I frowned as I looked around. Too many ponies about. If Seven had gotten mugged around this spot, then it was no surprise that anypony would have done anything to stop it from happening. In front of the main gate that led out into the outskirts of Las Pegasus was in fact no better than Coltington Way. I asked ponies left and right about a certain courier mugging and all I got was either looks of “are you stupid?” or shrugs while saying “Viva Las Pegasus”. I groaned in frustration when one lovey dovey pair went from trying to explain to sexual innuendos. Eventually, it got to the point of me slowly backing away and out of site when the stallion became a tad horny.

I slumped as I found myself back in the middle of the busy streets. No pony was really too keen on speaking. And some see it as an everyday occurrence. The city of vice, Las Pegasus. Where you can enjoy to your heart’s content and where we won’t give two shits if you get mugged. Viva Las Pegasus. Enjoy. I snorted at my made up motto of the pony who thought of building Las Pegasus. Maybe I should ask around one more time. I looked and saw a middle aged scruffy looking pegasus with a grey unicorn with a striped mane. They were having a friendly chat over a table of coffee. I walked over to them.

“Um, excuse me.” I said. They looked up and smiled. “Sorry if I’m interrupting anything. But I’m looking for anything about a courier mugging that happened around here.” When the fancily dressed pegasus with a brown fedora spoke. I balked at the recognizable voice.

“And here we thought no one would bother to ask.” He said.

“New Pegas?” I arched a brow. The scruffy looking pegasus smiled and nodded.

“And who might you be? One of my lovely listeners that is just dying for me to sign a pad?” He said. I suddenly gave him a look of annoyance.

“I think you know who I am.” I said. The unicorn mare nickered.

“Indeed we do, don’t we NP?” she said. I looked at her.

“And you are?” I asked. The mare winked.

“Name’s Homage. I’m an assistant to DJ Pon3.” She said. Homage? I rubbed the back of my head. “And you are asking about any muggings? Well, we certainly thought it was an everyday occurrence here in Las Pegasus.” I said nothing and waited for her to get to the point. Homage looked to New Pegas. “What do you think, NP?” New Pegas took a sip of his coffee before speaking.

“Well, it’s not news I would be speaking of. But for a courier like yourself, I can’t resist turning away a good deed.” He said. “I guess we can tell you.” I cocked my head.

“Guess?” I frowned. “You’re making it sound like you have something to do with the mugging and the thefts going on around the city. Mainly directed at the Omaretas wedding.” Homage smiled.

“We have nothing against the Omaretas. Honestly, I’m happy that decent ponies are willing to have a special event like a wedding in a place like this.” she said. A thought popped into my head that made me glare at New Pegas. My sudden look made them arch their brows.

“Oh, I almost forgot. New Pegas, you are the sole reason why I’m in so much damn trouble. Why the hell did you think it was a good idea in the first place to exploit me?” I asked. New Pegas tipped his hat with a smile.

“Well, a pony that accomplishes a task like that has to get noticed. It’s not everyday you hear about a lone courier stopping a gang war on one of the Empire’s most dangerous routes and have two gang heads come to an agreement.” He said. I frowned more.

“And let me guess. You told everyone about me blowing up the building where one of the Bullhorn Boys were holding up in.” New Pegas rubbed his chin.

“Well, I didn’t think it was you at first. All I know was a courier had come out unscathed in the wreckage.” He grinned. “Say Homage. Ever wondered what’s it like to blow up two buildings?” Homage chuckled and looked at me.

“NP here wouldn’t have thought so if you hadn’t blown up the Cathedral Casino.” She said. I opened my mouth to protest, but thought better of it. I’m not getting anywhere with these two. They think they can toy with me? Well, this courier is not meant to be toyed with. I kept my cool as I spoke.

“Alright, deeds aside, I just came here for some answers.” I said.

“Then ask. Nothing’s stopping you.” Homage said. I felt my eye twitch in annoyance.

“Do you or do you not know about a courier mugging?” I asked, feeling my annoyance grow. The two exchanged a glance before New Pegas spoke.

“Sorry, kid. Never heard of one.” He said.

“See, was that so hard?” I said smugly before turning away and back to where I started.

“But…” Oh, you are going to get it old coot. I looked back over my shoulder as New Pegas spoke. “You ever hear about a group calling themselves The Followers of the Apocalypse?” My look told him that this had better be worth my time. “Well, I’ve been hearing about that particular group is here in Las Pegasus and have been doing some shady stuff.”

“Shady stuff?” I asked, maintaining my blank stare.

“They aren’t really that bad of a group.” Homage said. “But I also hear that they have some dealings with gangs and caravans. Most ponies say you can find them in an alley where Coltington Way and Casino Road meet.” I sighed. And they just happen to know about this? My asking around made it clear that no pony really cared. But when new groups like my followers were a big buzz, then how come no pony was talking about the Followers of the Apocalypse? I looked at the two.

“Right, you two obviously know something about what’s going on.” I said. They arched a brow. “So, I’ll play along. But if I find out that you two are just stalling me for something else, then I’ll see to it that your show will be off the air.” The bluff seemed to work somewhat. New Pegas looked skeptical, but he knew better. I was the so called “Savior” in his eyes. But I can also be a “Destroyer” if ponies are just toying with me and wasting my time. The two little ponies were constantly arguing about what I should do as I turned my back to them and trotted my way back to Coltington Way.

When I reached the street, I noticed the scorch marks around the place. My battle with Alicron had left obvious marks. In fact, I could make out tiny fragments of the metallic robot’s armor on the street. A giant scorch mark laid in the middle of the street. The place where I ended Bud and Alicron forever. But this wasn’t time to think about that. I had to keep my guard up as I made my way down the street and looked for Casino Road. I went a couple of blocks before reaching the street where they meet. I looked around.

No alleys. I grit my teeth. If they decide to pull a jump on me, I’ll put both of them out of commission. The bad news though. I was unarmed. The two little ponies were on the verge of nearly destroying each other. They were just waiting for the actual event to happen. I strained my ears. It was a little too quiet. Then, I heard the sound of metal scrapping against cement. I turned and saw the sewer hole opened now. I readied myself. My brain was now sending me alerts everywhere. But when nothing came out of the sewer, I stiffened. I quickly spun around just in time to see a figure loom over me. I bolted to the side as a metallic hoof came crashing down where I once stood.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me!” I said out loud as the metallic hoof rose up and I saw the familiar face of Alicron. Where did it come from!? And why is it here!? I backed away as it shifted to look at me. I blinked, seeing that it was just a torso of the giant robotic alicorn. It seemed to have been rebuilt in a sloppy manner. But even though the many flaws of the robot, it was still moving and aimed at me. I squinted my eyes, trying to see if I can find anypony inside the eyes. To my surprise, the cockpit was still shattered and broken as the day I had destroyed the monster.

No pony was piloting it. It was moving on its’ own. I grit my teeth. I’m unarmed, outmatched and was trying to process all this. The only other choice I had was to buy myself time. So I turned and galloped. Alicron reared back a hoof and aimed it at me. Out of the many choices I had, I could have just ran. But it would have followed me. I was completely taken by surprise at how quickly it crawled towards me. So, I Was left with no other choice. The mysterious sewer that had been opened.

I know somepony or ponies were down there waiting for me. But I couldn’t take on the giant robotic alicorn with my magic. I was completely unarmed. And illusion magic isn’t really something meant for combat. My copies were there to support me when I’m outnumbered or trapped. So I galloped over to the sewer and crawled in, closing the lid as the hoof came crashing down. The rusted ladder shook and I could still hear Alicron moving about as I made my way down.

Reaching the bottom, I looked around. Pitch blackness and the sound of trickling sewer water. The smell made me scrunch up my muzzle. Turning on my PipBuck’s lamp spell, I waved it, scanning the area around me. It looked like I was in some sort of underground bunker. I frowned. No way in hell am I going further without anything to defend myself. I looked around and found nothing to my chagrin. But wait. I noticed a pipe protruding out of place. I grabbed it with my magic and pulled. It came out and I squeed. Armed with something to defend myself with, I walked down the dark halls of the sewer.

Every now and then, a loud rumble would shake the area and dust would fall. Alicron must be tracing me underground, which wasn’t good for me. If it had an EFS too that even went underground, then I was indeed in trouble. Karma was still arguing whether I should end the careers of New Pegas and DJ Pon3 or keep playing along until I find the answers. I sighed. That’s all I was hoping for. Just answers.

And now here I am, taking cover from a giant robot that seems hell bent on killing me for what I did to it. I followed the dark corridors. A few times, I’ve come to a dead end and had to go back to take another path. I explored the sewers for what felt like hours before I finally began hearing something in the dark. I winced, straining my ears. They twitched when I heard clanging and the sound of pipes bursting. What’s even more eerie was that Alicron had stopped moving above. It was just pitch black with only the sound of the smelly running sewer water and the sound of pipes creaking. I felt a shiver run down my spine.

At this point, I figured Alicron had gone away or I was far away from it that it couldn’t pick me up on the EFS. Now to find a way out. I stiffened when a pipe burst in front of me. I gulped. And probably make it fast too. Again, it felt like hours as I traveled the sewers. My paranoia had picked up to the point of me seeing somethings in the corner of my eyes.

At one point, I swung twice to my side because I thought I saw something moving alongside me. I blinked when there was nothing. I sighed and slumped.

“Fuck. Why is this happening to me?” I asked myself. I snorted when I answered my own question. “Oh right, because Karma hates me.” The two little ponies on my shoulders were quiet now as I continued on my way to look for an exit. Now it just felt like I was going in circles. Suddenly, my PipBuck blipped. I looked at it and saw that it had picked up a signal. I arched a brow. Since my PipBuck is a special one, its’ limiter is towards signals. And since I was underground, my EFS and my messaging spell for my PipBuck were cut off from me. But to have picked up a signal underground? I tuned in.

“The Rat is near the end.” The message repeated. I cocked my head. As the message kept repeating, I looked around. Nothing but pitch blackness and the same corridor I was walking down in. My PipBuck blipped again and a different message replaced the old one.

“Activate pest control.” The sentence blinked. My ears twitched when I heard a deep moaning from behind me. I gulped and looked back. Nothing. I shivered again and adjusted the pipe close to me. It sounded big. And if I had to fight a big creature under here, then hello claustrophobia. In fact, the claustrophobia was setting in slightly. My heart beat fast as I picked up my pace. The moaning sounded again, but faint this time. I eased a little, but still kept my brain in full gear. My PipBuck blipped again and the old message was replaced.

“The Rat is moving.” I frowned. That sudden sense that I was being watched struck me like lightning. Was I the “Rat”? If so, then I wasn’t really alone down here. I shook my head. Concentrate, Courier. You need to get out of here. I took two steps forward and stopped. Holding up my PipBuck to illuminate in front of me, I saw the same cloaked figure that had stolen the perfume bottle and had told me about the Maiden keys.

“You!” I said. The cloaked pony had his back turned to me. When I spoke, he stiffened and quickly turned around.

“What are you doing down here!?” the pony asked. I blinked. The pony sounded female. In fact, it also sounded familiar too. The pony stepped back and I growled.

“You and I are going to have a little chat.” I said. The cloaked pony suddenly turned and bolted. I quickly followed after the mare. There were two mysterious figures? I held my pipe to my side with my magic as I tailed the cloaked mare. The pony looked back and I could tell she was surprised.

“Geez, you are quick!” she said as she banked sharply to her right. I followed suite and the figure gained a new speed. She was soon only a few inches away from me, which made me question if she was really trying to lose me or not. She turned left and I followed suite once again. I grit my teeth.

“Okay, enough of this!” I said as I stopped and heaved my pipe. The pony continued forward and I watched as my pipe found itself underneath the pony and made her trip. I smiled in triumph and galloped quickly to her, pinning her as she tried to get up. To my surprise, her strength was just plain ridiculous for she almost heaved me off. I conjured two copies and they dog piled her. I bit at her hood as she turned to try and crawl away as her hood fell off. I balked when I saw the familiar spiky silver striped mane.

“I-Iris?” I asked. Iris blinked and looked back at me. She sighed and stopped struggling. I sat back on my rump, dumbfounded. “I… you… wha…?” Iris looked at me with a small smile.

“Well, no point in hiding anymore.” She stood up and pulled down her muffler. “Courier, you have to understand. I’m doing this for everyponies safety.” I was still confused. Hiding?

“I… hiding? Was that why you didn’t come back last night?” Iris shook her head and my confusion set even more in. “Then…” Iris sighed.

“Well, I guess I can tell you why. But first, I have to apologize. For not coming back last night.” She bowed her head. “I was just… mad.” It was my turn to bow my head.

“I understand…” I said. Iris blinked and looked at me with surprise. “It’s because I didn’t let you come along. It’s because I didn’t stick to what I had planned to in the first place.” I sighed. “I should be sorry…” So many thoughts were going through my head. Iris sighed.

“Well, that’s one reason why. But it’s not the main reason.” She said. I looked at her as she threw her hood back over her head and pulled the muffler to her muzzle. “Follow me. We’ll talk along the way.” I said nothing and stood up. I walked next to her as she led the way. I could tell, the sudden confrontation was awkward as it was confusing. Iris gave a quiet chuckle before speaking.

“You really caught me by surprise. I didn’t think you were out wandering around down here.” She said. I shook my head.

“I was hiding from Alicron.” I said. Iris cocked her head.

“Are you saying that over grown bucket of bolts is back? But I thought you ended it?” she said. I frowned.

“I thought so too. But lo and behold, there it was.” I snorted. “The damn thing wants revenge.” Iris arched a brow.

“You’re making it sound like its’ a living thing.” She said. My look told her otherwise. Iris frowned. “Then it’s worse than we thought.” Worse? What’s worse? Iris looked at me sternly. “Somepony made a threat towards the entire city. And we have been constantly trying to figure out why.” I narrowed my eyes. Iris cleared her throat as she stopped in front of a dead end. “I know everything is confusing, but you first need to hear this. Then after that, I’ll tell you everything.” She nodded. “I promise.” I was still dumbfounded at this when Iris knocked a hoof three times on the wall. There was another loud moan, but this time around us and I instantly readied myself for anything. But when the wall parted ways, I gapped as I saw stairs that led down into a lit room.

I followed Iris and was soon greeted by more cloaked ponies. Two stepped forward and both drew back their hoods. Homage and New Pegas smiled at me.

“We were worried you had gotten lost.” Homage said. I was dumbfounded again. New Pegas spoke with a smile.

“Well, let us be the first to say welcome to our little underground heroes. The Followers of the Apocalypse.” New Pegas said.

I looked between Iris, New Pegas, Homage and all the other cloaked ponies. I fumed quietly as New Pegas spoke.

“Sorry about all this, kid. But we weren’t expecting you to catch on so soon.” He said. I said nothing and waited for them to get to the point. The ponies weren’t expecting me to react like this? No surprise, only furious frustration. Iris looked worriedly at me and then to the two. I wasn’t mad at Iris. Well, I don’t know how I should feel about her right now. But these two. They are the reason why I’m like this. Homage cleared her throat.

“Err… yes. I can see you are upset. We will be glad to answer any questions you have.” She said.

“What do you have against The Family?” I asked without a heartbeat. “And more importantly, why did you mug Seven and steal the package?” My guess really caught them by surprise. I continued to maintain my look as Homage spoke.

“Well, you see, somepony had made a threat towards the city. Mainly towards The Family.” She motioned around. “And that’s where we come in. We aren’t really a secret. But out here in the Strip, the Followers of the Apocalypse have to improvise their decisions.” Homage smiled. “We do not only help ponies, but entire communities.”

“And fight the good fight.” I finished it off. Homage nodded. “Then why go around stealing things? A little contradictory don’t you think?” Iris spoke for them.

“It’s for a good cause.” She said. My look made her falter a bit, but she continued. “A-and we are really sorry about the attack on a courier.” She snorted and glared at New Pegas. “I was against the idea.” New Pegas snickered.

“Most were, but Seven wasn’t really intent on letting go of the package.” He said. Seven actually refused to give up a package? Then my lecture towards her…

“You set me up with Seven, didn’t you?” I said. Homage gave a small smile.

“It was an unlikely outcome, but we are truly sorry about it.” Homage sighed.

“And Alicron?” I arched a brow as I asked. New Pegas looked grim.

“Yes, we’ve been hearing about your mechanical friend. We don’t really know who repaired it and why it’s going on a rampage.” He said. I motioned at me that made New Pegas understand.

“Next, explain to me why a radio DJ is running the group?” I said. “Then after that, tell me what happened to the stable ponies and the other abused mares?” New Pegas nodded.

“I’m not running anything. We are a group that contribute to the good cause of ponies everywhere. We just happen to run one of the organizations down under the sewers of Las Pegasus. As for the ponies you saved, they are resting up in a hotel by my radio tower.” He explained. I looked at Iris and she gave me a worried look in return.

“So, what good cause is stealing things from others?” I asked. New Pegas nodded to a pair of cloaked ponies and they placed a perfume bottle and a damaged package. Homage held up the perfume bottle with her magic and levitated it in front of me.

“Take a good look at this bottle.” She said. I did, narrowing my eyes when I saw a faint shimmer on the top of where the liquid ended. Poison inside perfume? “So you saw it?” Homage smiled. “Iris is right about you. A quick learner and a good thinker.” I ignored the flushed look from Iris. I’ll deal with her later. Right now, I want to see what these ponies ulterior motive was. “That poison is a deadly toxin found in a special plant in the Everfree Forest. Now look at the package.” She held it up in her magic. I didn’t really have to look.

The wires told me everything. Déjà vu.

“Do you see why it was necessary? We had to quickly confiscate these items for the safety of The Family.” New Pegas said. “And many more.” He looked over to a table where a bunch of other deadly looking but ordinary everyday items laid on.

“Okay, so you beat up innocent ponies and steal things, but for a good cause.” I shrugged. “Alright, I can understand that. Now, what are you planning after the fact?” New Pegas smiled.

“Nothing. We continue our fight for the good fight. And thanks to you, we can focus on another matter. Alicron.” New Pegas motioned me to follow and I did with Homage and Iris trailing behind us. When we went down a pair of stairs, I gapped at the giant map with a magnifying glass constantly scanning the map. It was the entire Strip region. Another map opposite of that was The Empire region. Scribe looking ponies were taking down notes on clipboards after scanning something from terminals. It was an entire base of operations down here! He stood in front of the map of the Strip before turning to me.

“Our operations our led by our lead scribe, courtesy of the Apple Jack Rangers.” He motioned to a mare looking at a terminal. She must have been so busy because she didn’t look up at the mention of her name. “Now, we can focus on another threat towards the city. Then after that, the main one.” Main one?

“So… you know who is making the threat?” I asked.

“We aren’t really sure, per se. But we do have a likely suspect.” Homage said as she levitated a file onto a table in front of us. When she opened it, I gapped, seeing Bucky’s pictures on top of documents.

“Bucky is a threat?” I asked amusedly. New Pegas nickered.

“Believe it or not, he is. For the past week he’s been doing some shady stuff beyond The Family’s level of activity.” He said. Like Bud when he was a Pride member. “Yes, the wedding between Al Capony and Bucky is a major one. And everypony is putting aside differences for such an event. However, not everypony agrees with the wedding. We’ve managed to sabotage a few groups planning on attacking them.” He nodded to Iris. “And those that have gone so far as to attack the gang heads directly.” I looked at her and she nodded slightly.

“Intel says Bucky has been rendezvousing with ponies of unknown origin. But our scouts couldn’t get a good look at the ponies he’s dealing with. They are always hidden from view.” Homage said. Hidden from view? I rubbed my chin. Homage smiled. “But I know we are close to finding out who they are. We know that they will strike in a week when the wedding starts. We just need to know where they will be coming from.”

“And let me guess. You are hoping I could figure that out.” I said unamused now.

“Well, Iris spoke very highly of your intelligence. If anypony can figure things out, then it could be you.” New Pegas. Iris bowed her head in shame. Obviously, she was hoping they would skip that part about her mentioning me. What was Iris not telling me? I sighed before turning to the duo.

“Fine.” I said. New Pegas and Homage exchanged glances.

“J-just like that?” Homage asked. I nodded, then quickly held up a hoof.

“On one condition. My friends need to know about this too.” I said. New Pegas shook his head.

“We can excuse Iris, but the others will risk the destruction of the operation.” He said.

“I think she may be on to something.” Iris chimed in. I looked at her with a small smile as she spoke. “Think about it. The more ponies keeping an eye out, the better we have a chance of figuring this out. And I know our friends. As long as we come clean with them, they can trust us.” She looked apologetically at me. Her phrasing meant she was going to stick to her promise. New Pegas rubbed his chin.

“You may have a point. Alright, your friends are welcome to help out. But you must promise us that they are not to speak of word about us or what we do. We are to remain anonymous or else we can forget about helping everypony in the city.” He said. Homage and Iris led me back out of their hidden base and out into the sewers. I sighed and looked at Iris, ignoring the fact Homage was right next to us.

“So, when were you going to tell me?” I asked. Iris bowed her head.

“I… wanted too. But I couldn’t.” she looked at me. “When I first found the Followers, I was seventeen. I helped a group of them during my mercenary days. Me and my mercenary group had been tasked with protecting this group while they make an important run to a undisclosed location.” She frowned. “We were suddenly ambushed and I was the sole remaining survivor to make it back with one of the Followers.” She nodded to Homage. “She was the only one of her group to make it out.”

“And if it wasn’t for Iris’s sheer strength and ability to fight, I would have been a goner.” Homage said with a smile. “I was the one that got her into the group in the first place four years ago.”

“Then why not tell us?” I asked her. Iris bowed her head.

“Like I said. I wanted too. But I couldn’t.” she said. Homage spoke for her.

“I was the one that told her not too. We had to keep it a secret from the eyes of most ponies.” Homage motioned with her head upwards. “You can still find our group out in the Wastelands. Some of us like to explore technology. Some like to help publicly. But we are the ones that give intel and are always on the scene before anything happens.” The Followers must be a very well organized group by the sound of it.

“So, you’ve been with the Followers while you were still a mercenary?” I asked. Iris nodded. “So… you were still with them when we first met?” Again, Iris nodded.

“I had just gotten out of a quick briefing when Goldenlee and the others came to me.” She smiled. “They recognized me and asked for help.” Then she gave a sheepish smile. “Course, I still stuck by my mercenary job too. I was stubborn and got her to promise me fifty thousand caps. And then the whole thing with Alicron and so on… really changed my life.” I cocked my head.

“Did I… really change your life that much?” I asked. Iris nodded with a smile. I looked to Homage.

“Iris isn’t like she was before when I met her. She was always so cold and being a lone wolf. Her abilities outmatched even Gawd’s. And I’ve been in touch with her for four years.” She smiled. “I’ll always remember that day. The one day when she told me about a certain pony that she can actually feel like being herself.” I flushed slightly. But… why was I still feeling so conflicted? Maybe because Iris is still mad at me?

“I-Iris?” I began. “I… I’m sorry about what I had done…” I said. Iris looked at me.

“What do you mean?” she asked. I took a shuddering breath before speaking.

“I promised when we first started our relationship that I wouldn’t hurt you. And I… I broke it. I hurt you.” I bowed my head. “When you didn’t come back last night, I was worried something may have happened to you. That you may had done something rash because of what I did.” I looked at her. “So… I won’t hold it against you if you punish me. If you don’t want to talk to me ever again, then I wouldn’t hold it against you. You never wanted to see me, then you could do so and I wouldn’t stop you. And if you did find another mare to be with…” I heard myself falter. I felt tears well up at the thought. “I-I wouldn’t be mad at you about it. In fact, she’s probably better at keeping a promise than me.” Iris and Homage looked at each other before Iris bursted out laughing and Homage chuckled. I flushed more and bowed my head.

“A pure genius and she’s worried about small things like that?” Homage said. “I tip my hat to you.” Iris finally took a moment before speaking, still giggling.

“I don’t know what got that idea in your head? You think another mare would satisfy me?” she asked. I was utterly confused. “Courier, as astute as you are, you are still pretty oblivious to some things. I’m not seeing another mare. Nor was I even planning on too. You are plenty enough for me.”

“But… what about… those other times when you got Bubble Pop… and Cream…” Iris smiled.

“You make a cute look when you are taken by surprise. In all honesty, I wasn’t bothered by it. But only because I knew you wouldn’t expect it. And I got to tell you, they aren’t that bad either. I’m still wondering if you will take up my idea?” Homage nickered.

“Are you talking about that orgy idea? Wow, I didn’t think you would actually go through with it.” I balked. Has Iris been telling Homage about the whole thing? Iris nodded.

“I’m just waiting for her to give the okay. I mean, even she’s been thinking about it.” She said. I spluttered. No words could describe the embarrassment I was feeling. These two are evil…

Suddenly, Iris sighed and gave me a small smile.

“The next part. Yeah… I was mad.” She said. I bowed my head. “I still am. Not really at you. I mean, I’m mad that you went back on your word. You were only supposed to see what they were capable of. And seeing you laying on the sofa all beaten and bloodied. I was… sacred. What made it even worse was New Pegas describing some detail about your ‘heroics’ towards the Fiends.” She wiggled a hoof at me. “Slaughtered an entire territory of Fiends. Nearly getting raped but end up gelding the guy and setting him on fire. Which brings me to the main reason why I’m mad.” She grit her teeth. “I’m mad at myself.” I said nothing as I waited for her to finish.

“Last night, after Goldenlee patched you up, I went to the casino bar downstairs and I guess wanted to drink to forget the pain. Then, Al Capony came and we talked a bit. I hadn’t realized I gotten too drunk and Al Capony insisted that she have me sleep in her bedroom while she stayed at Bucky’s. When I awoke the next morning, I found myself in her bedroom. Al Capony and I talked more again when all of a sudden, we were attacked by a strange looking pony.” She sighed. “The pony ran off before I got the chance to finish him. That’s when I decided to come down here and update the Followers on the situation.” She said. “But as all this happened, I was thinking that I had failed to stick to my word also.” I blinked. “I promised your brother I would protect you. To make sure you don’t do anything brash. And you end up doing just that.”

She turned to me. “I thought that how can I be your protector if I couldn’t even convince you to get me to come along. I was just stupid and thought I could trust you to not do anything like you had pulled. But seeing you like that, made me feel really angry at myself and only slightly at you.” She looked at me. “So, I forgive you. But… can you forgive me?” I smiled, feeling relieved. I nuzzled her cheek and she gave a happy hum in return.

“Now that’s just adorable.” Homage said with a smile.

“I cannot believe what I am seeing right now.” Goldenlee said in awe. We found our friends looking for us both. We were about to get lectured by Goldenlee when Homage had to convince her why we were gone like we had. Star examined the map of The Empire.

“What are these markers exactly for? Other base of operations?” he asked. New Pegas chuckled and shook his head.

“Those are markers for stables.” He said. I blinked. A map that marks the stables? Comp peeked over the shoulder of a scribe.

“What is it that you all are doing?” He asked as he pointed at the monitor. The scribe mare smiled.

“Important work, dear.” She said. Comp frowned.

“Not a very helpful scribe.” He said. I saw a vein pulse slightly in the mare, but she ignored it and continued on. New Pegas turned to me.

“Now that everypony is here, let’s discuss how we should deal with the threats.” He said. We all gathered around a map of Las Pegasus in the middle of a table. New Pegas stuck pins into certain locations. He placed colored pins on other areas. “We had planned to deal with the Fiends. But our Savior took care of that.” He pointed at the red colored pin. “We’ve managed to stop an assassination on Alabaster. Intercepted a courier with a bomb and confiscated a poisoned perfume bottle.” The red pins were placed on the map.

“We still have a lot more threats being occurred in certain locations. If this wedding is being targeted solely, then we have to focus around the central area of the city. These grey pins here are suspicious places where Bucky had made contact with these unknown ponies.” Homage said. Goldenlee balked.

“You’re making it sound like Bucky is sabotaging his own wedding!” she said. Homage nodded.

“A possibility.” She said.

“And what if these ponies aren’t as bad as we think they are?” Star asked. “What if Bucky knows about the threat and is dealing with these ponies just like you all are doing now.”

“Then Bucky is one hell of a genius.” New Pegas said. “He’s Omareta after all.” I shook my head.

“But Bucky himself told us that the Omaretas act more like a mafia. Organized crimes and dealings. They don’t usually handle their stuff behind closed doors. Neither of The Family do. But I can’t help but think if it’s the same thing with Bud.” I rubbed my chin. “Which might explain somewhat as to how Alicron is back.” New Pegas rubbed his chin in thought.

“Maybe, but I doubt Bucky is mechanically inclined to rebuild a robot.” He said.

“Unless he got some help.” A scribe mare said suddenly. She trotted up to the table and placed down a folder, showing us all a picture of…

“Bud!?” me and my friends said in unison. I couldn’t believe it. Bud was still alive. The burned face and hide couldn’t hide that sly look.

“This was recently sent in by one of our scouts.” The scribe said. “Spotted near Plot Street and Hoofington Avenue.” I looked grimly at the picture. How is it he is still alive? I made sure that bastard was in no condition to move.

“But why would Bucky need help to rebuild Alicron?” I said. “I was there when he faced down Bud himself. Why would they be working together?” New Pegas looked grimly.

“You’re guess is as good as mine. But now we know who he’s dealing with. Which means the threats have been added a twenty percent more to the scale. And if Bud is around, I’m guessing he hasn’t forgotten what you had done to him.” I said nothing but nodded.

But why are Bucky and Bud working together? Bud betrayed The Family and Kingpin had sent Bucky to take care of it. Even Father Pride was happy that Bud was killed. Or was killed. Something was off about this. I just know it. But… what is it? What was making me have alerts go off in my brain? The thought of Bucky plotting against his own wedding? Was that it? I couldn’t be sure.

“So what do we do about this?” Brick asked. New Pegas frowned as he thought.

“Two options. We investigate more into this or we go ahead and go straight for the kill, so to speak.” He said. My friends looked at me, making me feel slightly small. The decision was all me. I sighed.

“How about a third option. We bait Bucky and Bud. Expose them.” I saw their confused looks. “Of course, this isn’t going to be a good plan, but I think it’s a workable one. We are a part of The Family to them now. We have an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. All we need is a set up.” New Pegas and Homage exchanged glances before looking back at me.

“And what set up do you propose?” Homage asked. I motioned to myself.

“I’ll be the bait. I can have the rest of my friends keep close but in the shadows. I’ll convince Bucky to go on a walk or an errand or something. If he excuses himself, I’ll let my friends know.” I said.

“And how exactly are you going to tell us if we are to stick to the shadows?” Comp asked. “And how close do you want us?”

“Well, that’s where my copies come in.” I subconsciously conjured six copies of myself, startling a few of the Followers in the process. “I can send a message to each one through telepathy magic. You and my copies will blend in to the crowds of Las Pegasus.”

“I see now.” Star said with a smirk. “Stick to the shadows. As in hide in plain sight.” I nodded.

“And that’s how you will bait Bucky in the act?” Homage asked, a little confused at the thought. I smiled and nodded.

“You will also know when he makes a move. I’m having one of my copies stay here.” I made one copy stand next to me and smiled at the duo. Homage and New Pegas seemed impress.

“So, it is true what they say. That you can make copies of yourself?” Homage put a hoof out and touched my copy, pulling back slightly at the sudden solid touch. “And they are real? How is that possible?” I tapped my horn with a hoof.

“Years of practice. With a bit of star metal in the mix.” Homage chuckled.

“And I thought LittlePip was talented with telekinesis.” She said. I arched a brow.

“You know LittlePip?” I asked. New Pegas nodded.

“Me and Pon3 here both know her.” He said. I stared at Homage for a second. Did New Pegas just call Homage Pon3? As in DJ Pon3? My look made Homage smiled amusedly at me.

“You know, I think it’s starting to become a habit with most ponies when they realize who I am.” She said. Her horn glowed and when she spoke, the familiar voice of DJ Pon3 came out. “I think it’s a plan then. Keep us updated, eh kid?” she winked as her horn glowed again. Voice manipulation? With magic? I rubbed my chin. Why hadn’t I thought to look into changing my voice? I know a few situations where changing my voice could have definitely come in handy.

“You have to teach me that trick.” I said, curious at the possibilities and situations I could get out off and away with just by changing my voice. Homage chuckled in her normal voice.

“Later. Right now, we have to expose a certain pony and protect the city. We are counting on you, Savior. And your friends too.” She said.

“Just call me Courier.” I said. “That’s my name.” I suddenly gave them a sheepish smile. “Or… maybe refer to me as Quiet Fire?” Iris nickered.

“See you want to have a nickname then.” She said. “How about… Long Tongue?” I opened my mouth to say how ridiculous that sounded, when I saw that sly smirk and flushed.

“How about Sixteen?” Comp said with a small smirk. I frowned at the colt. “Hey, it’s better than being called by your job.”

“But it’s also no better than being called by my courier number.” I said.

“Oh, I know. Hot Head.” Goldenlee said with a small smile. I glared at her. Don’t start that with me.

“Lucky Seven?” Star suggested.

“No.” I replied in a heartbeat.

“Hooded Courier?” Brick suggested. As catchy as it sounded, I shook my head and groaned in frustration.

“Alright, can we just get this started?” I said, trying to avoid anymore nickname suggestions.

“You know we love you.” Comp said with a snicker. Right, because everypony enjoys picking on the courier.

Everything was set. All I had to do now was wait for the right moment. I had to hand it to my friends, they knew how to blend in well. I could say the same with my copies. Goldenlee had suggested to dress each of them up except for the one down with the Followers. My copies were with my friends in their positions wearing classic dresses. I didn’t know how she did it, but Goldenlee managed to actually make some of my copies look good in a dress. As for the real me? I’m still stuck with my hoodie and vest. I missed my barding.

I waited by the front of the Roulette hotel. I had told Bucky about his package. I told him he had to see for himself and that it was important no one else followed. And thanks to my charisma, I managed to get him to lose his boys. Though, I had a bit of help with chems. The Mint-als I took made me feel like I could accomplish anything. This is at least the third time I had taken a chem. I studied well about each after effects of chems. Mint-als may sound promising, but you always end up feeling stupid in the end.

And I for one don’t want to end up feeling stupid. But there was one problem. Bucky was taking his sweet time talking to Al Capony and Kingpin. I timed that after six minutes, the Mint-als would wear off. I put a hoof to my vest pocket, feeling the tin cover of the chems. I bit my lip. Mmm… maybe one more wouldn’t hurt. I had to stay in top shape anyway. I pulled out the tin and was about to pop another chalky tablet in when Bucky finally stepped out. I quickly hid the Mint-als back into my pocket and grinned at him.

“Took your time, did you?” I said. Bucky grinned back.

“Just had to report on what’s happening. This whole threat towards my wedding is really wearing down the boss and my fiancée.” He said. Uh-huh, we will see about that soon. “So, you had something to show me about my package?” I nodded.

“I couldn’t bring it with me. I’ve cornered the culprit and made sure he wouldn’t escape.” I said. Bucky followed me as I lead him towards Coltington Way. Plot Street and Hoofington Avenue were close by. When we finally arrived at Coltington Way, I noticed Bucky looking suspiciously down the street. “Something wrong?” I asked. Bucky nodded.

“It’s a little too quiet here. This place always has something going on.” He said. I arched a brow. That was… a normal thing to say for Bucky. I mean, after all, we did have a showdown with Bud and Alicron here. I felt the Mint-als wear off and to my utter shock, I suddenly felt like I didn’t know what I was doing. When Bucky turned his back, I quickly popped another tablet in and felt myself able to concentrate. Damn, these things were good. Feeling like myself again, I couldn’t help but notice a familiar mechanical face looking down at me. I gapped, seeing Alicron rear back a mechanical hoof.

Bucky pushed me aside and took the blow. He went rolling down the street, leaving me to regain my footing and face down the giant robot. Seriously, where the hell did it come from!? Something that big can’t move so silently in the state it’s in. And what’s even stranger, Bucky had saved me in my stupor. Something wasn’t right here.

“You okay, Bucky?” I asked. Bucky slowly stood up and nodded.

“Just a scratch, ya’ dig?” he said as he glared at Alicron. “I see your friend is back.” I grit my teeth. No, this wasn’t right.

“We meet again, Sixteen.” A voice projected from the robot. A voice I knew all too well. I felt stunned. Wait… if Bud is piloting Alicron now, then what was that before? Through the cracked eye, I saw Bud glaring down at me with a glazed eye. I smirked.

“You look different, Bud. Mane cut perhaps?” I said. Bud growled and brought down a hoof on a button. Alicron’s horn spun and I quickly crouched low, ready to move out of the way.

“Laugh it up while you still can. Today is the day I finally get my revenge on you!” Bud said. I grit my teeth. This isn’t right. This wasn’t supposed to be the plan. I quickly sent the signal to my copies as Bud aimed the revving gatling gun horn at me. I galloped quickly to the sides as the bullets trailed me.

“Hey kid!” Bucky said. He heaved a 10mm pistol towards me. I caught it in my magic and fired at the cockpit, making Bud quickly turn the head and getting the gatling gun off of me.

“Damn you! You and Bucky are going to pay for what you have done to me!” Bud roared.

“How did you even survive!?” I retorted as I backed away towards Bucky. Bucky glared at Bud.

“What I want to know is why you’ve been planting spies and making threats towards The Family.” Bucky said. I looked at the gang head. But… wait… I shook my head and aimed the gun at him.

“Don’t play dumb.” I said. Bucky arched a brow. “This is all some sort of trick. You and Bud have been working together. You are planning your own fall of your wedding.” Bucky looked offended.

“What makes you think I want to ruin my wedding!?” Bucky growled. Bud chuckled.

“I was wondering when you were going to catch on, Bucky. But I guess early bird gets the worm, don’t you think?” Bud said. Bucky growled more.

“So, how did you escape from death? I thought the kid here made sure of it.” I was utterly confused. Bud moved Alicron to loom over us.

“Simple. I had an override code. When you turned your back on me, I quickly activated it and in the smoke, I disappeared into the sewers.” He sighed. “Unfortunately, you managed to scar me in the process. These scars are the bane of my existence. They remind me week after week about what you did to me.” I rubbed the back of my head.

“So… you escaped underground? And what, for weeks you stayed underground?” I questioned. If Bud had escaped underground, then that would mean that the Followers would have known about it. Or, at least know that somepony had went under. Bud shifted Alicron slightly.

“I did. But it wasn’t soon after that I managed to scavenge the important parts of Alicron. When scavengers came to loot, I made sure that they would only get away with scraps. After two weeks, I had finally gotten a chance to hide Alicron, with the help of a very special pony.” I looked at Bucky. But Bucky shook his head at me.

“Kid, I honestly don’t know why you think I want to work with a scum bag like Bud. But we have more important matters right now.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “We’ll talk later.” I looked skeptically at him. Then why was my brain still sending me alerts? Bud laughed.

“I’m going to enjoy killing you both!” he said. Alicron’s horn revved again. We both readied ourselves. But Bud didn’t fire the gun. In fact, he looked annoyed. He muttered something. “I can’t believe this… of all the worst possible times…” he glared at us both. “Don’t think this is over. I will put an end to you, Sixteen. And you too Bucky. I will end The Family. Mark my words.” We watched as Alicron turned and crawled down the street, climb up a building and vanish out of sight. What just… happened?

“Courier!” I heard Star call out. I turned and saw my friends with my copies run up. Iris smirked.

“The jigs up, Bucky! We caught you red hoofed.” She said. Bucky arched a brow.

“And what exactly did you catch me in?” he asked. Iris opened her mouth to say something, then quickly closed it in confusion. I frowned. Bucky then looked at me, his eyes narrowed. “Maybe we should talk, once I report in with Kingpin. I’m sure he will be happy to hear what you thought about me.” His tone wasn’t at all pleased. I bowed my head and sighed. This is all wrong. I thought Bud and Bucky were working together. I felt the Mint-als once again leave me and I was left feeling stupid.

Footnote: Max Level!