Sure enough, Carrion didn’t send anything else to try to force us out of the Fort, giving us a chance to relax and catch our breath. It would seem even the mass hordes of the Crimson war machine had their limits. By the time the sun finally set, the Sentinels had all of the prisoners they’d captured secured in the brig and were busy making repairs to the Fort, including reestablishing comm lines with the Bastion so they could let the rest of their comrades know that we won. Sig had gone to oversee that, and he’d taken Gauge with him to help. Greasers are gonna grease, I guess, but for now, at least, the day was my own.

The setting blue sun, already disappearing beneath the mountain range in the west, made the western horizon an infinite expanse of blues and yellows and greens. It was the perfect thing to just sit and watch from outside the Fort’s headquarters. After our moment on the wall, duty summoned Zip once more, and she left to go meet with Commander Thunder and the other squad leaders for a debriefing. I’ll admit, after she surprised me by returning my affections, what happened afterwards was hazy, and I simply followed her around like a little puppy until she made me wait outside the headquarters. Apparently, making out with a sergeant doesn’t give you access to confidential Sentinel shit. In the meanwhile, at least, I’d gotten Glass to look at my chest, and he did his best to repair my broken rib with his magic. It seemed to have worked, because I could breathe easy without crying in pain, the soreness in my ribs reduced to a throbbing ache.

Within the Fort, though, I saw all I needed to see. Sentinels leisurely walked from place to place, chatting in small groups and taking off their helmets now that the danger was over. A small group had even started up a game of soccer in the dusty courtyard and fashioned makeshift goals with bayoneted rifles jammed into the ground. Where they found the soccer ball, I had no idea, but it was amusing to watch a bunch of mares and stallions chasing a ball around while covered in grime and little cuts, their armor discarded and forgotten along the sidelines.

What really got to me, though, were the slaves—or I guess I should say, the former slaves. Finally liberated, they sat in small clusters around the Fort, simply in awe that their torment was over. Some were smiling, sitting with their backs against the wall and digging through the Crimson’s food stores that the Sentinels had dragged out for them. Others followed some of the soldiers around, offering thanks over and over and over again, and cheering whenever a group came into sight. Still more sat in small groups, hugging each other and crying, though I knew their tears were tears of joy, because they couldn’t wash away the smiles on their muzzles. For most of these ponies, they’d only suffered through five days of the worst things a pony can do to another. But for others, today was only the end of what had been months, maybe years of imprisonment. Those ponies in particular were hardly more than skeletons, with gaunt faces and sunken eyes and ribs visible through thin coats. But I found another reason to love and believe in my neighbors, for the ponies of Blackwash were doing their best to get those slaves to eat and cheer them up now that it all was over.

The hissing of the hydraulics on the door of the HQ snapped me out of my thoughts. I stood up and stepped away from the wall as the Sentinels inside filed out. Zip and Thunder were the last two out, though mostly because of Thunder’s wounded leg; his left foreleg was wrapped up in red gauze from the fetlock to knee, and he avoided putting any weight on it, instead using Zip’s shoulder as support. Despite the ringbird mangling his foreleg pretty badly during our attempts to knock that thing out of the sky, Thunder still portrayed the look of a commander in complete control of the situation. I could only assume he was using some kind of painkillers, because that thing looked like it needed to be amputated, and a wound that bad would be unimaginably painful. Regardless, that he could even maintain his commanding and authoritative air despite his injuries was impressive, to say the least.

Thunder signaled for Zip to stop, and the commander looked at me. “Ember, was it?” he asked, and I nodded, a little wary of what he wanted with me. “Despite your recklessness putting my ponies in danger and interfering with our teleport, I’m glad to see that you’re still alive. The idea to use the radio tower against the ringbird was a good one, and if sergeant Zip is to be believed, you fought bravely. Much better than I would’ve expected from a civilian.”

I blinked, merely trying to process the compliments being given to me. By Thunder’s side, Zip winked at me. Swallowing, I put on a weak smile and did an imitation of a salute. “T-Thanks, sir.”

The stallion nodded, I guess appreciative of the effort. “I don’t know what your plans are long-term, but taking the Fort today was only the first objective in fighting back the Crimson. There’s a bloody battle looming on the horizon, and we’re going to need all the soldiers we can get. Though you’re a long ways from being a soldier, I can recommend your name to Platinum Rampart. I think, with a little discipline,” he added, frowning at the scorched end of my tail, which I quickly brushed out of sight, “we can make you a decent Sentinel.”

It took me a second to understand what he was saying. “Wait, what?” I asked, whipping my head back and forth. “You want to make me a Sentinel?” At Thunder’s nod, I swallowed hard. Me, a Sentinel? Was this really happening? Did the Sentinels really want me?

…Did I want to be a Sentinel?

Thunder seemed to read the indecision (and, more likely, panic) on my face, and shrugged. “Take your time to think about it. The offer will stand. And though we’ll be trying to draft as many of the liberated ponies as we can once we’ve secured the Fort and opened comms with the Bastion, my personal recommendation is not something I give easily.”

With a nod to Zip, the stallion limped away from her supportive shoulder and spread his wings. “I need to assess the Fort so I can have a report ready for Platinum Rampart when we reestablish communications. Get some rest however you want, but be on guard; I wouldn’t put it past Carrion to try a second attack after dark.”

Zip saluted. “Yes, sir.”

With a flap of his wings, Thunder was gone, heading off to some other corner of the Fort. All that was left in his wake was a feather and a few drops of blood staining where he stood. That left me and Zip standing alone in front of the HQ, and for some reason, that made things really awkward.

I coughed into my hoof. “Uhh…”

Zip rolled her eyes and walked past me, brushing her tail against my nose as she moved. I understood the message perfectly, and followed her across the Fort. She eventually took me up to the walls, where we found an open spot to sit and look out over the valley. It seemed that the wall was a popular spot for having private conversations. I just hoped that this time I wouldn’t be interrupted by another ringbird. We didn’t have another radio tower to drop on it.

As soon as we sat down, I remembered how I surprised Zip with my kiss on these walls upon seeing her alive, and I began to blush furiously. Unable to take the silence any longer, I rubbed my neck and cleared my throat. “Sorry about… well… you know.”

The orange pegasus raised her eyebrow, and realization dawned on her a moment later. With an amused chuckle, she patted me on the back. “Oh, that. I’ll admit, you were surprisingly forward about that.” I saw a teasing glint in her eye, and she added, “You know, for only meeting me not even a day ago.”

I glared at my hooves and tried to fight down my rising embarrassment. When that failed, I was simply happy that I had a black coat. “Well… I-I mean, you kissed me back,” I countered.

Zip just shrugged. “Hey, I was riding the same emotional high you were. That’s the first ringbird I’ve ever killed you know.” She smiled, giving me a glimpse of her teeth. “Besides, you’re kind of cute. Especially when you’re flustered.”

“I’m not flustered!” I shouted back. Too late I realized I was playing right into Zip’s hooves. Crossing my forelegs, I frowned out at the valley. “I’m not cute, either.”

I felt a warm wing wrap around my shoulders and pull me close against Zip’s side. I’m sure it looked ridiculous to see the little pegasus holding the bigger unicorn like that. “Sure you are,” Zip teased me, leaning against my shoulder. I have to admit, it felt good to just sit here with her. I hadn’t had a chance to really just be with her and see her as a pony instead of just an object of my fascination. Still, this sudden affection left me with a nervous terror in my gut that I just couldn’t shake.

“What was that?” I asked, making Zip raise an eyebrow. “What is… w-what is this?”

To my annoyance, Zip just shrugged. “Don’t know. Fun? You’re nice, Ember, and I think you look good,” she said, her compliments making me sit up a little straighter. “As for anything more… I’m going to be honest, we haven’t known each other more than a day. I don’t think I can call it any more than that.”

My ears drooped, and I wilted a bit. Still, she was right. I couldn’t even be sure that our attraction was real. I thought she was hot, and I really wanted to go down on her, and apparently she thought I was attractive too. But love? That wasn’t even there. Not this soon after meeting each other. Love at first sight is bullshit and all that.

Zip’s wing rubbed my back, the crest digging into the space between my shoulder blades. I was happy that she had taken off her armor; those laser blade things on her wings were about the last thing I needed in my back. “But, Thunder did offer you a chance to stay with the Sentinels. If you stayed on…” She let the thought and its implication drag out.

And I was tempted. If I took Thunder Dash up on his offer and actually joined the Sentinels I’d be spending a lot of time with Zip. Enough time that our lust could actually be love. And if the Sentinels were going to try to recruit from the survivors of Blackwash, chances are that there’d be a lot of ponies I knew at the Bastion with me. I could even convince Gauge and Nova to come along. Really, where else were we going to go? Blackwash was a pile of rubble on top of a mountain, and the Bastion was big enough and safe enough to take all of us in without complaint. Or, at least that’s what I hoped.

But then again, did I really want to be anchored in one place for the rest of my life? I didn’t consider myself a soldier, and I doubted I’d take well to somepony ordering me around all day every day. Plus, there was a whole world out there, and the Sentinels were only concerned with the valley. And if there were more pieces to that code floating around Auris somewhere…

In the end, I came to the same indecision I was at when Thunder tried to convince me to join. I wasn’t great at thinking far into the future; I preferred to live in the here and now. Maybe I’d have an answer once Nova was freed and we’d finally put an end to the Crimson. Maybe. But for now, call me selfish or whatever, I figured it’d be best to tag along as a ‘hired’ gun or something like that. Helping the Sentinels out without binding myself to them for who knows how long.

Of course, I didn’t want to say anything like that in case it ruined my chances of getting closer to Zip, so I just shrugged. “I don’t know, Zip. It’s really tempting, but I don’t know if I’m ready for something like that. That’s… kind of a big commitment, honestly.”

Zip just waved her wing. “Don’t worry, Ember. I understand. Maybe when this whole thing is over, right? Rampart should be looking to take down the dam soon enough.”

“Yeah, I guess. I’ll keep it in mind.” Sighing, I leaned back against one of the low crenellations, careful not to pin Zip’s wing behind my back, and watched the purple of night push away the blues and greens of the sunset. It was a really pretty view. Not as great as the ones we had in Blackwash, though. Watching the mountains slowly blanket in shadow, that magical moment when Blackwash straddled the divide between day on one side and night on the other. The stars up above, crystal clear from that high up, so close yet so, so far away.

Then again, I didn’t have a pony who wanted me as much as I wanted them watching with me in Blackwash.

Zip grunted and stretched her wounded leg out, and I could see a little brown oval in the gauze where she’d taken the bullet. I also got a good look at the brace she’d taken off her armor, still looped just above her knee, and how it joined in one solid piece about half an inch away from her hoof. Far enough to prevent the hoof from taking any weight, but close enough that it wouldn’t make walking awkward.

Still, I was more concerned about the injury itself. “Is that okay?” I asked, pointing at it.

Zip rolled her eyes and waved her hoof as if the simple motion would make all my worries go away. “It just went through flesh. I’m lucky; if the bullet hit the bone, I would’ve been a crying mess. Can’t really fight like that,” she said, a little smile on her muzzle.

“You? Crying?” I asked, somewhat incredulous. “I don’t believe that for a second.”

“Just because I’m a badass soldier doesn’t mean that I’m immune to pain,” Zip said, finally setting her hoof back down by her side. “Broken bones hurt. Bullets make them hurt more.” After a moment, she simply rubbed my shoulders with her wing. “I can go see one of the medics later. They’ll patch it up with a spell or something. Right now, there are other ponies who need their attention more.”

I nodded, ultimately deciding that I would have to be satisfied with that. If it wasn’t a serious wound, I didn’t have any reason to press her. Instead, I contented myself with sitting on the walls in silence, watching the sky slowly turn to night above us.

It was another few minutes before Zip grunted and sat up. Eying my saddlebags, she poked one with a hoof. “Got anything good in there?”

I’d started to doze off, but her movement woke me up. “Hmm?”

“We should celebrate,” Zip said, smiling at me and pulling my bags over anyway. “You know, to being alive.”

Groaning, I sat up and watched her go through my things. “I don’t know, I don’t really have any alcohol or anything.”

Zip looked at me like that was the dumbest thing I could’ve possibly said. “Really? I couldn’t go through all the shit you have without getting something to drink every once in awhile.”

I just made a face and stuck my tongue out. “I don’t like it.” At Zip’s incredulous look, I held out a placating hoof. “Probably four winters ago, me and Gauge and his marefriend, Nova, went to try some of Cipi’s moonshine. That shit was strong. Before I even finished one mug, I couldn’t see straight, and I spent the entire night puking my brains out until I passed out.” I shuddered, remembering the awful hangover that followed the next day. “First and last time I ever had anything to drink. I swore off booze right then and there.”

“Boo,” was all Zip had to say about that, though I did hear her hum in approval as she found something to her liking in my bag. Tossing the bag aside, she pulled out the box of cigarettes Denarius had given me. “You smoke?”

“Never tried it,” I said, shrugging. “We couldn’t grow tobacco on the mountains. Some of the techies got a little smokeweed to grow in a makeshift greenhouse they made, but I heard it just can’t compare to the Equestrian stuff.”

“You’re right about that,” Zip said, balancing a cigarette between her wingtips and holding it to her nose. She took a deep breath, then smiled and plopped the thing into her outstretched hoof. “And this smells like Auris-grown Equestrian tobacco. About as good as you can get, all things considered.” She bit down on one end and shook the box as she offered it to me. “If you don’t smoke, where’d you get these?”

“A merchant gave them to me. Stallion by the name of Denarius.” I took the box in my magic and eyed the cigarettes inside warily. “Do you know him? He seemed to make trips through the valley pretty often, from what he said.”

Zip just shrugged. “The name’s not familiar, no, but it sounds like he’s from the Brass Bank. Big merchant guild that runs a lot of the caravans on Auris,” she explained. She saw me hesitating with the cigarette and rolled her eyes. “Come on, don’t be a foal. It’s good for you.”

I raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Really?”

“Pssh, no, though the nicotine will help calm you down. It’s the perfect way to unwind after a fight.” Leaning back against the crenellations at my side, Zip pulled out a little dagger from her armor. Slapping a button on the hilt with her hoof, a red laser blade appeared, similar to the blades on her wings, and all she had to do was touch the cigarette against it to get it to light. Then she looked at me expectantly.

That caught me in a hard place. On the one hoof, I was a little uneasy about filling my lungs with smoke and tar and all that shit. Plus, my moonshine story had me a little wary of trying anything new. But on the other hoof, the mare I wanted to bang was already doing it, and I didn’t want to let her down, did I?

Peer pressure is a hell of a thing, especially when it’s coming from someone you want to fuck.

“I didn’t know that you smoked,” I said, pulling a cigarette out of the box and touching it against the laser dagger like Zip did. The end immediately burst to life, quickly turning into a little smolder at the tip. Frowning, I stuck the thing between my lips and let it hang there for a moment.

“A little, back when I was younger,” Zip said, taking a draw from her cigarette. The end glowed a bright orange as she inhaled, and after a second, she blew a cloud of smoke out of the other corner of her mouth. “It was about the only thing that made life tolerable where I grew up. Farming sucks.”

I did my best to follow Zip’s example, but I think I pulled too hard on the thing, because I had a cloud of hot ash go shooting down my lungs. Doubling over and coughing, I dropped the cigarette on the wall as I wheezed and shook at the unpleasant sensation. Grimacing, I sat up straight and plucked the cigarette off of the wall while Zip just snorted and tried to hold back her laughter. “That was… unpleasant,” I managed to choke out.

“These things don’t have filters on them, so you can’t just try to suck it all down,” Zip said, slapping me on the back while I finished coughing out the last of the literal fire in my lungs. “Slow draws, and use your teeth as a shield to keep the cinders out.”

Rolling my eyes, I tried again, this time being more careful. The feeling of smoke in my lungs was uncomfortable, but the chemicals soon hit my blood and took all that away. When I blew out the smoke, I could feel my tension going with it. Sighing, I slumped back against the wall and watched the cloud of smoke disappear into the air. “You know, this kinda reminds me of the forge. The smoke, the heat… makes me think of home.”

Zip’s ears perked. “You were a smith or something?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Me and my mom ran a forge back at Blackwash. We were in charge of basically everything involving metal: reclamation and salvage, manufacturing, repair. We had a whole set of advanced machinery from before the Silence. Though by the time I was old enough to use it, most of it was held together with duct tape and rust.” I laughed, somewhat bitterly, over those little memories of home. “It was a good life. Not exactly the most interesting one, but I was happy enough. One day, I would’ve been in charge of the forge, and then I would’ve passed it down to my son or daughter. Just like my mom, and her parents, and their parents, all the way back to before the Silence.”

“It sounds like a nice place,” Zip said, taking another puff of her cigarette. I nodded and did the same, feeling the fire warm my lungs. It was actually pretty nice. “And your parents… if you don’t mind me asking…?”

I knew what she was really asking, and I shook my head. “The Crimson killed my mom. It’s kinda personal.” I leaned back and looked up at the stars, just beginning to become visible with the dwindling daylight. “Dad was never around. He was there for a few years growing up, but he flew the coop before I was two or three winters old. I hardly remember him.” Chuckling, I turned to Zip. “Do all pegasi bail on their children, or was he just an ass?”

My joke must’ve made her feel a bit more comfortable about discussing my lack of parents, because Zip shrugged with a small smile on her face. “Only if they can’t fly with them. It’s kind of hard for a pegasus to stay tied to one spot for too long.”

“Yeah, I bet.” Another pull on the cigarette. This thing was actually pretty good. “But you said you were a farmer? That must’ve been hard.”

“Yup. The most boring eighteen winters of my life.” Two clouds of smoke flew out of Zip’s nostrils and she scratched the back of her head. “I grew up on a farm in the valley. There were a few other farmers scattered over the area. We didn’t have a town name, though if we did, it’d probably just be ‘Home’. Corny, I know, but hey, that’s life.”

She sighed, and I could see her begin to smile. “It was weird being the only pegasus in a family of earth ponies growing up, but I loved my family. Still do. I wasn’t as good at plowing fields and that sort of thing, but I could move clouds, and when you’re a farmer, reliable rain is just as important if not more so than properly plowed fields.”

“Heh, we never had that problem. It rained all the time in Blackwash.” What I didn’t mention was how miserable that was. Rain is nice and all, but not when you’ve got a hundred little leaks in your shack and you’re just trying to stay dry while the heavens boom around you. “It’s where we got the name. We lived in the crater of a volcano, and there was all this ash lying around. It made it really good for growing crops, but whenever it rained, all the black ash would wash off of the rocks and collect in the middle of town.” I chuckled, adding, “I’m glad I have a black coat. Nova has a white coat, and she always complained about how hard it was to stay clean.”

Zip snorted and shook her head. “Poor mare. That must’ve driven her mad.”

“Oh, she hardly walked if she could help it. She preferred to use her wings when she was outside.” Sighing at happy memories, I drew on the cigarette and tried to make a smoke ring. Of course, having no idea what I was actually doing, that went about as well as you’d expect. Frowning, I waved a hoof in vain through the cloud and grunted. “Why’d you leave them behind? You know, to join the Sentinels?”

“Did I mention the part where it was boring?” Zip joked. After a moment to collect her thoughts, the pegasus simply shrugged. “Nothing much to it, really. By that point, the Sentinels had been driven out of the valley, and we were living under the hoof of the Crimson. They tried to come and take me once,” she said, a dark shadow appearing over her face. “Dad didn’t let them. He convinced them I was pregnant, and my older brother pretended to be my husband. It was weird,” she said, chuckling. “Still, tough as the Crimson think they are, a pregnant mare makes stallions uncomfortable. They don’t like the nastiness that comes with the female body. And if I was pregnant, that means I wasn’t going to be fuckable for much longer. So they left without bothering us.”

“Wow…” I murmured, equal parts amused and amazed. “Just like that?”

“Just like that,” Zip confirmed, bobbing her head once. “Good thing their ‘recruitment’ party didn’t have any mares with them, or they would’ve sniffed me out real good.” She sighed and rubbed the back of her head. “Daddy didn’t want to keep me around after that. He said it’d be too dangerous for me to stay, especially if they learned I wasn’t actually pregnant. So he packed me some rations and supplies and gave me a map and pointed me to where the Sentinels were, hoping that they’d protect me.” A determined smile crept onto her muzzle. “They did what they thought was best to keep me safe. Five years later, I’m working to keep them safe. Funny how that works, eh?”

I nodded in agreement. “Have you been able to see them since you left?”

“Once,” Zip said. “I managed to convince Thunder with a lot of begging and pleading to put me on a patrol that was going through the area. It was the middle of the night, and I only got to talk to them for five or ten minutes, but after not seeing them for a year or two, it was worth it.” She crossed her forelegs behind her head and hummed, a warm smile on her face. “Dad was so happy to see me. Turns out shortly after I left he’d convinced himself he’d just gone and gotten me killed by sending me off on my own. Just seeing me alive was really something he needed. Same for my siblings, and their kids. Coming back and finding out that I’m an aunt was weird.” She looked off to the distance at the retreating sunset and pursed her lips. “It’s been like three winters since I last saw them. Maybe when this is all over, I’ll go back and find them. Make up for lost time, you know?”

I wrapped my forelegs around her shoulders and drew the little pegasus into a hug. “That sounds like a great idea. Maybe you can take them to the Bastion with you. Who knows?”

“I doubt that,” Zip said, chuckling. “They’re earth ponies, which means they’re stubborn as dirt. They aren’t abandoning their land for anything. Not even the Crimson could drive them off their farm.”

We both shared heartfelt laughter, though that died away after a few minutes. In its place, the brilliant sunset, now almost completely gone. All that remained was a few streaks of color in the west, while in the east, the stars shone clearly through the cloudless sky.

Sighing, I took one last draw from the cigarette and tossed the butt off the wall. “Gauge should hopefully be done with his shit by now,” I said, standing up. “I’m going to go find him.” Zip nodded, and I stared at her for a moment, fascinated by her. In the end, I smiled and leaned forward to kiss her cheek, earning a giggle from the mare. “See you soon.”

“Don’t fall into any craters,” Zip joked, shifting slightly and standing up. “I need to grab my armor anyway. If you see Thunder, tell him I’m taking watch on the west wall.”

I nodded and, lighting my horn to provide a little illumination for the shadowy walls, found the staircase down into the courtyard and set off towards the comm station.