I was surprised that even with the amount of damage Din had put onto the Commander Hurricane, at least a small bit of it survived. Silver Iris flew us down onto a deck and my friends greeted us. I was stunned when they all piled on me, laughing and cheering that I was okay. I really did have great friends. I looked over to see an injured Rex whine. I gave him a concerned look before trotting over to him.

“How are you, Rex?” I asked, petting his head. He nudged my hoof as I did, whining more. “Sorry if I had hurt you. I was just… wasn’t myself. And I let a bad pony take over and made me hurt you. So I’m sorry.” Rex nudged my face and I smiled.

“He’s saying he doesn’t blame you.” Iris said as she flew over to us and petted him. I looked at her with sad eyes.

“I’m sorry I ever doubted you.” I looked at my friends. “To all of you. I didn’t mean for any of you to get hurt. I was just… upset.” Goldenlee smiled and nuzzled my cheek.

“Dear, we already forgive you.” She said.

“Yeah, if anything, that Viper Strike pony deserves more than what the ship took.” Comp said as he stared intently at the gaping hole left by Din’s fiery hoof. I blinked and looked around.

“Where is Viper Strike?” I asked with venom. Silver Iris looked grim.

“She and Cloudwing took off with Commander Storm and high tailed it out of here with a Vertibuck.” She said. I darted my eyes in thought. Cloudwing gave me that override card because he wanted me to see what the Enclave had been doing. Thousands of Cloudchaser clones sleeping in cryogenic tanks. All baring different colors and cutie-marks. I looked at Iris. And yet, Iris was one out of centuries of clones to actually be perfected. And Cloudwing was playing me for a fool. He and Viper both were in on it.

Cloudwing lied to me. Silver Iris saw me looking and flushed, but smiled. I was about to say something when I heard a voice shout. I blinked and looked over to see a crowd of the cerulean jump suite inmates.

“Quiet Fire!” Popper said as she marched towards me. I looked at her.

“Popper? You are okay!” I beamed and scooped her in a hug. I must have completely surprised her because she stiffened.

“What? Well of course I’m okay! So is everyone else.” She said and pushed me away. “You honestly are strange. You spent the entire time playing mute and got us to take over a ship only to destroy it when you got pissed.” She chuckled and then poked her head with a hoof. “I honestly regret having to mess with you. If I had known I was bunked with a dangerous pony, I would have just gave out right then and there.” I gave a small smile. Then hesitantly asked.

“S-so… you aren’t… mad at me for almost killing everyone?” I asked. Popper snorted.

“Girl, you got a bunch of stubborn gang heads to work together to take over a carrier without speaking.” She smirked. “That right there tells me why I shouldn’t.” She sighed now. “I hated being like that. I wasn’t always like that. But I had to find someway to get people to know that I’m not to be messed with.”

“I concur.” A voice said behind her. We looked to see Xanthos with a few other zebra. “When you first arrived, the first thing we noticed about you was your look. And when you displayed your skills against Popper, we thought you to be one of our own. But we never approached you.” He looked at his posse. “Reason why is that the Enclave have done more damage to my people than what any other pony or griffin have been through. So we kept quiet, only defending ourselves. Never acting out.” He smiled and looked at me. “And when Guillotine told us about your plan, I was happy. Happy to know that somepony had already planned a proper way of taking over the carrier without casualties.” Popper rubbed the back of her head.

“Well, until she destroyed most of it. But hey, no biggie. We won in the end.” She said. Xanthos nodded and held a hoof out to me. I cocked my head.

“Quiet Fire. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you truly. You have shown us who we once were. A once proud clan of warriors. Silenced by years of torment. You were the fire that had relit our spirits.” I was stunned. I looked at him and then to his outstretched hoof. I hesitated. Then, I took his hoof and we shook. I smiled. Then blinked.

“No casualties? Really?” I asked. Xanthos and Popper looked behind them and I saw all the familiar inmates I had gotten in on the plan. They were chatting amongst themselves, some going through Enclave cargo. They looked happy. They are happy.

“But we have another matter on our hooves.” Popper said with a frown and glared as Guillotine and the griffon Gahilda walked through the crowd that had parted away from them. Guillotine plopped a meek little mare. The one that had ratted out Gahilda and I had no choice but to trick. She shivered and curled on the floor.

“This is the one that ratted out most of our gangs and buddies.” Guillotine said and glared at the frightened mare. I looked at her.

“P-p-p-please… don’t kill me….” She shivered. I narrowed my eyes. Be a better pony, Courier! I agreed whole-heartedly with the winged pony.

“What’s your name?” I asked, making her flinch and curl more.

“B-b-b-b-Bubble Pop…” she stammered. Bubble Pop? What a cute name. Perfectly fitting for this scared mare. I put a hoof on her shoulder, making her squeak and shiver more. Then, I stroked her pink mane. The cotton candy colored mare blinked in confusion.

“You don’t have to worry about us killing you. We won’t do that.” I said. She looked up at me, still frightened.

“You…. You won’t?” she squeaked. I smiled.

“I promise we won’t.” I said. She still looked skeptical. Then, I looked sternly at her and gave her a good Cheerilee bop on the head. She looked utterly confused. “But you would have gotten yourself killed by some other person if I hadn’t figured out who you were. If it was Guillotine that found out what you had been doing it, he would have taken the matter in his own talons.” Bubble Pop looked at the griffon and to scare the mare more, Guillotine smirked as he showed her his talons. “If it was Xanthos that had figured it out, well…” I looked at the zebra and he nodded. “Let’s just say he wouldn’t have knocked you out. And if it was Popper.” I looked at her and she nodded. “Popper would have beaten you to a pulp.” She shivered more. But I gave her a reassuring smile. “So you are lucky that it was me who figured you out. And I won’t hurt you.” I know a few others that I know that do need to be hurt. But none of these ponies here deserved any of it.
Bubble Pop seemed to ease, but she still looked skeptical.

“So let this be a lesson. I know you feared for your life. You had every right to do what you had to. And I don’t blame you.” I smirked. “I probably would have pissed off Popper more if I ratted her out.” Popper gave me a glare.

“So you planned on ratting me out?” she said coldly. My challenging smirk made her blink before snorting. “Right, right. It would have ended one way or the other. But don’t ever think about trying to rat me out, ya’ here?” I laughed, making Bubble Pop ease more.

“So, what now?” Guillotine asked as he looked at the destroyed carrier. “We went through all the trouble to take it over only to have you destroy it in the end.” I gave him a sheepish smile.

“Well… I guess we have no choice but to land it somewhere.” I looked at my friends. “How did you guys get on the ship anyway?” They looked to Comp. He flushed and rubbed the back of his head.

“Well… let’s just say I convinced Iris to get a couple of ponies we know to help us.” He said. I blinked. “Trust me. While you were up here, a lot of things went down. But how we got here is through one of those Vertibucks found in an Enclave station not too far from here.” Shining Star cleared his throat.

“Well, maybe we can park the ship somewhere out to the sea.” He said. I blinked again. “The frozen ocean of the Empire. If we can land the carrier into the ocean…” he smiled. “Then we have a floating base of operations.” I cocked my head. A base of operations? Like an HQ?

“Wait, you want to turn this carrier into a floating HQ in a frozen sea? Why?” I asked. Comp nickered.

“Like I said. A lot of things went down while you were gone. Mr. House had declared all-out war with the Legion. The Shining Armor Dam had been hit and the president almost assassinated. But then Mr. House had declared war on the RCE after that, stating that ‘They are a bunch of savages no different than the Legion’.” I rubbed the back of my head. So Mr. House had declared war against the RCE and. That’s not good. Silver Iris continued for him.

“Then we found out the Enclave are planning an assault on the Strip. The AppleJack Rangers have holed up in abandoned stables. The Family are preparing for the upcoming wedding. And what’s more, the Legion still is on the loose. The gangers have been more rowdy and are going against the code The Family had set up.” She said. I gapped. All that in five weeks!? Goldenlee was the next to speak.

“Dear, LittlePip has vanished. She and her friends are nowhere to be seen! And after the activity increased, New Pegas and DJ Pon3 are doing the best they can to fight the good fight.” I was shocked. LittlePip and her friends. Gone? What had happened to them? Did the plan go wrong? I prayed to the Goddesses that they were okay. I looked grim. I darted my eyes in thought. So that’s why Shining Star wants to turn this place into a base of operations. The good people of the Wasteland were here. We needed all the help we can get. There is a war going to happen and the Strip and] Empire is in danger. Be a better pony, Courier. I nodded.

“Okay… I see now.” I turned to the gang heads. “You guys don’t mind if we do turn this place into an HQ? It’s ours anyways. And there is plenty of room and supplies by the looks of it.” The three looked at each other.

“Well, that depends really. Some people here don’t get along well still.” Popper said. “But I’ll see what I can do to get them to come to an understanding. But I won’t guarantee anything.” I nodded to her and looked at Xanthos.

“We will repay your act by fighting beside you. We are not part of the Legion, but a clan of warriors. I will gather my people and see if we can do the same.” He said. I looked at Guillotine.

“I’m a griffon. They take one look at me and they will instantly know their place.” He said coolly. I smirked.

“Don’t let it go to your head too much.” I said. “We are in this together now, whether we like it or not. We are all in danger here. We must fight for what we believe in. But I know we can do this.” I smiled. “As a clown once told me, all for one and one for all.” They nodded in agreement. I looked to my friends, who were smiling at me. I noticed Silver Iris give me that look that made me flush. But I smiled. We are all in this together. These are my friends. And I need them as much as they need me. I’ll be their Courier.

We had found the cockpit of the ship and Shining Star crash landed the ship into the sea, rocking everything and everyone. When the ship settled, we began a new course of action. We handed the ship over to the three gang heads. When we left the ship that was docked at the snowy beach of The Empire, we found that we had also landed close to a town called Glaciale, a small town on the shores of the Empire. Trotting out with my friends beside me, we were instantly greeted by a group of ponies with guns aimed at us.

“Not another step!” a mare shouted. We looked at each other before turning our gaze back at the group.

“You have nothing to worry about. Just a few hundred ponies, griffons and zebra on that carrier.” I said, smirking slightly at their startled expressions. “We took over an Enclave prison carrier. So right now, I don’t think it’s wise to go in there when a bunch of armed inmates are still in it.” They said nothing and I sighed. “They aren’t really bad. We had just taken over a carrier. We are using it as a base. We can trade supplies with you. We aren’t those that just shot on sight.” The group looked at each other.

“How can we trust you?” one asked. Silver Iris smirked.

“Didn’t you hear? She’s the Savior of the Roads.” She said. That got them to look at me with shocked looks. I smiled, nodding. I had given up trying to deny the name. So I’ll go with it.

“Courier Sixteen of the Crystal Express. Also known as the Savior of the Roads.” And right now, this Savior needs a drink.

“S-so it is true. The mare with golden eyes and mane of fire. The Savior of the Roads. She does exist.” One stammered. I rolled my eyes, chuckling. Then, I realized I had forgotten to throw my hood back over me. But, oh well.

“Okay, okay. Enough of that. Listen, people on that carrier aren’t bad. They can tell you otherwise. And I know they will want to trade supplies with your town.” They looked at each other again before finally speaking.

“I-if you insist, Savior.” One said. I smiled. That was a relief. I guess this day isn’t going to turn out bad. But I know that I’m needed back out on the field. The Strip is in trouble. I have to stop the fighting there. After dealing with the residents and talking with the three gang heads about the trade, they came to an agreement. That left me and my friends to wonder the ship a bit to gather the supplies we needed before heading out. I trotted down the halls of the carrier, finding rooms that I hadn’t seen at all. Other than minor terminals that had reports about Enclave activity and finding a few supplies that could aid us in dire needs, everything else was just either dorm rooms or offices. When I came to one door however, I narrowed my eyes.

“Captain’s Quarters, huh?” I smiled and tried the door, only to find it locked. I furrowed my brows and pulled out a bobby pin and the screwdriver, easily unlocking the door and it hissed open. I trotted into a wide open room. A terminal hummed quietly on the desk. A bed to my left with Shadowbolt posters and Wonderbolt posters. I blinked. I was staring at a portrait of Cloudchaser standing next to another lilac colored pegasus mare with straight mint green mane and a red bow. Cloudchaser, looking cool and determined in her Shadowbolt armor and the other, smiling normally in a scientist coat and a clip board under her wing. I squinted at the small plaque underneath.

“Cloudchaser and Flitter. Enclave’s brain and brawn duo.” I read aloud. I looked up to them. They seemed so happy in the portrait. I couldn’t tell if they were sisters or friends. But I could see how happy they were next to each other. I’ve heard in the memory orb about Cloudchaser mentioning Flitter. Then my eyes fell next to a glass case with a strange looking power hoof in it. I read the plaque underneath it. “Flitter’s Will.” I looked back up at the power hoof. It wasn’t like the one the Reaper had used. It looked slimmer. It had the lilac colors with a cerulean hue to it. I opened the case and took it in my magic. I held out my hoof and placed the power hoof next to it. Judging by the way it looked compared to my hoof, it was meant only for a pegasus. I fell my sights onto a locker.

Using a bobby pin to unlock it, I gapped when I saw the armored Shadowbolt barding and a memory orb underneath it on the floor of the locker. I levitated out the barding. It had the colors of a Shadowbolt, but it seemed lightly armored as well. Not too bulky, not too slim. And I found that it also had a helmet that could be retracted just like the Enclave armor. The flaps for the wings hang loosely by its’ sides and the tail seemed to have a hook at the end that seemed to be meant for holding a fire arm. Pocketing the memory orb and folding the barding up around the power hoof, I trotted around the room to see if I could find anything more. Messing with the terminal, I found nothing of too importance, which made me feel disappointed. No wall safe either. But I did find more bobby pins and a few health potions on the shelf next to the door.

Before heading out of the room, I took one last look at the happy duo in the portrait. Cloudchaser’s cool and determined look next to a kind and smiling look. I smiled. A moment for the two locked forever in a picture. I left the room and made my way back to the bridge. I found Iris looking at the Science Door where her clones had been before Din melted them. I gave her a concerned look.

“Iris?” I asked. She looked at me and sighed.

“What am I, Courier? Am I a pony? Or am I just a measly test subject?” she said, bowing her head. I gave her a reassuring smile now and kissed her mane.

“You are Silver Iris. Great, great etcetera grand-daughter of a pretty cool Shadowbolt named Cloudchaser. You are your own person. A pony with your own actions. You don’t need to follow orders from those that had treated you so. Just as long as you are yourself in the end.” I said. She looked at me and smiled.

“You still know how to impress ponies.” She said. I nodded.

“And I found something I think you might like.” I pulled out the Shadowbolt barding and the power hoof. Silver Iris gapped.

“A Shadowbolt battle armor? W-where did you get this!?” she said in utter shock. I smiled.

“Let’s just say two awesome friends gave me them to give to you.” I said. She looked confused. I gave her the barding. She held it in her hooves and tested it by lightly flapping it. She furrowed her brows before taking off her barding and slipping on the Shadowbolt armor. She blinked as she zipped up the armor and the helmet retracted around her eyes, giving her a mask that had goggles on it. She looked herself over and flicked her hooked tail. She stretched her wings and flapped them twice. She seemed stunned.

“A perfect fit…” she said softly. I smiled and held up the power hoof. I slid it on her left foreleg and clamped it down. She wiggled her hoof and gave a test swing. “Not too light and not too heavy…” She smirked now. She flew up from the ground and did a few laps around the halls before stopping and landing softly in front of me. “Wow. So this is what the Shadowbolts used. Nimble, lightly but not too much armored.” She held up the power hoof and looked at the wall. I gapped when she swung with all her might and the wall broke, sending the debris flying. I didn’t see any signs of shock or explosions. What kind of power hoof is that!? But Silver Iris grinned. Wide and big. “This. Is. Awesome!!!” she laughed and flew around the area, doing flips and twirls, using the power hoof on walls and ceilings. I was stunned.

But at the same time, I am happy. Silver Iris was enjoying her new found barding and weapon. She even hooked her energy pistol to the tail and gave a few test shots. She laughed more, still enjoying her armor. I’m glad Iris is happy. After her years of being a clone, she didn’t know what to think. She had been hurt. And yet she was able to move on. I hadn’t been able to do that. I was mad at her because she forgave the ponies that had hurt her. I wasn’t the better pony then. It took her five weeks to tell me her thoughts on her life to get me to see that I shouldn’t even worry about it. She had moved on. And she is happy about it. I yelped, finding myself being lifted up quickly and flushed as Silver Iris gave me a good kiss, her tongue moving as well before pulling away and nuzzled me.

“I have an awesome mare-friend!” she laughed. I flushed even more. But I smiled.

“You’re welcome.” I said. She finally put me down and gave herself another look over.

“This armor is great! I can move as quickly as I want. Pivot in the air quickly. Has a built in EFS. Has a tail gun hook. The perfect armor for me!” she said. Her goggled mask helmet retracted and her beaming silver eyes looked at me. “You are the best, Courier!” I felt my heart beat more and I had to nudge her.

“S-stop it! I-I’m not used to complements.” I stammered. Silver Iris chuckled before nuzzling my cheek and kissing it.

“Well, I’m not the only that had complemented you.” She said. I smirked.

“True, you aren’t. But still, keep it up and I won’t forgive you.” I said. She suddenly blinked.

“You’re joking right?” She asked. I was. But I wasn’t showing it. She looked confused and I laughed, galloping down the hall, Silver Iris flying after me and laughing as well. I felt good. Really good! Utterly and amazingly good! And I’ll relieve it for the rest of my life in my head.

Me and my friends trotted down Glaciale. For a sea side town, it is decently lively. A lot of fisher ponies run the businesses around here. I frowned when there weren’t any indoor bars. Only the one outdoor one that didn’t have Ranger Whiskey on the menu. They did have an interesting drink called ‘”Bellator.” My friends watched, to Goldenlee’s chagrin, as I took a small sample of the drink and perked up.

“Oh wow! This is amazing!” I said. The old fisher pony behind the counter chuckled.

“Well, we finally have a pony that knows a good drink when she sees one. Hell, I like you already. Take the whole bottle as a gift for expanding our trade to this slummed town. On the house.” He said. I beamed as he gave me the bottle. I smiled and nuzzled the bottle of Bellator.

“I think I found my new poison~!” I sighed happily. Goldenlee groaned.

“She’s going to die pretty and young at this rate.” She said, rubbing her face. My friends chuckled. Making our way out of the town, I glanced at my PipBuck. I arched a brow. I have six unread messages. I scrolled through them.

Message 1: Courier. Are you okay? New Pegas says that you had vanished along with the Stable Dweller. Please, write back. – Heart.

Message 2: Are you there? Come on, please reply! – Heart

Message 3: Hello, best friend~! Are you feeling alright? Poor Heart is utterly worried. – Chester

Message 4: Curry? Where are you? I can’t find your PipBuck tag. – Stall

Message 5: Courier, this is LittlePip. Sombra took the opportunity on us. We have no choice but to regroup and think of another way. – Stall

Message 6: Attention, couriers. If you know of any leads given to the disappearance of one of our own, please report to me. – Post Box

I said nothing. They were worried about me. They all were. My eyes fell onto the fifth message. They had said LittlePip and her friends vanished. But Stall was with them. He is okay. And LittlePip even wrote me a message as well. Sombra had taken an opportunity. Did he find out about the plan? No wonder LittlePip and her friends had to vanish. They were trying for another strategy. I bit my lip. I typed into my PipBuck.

Sorry for the late reply, everypony. I got tied up longer than expected. I’m okay now. I’ll talk to you all later. – Courier

I sent the message and sighed. Well, now that the plan had been ditched completely, we had to start anew. Start anew…

“So what’s the plan?” Shining Star asked. I threw my hood over me.

“Well, LittlePip and her friends are okay. That’s one thing.” I said. I heard sighs of reliefs. “Two, we need to head to Las Pegasus. The Strip is in danger of being assaulted by the Enclave. And the gangs are running loose.” I smiled at them. “We also have a wedding to catch too. If we can get the Strip under control and organized, we would be ready for when the Enclave attack. We are also going to need to find some ponies that know how to repair a destroyed carrier.”

“Then we would need the help of the Snow Dogs.” Shining Star said. I blinked.

“I… sorry?” I asked. Shining Star looked at us as he spoke.

“Snow Dogs. They used to be called the diamond dogs. During the war, all of them had to relocate once ponies in the war exhausted their supply and were kicked out of their homes. Some went east, some stayed deep below. And then some came north.” He nodded to the tall tower peak castle of the Crystal Empire far off in the distance. “After hearing about the Crystal Empire, they figured to make their homes underneath the outskirts of the region. If we are lucky, we might find some around here and not have to go looking far.”

“And that is why you are the egg-head of the century.” I teased. He smirked.

“Oh, but I am nothing compared to your own brains.” He said. I blinked and narrowed my eyes.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked. He shrugged.

“I don’t know. You are a smart pony. Figure it out.” He gave me a sly look. I smirked and nudged him.

“Very funny.” I said. I looked ahead and pulled my hood down. “Alright then. If we want a working base of operations, we need to find Snow Dogs that know how to fix it.”

“It will be a challenge to get them to side with us.” Goldnelee said as she trotted to stand next to Shining Star. “The dogs down east and west may be fine with ponies. But I’ve heard that the ones in the north are vicious and untrustworthy.” She shivered a bit. I nodded.

“Then we earn their trust.” I smirked at her. “Unless you are afraid of getting your hooves dirty.” Goldenlee blinked and gave me a glare.

“I’m not that bad!” she retorted. Comp nickered.

“Oh you should have seen it a couple weeks ago. She completely freaked out.” He said. She turned to him.

“Why are you still talking!?” she said. We laughed before heading out down the snow covered road. I checked the map on my PipBuck and saw that it had marked the area where we needed to find the Snow Dogs. Stable-Tec, what didn’t you put in these things? I found that the road we were on wasn’t a courier route. Or any route for that matter. It just labeled it as “No Pony Land”. I looked up and saw the endless amounts of snow hills in the gray and gloomy distance. I shivered, not from the cold breeze that had picked up into a mild blizzard, but the name gave me the chills itself. Following the tag along the road, we found half buried caravans and skeletons. I shivered more as the thought that the snow hills weren’t just snow hills, but mass graves of lost ponies that froze to death. My PipBuck clicked every now and then, stating the minor radiation spots we should avoid when I waved it in the particular direction, making the needle spike.

We took some Rad-X and Rad-Away for safe measures as we traveled down the buried road of No Pony Land. The blizzard went from mild to moderate as we found ourselves no longer on the road, but on snow covered plains. I checked my EFS every now and then, making sure we wouldn’t get ambushed by creatures of the sort.

We did, however, have to kill a pack of wild Snowwolves. And I thought timberwolves were scary. But these worked with their environments. One took me completely by surprise when it burst from the snow and pinned me. Rex reacted and bashed the wolf away, clawing and scratching in the process. More burst from the snow. Silver Iris made quick use of switching between her hooked pistol and the power hoof, blowing the wolves into piles of snow. I hadn’t realized Comp had a weapon of his own. He rode on the back of Rex, steering him away from danger and going in for the kills. Brick fired an incendiary into the mouth of one snow wolf. It clamped down and swallowed, before looking funny. The explosion blew the wolf into snow bits and the fire caused the remaining wolves to back away and growl. I entered S.A.T.S. after Goldenlee took aim at one that had jumped on Iris and blew the wolf’s head away with a shotgun blast to the face.
But they weren’t done. More and more wolves began bursting out of the snow and headed our way. Silver Iris gritted her teeth as she shoved a wolf back before blowing it into bits with her power hoof.

“There’s too many of these damn things!” she said as she fired at one, melting it. Rex swiped at the wolves surrounding him and Comp.

“We have to think of something! Otherwise we are just going to be their meal!” Comp said as he steered Rex into one that had gotten close. I swung Compassion at three of them, making them back away. They were right. I had to find something. I had to do something. Then I gapped. I had controlled fire back on the carrier before letting Din control me. I bit my lip. Then, I concentrated. I focused on the fire from the incendiary round. I felt my hood give way and felt myself going warm. The wolves growled and snarled, but backed away from me and my friends. They looked shocked at me, but I smirked.

“Don’t worry. I’m not stupid to do that again. I can control it. I know I can.” I said. And I could. I saw the fire grow brighter and stronger. Small streams fired out at the wolves as it snaked around us. I focused. I had to keep the flames going. I took a hoof step forward. “Everypony just stay still.” I said. They did. And I closed my eyes, making the fire around us grow. Then, I opened my eyes and forced the fire around us to push outward. I heard howls as the area around us began to melt with the wolves with it. I gapped, feeling the warmth reside. I looked around to see that snow around us melted in a circle. I patted my mane, feeling the spectral flames vanish and my fire streaked mane settled. I looked at my tail and also saw the spectral fire vanish. I then noticed my friends looking at me with minor intrigue.

“Oh… I guess it did work.” I said with a sheepish smile. Silver Iris smiled and shook her head.

“What I tell ya’? This mare can impress anypony.” She said. I flushed and threw my hood back over my head.

“L-let’s keep going. And keep an eye out for anymore snowwolves.” I said. Ignoring the chatter amongst my friends, I darted my eyes around our surroundings. After that encounter with the snow wolves (having been my first time actually dealing with them) I wasn’t about to risk a chance of us being attacked again. I checked to see if there were anyways to spot them. And I have. My keen eyes spotted abnormal small mounds. What made them even more obvious is the small snow trails they left behind. My EFS can’t pick up on them due to their camouflage stalking. And we have been more than stalked a few times as we followed the navigation tag. I could see small brisk movement in the corner of my eyes. When I thought something was there, there would actually be nothing. But in reality there was. And the snow wolves are damn clever. Being cousins to timberwolves in a sense of blending into the environment gave them the right to be a cousin to them. But unlike timberwolves, their bite doesn’t paralysis, but it seems to leave a feeling of frost bite.

How I knew this? I did get bit in another attack. But it was just the one. I was pinned again and gritted my teeth.

“Courier!” Iris cried out. I stuck a hoof out to cover my face and the wolf bit down on my fore leg. I screamed as the teeth sank in and was being jerked. I nearly got pulled into the snow when Goldenlee’s marksmanship came true. The wolf’s head exploded from the rifle bullet and I hissed in pain. I looked at my leg and saw it turning blue already. The blood froze too. I couldn’t feel the blood in my leg. It was as if the wolf had killed it with a single bite. I tired standing up, only to fall down in the process into the snow. Goldnelee quickly made me chug a health potion down, but was surprised to see that the potion had frozen over. I limped, my bitten blue foreleg hanging limply as Goldenlee tried warming the potion. But to no avail. She bit her lip before looking at me.

“Dear, how long do you think you can last?” she asked. I winced but smiled tiredly. It may be numb, but it still hurt.

“I-I think I can manage. Though I won’t be walking properly for a bit.” I said. I hope this wasn’t as bad as it looked that I had to get it amputated. I felt horrified by the thought. My poor leg! I bit my lip as Goldenlee helped me up.

“Are we close by?” she asked. She held me up as I checked my PipBuck. We were right on the tag marker. I looked around and saw nothing but snow dunes and hills.

“We are here, but it’s not saying where to look. I guess...” I winced. “Guess we have to look through the snow. I blinked and felt myself being scooped up by Iris and put on the back of Rex. He whined and using my good hoof, I petted him. “It’s okay, boy. I’m a tough mare. I’ll pull through.” But I was starting to have second thoughts. My friends spent thirty minutes scouring the snow dunes, carefully making sure that they weren’t snowwolves. I saw between tired eyes Iris glancing at me worriedly. I smiled and waved weakly at her. Goddesses this hurts. I looked at my leg. Is it supposed to be that color? And what’s worse is that all our potions had frozen over. The temperature must have been below freezing. But I couldn’t tell. My leg felt warm. Surprisingly warm. And I wasn’t using Din’s power either to warm me. I just felt warm.

I smiled lightly. I was also feeling very tired. Very, very, very tired. Comp must have noticed me closing my eyes, for he quickly trotted over and patted my cheek.

“Courier! You have to stay awake! Don’t fall asleep!” he said. I was trying. But the warmth felt so comfortable. My vision began blurring. I heard Iris swore and furiously look through snow dunes. Comp patted my cheek again. He was saying something now. But I couldn’t hear it. I smiled as the warmth crept up on me. It felt nice. The blackness began to form. I could hear Iris shouting. But I couldn’t hear what she was saying. Comp kept patting my cheek, but I just closed my eyes, feeling the warmth finally embrace me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~oooOOO000OOOooo~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I found myself trotting down a road. Not the same road that I had to walk through to get back to my body. This was a different road. The side of the road littered with bones, corpses and graves. Was this Hell? Or is this Heaven? I won’t really know for sure until I keep walking this road. The more I trotted, the more I began to see faint shimmering lights float in and out of view. I squinted to one and saw what looked like a small pony face. But it vanished before I could really get a good look at it.

Then, I heard the crying. I looked and saw a mare in a black dress and a veil over her face as she cried over a grave. I arched a brow. I stepped off the road and over to her.

“Is everything okay, miss?” I asked. She kept crying. I trotted closer and looked at the grave. It read ‘Big Machintosh. Loyal friend. Leader. Hero. Loving brother.’ I looked to the veiled mare. I gave her a sad look. “Did you know him?” I asked. The mare nodded. “I’m sorry about your loss. I understand what it’s like to lose a brother too…” The mare kept sobbing. I didn’t know what I was thinking. This had to be a dream. So it should be safe, right? Or is it a nightmare? Or something. I didn’t know. I find myself not being able to think straight but feel for the crying mare. I sat there quietly, praying that the Goddesses are watching over Big Mac as I did.

“You have lost a brother, too?” the mare asked in a sniffle. Her accent sounded southern. I blinked and looked at the veiled mare. She wasn’t looking at me but kept her focus on the grave. I nodded. “What was he like?” I sighed and looked at the grave.

“He was one of the best. The best. I looked up to him. Me and my siblings all did. And then when my father left, he followed after him.” I bowed my head. “And then he vanished too. He left us to go find dad.” The mare said nothing and kept her focus on the grave. “He may not have been a hero like Big Machintosh. But he was a hero to us. To all of us. And then I found him again.” I felt a tear form and wiped it away. “He wasn’t the same. He had changed. I still believe him to still be out there. I know he is somewhere.” I held out a hoof to the grave. “And I won’t stop until I find him. I’ll bring him back, even if it kills me. And I know I can do it too.” I smiled now and looked at the mare. “I have friends I can trust to help me. And I’ll stick by them as they have me.” The mare now looked at me. I couldn’t see what she looked like under her black desperado hat, veil and dress. But I had a sneaky suspicion of who it is.

“Why are you here?” she asked. I blinked and rubbed the back of my head.

“I’m… not really sure to be honest. I was just trying to find some help so we can get a ship back in working order.” I blinked and looked at my bit leg. The bite wasn’t there and it was normal. “I got bit by a snowwolf. And after that, I began feeling warm and tired.” I looked around. “Is this a dream?” The mare shook her head.

“A pony like you shouldn’t be here. You have too much to live for. You shouldn’t have stepped off the road!” she put a hoof on my shoulder. “You have to run. Run and whatever you do, don’t look back.” I arched a brow.

“Why?” I asked. As if on cue, I heard an inequine scream. I stiffened and looked around. Oh boy. Curse my curiosity! I looked at the mare. She was still focusing on me.

“Don’t even look! Just run! What 'ahm telling you is the honest truth. Now run! And keep running!” she said. The scream was getting closer.

“B-but what about you?” I asked. The mare took off her hat and veil and I gapped at the freckled orange mare.

“Because ‘ahm already dead. But you still have a chance, sugar cube. He still hasn’t touched you yet!” Her eyes suddenly widened. “Run! Don’t look back! Stay on the road and run! Go!” She shoved me and I bolted for the road. I yelped when a skeletal hoof shot out of the ground. I jumped over it and kept running, nimbly avoiding the skeletal hooves that shot out of the ground. The inequine scream was right behind me now. But I didn’t look back. Once I was on the road, I galloped. Galloped like no tomorrow.

Whatever was chasing me, it wasn’t good. Its’ screams weren’t normal. More skeletal hooves shot out of the road. One had tripped me, causing me to fall forward. The scream was now over me. I closed my eyes and scrambled away. I opened my eyes again and kept galloping. I had to listen to her. I kept the mare’s advice and kept galloping. I wanted to look to see what was chasing me, but two small ponies kicked me in the head everytime I had that thought. So I did. I kept galloping. I don’t know how long I was, but I kept going. I was feeling tired. I shook it away and kept galloping. I had to get through this! I had to get back to my friends!

And damn me this day if I do die now! I gritted my teeth and put on an extra burst of speed. I managed to gain a bit of distance from the inequine being. I was gasping for breath now, but I pushed on. I looked and saw to my surprise that a door had appeared at the end of the road. Two little ponies flying next to me told me to open it. To go through it. And so I listened. And Karma was helping me. I reached the door and tried to use my magic to open it. To my chagrin, my magic also didn’t work here. Sometimes being a unicorn sucks. So I fumbled with the knob, hearing the scream getting closer. The door was locked. Fuck me!

I beat at the door with my hooves, but it didn’t budge. I blinked and looked down to my side to see a bony hoof protruding from the ground. I took the leg in my teeth and splintered the bone. Taking a small piece of the bone, I stuck it in the hole and using a bigger piece, begin turning. Improvising. I’m glad I can do it. The scream was getting louder. I furrowed my brows and kept fumbling with the lock. Two little ponies were telling me to hurry. The bone piece broke and I groaned, reaching for another and retrying it. It was getting closer now.

The being was over me now when I unlocked the door. Without a second thought, I turned the knob and dove in, landing with a thud into pitch blackness. The door behind me closed and clicked. I gasped for breath. I took a moment and calmed my pounding heart. Getting over the hyperventilation, I stood up shakily and looked at the door. Only, there wasn’t a door anymore. Just the pitch black abyss. I looked around, taking in the darkness. Where was I now? I walked forward.

“H-hello?” Silence. I broke into a trot as I moved through the endless abyss. But I could still feel the ground underneath me. The more I trotted, the more I began to feel like I was truly alone again. This must be hell. There is no way that this could be heaven. Then I stopped, looked up and squinted. Is that a light? But it was. And it floated gently down towards me. I watched as it hovered in front of me. It then hovered around me, as if judging me. Something about this orb of light made me smile. I kept walking forward as it danced happily around me and in front of me. I was enjoying its’ company.

“What are you anyway?” I asked as it hovered in front of me. It bobbed a bit before swaying. I chuckled. “Okay then. I’m not sure what you are trying to say. But I trust you.” The ball seemed to bounce happily at this. I stopped and watched it with a smile as it flew around me and then taking to the air. I gapped when the light suddenly grew brighter and brighter. I rose a hoof and turned my head, trying to shield my eyes to the brilliant light. When it dimmed, I looked and gapped as a majestic snow white alicorn with a flowing rainbow mane smile warmly at me.

“Hello, Courier.” She said. I couldn’t say anything. I was in utter shock. The alicorn nickered before speaking again. “It’s not right for a lady to stare.” I blinked, closing my mouth and furrowed my brows.

“This has to be something.” I said, ruffling my mane in frustration. Was this really hell or not?? Give me a break already! The alicorn nodded.

“It is. Around you is the Realm in Between. It’s where lost souls like you wander to when they have lost their way.” She said. I rubbed my chin as I looked around.

“So, I’m a lost soul wandering an abyss. And yet, I’m talking to Princess Celestia herself.” I said. Celestia chuckled. “Are you saying that there is no way out?” I furrowed my brows more. “So this really is hell.” Celestia shook her head.

“It is not what you think, Courier.” She said. I looked at her and she gave me a sly look. “Or perhaps you rather be called ‘Quiet Fire’?” I narrowed my eyes.

“Was that supposed to mean something? Cause I don’t get it.” I said. Celestia walked over to me and sat down next to me. I couldn’t help but sit with her. I was surprised at how tall she is.

“Jokes aside, I have come for you for a reason.” She said.

“Me? What do you want with me?” I asked, cocking my head in the process. Princess Celestia looked ahead as she spoke.

“You remind me of a student of mine long ago. She always focused on her studies. Only had family to think of. And when I told her to make friends, she had no idea what to do.” She smiled. “You met one of her friends earlier.” I said nothing but nodded. “She had always done things by herself. Accomplished things that no pony can do by themselves. And when it became too much, she tried to find a way to make it work.” She looked at me. “And then she met her friends. She was the spark that united them. She brought them and herself together. In the end, she had found friendship.” I looked ahead now.

“And then the war happened.” I said. Celestia said nothing. “Their friendship fell apart. They grew farther and farther away from each other. And then it just ended.” I smiled. “But she didn’t give up. LittlePip had told me about the Gardens of Equestria. The one thing that can save the once beautiful land of Equestria from the poison that the war had inflicted. She never gave up.” I bowed my head, sighing. “But me? Yeah, I pushed ponies away. I only thought of family. But then I met Brick. Met Comp. Met Shining Star. Met Goldenlee. Met Silver Iris. Met Rex. It was thanks to them that I had found my virtue.” I chuckled and tapped a hoof to my head. “Even if it meant knocking some sense into me.” Celestia smiled. “And I can trust them now. I can honestly say and know for a fact that I can trust them. I’m their Courier. And they are my friends. Together, we could accomplish anything if we put our minds to it. And that is always what happens.”

“You really are a smart pony.” Princess Celestia said. I blinked at her in confusion. “LittlePip had told me so. She saw you in a dream before waking up. You gave her another chance to do something good and show her what she had done over the years.” I gapped now. I had woken up LittlePip?

“How? I didn’t even know her until she came to the hotel.” I asked. She smiled.

“I remember in a letter once written by my faithful student. She had said that they had been friends from the very beginning without even knowing. It was thanks to her friend, Rainbow Dash, that she and her friends had discovered their destinies. Not destinies of their goals and ambitions, but the bonds of their friendship.” I nodded to her. I understood what she was saying. I had not seen LittlePip in my entire life. And yet, she saw me in a dream. I had woken her up. It was thanks to me that she was able to reunite with her friends and be given a second chance. I looked at her.

“So… are you sad?” I asked. Princess Celestia looked at me with a smile. She then nodded.

“I am. But I know LittlePip. She stayed by my side for twelve years. Her friends would always stop by when given the chance. And even though she couldn’t touch them. To reach out for them. She knew that she could help. I’ve watched them for twelve years and whenever a friend of hers is hurt, she will cheer them up without having to touch them. To comfort them. Her words eased their pains. Because they trusted her.” She smiled sadly. “And I trusted her as well.” I stood up, startling her and held out a hoof to her.

“Well then. Why don’t we take a walk?” I said with a smile. It was Celestia’s turn to look confused. “I know we are in an abyss and all. But hey, a walk in no particular direction is still a walk.” She said nothing and smiled as she took my hoof and stood up. And then walked. Side by side we walked. We talked about what had happened to me in my life. Why I had only trusted myself and my family. Why I had become a courier. Why I liked getting drunk and getting into bar fights (her face was priceless). Then I told her about my friends. Brick, the strong and silent demolitionist. I told her at first he was a recipient that I was tasked to accompany to Las Pegasus. Then, I told her why he really wanted to join me. Me being a courier, I lived a life of danger and travel. He hopes and still hopes that he will one day find his friend that was taken from him. Then I told her about Comp. Mysterious and brashly cool. With no memories of his past and why he was asked to go with me to be delivered to an uncharted area. But after some certain events, I began to realize that he had more to him than he thought. And that I told him I will found out who he is before delivering him.

Then I told her about Goldenlee. Beautiful and dramatic Goldenlee. Whose aim with a rifle that I know is on par with Calamity’s own marksmanship. I told her about her motherly nature and why she was with me. She wanted to help a friend out of a money crisis. And so I took her with me so she could do just that. But in the end, she began realizing that somethings had to be let go. And then I told her about the intelligent egg-head named Shining Star. About how his days as a relic hunter were just full of exploration just for the fun of it and knowing treasure would be worthwhile. Then I told her about Rex. The failed FEV treated like a creature to the Enclave. His days of being tormented. I gave a chuckle when I told her about him biting me.

“A timberwolf’s breath can be deadly. It’s amazing you had survived it.” She said. I nodded.

“I really don’t know how. But the splinters he left hurt like hell. Goldenlee had to do surgery on me to remove them.” I shuddered at the thought. “If anything, I panicked at the thought of having somepony digging through my organs.” Princess Celestia gave a small chuckle.

“And yet, you weren’t scared to know that a timberwolf could have killed you.” She said. I smiled.

“Well, there was that one time where I actually was scared to die.” I sighed. “When Din, a fire spirit, had taken control of me in Tipson, I had somehow transferred a soul into a copy of me. I put us both to sleep and when I awoke, I found that I was still in my copy and not in my actual body. Shining Star, being the egg-head, told me I had at least three days to live to get my soul back into my body before I was completely wiped out from existence.” I shuddered. “But I was more scared of the fact that I was gonna die and be erased from existence. No pony would know who I was. What I had done. I would be just… gone.”

“But you weren’t scared of being out of your body?” she asked. I nodded.

“It was weird. But I didn’t want to be completely erased from existence. I wanted to be at least remembered by my siblings.” I said. Princess Celestia smiled.

“Your courage is peculiar, Courier. You throw yourself in death’s wake, even having to outrun Death himself and live to tell the tale. And you not only live, but you give ponies something they never thought they had.” I looked at her. “You give them the will to face those odds put against them. Your careful understanding of knowing your opponents moves and ideas and are one step ahead of them. And you plan it perfectly, giving ponies the chance they need to have that will again.” I smiled.

“Silver Iris had to knock that into me to get me out of a killing everyone.” I said. She looked at me.

“Who is this Silver Iris?” she asked. I blinked. Oh right, I kind of went off topic a bit. I flushed then.

“W-well… I don’t know where to start. I mean… I guess I can tell you that she is a clone of a Shadowbolt named Cloudchaser.” I said. Princess Celestia seemed surprised by this. “And well… she told me that her life had been constant drills and tests because she was the one clone out of centuries of testing to be a ‘Perfect Super Soldier’. She could be a normal pony and have the strength of a head on train collision and the natural abilities of a skilled flier.” I looked at her. “She also loved a pony she thought she could trust. And she found out that another pony who pretended to be her friend made the stallion cheat on her. She left the Enclave because she was tired of having to be kept locked inside.”

I sighed. “She came down to the Wastelands and joined the Black Talons. But what she really wanted was the freedom to do the things she wanted. To live a life without constant watch and putting her skills constantly to the test.” I flushed. “And I guess when she met me, she wanted to begin anew. She told me that she envied me. Because I was living the life of a courier that risks everything to put a simple package on the doorstep of a building or home and wanted to have some action. So she made the excuse of Goldenlee of owing her fifty thousand caps.” Celestia balked. I laughed. “Yup. She’s still a mercenary in a sense. But she’s with us now.” Princess Celestia smiled and chuckled.

“You speak very highly of your friends. Do any of them speak of you in that regards as well?” she asked. I opened my mouth, stopped, then closed it. I took a moment to gather the words.

“I honestly don’t know.” I finally said. “Well, I didn’t know. And when I wasn’t myself, Silver Iris was the one that told me what they had thought of me.” I bowed my head. “I was stupid. I let my emotions get the better of me. I was completely oblivious to what my friends thought of me.” Princess Celestia nodded.

“It seems you learned a valuable lesson.” She said. I nodded. She then turned. “Courier. I enjoyed this talk with you. It’s not every day I get to have a conversation with somepony.” She looked tired. “I had made many mistakes. And I regret all of them. I regret having to put all of the war effort onto my sister’s shoulders. I was the one that let Goldenblood talk me out of things. I had failed my students and my subjects. I had been a fool.” I smiled now and patted her shoulder.

“Well, mistakes happen. It’s what makes a pony a pony. Sure you may be looked up too as a celestial being, but that doesn’t mean you are perfect. No pony is perfect. Look at me. I’m still not over my trauma, but I can put it behind me.” I chuckled. “And I’ll await the day it comes back to bite me again. But when it does, I’ll be ready. Because I learned from my mistakes. And you have too, Princess. Maybe not as quick, but it’s what makes you a pony.” Princess Celestia looked at me before smiling.

“You are a good pony, Courier. You and LittlePip. You both have shown me that I too am still a pony. That even celestial beings can make mistakes. That it’s from those mistakes that makes us who we are.” A giant wing expanded and I found myself being hugged by the giant white alicorn. I was stunned. But then I smiled and hugged her back. And at the moment, I looked and saw a light shine in front of us.

“What’s that?” I asked. Princess Celestia smiled.

“It’s time for you to be reunited with your friends again. You have lived through death. Even outran it itself. And your courage to those around you have given a powerful will that I have not seen in years. AppleJack was right. It is not your time yet. You still have ponies out there needing a courier to give them the freedom of their will.” She said. I smiled and hugged her again.

“Don’t worry, Princess. Even though you may not be around anymore, there are still ponies that remember you. And they know you. They will treat you like any other pony. And we are friends. It’s what friends do.” I said. She nuzzled my mane before nudging me with a wing. I smiled and trotted to the light.

“Take care, Courier.” She said. I nodded to her before speaking.

“I’ll see you again when it’s time. Me and LittlePip both will.” I said. I turned and took a deep breath before stepping into the light.

It was a strange sensation. I had died. I had walked the path of death. I outran death. Cheating him out of me once again. Even he couldn’t capture me. And when I found myself with no way out, I just walked. And I continued to walk. I didn’t stop. I kept going. Because I know that one day, I would find a way out. And I had. Thanks to Princess Celestia, I had shown her what it means to be a flawed pony. And I was given another chance at life once again.

I had died. And then I lived.

Footnote Max Level!