't gonna fly here, got the Gunners on my doorstep remember. Keep goin', more kiddo..."

"Er... c-couldn't we figure this out some other time? I mean... I'm still trying to get my head around all this, you, Auntie Broom... and Val really is?"

"Yeah, yeah, all that's yer problem, I'm over it. I ain't turnin' ya in, but I want somethin' whilst I got ya in my claws kid. Hilde always said you was a sweetie, so make with them sweet, sweet caps." Magpie came closer and grabbed my shoulders, giving a little shake as drool dripped from her cracked beak, clearly enjoying having such an easy mark in her grasp.

When Val shook her head and dove in the small belltower to shove her off, I realized they were birds of a feather. She narrowed her eyes at me speaking her name in a still small and stunned voice, but turned to the extortion going on, sticking her beak up and getting between us protectively. "Hey! Enough of that shit Mabel, boss ain't good at this stuff an' ya ain't screwin' him. Still ain't nothin' ta stop me from just leavin' if'n we want, you only gots about ten minutes 'fore you find out that 'monster pony' yer wavin' off is very, very fuckin' real. Hell, I still wanna see her come up here an' start flattenin' the place..."

At the rough treatment of their matron, Heidi and her sister Lila chirped and held their pipe pistols up threateningly, giving me something else to focus on and realize what Magpie might actually want. "Caps! We do have caps!"

Both of the griffons crowding the small tower with me turned at my yelp, Magpie with avarice and Val slapping a claw to her face with a groan. I recognized my bodyguard's pouting look of being undermined by a soft hearted boss, but she had reminded me of the timer steadily ticking down on my pip-buck, we really didn't have long before Swan came up here and started smashing...

Magpie grinned and shoved Val aside, leaning her long, leathery neck down to leer at me. "Go onnnn..."

"Boss... shaddup..." Val hissed at me, but now that I had started I wasn't backing out.

"We just stole a ton from the Gunner's Stable, we don't have time to piddle around and these kids definitely need it, don't tell me we can't afford it Val."

Magpie picked up on my words instantly, overriding Val's louder groan and tantrum, focusing instantly on Val's claw protectively holding her saddlebags. "Oh? Is that where those pricks have been hidin' loot? Do tell Valkyrie, how much did ya steal? I know you was plenty good at yer numbers, don't tell me ya ain't already counted it all at least once."

Val hissed at me in surly pout. "Oh you goofy bastard boss, why'd ya say that!?"

"Because, we're really not lying Magpie, you are about to have a seriously ticked off mare who has been dreaming of kicking buildings down for awhile now if we don't get going... I don't want that, or to have to force our way out. Plus it's blood money, it should do something good, that's what Jade would want. Er... my half of it anyway, partner?"

Val rolled on the roof in a tantrum at that, clutching her jingling bags to herself in a pout. As soon as I mentioned Jade she knew the argument was lost already. Magpie ignored her and scratched her waddled chin in thought, surprising me when she didn't just pounce on the open offer, instead squinting suspiciously. "Hmmm... Not sure how I feels about charity kid. Don't need no pity, cain't ya just lemme call it extortion? Why'd ya hafta be all sappy about it, now I feel weird..."

Facehoofing at having it rubbed in how little I understood griffons, my awkward negotiations were interrupted by the howl of Vertibucks and bright spotlights bathing the school in their light from above, making me flinch at the amplified voice booming out from overhead. "Magpie! You're in possession of the Traitor Valkyrie Bloodtail and the troublemaker Shrouded Stallion! Turn em over right now!"

Magpie's deadpan stare and mutter under her breath summed up how I felt pretty well at the sudden intrusion of very unwanted guests. "Well shit..."

"Buzz off! Told ya not ta bring them fancy flyin' toasters in my town!" Magpie leaned out of the belltower and unbelievably cawed at the green painted Vertibuck without fear, barely flinching when the spotlights swung on her perch and us with her.

Unfortunately Val and I were up here with her and I doubted she really had a grasp on just how much the Gunners hated the two of us individually, let alone combined... We barely got a warning yelp over the PA still switched on from the griffon pilots protected in the dome shaped front of the immaculate vehicle. The whole thing swung to the side with the screech of "There they are! Fire!!" to reveal the minigun pointed out the open side hatch.

A string of 5mm rounds chewed up the tiled roof around us, the cracked and dented schoolhouse bell giving a sickly 'bong!' in rapid succession with the rounds perforating it. Val and I ducked in the tiny tower as the assault continued, my attention drawn away from drawing my weapons and waiting to retaliate with the angry mutter of 'Be Dark...' waking up fully. A splash of black blood dripped from the dented bell overhead, Magpie leaning against it had her pink dress stained with the same in several spots, falling to the floor as a cacophony of gunfire filled the outside.

"Shit! Ma! C'mon old hag, get down!" Val screamed and dragged her caretaker down, slipping in her worry and calling her by the earliest name for Magpie she must have learned.

Even losing whatever passed for vital fluids in ghouls rapidly, Magpie chuckled as Val started tearing her bloodstained dress away and inspecting the wounds frantically. "S-See... told ya... everybody loves their ol' Ma."

"Shaddup! O-Only mad cause I wanna be the one ta kill ya! Boss, yer glowy thingy, quick!" Val might not appreciate having her concern pointed out, but the fact she wasn't already blasting away along with half of Magpie Roost seemed proof enough.

I had the crushed remains of the half a balefire apple rolling around in my inventory that Swan hadn't been able to shove down my throat, desperately digging them out and nearly losing them when a yellow and blue bundle of feathers smashed into our already crowded and rapidly diminishing bit of cover. I did manage to toss the folded up, lead lined apron over to my mercenary friend without losing it, but froze hearing Lila's desperate screech and seeing how bright red blood had joined Magpie's black.

"H-Help! Ma, h-help her, please!!" The bright yellow and green griffon flopping on the floor with us cried openly, her sunny feathers stained by the crimson leaking from her bright blue sister Heidi in her claws.

"No... please no..." Things seemed to slow to a crawl looking at the little blue griffon bleeding profusely with us, she couldn't have that much blood in her tiny body to begin with... I gaped in the eternity between heartbeats staring at it all, finally spurred into motion by 'Be Unwavering!' giving a shrill cry to dump out every bit of medical supplies I had remaining on me, shouting above the din when my heart lurched back to life. "ZED!!!! HELP!"

He was hiding somewhere, I was sure of that... somewhere close, please goddesses let him be close.... The zebra might not be any Jade, but he was better than I was as a medic. Surely anything was better than blindly shoving one of the few normal healing potions I kept around for others down Heidi's weakly whispering beak, my blue magic lighting up the narrow space we were in brightly as bandages and more potions swirled around us in a frenzy.

"Get em down! Back inside dammit!" Val shouted over the noise, kicking the hatch back to the school below open with one paw as she hoisted Magpie's foreleg over her shoulders and heaved, waiting for me to levitate the poor little Heidi down to her sister already down the hatch and holding her claws out for her.

The only positive thing I could see to the panic trying to overwhelm me, was it left no room for the inferno of rage strangely waiting to take over. It wasn't the first odd behavior I had noticed out of the angry voice in my head lately, whatever 'Be Dark...' was, it was willing to exercise some patience for once where an injured child was concerned. The impatient mutter moving aside for the oddly calm and firm voice of 'Be Kind...' stepping up to fill in and help keep my telekinetic control steady.

It was there though, that furious growl in my head actually felt like a balefire bomb had detonated between my eyes when I saw all that blood. They hurt a kid... The Gunners were STILL hurting kids... not that all that gunfire outside was just from the army of young griffons like Heidi and Lila before me. It might be no big deal in a tough town of mercs like the Roost, but my sensibilities and that of the insane spirit or whatever in my brain lined up perfectly. This was unforgivable...

"S-Shut up.. just wait, you're not helping right now... Just wait a sec dammit..." I muttered to myself, gently keeping my hold on the pigtailed little griffon taking such shallow breaths below my vantage with my head stuck down the hatch.

When I let go and made way for Val to help Magpie down, the black and white shape on the wheezing ghoul's other side was a sight for sore eyes, ducking from another stream of 5mm rounds raking the belltower. Zed didn't waste time and didn't ask stupid questions, following the bright blood trail down the hatch and leaping after the injured.

"Oh I'll let you alright..."

"Y-Yer boss talk to himself often Val? Quit fussin' over me an' get movin', I'm dead already an' I'm tougher than this, just..." Magpie swatted at Val trying to help her down the hatch, all of us looking up in wide eyed horror to a young voice screeching overhead.

"You said you wouldn't hurt nobody else! This wasn't the deal dammit!" In between us and the Vertibuck beginning to list and whine in the air, Bruno cried out in fury at the Gunners still shooting away even as their fancy ride wavered back and forth.

They couldn't hit anything very accurately with the flying vehicle starting to smoke and spin slowly in the leaden skies, but the open side hatch was swinging Bruno's way as we watched. The tongue of fire lining up with the brat just hanging there with his limbs spread between us, like he could shield Boreas Elementary from the assault. The sight of two more green Vertibuck's cresting the mountain at the other end of town just made things worse.

Even knowing I'd never make it in time, despite the desperate shout of 'Be Awesome!' pushing me out of the tower with a black contrail streaking behind me, I tried anyway, gambling on the weird behavior of the darker voice shouting right behind it. Things had gone from zero to catastrophe in nothing flat, I wouldn't see another kid hurt because of us, even if it meant risking my sanity entirely.

I focused on a sensation I felt only once before, at Ivy's soothing encouragement and with her and Jade there with me. I stopped fighting and opened the black stasis pod in my head.

I let 'Be Dark...' out, intentionally...

Instantly I felt a surge of strength that put even being completely charged by radiation to shame. Black lightning arced around me and that rare sensation of ultimate speed came again, my ears popping as the distance between Bruno and I suddenly evaporated in a sparking flash of teleportation.

I managed to tackle the brat out of the air just ahead of the bullets zipping through the spot we vacated, the sudden subconscious grace not enough to make up for my own ineptitude in the air, ending in a rolling crash down a twisty slide on the playground.

Bruno struggled and fought under me in the mud at the bottom, "Hey! Lemme go! I gotta stop em ya stupid pony bastard, this is all your fau..."

I caught a glimpse of glowing red dots in his scowl when I looked to be sure he was alright, his fuming drying up completely when I was satisfied and turned my attention to the approaching red dashes on E.F.S.. A large crew of Gunners were at the gates to the school, meeting a lot of resistance, but at least half of it was more kids like the one backpedaling away from my dragonish glare.

The roar of the Shroud's voice booming out over the battlefield actually made him squeak and retreat for the school building, all his surly bravado falling away in the face of a voice that seemed to make the cloudy skies darken and crack with thunder.

While the first Vertibuck lurched off before crashing, a bolt of lightning came down from the sky and the already damaged vehicle exploded. The next two and the power armored Gunners all trained their spotlights on me watching with dark magic swirling at my horn.

At least all their gunfire focused on me and away from the young defenders of Magpie's school, I accomplished that goal. Even blasting across the ground towards the nearest group with death chasing the lightning at my hooves. When Best Served slashed through the first armored throat and showered me in a fountain of blood I dove through towards the next victim, I had to admit, it felt ...good...

This was different than losing control, struggling to get it back and feeling awful after it happened. For once me and my shadow were on the same page, dodging and slashing at the crowd of panicked Gunners shouting over their fancy radios, trying to coordinate and actually sounding scared at what they provoked. They deserved everything they got, they deserved more... MORE suffering to pay back what they did here, MORE pain and blood like....

Like too many injured kids, my frenetic slaughter faltered seeing their little bodies limping back to cover, of their friends helping them escape the crossfire, just being here was still putting them in danger, and enough had already been done. The recovering Gunners smelled weakness and pounced, the first shots hammering against my armor as 'Be Dark...' shuddered in my head.

Whatever that part of me was, it was good for killing, not so much helping. I could actually feel it questioning ...me. It didn't know what to do beyond hurting the Gunners, something it dearly wanted to keep right on doing, but ...kids... Seeing kids hurt was screwing with it, was some inviolable line it couldn't cross. As long as I spent fighting it, feeling it trying to cooperate was bizarre.

Ok... Not that it wasn't willing to go with what it knew, while I had been quibbling my body kept right on running through Gunners. My attention only drawn to the fact by needing to reload my smoking shotgun and revolver as I kept dodging away from wounded casualties with mounting horror. There was nowhere in this crazy school that wasn't full of kids underhoof, armed kids who were throwing themselves at any who would dare attack their home.

Run, they want me... Just run, draw them away, if I wasn't here they'd have nothing to keep them... My wings spread and I rocketed up, planning nothing more than moving this madness somewhere else, anywhere else. Another of the undamaged Vertibucks moved to block me, this one fwooshing out missiles that would only hit the darting forms below me if I dodged.

I could think fast enough to realize that much, but the unfamiliar hoof guiding my magic reacted automatically, casting a spell I wasn't really sure I knew. Technically I had read Starswirl's Projectile Reflection once before, but the grip of my magic lighting up a string of missiles in midair with bluish black eldritch power was still a surprise. Each of the smoking missiles flipped the opposite direction instantly, released to go streaking back to their source and hammer the sides of the Vertibuck, sending it crashing to the streets I dove for.

The town of Magpie Roost was as chaotic as the school, but at least the majority of combatants I saw blurring by were adults. The families and elderly I had seen on the way in had already taken cover, leaving mostly full grown fighters who didn't appreciate anybody disturbing the peace, even the local Gunners.

I dodged the variety of mercenary crews who didn't fly the Gunner's skull logo in the streets, some seeming to try aiming at me, some trying to cover my streaking course. It was too much for me to keep track of, at least the Gunners were uniform, so anything wearing green got attacked. A trio of airborne griffons in heavy combat armor managed to dive bomb me, a string of dropped plasma grenades lighting the streets up in sickly green and tossing me to the sidewalk with my coat smoking.

They banked and lined up to finish me while I struggled to find my hooves, suddenly forced to scatter by a heavily armed crew of Minutemares throwing themselves in the way to protect me. As grateful as I was to their cry of "We've got your back General!" I had to keep moving, lurching back up and trying to draw the attackers away.

Slowly getting back up to a gallop as I reloaded, my ears swiveled to the bawling cries of a pony toddler, shoving at a bleeding male griffon with pitiful cries of "Poppa! Wake up!" Dead or alive, his parent couldn't help him from the machinegun fire tracing its way towards me, they were right in the way...

Another subconscious teleport brought me to them, then a second swirled the three of us ten feet away in a flicker of dark electricity that drained my magic significantly. My eyes swam at using the unfamiliar spell this often and quickly, staggering against a bent lightpole and panting at the surprised little foal blinking up before returning his attention to the griffon he called father.

I groaned to say something, my horn sparking when I tried tugging the kid away to safety. Relief flooded my overworked senses when a pale tan mare with a curly purple mane dashed out, flipping her foal to her back and tugging the griffon by his tail. Another light silver and white female griffon yanked me by my collar just ahead of a high powered rifle round at my shaking hooves, joined by a nervous looking green stallion helping to shove me to the crumbling church of Groverites I had seen before.

The strange buck had a cutie mark of a bloody bandage by his bedraggled silver tail, hurriedly shoving a normal healing potion in my muzzle before dashing off to the bleeding griffon and his family with a battered leather doctor's bag in his teeth, all of us and a great many more sheltering in the vestibule of the stone church shaking under more explosions.

He left his stern looking griffoness friend to hold me up against the wall and keep the potion in place, tipping it up in her grey claw as she clucked. "You're who all this shit is over!? Better be worth it, I said ta just toss ya back out shrimp!"

I wheezed around the potion sloshing down my gullet, eyeing her tattooed rifle cutie mark that left no doubt she belonged with these folks, a Groverite... Somehow I expected them to be nicer, though I supposed for a griffon she was. "N-Not a bad idea... You're all a target if I'm here, h-have to keep going, draw them away..."

"Well ya ain't doin' it like that shorty! Fuck.... Swatch ain't gonna like it, but I'll deal with his bitchin' laters. Here, chew!" Her claw came away as the empty bottle rolled across the rotting wooden floor, digging in her pockets and retrieving a bright orange pill she shoved in my muzzle, clamping it shut and forcing me to do just as she advised.

Buck? A surge of energy sent my exhausted muscles twitching with power. The pretty griffon must have the dangerous drug stashed away in her pocketed vest for emergencies, and she gave it to me. I tried to give her a grateful nod, but could see the glowing dots of my eyes flare brighter in her own before she pulled away warily, the long fangs I felt extend in my mouth just didn't form friendly expressions very well.

I settled for tipping my hat before I dove out the broken stained glass window up the wall, making sure the Gunners saw me leave the building before they settled any more heavy firepower on it. What had been only one remaining Vertibuck had been joined by a fourth chasing me down the street. They really were throwing a lot of advanced Institute tech at us... The thought of taking it away from them helped me stay ahead, keeping it safely on my tail as I kept darting through the crowd, lopping off limbs from any Gunners I saw trying to bar my way or hurt anyone else.

Nearly there... the winding road leading back down the mountain was just ahead, all I had to do was keep going and deal with the rest later. Unfortunately before I reached the drop off, a new sound joined the screaming engines of the Vertibucks, a low thudding of some fresh horror rising up to cut me off.

A tank? That flew?! Come on!!! I caught a glimpse of a vaguely turtle-like shape, though like one had bizarrely grown a silvery disc of a propeller from its dense shell. Then the street ahead of my skidding hooves exploded, the only reason I didn't join the fragments of roadway raining down around me was the tight grip on my tail from a very angry looking red griffon.

Val was still standing on her hindlegs with both claws wrapped around my tail in a vice, loosing her hold to punch me in the back of the head with a screech. "What'd I tell you about runnin' dammit!!!"

The two Vertibucks chasing us directed their spotlights on us panting at the edge of the fresh crater in the street, Val seeming to ignore the weapons of war converging on us as she kept swatting me. I gulped and tried pulling away again, only for her hold to tighten while her gleaming pistol crashed overhead. I was stunned how she could be focusing only on the infantry trying to pin us down, then a rapid beep-beep-beep sounded out from my pip-buck and a rising roar came with it, drowning out the timer alarm before it finished.

A dark shadow crested the mountain behind the sky tank trying to line up for another shot, the huge pony shape dwarfing the vehicle as a pair of long forelegs reached around it and squeezed, hugging it to a long expanse of alicorn belly that was quickly crushing the heavily armored tank like a tin can. Swan had come, right on time...

Even while she held the squalling, groaning hunk of metal against her and crushed it, her hurricane force wings held her aloft and blew the Vertibucks off course, nearly crashing into each other and offering a perfect target for the storm of magical arrows she was launching from her long horn. Swan spun in gracefully the air as they exploded overhead, releasing the crumpled tank to go flying back the way she had come, the sound of it bouncing down the mountain growing distant as she slammed to the ground above us.

While I was sure the residents of Magpie Roost had seen a lot, I was also quite sure they'd never seen anything like this... The battle actually stilled as all eyes turned toward the titaness of alicorn beauty filling the narrow main street. Swan had her skimpy Alicorn Angel costume on again, making it all even more surreal. The tiny locket at her breast was open and pouring out radiation, her long pink mane whipping around her head brushed the nearest buildings and she had to tuck her wings to fit, crouching over the two of us protectively and roaring to the stunned town.

"ANYBODY WHO HURTS FAST GETS SMASHED!! I FINALLY GET TO STOMP A CITY YOU STUPID BIRDS! IF YOU'RE GOOD, YOU SHOULD MOVE... NOW!"

Though I had no issues with Swan being in a super alicorn state and huge, she was as big as Virescent had gotten. Plus hearing that enraged scream would get to anypony, it rattled bones and shattered windows in her fury. Every bit of the Gunners' remaining firepower focused on the new and horrifying target, pattering uselessly against her shield blazing to life around us. When her giant muzzle swung down and those glowing, dragon slitted, blue violet eyes squinted at me swaying on my hooves, even I had to suppress a nervous gulp.

The instinctual fear of that fang filled mouth chomping on me evaporated at her gentle nuzzling and long tongue lapping at the blood I realized was covering me. She was in a real frenzy alright, but her scowl softened as she lowered her towering horn and flipped me up to her head, whinnying her delight as she returned her attention to the screaming crowd fleeing from the 'monster pony' we tried to warn Magpie about.

Val followed me up with an agile flap, landing between Swan's big ears with me and dancing in glee atop her head. "Awww yeah!!! Fuck em up tons of fun! Go flatten every one of them assholes! I'll handle smackin' the boss around!"

Her threat sounded real, but Val didn't interrupt me hugging Swan's head, nearly lost in her rippling mane that at least gave me something to hold on to and lurch over to her flicking ears that came up to my chest. Our perch swung back and forth as she stomped forward, giggling maniacally when she bucked a two story building down, thankfully only occupied by more red dashes on E.F.S..

Grabbing the ear in my hooves to Swan's happy squeal, I shouted down the big radar dish and tried to at least direct her rampage. "That building Swan! The tall one with the pony skull flag! Smash that one!"

"Eeeeee! Ok Fast! That one looks good, what other ones are ok, are there any bigger ones? How about that one up there? It looks fun to smash!" Swan burbled happily and pranced down the street, her glowing shield digging furrows in the buildings unlucky enough to be at her flank level and close to the widest part of the glowing bubble surrounding her.

'Up there' was the school, not a valid target by any means... It took a few minutes and a wild ride to tell her though. Even Val had to clutch at Swan's mane and dive on top of me protectively to keep us in place, my stomach dropping at the giant mare launching herself straight up, then performing a whistling cannonball directly on the Gunner's local fortress that nearly had me lose my hold on her flowing mane trailing above her, my hindlegs wiggling crazily for purchase in the empty air flying by.

The rebuilt three story ruin crumpled like a house of cards under Swan's rump, the display of power and loss of anyone inside enough to make the Gunners think twice about their assault. I could hardly shout over Swan's hooves stomping up and down on the rubble in a giddy dance, stammering with the world under me bobbing up and down enough to make my stomach churn.

"N-N-Not t-that one S-Swan! O-Or m-m-most others! P-Please!!! G-Go there t-though! P-Protect it! K-Kids!"

Ignoring her whine at having to restrain herself, I had to chuckle at her pausing to tip over the miraculously remaining section of wall she missed before flapping up. With the Gunners falling back to regroup, we had a brief lull to take advantage of, an opportunity I didn't want to waste, no matter how much part of me wanted to join her and simply lay waste.

She landed dainty as a feather touching down in the schoolyard, leaning her long neck down to the ground and playfully making me slide off between her sparkling eyes, giving a little flip with her muzzle to send me rolling off where she could return to nuzzling. She did all this while at least doing as asked, spreading her shield out to form a powerful bulwark against any outside interruption, though clearly not for the same reasons.

"S-Swan! Swan! Come on, I'm glad to see you too, n-none of that right now though... woooo! W-We gotta get going, quick, j-just hang on a second..."

"I don't have to go anywhere... I like where I'm at, I want to smash and play Fast, you left me all alone and I was bored... they hurt you...." Swan went right on kissing at me happily over my protests, her voice dropping to a growl as she looked up for anyone else to find some creative new way to murder.

Val landed beside me and shoved me along towards the shielded school, still cross with me for yet again leaving her behind, but seeming satisfied with the disapproval she had already expressed. When she led us to the rusting double doors that opened onto the school's gym, any good spirits I had from being saved by the big filly crawling and snuffling along at my tail tried up entirely.

"Oh... I-Is this why you wanted me to protect this place Fast?" Even Swan's voice dropped to a soft whisper, her whole face taking up most of the doorway and peeking in at the heart wrenching scene.

It looked like Magpie still used the gym for its original purpose, but all the exercise equipment had been moved aside to make way for a crude emergency room. Rotting wrestling mats and cardboard acted as bedding for too many groaning and crying defenders of the Roost, far, far too many of them kids.

I stroked Swan's cheek with my tail as I was forced to leave her behind, answering in a whisper, trudging towards the plump form of Magpie at the center of it all. "Y-Yeah Swan, please... be an awesome guard and buy us a little time. We... we have to do something about this, it's all my fault..."

All I could think was how badly I wanted Jade here, how maybe she could do something actually useful, help instead of hurt as I had here. The residents were doing all they could, but medical supplies looked as scarce as food here, and a town full of griffons probably didn't have a lot of magic users capable of saving lives in their absence. The Groverite buck I saw in town was probably one of few, but he and most of the other pony residents were stuck outside and dealing with a town still under siege. More sheets were going to be pulled over more little faces if something didn't change, soon...

Val headed me off from the pair my eyes had locked on beside Magpie noticing our approach, a much paler blue griffon and her worried sister... While she flicked her gaze their way sadly, her face screwed up in a scowl and she dove at the other young griffon hiding at their side with his head in his claws, grabbing him by his rough leather collar and shaking him gruffly.

"No it ain't boss, it's this lil' shit's fault right here! Ain't that right ya rotten twerp! Call me a traitor? Look what ya done ta yer own!" Val shook the surly adolescent like a rag doll, shoving his face right down by the shallowly breathing Heidi and her glaring sister.

Her behavior confused me, barely sinking through the misery I saw all around me, especially when we weren't out of danger yet. Swan had turned back to maintaining her shield outside, the flashes and rumbles of explosions lighting up the violet tinted sky outside the windows briefly. Even as super charged as she was, she couldn't keep it up forever...

The Gunners were still out there, changing their tactics and surely waiting for more of their fancy Institute support. That sky tank thing had been the last to show up because it was so slow, but there was a good chance more were plodding their way here right this minute.

"N-Not mine... Wasn't supposed to be like this... was only s'posed ta be you two... y-yer fault..." Bruno muttered petulantly, but his heart just wasn't in the denial.

I wasn't following, only half hearing the quiet whisper and uninterested. The wounded Heidi and her sister took up my attention, the little blue griffon coughed up blood and sputtered, her breathing ragged and weak. Zed looked up from doing what he could, but by the stern look on his blood spattered face, it wasn't enough...

He shook his head wearily and nodded out to all the other wounded, whispering on his way to help the other residents with any kind of medical training shouting and running around each other in a blur. "Without significant and powerful help... Not long."

Lila's sobbing scream drew my gulping attention away, leaving her vigil over her sister to pounce on Bruno, slashing at him with her claws in a blind fury. "FUCK YOU! You did this! YOU! Look at her! Look at my sister you stupid prick! Look at all our friends!"

'Be Kind...' and the other Ministry Mares slowly reasserting their soothing influence quailed at the sight of friends fighting, especially when it involved such sharp claws and gouges. Bruno barely resisted though, taking the punishment until Magpie herself kicked him away to roll to a heap clutching his gut, tears leaking in with all the blood staining the floor.

"Why... What?"

Answering my confused question, Val sneered at the crumpled Bruno. "Tattled! Ran off ta them pricks and squealed like a radhog!"

"And I know he was raised better, tattlers got no place here. All this shit is on him kid, not that you didn't have yer part... but I take in whatever guests I want, how it's always worked in the Roost. That don't change just cause the Gunners got a bug up their ass over you two. Sure as hell don't change 'cause some brat thinks he knows better than his Ma." The cold dismissal in Magpie's voice as she waddled over looked to just rub salt in the young griffons wounds, he folded in on himself and stayed quiet, letting the old ghoul glower down at me trying to catch up.

I was so stunned, I barely noticed the minor miracle that 'Be Dark...' had gone quietly back to its cage, retreating from all this misery with barely a grumble. Stable 75 taught me I didn't understand griffon culture, but some things were a constant regardless in my mind. Old world values maybe, but kids deserved a chance. Even though he had apparently run to the Gunners and told them we were here, resulting in this mess... I just couldn't bring myself to really hate him. Not that there weren't plenty who could...

"Sell me his contract then..."

My quiet murmur looked to shock the griffons goggling at me as much as their behavior did me, but we didn't have time to debate. Another short burst of explosions shook the rafters, making the dim lights overhead sway and flicker. Looking around at all the damage and hurt we had brought with us, the injured who needed better help, a better life... I actually had an idea and kept going in a rush.

"You don't like charity, sell me his contract, sell me as many of their contracts as I can afford. Let us get them out of here. Mabel... please, my wife is an amazing healer, she and her Followers really can help, but we have to get them out of here and to her, quick! She's not that far, if we hurry you can focus on the rest and the Gunners won't have any reason to stick around. Give me the chance to try to fix this, for Auntie Broom and her town..."

Even trying to work within the strange framework of griffon culture, I felt like tearing my mane out at Magpie humming ticking off payment owed on her claws. "Hmmm... s'pose I can cut ya a deal on the damaged merchandise anyway, I'll throw in the squealer too. Of course there is all the damage ta my town ta factor in, friend prices though fer Hilde, long as ya make a donation ta the memorial fund fer makin' me open it up... Let's see, add in fees an' my commission... ought'a come up'ta about..."

"Oh fer Gawds sake! Spit it out already ya ol' buzzard! Actually don't! Here, this is what yer gettin' and that's it, an' only cause I don't wanna listen tha the boss piss an' moan fer the next damn year! Take it or leave it! We're goin'!" Val lost it for me, grudgingly digging out several large bags of caps and throwing them at Magpie before storming off to Swan's giddy shouts outside.

"Ehhh, I'll let ya owe me the rest. Fine kid, hope this mare of yers knows her shit and ain't far, and ya got some idea how the hell ta get outta here, that's a premium service I ain't up ta providin'. Otherwise, ya got yerself a deal kid, Hilde was right, yer a sucker, but a valuable one..." Magpie hefted her ill gotten gains in one claw, doing a quick appraisal and ruffling my mane with a grin at our arrangement.

While I was still trying to figure out exactly how to get a bunch of hurt fledglings out of here without making their wounds worse, she surprised me again by tossing the beautiful 12mm she had been carrying with her this whole time over my head. Her sneering caw seemed half insult and half proud chuckle to warn Val of Auntie Broom's old gun whistling right at the back of her head. "Hey! Brat! Don't fuck up another job, here, don't say yer old Ma never gave ya nothin'!"

Seeing Val turn to deftly catch what was her ancestor's weapon in her claws with surprise warring with annoyance, I could tell even Val knew her grumpy joking wasn't true. I might not get many things about my friend's old home and caretaker, but Magpie had given a lot to her and all her other wards. Just like the loyalty I saw reflected in Val, Generosity wasn't a virtue exclusive to ponies either.

Strange to find it in a greedy, undying griffon already counting her caps, but the warmth of 'Be Unwavering!' agreed.

"How about now Fast? Are we close enough?" Swan panted as the flash of her teleportation faded, forcing me to realign up and down in midair while making sure never to let my telekinetic hold on our passengers waver in the slightest.

Blinking the stars from my eyes, I rushed to check the map again and sympathized with her tired question. Getting her large purple blur to resolve back into the mare leading the way, I could at least tell how draining that was on her visibly. She'd burned through most of the power that made her unstoppable, nearly down to Jade's size and clearly taxed managing four teleports in a row for so many of us, but just as obviously ready to go again if need be.

I had a better appreciation of just what doing that took now, and I'd only ever teleported any passengers once. The least I could do was keep hold of the wobbling merry go round floating along with us that carried as many kids as we could fit on it, glad to have Val and Zed and even the sullen Bruno flitting around it to keep it level.

He'd been silent the whole trip even though he was practically the only mostly uninjured fledgling with us, other than the bright yellow Lila staying on the opposite side of the makeshift conveyance. He did obey any request and both did their best to watch out for their friends without bickering, despite the daggers Lila kept glaring at him. The help and silence let me concentrate on looking ahead and lining up landmarks below with what the pip-buck reported of the geography.

Swan had never gone to pony towns before, or to many places in the south really. Both because of her sister Umbra's former decree, and because she was apt to cause a panic had she decided to disobey. That meant we couldn't go directly to the icon for University Point and Jade's locator tag ahead. Making our escape from Magpie Roost had involved line of sight teleports in rapid succession.

I hated seeing the chaos we had left behind on the distant mountain swirl away in Swan's magic, hearing the gunfire and blasts of cannons disappear with a pop of my ears, but running away was more helpful than standing with the townsfolk. Magpie assured us more Gunners were coming after listening to her office radio, shooing us off and confident she could restore order once we were no longer there to paint a target on the place.

While Jade couldn't be much further away, a look back to our ...new employees... and my own weakening magic made it clear time was an issue. It looked like a fairly big town down there, situated at the end of a stretch of more industrial and residential ruins following the river out to the sea. The focus of the wasteland era town had to be the huge edifice of an actual university not far from the shore. We had left one school for another...

The marker in my vision was slightly off from there though, squinting through the drizzle I had a good idea exactly where too. "One more if you can Swan! See that sign over there? The cross and butterflies?"

With vision as sharp as my own, it only took a second for Swan's tired eyes to follow my pointing hoof. The world lurched again and we were gliding down to a dilapidated, squat building under the leaning Ministry of Peace sign I had spotted. Location Discovered: Redheart Academy blinked in the corner of my vision as I stumbled to a landing, exhausting what remained of my magic to set the rusty platform of the merry go round down in the parking lot half full of carriage hulks.

The curious faces of half a dozen ponies wearing medical boxes and lab coats paused in their activity at our entrance, one of the closest mares spotted our injured passengers and her surprise settled into determined frown, her silver horn already glowing as she shouted. "Injured! Get the Princess! C'mon, move it! We've got hurt ...oh sweet Celestia, hurt kids here!!"

Swan and I both swayed and stumbled out of the way of the Followers of the Apocalypse rushing forward, leaning against the white hull of a familiar MoP ambulance direct from the hub. If that wasn't proof enough we had the right place, the trio of worried, welcome faces storming out of the ruined building put any remaining fears to rest.

Jade's wide wings brought her rocketing out with our squealing filly on her back, her poor royal guard Witchy struggling to keep up and skidding to a halt at her side protectively. "Fast! There you are! A-Are you alright, you are surely injured again and... Oh.. oh no... Quickly everyone, get them inside! Remember your training! Triage everypony!"

I saw how anxious she was to look us over and care for us, but the four of us were standing, the rickety platform full of kids were in worse shape and she took it in instantly. Jade barely cast a longing glance back before moving off briskly, her powerful magic pushing aside her students trying to tend to the kids and lifting them all at once, galloping for the broken doors of wherever she had been waiting for us.

Witchy stayed at her side, helping where she could and ushering them inside, while Glitter had hopped down and trotted to me worriedly, her wide smile at being reunited fading with the serious business going on around her. When the little filly cautiously nuzzled at me drooping against the wreck holding me up, I reached out and hugged her tight, shuddering around her and stroking her curly mane.

"Daddy? A-Are you ok? What happened? Umm.... I missed you..." Glitter murmured against me, not fidgeting or assaulting me with all the questions I knew were swirling behind her worried pink eyes.

"I missed you too sweetie... a lot. I'll tell you all about it, for now let's just get out of the way and let mom work, ok?"

Using the tough little filly to lean against, we followed all the frantic activity slowly, her soft voice a soothing balm that made me feel good about trying to help more orphans like her all around us. Whatever else I had screwed up in life, however much doubt over my mistakes tried to creep in and how wrong I felt about even exposing her to all this... Hearing her agree and call me by the name I liked more than any other made it worthwhile. "Ok daddy."

Glitter led us to an out of the way classroom in the medical academy Jade and her Followers had claimed on the outskirts of University Point. While Zed had joined Jade and her students in dealing with the load of work we had dumped on them, Swan, Val and I took the opportunity to rest and get caught up in the dim space, the anatomical model and hanging pony skeletons in the corner were a little creepy, but dozing with her cuddled under my wing while Swan and Val framed us was enough to distract me.

As excited as my daughter was to be reunited and anxiously clingy as she felt knowing bad things had happened, if not what, Glitter babbled softly about her adventures since leaving the Ministry of Peace without asking questions. We weren't all that far from Castle Equinox and Jade had sent her Followers far and wide, with a special focus on any medical facilities in this part of the Commonwealth, so she had known in advance there was support to be found and set about doing so while we had been busy.

Not that there was much of the usual salvage that would draw scavengers to a place like this. In her professional opinion as a former scavver herself, Glitter said the Redheart Academy was 'cleaned out' a long time ago. Of course with the actual Ministry of Peace Hub itself on our side, that was less of an issue than it was for previous explorers. Jade wasn't nearly as interested in centuries old healing potions and stale drugs, as she was in the wealth of learning materials still here.

"It's all boring stuff daddy, but mom's been happy! Lots of books and neat, scary stuff like that guy there! I call him Mr. Squishy, even though it's all plastic. Cool huh? All his stuff comes out, see? Can we keep him? I'd like it for my room back home!" Glitter demonstrated one of her favorite finds by tugging organs from the life sized, visible pony statue in the room, giggling at me sticking my tongue out at her juggling stomach, heart and liver in her hooves.

"Ugh... I don't know if I can sleep under the same roof as that thing sweetie... I-I'm sure mom wants it anyway, right? I hope..."

She pouted adorably at being denied, but shrugged it off quickly enough I assumed she had already had this conversation with Jade, simply trying to go around being told no by one parent by asking the other. "Awwww... ok I guess... There's lots of other neat stuff in town anyway, can we go together so I can show you? You'll reeeeeeally like it daddy! It's a whole town of nerds like you!"

I raised an eyebrow at her using one of Val's favorite terms for me, curious what a town full of more meant but prevented from asking by the dozing griffon snorting laughter. "Oh Gawd... No, not even up ta watchin' the boss spaz out in U.P. kiddo, gotta rest up ta even keep up. Don't tell 'im though, wanna see him lose it when we go..."

That sounded intriguing, but I agreed with a sigh, it was only late afternoon, but it had already been a long day. I just wanted to do exactly what we were already, enjoying each other's company. Though preferably with less worried glances up to harried and bloody Followers passing by.

"Hey umm... dad? What happened anyway? Where'd all those kids come from? A-Are they gonna be ok? Did you save 'em?" Glitter came back to sit with me and fidget, turning a cute little nurses hat in her hooves she had found somewhere, clearly wanting to be her mother's favorite little nurse again and help.

I sipped at the carroty Sparkle Cola she had left to scrounge up for me and patted her head proudly, trying to think of what to say and wondering whether I should just wait and cover it all when Jade was here with us. It was a long, sad story I didn't know if I was up to telling repeatedly.

Thankfully Swan rolled a tired eye her way and tittered, giving the short version. "We went to a town of birds little niece. It was fun, I got to smash buildings and fight Gunners. Fast made us take all the hurt ones he bought from the ghoul lady with us, but they weren't bad, so I didn't mind."

Glitter's eyes got wide and sparkly at her Aunt's quick summation, beaming as much as Swan did at the idea of her kicking buildings down. Once she processed it however, a stern little frown formed on her face and she squinted at me. "Bought? You bought them daddy? T-They're... slaves? That's bad! Mommy will be mad, you always say slavery is really, really bad and you shouldn't..."

"Contracts! I bought their contracts sweetie! Not them! It's... complicated, but you're right, slavery is really bad, they're not slaves. They're... sorta like Aunt Val, it's a griffon thing."

She still tilted her head at me suspiciously, scratching her mane in thought and flipping through the sheaf of papers I held out in a rush before pouting at me. Her pink stare scanning through the physical proof of the transferred contracts critically. "You shouldn't buy anything on your own anyway daddy, you're no good at it... Where'd you get the caps?"

Reminded of it, Val drummed her limbs in a tantrum and huffed, agreeing with the cutthroat little filly. "That's what I said! An' he spent all my nice loot on em too kiddo, freakin' give him an earfull dammit. Least it was all stuff we stole from the Gunners Stable, so our funds are still good, but still pissed about it boss... Every damn time I gets enough caps ta make a nice little nest, you go an' give it away!"

"Stable? You found another Stable? Is that where you got the pretty barding Auntie Val? I didn't know they made it for griffons too! I can wear mine from daddy's and we can be twinsies!" Glitter giggled at Val's groan realizing she was still wearing the bright blue Stable 75 barding.

Before either of us could begin to answer, a prim cough from the doorway drew our attention to the tired looking blue alicorn watching us with a soft smile. "Oh? A Stable too hmm? You have been busy, have you not dear. Zed told me a little, but I am most interested in hearing all about it. In detail..."

Seeing her standing there, covered in blood and tired, but not frantic at least, I rose to my hooves with a clatter, diving at the beautiful blue mare and hugging her happily. "Jade! Oh I missed you, I'll tell you all about it too, e-everything..."

While I felt her tilt her head curiously at my subconscious glance back to Val and the way she ruffled her feathers with a blush, I didn't plan on keeping anything from my Princess. The only thing that kept me from fessing up immediately beyond Glitter joining our embrace with a happy squeal, was the question still hanging over my head.

"The kids... H-Heidi... are they?"

The long, deep kiss that answered my worried question drained a lot of the tension out of me instantly. Jade sighed and nuzzled my cheek, speaking wearily but with pride and relief that matched my own. "All fine Fast... You all did wonderfully to bring them here so quickly, our new young friends will all recover in time. They need rest and not to be moved again for awhile, but you may see if you wish."

I pulled away reluctantly to nod happily, rising to follow her stately trot back out to the halls and past her impressed looking Followers. From the singed spot I noticed on her graceful horn, I could figure out that adoring look all too well. She must have pushed herself hard, but Jade saved lives, while all I could do was take them. She proved what a natural Princess she was on the way too, having a kind word or look for each of her Followers and all their hard work. Jade lifted everypony around her up without even trying.

The infirmary she led us to had the look of a space used for teaching, living up to its purpose for the first time in centuries. More than a dozen of the tattered beds were occupied by well tended patients, IVs and cloudy packets of blood hanging near them. The ones that were awake watched the big blue Princess in their midst cautiously, several craning their necks up to find me between her and Val, the two noticeable points they used to spot me slinking along.

Despite feeling uncomfortable and having to resist the urge to just disappear in Jade's shadow, I realized they were looking for me for a reason, I was their new boss... Not that my boisterous little filly made hiding much of an option, now that she was free to scamper around and meet kids close to her own age, there was no stopping her. Glitter bounded from bed to bed, cheerily introducing herself and pointing out her parents proudly, earning us more and more stares.

The uncomfortable trip did give me time to try to think of things from their point of view anyway, they were going to live, but their lives had drastically changed in just a few hours. Somehow I could sympathize... We ended up at the smallest patient's bed, little Heidi smiled brightly at Glitter winding up with us just in time, wincing just a bit when she tried sitting up to grab the filly's pale hoof in her yellow claw. "Hiya! I'm Heidi an' this is my big sis Lila! Nice ta meet'cha, wanna play? I mean if Lila every lets me back up, quit it meanie, I'm ...oof... f-fine, see?"

Her sister Lila was perched right at her bedside, yelping at her younger sister getting caught up in Glitter's happy reply and shoving her back to the bed, barely keeping the instant friends apart. "Hi! Are you feeling ok now? You look lots better than when daddy brought you here! Oh, this is my dad here, and mommy made you all better! Umm... didn't she? She's really awesome so I'm sure you'll be fine! I'm Glitter by the way!"

"I am afraid I am not nearly so infallible as our daughter would have you believe dear. Listen to your sister and stay put Heidi, you had a very close call and need to rest. There will be ample time to play and get to know each other later from what I understand, though my Fast has yet to explain himself on that score..." Jade smiled sweetly and nudged Glitter back, her arched eyebrow to me reflected by every young griffon in earshot and spreading with their whispers.

Lila was torn between gratitude that made her yellow green eyes well with tears, and caution born from a harsh life, mostly missing Jade's teasing tone. She bowed her head submissively, shoving her sisters pigtails down in a matching gesture I gulped to see spreading through the room. "R-Right boss, umm... Princess boss lady... T-Thanks for, f-for helping my sister, all of us I mean. Umm... I swear ta do a good job and fill my contract, so just give the word and..."

Sighing at her forthright attitude, I shook my head with a whinny, waving my forelegs in negation. "N-None of that, I'm not your boss! I just... er... i-it seemed like a good idea at the time, I just wanted to help is all Lila, you're not an employee. Just take it easy, it's ok to be kids, make friends with Glitter if you want."

"Right boss, make friends with the filly, got it. You wants us ta guard the mini-boss?" Lila cocked her head owlishly, prowling to Glitter's back and planting her claws on the filly's shoulders protectively, putting on a wide, forced smile down to her upturned face and making me facehoof despite Glitter's happy squeal.

"Noooo.... that wasn't an order Lila... A-Any of you!" I had to shout when I spotted several more young griffons moving to hop from their beds and form a cordon around the delighted foal, ignoring the protests of Jade and her nurses trying to push them back.

Hooting laughter at me, Val shoved me back and raised her voice in a bawdy yell, addressing the infirmary all at once. "Oy! All of ya, stay put! Yer benched on medical dammit, rest up an' he'll figure somethin' out. Got it? Go on boss, they'll stay put if'n ya wanna add anything."

"I want them to stop looking at me like that..." I hissed out the side of my mouth at the smirking griffon, scrambling to stop her before she could turn and relay that order too with a grin. "ER! I mean! Listen to Val, everybody just rest up and w-we'll think of ...something.... Right now your job is to get better, umm... rest and relaxation, so no working. I know this is... weird for you, but Magpie let me buy out your contracts because she cares about you. Sooo, just umm, f-feel better and be kids, right?"

I groaned having a room full of kids chorus; "Right boss!" and salute, hiding behind my wings and pulling my hat down as I cringed beside Jade giggling into her hoof softly. She still looked confused, but shrugged it off and nodded, speaking in a melodious voice full of merriment. "I am quite sure this must be an interesting story I do look forward to hearing Fast. For now he is correct all of you, rest and recovery is the order of the day. Oh? Lila dear, where is your other friend? The rather... mmm s-standoffish one? He was just over there earlier and seemed very concerned for your sister."

While Lila had returned to her sister's bedside, she had paused to boost Glitter up to the end of the bed the little griffon wasn't occupying, adding my foal to what looked like practiced ease at absently watching a younger kid from the corner of her eye. The two chattered back and forth in happy, high pitched squeals she tuned out effortlessly, turning to the two of us while still keeping the distinct look of a bodyguard like Val, watching out for my little filly and her own sister equally.

I felt conflicted about that, frowning as she answered Jade in a polite but hard voice. "Ain't our friend lady boss, his fault she was hurt, that everybody was... Don't care where he went, long as it ain't here."

Jade didn't like the ice in her voice either, lightly touching a wing to her shoulder and speaking to her kindly. "That hardly seems very nice dear... I admit I am unaware what brought you here, but I assure you he was worried, he asked after your younger sister and everyone else so much I had to request he get out from under hoof. Has anyone seen him? He was not very injured, but should not be left to himself."

None of the still attentively watching patients answered her question, muttering amongst themselves for a moment. A rich pink earth pony mare pushing a rickety cart of paper cups and canned food piped up however, scratching her clipped back blue and yellow mane as she ventured a guess. "I think I saw one wander off up to the roof Princess. A lovely robin color, he looked upset."

While Jade's grateful nod was nothing but concern for a kid who was hurting, Val charged for the door with an angry squawk, forcing me to go running after her in confusion. "Shit! Oh you little bastard, no you don't!"

"Errr.... what? What's wrong Val?"

She scowled back at me and Jade breathlessly following her up the nearest stairs, her tone an angry mutter trying to catch the naive ponies up. "He already squealed once dammit! Think he won't do it again boss?! Little fucker is probably already long gone ta go find the nearest damn Gunner patrol and..."

Val paused when she kicked the rusty roof access door open, clearly surprised to find Bruno hadn't in fact fled as she had been so sure of. My relief to find she was wrong was short lived however, the young griffon was perched at the edge of the rooftop and spun to the sudden commotion, the shotgun in his claws swinging up under his beak sharply as he wiped the tears from his eyes in a rush.

"Fuck off! J-Just go away, don't want none of yer pony nonsense. Stay back and lemme... Just wanted ta watch the sun set first is all." Bruno somehow managed to snivel like a miserable brat while keeping up his tough pretense, glaring at us angrily.

Just seeing how tightly his claw was trembling on the trigger made Jade and I freeze together, the caring healer at my side gasping and speaking in tightly controlled panic. "Please do not do anything rash... I do not know what has made you feel this way, but you appear to be considering a permanent solution to a temporary problem dear... C-Could we not simply talk if we promise to come no closer?"

"Kid... put that down. Please... Umm... I o-order you to, so..."

"Shaddap!! Don't care what Ma said, I ain't workin' fer no griffon groper pony! I... I already sunk low enough, a-at least goin' out on my own terms, make up fer..." The angry screech he answered with made me shut my mouth with a click, so much for trying to take advantage of what little I understood of griffon culture. After the way the others acted, I really hoped that would work...

Completely ignoring the fear I could feel shivering through Jade's wing to my back mingling with my own, Val simply kept stomping forward as if the threat were of no concern. "Go ahead then brat, blow yer brains out. Will just make ya even more of a traitor than me, have me a good laugh over it actually."

"VALKYRIE!!!" Jade screamed at her callous dismissal, barely kept back by both the fear of backing the shaking griffon even more into the corner he had worked himself into, and by my shaking foreleg held up for patience.

I didn't want to see this any more than she did, holding to the trust we both had in Val and each other with a whispered prayer to the goddesses. We didn't understand, but Val did. Better than the kind alicorn or I would ever know. Bruno twitched when she had made to move forward and stop Val, but stilled and shouted at Val's unhurried approach without pulling the trigger. That was something...

"Ain't nothin' like you bitch! I ain't no t-t-tra..." He raged at her, but his denials faltered as fresh tears welled up in the attempt.

Val actually gave a yawn at pushing the kid already teetering on the edge even further, rolling her eyes as she kept prowling forward. "Oh sure, yer worse actually. See, I turned traitor after the Gunners killed my pal, you sellin' em out is what got em killed an' hurt back in the roost ta begin with, ain't it?"

"I... I ain't..."

I could hear a rising whine coming from Jade, looking up to her biting her lip and prancing in place anxiously. The feel of her trembling against my raised foreleg made me afraid how long I could actually hold her back, trying to catch her eyes and communicate silently.

"Not only that, yer disobeyin' orders now too. Like it or not, the boss does hold yer contract brat. So not just a traitor ta Magpie, but ta yer new employer even, so twice over no less. Hell, a coward too fer that matter! Too much of a chicken ta look yer buddies in the eye an' admit ya fucked up, huh? Lookit ya, shakin' like a leaf! Go on, do it dammit! Pull the fuckin' trigger brat! Traitors don't get no honorable way out like that though, if'n that was what ya were thinkin'!" Val now loomed over him, in range to stop him if she wanted, but just egging him on instead.

Ok, now I was getting as worried as Jade, calling to her softly. "Val..."

"Shaddup boss! You don't think I thought about it, if this twerp really wants ta, he's gonna do it anyway. Fuck it, save us all the time! Ain't gonna do nothin' ta make up fer how ya fucked up, take the easy way out if ya want. Hell, I'll do it for ya!" In a flash, Val had drawn her pistol and had it trained right between his wavering blue eyes, making Jade surge forward with me. She had Auntie Broom's gun in her claws, I couldn't let her... Especially not with that gun...

"VALKYRIE YOU MAY NOT!" I flinched at Jade's goddess voice booming across the rooftop, running forward with her, but brought up short by Val scowling at both of us in warning.

"You don't get ta tell me not ta do nothin' Blue. No offense, but keep quiet." Val's voice was harsh, but her violet eyes were apologetic, her tone softening only slightly when she turned back and snatched the shotgun drooping in Bruno's grip. "You fucked up kid, ain't gonna sugar coat it like these sappy ponies wanna, that's a hard fact you better get used'ta. Ain't easy ta come back from neither, helluva lot harder than just checkin' out that's fer sure. Ma never raised no pussies back in my day though, so quit yer blubberin' and buckle down. Salvage what little, itty bitty bit is left of yer honor and fill yer contract. After that, do whatever ya want for all I care. I'll tell ya this much, yer a helluva lot better off than I was already. You gots a good boss and yer friends ain't dead, might even still give a damn about ya from the way they're tryin' ta hide back there..."

A sharp pair of gasps drew all of our attention to the door falling open behind us, along with an indignant squawk and a lot of shuffling as three young ladies who shoudn't be here peeked up from where they had tumbled through it. Heidi and Glitter winced in the headlock the taller Lila had thrown around both of them, groaning and shoving them ahead of her to our curious looks. "I told you two ta go back! Now look what ya did..."

The younger pair shuffled and grinned nervously, skipping to the roof with Lila reluctantly bringing up the rear. Glitter paused and launched herself between Jade and I, speaking in a nervous giggle at us shuddering in sync at the way she and her new friend had broken the tension. "Sorry... We wanted ta see, Lila's still mad, but she let us... I think she's not so mad really daddy..."

Goggling at her conspiratorial whisper to us, Jade thumped her rear to the rooftop with a shiver, all of us watching the griffons congregating at the edge of the roof. Val had already holstered her pistol, shoving Lila after her younger sister already smiling up to Bruno sniffling and trying to hide his embarrassment. "It's ok Bruno... I'm fine, see? We told ya the Gunners was meanies, so I'm glad you're not gonna be one... Umm... you aren't right? Or do anything else dumb?"

With the fledgling tugging his tail, Bruno's shoulders slumped and he shook his head weakly. "No squirt... Not with you guys watchin' anyway I guess... I'm er... I really am... s-s-sor...."

Before he could manage to sputter out the rare marvel of a griffon apology, Lila ruffled her sister's feathers and started punching him, fast and hard and everywhere his frantic flinching didn't cover. "Stuff yer sorry asshole! Gonna hafta work a lot harder than just that! M-Meanin' you don't get ta go nowhere! Matter o' fact I think workin' fer some 'griffon groper' is a good punishment fer you, so yer fillin' that contract! Even if I hafta beat it outta ya! S-So... so there! You can get started by bowin' down ta each an' everybody else down there too! See how you like that! C'mon Heidi, back ta bed, let you and tha mini-boss get me in enough trouble already! S-Sorry boss, Princess boss lady..."

With the crisis averted, us grownups watched all four kids scramble over each other down the stairs, letting out a shaky sigh of relief. Even Val looked worn out, padding over with a sheepish smirk to Jade looking very confused. "Er... sorry Blue. Ya don't know enough about griffons, so had ta kinda take the lead there... Wasn't gonna let 'im, I know how he felt so... f-figured I'd pay forward what Nick did fer me. Ought'a be all good, g-guessin' you'll be wantin' ta get yer explanation now, huh?"

"Yes I most certainly do! Immediately! You frightened me very much Valkyrie! I should have trusted you further, but you were quite convincing! I suppose I must accept there are some things about your culture I am simply... ignorant of. I look forward to learning however, right now..." Jade huffed, but hugged the resistant griffon firmly, shoving us both along to follow the others back downstairs and get to explaining.

I made it as far as the door when her musing voice behind us made us both flinch, continuing her thought in a silky voice. "The term... 'griffon groper' for example. I am most curious about that in particular..."

"Eeep!"

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

Spellcasting Savant--------
---You're not stupid when it comes to learning magic, just different... Whether just from lots of late life studying or maybe working with your darker nature instead of fighting it, you've improved a lot when it comes to the arcane arts. You now gain access to a wider selection of spells, though you still have no horn for healing. Pretty good for never having any talent for magic beyond repairs, maybe your foalhood aptitude test wasn't that wrong after all! As an added bonus, you have a random chance of gaining 2x experience points for successfully casting any spell.

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

Magpie Roost: Soft Hearted Devil
---After causing so much chaos, you might not be welcome here anytime soon, despite being on good terms with the ruler of the roost. It's not all bad though, you definitely made an impression on a populace that values violence. Plus you helped as much as you could and saved lives, even if it means being labeled an easy mark.

University Point: Neutral
---A new town awaits just down the road, hopefully you'll fit in better in what's supposed to be a town full of fellow nerds!