The floating robot turned back and forth as if it were searching for something.

“You know, I had almost given up on you but a certain someone convinced me to help you.”

“Who are you talking about?” In all honesty the answer was simple but at the time I was feeling beyond terrible. Between myself and Watcher, who else had a connection with the two of us?

“That would be me.” A familiar voice called from the side. To my left, perched on a bit of wall was an old friend of mine, Grimgrin Talonrend. His grey fur still blended in with the gloomy skies and his black feathers around his fringe and chest were barely noticeable underneath his new dark green combat armor. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw you in the back of that wagon. I shadowed you until I saw that you were delivered here. After that I happened to bump into Watcher here who had plenty to tell me about your exploits. It didn’t take me long to fly down to Moletown and find the Regulators. Once they knew the bind you were in, it was easy to get them to cross through the Balefire Swamp and rescue you. Now here we are.” Grim smiled smugly as he regaled his tale but that was the farthest thing from my mind. I staggered forward on the last reserves of my energy towards him. When he saw me up close his expression turned troubled and he hovered down from his perch to the ground to meet me. When I finally made it to him I slumped forward in an attempt to hug him when he caught me and kept me from hitting the ground.

“Thank you Grim.” I whispered tiredly.

“Jeez man, you look like hell.” He said with a compassionate tone, gently helping me find my balance.

“Fuck you.” I teased, falling back on my rump and taking a much needed rest. I closed my eyes and fought tooth and claw to stay awake, wobbling slightly as my mental clarity was almost non-existent. It was difficult for me to wrap my head around the fact that Blackhawk and the rest of the Regulators actually came for me. Even as the so called leader of the faction I sort of just expected to lead as a figurehead. Did I really mean that much to some of these ponies? I must have if they were willing to cross through the Balefire Swamp to help. Among the crowd I spotted the others from Eclipse, Gumdrop and Gunny. Gunny, being the doctor of the lot of us, noticed my condition and pushed her way through the others to get to me.

“Celestia above Sparks, what did you get yourself into?” She said, carefully laying me down to get a better look at me. Grim didn’t stray far from my side, himself a medic and obviously concerned for my well-being. A certain white filly also found her way to my side. To my delight I saw that she had recovered the silver pin and had it back in her mane. I was glad to see that we all had gotten our belongings back. Downpour too had recovered ‘her’ equipment. She also came forward to stand by my side, though she hid her gaze under her hat, her proximity was enough for me.

“You’ve really been abusing yourself haven’t you?” Grim said quietly, once he saw the state of my health.

“He was protecting me.” Aurora’s gaze was stuck to the ground. “He went out of his way to take it all in my place.” She gently placed a hoof on my head, her every emotion I felt through her touch.

“Nopony will argue that he is a foolish pony.” Downpour said from the side. “Though I admit I admire the gesture. Not many would take extra punishment for the sake of another, even a loved one.” I guess that made Downpour and I kindred spirits in a weird way.

“Unfortunately the damage has been done. It can be healed in time but it will be tough going for him for a day or two.” Gunny had removed something from her bag and injected it into my leg. I felt a boost of energy and sat up quickly which led me to my hooves so fast that I almost toppled over on my face. “That adrenaline should help kick start your body’s own adrenal system. You’ll be able to move at least, though as carefully as you can understood?” Gunny held out a hoof to help me stabilize myself. Once my world had stopped wobbling I let go of her and gave the best smile I was capable of.

“When have I done anything else?”

“There may be hope for you after all Sparks.” The spritebot spoke, floating over to me to give me its attention.

“Hope? What do you mean?”

“I…I don’t know enough to say. Though whether it’s you or someone else you know or will find has yet to be seen. It’s good to see that you have so many friends. We’ll speak again.” With a garbled static pop the floating robot resumed its designated path, spouting nonsensical yet uplifting music.

“Sometimes I hate that enigmatic prick.” I managed to climb into the back of the cart Blackhawk and the others had brought and then let myself fall into the sweet relief of sleep.

The ever present void of my dreams stretched out into infinity. I could feel the positive energy presences that were always there but never showed themselves. However I found myself alone in the darkness. Nopony was here to taunt me or leave vague clues to things that could be or things that never were. Without any clue as to what I was doing, I picked a direction and started walking. Seconds melted into hours, then into days. I traveled for what felt like forever until all at once I felt the presences from before stop following me. Now I was truly alone in the black. I stopped and turned around to look behind me when I ended up looking into a swirling mass of black that threatened to engulf my spirit. Standing before me was a pulsing and throbbing pink outline of a pony-like creature. With the outline of raw chaotic magic it appeared to be a pony made from the void itself. I felt the other presences in my mind reappear and attempt to expel the pony of darkness but between the two of them they lacked the power, themselves being repressed by the nightmare before me.

“I have been waiting for one such as you…” When it opened its mouth to speak all I saw were its blood red teeth set against its body of darkness. “I know you’ve felt it, the call to the swamp, and the call of the power I can offer you.”

“W-what are you?”

“You will find me. When you submit to the call you will find me…”

Before I could ask anything more or it could provide more clues, the pair of disembodied yellow eyes from last time appeared. They conjured a spectral claw which grabbed the void pony and flung it out of existence, its oppressive presence gone.

“The question now is, will you accept fate? Defy it? Or create it for yourself?” the Yellow eyes said before they too disappeared from my mind, leaving me alone in the inky blackness of my psyche.

When I awoke I was lying in the back of the cart, the flat grey sky moving above me.

“Look he’s awake.” Grim placed a claw on my forehead as if he were taking my temperature. “His temperature is down but his extremities are still shaking and his eyes look dilated.”

“That’s to be expected. Now that he’s awake get him something to eat, it should go a long way.” Gunny tossed a bag of something at Grim which he caught in his claws. He looked inside and smirked as he removed its contents.

“Here Sparks, eat this.” What he gave to me was an honest to Luna apple. I hadn’t had an apple since I left Stable 63. For the briefest of seconds I wondered where it had come from but that was pushed out of the way in favor of greedily devouring it like a starving animal.

“See? He’s fine.” Gunny smiled at my enthusiastic reaction to the fruit. I felt something prod me in the back, which prompted me to turn around. What I saw was a particularly irate white filly standing in front of a sleeping Downpour. My cheeks were full of apple and I was not expecting a small hoof to smack me on the nose. I fell back slightly and nearly choked on the apple as I brought my hooves up to cover and soothe my nose. Aurora was on me before I could recover, her hooves pushed against my shoulders which made me fall on my back. Now that she had my undivided attention she neared my face and let me have it.

“Idiot! You are a stupid, stupid idiot!”

I struggled to swallow what was in my mouth and once I did I attempted to get a word out to no avail.

“Why did you do that for me? You almost died! Again! Does the promise you made me mean nothing to you!? You can’t keep it if you’re dead…Don’t you care about me?”

“It’s because I care about you. It’s because I care that I would do it again. If forsaking my promise means you will live then…then it’s an easy choice to make. I wish there were some way I could make you understand.”

Aurora gazed into my eyes with a defiant expression. She knew where I was coming from and maybe she even understood but she was too upset to see it for what it was. Her love for me was overshadowing her own self-preservation…a sort of inverse of what I felt in those cages. Even as I laid there in the back of that cart, my daughter very upset with me, I knew I made the right decision. She could see that in my eyes and as the moments passed on in silence she eventually relented and her bold expression softened. One day she would forgive me but in that moment I had threatened the only thing that meant anything to her, the promise we made. She wordlessly wandered to the other side of the cart and sat down, looking out into the ruins. She had a lot to process and I’m sure I didn’t make it any easier for her.

“Sorry to interrupt boss but I don’t think we’ll be able to take this cart through the swamp.” Blackhawk called from the front of the cart.

“I wouldn’t worry about it, I’m not going back yet anyway.”

“Y-you want to stay here? No disrespect to ya boss but you were enslaved and almost died. I would think that you’d want to get the fuck outta here.”

“There’s…more for me to do here. I can’t go back yet.”

“You talking about the job Cutter gave us?” Downpour had woken from her nap and in the process Sunny had returned.

“Yeah…he saved my life. I owe him that much.” While I did feel I owed it to him to do as he asked, I also had other places in the city I wanted to check out. I wasn’t done with Whinnyapolis, not by a longshot.

“What about us then? Should we head back without you?” Blackhawk was clearly confused about my decision and in the light of what just happened, what brought him to Whinnyapolis in the first place, I could understand why.

“That’s up to you. Whether you want to go back or stay is fine with me.”

“Then if you don’t mind, I think we’ll be heading back. Baltimare needs the Regulators, especially now that we have the numbers to make a difference.”

“Alright then, I still…” I paused, looking through the sorting spell of my PipBuck. “Ok good, I still have the radio you gave me if anything comes up.”

“You’ll be the first to know boss. Now if we’re gonna split then I’m gonna ditch this cart so everypony out!"

Sunny, Aurora, Gunny and myself hopped out of the cart while Grim and Azura simply flapped their wings and hovered out.

“While I don’t like leavin’ you like this boss, I trust you can take it from here. Just don’t make me regret not draggin’ you back to Eclipse. If something happens to you I’m not ready to be leader.” He chuckled as he spoke, giving me a cocky smile.

“Yeah wouldn’t want that for the ponies of Baltimare would we? Don’t worry I’ll be fine. I have these guys to help me.” I waved to my motley crew which got a few smiles out of them too. “That is…if you’re interested in traveling with me again.” I took a few steps towards Grim and looked up at him where he was hovering in the air. He gave me an evaluating look, narrowing his eyes and humming thoughtfully.

“So he’s dead then I take it?” He asked as if he didn’t want to say his name.

I smiled sinisterly at that remark as the memory played in my head. “Yes…he’s dead and gone and I…I’m ready to move on.” For several painful moments, Grim just hovered there, contemplating to himself. At the end of his process, he lowered himself to the ground and approached me.

“If you’re ready to keep moving forward then I will follow you…my friend.”

I wasn’t prepared for what those words would mean to me. To the emotional ramifications of what was expected of me, to what I delivered, back to a hope of what I could deliver down the road. With a look of satisfaction, Blackhawk and the rest of the Regulators started making their way south towards Baltimare and Eclipse. As I watched them go I noticed the black colt from the grocery store was with them. That observation gave me a feeling of relief to see that he was in capable hooves and that we would get a chance to meet properly when I went back. Once I thought they were out of sight I walked forward and wrapped my hooves around Grim’s neck, holding him like a friend I hadn’t seen in years. The words I’d heard in my mind before told me to keep moving forward. I took Grim’s utterance of those same words to be a sign, a sign I was following the right path. I squeezed a little harder and he smiled warmly, patting me on the back.

“Alright alright, it hasn’t been that long.”

“You’d be surprised.” I said cheerfully, releasing our friendly embrace.

“So what was this about a job you got from…Cutter?”

“Yeah…about that…”

I explained the encounter with Belua we experienced on our trip through the Balefire Swamp as well as our resultant stay in Mareiucci. On top of what we had been through in the month since Black Town was attacked. It was hard to gauge the reactions on his face but some part of me refused to forego his friendship and I felt like I owed him my story since we parted, even if I left out certain details.

“So that’s your plan once we return to Baltimare?”

“Yeah. If the Steel Rangers’ leader wants to speak with me then I owe it to them, at least to Freesia to give them a chance.”

“If what you said is true then it might not be a bad idea but I don’t like it. The Steel Rangers don’t exactly have a great reputation.”

“Do you have any ideas of where Dusk Diver might be?” I asked, ignoring his comment on the rangers, hoping beyond hope that he might have had an idea to the whereabouts of our target.

“Actually…yes. You weren’t too far off in your assessment of downtown Whinnyapolis. My clan has had a few encounters with a mercenary outfit calling themselves the Hell Divers. Their base of operations in somewhere in midtown, likely somewhere up high.”

“A-are they all pegasi?” A flutter of fear flew through my heart, the revelation of the Enclave’s presence in the Wasteland fresh in my mind.

“No…they’re like the Talons, mostly comprised of Griffins. Though it wouldn’t surprise me if their leader is this ‘Dusk Diver’ you’re looking for.”

“Yeah…about them.” Azura spoke up, rubbing a claw on the back of her neck nervously. “Remember when I said that I had crossed the Balefire Swamp before?”

“Yes, you mentioned it before…why?”

“W-well…I may or may not have been a... Hell Diver before I left for Baltimare.” Azura, twiddled her claws together, looking at me and Grim like a guilty child. Though I had quite the opposite reaction.

“So you know where their base is? Can you lead us there?” I zipped up into her bubble, eager energy revitalizing my body.

“No, I don’t think so.” She placed her claws on my chest and pushed me a few steps back. “When I ran with them they weren’t some big time mercenary outfit. There were seven of us at most and our hideout was a shitty little motel in the north-west part of town.”

“Do you know Dusk Diver?” I asked hoping that some shred of information existed between Azura and the Hell Divers.

“No, back then the guy in charge was a big dumb griffin named Klieg and I think I'd know if there was a pegasus in the gang.”

Well so much for that I thought. Even though Azura didn’t really give us more to work with it though, at worst, she only put us back to where we were to start. So the original plan to investigate the midtown skyscrapers was back in play. Once that had been explained everyone was in agreement, though some hesitantly, that it was our best course of action. As the hour passed I was more than glad to have fliers again. Their eagle eyes could scout out the best paths for us while avoiding the few ponies we might have encountered. It didn’t take long for Grim’s curiosity to get to him as he came in for a landing beside me.

“So…umm what have you been up to since I left?”

“You don’t have to make small talk with me Grim. I don’t have any hard feelings.”

“That may be but I believe I still asked you a question.” He poked me in the side with a claw.

“Alright alright you nosy bird. For the most part, after you left, I stayed around the Crater and made a life for myself there. My feelings were eating me alive inside regarding Winter and Chestnut and I seriously contemplated-” Before I could finish that sentence Aurora turned around and shot me an annoyed glare, telling me that even talking about the experience would upset her. The last thing I wanted to do was upset her further, especially when she was already a little mad at me. Grim was a smart bird though and I think he pieced it all together based on Aurora’s expression and my dispirited tone.

“Anyway.” I tried to salvage the story. “It was only in the last two or so weeks that things got…exciting again. Jack provided me with the means to pick up on Chestnut’s trail and we eventually tracked him to an old Equestrian government facility called the Eclipse complex…” I told him everything that had happened between those two events, though again sparing certain details, all the way up to the final fight with Chestnut. “I had my hooves around his neck and the elevator was inches from his face…” I hesitated a moment before continuing, recalling the memory with a new feeling. Revulsion.

“And? Did you kill him?” Grim looked at me in that way that he did, a look that could have been evaluating or judging.

“I…held him there until the elevator sheared his head off. I’ve killed before and I have no doubt I’ll kill again…but killing him…felt good.” Chestnut’s death was the second time in my life that I had pulled the trigger on somepony and liked it. Despite my best efforts, the Wasteland was slowly chipping away at my integrity. I wasn’t the same pony I was two months ago. Two months? Is that all it had been? Look how far I’d already fallen. I recalled the image of myself in my bathroom mirror in the stable the night before I left. Was I even that same pony anymore? Or was I something different wearing his skin? Maybe it was for the best that I became this way. If that same pony in the mirror were here now…he’d be dead.

“He’s gone now…and I’m not.” I said, barely above a whisper. I realized I had been staring at the ground for some time since the last time I spoke. Grim looked on with a simultaneous expression of concern and relief.

“Well…at least he’s dead now and we…you can move on.”

It was obvious that Grim was still unsure about what he saw in me. Whether from the first day he met me or the day he left us I didn’t know but had a pretty good idea. Now seemed like a good time me to get some answers from him.

“Grim? Can I ask you something that’s been bothering me since we met?” The feathers on his head perked up and the look in his eyes shifted greatly. He smoothed his feathers out with a claw before looking my way and nodding.

“Sure Sparks…what did you want to know?”

“I know Watcher was the reason we met. What I want to know is what he told you. Why me?” Grim was visibly bothered by the question and it looked like it was taking all his willpower not to find an excuse for something and jump into the air. But at the last second he hung his head and let out a heavy sigh before looking me in the eye.

“Remember what I told you about my family? And about the reason I traveled to Baltimare in the first place?”

“Yeah…what about it?”

“Well forgive me but I left out a lot when I told you.”

“Oh? Like what?”

“When Watcher found me, after I told him my story, he said he understood how I was feeling.” Grim continued, ignoring my question. “He urged me to find a friend or anyone who could help me. Then he told me he had just met a pony in whom he saw a lot of potential and that maybe that pony could help me find my way.” He stopped for a moment, looking up into the cloudy sky with a fond yet sad expression. “I was raised as a Talon all my life. When my sister died and my father banished me, everything I knew was taken from me. I was like you Sparks. Everything that I thought was real fell away and I was forced into a world I didn’t understand. I needed something to believe in again. When Watcher told me about you I was hopeful that you could give me purpose again. I waited for days in that bar in Black Town and when I heard how you killed Red Asphalt on the radio I knew you’d be the one to help me.” He looked off again but this time he stopped talking. His silence began to unsettle me and I scrambled to find something to say so he would continue.

“I…didn’t realize I meant that much to you. Truth is though I was nopony to believe in. I stumbled my way through the Wasteland in those first days and even now I still don’t think I’m the hero.”

“You know what the worst part for me was?” Grim returned and picked up where he left off, almost as if he hadn’t even heard me. “It was right after Winter was killed. I don’t know how I expected you to react to that but when you lost yourself on a path of vengeance…I realized, that after everything, you weren’t the one who would help me find a purpose, something to believe in. Just like that I was alone in the world again. So I went back to the only thing I knew, I returned home and joined back up with my father and his group of Talons. Though I stood by my principles and I became something we never had before…a doctor. Though now here I am, by your side. Do I still think you can help me? I don’t know but I do think that from what I’ve seen and what I know you’re capable of that I should give you another chance.” He stopped for a final time and unfurled a wing and pulled me to his side. “Also I have missed you my friend.”

I was at a loss for words. He chose to follow me in the hopes that I would lead him to something greater than himself and my selfish lust for revenge drove him away. Now I knew how much that all meant to him, how much he needed me to be something I just wasn’t. Things were different now. I had what I needed to be what everypony, myself included, wanted me to be. What a fool I was.

“D-does this mean you’ll come back with us?”

“Either I will or I won’t.” He said with a smug grin, releasing me from the wing hug. “You and I both have affairs that need closing in this city and if I am to return with you we should take care of them.” He answered in a way as to say yes without saying it. He always did think he was smart. He kicked off the ground and went back to his air patrol with renewed energy. I watched him soar into the sky when I felt the presence of somepony coming up behind me.

“Seems there was more to him than I gave him credit for.” Sunny’s voice lost its neutral tone and gained a sort of respectful one. “You attract a strange sort of people.” She said teasingly. I snorted and poked her in the chest.

“Look who’s talking. I’m friends with you and your ‘sister’ I’d call THAT pretty strange.”

“Fair enough. I wonder what spectacle you’ll add to our ensemble next.” She said that almost with an air of challenge and judging by the look on her face she knew it. Soon we were just as close to the skyscrapers as we were when we were captured only this time I had all of my friends with me. Though something about one member of the group left me unsatisfied.

“Aurora…” I called out, getting her attention. She begrudgingly slowed her pace so she was next to me at the back of the group. “You aren’t still mad at me are you?”

She turned her nose up at me but I could tell from her eyes that her heart wasn’t in it. I reached out and pulled her towards me, forcing her to acknowledge me. She looked up at me for a brief moment and from that look I could tell she was feeling conflicted. On one side she wanted to be angry with me for trying to kill myself again even if it was for her benefit. On the other I think she deeply appreciated the gesture of putting myself in harm’s way for her sake. All of that filtered into her thoughts and muddled the whole thing up, leaving her in a state of emotional and rational dissonance.

“I…I don’t know dad.” Her whole body slumped as she let herself confess her feelings out loud. “I just…didn’t need you to protect me. I mean…I get why you would throw yourself in front of me like that but…you didn’t need to, we could have shared the burden. It almost makes me feel like you want to die and that hurts me more than any slaver could.”

Ouch. How is it that I make a sacrifice for somepony I love yet I’m still the asshole? Regardless those words hit me pretty hard, was it so wrong for me to want to protect my daughter? I understood that she didn’t need me as much as I thought she did but it was hard for me to fully comprehend what that meant for me as a parent.

“I don’t want to die Aurora, but it is it so hard for you to understand that I would die for you?”

“I…you…” Something bordering on anger and sadness appeared on her face as she struggled to find her voice. “I don’t know how I’d keep going if you were gone.” Her voice caught in her throat and it took real effort for her to get those words out. If I were gone she’d be an orphan all over again and that kind of trauma was what she was afraid of. Her words did give me a new goal as a parent however and after I thought about, it made sense that this was every parent’s goal. Preparing your child to make it in the world without you.

“I’m sorry Aurora.” I released her from my grasp and let her go. Though she was free to go she stayed by my side, gently leaning on me.

“Don’t put me first. If you’re protecting me you can’t protect yourself.” She leaned her head towards me and softly nuzzled my chest. “I love you dad…I don’t want to see you dead, even if it’s for me.”

Now it was my turn to suffer some emotional dissonance. Everything in my being would jump in front of a bullet for her and suppressing that instinct is something impossible to ask of a parent. I couldn’t promise her that I wouldn’t put her safety ahead of mine but I could try…if the situation wasn’t life-threatening. I leaned down and counter nuzzled the top of her head.

“I’ll…try princess.” Those words seemed to be enough for her as her expression finally returned to a content one.

“Thank you.” She skipped off back to the front, looking up at Azura and Grim as they scouted our path. I briefly caught Sunny looking at me with a proud yet lonely smile. I wondered just how much Aurora and I mirrored her own experiences as a mother, a thought that made me lose my smile. Sunny never seemed bothered that she was surrounded by constant reflections of darker times in her life but I had known her long enough to notice the subtle differences in her body language. Unfortunately, like every other time I knew something was bothering her, I kept my mouth shut. As the sun lowered near the horizon I started to realize just how tired I was. When the others noticed they insisted we find somewhere to set up for the evening and get some rest. What we managed to find left much to be desired. We found what appeared to be a nightclub, its colorful, rotted interior showed a fraction of the life and energy it once contained. The ground floor mainly consisted of a large multicolored tiled dance floor with a raised platform in the center, set with two turntables and a DJ mixer. On the far side of the room was a thoroughly ransacked bar and above us was a second floor that was open to the first, surrounded by a guardrail that allowed the occupants to look down on the performer and dance floor. There was a sort of miserable feeling I got from the building, the once bright colors of the decorations and dance floor offset by the dozens of aged skeletons scattered across the floor. There was a cruel irony that this, a place where so many came for entertainment, would be also be their tomb.

“This was supposed to be a place for fun.” I whispered to myself, looking out at the dead with a nod. As I neared the middle where the DJ would have performed I noticed a flyer in a glass display that advertised the artist who was performing at the club the day the bombs fell. There was a picture of the DJ who himself was a light gray unicorn stallion with a dark mane and tail. His mane was spiked up and he was wearing a short black jacket with a white tie and dark sunglasses. Written on the flyer was a short blurb claiming that for the next week the ponies of Whinnyapolis could come down to Club Euphoria to see Neon Lights perform. Once I was done looking at the ad I climbed up onto the platform to see an aged skeleton wearing the sunglasses from the flyer which led me to believe that this was the pony, Neon Lights. One thing I noticed however was how well his sunglasses had held up to the passage of time. I gently levitated them off his skull and gave them a quick cleaning. With minimal effort, they were back to looking like they did on the flyer. I put them on and gave the room a look. I was surprised that they didn’t make the room look any darker, in fact the room looked clearer as if I were looking through prescription glasses. No wonder they endured the tests of time, I’d bet my PipBuck that they were enchanted in some way. Aurora saw me messing with them, repeatedly putting them on and taking them off.

“Do you feel cool yet dad?” She giggled at how I silly I probably looked testing them out.

“Actually I’d say they’re more your style.” I floated them over towards her and placed them on her face. She scrunched up her face to resist me at first until she opened her eyes and saw through them.

“Wow…these are pretty neat.” She scampered off to go give them a test drive. Thankfully the upstairs portion actually had a few mostly intact, if smelly, couches. I picked one at random and ungracefully flopped onto it, almost falling asleep as my weight left my hooves. Then I thought of something that made me lift my head for a moment before I felt a claw placed on my back.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get first watch.” Grim assuaged my thoughts as both Sunny and Azura mimicked me and picked a couch to lay down on. Once I was sure that Grim would watch over us I rolled over and drifted off into sleep.

I awoke in the dead of night to the sound of screaming. I shot off the couch and nearly tripped over my hooves before I was caught by Azura who kept me from hitting the floor and potentially giving our position away. She lifted a claw to her beak and shushed me, pointing to the stairs to the second floor. Leaning against the wall on both side of the stairs were Sunny and Grim in ready stances. Aurora was in between Azura and I by the couches as she looked out with a worried expression. From below I could hear the sound of hooves shuffling across the floor and the panicked breathing of a mare. Between breaths I could hear her sobbing as quietly as she could. A few seconds later the sound of more hooves entered the club followed by the sound of weapons being loaded.

“Fan out and find her before she bleeds out. I still can’t believe you shot her Gaust.”

“So what? There are plenty of other Zebras squatting in the swamp. It’s not like we need her.”

“Do you feel like going back into the swamp in the dead of night? ...I didn’t think so.”

I didn’t have the whole story but the mare I heard was apparently a zebra and a wounded zebra at that. Azura and I inched closer to the edge to peek over. What I saw were three griffins, decently armed and they were nearing the zebra mare’s hiding place. Once Azura saw the ones who just entered her eyes widened in surprise. She leaned in towards me and whispered directly into my ear.

“That’s them, the Hell Divers!”

I pushed Azura towards Sunny and Grim and motioned for us to make our way down the stairs. Without saying anything I withdrew my gun and they knew what was about to happen. I took a few readying breaths before looking my team in the eye and rushing down the stairs. The commotion drew the attention of the three griffins as we dashed into action. As we made ourselves known I shouted my command.

“Protect the zebra! Take one of them alive!” I made a play towards the zebra, rushing to stand beside her to put up a shield around us. Before they could even react one of the griffins was ripped apart by the combined fire from Grim, Sunny and Azura. Within seconds the two survivors took to the air to avoid more bullets and get themselves into the fight. Azura and Grim each picked a target and the four griffins crashed into each other in the air, grappling and clawing at each other. Grim had managed to hook his claw around the others wing, with his momentum stopped his whole body was slammed into the floor with Grim’s weight atop him. I hoped that he wasn’t dead as the last one remaining was making it difficult to pin him down. He and Azura continued to collide with one another in the air, rebound, and then collide again. None of us could assist her as the fear of hitting her stayed our weapons. Though I had something they didn’t. Magic. I reached out and pulled against the griffin, slowing him enough for Azura to catch him around the waist and air tackle him to the floor. Azura took his claws in hers and tried to pin them to the floor. As she struggled to hold him down, Sunny trotted over and bucked him in the side of the head, knocking him unconscious. I lowered the shield around myself and the zebra mare, looking to everyone else apologetically.

“Sorry to leave you guys hangin’ like that.” Grim nodded at me understandingly and slowly approached the wounded mare. She had a strange look about her even for a zebra. She had tribal looking jewelry all over her body and both her ears and nose were pierced. She had been shot once in the belly and was steadily bleeding.

“Hold still, I’m going help you.” Grim took out his medical supplies and set them on the floor next to the mare. “What is your name?”

“Et non nocuerunt mihi placet.” She whimpered in what I assumed was the zebra language.

“Does anyone understand her?” All of us in the room shook our heads. Regardless of what she said Grim managed to mime to her his intentions and started fixing her up. In the meantime I took a moment to examine the two griffins who weren’t shot to death. The one Grim had driven into the floor from the air wasn’t breathing and an alarming amount of blood was pooling around his head. So that one was dead, hopefully the other had survived. Once I gave the other one a once over I was convinced he was alive from the slow rising and falling of his chest and lack of blood pooling around him anywhere. Sunny and I took a moment to bind his claws and wings before returning our attention the zebra mare and Grim.

“Haec tactus tulit me de domo in domum.” She attempted to communicate with us again to no avail. From what I heard she was from the Balefire Swamp. Onyx had said that there were tribals in the swamp so this mare must have been one of them. Though that begged the question, what did the Hell Divers need with tribal zebra?

“I can’t understand you miss, please hold still.” After several moments of careful stitching Grim had mended her wound and possibly saved her life.

“Gratias tibi. Xigura nomen, utinam quodammodo reddidit.” She said, placing a hoof over her wound as she spoke. Grim simply nodded towards her as she started making her own way out of the building. Within a moment she had disappeared into the darkness, presumably to return home.

“Well, that was interesting.” Aurora said to the room, staring at the door which the zebra just exited. Everyone present couldn’t help but nod in agreement. Once affairs had been settled we all crowded around the lone griffin survivor.

“What should we do with him?” Grim asked, attempting to gauge the room.

“Isn’t it obvious? We use him to find their base of operations.” I pointed at his unconscious form like his appearance answered the question for me.

“What makes you think he’ll just tell us? He likely won’t be very helpful.” Azura pointed out, being the only one with insider knowledge on the Hell Divers.

“We…I have ways of making people talk.” I said flatly, recalling the memories of torturing Blood Orange that almost made me sick. Secretly I hoped it wouldn’t come to that but I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it if that’s what it came to. At least that’s what I told myself. I was still unsure about Cutter’s intentions but the stallion had saved my life so whether I liked it or not I did owe him this much and I supposed that I was already committed to the job since two Hell Divers were now dead at our hooves.

“You aren’t suggesting what I think you are, are you?” Sunny placed a hoof on my shoulder, obviously she knew what I was referring to.

“I might be. It’s a little late to be taking any kind of moral high ground, especially since we just killed the other two.”

Sunny, briefly, looked as if she wanted to contest that point but if there was anypony here that would understand it was her. She wordlessly stepped aside and nodded signaling to me that she would help me regardless of what it took to achieve our goal.

“Grim, before you said that your clan has been fighting with the Hell Divers…do you know what they would want with the zebra from the swamp?” I was rather curious as to why they needed them. From most standpoints it didn’t makes sense. They weren’t recruiting them and they weren’t just killing them for sport…no they had a specific purpose for them.

“No. From what I’ve seen they don’t appear to be slavers, even if they were it doesn’t make sense to go so far out of their way to capture them.”

“They weren’t interested in slavery when I was with them. So what could they be using them for? Spare bodies?” Azura threw out her thoughts.

“Like…for food? I mean griffins eat meat right? But…” My face twisted a little in disgust at the implication, though from a survival standpoint they were the most plentiful.

“No not for food and even if it were we face the same issue, it’s too far out of their way especially when there are closer alternatives.” Azura clarified.

“We’re wasting time.” Sunny said, breaking us out of our discussion. “Somepony cover the captive’s mouth and lets all try to get some sleep. We aren’t doing anything else in this dark.” She nudged Aurora with her nose and they both headed back upstairs. Azura was quick to stuff a wad of cloth in the unconscious griffin’s mouth and secure it with a belt from his armor. Once that was done I lifted his unconscious form with my magic and guided it upstairs with the rest of us. For once, in a long time, I was able to go to sleep with some peace of mind. I hadn't known where to begin to find a lead to the Hell Divers but thankfully a lead came to us and we even managed to save a life in the process. Now we needed to wait and see if we could actually get any information out of him come morning.

“You guys don’t know who you’re fucking with! Once Dusk hears about this she’s gonna rain fire on you from the sky!” Our very vocal captive yelled from Sunny’s back. We had barely made any ground from the nightclub when we decided to take the cloth from his mouth and ever since then there hadn’t been a second of silence.

“Will you please shut the fuck up!” I yelled into his face, hitting him across the head to vent my frustration.

“Is that all you got!? You think you can keep me tied up like some fucking animal? You aint shit!”

In an act of mercy for all those present I happily rammed the wad of cloth back in his mouth. “You were right Azura, he’s not being very helpful.”

“Well now what do we do with him?” Aurora said, rubbing her ears now that the verbal assault on our senses had stopped.

“Keep him. I’m sure he’ll change his mind once he realizes that he’s a peon and nopony’s coming for him.” I made a point to boop the griffin on his beak like he was a child. An action that only made him angrier as he tried to scream into the cloth gag.

“Why do you keep antagonizing him?” Grim asked, mimicking me by booping the angry griffin when he said him.

“Ever hear the expression ‘anger makes you stupid?’”

“Talking from experience?” Grim didn’t miss the opportunity to take a stab at the decisions I made before he left me, a comment that made me narrow my eyes at him for a moment.

“Yeah…I guess I have some experience with that.” I turned away from him to focus on the path before us. An hour or so later we were within a few city blocks of the base of the skyscrapers. A certain part of me was very interested in the skyscraper that had fallen and wedged itself between what was left of it and another skyscraper. If it was wedged tightly as it looked then it would make a cool place for a base or home, at least I thought so. In the time it took us to get here our guest had calmed considerably which finally allowed me a good look at him. He was primarily cream colored with brown feather tips on his wings and fringe. He also had black down around his eyes which gave his green eyed glare more presence. I nudged Sunny for her to put him down, to which he was gracelessly deposited into the street like a sack of garbage. I stood over him and locked my own glare to his while withdrawing my pistol and loading a bullet into the chamber.

“Nopony wants to die.” I told him, motioning at him with my gun for every word. “With that being said, I’m going to take the gag out again and if you scream I’m going paint this sidewalk with your brains. Understand?”

Our captive said nothing but the look in his eyes diminished.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Azura, the gag if you please.” I took a step back to allow Azura the space to rip the ball of cloth out of his mouth. Once it was out he took a moment to draw in several heavy breaths and look around nervously.

“Now I’m going to ask you some questions and I suggest you think about them very carefully before you answer.” I got as close as I could to him from a standing position and pressed the barrel of my pistol to his forehead. “Let’s start with an easy one, what is your name?”

His eyes nervously darted back and forth, like he was weighing his chances of surviving if he pissed me off. Eventually his slammed his eyes shut and he turned away from me as if he were telling me some great secret. “Richter…my name is Richter.”

“See? Was that so hard?” I let the pistol off his head for a second before whipping it back across his face. “Now let’s see if that helped your memory, where is the Hell Diver’s base?”

“Fuck off, you’re gonna have to do better than that if you want anything out of me.” He whispered defiantly, licking the blood from his beak.

“I’m afraid that’s not what I asked.” I nodded to Azura who jammed the wad of cloth back in his mouth. Once he realized what was about to happen his eyes just about bugged out of his skull as he tried to protest, only for his cries to be muffled by the cloth gag. “The price for defiance happens to be high unfortunately, contemplate this while you suffer.” I moved behind him and yanked one of his wings out as far as it would extend, fighting my own urge to vomit as I heard the words coming out of my mouth. Who was that pony?

Richter fought against his restraints like a scared animal, shaking back and forth and trying to be heard through his gag. However I would indulge him no longer as I held his wing tight and nodded to Sunny. She seemed to understand my meaning as she spun around to face away from us as she leaned down to prepare a powerful buck. Her legs exploded out from under her with such force that when they connected with Richter’s wing joints, they snapped at an almost perfect ninety degree angle. Even through the gag I could hear his wails of agony as I released his wing, where it fell to his side, a twisted useless appendage. We all stood there in silence as we waited for his pained cries to cease. Without needing a prompt Azura removed the ball of cloth once again and I lowered myself to look him in the eye.

“Now let’s try that again. Where is the Hell Diver’s base?”

Richter whimpered for a moment, blinking through his tears of pain before looking up at me pathetically. “It’s up…up high. G-getting there will be imposs…impossible for you flightless.”

“Hmm…what are you doing with the zebra you capture from the swamp?”

“We-we’re using them to clear out a ministry building. Using them as fodder to drain the ammo in the security turrets so we can get inside.”

“So that’s where I can find them outside of the base…this ministry building, where is it?”

“It’s underneath the Uptown Theatre, It’s on-”

“I know where it is.” I cut him off, noticing that my PipBuck had marked the location for me.

“So that’s our next stop?” Aurora asked, placing a hoof on my leg as if to stop me from torturing Richter any further.

“Yes.”

“Now what do we do with him? We can’t let him go, he’ll warn them.” Sunny addressed the moral quandary we now faced and regardless of how many angles I approached the issue with, they all led to the same ending.

“Kill him.” I let those words hang in the air for a moment and nopony vocalized a better solution or objection. “Sorry Richter, looks like the jury’s decided.”

“W-wait! I can help you! You don’t have to kill me, please I can help!” Richter broke immediately and began begging for us to spare his life. Funny how fast the big bad griffin turns into a sniveling mess when he’s on the other side of the equation.

“I thought I told you not to scream?” I said, kicking his mangled wing and eliciting a shriek of agony from our captive. “Aurora?” I beckoned her to come to me. She cautiously skittered forward to stand beside me.

“Yeah dad?” Her voice was quiet, clear to me that what she knew was coming next.

“You do it.” I recalled a similar situation I had been in myself not too long ago. Sunny had tried to teach me this lesson on the first night we traveled together and at first I couldn’t do it but eventually I came to realize that this was how problems were solved in the Wasteland. Now I understood the wisdom in what she tried to teach me but at the time, my upbringing in the Stable countered the cruel nature of Wasteland survival. However, Aurora was born in the Wasteland and she had lived a difficult life for one of her age. She would do well to understand this lesson now, especially since she wanted to start doing her part.

“M-me?” She sputtered, taking a single step back.

“Your gun is silent, a gunshot will be heard farther away than his screaming. We don’t know who could be listening.” The thought of someone watching us even now did occur to me but if that were the case then they should have intervened by now. Aurora looked on at our captive, her face a whirlwind of emotion as she broke down and analyzed the experience she was about to receive. With her mind made up, she took her gun in her mouth and pointed it at Richter’s head. While I wasn’t happy about forcing her to do this, I was happy to see her gun shaking in her grasp, that her trepidation was showing. Her shaking intensified when she saw the look in Richter’s eyes, a silent pleading for his life. A single tear rolled from his eyes as he stared down the barrel that would end his life. For several moments the scene before me didn’t change. Aurora’s shaky grasp on her weapon and hesitation told me told me everything I needed to know. A part of me felt pride that she wouldn’t execute a hostage in cold blood and the other, darker part felt disappointment.

“Aurora I-”

*Pht*

A small hole appeared in Richter’s head and his eyes rolled into the back of his skull lifelessly. His body slumped forward, hitting the concrete with a weighty thud. Within seconds a pool of blood began forming around his head. Aurora looked horrified as her chest rose and fell rapidly, her nervous breathing was all that could be heard. She looked upon the griffin she just killed in shock and once the growing puddle of blood touched her hooves she retched, almost vomiting on the still warm body. She turned away from her kill and began hyperventilating, sweat disheveled her coat as she diverted her focus to trying not to puke. I reached out and gently stroked her back to try and help soothe her. She took a few deep breaths and backed away from my touch.

“I’m…I’m Ok dad. *gag* I’ll be O-ok.”

“What the hell’s the matter with you?” Grim pointed at Aurora who was still trying to calm her shaking and breathing. However his gaze never left my eyes. “Why would you make her do that? She’s just a kid!”

“Because she needed to learn.”

“To execute a hostage?”

“No, to kill an enemy. I’m surprised at you Grim, I thought your clan was at war with them.”

“What happened here had nothing to do with me or my family’s war. You can’t just force things on a child like that.”

“Don’t tell me how to raise my daughter.” I narrowed my eyes at him and he responded by getting in my face and dropping his voice so that only I could hear him.

“She is NOT your daughter.”

A heavy silence lingered over all of us as Grim and I stared each other down. Aurora, having noticed this, shuffled in between us and pushed us apart.

“Stop it you two…Grim, I’m fine…I promise.”

“Are you sure little sister?”

“Yeah…something like this was bound to happen sooner or later.” She took a step back towards me as if she were shielding me from something.

“Yes…I suppose so.” He backed further away from me and gave me an apologetic look. “I’m sorry Sparks, I…I have no right to step in between you and your daughter.” Even through his apologetic tone I could’ve swore I heard a hint of venom on his last word.

“You’re right. You don’t.” There wasn’t much I could say in response as deep down I did somewhat regret what I just did. It was a lesson she’d have had to learn eventually and I’d rather it have been here under my guidance than anywhere else, though I wasn’t sure how qualified I was to be teaching anypony on these matters. Sunny had been observing the whole exchange with a watchful eye, at both me and Aurora as well as me and Grim. It only made sense as I had tried to mirror what she tried to teach me long ago. At the end of all that was said, she simply gave me a nod and turned to divert her focus elsewhere.

“So while that was interesting to watch and all, what’s our next move?” Azura was glad to have had no part in what had transpired and was instead trying to hurry us along. A reasonable reaction, nopony wanted enough time to fan the flames of resentment over what had happened.

“We’re going to the Uptown Theatre. We’re going to see what’s in there that’s got them so interested.” I had a feeling in the pit of my gut that there were still several clues I did not have to this mystery but there was only one option if I wanted more answers so our plan was clear.

“You sure that’s a good idea? Who knows how many of them will be there.” Azura was right but first I wanted to scope it out for myself.

“I have a plan for that too. Provided we need to pursue that path.”

“Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like this plan?” Grim pinched the base of his beak in annoyance.

“Because it involves you.” I pointed out, which only made his expression deepen. “But before I get ahead of myself, let’s go have a look. Are you good to go Aurora?”

Aurora took on last deep breath and released it with a heavy sigh. “Yeah, good to go.”

“Alright then. Let’s move out.”

Following the mark on my map was never the most helpful approach as it had nothing to offer route wise except for a straight line from wherever I was. Though in this case finding our own way was how I wanted it. The closer we got, the more aerial sentries we started to see. Hovering in the air at regular intervals were armored griffins with heavy guns watching everything from tactical vantage points, other still were hunkered down on nearby rooftops. Dusk Diver seemed to be a smart pony if this was the kind of protection she was placing on a point of interest. We ducked into an old storefront just in time to avoid an aerial patrol. We hid behind the counter-top as we waited for the patrol to pass. I peeked my head out and used my EFS to see how many of them there were and the number of blips I saw was more than I expected.

“Regret leaving the Diver’s now?” I whispered to Azura.

“More efficient killers are still just killers.” She observed, looking outside towards the aerial sentries with disdain. With the level of opposition we’d seen so far I wasn’t sure we were going to make it to the theatre itself. So it seemed I was going to need that plan after all.

“Grim, it’s time for my plan.”

“Alright, let’s hear it then.”

“Does your clan know about this location?”

“No, the bulk of the fighting is in the northwest of the city. Wha- Oh I think I see what you’re getting at.”

“Glad we’re on the same page. Once you come back with your clan we’ll assist you in taking these guys out. Until then we’re gonna hunker down here.”

“Didn’t think you’d be fighting in our war for us Sparks, thank you.”

“You’re still my friend Grim. Besides, don’t go thanking me yet, we still have to survive the battle that’s coming.”

Grim nodded and started towards the other side of the building where he would hopefully be able to take flight unnoticed back to his clan.

“Are you sure this is how you want to do this? I don’t know that we’re ready for a fight this big. We’re low on medicine and ammo.” Sunny removed her bags and set them on the floor, digging through our supplies to prep us for the fight that was coming.

“Maybe, maybe not. Either way I don’t see many other options and it won’t be just us this time.” I dumped my bags on the floor as well and began sifting through my stock of supplies.

The day passed into evening and after several hours of preparation we were as ready as we were going to be. Aurora was squirming nervously at the prospect of killing again but I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was doing everything in her power to suppress those feelings and do what she knew she had to. I would have to stick by her once everything kicked off, at the very least to give her that extra security and confidence.

“Taking down my old gang…I guess this is one way to put your past behind you.” Azura mused aloud.

“You gonna be able to do it?” I asked, suddenly wondering how she was taking this decision.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t have many friends when I ran with them. It’s just going to be strange…like wiping out a piece of myself.”

That was something I could relate to on a surface level. Though exactly how and what she was feeling was an unknown to me but I had faith that she would go through with our plan. Suddenly I realized just how much I was asking from my companions. I was asking them to take risks on my behalf for a goal that only furthered my own ends. After we were done here I would have to see what I could do for them instead of the reverse. The sun was just beginning to set, lighting the sky afire with the soft orange glow of twilight when a gunshot could be heard in the distance. A few blips on my EFS began to reorder themselves, disregarding their patrols and posts. From outside I could hear the Hell Diver’s yelling to each other over the sound of more gunshots.

“Fuck! It’s the Talons!” One exclaimed angrily.

“How’d they find out about this place!?” another asked in surprise.

“Doesn’t matter, we can’t let them take the theatre! Let’s take the fight to them! Hell Divers, ATTACK!”

Soon the sounds of battle were all that could be heard in the streets and skies outside. Now was the time to make our move. With weapons at the ready, we charged out into the street and joined the war between the Hell Divers and the Talons.

Footnote: No Level Up.

Next Chapter: Chapter Twenty-One: Seeds of Evil Estimated time remaining: 17 Hours, 55 Minutes