I blinked in confusion. What?

“What do you mean?” I asked. Goldenlee sat down on her haunches and sighed.

“It wasn’t our intention. Mother Dandy said that you were just passing memories that were unwanted. Stuff she said that you never want to remember.” She shuddered. “I didn’t know you didn’t want to remember your life.” I looked confusedly at her. I turned to the pegasus who nodded.

“So… what happened while I was out?” I asked. I wasn’t going to like this. Not one bit. Silver Iris hesitated before speaking.

“We saw what happened to your mother. What happened about your brother.” My eyes widened. Memories I didn’t want about my brother? How could I do such a thing like that? He was my brother. I rose above the ranks of others so I can have a decent rank and privilege to go out and find him. I started from the bottom and stopped at Sixteen. Once a courier reaches number twenty, their privileges were more expanded to shady deliveries and what not.

“I… had memories I didn’t want… about Lyon?” I shuddered. My heart beat rapidly. “Why would I not want to remember about him? Or have I forgotten?” I hated the thought. Me? Discarding memories of Lyon? Why? Why did I not want to remember about him? Goldenlee put a hoof around me.

“Dear, if you don’t want to hear about it. We won’t say another word. It was rude of us to even see any of your memories.” She said.

“But it was unavoidable. They just popped up in the middle of the room.” Silver Iris said. She winced as Goldenlee gave her a stern look. “Err… right. Shutting up now.” I said nothing but nodded weakly.

“Then we won’t say another word about it.” She said. “Now you should rest up. I managed to remove the tissue that was infected from the splinters. You need to heal up.” She levitated the tray of bloody cloth and utensils and trotted out the door. I looked down at my hooves. Not remembering about my brother? What was there to not remember about him? He was the best. The best. And I had discarded memories I don’t want to remember about him? I felt awful. I wanted to torment myself. I wanted to hate me. But two small ponies convinced me otherwise. I sighed and laid back down, rolling over on my side with a wince. I heard Rex get up and walk out of the room.

“Err… listen, Courier?” I heard Silver Iris say. I felt my heart beat excitedly again. But then I told myself not to get the hopes up of whatever was going on. She’s a free mare. She could do whatever. I don’t need to hold her back. It’s better this way. I said nothing as I waited for her to answer. She sighed. “Nevermind. I’ll talk to you about it tomorrow morning. Rest up.” The door closed and I was left all alone in the dark. Did I mention not having to move sucked? I darted my eyes, trying to find something to preoccupy myself. Sticky hooves weren’t cutting it, so I sighed and turned on the radio of my PipBuck.

“Good evening, this is your host New Pegas with special guest DJ Pon3. Say hi to the lovely listeners.” New Pegas said.

“Gooood evening children! These are your hosts DJ Pon3 and New Pegas live in the glorious vice city of Las Pegasus. Now listen, we got some news for you. Take it away, NP.” DJ Pon3 said. There was the sound of papers.

“Word on the street says that ponies have seen the Enclave around the Strip. Have they returned to cause us more grief? Or have they realized their mistakes and actually do something for once. And let me tell you, they did try something. They let the dogs loose around Las Pegasus. The Stable Dweller and her friends made it their best effort to scare the dogs away. And I say they did a pretty damn good job.” New Pegas said. So the Stable Dweller did have something to do with them around here. If I could guess, it might have been her and her friends that seemed to free slaves and the streets being always crowded.

“And that’s not all, children. That’s right, what really scared them good was a certain pony riding on the back of one timberwolf on top of the Roulette Casino Hotel. Having just beaten another one with a very angry Enclave pegasus, your very own Savior of the Roads road the beast and came out victorious. I had never seen a more epic sight of a wolf howling into the sky with a hero of the Wasteland on its back. Makes me want a timberwolf myself.” There was the sound of shuffling papers. “And the Light Bringer has something to say to the Empire’s Savior of the Roads. She says: Sixteen. If you see a dark grey stallion in business attire and claims to be a friend, do not let him see your cards.” I blinked. Not see my cards? I wasn’t playing anything with cards. Am I? Casino games are confusing. “And now reports of the zebras and RCE. NP?”

“Yes, Pon3. The zebras have increased in numbers after the events of Tipson. RCE officials are still claiming the attack on the town as an act of terrorism. The president has declared that if these zebras caused any more trouble, he will order immediate removal of all stripes, regardless of affiliation. And now some minor news, gang activity has increased since the sighting of the robot in Coltington Way. We ask that all you lovely listeners not to go down any dark alleys or be tempted by strange offers. And with that, this is New Pegas.”

“And DJ Pon3.” The DJ cut in.

“Signing off for the night.” I switched off the radio and sighed. The Enclave were here in the Strip. They might even be in the Empire. Well, they better not do anything rash in Pleasant Town if they were. They have no jurisdiction to overthrow anypony. Let alone from their own town. If they wanted to mess with a courier town, then we will show them what couriers were capable of. I knew that the history between the Stable Dweller and the Enclave went way back twelve years ago. Them being here now of all places meant they were probably looking for her. And get a little payback. Now they might go after me. I rode one of their FEV projects and dealt a blow to them that literally shamed them. I smirked at the thought of the Enclave as being little ponies and arguing over what to do about me riding one of their projects.

“He’s different from the other FEVs.” Silver Iris had said that. Rex let me control him. I realized then and there that he truly felt bad about biting and paralyzing me. He wanted to apologize. So he let me control him. And we won against a bad pony. We both won. As a team. I smiled. The progress I was making with friends seemed to be working. I had to be a better pony. In a way I had forgiven him without even saying it. I had trusted him and he trusted me to guide him to victory. And we did. I blinked. Did I mention not moving around sucks? I bit my lip and looked over to my barding and bags. The new barding was now torn and bloodied. I felt bad that the poor filly had slaved over it only to get my dumbass to ruin it. I reached into the bag with my magic. I grasped something spherical. Levitating a memory orb to me, I frowned at it. Then shrugged. Better than nothing. I made the connection and saw the world fade away.

I recognized this body. Healthy, athletic and intelligent. Ms. Cheerilee was marking something on a big chalk board and spat it out before turning to four young unicorn ponies. One, a colt with pink and white striped mane and peach colored hide, looked extremely bored. The second, a pink colored filly with a streaks in her purple mane was doodling with her tongue sticking out in concentration. Another was a young pink colored mare that looked a lot like a younger Princess Cadence. And the last was a handsome looking young stallion with a brilliant white hide and a neatly combed blue mane with a single pale blue streak. The last two were paying quiet attention to Ms. Cheerilee as she spoke.

“Now, can any of you explain the anatomy of a changeling.” She said. The mare that looked like Princess Cadence rose a hoof. “Yes, Crystal?” The mare, Crystal, spoke with surprising formality.

“Thank you, Ms. Cheerilee. I will be happy to explain the anatomy of a changeling.” She stood up and cleared her throat.

“Look out. Ms. Know-it-all is here.” The colt next to the filly teased with a chuckle. The mare ignored him.

“A changeling is neither pony nor insect. It is a creature said to live in the outer reaches of the Empire and Canterlot. However, given to their insectoid appearance, one can assume that changelings do indeed act like an insect. This is not the case. A changeling is a creature that has been created through a form of magic. In order for them to survive, they must feed off the love of other ponies. They act like insects because they work in a swarm. But they are really just corrupted magic that had been shaped into a living being.” The mare sat back down. Cheerilee seemed mildly impressed.

“Yes, but there is one thing you left out, Ms. Mirror.” She said. Cheerilee took a piece of chalk and sketched a tiny diagram I couldn’t make heads or tails out of. “You are right that they are neither pony nor insect. And that they do act as insects due to their feeding habits. The one thing you have forgotten is their ability to shape shift.” Ms. Cheerilee sketched something else on the chalk board. “The changelings not only eat the love from ponies, but they can manipulate into a pony that are tied to their victim. Meaning that with the power of love, they can manipulate into a form a deception.” She noticed a small hoof wave in the air and smiled. “Yes, Crystalline?” the young filly tapped her hooves together bashfully.

“I once heard that mommy was attacked by a changeling.” She said. Cheerilee nodded to the young filly.

“You are right. Long ago, before you were born and on the day of your parents wedding in Canterlot, your mother was locked away in the caves underneath Canterlot. In her place was the changeling queen known as Chrysalis. The queen had disguised as your mother so she could feed off the love of your father, whose love for your mother is stronger than anything.” She looked at Crystal Mirror. “She manipulated the love from your father and was able to keep her transformation going because of said reason. A changeling can be a very dangerous and powerful creature if they can constantly feed off of their victims.” Ms. Cheerilee smiled as the peach colored colt waved a hoof. “Yes, Shield?”

“So, what happened to the queen? I heard they were killed.” He seemed intrigued by the word kill. My host furrowed her brows.

“Have you’ve even been paying attention to the other lessons?” she asked sternly. The colt winced and smiled sheepishly.

“Errr… maybe?” he said. Ms. Cheerilee turned back to the board and sketched another diagram.

“To answer your question, Mr. Shield. When your father and mother realized their love true to one another, the power of their love merely sent them back to their home.” Really? I assumed they were killed too. But you never know in the Wasteland.

“So, have the changelings been seen since?” Shield asked. Ms. Cheerilee rubbed her chin. I could feel her trying to remember an important article she had read about it. And just as she had thought, she quickly said it without missing a beat.

“There are some sightings since the incident at the Canterlot Wedding. But none too important. I believe ponies are just being overly paranoid if you ask me.” Ms. Cheerilee said. Now it was the older colts turn. The stallion cleared his throat.

“So, if you think ponies are merely being paranoid, how would we know if they do come back?” he asked. Ms. Cheerilee smiled.

“Let’s hope they don’t. A changeling is neither pony nor insect, but a being created through corrupted magic.” She looked to the peach colored colt. “And if you overfeed, you kill yourself. I would say that since the love is powerful between your parents, most of the changelings might no longer be around due to being overfed.” She nodded to the stallion. “Which may explain why we see rare sightings. But I can guarantee you, if a changeling was around, keep your love strong for one another and keep on loving that they explode.” She looked up at a crystal encased clock over the door. “And that concludes today’s lessons. Oh and Shining Sword? May I have a word with you before you leave?” He nodded and watched as his siblings left the room. He trotted over to the desk.

“Yes, Ms. Cheerilee?” he asked.

“I read your report. I have to say I am very impressed that you are compassionate about your sword play and lessons.” She frowned and just as I expected, a good bop on the side of the head with a hoof. He blinked at her in confusion. “But the topic was about smithing. Not sword play.” He flushed and bowed his head. Cheerilee sighed and smiled. “I’ll see you again tomorrow.” The stallion trotted out the door, leaving Cheerilee to erase the diagrams and pack her books into her saddlebag. There was a knock on the door. “Come in!” she sang. The door opened and in walked Shining Armor. He smiled at her.

“Hope they aren’t causing too much trouble.” He said. Ms. Cheerilee shook her head.

“None at all. I do worry about Shining Shield though. He’s been tuning out most of my lessons. He only ever seems to listen to things that interest him.” She said as she packed the last of her books and strapped on her saddlebag. Shining Armor chuckled.

“I guess that’s kind of my fault. I was always the one to only listen to things that interest me.” He said.

“So how can I help you today?” Ms. Cheerilee said as they trotted out of the room and down the hall.

“Well, I wanted to ask you something.” He said. Ms. Cheerilee gasped in shock.

“A prince? Asking me for advice?” She looked stern at the surprised stallion. “Well, I if you ask me, if you don’t want any more kids, wear protection.” Shining Armor blinked at the mare who smirked. “I’m only kidding.” Shining Armor gave a smile. “So what is it you want to ask?” He suddenly looked grim.

“Ms. Cheerilee. You know about the zebras? The ones that are attacking Equestria?” he asked. Now it was Ms. Cheerilee’s turn to look grim.

“Yes. I do.” She said. Shining Armor looked at her with clear conviction.

“Ms. Cheerilee. I need you to teach my children about the zebras.” He said. Ms. Cheerilee blinked.

“I err… beg your pardon?” she said. Shining Armor walked over to the window and gazed out with his grim look.

“I want you to tell them about the zebras. Their culture. Their tribes. Everything. Make a full week session about it if you have to.” He turned to her. “Just tell them. Show them if you have to, that not all zebras are bad.” Ms. Cheerilee was at a loss for words.

“I-I think I can. But I don’t really have any books about the zebras.” She said.

“I’ll provide them.” He said. “Just tell them that zebras aren’t monsters. They aren’t bad.” He sighed. “You are the only pony I know that can pull this off. You are great with kids. And even though they don’t show it. They look up to you, Ms. Cheerilee. You are like a second mother to them.” Ms. Cheerilee didn’t know what to think. She stood there with her mouth open trying to say something, but couldn’t find the right words. Shining Armor walked down the hall. “I’m counting on you, Ms. Cheerilee.” He said as he walked down the hall. He turned the corner leaving a baffled Cheerilee to ponder what she had heard. I was surprised myself. Shining Armor didn’t see them as bad people unlike Canterlot and the Little Big Horn incident that had killed Big Macintosh. She looked back to her bags.

“I better start reading then.” She said with a tired sigh.

Coming out of the memory orb, I found myself in a different room. I tried sitting up, but the wounds weren’t healed quite yet. I winced in pain and laid back down. I turned my head to get a better look of my surroundings. The walls were dingy. The wallpaper torn. Then, I saw something that had looked like it had been splattered carelessly on the wall. I squinted and realized it was dried blood. I panicked now. I looked to my other side. My gear wasn’t sitting on a chair in the corner. No, there was a chair. And there was something sitting in the corner. But it wasn’t my gear. It was a pony. No, not a pony. As the figure turned, I saw the stripes clear as day. This was a zebra.

“Welcome back, maiden.” The zebra said. This wasn’t Mother Dandy. What scared me most was the scars on the zebra’s legs and face. His cloak covered the rest of him, but I could make out scars.

“W-who are you?” I asked. I winced as I shifted my body wrong and felt the pain shoot through me. The zebra walked over to me.

“I am Legate Ceaser.” He said. I gapped.

“You are the Ceaser?” I said. The zebra nodded. Oh Goddesses. If the Legate himself was here. Then I was really fucked. I narrowed my eyes. “What do you want with me?” I said keeping a calm demeanor. He studied me before speaking.

“I want answers.” He said. Answers?

“Whatever it was, it wasn’t me.” I said mockingly. He returned my demeanor with a cold look. “Where the hell are we?” I asked now more curious then shocked. My eyes widened as I felt something cold dig into my side. I gapped as the Legate pulled a knife out, my blood dripping from the blade. I looked at the blood and my eye began throbbing. Oh Goddesses… Please no… Don’t let it happen again… I don’t want to hurt! Why are you doing this to me Karma? What have I done to deserve this again! I felt it hard to breathe and the Legate arched a brow.

“I’m the one asking the questions, Maiden. Now cooperate. Or this blade will end you right here and now.” He said as he balanced the tip of the knife on my foreleg. I wanted to move, but the utter horror of that memory came flooding back and I was too scared to move. “Were you the one who attacked my men? Or are you just going to act tough and we will make it the hard way.” he slid the knife slowly down my foreleg. I breathed heavily as I felt the burning sensation and felt blood trickle.

“No. It wasn’t me! I wasn’t me!” I shouted. The Legate sighed.

“They told me a charcoal coated mare who could manipulate fire attacked them. Was that you?” I blinked and said nothing. Did he not know? I thought the zebras saw me exactly. But it wasn’t me. It was some other pony that had taken control of me.

“No. It wasn’t, I swear!” I shouted. “It was some other pony! It wasn’t me!” In a flash, I found myself rolled onto the floor and being grabbed by my mane. I couldn’t fight. My entire body was still recovering from the bite that Rex had caused. My hooves hang limply as I was dragged to a door. The Legate opened the door and threw me down a flight of steps. I fell to the floor with a thud and groaned in pain. I could have sworn I heard something crack. I looked up and gasped at to what I saw next.

I saw mares. But they weren’t just any mares. They all had something in common. They had my hide color. The rotting bodies of a dozen dead charcoal coated mares littered the floor. This guy is a fucking monster! I felt myself being dragged by my mane again and this time was thrown to the floor in the middle of the dead bodies. I looked over to the zebra in pain. “It wasn’t me!” I sobbed. I was in so much pain. And the feeling of the knife being cut into me had brought back painful memories. I wasn’t past it. I wasn’t past anything. I thought I was. But I was still scared as I expected excruciating pain next. The zebra turned his back to me, reaching onto a counter and digging through instruments of torture. I bit my lip and moved with my chin. My muscles screamed. I slowly moved, trying to distant myself from the zebra. A body of a charcoal mare rolled from a small pile and landed next to me and I saw with horrified disgust that half of her face was ripped apart. Flesh and tissue dangled out and a skeletal grin stared into mine. I tired moving again, only for the zebra to bite down on my mane again and drag me away from the body and out into the middle of the room.

I couldn’t move. I couldn’t struggle. My entire body is numb. My eyes widened as I saw the zebra reach behind him and revved a ripper. Without a second thought, I reacted by gritting my teeth and focused on the ripper. My horn glowed and I grasped the ripper with my magic. The zebra reared back with a hoof drawn, but I jerked my head to the side and the zebra went with the ripper. I tried to fight to get the ripper, but the zebra clenched down and held onto it. If he let go, he knew I would have the upper hand. I kept jerking my head, trying to will my magic to pull the ripper from the teeth of the Legate. I narrowed my eyes past him. I thought I saw a shimmer of a figure in the shadows. I took my mind off of it and focused at the true danger. If I lost this tug-of-war with the zebra, something bad will happen to me. I won’t let that happen. I’m a courier. I have things to do and ends to meet.

I’m not going to let some stripe end me here of all places with mares he thought were me. Every time he tried to plant a hoof onto my hoof, I would jerk, making him loose his balance and had to struggle to not let go of the ripper. I could feel my magic waver. I was reaching my limit. I was still in no condition to push myself any further, but ignored it and just focused on surviving.

I’ve reached my limit. I groaned in pain as my magic popped from the ripper and the zebra smirked in triumph.

“Foalish pony. I am the Legate Ceaser! You cannot fight me! You’re death shall be here, Maiden. For the vengeance of my people!” he revved the ripper and I clenched my eyes shut, waiting for the blade to cut into me.

“You are not the Legate, traitor.” A voice said. I gasped and looked at the shocked zebra who turned. Before he could retaliate, a silenced 10mm pistol emerged from thin air and blew the zebra’s head into blood and giblets. I felt the gore splatter onto me. I gapped and looked at my savior. Another zebra emerged from the shadows. Her tattered cloak slithered on the ground as she walked over to the dead zebra corpse. She looked coldly at the body and then to me. “A Maiden of the Stars. Why am I not surprised.” She said. I tried sitting up, but my body screamed in agony and I fell back onto the floor with a thud. I gasped, trying to ignore the pain I was feeling. I was also beginning to feel light headed. I must have reopened the wounds Goldenlee patched up. I was losing blood. A lot of it.

“W-who are you?” I rasped, wincing at the pain. She looked at me.

“The most cursed zebra ever to live. You are the third Maiden of the Stars I have saved this week.” She sounded annoyed. I looked at her with pained confusion. “But I’m just being nitpicky now. My orders were to hunt down the mass serial killer zony known as Zahasha.” She looked at the body and then reached over with a hoof. I blinked. A zony?

“You mean, he wasn’t an actual zebra?” I rasped. The zebra nodded and pulled back her hoof with something tied around it.

“A zony. Half pony and half zebra.” She turned to me. “Zahasha was once a proud member of our tribe. Then he snapped when he heard about Tipson about six days ago.” I looked over to the bodies of the charcoal mares. “He believed a Maiden of the Stars attacked members of our tribe and vanished with the intent of vengeance. We heard later that he started calling himself the Legate Ceaser and went around with that name and started slaughtering charcoal coated mares.” She looked around the room. Then her eyes met mine. “He would have almost had it too, if I wasn’t so cursed and had saved you.” I gritted my teeth in pain.

“How did he know where I was?” I winced, pulling myself up slowly.

“Our scouts said that he heard about a charcoal coated mare reaching Las Pegasus and started aiding gangs. He then went around, rounding up charcoal coated mares and well.” She looked past me. Then, she looked even more annoyed. “I swear I am the most cursed zebra ever. I hope this doesn’t become a habit.” She said with disgust. I couldn’t help but give a small smirk at her.

“Welcome to the club.” I gasped in pain. “I’m a courier. I didn’t want to be involved with all this. But you know what they say. Karma is a bitch.” The zebra gave me a studying look. She then reached back and placed two health potions on the floor.

“Don’t expect me to carry you back. If I touch a Maiden, I’ll be more cursed. And don’t expect me to save you again. I was only in it to slay a traitor.” With that she threw the hood over her and vanished into the shadows. I winced as I stood up now. Limping over to the potions, I chugged them down greedily and gave a sigh of relief as the potions worked to mend my recently opened wounds and new ones. Making my way up the stairs and out into the blood dried room, I looked around. For almost a week, this zebra had been rounding up mares with my hide color and had tormented them and killed them brutally in the end. I wanted to do something to make up for them. Having their lives taken from them so early and without any reason other than a mad zony out to kill me was just down right vile. But I couldn’t think of anything to help. What has happened, happened. There is no changing the past. You just have to accept it and move on.

And that is exactly what I was going to do. No more running. No more being afraid. If I was going to find my brother and uncover why my father has been scattering our lineage around the Empire, I have to accept what has happened and move on. Otherwise, I will just be lost and probably killed. This Empire had a virtue once. It was Love. Love kept the Empire safe from harm. Love is what kept the Empire from falling. But something had happened during the war that caused that virtue to vanish. Without that virtue, the Wasteland was created and spread over all of Equestria. That is how I thought of it at least. Without a virtue, an entire civilization will be replaced with vice. Virtue…

What was my virtue? Did I really ever have one? Or am I not capable of having a virtue?

“With a lions roar and true virtue found, only then will you live happily ever after.”

That last line of the warning hadn’t really made sense. A lion’s roar and a true virtue found? What did a predator had to do with true virtue? I thought of a Leonine roaring into the sky over the Wasteland. I groaned at the thought. Why did zebras make it so hard to get straight answers? Why did they have to do things in rhymes or riddles? I must have been thinking about it for a while. I found myself standing in front of the building where I was taken. The Roulette Hotel not too far from it. I looked around and found the street eerily empty. I shuddered and kept moving. Turning the corner, I beamed as I saw the lively streets come into view. Where ever the zony had taken me, I was glad to leave it. Something about the street gave me chills. And not the good kinds. When I took a step to the street, I backed away as a giant figure landed in front of me. I winced in pain as I backed away. I eased when I saw it was Rex, who whined at the sight of me.

“There you are!” a voice said. I looked onto the neck and saw Comp with his hooves on the handles. “Why did you leave?” I was about to tell him when I stopped myself from going any further. I didn’t want to worry them.

“Err… I just needed some fresh air.” I lied. Comp looked worried.

“Tell us next time. We were completely freaked out that something bad had happened to you.” He said. I smiled at him. Something bad did happen. But I managed to survive it. I rubbed the back of my head.

“Sorry.” I said lamely. Comp sighed.

“I guess Iris was right. We may have to end up babysitting you instead.” He said with a smirk. I shook my head and chuckled. Rex lowered his neck and I hopped on with Comp in front of me. I grabbed hold of the handles and steered Rex back up to the hotel.

I guess it isn’t everyday you see two ponies riding on the back of a timberwolf into a casino. When we entered, ponies instantly quieted and watched us as I steered Rex up the stairs. Thankfully, Rex wasn’t that big and I was able to get him to maneuver through the hall without incident. Comp hopped off once we reached the double doors.

“You are so going to get it from Goldenlee.” He said with a nicker. I winced. Goldenlee has acted more of a sister when she was around me. I don’t know why she self-proclaimed herself as my caretaker, I thought I was the one who was helping her, not the other way around. When we entered, I flinched as I saw the stern look on Goldenlee’s face.

“You are in big trouble.” She said. I saw Star nicker and Brick rubbed the back of his head at the comment. Silver Iris was laying on the sofa with her forelegs behind her head and had crossed her hindlegs.

“Listen, before you-.” I couldn’t finish. Goldenlee cut me off with a hoof stomp.

“Tut tut. You were in no condition to move. I thought I made that perfectly clear.” She said sternly. I winced.

“Yes, but-.” Again I was cut off.

“No buts. Do you know how worried we all were?” she said. I looked over to where Star and Brick where. They said nothing but gave an amused look.

“Actually, why should you bother?” Silver Iris spoke, her eyes closed in thought. Goldenlee looked over to the pegasus and bristled. “She’s a tough mare. You saw how she handled a timberwolf bite. You saw how she acted at the Powder Keg’s attempt at assassination.” She opened one eye and gave a sly smile to her. “I say if she needed to get some fresh air, then let her.” I smiled softly at her. She was sticking up for me. No pony has ever done that for me before. But I was also relieved that some pony actually cares when I do get into too much trouble. My siblings were always so busy that they didn’t have time to stand up for me. I knew they would if given the chance, but that chance never happened. Heart worries constantly about all of us, but she was never around to fully tell me off. My vision blurred as the tears welled up.

“Courier? Are you alright?” Brick asked. I sniffled and wiped the tears away. I felt happy. No, I am happy. I had never had ponies act like this to me. It felt… nice.

“I’m fine. Just… happy is all.” I said. I must have dozed off then and there because I don’t remember anything else after that.

When I awoke, I stretched and yawned. Then I blinked. I was feeling better. More energetic. I looked down to see the bandages around me still. I furrowed my brows and with my magic, unwrapped them. I gapped as the wounds from Rex’s teeth had disappeared. There were no signs of any form of injury on me.

“What the hell?” I quickly hopped out of the bed and trotted over to the bathroom to look myself in the mirror. I looked fine. As if not a single thing was visible on my body. I shuddered. I remembered something Goldenlee had pointed out. I put a hoof to my right eye. Now that I was in my actual body, I had almost forgotten about a certain insane fire spirit somewhere in my mind. I thought to myself if Din was healing me or she was just doing it so she can be ready for something else. My eyes widened and I gasped as my reflection suddenly morphed into a fiery alicorn. She stared into my eyes with her slit amber pupils. “Din?” The alicorn grinned and I saw fangs.

“It is almost time.” She said with a hiss. I narrowed my eyes.

“Time? For what?” I crouched low slightly with my hoof spread out. I was ready to move if she pulled anything. She chuckled.

“Soon, the land will know true happiness. Ponies will sing and the flames will dance ever so brilliantly. A land created in my image.” She hissed. I glared coldly at her.

“No you won’t. I will not let that happen.” I said. She narrowed her eyes at me.

“Yes. You have been quite a thorn in my side for far too long. I should thank your brother for waking me.” She said. I blinked with surprise. “If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be so aware of how much this land needed the warm embrace of my love.” Wait a minute, what? My brother awoke Din? How? Then I remembered his horn pressing to my right eye. Then, the number sixteen flashing in my eyes.

“You awoke? Lyon woke you up?” I asked. “Then that means…” Din chuckled.

“Oh, you really aren’t as simpleminded as you look.” She grinned, her fangs showing. “Yes, on the day you were born, the stars had been aligned. No pony had known that the stars were aligned thanks to the pegasi for closing the sky. On that day, the seven Maidens of the Stars shone down on a vessel of our choice.” I gapped. “Though I’m sure the others are not fully aware. But the zebra are never wrong about who is a Maiden of the Stars. You see, they see us for who we truly are. They can look into your soul and can see. They can hear us. Feel our power flowing.” She snorted and ambers filled the area around her. “I sense that I am the only one who seems to be fully awake.”

“So you are saying that the Maiden of the Stars… are you and six others?” The alicorn glared at me.

“Maybe you are simple minded. Isn’t that what I had not said?” she hissed. I glared back at her.

“So, that is why you are locked away in me. Now I have to ask. Why is Sombra intent on freeing you?” The alicorn shook her head.

“The fool claims he can acquire the power of the Maidens and rule with an iron hoof. Little does the fool realize he cannot control the power of a Maiden.” She grinned. “We allow only our powers to our vessels. The fool thought he could trick you into freeing me so he can acquire my eternal flames of beauty.” She grinned more. “But it was thanks to your brother that he stopped Sombra and convinced you otherwise. You see, even if you did free me. I would have let the flames embrace you both and I would be free to walk the land again.” I gapped more. Lyon knew. All this time he knew about it. He awoke Din to keep an eye on Sombra. Lyon, what are you even doing? Din cackled.

“What is Lyon trying to do? What is so important that he left us? Was it to awake the Maidens? Is he trying to do something about you all?” I asked. Din shook her head.

“Your brother took up the position as guardian and walks between the roads that connect the Maidens to one another. I haven’t the slightest clue, but ever since Lone Road vanished, your brother took up the job.” She smirked. “He wasn’t the only one. Your family has a history dating back to the first vessel of the Maidens.” I darted my eyes in thought. Who? Who was it? But I knew exactly who. A certain courier from two centuries ago. “Bingo.” Din said. “Yes, your great ancestor discovered us. So he made it his sole duty to keep our powers from falling into the wrong hooves. He bound us in chains that can only be unlocked when our vessels decide to free us.” She then looked slyly at me. “Oh, but I have said too much. No matter. You won’t be around for any longer. The time of fire has come and the land calls for me.” She laughed maniacally and the mirror was engulfed in flames. The flames died out and my reflection stared back at me, shocked.

By the Goddesses! This is insane! Was that the reason my brother left? Why father left? Why our family’s lineage was so important during the war of the Empire? This was just too much to take in. I sat back on my haunches and rubbed my temples. This couldn’t be happening. My brother left so he could take up the position being a guard to the Maidens? I blinked. What if this was just a dream? It had to be! No way did I actually have a full conversation with a spirit of Equestria. Brick and Star said so. This was just a legend inspired by somepony who wanted to portray the border of the Empire and the Strip as a battle between Celestia and Luna. I heard a knock on the door.

“Courier? There is someone here that wants to discuss something with you.” The voice of Shining Star said.

“A-alright. Just give me a moment.” I replied. I bit my lip and looked back into the mirror. Was it just my imagination? Was it just my mind telling me that something bad was going to happen if I didn’t do something? I walked out of the bathroom and noticed my barding folded up neatly next to my gear and bags. Without even taking a look at my newly patched up barding, I put them on, strapping the buckles of my duster and slung Compassion and my shotgun over my back onto the plate, adjusting them so I can have more easy access. I trotted out the door and down the stairs to see to my surprise a group of other ponies gathered with my friends.

I saw a grey unicorn about slightly taller than me with a brown mane and a PipBuck for a cutie-mark sitting next to a gorgeous charcoal coated unicorn with multi colored streaks in her white mane. A singing nightingale is her cutie-mark. Then, I saw a rust colored pegasus with a black desperado hat talking with Silver Iris. Next, I saw a zebra. She sat in the corner, looking at us and then to Rex who was laying down in the middle of the circle of my friends and the ponies. Lastly, I saw to my surprise with them…

“Stall?” I asked. My younger brother looked to me from his conversation with Comp and beamed at me.

“Curry! You are okay!” he said trotting to me and threw his hooves around me. I threw my hooves around him in return. Then, he pulled away and looked at me with a grin. “You look different.” I flushed.

“W-well. I’ve been through a lot lately.” I said weakly. I noticed Goldenlee gapping at me.

“Courier. How are you able to do that? You shouldn’t have been able to move with in at least another week or so!” I rubbed the back of my head with a sheepish smile.

“Err… I’m a quick healer?” I replied lamely.

“A quick healer?” the charcoal unicorn spoke. Her voice sounded familiar. “What do you mean by that?” I blinked at her. She did sound familiar. Not only that, she looked familiar too. Then, my eyes widened in realization.

“Y-your Velvet Remedy!” I said pointing a hoof at her. She seemed a little surprised by my sudden outburst, but then smiled and nodded. I felt my heart beat with excitement. My favorite singer. Here? Oh Goddesses, if this was a dream I don’t ever want to wake up! The grey unicorn smiled at her.

“Another fan. You haven’t lost your touch at all.” She said. I cocked my head at her. Then, I turned to Stall.

“But I don’t know the others. Who are they?” I asked him. He smiled at me.

“That’s LittlePip and her friends. She’s the Stable Dweller that Homage keeps talking about.” I looked at the unicorn who returned my look with a sheepish smile.

“Err… yes. My name is LittlePip. You must be Sixteen?” she said. I said nothing but nodded.

“Whoa, easy there!” Silver Iris said hovering over her. “She prefers to be called by her real name.” Again, I said nothing but nodded. LittlePip seemed a little confused.

“My name is Courier. Don’t call me Sixteen. That is my courier number. And don’t even begin with the Savior of the Road stuff. I didn’t ask for it.” I said.

“Yeah, about that sis.” Stall said. He trotted over to LittlePip. “She’s here to discuss something with you. It deals with a certain prophecy?” he looked at LittlePip who nodded in return. I narrowed my eyes.

“What prophecy?” I asked. I know what was coming. I just had a conversation with a spirit of the stars. LittlePip stood up and trotted over to me as she spoke.

“Courier. You know of somepony named Sombra?” she asked. I must have looked grim because she took my look as an answer. “Spike told me about it. So we need to tell you a warning in person.” I held up my PipBuck to her and tapped it.

“I already heard your warning from New Pegas.” I then looked at Stall who flushed. “Yes, Stall. I heard your interview too.” But LittlePip shook her head.

“It’s not about the stallion.” She said. Before she could continue, the pegasus spoke up.

“’Course not. Lil' Pip was confused ‘bout ‘ta whole hand thing.” He said with a nicker. LittlePip flushed.

“I didn’t know how Poker was played! How was I supposed to know not to show my cards?” she said.

“Well, maybe you should have asked New Pegas first about the game than just running off to play it out of pure curiosity.” Velvet Remedy said. LittlePip sighed and turned back to me.

“Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that Sombra has returned.” She said. There was silence. I looked at her and sighed.

“Of course. Karma now throws an ancient pony at me to rub in my family’s lineage.” I looked at them. “I need to tell you something then if we are to discuss this.” I took a deep breath and sighed. I stood up straight. “The incident in Tipson? That was me.” LittlePip looked as surprised as her friends.

“Y-you burned down an entire town?” Velvet Remedy shuddered. I shook my head.

“You have to understand, I wasn’t in control of myself. Something… happened to me. Something bad.” I said. Suddenly, the pegasus trotted over to me scooped his hooves at the scuff of my duster. He looked at me with pure anger. But I glared coldly back at him.

“Ya’ wanna run that by me again?” he said.

“Calamity, stop! We aren’t here to cause trouble.” LittlePip said with a stomp of her hoof. Calamity turned to her.

“Ya’ think ‘Ahm goin’ to let this one slide? ‘Ah said that whoever was responsible will pay.” He said. If the pegasus wanted to start something, let him. He turned back to me and glared into my eyes. My smirk surprised him and he stiffened as my copy put my shotgun to his head. Everypony was instantly up and ready for something. But I conjured the rest of my copies out the blue and held each at gun point.

“I thought we were here to discuss.” I said, returning to my cold stare. “If you want to kill me, you better think fast. These copies aren’t smoke and mirrors.” There was silence. It was Shining Star who broke it.

“Alright, everypony, calm down!” he said. “LittlePip, tell your friend to back off. Courier, put away your copies. There is a perfectly good explanation about what happened in Tipson.” Calamity gritted his teeth, then shoved me away. I looked at my copies who nodded at me and faded from view. LittlePip groaned and rubbed her face. She was clearly annoyed by this. He trotted over to the window and looked out of it, not bothering to turn his gaze away. Velvet Remedy looked upset. Shining Star looked at us. “Now then. What happened in Tipson wasn’t technically Courier’s fault. The town was already destroyed when we arrived.” Goldenlee nodded before speaking.

“We were on our way to Las Pegasus when she told us that Tipson would be a stopping point before continuing. When we got there…” She shuddered. “The town was already under attack. It was by zebras who claimed they were on a marching campaign for the Legate Ceaser.” The zebra in the corner eye's widened when she heard Legate.

“Ceaser is here?” She said. We looked at her. “The Ceaser would only do such a thing. Carrying the Legion name makes it all the viler.” LittlePip looked worriedly at her.

“Xenith, is it a zebra you knew?” she asked. Xenith looked grim as she spoke.

“Not a zebra I know. But one who has tormented my tribe while you were sleeping.” She looked at me. “Did the person give the name?” I shook my head.

“Courier was ready to kill them after seeing the town in the state it was in.” Star said. “And then something happened to her. In the heat of the moment, something snapped in her and may have tapped into some magic she hadn’t realized she had.” Brick nodded before speaking.

“Courier says she only knows illusion magic.” He said. “But the way she manipulated the fire. I have never seen anything like that.” I looked down at the floor sadly.

“You know how I asked you about possession?” I asked him. It was time. I couldn’t hide it anymore. I needed to tell them. They looked at me. “When Sombra came to me after Tipson, he showed me that I had Din locked away inside of me.” I sighed. “She is the reason why Tipson had been burned down. In my anger, she took control of my body and burned the town down.” I looked at LittlePip. “Have you met some other zebra claiming you the Maiden of the Stars?” LittlePip said nothing but nodded. “Well, I have met that same zebra recently. She called me a Maiden of the Stars.” I looked at them with a worried look. “I know this next part may sound crazy, but before you called me in here, I spoke with Din herself.” More silence. “She told me that there are six maidens, including herself. She said that sometime when I was born, the stars were aligned and the seven choose vessels for them to reside in.” I put a hoof to my chest. “I am one of the vessels.” LittlePip rubbed her chin in thought.

“And Sombra showed you Din?” she asked. I nodded. She then sighed and looked at her friends. “I told you. Something big is going on and Sombra seems to be after not just me, but the other maidens as well. Sombra is back. And he plans to rule the Empire with the power of the Maidens.” She turned back to me. “Has Sombra tried to reach you again?” I shook my head.

“My brother came in and stopped him from telling me to free Din. I would have done it if he hadn’t shown up.” I shivered. “I don’t want what happened to Tipson to ever happen again.” LittlePip put a hoof on my shoulder.

“Listen. I have a plan that should delay Sombra.” She said. I looked at her. “We need to find the pony with the straw hat. He might be able to help us.” I bit my lip.

“LittlePip. That pony is my older brother.” I stood up and trotted over to Rex and stroked his head. He wagged his branch tail happily. “When Bell was born, my father vanished. My mother went under suicide watch after my brother left to find him. Lyon isn’t a bad pony. He was a courier just like us. He was the best at what he did. I looked up to him as the others have too. And after he left, we did our best to rise above the others so we can find him.” I sighed. “I did see him. But he… wasn’t himself when I did. He saved me from salvers. And he did something to awaken Din inside me and just left without another word.”

“Wait, he awakened Din?” Star asked. I nodded.

“That’s what Din says.” I said. I looked at Calamity, who was giving me a questioning look. “What happened in Tipson was me, but under the possession of Din. I had no control over myself. I had to transfer my soul to one of my copies in order to stop Din from hurting other ponies. I’ve seen what she is capable of.” Calamity looked over to his friends before turning back to me.

“Well, alright then. ‘Ah forgive you.” He said. I smiled. “But you have ‘lot of makin’ up for what happened.”

“She is.” Comp said trotting over to me. “She told me otherwise.” I looked down at him in shock.

“He’s right. She’s going to follow through with her mistakes.” Goldenlee said smiling and sitting down next to me.

“But we won’t rush her. She already has enough she needs to worry about.” Brick said trotting over to us.

“And we will help her in return for helping us.” Star said standing next to me.

“Because she’s a new mare now.” Silver Iris said with a smirk. “And because we are friends. We will overcome anything that gets in our way. And if we fall.” I finished for her.

“We will catch each other and push on through.” Rex gave a small howl of agreement. I noticed Stall giving me a sincere smile.

“I’m glad you finally found friends, Curry.” He said. I nodded to him. LittlePip smiled and trotted up to her friends.

“Alright then. Let’s discuss the plan shall we?” she said.

I had to admit, LittlePip definitely knew what she was talking about. She made some valid points and calmly answered mine and her own friend’s questions. When I started talking with her, I found out we had something in common. We started off as having no friends. We both were born in stables. We both had to learn quickly if we were to survive out in the Wasteland. Her own personal experience with my own made me respect her as an equal. Two minds that thought alike. Two ponies that discovered friendships in the harsh poisoned land. In the end, I saw her more than an equal. She is a friend. A pony I can fully trust. And they left me feeling happy with myself. The Savior of the Roads and the Light Bringer working together to stop a certain pony from ruling the Empire. She had told me she was going to head back to the Lucky 38. I gave her the letter from Bucky and asked if she could give it to Mr. House. She agreed to and left the hotel with her friends.
I felt good. Really good! I started humming as I organized our things with Comp. Stall watched us. I stopped humming and looked back at him with sudden realization.

“Wait a minute. Didn’t Five say you returned home?” I asked. He blinked at me.

“Why did he say that? I told you I was going to be in Las Pegasus for a while. I still haven’t gotten my orders yet.” He rubbed his chin and looked at his PipBuck. “I haven’t even gotten any messages from Heart or Post Box.” That’s strange. Five said that he had returned home. And yet here he is. I narrowed my eyes and looked at my PipBuck.

“Stall, I’m going to send you a message.” I said. He looked at me.

“Err… okay?” he waited as I typed a random message with numbers and sent it. We waited. Stall blinked and realized what I was trying to do. He glanced at his PipBuck and furrowed his brows.

“Weird. My PipBuck isn’t saying you sent me anything.” He said. My PipBuck pinged. I looked back and saw a message back from Stall. I looked at him and he looked at me. “You gotta be kidding me!” he balked. Comp looked at us in confusion.

“What? What’s wrong?” he asked. I opened up the message.

Everything alright, sis? – Stall

“Did someone steal my PipBuck’s ID?” he asked. I looked at his.

“Somepony is being played as you.” I said. I gapped. I scrolled through my contacts and found Post Box. I typed in the message.

Is Stall there? – Courier Sixteen

I waited. It took a minute before my PipBuck pinged again.

Sixteen, this is a business line. You can ask him yourself. – Post Box

I typed back.

Right, because he is right here next to me. – Courier Sixteen

There was a long pause. We waited three minutes before my PipBuck pinged.

I see. Thank you for telling me this. We will keep an eye on him. – Post Box

I smiled at Stall who smiled back. Post Box is our boss. But he is also our guardian. I typed through my recent history and saw Five’s PipBuck ID. I typed a message.

You are one clever bastard. – Courier Sixteen

It took two minutes for him to reply.

Aha! The Cleverest Clown of the Wasteland! You truly are something, Sixteen. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t tell you these things? TTFN – Courier Five

I sighed.

“He may be a freak. But he’s a damn clever one at that.” I said. Stall looked at me.

“So why is somepony disguising as me? I know I haven’t done anything major like you have. So why me?” I darted my eyes in thought. Why Stall? Could it be… I perked up and rushed out of the room and looked at my friends who were sitting around the sofas.

“Someone knows about us!” I said. I looked at Shining Star. “My home is in danger!” Silver Iris flew up to me and hovered.

“Slow down, Courier. What’s going on?” she asked. I looked at her.

“Some pony is disguised as Stall and is walking around as him in my home as we speak! My home is in danger.” I looked back at Stall. “And you will be blamed for it!”

Footonote Level Up!

Author's Notes:

Everything is relevant...