Begin again, in the night.

Let’s sway again, tonight.

Your hoof on my shoulder.

Your cheek against mine.

Where can we go.

When will we find that we know.

-

Where can we go.

When will we find that we know.

To let go.

Begin, begin again tonight.

The month after the attack on Black Town was one of the worst of my life. After the battle Summer, Aurora and I recovered what was left of Winter and gave her a proper burial just outside of Stable 63. Black Town had suffered more than I had initially thought. Mayor Slate had been killed in the breach that destroyed the wall and the diminished population was not prepared for anti-fire measures. As a result most of Black Town had burned to a crisp and what remained of the raider army had taken control shortly after the first fight. The monolithic Black Tower now served as a symbol of fear and as a mass grave marker for both the town and myself. For two weeks I tried and find Salted Chestnut and avenge Winter but lead after lead and day after day we found nothing. Most saddening of all was when Grim, unsettled by my lust for vengeance proclaimed that I had lost my way. The next morning I found a note telling me that he was returning to his home In Whinnyapolis. I couldn’t blame him for losing faith in me. Before long I realized I couldn’t keep up the search with a filly to take care of. Afterwards Sunny gave me a story about how killing Chestnut wouldn’t bring her back and that I had to set a better example for Aurora lest I lose her like I lost Grim. Like myself, most of the survivors of the attack decided to make our homes in the Crater. Jack quickly found a use for all of us. Circuit Breaker, the tech I had heard about a few times before had apparently survived and made her way to the Crater as well. Other than myself she was the most technologically apt pony in the town. It was surprisingly comforting to get back to the only kind of work I was ever any good at. Circuit and I spent our time together keeping the Crater intact and reinforcing it where we could and trying to hook up several terminals to the spotlights and turrets systems we’d installed. Mother found a job as Jack’s secretary and tried her best to keep us all together. She also took care of Aurora for me when I had big jobs or if I got carried away with chems. I’m ashamed to say that I began to experiment with chems and alcohol at this time, anything to get my mind off of what happened in Black Town. I had nightmares for weeks, every night I would wake up screaming into the night with tears running down my face. In response, if I wasn’t working or taking care of Aurora, I was either lost in a memory orb from the Lone Wolf or high off my tail alone in my room. I couldn’t run away from what happened forever and the next day it finally came for me.

I awoke to Aurora jumping on my bed. She wore a particularly perturbed look on her face.

“Did you forget what today is dad?” I stared at her blankly, desperately trying to remember what I had forgotten.

“Uhhhhh?” I droned on for about thirty seconds before her piercing glare forced a part of me to recall. “Oh shit.” I said out loud. I was going to have to kick my own ass later. “Of course I didn’t forget princess, happy birthday.”

“You’re such a bad liar dad.” She turned away from me and huffed, clearly upset with me. “You need to stop with all…this.” She waved a hoof about the floor which made me see just how many empty bottles there were on my floor. “She wouldn’t want you poisoning yourself to death.”

“You don’t understand Aurora, I…It…it just helps.” It hurt me to see that look of disappointment in her eyes. I wasn’t the best parental figure for her and I wished I could do better. The poor filly thought the world of me and I was only letting her down. It was what I deserved for fooling myself into thinking I was a hero. She was in the same boat as me. We had just united our family only to have them ripped out of our lives and cast into nothingness. Unlike me though, she only had me to numb her feelings and I was failing her by turning into a fucking junkie…but I would never stop trying. I sat up and nuzzled her gently.

“What can I do to make it up to you?”

Her expression relaxed slightly and she sighed softly. “You can take me with you today so I can spend time with you, instead of staying with aunt Sunny all day.”

It wasn’t quite the request I had expected. All she wanted was to spend the day with me. That alone broke my heart all over again and I couldn’t refuse.

“Sounds like a plan to me. C’mon princess let’s eat some breakfast and get this show on the road.” We sat at our little table and I prepared a small breakfast of mutfruit and Brahmin milk. I didn’t wear my stable suit often anymore so on our way out the door I slipped on a grey Robronco jumpsuit and went to meet Circuit Breaker, Aurora happily trotting beside me.

I chose this memory mostly for the nostalgia, back when Equestria was peaceful and her concerns were the opinions of silly nobleponies like me instead of the protection of our nation.

I was at a lavish looking party in a beautiful garden overlooking the equestrian countryside. It felt nice to be in a host who was so tall, although the moustache was a bit much for me. I was staring at a purple unicorn in front of me wearing a plain yellow dress with a pink ribbon around her neck, tearing up the grass in a ridiculous display of flailing hooves in the guise of a dance. For whatever reason I approached the young mare with a feeling of intrigue.

“Excuse me, might I ask where you acquired your… ensemble?”

“Why yes you may.” She responded with a smile. “A very close friend of mine from Ponyville made it for me.

“Ponyville? You don’t say?” I asked, feeling my brow raise in curiosity.

“I do! Her name is-” Before she could finish a white unicorn mare in a yellow dress and sunhat interrupted us from behind. “Fancy Pants! Come with me I have to show you this…thing…over on the other side of the room”

“In a moment my dear, this lovely filly from Ponyville was just about to tell me who made her charming dress.” As if a beacon had been lit, a large number of party guests surrounded the scene.

“Oh that dress?” The white unicorn continued. “Who cares it’s just a plain old-”

“Oh don’t be so modest Rarity, this dress you made is beautiful.” All at once every guest at the party gasped and collectively dropped their drinks. “We all think so.” As if on cue she was joined by four other mares. A pink one with her face covered in cake, a Pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail, a caramel colored earth pony with a hat, and a soft yellow Pegasus surrounded by birds. I turned to face Rarity.

“You know these ponies?” Rarity turned and started walking away as if to join the well-dressed ponies who had encircled us.

“Yes. Yes, I do know them. They may not be as sophisticated as some of you Canterlot ponies, but they are my best friends. And they are without a doubt the most important ponies I know.”

“Then how about you introduce me to your friends?” I said looking back at the five.

“With pleasure.” Rarity said with a proud smile.

That was the night I had met all of them. How right Rarity was that they were the most important ponies she knew. I don’t think she ever planed for that sentiment to become as real as it did. None of us did. If only I could have done more.

Circuit Breaker was already hard at work with her hooves deep in the open panel of a turret on the wall.

“You know I can do that part better right?” I asked smugly.

“Fuck off Sparks, not all of us have cheat terminals on our legs.” She stood up and dropped the tool she had in her mouth. Her coat was light green and her mane was light blue, tied up into a ponytail so it was out of her face. She wore a simple vest with multiple pockets and a red cap on her head. Her face was smudged with oil here and there, making me smile.

“Hey watch your mouth, I brought my daughter today.”

“Oh?” She walked over to us and gently patted Aurora on her head. “Good to see you kiddo, happy birthday.”

I could feel a strong heat on my face, looking down I saw that Aurora was glaring at me again.

“Circuit didn’t forget.”

“I didn’t forget either!” I tried to defend myself but she wasn’t having any of it.

“C’mon Sparks put your money where your mouth is. Get this thing online and programmed.”

I rubbed the back of my neck and sighed. “Ok, I won’t be long Aurora, don’t wander off too far ok?”

“I know, I know dad.”

Several minutes passed as I hooked up my PipBuck’s adapter plug and set to work on the turrets programming. I smiled as I felt the turret hum to life and start oscillating though the arc its motors would allow. The little light on top was glowing green indicating its passiveness towards us. The sun was directly above us now, behind the cloud cover that is. Aurora was playing with some of Circuit’s tools while she was reinforcing some metal on a nearby walkway. I looked at my PipBuck, the little computer pony that represented my overall health was looking good physically but two little red ticks were showing the negative effects of my recent habits. Suddenly a brilliant idea popped into my head. I had the perfect gift for Aurora.

“Hey Aurora! Let’s go find Sunny. I need her to watch you for a bit.”

“Aww daaaad! But you promised!” She whined, pouting at me with the best puppy eyes she could muster.

“I know, sweetheart but trust me, it’ll all be worth it.”

We said our goodbyes to Circuit Breaker and made our way to the tower that rested in the middle of the crater. If anypony would know where Sunny was it was her former right hoof, Smilin’ Jack. We walked in the door at the base of the tower and approached the secretary’s desk.

“How are you holding up son?” My mother asked from behind her desk.

“Well enough I guess.” I answered flatly.

“Hi Nana.” Aurora greeted, standing up on her hind legs to see over the desk.

“Hello there darling, happy birthday! I have a present for you.” Aurora gasped and smiled.

“You do!?” she started shuffling her hooves in excitement as mom bent down behind her desk and returned with a small box.

“Go ahead dear, open it.” Aurora didn’t need to hear anymore as she tore open the box with glee. Inside was a silver mane pin with a purple gem set into it. Aurora’s eyes lit up like she had found treasure. She looked at me with a pleading expression. Understanding what she wanted, I used my magic to fit the clip into her mane on the right side. Ignoring everypony around, she hopped up on the desk and gave my mother a big hug.

“Thank you so much Nana, I love it.” She dropped back down to the floor and started making her way to the stairs. “I’m going to go show Jack and aunt Sunny ok dad? Thanks again Nana, I love you!” And with that she disappeared up to the next floor above. Mother smiled warmly and turned to me like she expected me to say something. It took me a moment but I understood her meaning.

“That was your family heirloom.” I said, hoping to coax her into saying what was on her mind.

“I don’t need it anymore. I was going to give it to…to Winter when you got married but…now it just reminds me of the stable. At least we get to keep it in the family.” She smiled warmly. “I’m so proud of you for taking that filly in. She needs somepony like you and whether you know it or not, you need her too.”

I heard a faint whisper in the back of my head that said ‘Be Strong’.

“It hasn’t been easy since…since Black Town.” I gently touched the necklace that hung around my neck. “But I will never give up on her. Even if I have to take on the whole wasteland along the way.” I remembered what she said to me this morning about my problem and started to tear up. “I need to be stronger…for her.”

“You’ll do fine darling, just remember to not try and force anything and never give up hope.”

Hope…maybe…maybe it was time.

Hours later as the sun was dipping below the mountains I found myself crouching in the shadows in my home waiting for a certain little filly to return. I had sent her on a menial task to get her out of the house for a bit while I organized the surprise. The door slowly opened revealing the guest of honor.

“I’m back! I gave Ms. Circuit the tape you said to give her…dad?”

“SURPRISE!”

Aurora almost leapt out of her fur as everypony I could get jumped up, flipped the lights on and shouted. She saw what decorations I could whip up and the cluster of snack cakes on the table meant to be a cake. Immediately I saw tears run down her cheeks as she trotted to me and jumped in my hooves. As silly as it seemed, even to me, it was something she needed right now. Hopefully it would help her find a semblance of normality. She blew out the one candle I could find followed by a round of clopping hooves. I wrapped her in a warm hug and levitated a box out from under the table.

“I hope you like it princess.” She opened the box with careful precision revealing the best present I could give. Her very own PipBuck. Honestly I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. Now I had the ID tag so I’d always know where she was, doing wonders for my peace of mind. I got my tools out and fastened the arcano-tech to her foreleg. Before I could show her any of the intricacies of the device I felt a claw on my shoulder.

“Hey Sparks can I talk to you for a minute…in private?” Jack asked.

“Hmm…Aurora go ahead and take a bit to figure it out, if you have any questions ask aunt Sunny, she should be able to help you until I get back.”

“Ok dad, thank you so much. I love you.”

“I love you too Aurora, I’ll be right back.”

Jack led me to the next room, hoping that the noise from the adjacent room would be enough cover.

“Listen, I know this is probably the worst time and I know you’ve been distancing yourself from your past but…I need your help.”

I wrinkled my nose at what he was getting at. I turned my back on him and huffed, annoyed.

“You’re right, you could not have picked a worse time. If you need something…like whatever you’re proposing, why not ask Sunny?”

Jack’s gaze shifted to the floor. “I lost Sunny’s loyalty when I walked out on the Regulators.”

“Why should that matter? You’ve practically had her at your beck and call when it comes to ruffing up anypony.”

“She’s doing it for the people of the Crater, not for me. She trusts YOU Sparks, I can count on her to help you in anything you do. That’s why I’m asking.”

“Maybe she has the right idea. Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s my daughter’s birthday.”

“This isn’t just about me Sparks. This job might interest you too, just hear me out.”

I had my hoof on the door back to the living room, I thought that there wasn’t any harm in hearing him out, then refusing.

“Alright Jack, just make it quick.”

“Sure. There have been more and more sighting of Bleeders on the roads to the Crater. If the caravans are too afraid to make the journey to the Crater then we will all suffer. Now I’ve been paying attention to the work you’ve been doing around here and I want you to use your technical expertise to go out and secure us a few robots from the Bloomberg Space Center. It’s pretty far to the south west and I hate to say it but you and Sunny are some of the most talented fighters in town.”

I thought it was a good idea, even though my combat prowess was surely exaggerated but I wasn’t in any shape to launch such a lengthy expedition. I had also yet to hear just what was supposed to appeal to me specifically.

“I understand where you’re coming from Jack but why does it have to be me? What’s your angle?”

“An old friend of mine, Sid, and his crew moved into the space center almost a year ago. They have been deterred from most of the facilities and he said that his boss has been dealing with some strange ponies lately. The reason I bring this matter to you is that a certain grey unicorn mare was among them.”

My eyes widened at the mention. I could see her clearly in my mind, with Chestnut touching her shoulder as they teleported away. That was the closest lead I had in the month since Chestnut disappeared. As content as I was to stay in the Crater I only gave up my search to take care of Aurora. Now that she was comfortable here and I had ponies to take care of her for me, I could resume my quest to avenge Winter. I stewed the options over in my mind, considering what was best for myself and for the others. It was unlikely that Summer would come with me as her new job here was too vital to the Crater but I had no doubt in my mind that Sunny would help me with no questions so long as I asked.

“Are you absolutely sure?”

“Yes the description matched the mare you told me about. You go get me some robots and along the way you might find the pony you’re looking for.”

“Give me a day or so to get things figured out. I’ll do it.” I could hear that whisper in my mind again. I shook my head to clear it of the strange presence and composed myself.

“You alright Sparks? Are you sure you’re up to this?” I couldn’t tell if his concern was genuine but at least he wasn’t forcing the issue.

“I’m sure, I will rest a lot easier once I put that bastard in the ground. Who am I looking for?”

“Another griffon, brown fur, kinda small in stature.”

With that I returned to the other room to see that the party was still going strong. Sunny was in the corner speaking with my mother and Aurora was playing a game with Summer. Aurora saw me return and waved at me happily, a gesture which I returned as I approached Sunny.

“You’ve done right by that girl.” Sunny said with a smile. “I’m glad you decided to take her in.” She looked up at the ceiling as if recalling a fond memory.

“Mother if you would excuse us? I have something important to talk to Sunny about.”

“Very well darling. I think I’ll go see how the cake tastes.” She flipped her mane dramatically as she strutted off to the table.

“What is it Sparks?”

“Jack just gave me the best lead on Chestnut we’ve gotten since Black Town.”

“Sparks…you just settled down with Aurora, do you really want to leave her now to chase your revenge?”

I looked over at how much fun Aurora was having and how it was the happiest I’d seen her since Winter was killed. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to banish the cloak of burning hatred that enshrouded my heart.

“Yes…I need this Sunny, and I can’t do it alone.”

Sunny sighed and tipped her hat to cover her eyes. “I will help you Sparks. If this will bring you peace.”

I wondered how she truly felt since Chestnut had been involved in the destruction of Requari and it had been me who convinced her to spare him. She wouldn’t admit it but she needed it just as badly as I, perhaps even more so and it was entirely because of me.

“What’s your plan for the girl?”

“She’ll stay with my mother while we’re gone. There are ponies here that I trust to keep her safe.” It wasn’t a decision I made lightly but I had personally built heavily upon the defenses of this town. With that, Summer and Jack, Aurora was in good hooves until I could return.

“I’d like to leave tomorrow, get whatever you need and meet me at the gate in the morning.”

Sunny nodded and slowly made her exit from the party.

Aurora looked on sadly as she left without a word.

“Where’s aunt Sunny going?” she asked with a frown.

“I’ll tell you after the party. For now let’s say we get a taste of the cake before Nana eats it all.”

Aurora looked to the table to see my mother with chocolate crumbs on her face.

“Nana! Don’t eat it all before I have some.” Aurora squealed as she bolted towards the table. That reaction garnered a small round of laughter from the room as we all gathered around the table for cake.

The evening came to a close with a satisfying conclusion. I caught my mother before she left and informed her of my plan. She didn’t question my decision and was happy to take Aurora for a few days. I closed the door behind her as Aurora trotted up to me with a curious look on her muzzle.

“So why did aunt Sunny leave so early? She missed the cake.” Aurora looked over at the table that held just enough cake left for one. “I saved her some for tomorrow.”

I couldn’t turn around to face her, instead I stayed facing the door as I spoke. “I asked her to leave.”

“What? Why?”

“I need her to be ready for tomorrow.”

“Why? What’s happening tomorrow?”

She didn’t need to know about my motive I thought…Jack’s request would do.

“We are leaving the Crater for a while, Jack has requested something that requires my skills.”

“I understand…” Her expression sagged for a brief second before she faced me with a fire in her eyes. “I’m coming with you.”

“What?” I said, turning to see the determined look on her face. “Aurora no, I need you to stay here where it’s safe…where you’re safe.”

“B-but I can help, I promise I won’t get in the way and…and I’ll-”

“My mind is made up Aurora, you’ll stay here and that’s final.”

“B-but I can help! I want to help! Please don’t leave me!”

I could hear her voice cracking as glistening moisture gathered in the corners of her eyes. Damn you Jack for making me do this on her birthday.

I stood facing the door, suppressing tears of my own. “I’m sorry Aurora. I…I can’t risk your safety. You’re all I have left.”

“And you’re all I have left!” Her defiant look quickly faded into one of lonely misery. “Please…don’t go…”

“I’m sorry.” I whispered, opening the door and stepping outside. I had no choice. I had to leave her behind. It was for her own good, one day she would understand. From the other side of the door I could hear her break down into sobs. Forcing back tears of my own, I set out into town to gather supplies. I looked back one last time and the tears escaped.

I still to this day don’t know what became of the money I lent her but after centuries of searching I think I understood what she meant. It’s a far cry from what she told me but the main issue was time. Perhaps if we had more before the end she really could have saved us all. At least that is what I like to believe.

I could feel a warm wind blowing through my mane. I magically removed my monocle and gently wiped it off. I was standing on a marble balcony somewhere in Canterlot, if the geography I picked up from the last orb was on point. I levitated a pocket watch out from a pocket on my dark suit coat.

“Where is that mare?” I felt a touch of irritation but not more than a moment later I heard the sound of hooves clopping on marble. I turned and did an over the top bow to a lovely, well dressed unicorn mare in a blue dress and matching sunhat.

“My dear Lady Rarity, might I ask what’s so important that you summon me here.”

“I’m sorry I’m late Fancy Pants, I didn’t mean to make you wait.”

“It’s quite alright my dear, you have a great deal to manage. It is no surprise that you might be a tad late.”

Rarity fumbled with a briefcase she was carrying with her as she looked all around as if she if she was expecting somepony else to show up, her horn glowing slightly.

“Forgive me if I seem on edge darling, a body double of mine was assassinated in Whinnyapolis not too long ago.”

“No harm done, take as long as you like to relax yourself. If I might be so bold, just what is it you need my dear?”

“I need funding. I can’t redirect ministry funds to my personal project any longer. I…won’t ask my friends and you have been a generous contributor to the Ministry of Image.”

“To what end my dear? What is this project of yours?” I looked at her with a cocked brow.

“I…I have come into possession of a…unique resource. With it I think I may have possibly found a way to preserve life in Equestria…Indefinitely.”

I could feel my heart beating furiously in my chest. I stepped towards Rarity and placed a hoof on her shoulder.

“Do you truly believe that?”

Rarity look troubled for a moment before pure resolve showed in her eyes.

“Yes. I have to. I cannot fail now.”

Despite the resolve in her eyes she looked conflicted about her decision. I started feeling unsure myself about if I wanted to help her. Yet her piercing gaze never faltered. Regardless of the risk that was worrying her, her conviction stood steadfast and that was all I needed to see.

“Very well Lady Rarity. You shall have my pocket for your ‘project’. Should it bear fruit I trust you shall share your discoveries with me?”

“Of course Fancy Pants, thank you so much for this. You won’t regret it. I trust this shall stay between us?”

“Of course my dear. As I said all those years ago…you were and are, an important pony to know. If you believe this project of yours can stop this damn war, then you can count on my utmost discretion. Worry not, the O.I.A will not hear a word from me.”

“You are a good friend Fancy Pants. Thank you so much for this opportunity.”

“Go home and get everything figured out. When you know what you need from me, let me know and you shall have it.”

The next morning I woke up to an empty house and gathered my belongings. I hefted my stable barding and security armor on for the first time in weeks, and took stock of my inventory. It had been so long since I used my pistol last that I had never noticed that my PipBuck had given it a special designation. The Harbinger. As much as it felt wrong, that realization convinced me that I was making the right decision. According to my PipBuck it was just about ten in the morning as I made my way to the Crater’s gate. There was Sunny, patiently waiting for me, just where I thought I’d find her,

“Just you and me again eh?” she said, not looking at me.

“Looks like. Ready to head out?”

“As ready as I can be.”

We collected ourselves and signaled the guards to raise the gate and not a minute later we were out in the Baltimare Wasteland yet again. A heavy fog was rolling in from Horseshoe bay as we circled the Crater and set off to the southwest towards the Bloomberg Space Center. I had never been this far away from the Baltimare ruins before. I was curious as to what we might encounter, if anything would be different. I took a bottle of apple whiskey out of my bags and started drinking.

“You want any of this Sunny?” I asked, levitating the bottle over to her. She squinted her eyes at me and snatched the bottle out of my grasp and took several large swigs.

“You’re a bad influence on me.” She joked.

“So you keep telling me but I wouldn’t be anything without you Sunny, I hope you know that.”

“Ass kissing won’t save you this time Sparks.”

I could tell that she wasn’t on my side about my decision but she would never let me go alone.

“So…do you know anything about where we are going?”

“No.”

“Nothing at all?”

“Don’t you think if I knew anything about this space center I’ve had already told you?”

“Ok I get it…Are you alright Sunny?”

“I care about you Sparks and I’ll support you no matter what. That doesn’t mean I always have to agree with you.”

“You…you rather I’d stayed behind?”

“It doesn’t matter what I think.”

“Seriously Sunny, tell me what’s on your mind.”

Sunny looked away, off into the distance.

“I…see a lot of myself in you Sparks and that’s not always a good thing.”

I knew myself that the decision I made wasn’t the best one but every time I thought about Winter or Chestnut an incredible fury woke in my heart. I couldn’t let them live as long as I had the ability to put an end to them. However something about what she said struck me as odd.

“What are you trying to say?”

Sunny hid behind the brim of her hat again and spoke softly.

“I did the same thing once…”

What did she mean by that? I thought. Wait…did she just…did she have… Suddenly my mind was drowning in questions. As if sensing my intentions Sunny looked out from under her hat. The look in her eyes silenced me completely. If she was to tell me anything more, it would have to be on her terms. Now I think I understood where she was coming from but even if what I was thinking was true, my mind was made up. It was my love who was killed, not hers.

I gave Sunny the space I thought she needed as we walked for an hour or two before the sound of nearby gunfire grabbed my attention. I crouched down low as Sunny and I approached the firefight carefully. As we got closer we saw the source of the commotion. Two Steel Rangers were standing with their backs to a large industrial looking building. The two rangers were firing their weapons into a huge mass of feral ghouls. Judging by the number of corpses to ghouls it wouldn’t be long before they would be overwhelmed. I stood up from my hiding place and fired a lightning bolt into the hoard of zombies, dropping a few of them in a flash. Sunny, following my lead, also stood up and began firing her battle saddle at the mass of rotting flesh. The rangers noticed our arrival and pressed the attack to try and clear a path for us. We galloped through the breach before the ghouls could block us off.

The hoard seemed like it was never going to end as we were being pushed back against the wall of the building. It was as we got closer to the rangers I noticed that there were three or so other corpses that weren’t ghouls. This was their last stand. I turned to judge the door to the building to see if trying to retreat inside was a safer option.

“Cover me! I’m getting us inside!” I jumped behind one of the rangers to safeguard myself from the gnashing teeth and jagged hooves. A wall of ghouls blocked us from the main entrance but thankfully we had been pushed towards a garage bay door of some kind, presumably for deliveries and the like centuries ago. The sound of gunfire and snarling ghouls threatened to swallow my concentration but there was no backing out now. If I couldn’t get this door open it was game over for all of us. I felt a sharp hoof slash my flank before the responsible ghoul had its back broken by the powerful hydraulics of the ranger’s power armor.

“Hurry up local! We’re being overwhelmed!”

“He can do it! Keep them suppressed, give him all the time you can!” Sunny yelled, kicking a grenade into the ghoul’s backline. I followed a wire from the roof’s overhang to a damaged fuse box. I focused as hard as I could to repair it. I could do it, this what I was trained for, minus the threat of death. Sweat was quickly matting the fur on my face as I scraped and salvaged as many redundant and broken wires as I could to replace the line to the opening mechanism. At that moment fear had sprouted forth in my chest. Without even considering my course of action, I recognized that it relied on the door and fuse box being connected to a power supply. I held my breath as I connected the final wire to open the door…and nothing. It wouldn’t open. I started to panic as I had led us all to our deaths. NO! I couldn’t let it end here! I lowered my head and charged my electricity spell. I had never tried to use it to power an isolated connection through a secondary relay. I closed my eyes and prayed as I felt the sparking energy leave my horn. Whether Luna herself was watching over me or I was the luckiest son of a bitch in the wasteland I would never know. An electronic whirring kicked in as the door was retracted along the ceiling, allowing us a way into the garage.

“We’re in! Fall back!” One of the rangers shouted through the speaker in his helmet. The two stood as a barrier between us and the ghouls as we retreated inside. Once they noticed we’d made it through they both turned and ducked through the doorway. As soon as they were clear I hit the red button on the wall, activating the closing mechanism that slowly rolled the door back into place. We kept the bullets flying to make sure no ghouls made it inside. The garage door opening made for an effective choke point as we mowed down all that would dare try and follow us. A few managed to crawl through the shrinking gap between the door and the concrete floor but the industrial strength door easily bisected the ghouls decaying bodies as it closed completely. I was astonished by the wall of red ticks just outside the door. How many had we killed? How many were still out there? The sounds of frenzy outside died down quickly as losing line of sight seemed to pacify the ghouls. They resigned themselves to milling about just outside, waiting for the next unsuspecting passerby.

“Nice work local, outstanding performance.” The ranger stallion commented. I turned to face him, wiping the sweat of my brow as I did.

“A little too close for my liking.” I said between panicked breaths.

“Wait a minute. I recognize you. You’re the pony that recovered Paladin Sureshot’s tags.” The other ranger said. She sat down and fumbled with her helmet a bit, removing it. Her coat was a vibrant green and her mane was a bright red. “Do you remember me? Crusader Freesia of the Steel Rangers.” She held out an armored hoof which I took in my own and shook it.

“I’m glad to see a familiar face…so to speak.” I sighed and relaxed a little.

“Agreed. I honestly thought I’d never see you again. I figured you’d just take the tech we gave you and disappear.”

I still had the device they gave me. I was never able to find a use for it but it was too valuable to throw away or sell. A device that flooded a security system with garbage data was a valuable tool to have.

“If you’re done catching up Freesia, we have a job to do.” The other ranger interrupted.

“Ah of course let us proceed then Brass Tacks.” Freesia put her helmet back on and proceeded out of the room behind her partner. Sunny and I fell in line behind them. It would behoove us to stick with them until we got out of the building that my PipBuck just marked as ‘Rainboom Robotics’.

“So Crusader huh? Got promoted since I saw you last?” I asked, wondering just how the ranger’s command structure worked.

“I was rewarded for my actions with command of my own squad after a particular Op went south. I was able to persevere and complete the mission, albeit with several casualties.”

I knew better than to pursue that subject any further. However the lack of a certain other ranger made me curious.

“What happened to Flint?” I asked following behind her.

“Knight Flint was killed on a reconnaissance mission north west of the city. His squad just disappeared one day and his power armor stopped transmitting. We have yet to recover his remains but he is presumed KIA.”

“I’m very sorry to hear that Freesia.”

“Thank you, I appreciate that. He knew the risks though. Dying in the line of duty is the best death a soldier can hope for.”

The ranger in front, Brass Tacks was his name, kicked down a wooden door that led to a big open room with two staircases that led to the upper floors.

“What are you guys here for?” I asked, hoping to glean a little more about their mission.

“I’m afraid we can’t divulge that information, isn’t that right Crusader.”

“At ease Brass. These ponies are friends to the Rangers.”

“Hmph if you say so boss.” Brass scoffed at us and sped up to scout the room ahead.

“Forgive him, the rangers are his whole life, he lives and bleeds steel.”

“Its fine, I understand. So now can I ask what you’re here for?”

“I can’t tell you everything but we are here for an X-33 guidance chip and two B-S turbopump bearings.”

I wondered for a moment what the Rangers would want with that kind of tech before I remembered their goal of recovering technology. Still we were in a robotics research facility, all the tech here should be valuable to them. So why were they so fixated on those two specifically?

“I suppose asking what they’re for is need to know only?”

“…Affirmative.”

Whatever it was, it had to be important. Regardless of what I personally thought I wanted to stay an ally to the Steel Rangers.

“Is there anything we can do to help?”

“You can split up and help search the area I suppose.”

“How will we know what to look for?” Sunny asked, moving to the other side of Freesia.

“We should be able to find the bearings in this site’s spark generator. As for the guidance chip…we aren’t one hundred percent sure if one is even here. So we should split up and search the area and find out.” Freesia activated the head lamp attached to her helmet and started her search.

“I don’t like this, we shouldn’t split up.” Sunny stated, looking around the room nervously.

Now seemed as good a time as ever. I silently thanked the ponies of Stable 71.

“Here, take this.” I withdrew Overmare Junebug’s PipBuck from my pack and offered it to Sunny. “I took this and a few more from Stable 71. The auto-mapping feature will help us keep track of one another once I record my ID tag in it…and…done. Here.” I motioned for her to give me one of her legs, levitating out the special tool to secure it on.

“If you’ve had these for so long why didn’t you give me one earlier?” Sunny looked at me, annoyed that I could have given her such a helpful tool weeks ago.

“I honestly forgot I had them until…recently.”

“Aurora’s birthday?”

“Yeah.”

“So you did forget.” She smirked.

Sunny didn’t say any more and held out her left foreleg. It didn’t take me long to reset the PipBuck’s OS and secure it to her leg. She took a moment to get used to the advanced systems linking to her biology, giving the device an appraising stare.

“Ok we’re good to go. I’ll check the back rooms. Wanna check the upstairs?” I asked, starting on my way towards the other side of the building.

“Sure.” She said, face buried in her new screen, figuring out the finer workings.

“I’ll patch you guys in to our radio communications. Call in if you need assistance.” Freesia said, noticing that Sunny and I both had PipBucks.

I carefully crept into the back area, taking a moment to feel it out before turning on my PipBuck’s light. I checked the screen for my peace of mind to see that Sunny’s tag was being tracked properly. I zoomed out the map function to check on Aurora only to see that there was no tag in the Crater. We were pretty far from home at this point. PipBuck’s were originally designed for the pre-war elite and Stables so maybe I was just out of range to pick up her tag.

The flickering lights and musty air made exploring this place an uneasy experience. Every now and then I’d come across a door that was bashed down and almost every time I did there were a few destroyed robots surrounding them. Inside the rooms with broken down doors were corpses that couldn’t have been there long judging from their state of decay. After checking another two rooms like that I noticed one thing that connected them. All the corpses I found were zebras.

“Hey guys?” I spoke at my PipBuck. “I found multiple zebra bodies…and they are relatively fresh.”

“Are you in danger?” Freesia asked.

“No but I’m going to keep going. If I find out more I’ll relay it to you.”

“Acknowledged.”

“Be careful Sparks.” Sunny added.

I continued deeper into the building until I finally spotted something that gave me pause. Paw prints…bloody paw prints of recently coagulated blood. I swallowed my fear, pulled my pistol out of its holster and followed the tracks.

“Sparks checking in.” I whispered. “I found some kind of animal tracks and fresh blood. We aren’t alone here.”

“Roger that, heading to you now.”

Instead of following where the tracks were going, I opted to follow where they came from. Eventually they led me through a hole in a wall that led to what I guessed was a room for putting robots together. There were old and rusted machine arms set in increments along conveyor belts littered with parts that were never put together. Towards the front of the room in between two of the conveyor belts along the wall and slightly wedged behind a tool chest was the fresh corpse of a zebra mare. Just as the paw prints indicated she looked to have been mauled to death by some kind of beast.

Upon closer inspection it appeared that two such creatures had attacked her but how could that be? There was only one set of tracks. I gently laid a hoof on the corpse and learned that it still had just a touch of warmth. She couldn’t have been dead for more than a day. I could hear the armored hulks of Freesia and Brass approaching from the hall I came from. Sunny was the first to enter the room where she joined me in standing over the corpse.

“Did you find what we’re looking for?” I asked her.

“Yeah Brass and I found the pump bearings or whatever. We stopped looking for the chip when we heard from you. I see that we might have stumbled into something’s home.” She said upon seeing the wounds on the corpse.

“Any ideas what could have done this?”

“Not really. It’s strange to me that a beast this dangerous would make its home here of all places…unless.”

“Unless what?” The speaker garbled voice of Freesia asked as she and Brass entered the room through the hole in the wall.

“Unless the creature is not acting on its own.”

“So you’re saying that a pony or something is pulling this things leash?” Brass asked with a sarcastic tone.

“Do you have a better explanation Brass Tacks?” Freesia questioned, her newfound authority bleeding into her voice.

“No Ma’am. Sorry Ma’am.”

“If we are going to continue our search I advise we proceed with caution. We will split into two teams with one ranger each. Brass, do you have any objections to partnering with…?” Freesia turned to Sunny, beckoning her to finish her question.”

“Sunny.” She said, locking eyes with the two rangers.

“Crusader, forgive me but you can’t be serious. You want me to partner with one of these wastelanders? How can you expect to them to put the mission first when they aren’t even-”

“That’s enough Brass. You aren’t with the Manehattan contingent anymore. You will check your hostility or I will have you reassigned, understand?”

Brass huffed angrily before standing up straight and giving a weak salute. “Understood Crusader.”

“Alright then let’s move out. Everypony ready?”

Sunny and I both nodded. We separated into the teams and set off following the tracks. Soon we came to a split in the hallway where another zebra corpse laid with the tracks leading down both paths.

“Be on your guard Sunny.” I whispered. “If he tries anything, use your PipBuck to ping me and I’ll come running.”

“I don’t think he will but I’ll be careful. Stay safe.”

Brass tromped up behind Sunny and nodded his head towards one of the set of tracks. She nodded back and they quickly disappeared around a corner. The question now was were there multiple creatures or just one.

“Is Brass Tacks going to be a problem?”

“No, he values his belief in the rangers more than he dislikes ponies like you and your friend.”

“How long have you been a…Crusader?”

“Not long and I imagine not for much longer either.”

“Why?”

“Did you see the rest of my squad?”

I remembered the other bodies I saw at their hooves when we arrived to help. “I’m…sorry for your loss.”

“It isn’t likely the Elder will revoke my rank…but I was thinking of stepping down, I’m not fit for leadership.”

I of all ponies knew how it felt to be the one kicking your own ass for your actions. Not everypony will hold you accountable so it isn’t strange to me for ponies to hold themselves accountable, whether it’s deserved or not.

“If you’re going to make a decision like that make sure it’s what YOU want Freesia. The Elder wouldn’t have given you this position if he thought you couldn’t handle it.”

“Yeah…” She didn’t say anything more as she retreated into herself to think.

We continued on in silence until we reached the end of the hall. At the end was a large ornate door that hopefully held something to aid us behind it. I went to open the door only to learn that it was locked. Suddenly I was missing Grim more than ever. I saw him pick locks often enough that I was willing to give it a try. I levitated out a screwdriver and a few bobby pins and carefully started fiddling with the lock. I had just set the pin in place to lift the tumbler when a metal clad hoof smashed the door off its hinges, sending it cartwheeling across the room, hitting the desk and coming to rest on the floor. I just sat there staring at my tools floating in front of me where the door had just been. I turned slowly to face Freesia. Even with the helmet on I could just feel the shit eating grin on her face underneath it.

“Power Armor has its advantages.” She said in a playful tone.

“That was so unnecessary.” I said, stowing my tools back in my packs as we entered the office. The inside of the room looked like it had been lived in recently. There were small amounts of supplies stocked around the room on shelves or piled in the corners. I started to wonder if I would ever find an office without a terminal in it as I dropped into the chair with a creak. I pressed one button on the terminal before I leaned to look around it to glare at Freesia.

“You gonna knock this one across the room too?”

“Only if it’s more convenient than doing it your way.”

“Hmph, I won’t be long.” She nodded and turned to watch the doorway as I jacked into the terminal to pick apart its security. Getting in was almost child’s play to me now, at least with an encryption this weak. Once I was in, I saw that there were a few logs left by whomever ran this place before the war as well as ones that were added recently, perhaps clues to our mystery beastmaster? I decided to start with the old ones before progressing my way to the ones that would help us…curiosity is a virtue right? The first old one was labeled ‘Finally!’

I recognized Robronco as the foremost supplier of robots during the war but had no idea to what S.M.I was, another tech company if I had to guess. However the more important thing to note was the project the entry entailed. It was very likely we would find the chip the rangers were after. Next on the way down was an entry that was labeled ‘New Project.”

What kind of robot were they making? I’ve never heard of or seen an assualtron but the idea of a metal pony was frightening enough by itself, especially if you couldn’t distinguish one from a flesh and blood pony. I wondered if they finished the robot before the bombs fell. Would we run into a peculiar robot or would we find its unfinished chassis? It wouldn’t do me any good to worry about it, at least not yet. As I moved on to the recent entries I saw that the first one didn’t have a label so I opened it and started reading.

So the special order robot was still here? Whether or not that was the case our mystery beastmaster seemed to believe so. That told me that all the zebra corpses were a result of them trying to capture our mystery pony…er zebra, I guess. The fact that the last two corpses we found were killed by ‘Boola’ as I assumed the beast was called, indicated that they had exhausted their supply of robots. Wherever they were now, they had to be extremely desperate. I moved on to the next entry that was entered only a few days ago.

So there was a secret tunnel somewhere that led to a basement area. That’s where we would fine our zebra friend. More importantly it was probably the place we’d find the guidance chip.

“I got a lead Freesia, call back Brass and Sunny will you?”

She turned away from her watch at the door and nodded. “Sure thing.”

As she radioed the others I remembered our time in the Briddlestar mall when we found that button under a desk. I hopped out of the chair in front of the desk and ducked underneath. No such luck. I should have known it wouldn’t be so easy. Freesia noticed me under the desk and came to stand beside me.

“What are you doing?”

“There’s a secret tunnel to the basement labs and I’m looking for a switch or something.”

No more needed to be said as she too joined me in the search.

“Are you sure it’s in this room?”

“No but if I ran this place I’d want the switch somewhere only I could get to it.”

Our searching became more in depth such as tearing off paneling on the walls and tearing up the carpeting. Just as Sunny and Brass walked into the room I located the switch at the bottom of a plant pot, once I scooped all the dirt out. A hissing sound could be heard as a portion of the floor retracted and led to stairs heading below.

“That’s where were going to find your chip.” I pointed down the stairs hoping one of them would get my meaning. There was no guarantee that the chip was there but at this point we needed to be thorough as well as take care of the zebra. Brass huffed angrily and started first down the stairs, followed by me and Sunny with Freesia watching our flanks. Between our PipBuck lights and headlamps the darkness would be hiding nothing from us. Immediately I noticed the strange smell that permeated the air. We reached the end of the stairs that opened up into another assembly looking room with conveyors and parts all over the place. Before I could take a closer look a ferocious growling followed by Brass being tackled to the floor demanded my attention. Brass had been pounced on by a large two headed dog creature. One head had its jaws clamped on one of the guns on his battle saddle, while the other was biting at the throat area of his armor.

Freesia trotted past Sunny and I, kicked the thing in one of its faces, the strength of which was enough to send it careening over a dirty workstation. The thing whined in pain as it stood up, Freesia ignored this and trained her guns on it, ready to take it out. Then, out of nowhere, a zebra dressed in rags with a bedraggled mane jumped in between Freesia and the dog creature.

“No! No please, do not fire! Boola did not intend to draw your ire!”

“Stand down zebra!” Freesia yelled, sounding genuinely scary.

“Yes of course, please forgive me. You were not the ones I was expecting to see. I’ve been on the run from folk of mine. So the security of this place became my find.”

“If I see your pet’s fangs again I will kill it. Understand?” Freesia lowered her guns and relaxed her stance.

“Yes I understand very well. Boola will listen to what I tell.”

“What are you blind Freesia? That’s a zebra! Kill it!”

“The Steel Rangers have no quarrel with this zebra, as far as I’m concerned he’s just an unarmed civilian.”

“Says you, if you won’t I will!” Brass’ chain gun started to spin but before any bullets fired, Freesia stepped in between the zebra and Brass. She raised a hoof and brought it down on the barrel of the chain gun, knocking it off its battle saddle mount.

“Freesia what the fuck!?”

“Stand down! We do not open fire on civilians without good reason!”

“What more reason do you want!? Look at him! He’s a fucking zebra! It’s because of his kind that we all live in this radioactive hellhole!”

“There’s no war anymore Brass, your prejudice is based on an event that happened two hundred years ago. There will be no unprovoked killing here today.”

Brass was fuming under his helmet. For a moment it looked like he was going to accept Freesia’s orders but hatred can do terrible things to a mind. Brass charged through Freesia intent on killing the zebra but before he could make a move a black and white blur kicked his helmet off his head, then spun midair landing two hooves on the back of his head, knocking him out cold.

“I’m sorry I had to do that to your friend, but it looked like he sought my end.” Now that the tension in the room had eased away I could finally be a part of the conversation.

“What is your name?” I asked, stepping over the unconscious body of Brass.

“Xela was the name given at my birth. Though these days it holds little worth.”

Freesia checked to make sure Brass was alright. She fiddled with some controls under a panel in his armor near his flank.

“While I don’t exactly approve of what just happened, your moves sure did a number on my Knight. Where did you learn to fight like that?”

Xela leaned back slightly with a smug expression.

“I was trained in combat since the day I was born and to its practice I have been sworn.”

I had never met a zebra before. There was plenty I didn’t know about them or their culture. All I knew is that it’s because of them the wasteland is what it is today, or at least that was what I’d been told. Thinking about that lit a flame of anger in my heart. I suddenly empathized with Brass for a brief moment before I remembered what Freesia had just said. Killing him wouldn’t bring life back to the wasteland and I doubted the ponies of Equestria were completely free of blame. If we were to find what we sought then having the guy who had been living here on our side could only help us. Making peace with that for now, something about his mannerisms bothered me. Was it just a zebra thing?

“Why do you talk in rhyme?”

He looked perplexed as if he thought I hadn’t noticed. “A curse from my kind was placed upon me, now my words come out like poetry.”

“A curse that makes you speak in rhyme?”

“It was created back in olden times, to identify those guilty of crimes. Forsaking ones clan could warrant the curse and that is why I must speak in verse.”

“Enough with the pleasantries.” Sunny butted in and pushed her way to the front. “We are searching for a guidance chip. If you mean us no harm then perhaps you could help us.”

Xela looked around the room, thinking hard about something.

“I may know where a chip may be but first you will do something to help me.”

“I knew this wouldn’t be easy, what do you need from us?” I asked, looking to Freesia to try and gauge her reaction.

“There’s a robot here that I have found but on making it work I’ve gained no ground. Some extra hooves might be what I need to make it work and take my leave.”

“So you need our help activating it?” Freesia asked, standing up from Brass’ unconscious form.

“I’m afraid machines are beyond my ken so I’ve kept it safe here in my den.”

“Can you show it to us?”

Xela nodded and said something in a language I didn’t understand. Boola started panting and ran off towards the other side of the room. I heard a loud clunking sound as a portion of the lights set into the roof came to life. Anchored into a workstation on a raised dais was the powered down form of a metal pony. We approached it to get a better look. I recognized it immediately. I levitated out the small statuette I took from the Black Town armory and compared the two. Everything was a perfect match. The coat, the mane, which was made of synthetic hair and the cutie mark. Everything save the cowpony hat on its head. I heard Freesia gasp beside me.

“Is…is that Applejack? What the hell were the ponies here up to?” Freesia sounded very displeased.

“Applejack?” I mirrored, looking at the statuette in a curios light.

“Yes the founder…Applejack, Ministry Mare of the Ministry of Technology.”

In the Stable I had been taught that the ministries were very important in the last days of Equestria’s government. That made this mare one of the most important ponies in Equestria…at least the robotic clone of her. I had to agree with Freesia’s reaction. What in the world would anypony need an Applejack robot for? I suppose since she wasn’t finished before the bombs fell that it no longer mattered. But curiosity was a virtue like I said. Right?

“I don’t like this. This…I don’t know what to think.” Freesia was seriously conflicted with the robot before her. I couldn’t exactly understand what she was thinking, though how would I have felt if it were a robotic clone of say, Celestia or Luna.

“I’m going to see what I can do with it.” I ignored Freesia’s pleas and opened a panel on its chest where I plugged my PipBuck into it. My PipBuck was flooded with data and programs I could barely understand. Personality matrixes and memories with behavioral subroutines and customized speech and voice systems. Technically speaking it was complete but something in its code was keeping it inactive. Whether it was waiting for a specific trigger or command I couldn’t tell. Freesia let me continue fiddling with the robot as she moved on to continue speaking with Xela.

“Where did you acquire your pet? And what is it?

Xela said something in the zebra language and the two headed dog ran up to Freesia and started licking her helmet on both sides.

“An Orthros is what my companion is and vicious licking is a quirk of his.”

“Where did you find it…him?”

“I captured him as a pup in a forest of gloom. By my side he has been, bringing my foes doom. The capture of Boola for me was just fun. Who ever said two heads are better than one?” Xela started petting Boola with strong affection. A strong bond between pony, or zebra, and their pet was worth more than a million bits…caps.

“I think it’s time we got the chip while my friend works on the robot.” Sunny said, forcefully stepping between Freesia and Xela.

“Very well, get your things and follow me. I shall gift you the chip that you seek.”

They disappeared out of my vision to find the chip while I tried to find the trigger the robot was waiting for. I kept digging into its code where I found its combat programming. Despite what the terminal said they apparently didn’t delete or replace the combat subroutines. Rather they just buried them where they could be reactivated at a later date. I couldn’t see any obvious weaponry on the robot which made sense as it seemed to me it was meant to be an infiltrator or assassin? Maybe? It was hard to tell. What was most disturbing of all was how…anatomically correct it was. If it was built to be an infiltrator or something along those lines then…honestly you would have to get very, very close to tell it was a robot. Did whoever it was who commissioned this expect it to…to have sex with somepony? As if thinking about it summoned them, I found the programming for…sexual activity and blank space where more data on the subject could be added. While not for the same reasons, I now understood Freesia’s confliction. Suddenly I could see why some might want an Applejack robot. The thought sent a shudder down my back.

After digging even further I found that it was missing an activation key that I did not possess. I disconnected my PipBuck and closed the panel to search the lab for the key. I followed some wires connected the base that the robot stood on to a terminal with technical readouts on the thing. Nothing helpful there. There were wires upon wires I could follow and hopefully one of them led me to some kind of clue. I carefully followed more wires on the wall, walking past Freesia, Sunny and Xela as I did, not hearing a word they said. Eventually I found another terminal whose screen had been blown out but had a port for holotapes. I carefully fired my lightning spell into it, giving it enough power to eject the tape inside. The tape that came out had no label on it but it was all I had to go on so I opened the holotape port on my PipBuck and inserted it. My screen was replaced by several algorithms, one of which had similar readouts to the robot. With any luck that was our activation key. All I had to do was return to where the robot was docked and find out. It was never that easy unfortunately. As soon as the robot came back into my view I saw Brass standing behind it. Its eyelids opened revealing soft green eyes that began glowing red as it stepped off the platform.

“Combat protocols engaged. Targets confirmed. Engage?” it asked in a mare’s voice.

“Kill them all!” Brass shouted, followed by boisterous laughter.

Two long blades slid out of its forelegs, just above its hooves and in the blink of an eye it disappeared. I was paralyzed with fear for a brief moment before I pulled out my gun and returned to my senses. I tried to call for my allies but as soon as I opened my mouth a sharp blade I couldn’t see slashed across my chest, gliding off my armor but biting into the flesh of my right foreleg. I stumbled forward, unable to stay up on my injured leg, just in time to hear a blade slice through the air where my neck had been one second ago. I rolled onto my back and fired where I thought the thing was. I was rewarded with a few sounds of bullets hitting metal followed by sparks flying off the invisible robot. Brass’ remaining rifle roared as a chunk of floor besides my head was blown away. I tucked my legs in and rolled towards where I had last seen Sunny and the others. New stab marks in the floor were forming behind me as I rolled away. The thundering sound of Freesia’s armor sounded my rescue as she rounded the corner and accidentally slammed into the robot, sending it flying across the room where bits of debris and dust were thrown up by an invisible impact. I heard the sound of angry snarling as the blur that was Xela blew past us and went right at Brass with Boola.

“Attack the pony in the tin can! We shall kill him where he stands!” The dual headed terror that was Boola pounced on Brass while Xela got behind him and started raining down blows with his hooves.

“Sparks what happened!?” Sunny shouted, taking a stance over me, giving me time to get up.

“The robot, brass turned it on somehow, it has stealth technology so keep your guard-” Before I could finish my warning I felt a metal leg collide with my chest, slamming me into the weathered wall. Freesia’s eye slits on her helmet lit up and she started searching for the robot.

“Forgive me founder!” She screamed as she lunged forward and started grappling with the mechanical monster. I was surprised to see that the robot was holding its own against Freesia even with her power armor. I quickly looked to my PipBuck to see if I had anything that would help us. I saw a weapon on my list labeled ‘Hearts Promise’ and a few chems that Circuit Breaker gave me. I used the PipBuck’s built in sorting spell to find and see what the hearts promise was. I had forgotten I had taken his weapon. Levitating in front of me was the pink knife fashioned from the Lone Wolf’s wife’s horn as he described it.

Centuries of life gives one ample time to search for answers. I have no idea how she came across this kind of knowledge but I have enough to move forward on my own, I think. Princesses forgive me for what I’m about to do.

I was inhabiting the body of some unicorn stallion working in front of a terminal. On the screen before me was a very complex looking spell. I had no idea what to make of what I saw but my host clearly knew what he was doing.

“I don’t know, this…this process will be agonizing. It was one thing when we were using a pony’s entire soul but this…cutting the soul into pieces like this…”

My host turned to face another thin, but tall, unicorn stallion. “Mistress Rarity wouldn’t have sent you the spell if she didn’t believe you could do it.”

“Snails you’re looking at the same spell I am right? Do you remember what happened to those prisoners from phase one? The process killed their bodies and almost destroyed their minds. Mistress Rarity wants to split, SPLIT somepony's soul, possibly multiple times. I know she thinks this knowledge can help Equestria but whoever the victim of this new spell-”

“You’re worrying too much. Remember what Rarity always say abouy you?”

“That I’m pleasantly plump?”

“No, the other thing.” The pony known as Snails insisted.

“That I’m the master of magic…and cutting things. Alright Snails, we’re really going to do this eh?”

“You betcha buddy.” Snails thumped me on the shoulder and smiled, until he was interrupted by a ping from his terminal.

“Wait a minute…I just got a new message from Rarity…what are these? More soul jars?”

Snips leaned to look at Snails’ screen which showed illustrations of ponies on statue bases, one of which was like the one I had in my possession and another like the one I saw in the College. So there were six in total huh? Just what were these things?

The knife I held in my magical grasp felt strange. Like it was an extension of my own horn. Unicorn horn was one of the few materials that was naturally a focus for magic. I held it along with the harbinger in my magic as I joined Sunny in trying to help Freesia pin the robot. I heard cries of pain behind us as Brass’ exposed face was getting an absolute beating from Xela. Xela was far more agile than the four legged tank and with only half his firepower at his disposal, he really only had his armor’s protection on his side. Well, that and the killer robot that was currently being grappled by three ponies. I heard the metallic sound of the things blades extending out again and felt one jabbed into my chest. I let go of where I was holding it to try and stop the blade from piercing any further. Hot stinging pain warned me that it had punctured my armor, this things strength was amazing. I brought the horn knife down for a desperate swing, slashing through its synthetic coat and skin on its neck. All of a sudden the blade was pulled out of my armor and it managed to free itself from Freesia and Sunny’s grasp. It reappeared in front of us, its eyes glowing much brighter than a moment ago. A slight clicking from my PipBuck told me that there was a sudden radiation spike in the room. I heard a loud humming coming from the robot as it reared its head back and its eyes turned fully red.

Two large beams of red energy erupted from its eyes, nailing Freesia in her chest, rapidly melting through her armor. The needle on my Geiger counter quickly started to move from the green area of the dial to the yellow as the beam forced Freesia to the floor. Once she was down it didn’t just keep its gaze on Freesia, it spun around forcing Sunny and I to take cover lest we be reduced to ash. Xela however, had no time to react as the eye beams easily killed Boola and even with his speed he could not save one of his legs from being dismembered. Now that Xela had lost his advantage over Brass he instantly took a heavy, metal coated hoof to his face, knocking him through a nearby workstation. We were running out of options. I entered SATS to give myself more time to think as I surveyed the situation. I theorized that the robot would hopefully have to take a moment to vent the incredible amount of heat it built up. Ideally giving us an opportunity to take it out while it was vulnerable. Two panels on its barrel were explosively opened by scalding hot air and steam. Its eyes were already starting to glow red again. It wasn’t going to be exposed for as long as I had hoped. Then I remembered the small cache of chems I had in my bags. I needed all the time I could get as I pulled out an inhaler of Dash. I inhaled the drug and watched in delight as the world slowed down while I was still moving at normal speed.

Freesia’s armor’s built in repair talisman was already filling in the hole in her chest plate while I watched Sunny unload a round of buckshot into the robots side, hitting it enough to stagger it. As it recoiled I saw the weak spot I had opened up earlier on its neck. I galloped at the robot, floating hearts promise into the breach in its plating. Hopefully what I had felt before wasn’t just my imagination. I channeled my lightning spell into the link between myself and the horn I held and watched in slow motion delight as blue streaks of electricity exploded out of the gash in its neck. Its eyes went dark as the sudden surge of energy had crashed its spell matrix. I took advantage of my Dash fueled body and the time I had while it reset itself to throw the panel on its chest open and issue the shutdown command through my PipBuck. I heard the distorted voice of Brass Tacks calling out to Freesia.

The world blurred for a moment as if coming back into focus as time resumed its normal flow. “We couldn’t let him take a robot that advanced.” Brass was saying. “We need to take it back to the Elder.”

Freesia walked up to Brass and draped an armored leg across his back. “You’re absolutely right. Forgive me Knight. I let the mission get in the way of our primary goal.”

“I’m glad you agree, now let’s deal with those two before they-” Freesia’s rifle blasted through Brass’ skull, spraying the floor with blood and bone fragments.

Freesia sighed through her helmet and noticeably slumped down in defeat. Sunny and I trotted to where Xela had landed only to be met with his dead eyes. I closed my eyes for a moment cursing more unnecessary death.

“Why did you do that?” I asked, looking at the still, armored from of Brass Tacks.

“I don’t tolerate traitors. He would have killed me the same as you and brought that robot back alone for the Elder’s favor. Not that he would have got it.” Freesia straightened up and peered towards the powerless robot. “How did he activate it?” Freesia asked the room.

“I think he just powered it up. I was looking for the activation key so it would activate properly. Brass just powered up its base operating systems giving him access to its primary function, combat.”

“He did have some technical training.” She admitted. “I…he was right though. I should take it back to the Elder.”

“Did you get the chip you were looking for?”

“Yes, though I will return alone, I won’t return emptyhoofed.” Freesia lifted the robot on to her back and started her way back up the stairs to the ground floor. I looked to Sunny to see her retrieving the bearings from Brass’ corpse, as well as anything else of value. We made it back to the garage bay where we originally came in.

“This is the second time you’ve stuck your neck out for the Steel Rangers. I’d like you to keep the activation key for this robot and bring it to the Academy as soon as you can. The Elder will want to speak to you after I deliver my report.”

“As soon as I’m done out here I think I’ll be able to do that.”

“Thank you for your assistance Sparks, you too miss Sunny.”

Sunny waved her hoof dismissively. “Don’t mention it, helping ponies is what…I used to do. I’m glad to do it again.”

“I’ll see you back at the Academy in a few days hopefully. Now we have to get past the…what the?”

I was startled for a second when she cut herself off like that, until I looked at my compass. The wall of red was gone. I hit the button on the wall, the metal door retracted into the ceiling revealing the empty lot. Only the bodies of the dead to be seen.

“Where…what happened to all the ghouls?” I asked, dumbfounded by their absence.

“That would be my doing.” A certain flat voice said beside me. “Hello again Sparks.”

“W-watcher!? What…why did?”

“I was asked to lead them away. Speaking of which you’ll never guess who I found.” The floating spritebot rotated and looked in the direction of a crashed sky bus where I saw one yellow blip. Very slowly, a white filly walked out from behind it.

“Umm…H-hi daddy…”

Footnote: Level Up!

New Perk: Robotics Expert – Your work in the Crater has given you a finer understanding of robotics and machinery. You gain 25% damage against robots and are able to hack into them and give them specific commands.

Next Chapter: Chapter Twelve: Deception Estimated time remaining: 25 Hours, 2 Minutes