As the Vertibuck landed on Nomad City a million thoughts were going through my brain at once. Was it really Apple Bloom? Was it possible that against all the odds, she had somehow survived?

I remembered that LittlePip had found a skeleton in the Stable-Tec building in Fillydelphia that was believed to be Apple Bloom's. Then again, Calamity had apparently found a skeleton of a Pegasus mare in Rainbow Dash's shack which everypony believed was me, so skeletons weren't exactly the best evidence to prove either way.

Ever since I had first heard about that, I have to admit that I've wondered who that Pegasus was that had died in Rainbow Dash's shack. It wasn't me and it certainly wasn't Rainbow, so they were just a nameless Pegasus that had died alone.

Maybe she was a Dashite too, another pony caught up in the machine of the Enclave that wanted to get out. I didn't know who they were, but I could respect that kind of thing.

I just wish we knew who it was so they could be remembered properly.

"Scootaloo!" I heard a familiar voice shout as Serenity weaved her way between ponies and hugged me right.

"When we heard you went quiet after entering Stable 117 Serenity got worried," Vanilla said with a smile as she walked up behind Serenity. "Is everything okay? What happened in there?"

"The Enclave attacked the Stable and they briefly held me and Star," I said and nodded to the Cyberpony Pegasus who got off the Vertibuck behind me and hugged Jade and Pure Heart. "Thankfully Vex was there to help us."

"I'm glad to help," The Changeling said with a smile as he gave Serenity a nod. "It was good to fight alongside you again Scootaloo... kind of... I mean it was good to fight alongside you but..."

I just laughed a little at the Changeling. "Don't worry about it Vex, I know what you meant, it was good to fight alongside you too."

"Thank you," Vex said with a nod before walking off.

"So, what's this about there being a pony that looks like Apple Bloom?" I asked as I turned to look at Jade.

"A few days ago she showed up in Ponyville along with a Pegasus mare in her 20s," Jade said. "The Hellhounds said that she had been coming in and out of the town for years, but it wasn't considered important until now."

"Until there could be a possible connection to the Enclave..." I said with a sigh as I realized what that meant. "I don't think Apple Bloom would willingly work for the Enclave, but we have to follow all possible leads."

"Yeah, Scootaloo, if you want you can stay out of this one," Star said as she placed her hoof on my shoulder. "I know this isn't going to be easy on you, regardless of who this pony is, we can handle it if you want us to."

I paused for a long moment as I looked between her and then down at Serenity. It struck me how much the filly actually looked like Apple Bloom, she was a darker shade of yellow and her mane had two tones of red but she looked a lot like Apple Bloom did. It was kind of strange really, but hey, its been over 200 years, there's no reason why she couldn't have inherited those traits from somepony.

Maybe it was nothing, it could just be a coincidence and we were just chasing ghosts. But if it was her, then this might be the best chance I had for some kind of closure. If I didn't at least see her, then it would eat away at me for the rest of my life.

"I'll go," I finally said with a nod. "I, just have to know what's going on there one way or another."

"Okay, we'll get it worked out," Star said with a nod.

"Can I go too?" Serenity asked as she looked up at me in that cute pleading way fillies did that sometimes I wish I could still do.

"Lets wait until we see what's going on first," Vanilla said.

"Awwwww..." Serenity said.

"Serenity, we don't want the Enclave to know about you just yet, we don't know what they'd do to you and we don't want you to be hurt," I said reassuringly as I hugged the filly. "I promise, if everything turns out to be okay you can come join us."

Vanilla shot me a look but she didn't have a chance to protest as Serenity cheered. I smiled a little, it was kind of funny but even though she had been through everything she had been through, Serenity really was still just a filly.

"Are you sure this will be okay?" Vanilla whispered to me.

"It'll be fine, I'm sure everything will be okay," I said with a nod.

"I hope so, I really hope so."

That night we were back in the hotel in the temporary housing district, Serenity was staying with Star and her family again so it was just us tonight. It felt like we just came back here over and over again, but it was nice to have some place to come back to.

"So, we're going to Sweet Apple Acres?" Arc asked as we got settled in for the night that evening.

"Yeah, I don't know a lot about what's going on in that area these days, but that's my old stomping grounds," I said with a smile as I thought back to the days before the war. "Me and my friends had a treehouse in the fields that we used as our headquarters."

"Do you think that might be where Apple Bloom is?" Cherry asked, she seemed a bit uneasy about it, I didn't really blame her since Apple Bloom was her ancestor.

"Its certainly possible," I said with a shrug. "It always had that special significance to us, and up until Rainbow adopted me it was really the closest thing I had to a real home."

"Well, I'm sure we'll find out what's going on," Vanilla said. "What about you Scootaloo? How do you feel about this, I mean, she was one of your friends..."

"Honestly? I feel a bit torn about it," I said with a sigh as I brushed my mane back. "I mean I'm excited at the prospect of one of them still being alive, but on the other hoof... I'm nervous about what's going on there. I really doubt that she was the one that gave the Enclave access to the all clear signal, but we do have to cover all bases."

"So, the question then is, if it wasn't Cherry, Velvet Remedy, Serenity, or Apple Bloom that did it, who was it?" Arc asked as she looked between the three of us.

I honestly didn't know either, unless of course there was something else we hadn't considered. Was it possible there was still a member of the Apple family we hadn't accounted for? Maybe there was, I mean the Apples were a huge family.

Then there was my family of course, there were a few branches of the family tree that seemed to end in the Enclave records. It looked like they may have gone Dashite but it was hard to tell based on the records alone. There was of course still the matter of that odd encrypted file.

The only ponies we could rule out were any related to Sweetie Belle. The inhabitants of Stable 2 could be accounted for and neither she or Rarity had any foals prior to that.

So I honestly had no idea.

"We'll figure it out I guess," I finally said. "Or maybe the Enclave figured out a way around... no wait, can't be that or they'd get access to the Hub."

Somepony out there had access to it, and I wasn't sure I wanted to know who they were and what connection they had to the Enclave.

"However the Enclave got access to the signal, we have to make sure we can stop them," Cherry said. "What do you think their next target will be?"

"I honestly don't know, if they're looking for Stables there's still quite a few to choose from," I said. "If they're looking for something specific, well that's another matter entirely, we'll have to wait and see what happens."

"What about Stable 66?" Vanilla asked, which made Arc flinch a little. "Would they have any reason to go there?"

"Not that I can think of, same with 81," I said as I looked at Vanilla for a long moment. "Of the ones we know they went after, only 48 was still active. What I'd like to do is see if I can get access to the Stable-Tec HQ in Fillydelphia, there might be some answers there."

"Which is easier said than done if the Enclave holds it," Arc said with a sigh. "Do you have any alternatives?"
"Well, there's always the regional HQ in Manehattan again," I said with a shrug. "But the main headquarters would be our best bet."

We talked for awhile longer, speculating about what we'd find in Sweet Apple Acres, the truth behind Winter Breeze, whatever it was we could think of. We didn't have any concrete answers, mostly because we didn't know what was going on.

It wouldn't be until the next afternoon that we'd arrive at Ponyville, so as it approached 2300 hours we finally called it a night. I yawned a little as I laid back in bed next to Cherry.

"I hope we find something tomorrow that'll help..." Cherry said tiredly as she snuggled up to me.

"Me too Cherry, me too," I said as I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

"This is DJ Pon3 coming at you with another news report. It seems that the Enclave has once again been driven back, this time from the city of Horseton that they had laid siege to for the last few days. It seems that once again our good friend the Wanderer had a hoof in this as she was last reported leaving the old Horseton Knights Hoofball Stadium. Glad to see it didn't fall to the Enclave, as my assistant will tell you, there's a lot of bad memories in that city. Now lets get back to the music."

"I hurt myself today,
To see if I still feel.
I focus on the pain,
The only thing, that's real."

Ponyville.

Growing up I had moved around Equestria a lot whenever I had to be placed in a new foster home or orphanage. Ponyville was the first place that felt like home to me, I was able to make friends and find a family that loved and cared for me.
It was different from what I remembered of course, it was in a state of disrepair but the hulking mutant creatures called Hellhounds had been repairing it for years. I smiled a little and waved to Fluttershy as we approached.

"Hey Scootaloo," Fluttershy said as she gently hugged me. "Welcome to Ponyville all of you."

"Thank you Fluttershy," Star said with a smile as she shook hooves with the old Pegasus mare.

"Umm, hi," Cherry said, she was a little surprised to be meeting her but she smiled and introduced herself, same with Arc Light and Serenity who had come down to see Ponyville.

"So, umm, you're here about Apple Bloom right?" Fluttershy asked and I nodded. "Well, I mean, we don't know exactly where she is..."

"Savage Rend will help ponies find friend," a tall and scarred Hellhound said as he looked at all of us in turn. "Can track Apple Pony's scent."

"That would be great," I said with a nod. "Thank you for your help Savage Rend."

"Orange feathered pony welcome," Savage Rend said.

"Fluttershy, I hate to ask this of you, but can you watch Serenity for us?" Vanilla asked as she looked down at the little filly. "Just until we know what's going on."

"Sure, I'd love to," Fluttershy said as she smiled down at Serenity. "I'm sure she'll be on her best behavior, right?"

"Oh, yes I will be," Serenity said as she smiled innocently.

I had no idea who I felt more sorry for, Fluttershy for what was likely to happen next or Serenity for when she got the stare.

I swear that stare terrified me sometimes.

We waved good-bye as we headed towards Sweet Apple Acres, I adjusted my hat a little to try and keep my features covered. Even if the Enclave had broadcast the fact that I was still alive across Equestria I wasn't exactly ready to tell Apple Bloom, or whoever it was, it was me.

I was nervous all of a sudden, I didn't know what I was walking into, it could be a trap for all we knew. I looked at the two energy weapons I had fit into my battle saddle (I had sold the rest of the armor on Nomad City, I think Reticle bought it) and took a deep breath as we passed by what was left of the barn and went into the fields.

When we finally stopped I couldn't believe what I saw, it looked like the old Crusader clubhouse but it had been repaired and even expanded on. There were a few places around the field that looked like a foundation had started to be laid for more buildings but they hadn't ever been finished.

"Okay, that's not what I expected to find here..." Star commented as we looked around, there was signs of habitation but nothing too recent, some hoofprints looked like they were heading to the barn.

We started towards the treehouse when a gunshot rang out over our heads.

"Blasted Raiders, yer not going ta get mah land!" An old mare's voice said and we looked up to see an aging Earth Pony mare with a faded yellow coat and red mane that was standing in front of the door to the treehouse. "Ah'll fight ya'll ta tha last pony!"

"We're not Raiders, we're just here to talk!" Jade called out. "We're looking for Apple Bloom."

"Well, ya'll have found her, now git!" The mare, Apple Bloom I guess said.

"We're just here to check on things with you, if you want us to leave we..." I started to say when the door opened behind Apple Bloom and another pony stepped out and I let out a gasp of surprise.

She was a Pegasus dressed in a simple Wastelander outfit, but that's not what surprised me. She was a light shade of orange with a long mane with a light shade of purple mixed with a darker one. She looked at us with a pair of soft purple eyes as she put her foreleg around Apple Bloom.

She looked like a grown up version of the foal from my dream.

"I apologize for my aunt's behavior, we don't normally get guests that aren't trying to kill us," the mare said with a smile. "If you want to come inside that's fine."

"Sparky?" I finally managed to say, which made the mare look at me strangely.

"Yeah... how'd you know my name?" She asked, and I removed my hat, which made both her and Apple Bloom gasp in shock. "Mom? But... you're supposed to be dead..."

I don't know why, but her saying it seemed to hit me hardest.

The inside of the treehouse had been expanded on in the years since I had last been here. It looked like Apple Bloom and Sparky had added another couple of rooms, while they were small it at least looked livable.

"Okay, so I'm confused, exactly how are you here?" Sparky asked as she looked at me questioningly. "My moms died in Fillydelphia while I was a filly, you can't be her, are you a Changeling or something?"

"Wait, your moms?" Arc asked as she looked between Sparky and me. "Okay, I'm confused, what's going on here?"

"Ah can explain that," Apple Bloom said as she looked at me sadly. "Some years ago, a secret facility near Fillydelphia had developed clones of mahself, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle."

Oh great, more clones, why was it always clones? Well that answered the question as to how Apple Bloom was still here at least, she was a clone, not the original.

"We don't exactly know why they created us, but we were mostly left ta fend fer ourselves," Apple Bloom continued. "Ah was created first and later when Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were born Ah was tasked with taking care of them. They used some sort of, flash memory system or somethin' ta give us tha memories of tha real thing as best they could."

"Which included me and Sweetie's relationship..." I said as I looked at Sparky.

"Well, not in its entirety but at least tha feelings ya'll had fer each other," Apple Bloom said. "When ya'll were old enough, yah started ta develop those feelings. Ah don't quite know if it was because of tha memories or if it was just because ya'll genuinely felt that way, but yah fell in love and after findin' some information on tha feed from Stable 27..."

Wait, the feed from Stable 27? Did that mean whoever created them was able to hack into the Stable network? The facility had to be the secondary monitoring station we set up outside of Fillydelphia then.

"Sparky was born a few months later, and fer a time everythin' was happy, then he came..."

"He?" Cherry asked, she looked a little confused, but I knew who she meant from reading about Littlepip.

"Red Eye and his army," I said and Apple Bloom nodded. "They used Fillydelphia as a main base."

"They attacked the facility and destroyed the robots in it," Sparky said with a shake of her head. "Momma Sweetie got killed in the fight. And you... they sent you to the arena where you died in combat trying to free us."

"Yeah..." Apple Bloom said sadly. "Sparky was taken ta one of Red Eye's schools while Ah had ta work in Fillydelphia as a slave. Ah thought all hope was lost until tha Lightbringer came. We managed ta get out of that hellhole after Red Eye was defeated and headed ta Stable 2 in hopes of findin' somethin' there."

"But of course it was empty," I said. "So you set up shop here and in Stable 2 in order to make a living for yourself.

"Yeah, that's about it," Sparky said with a nod. "So what about you, what's your story, another clone maybe? Or are you mom from another universe?"

"No to both," I said with a sigh as I played with my hat a little. "I know this sounds crazy, but I'm the original Scootaloo. I was rescued by Rainbow Dash who placed me in magical stasis that healed me over the years until I woke up just last year."

"I see..." Sparky said, I could see the pain and sadness in her eyes, she still missed her parents a lot, I didn't blame her. "Why are you here?"

"We're here investigating your aunt actually," Star said as she nodded to Apple Bloom. "Have you heard the radio broadcast from Winter Breeze?"

"Some of it, Ah have ta say Ah didn't quite believe everythin' she said," Apple Bloom said with a shrug. "Especially tha bit about yah still bein' alive Scootaloo, sounded like a bunch of horseapples ta me, guess Ah was wrong about that."
"Yeah... a lot of ponies were surprised about that one," Arc said.

"Hey, at least you didn't punch me in the face," I said with a chuckle.

"You're never going to let me live that one down are you?" Arc said with a groan.

"Wait, you punched her in the face?" Sparky asked as she looked at Arc. "Why?"

"Well, see we had just met and I was still angry about what happened to my home..." Arc said sheepishly. "I spent a few days in jail for it though."

"We both did really," I reminded her.

Apple Bloom and Sparky just laughed a little at that, it was actually kind of nice to see that things weren't too bad around here.

"So, how'd you know my name?" Sparky asked as we were setting up a small camp outside, there weren't any completed buildings so we had to use tents we had brought with us.

"You wouldn't believe me," I said as I tightened the line on one of the tents.

"Try me."

"I have dreams sometimes, of an Equestria that didn't have the apocalypse," I said as I looked over at the younger Pegasus. "I'm married to Sweetie Belle and we have a family together, last time... I saw you as a baby. I don't really know how to explain it, its just something I have sometimes."

"That does sound pretty unbelievable," Sparky said as she looked at me. "Do you have a happy life in that Equestria?"

"I think so, I apparently am still seeing a therapist, but other than that it seems happy," I said with a shrug. "I don't know what they are really, maybe they're dreams, maybe they're something else entirely... its hard to tell."

"Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if my parents hadn't died..." Sparky admitted as she looked down at her hooves. "I miss them, Apple Bloom does too, she's family to me but..."

"Its not quite the same as having your parents?" I asked and she nodded. "I know what you mean, I lost my parents at an early age too and I was adopted by a pony close to me. Apple Bloom is a good pony though, you couldn't have a better guardian than her."

"You think so?"

"I know so, if I had a daughter... well if I had a daughter before the apocalypse... I would trust her with Apple Bloom, I'm glad your parents felt the same way."

Sparky smiled a little and hugged me, I smiled and hugged her back. Even if she wasn't my daughter in the traditional sense, I couldn't help but feel a bond with the young mare. I wished that I could've met her before, maybe even saved her parents, but I was here now and that was what mattered.

"So what's with these buildings?" I asked as I gestured towards the incomplete buildings around the field.

"That? That's Apple Bloom's dream," Sparky said with a smile. "She wants to build a town here, a place where ponies displaced by war and the horrors of the wasteland can come and find a place to be safe."

"A town for refugees and orphans," I said with an understanding nod. "Its a good idea."

"Yeah, it is, but its always just been the two of us so we haven't really ever been able to finish it," Sparky said with a sigh.

I thought for a long moment, maybe there would be some way I could help them get it working. We'd need building materials and ponies willing to help, it was a dream to be sure, but it was one that could come true.

I looked at Sparky and then back at the treehouse where Apple Bloom was watching and smiled. "I promise, someday we'll make this field into a thriving settlement, I'll make sure of it," I said, which surprised Sparky a little.

"You'd really do that?"

"This place was my home once, a long time ago," I said as I nodded to the field around us. "Until Rainbow Dash adopted me, this was my home, I had my friends, I had everything we worked for... that was all here. I'd like to give ponies who need it a place to live, but right now with the Enclave... its not that easy."

"I understand," Sparky said with a nod and a sigh. "But someday right?"

"Someday," I said with a nod. "There are a lot of ponies out there who would probably be happy to help. I'll bet I could even get some Hellhounds from Ponyville."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Sparky said as she hugged me again, she was starting to cry. "You have no idea how much this means to us!"

I smiled and hugged her back again. "I think I have a little bit of an idea, and don't worry, this place will be everything Apple Bloom dreamed of and more."

"I can't wait," Sparky said.

I smiled a little and looked around at the field surrounding the old treehouse. I wasn't seeing the field though, I was imagining what it would look like with houses and other buildings, with ponies walking around and living their lives here. This place was to become a sanctuary for those who needed it most, I knew I needed to be a part of it more than anything.

Maybe this was my place in Equestria, back where it all began. If it wasn't for this place, I never would have made friends, never would've met Rainbow Dash, never would have gotten the best family I've ever had.

Sure it wasn't all good, like what had happened with the Stables, but looking back this was the best place I could think of to build a future. I smiled and waved to Apple Bloom who waved back.

"Me neither Sparky, me neither."

The next day Fluttershy and Serenity arrived at the field, me and Apple Bloom had stayed up talking about what we might do with this new settlement so I wound up sleeping a little later than usual.

When I left my tent I found Serenity talking with Sparky who was looking at the little filly a little perplexed.

"So, you're the descendant of Scootaloo from her marriage after the apocalypse?" She asked.

"Yeah, that's right."

"And I'm the daughter of her clone with Sweetie Belle's clone."

"That's what you told me."

"What does that make us?"

"Complicated," I said with a chuckle as I trotted over to the two. "Hey Serenity, glad to see you made it here okay."

"Hey Scootaloo," Serenity said with a smile as she hugged me. "I was just meeting Sparky here, she's really nice."

"Yeah, she is," I said with a nod. "And trust me, I stopped trying to figure out how my family works after I got genetically enhanced with Rainbow Dash's DNA. They tried to explain that one to me, but I have no idea."

"So, how did your talk with Aunt Apple Bloom go last night?" Sparky asked.

"Good, I think we've got a basic idea for what the town will look like when we're ready to get started," I said with a smile. "We have plenty of space for expansion as well since most of Sweet Apple Acres is still untouched."

"And there's always Stable 2," Sparky pointed out. "We could use that as a shelter if we need to in the event of an attack or something."

I frowned a little at that, it wasn't that I was against the idea, it actually made a lot of sense, but I was a little worried about what was inside. Not that there was anything that could really threaten us, I'm sure they had seen to that, but there was something a lot worse, memories.

Sweetie Belle had lived the rest of her life in that Stable, she had died in there. I still had to wonder if maybe I should've risked entering the Stable, or even if I had just gone to Ponyville General I could have maybe been in there too.

I didn't regret my actions above the clouds, but I did sometimes wish I had been with Sweetie Belle instead. I sighed a little and sat down, I was going to have to live with this, but I didn't know how easy it was going to be.

"Yeah, we could, I just..." I started to say and trailed off a little, I didn't know how I could explain it to either of them so I just sat there in silence.

Sparky and Serenity exchanged a glance and talked quietly, I couldn't hear what they had to say, but I didn't really care that much. Nothing anypony could say would bring Sweetie Belle back or change what had happened to me.

"Scootaloo, I want to show you something," Sparky finally said as she looked at me. "Come on, it won't take long, I think it'll help you."

"What is it?"

"Its a surprise!" Serenity said with a smile.

"Okay, I'll follow you then," I said with a shrug as I followed the two younger Pegasi out of the camp and back towards Ponyville.

I blinked a little when I realized we were at what was left of the barn. "Why are we here?"

"You'll see," Sparky said as she opened the door to the apple cellar underneath the barn and we walked down the stairs.

I frowned a little when I saw the door to Stable 2, mind you there wasn't exactly anywhere else we could be going but still. I wasn't sure about walking into Stable 2 right now.

"You know, I think Apple Bloom wanted to talk to me some more, I should go back..." I said as I started to turn around.

"Come on Scootaloo, I promise you need to see this," Sparky said as she looked back at me. "Its nothing bad, and it might help you."

I paused a moment before nodding and walking forward towards Stable 2. Serenity walked next to me and looked up at me with a reassuring smile. I took a deep breath and stepped through the door.

It was quiet inside the Stable, there was only the faint hum that I had come to expect of any Stable at this point. We made our way through the Stable past empty rooms, it was hard to believe that this had been a vibrant and active Stable just 11 years ago.

"This feels weird, like we're walking in a graveyard," I commented with a sigh. "Where are we going?"

"The Overmare's office," Sparky said as we reached the office. "It seems that Sweetie Belle left behind some files on her terminal that you should find interesting."

I frowned a little as I sat in the Overmare's chair and stared at the terminal for a long moment. I had no idea what I wanted to do to be honest, Sparky said that it would help me, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to see what it was.

"Scootaloo, it'll be okay," Serenity said as she placed a hoof on mine gently. "I promise, Sparky told me what it is, you should listen to them."

"Okay..." I said and nuzzled the filly gently before I turned my attention back to the terminal and opened the files.

OVERMARE LOGS
ORDERS FROM STABLE-TEC
OPEN ESCAPE TUNNEL

I clicked on the Overmare logs and scrolled up through them until I reached some that two words next to them, "For Scootaloo." I clicked it and when it asked for a password I thought for a moment, it would only be something the two of us knew.

There was really only one thing that came to mind.

"Hey uh, Serenity, would you mind not looking at the screen for a moment?"

"What's wrong?" Serenity asked.

"Nothing, just, something kinda personal," I said with a blush as she turned away and I typed in the pet name Sweetie had for me while we were together, which I'm not going to repeat for you either.

There was a brief moment before it registered as correct and then it seemed like nothing happened. Until finally an image of a Unicorn mare with a curled mane appeared on the screen with a green tint.

"Hey Scootaloo, if you're watching this it means that you've somehow made it to Stable 2 and I'm dead," Sweetie Belle said on the recording.

This was a message for me personally, from Sweetie Belle, from beyond the grave.

"I don't know how long its been since the Stable door closed, I can only assume that means the surface is clear of radiation and the door has been opened," she continued. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there to see you, I don't even know if you'll ever see this message to be honest, but I wanted to leave it for you just in case."

I started to cry a little as Sweetie looked at me from the screen, it was clear she was crying too.

"Pinkie asked me to leave this, I know crazy right? She said that someday you'd need it, but that's not important," Sweetie continued, that was Pinkie alright, still confusing me from beyond the grave. "Scootaloo, I don't know what kind of world you've found out there, what kind of ponies you've met and what's been happening. I don't even know what I can say at this point, other than that I love you, more than anything in Equestria, I love you."

I couldn't hold it in anymore, I broke down crying as I placed my hoof on the screen. What Sweetie had to say was the only thing I focused on, it was my whole world right now.

"I love you too Sweetie..." I said quietly.

"I know you still love me, you've got so much of Rainbow Dash in you that you're still loyal to me beyond the grave, its one of the things that attracted me to you in the first place," she said with a sad smile. "But Scootaloo, as much as I love you I want you to be happy. Keep me and the others in your heart, but you should never let us keep you from living your life, and maybe even finding love again. I don't blame you if you do, as much as I miss you, I want you to be happy."

I blinked a little at that, okay that seemed a bit odd for her to say, but maybe she was right. I sighed a little, that didn't exactly help me figure out what I was going to do either, but at least it was something.

"You were always the best out of us Scootaloo, you wanted to do right by Equestria instead of just letting it fall into chaos. I hope that wherever you are, whatever you are doing, you'll always remember that your friends are with you in spirit. And we'll always care about you, I just hope that you'll never give up on yourself. Keep fighting the good fight out there, and help the new world you live in in whatever way you can, I'm rooting for you. Bye Scootaloo, maybe we'll see each other again one day when all is said and done, I certainly hope so. I love you so much."

"Me too Sweetie... me too..." I said with a sad smile as the file finally ended. I leaned back in the chair and thought about what I had just heard.

Strangely I kept going back to the line about Pinkie, did that mean Pinkie knew something nopony else did? That wasn't exactly unusual for Pinkie to be honest, maybe she saw something nopony else did and told Sweetie to leave the message for me.

Then why didn't she stop it from happening? Why not get word to me to be in Ponyville or something? That just raised more questions in my mind, and I wasn't sure I liked the answers.

That's Pinkie for you, messing with ponies from beyond the grave.

"Mom, are you okay?" Sparky asked as she and Serenity looked at me worriedly, I realized I hadn't said anything in awhile.

"I'm fine, sorry," I said with a sigh as I got up out of the chair. "Its just... I'm still kind of processing this whole thing. Do you ever wonder what your life would be like if you made a different choice?"

"All the time," Serenity said and Sparky nodded in agreement. "I didn't have to go with the Crusaders to fight the Changelings you know, I could've stayed home and lived in fear like everypony else."

"Or I could've decided not to escape Fillydelphia with Aunt Apple Bloom," Sparky added. "We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us."

"Why does that feel like a quote from something?" I asked and Sparky just shrugged. "I see what you mean though, I made my choices a long time ago... regardless of whether or not they were the right ones I have to live with them. I just hope that everything will be okay regardless."

Sparky nodded as we headed out of the Overmare's Office. I was a bit curious so I took a look around the Stable, there was some equipment that the inhabitants had left behind here and there, though of course the orchard was long gone.

Stable 2 could work as part of the settlement, at least for a shelter, yes I know the irony of that statement. We had built the Stables to protect ponies from the apocalypse, maybe it was time to use them for their purpose.

Still, it was hard to believe that it had been a thriving Stable 11 years before. I thought about what I had read, about the Steel Ranger attack on the Stable, about why everything had happened like it did.

But this place could be a home once more.

Later that night after we returned to the treehouse we were all gathered around a fire where Arc Light was cooking us soup for dinner using vegetables and some meat. I was checking my PipBuck, I had been listening to the radio when suddenly it had cut off for seemingly no reason so I was checking the stations on it.

"That's weird."

"What is?" Serenity asked as she looked at the small device curiously.

"I'm not getting NCR Radio, what about the rest of you?" I asked as I looked at the other ponies wearing PipBucks.

"Me neither," Cherry commented as she checked her PipBuck, the same answer came from Arc and Vanilla.

"Well, its probably nothin'," Apple Bloom said with a shrug as we laid out a piece of paper on the ground between us. "So ya'll have seen Stable 2 now huh? Did yah check out tha recordin' Sweetie left fer yah?"

"Yeah, thank Sparky for pointing me in that direction," I said with a smile as I gave Sparky a nod. "I'm still kind of taking all of this in really, do you know who created you and why?"

"Honestly, Ah don't know why," Apple Bloom said with a sigh. "Its kind of a mystery ta be honest."

"We encountered clones of the Ministry Mares in Stable 122," Cherry pointed out. "They were made to be used to enhance ponies with their DNA, but it doesn't sound like you were made for the same reason."

I did have to wonder about that, was it possible the same group was behind both groups of clones? I know it was kind of a long shot but we didn't know who had created them, something about all of this felt weird.

Though, maybe it all turned out okay, it had given me and Sweetie Belle a second chance to be together and had allowed Sparky to come into existence. For that I was grateful, even if I hadn't gotten the chance to see her grow up.
I smiled a little and looked down at the piece of paper again.

"Okay, so we're going to have to figure out just how large we're going to make this settlement to start with," I said as I circled the area around the treehouse on it.

"Which would depend on how many ponies we get initially," Apple Bloom said with a nod. "And how many resources we can get in order to start construction of course."

"Right," I said with a nod as I looked at the paper thoughtfully.

"Resources shouldn't be a problem," Jade said. "Nomad City has allies all over Equestria and access to what you'll need. I can get the council to help as well, but I can't promise the moon."

"Well, as long as we can make this work, Ah'll be happy," Apple Bloom said with a smile.

"Me too," I said with a nod as I looked out at the fields beyond the door. "We're going to make this settlement one of the best places in Equestria."

"So, then what do we call it?" Apple Bloom asked as everypony looked at me.

I thought for a long moment, I honestly wasn't great at coming up with settlement or town names. There were various options we could go with, naming it after the Apple family, naming it after Sweetie Belle... I just had no idea.

Then a name came to me, one that reflected both the past and the future of this place. A name that paid homage to me and my friends while at the same time reflecting the idea of building a place where you could make a home for yourself.

"Crusader Town."

"Ah like it," Apple Bloom said with a nod. "Anypony have any other suggestions?"

"I think its perfect myself," Sparky said with a smile as she gave me a nod.

"Crusader Town it is, and dinner's ready," Arc said with a nod as she passed out the bowls of soup to everypony.

"Thank yah Scootaloo," Apple Bloom said to me as we started eating.

"For what?"

"Fer bein' here when we needed yah, Ah had almost given up on this endeavor before ya'll came along. Yah made Sparky happy because she got ta see yah again, and Ah'm glad that yer still out there."

"You're welcome," I said with a smile. "I'm glad to be here Apple Bloom, and that you're here too. You've helped me more than anything else, and I'm glad I got the chance to meet you."

"We all are," Cherry said with a smile as she gave Apple Bloom a nod. "Its nice to take a break from having to deal with the Enclave."

"That it is," I said with a chuckle as we kept eating.

As the night went on Serenity regaled us with stories of her time fighting the Changelings while Sparky told us more about her parents. I couldn't help but smile a little, it sounded like they hadn't exactly been one to stay out of trouble.

Yeah, they were definitely clones of me and Sweetie Belle.

Finally after finishing telling the story about how they had taken on General Arachne, Serenity yawned tiredly and nearly fell asleep mid-sentence so Vanilla decided it was time for her to get to bed.

Me and Cherry headed to our tent not long afterwords and as Cherry slipped off her barding, I watched her curiously.

"Did you get a chance to talk to Apple Bloom about your family?"

"Yeah," Cherry said as she set her barding down into her bag and laid down next to me. "Sadly she didn't remember a lot about my ancestor because she had given him up for adoption, but she told me about the Apple family at least."

"Yeah, they were an interesting bunch," I said with a smile as I checked my PipBuck one more time before I'd be going to bed.

"Still worried about NCR Radio being off the air?"

"Yeah, its weird, DJ Pon3 is almost never off the air," I said with a sigh as I lowered my foreleg. "I mean from what I understand he was for a few years, but that was only a temporary retirement while Melody took over."

"I wish I could help," Cherry said with a sigh as she snuggled up to me. "Maybe its just a technical issue."

"I really hope so," I said with a sigh. "Since the alternative is much scarier..."

"What's the alternative?"

"That something has happened to DJ Pon3," I said with a shudder as I wrapped my wings around Cherry gently. "Don't worry about it, I'm sure NCR radio will be back tomorrow."

"Okay, good night Scootaloo..." Cherry said with a nod as she closed her eyes.

"Good night Cherry," I said and drifted off to sleep not long after.

The next day passed without incident for the most part, we talked with the others and got to know them a bit better. I smiled a little when Sparky actually sang for us for a little while, her voice was soft and soothing, it reminded me a lot of Sweetie Belle's.

I could see a lot of Sweetie in her really, she was smart, resourceful, and above all kind. She may have been surprised by the arrival of myself and the others, but she adapted quickly to it and had been hanging out with Serenity more, the two really hit it off.

I smiled as I watched Sparky try to figure out how to use the scooter I had brought with me from Crystal City. Mostly it just resulted in her falling over, but she was trying her best at least.

"Hey, what's that?" Arc asked sometime in the early evening as we were getting ready to make dinner.

We all turned to see a shape approaching, it took a moment to realize that it was a Pegasus pony that looked like they had been flying for days. They crashed into the ground not far from where we were standing.

"Sparky, get the medkit!" Apple Bloom said as we got up and rushed to the Pegasus, he was dressed in security barding and had several energy burns on his body.

"These are magical energy weapon wounds..." Sparky said as she examined the wounds and took out healing potions. "Who did this?"

"The... Enclave..." the Pegasus said weakly. "They attacked..."

"Where did they attack? What happened?" I said as the stallion struggled to get the words out again.

"Manehattan... Tell... the... NCR.." He managed to say before falling unconscious, a silence fell over the group, the Enclave had attacked Manehattan.

It was then that our PipBucks started to crackle with static followed by the now familiar sound of music that accompanied Enclave broadcasts.

"Hello Equestria, this is your President speaking to you from Tenpony Tower in the ruins of Manehattan," Winter Breeze's voice sounded over the radio after a minute. "The Tower and the entire city of Manehattan is now under the control of the Grand Pegasus Enclave."

Oh horseapples.

"Now I'm sure you're all wondering what has happened to DJ Pon3, the stallion who's voice has broadcast over the Wasteland for the past 211 years," Winter Breeze continued. "I can assure you that the good DJ is still alive and well in our custody, but I think its time we break the charade that they have been playing for the past two centuries."

"What does she mean?" Serenity asked, she was afraid, and so was I, I knew exactly what she meant.

"It'll be okay Serenity," Vanilla said reassuringly as she hugged the filly gently. "I promise, everything will be okay..."

I hoped she'd be able to keep that promise.

"You see my dear Equestria, the pony that is willing to, in his words, tell the truth no matter how hard it hurts has been lying to you this whole time," Winter Breeze continued, I really wished she wouldn't do this. "DJ Pon3 is a lie Equestria, he's been lying to you since he first started broadcasting. The pony you've known as DJ Pon3 for the past few years is a Zebra by the name of Xiraia, and before that it was the Unicorn Homage, ironically the element of Honesty."

Yep, she went there... though I had to wonder how she knew that Homage had been DJ Pon3 before Xiraia, and I didn't like it.

"The Enclave will not stand for such deceptions in the future Equestria. We will continue to fight for you Equestria, for the future of our world. This is President Winter Breeze, signing off."

As the radio played the music again and went silent, we all just sat there in shock unsure of what to do or say.

LEVEL UP!
Perk Received: Ante Up.
Details: You've become more skilled at games of chance and avoiding enemies. You gain an extra point in your luck stat.