Huh?

I couldn’t have heard that right. With furrowed brow and narrowed eyes I asked “What kind of help could an alicorn need?”

What remained of my attack force surrounded the mouth of the tunnel, weapons ready but not pointed at her. I’d seen a glimpse of what they’re capable of just a moment ago, the reality that the one before us could fight us and potentially win stayed my own weapons.

“A unique kind.” She smiled without mirth, her eyes on me and me alone. She raised a hoof and tapped it two times against her helmet, producing a resonance that Starfall reacted to. The core of the blade began to glow and in response, invisible glyphs across the surface of Society’s helmet began to glow and shed the same pale blue light. “At last.” She breathed, her eyes wide with elation. Then, as if remembering herself, she forced her expression down and recomposed herself. Nopony spoke until the sword and helmet ceased glowing.

“W-what was that about?” Crescent asked from behind the cart, his eyes darting between me and the alicorn called Society.

“A test.” She declared boisterously, skipping towards us with emboldened fervor. An act which unsettled the majority of those present. It wasn’t every day you got to see a facsimile of the princesses prance and bounce like a foal. “I was afraid that sword was lost.” She stopped a few hoof lengths in front of me, head cocked to one side as if she were studying me, or more precisely, studying Starfall. “M-may I?” Her demeanor became meek and she held out a trembling hoof, the starry look in her eyes was particularly effective. Pumpkin found the strength to stand, a pace behind me, and placed a hoof on my withers.

“Don’t trust her.” She whispered. Society either didn’t hear or didn’t care, her excitement never faltering. Against my better judgement I reluctantly placed the handle in her waiting hoof. As soon as she made contact I could feel the tension in the air around us increase. A few regulators shuffled in place as they struggled with their instincts regarding the alicorn.

Society beheld the sword with awe and raised it over her head triumphantly. The jubilant expression she’d been wearing began to crumble as the blade, held aloft, did nothing. She shook it as if doing so might accomplish something, her expression growing more frustrated. With a growl she pitched the sword to the ground, a subtle fury behind her eyes flared and I found myself taking a step back.

“Damn damn DAMN!” She yelled, stomping the ground with enough force to shatter a good portion of asphalt. A few guns were leveled at her now, something she noticed with narrowed eyes. “I should have known it wouldn’t obey me.” She said through clenched teeth, ignoring the others. “You?” She asked, her voice somewhere between a laugh and a scoff.

“Me.” I said, punctuating the word by calling the fallen sword back to me. “This doesn’t have anything to do with me, does it?” It was clear that Starfall was all she wanted. Unfortunately for her I’d already awakened it, meaning it wouldn’t allow anypony else to use it the way I could as evidenced here by Society and before by Cobalt. I wondered what she knew about it that I didn’t.

“It does now.” The tension in her face eased but I could tell she was still far from pleased. As I opened my mouth to speak, Society fired a small beam from her horn that hit me on my right cheek, leaving behind a glyph similar to the ones I’d glanced on her helmet. “See you soon.” She said, vanishing with a sparkle of magic. The mark vanished with her, though I could sense it wasn’t gone.

“Well, I’ll be…” The male griffin said in bewilderment. He and the other griffin had been watching through the bars of their cage, their expressions a mix of awe and disbelief. Grim was quick to work, landing behind the cart and entering again to free them. Which freed me to direct my attention elsewhere. Pumpkin, despite everything, was no worse for wear all things considered. That is except for the dead alicorn’s blood splattered around her mouth, making her look like a predator who had recently fed. She mistook my staring for admiration and smiled, a visage that left me feeling a little disturbed. Frightening images aside, I made my way over to 87 who was standing albeit with great difficulty.

“You alright?” I asked as I neared. He didn’t look at me but nodded with purpose.

“I am unharmed.” He said, shakily drawing himself to his full height. “But not unscathed.” Something about that made him smile tightly. “What manner of creature is that?” He asked, regarding the dead alicorn.

“I…don’t know.” I said truthfully. This was my fourth encounter with alicorns. The first two had been with the deformed, furless, grotesque looking alicorns that the Enclave were creating for unknown purposes. Third was with the armored alicorns at the College that I suspected were part of the Enclave proper. Was that their idea of creating super soldiers? Looking at the aftermath around me spoke to the effectiveness of just one alicorn. How were they even created to begin with? Were they created in big test tubes or were they the result of live pony experimentation? The failures I’d witnessed suggested that no matter the method the success rate was low. Very low but that didn’t seem to be a factor. It was enough to make my blood boil. What about the one we’d killed here? It was ten times as formidable as the rejects we faced before. And what of Society? She didn’t seem particularly bothered by the death of the other. Were they even together? Were there separate factions of alicorns out there? I had endless questions and few answers, rather than frustrate myself speculating I thought it best to drop it for the time being.

“The A.A.P.” Pumpkin said, her curious gaze lingering on the body.

“The what?” 87 asked, momentarily taken aback.

“The Artificial Alicorn Project, Twilight’s secret project out of Maripony.”

“If it was secret then how did you come across this knowledge?” 87 continued, an eyebrow raised in question.

“Because I worked on it briefly, before the trials and testing started.” She said, melancholically poking at the starburst pin on her right lapel. “I had to sign several NDAs about what I saw, not that it matters now.”

“What else do you know?” 87 pressed.

“Not much.” She said, cocking her head to one side with a frown as she thought. “We helped come up with the security measures for the control room and the floor design to accommodate the vats of I.M.P. After that a lot of us, myself included, were moved to other sites and that was the last I heard of it.”

“It would seem she achieved her goal.” 87 continued, nodding in respect.

Pumpkin looked towards the horizon and the devastated swaths of land between, then looked back at the dead alicorn and frowned. “No. I don’t think so.”

“What’s I.M.P?” I asked, unable to contain it any longer. The question had been on my mind since first read about the substance on Moondancer’s terminal.

“The Impelled Metamorphosis Potion. A mutagenic serum designed to unlock and rapidly recreate evolutionary growth. In this case, that of alicorns.”

“But what is it?”

“I don’t know.” Pumpkin said with a slow shake of her head. “Twilight relocated us as soon as our work was finished. It was almost like she didn’t want anypony else to be involved. Whatever it is, it was probably a close secret between Twilight and the twins, Gestalt and Mosaic.”

Moondancer’s terminal had made note of those names as well. At least I had a name for it now. The Impelled Metamorphosis Potion.

It took some convincing on our part to get the slaves back into the caged wagon for transport to Eclipse. The compromise allowed for those who wanted to walk under their own power alongside us to do so, as well as to let those who wished to leave go. So that’s what we did. Of the twenty or so slaves that we rescued only nine stayed with us, including the two griffins whose names were Ray and Charlotte Brightcrest. Accorded to the siblings the wagon was bait, meant to lure the likes of the Regulators out for the alicorn flying invisibly over the convoy to destroy.

“What about the other alicorn, Society?” I asked.

“Don’t know.” Charlotte answered. “She wasn’t with us and they don’t usually give themselves names, it’s against the Unity.”

The alicorn we killed made mention of this unity as well, something to file away for later.

“Red Eye knows of you Harbinger.” Ray interjected, stopping me in my tracks. I wasn’t sure if I should’ve been flattered or terrified. “If he’d known you’d be here, he’d have sent a wing of alicorns minimum.”

“That’s three.” Charlotte clarified, holding up three talons. Three would have been more than a match for us equipped as we were.

“How?” I asked. “How could he know anything about me?”

“The sprite-bots.” Ray said as if it were common knowledge…which meant it probably was.

“Spybots is more like it.” Charlotte added. Fuck. There were occasions where I sought one of the annoying robots out. My thoughts drifted back to Whinnyapolis and the sprite-bot that silently watched us as we were leaving. At the time I assumed that had been Watcher, now I wasn’t so sure and just as Orchid had feared, it seemed we were on Red Eye’s shit list after all.

When we returned to Eclipse, I left Blackhawk and Pick up top to bury our dead, adding more bodies to the graveyard I started with Azura. The elevator ride down was a quiet one. Everypony present was restless, the unexpected death of Grizela weighed heavy on us, news I was not looking forward to sharing with everypony.

With Grizela’s death also came new revelations about alicorns and Red Eye. Did he command the alicorns? Ray implied he had the ability to deploy them at will. Where did they come from? Why didn’t they name themselves? What was Unity? Alright I guess they’re more like questions than revelations but even negative information can lead to answers. Yes it can. Yes it can! Well then why don’t you try listening for a change and maybe you’ll find out eh? May I continue? Thanks. Anyway, when we reached the bottom everypony went their own way, some leading the slaves to where they could get some much-needed food, drink and rest. That is, all save my companions and the Brightcrest siblings. Ray stood a head taller than Grim and had the normal feather colors of brown and white, excluding the fringe of the feathers on his head which were colored golden yellow and tied back into a tail. Charlotte was as tall as Grim and shared her brother’s colors but had the feathers on her head swept back with the golden tips curving back to nearly point up.

“Mr. Sparks!” I heard a young voice call from the mouth of one of the connecting hallways. Turning my attention away from the siblings I saw Adria dashing towards me, her clipped wings fluttering with excitement. The last time I’d seen her was before I locked myself in my office after we returned from Whinnyapolis. It hadn’t ended well which is why my heart soared when I saw the smile on her face. She came within a few hoofsteps and crouched low to the ground. Before I could register what she was doing she pounced. My eyes went wide as she collided with me, wrapped her claws around my neck, and squeezed for all she was worth. I struggled to stay upright, her weight on my neck nearly pulling me down. After a few more seconds of feathery assault, she let go and fell safely to the floor. “I’m so glad to see you!” She chirped, reaching for my metal hoof and guiding it to her head where I took the hint and softly ruffled her feathers.

“I’m…glad to see you too Adria.”

“Ebon Glow told me you went to save more…slaves.” She struggled to get that last word out and her whole mood quieted noticeably.

“And we did.” I pulled my hoof away from her and began to lead her away from the others. “Someone bring the Brightcrests up to speed and I’ll meet everyone in the cafeteria.”

Once the others had finished clearing out and Adria and I were alone did she speak again. “Where’s Aurora?”

“I’m glad you asked. Would you like to see her?”

“Yes, very much.” There was a sort of longing in her voice that I could understand. Adria missed her friend, plain and simple.

“Then pack up everything you can’t live without and we’ll go see her alright?”

Whatever fog had rolled in with her memories was banished and her face lit up with another heartwarming smile. “Really?”

“Really but don’t overdo it, we won’t be leaving until tomorrow.” A glance at my PipBuck on the ride down showed it to be nearly 6:30 in the evening and I was exhausted. Too much was happening all at once and I wasn’t ready to meet them head on, not by a longshot. My mind still reeled from Crush’s casual destruction of the Cathedral. Stack that up with Ollie’s well-being, our obligations to Orchid and attracting Red Eye’s attention. It was almost too much to bear but I didn’t have to bear it all myself, a fact I was slowly coming to terms with.

“M-mr. Sparks?” Adria said hesitantly as I started to walk away.

“Yes Adria?” I asked, stopping and craning my head to look at her. She sat back on her hindquarters and twiddled her talons in small circles around each other.

“C-can I call you…Papa?” She asked, eyes on her talons. The question almost caught me off guard but in truth I had been expecting it. I didn’t know if she’d known her parents but even so I bet I was the first and possibly only positive male figure in her life by the time we rescued her. I saved her life, fought to extricate her from Whinnyapolis and gave her a home. It made sense to me that in the absence of her real parents she’d attribute my actions to paternal love and honestly? It didn’t bother me at all, not like it would have only a few short months ago. Aurora, Ebon Glow, Adria and Ollie. I wasn’t their father but they were my kids and nothing would happen to them as long as I was alive.

“If that’s what you want.” I said with a smirk, noting the relief in her expression. How long had she been waiting to ask me? I wondered if Aurora had anything to do with this question. Probably, I conceded. “Now go get something to eat, I’ll come find you before bed time.”

“Okay, see you later…papa.” She said, trying the word in earnest. She smiled, waved, and dashed through the nearest door. She’d already come a long way from the reserved and timid fledgling she used to be, a fact that I wish I could take credit for.

“That was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.” A voice from behind me said. Standing there, just a step or so behind me, was Charlotte.

“Would you believe me if I said this wasn’t the first time I’ve been adopted?” I said with a chuckle, turning and giving her my attention.

“I can believe it.” She said, nodding in appreciation. “But that’s not why I wanted to talk to you.”

“Alright, let’s hear it.” I said, mentally sighing.

“Why did you rescue us?”

“Well, because slavery is wrong. I didn’t think that-”

“No, not the slaves. Why us?” She made an encompassing gesture around herself. “You know what we were, right?”

“Talons who worked for Red Eye.” I said, remembering the brief mention Grim had said to us when he first proposed the rescue.

“Yes, but it was…more than that.”

“How so?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“My brother and I weren’t just muscle for him, we were on a retention team. Meaning it was our job to recapture and subdue slaves who tried to escape Fillydelphia.”

“Then why were you two in the cart with the others?”

“I…tried to help an attempted mass breakout in Sparkle-World a couple weeks ago. I couldn’t stand the nightmares about what we were doing anymore. At first, I really believed what Red Eye said, that for the sake of the new world to come, sacrifices needed to be made. I accepted that for a time until I was lucky enough to be assigned guard duty for an event in the Pit. The events occur about once every week, more if Red Eye visits, and when they do they make a big show of it. What I saw was monstrous, straight up torture and murder disguised as entertainment and the crowd cheered. It didn’t matter who died or watched, if they were slavers or slaves, if they deserved it or not. All that mattered was the spectacle and the gross waste of life. It made me sick. When I saw them building something similar at Sparkle-World I couldn’t just stand by and watch anymore.”

“I think you answered your own question.” I said, calmly drinking in the details of her story and how they reminded me of Sunny. “The truth is we rescued you in the hopes that you or your brother could tell us anything about Red Eye’s operations in Baltimare. The fact that you were talons of his didn’t escape me but the fact that you were locked in with the slaves told me you did something to upset him and that by itself make us kindred. Everyone here has done something they regret, killed for sport, tortured a prisoner to death…even worked for Red Eye. I’m no exception. But now, here, together we’re trying to make a difference because we choose to. Sounds to me that you already made your choice, so why should you be any different?”

“Are you saying-?”

“I’m saying that the past is gone, that it doesn’t matter what you were, only what you are. That you and your brother have a place here, if you want it that is.” I let the offer hang in the air a moment, the conflicted expression on Charlotte’s face gave me no clues as to her decision. Then, with an audible intake of breath, she balled her claw, folded it across her chest and bowed her head.

“I accept. We will be your eyes, wings and talons.” She closed her eyes and the bow deepened. I might not know much about griffin culture but even I could tell this gesture was important to her. Which made me wonder…

“You speak for your brother as well?”

“I do. Despite appearances I’m the elder of us. He will accept my decision.” Her words had an air of finality to them and I wasn’t foolish enough to ask any more questions…for the moment that is.

“Alright. Come with me. We have a lot to talk about.”

As I led Charlotte down the halls towards the cafeteria, I used that time to explain our situation, both past and present. She listened attentively, barely speaking and occasionally asking quick questions. For the most part she took it all in stride. As a talon, or former talon rather, I should have expected as much. By the time we caught up with the others, Ray had been similarly briefed by Sunny and within a few short minutes we were all on the same page…well, mostly.

“So.” I started pensively, moving my gaze over the gathering. “How did Red Eye set up shop so fast without attracting attention? How did his forces cross the mountain?” I figured I might as well just ask, what’s the worst that could happen?

“We didn’t.” Charlotte started. “Well, we didn’t.” She amended, nodding to her brother and flexing her wings. “The others came across on the monorail.”

“Monorail? What monorail?” I asked. That seemed like a pretty egregious oversight on the Ranger’s part if that were true.

“The Sparkle-World monorail.” Orchid said, coming to an abrupt realization. “In Boulder City…but that’s impossible.” She added with a firm shake of her head. “The monorail has been beyond repair for over a hundred years, unless you’re suggesting they walked it.” Orchid gave a bemused smirk at the idea.

“No, they used it as it was intended.” Charlotte continued. “With the factories in Fillydelphia running, it took us about a month to repair the railway and another week or two after that to get the station in Sparkle-World and the connecting railways repaired before we could cross the mountains. Once that was done, Red Eye sent a battalion to capture the Shipyard and the rest is history.”

“Recent history.” I said to myself. As early as our encounter with Red Asphalt I knew there was a slaving operation at the Shipyard. Sometime between then and now it had silently (at least from my perspective) changed ownership. But why? Even though he had the means to, why repair the monorail? Why establish a presence in Baltimare? What could have motivated him to expend such effort to be here? Surely it wasn’t purely for slaves, the effort of transporting them alone should have dissuaded the idea. No, no he was here for something else, but what?

“How long have you been away from home, Orchid Bloom?” 87 asked, cutting through my thoughts and bringing me back to the table.

“Almost six months.” She answered, forehead wrinkling slightly. “Why?”

“Because for them to have repaired and used said monorail without any knowledge on your part must mean that it happened in your absence. A lot can happen in six months. Or one.” 87’s voice took on an unusual grim tone.

Orchid’s eyes were narrowed as she puzzled out his words. Then, all at once, her eyes went wide with alarm.

“I see you understand.” 87 said with a micro nod of his head.

“Boulder City’s just fine.” Ray cut in, drawing Orchid’s attention before she could get too worked up. “We saw it when we got off the rail and were loaded in the cart. It’s all there, folk too so don’t go worryin’ yourself over nothin’.”

“Why? Doesn’t that seem weird to anypony else?” Indra asked, casting a look around the table.

“Red Eye maintains friendly relationships with a few settlements.” Charlotte said with a shrug. “Guess Boulder’s one of them.”

Without any idea how Red Eye thought or did things, speculating on his reasons for doing…well, anything, would be a waste of time. Boulder City is fine. The rest we’d deal with when the time came. For now, we’d learned how they crossed the mountains. When we returned to the Bastion tomorrow Lions and I would have a lot to discuss.

“I’m sorry but did you say Sparkle-World?” Pumpkin asked, an incredulous look on her face. “As in the theme park?”

“Yeah.” Ray said with a shiver. “I think Red Eye takes secret pleasure in repurposing theme parks and their equipment for his own use.”

“What does that mean?” Gumdrop asked, one eyebrow raised in question.

“I don’t wanna talk about it. The less said about the Fillydelphia Fun Farm the better.”

With what I knew of the nightmare city of Fillydelphia, learning that somewhere in its depths was the Fillydelphia fun farm sent a shiver up my back too.

“Anypony hungry?” A voice said from behind me. Moving in with a tray of portioned (canned) fruit salad was White Noise, wearing an apron and an unbelievably smug smile. He leaned in close and said in my ear “See? Told you I could be useful.”

Aside from the task that anypony with functioning limbs could have done, at least the getup was impressive. For the entirely wrong reason. Though it was enough that he was putting in some effort, even if it was token effort.

“I don’t think this is the best showcase of your talents.” I said leaning back in a futile attempt to catch a glimpse of his cutie mark. “But good job nonetheless.” With the compliment his smug smile vanished, replaced by a forlorn look that caught me off-guard.

“Thank you.” He said, his tone…apologetic?

“What? What’s wrong?” I asked, startling myself with the sudden worry in my voice.

“Nothing just…it’s nothing Sparks.” He said, hastily excusing himself from the table with a nod.

“What was that about?” Crescent asked, watching White Noise leave with slightly narrowed eyes.

“I don’t know.” I said truthfully. Was it something I said?

We had just finished the fruit salad when Blackhawk and Pick returned from up top, their expressions understandably grey. It didn’t take long to get them caught up and by the time all was said and done it was past eight in the evening and my bed was calling me for a repeat performance. Unfortunately, there were still people I needed to see before I could surrender to the siren call of much needed rest. Standing from the table I gave everyone my farewell and moved to my next task.

Gunny’s infirmary was quieter than I had expected. Some of the task force had sustained injuries but not as severely as I’d feared, as evidenced by the lack of activity. In the corner of the room, covered in a thin sheet was Wisteria, still asleep as we’d left her. Sitting at her desk, clipboard in her hooves, was Gunny. At my approach she set her clipboard down and leveled a curious look my way.

“I didn’t realize we were operating as an orphanage now.” She said, a smirk pulling at one edge of her mouth.

“Call it proof of concept, practice if you will.” I said, making a round gesture around my belly. At that she pulled at her lab coat and tried to cover more of herself.

“Very funny.” She said, the smirk becoming a scowl very quickly.

“How is she?” I asked earnestly, abandoning our verbal sparring.

“She’s fine, physically at any rate.”

“And mentally?”

“I’m not really sure I can answer that. I’m not that kind of doctor you know.”

“Can I see her?”

“Sure, she’s sleeping in my room.” Gunny waved over her shoulder towards a door in the back wall. “Good luck, I couldn’t get her to say much.”

“Thanks.” If I lacked faith I could get through to her before, now I was almost sure I couldn’t but I had to try. I would never forgive myself if I didn’t. I touched the access panel and the door retracted into the ceiling. The inside of the room was surprisingly colorful. Gunny had clearly taken some time to make this room hers and hers alone and the décor reflected that, I mean where did she find a pink bedspread? Before I could muse any further, the very awake Ollie seated on the edge of the bed, hooves dangling, stole my attention.

“Hey Ollie.” I said as softly as I could, taking cautious, measured steps toward her. “Were you good for Gunny? She…we want to help you.” Ollie didn’t respond, though she was able to tear her eyes away from her hooves. The light in her eyes was stronger than it had been when we first returned but I knew that in the depths behind them she was in pain. I was almost to her.

“Your mom…” I started carefully. “Loved you very much. More than anything. More than herself. Her love for you is why she chose to die so you could live. I know it’s not easy to understand Ollie and there’s no good way to teach somepony how to be a parent but I would do anything for my daughter…including die for her…and you, if it meant you would live.”

Ollie lifted her head and met my eyes. “Really?” She said in a choked voice, fresh tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

“Really.” I said, taking a few more steps. Nearly there. “That’s why I did what she asked and saved you because I would have wanted the same thing. You’re not my daughter, Ollie, but I’ll protect you like you were. For her, no matter what.” I had just made it to her as her tears overflowed and spilled down her cheeks. I went to wipe her tears away when she suddenly leaned forward, placed her hooves on my barrel and buried her face in my chest, bawling her little heart out. The sudden outburst of emotion startled me at first but within seconds I had my hooves around her in a comforting hug, rocking her slightly like Pumpkin had done for me. I held her until she stopped crying, isolated sobs and loud sniffling replacing it for another few minutes until she eventually fell asleep in my hooves. I looked up and spotted Pumpkin standing in the doorway, a warm smile on her face. She silently sidled up to me, placed a hoof on my shoulder and teleported us to my office. She gingerly took Ollie from my hooves and set her down on the couch, pausing a moment to take a blanket and tuck her in as best as she was able. Once that was done, she placed a hoof on me again and in another flash of magic we were in the bedroom at the foot of my bed. I felt my bags become weightless as she magicked them off me and I in turn did the same for her. She stifled a giggle with a hoof before turning to face me.

“A gentlecolt too?” She said with exaggerated gratitude.

“Something like that.” I said with a smile of my own. “I thought a unicorn needed to see where they were teleporting to.”

“An average unicorn maybe.” Pumpkin said, glancing down at her starburst pin. “What? Did you think I got a job with the Ministry of Magic purely by recommendation?” As she spoke, she took a moment to remove her coat and uniform, giving me my first good look at her cutie mark. It was a four-pointed, light blue star overlaid with a pumpkin on the left and a fritter on the right.

“Your talent is magic?” I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed before, especially considering how often I caught myself looking at her flanks. Don’t make that face at me, like you never treated yourself to an eyeful…Yeah didn’t think so. Anyway.

“Something like that.” She smirked, parroting my own words back to me. “I’m a pretty good at baking too.” She said wistfully, looking away from me.

“You have two special talents? Can that happen?”

“How am I supposed to know?”

“I thought you weren’t an average unicorn.”

“A brilliant unicorn.” She corrected, playfully taking a swipe at me and standing up a little straighter with pride. “Average scientist.” She finished with a shrug. “Ready to finish what we started?” She inclined her head towards the bed.

“Almost. There’s one last person I need to see.”

“Oh yeah? Who?”

“Adria, a griffin fledgling we rescued from Whinnyapolis.”

“You…really like kids, don’t you?” She said, hoofing a lock of her mane behind her ear. Was she blushing?

“They’re innocent.” I said, feeling a burning flame of purpose in my heart. “That innocence needs to be protected, now more than ever.” The Wasteland was no place for foals. Omnipresent danger, hunger, slavers and the daily fight for survival weren’t things any filly or colt should have to experience. I had taken it upon myself to do what I could for them and those responsible for their torment would pay dearly. Until the Wasteland itself could be killed though, it was the best I could do and I was painfully aware how little I was actually accomplishing. I wouldn’t be dissuaded though, even if it was just me alone against the world.

“Do you still believe you’re not a good pony?” Pumpkin asked, smiling knowingly. “Because that sounds like something a good guy would say.”

“Don’t read too much into it.” I said, smiling with her. “It’s not good for my public image.”

“Shut up!” She said, shoving me slightly with a giggle. “Go take care of her then, don’t worry, I’ll still be here. Just don’t make me wait too long.” She turned to face the bed, gently brushing her tail against my cheek as she did.

I let out a little snort. “You’re such a tease.”

“I know, now hurry up.”

“Yes Ma’am.” With that I ducked out the door and in to the hallways of Eclipse.

It occurred to me as I was wandering the halls that I didn’t actually know where Adria was staying. For that matter I didn’t know which of the many rooms in the living quarters had or hadn’t been claimed. Starting with the cafeteria, I meandered in and surveyed the few scattered faces who were still eating or talking amongst themselves. I got a few waves and nods, mentally chiding myself for not learning anypony’s name. Siting off in a dark corner by himself was Ebon Glow, watching the others with mild curiosity.

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready for bed?” I asked as I approached. He flinched reflexively but seemed to relax once he recognized me.

“I’m not tired.” He said, glancing at me briefly before returning to his pony watching. The dark patches under his eyes and the slight wobble as he tried to stay upright spoke to the contrary. I sat down next to him and followed his gaze. Three ponies, a mare and two stallions, were seated at one of the tables. A moderate collection of empty beer bottles growing between them. One of the stallions had a foreleg draped around the mare’s shoulders. The stallions were talking animatedly about something when the mare took the opportunity to sneak in a sloppy kiss to the stallion holding her while the other cheered. Is that what Ebon Glow was interested in? I also noticed that the door that led to the infirmary was in plain sight.

“Are you maybe…waiting for somepony?” I said slyly.

“Umm.” He said, looking like he got caught with his hoof in the cookie jar.

“Ollie perhaps?” I teased with a wiggle of my eyebrows. No wonder Pumpkin did this, it was fun!

Ebon Glow sighed in defeat and deflated slightly. “Yes sir…she’s just so…pretty.” He said, almost like he had trouble admitting it to himself. Which I guess wasn’t that odd considering his age. I smiled and patted him on the head.

“Then I should tell you she’s already gone to bed and you should do the same. Come on.” I said, helping him get up. “You can see her in the morning.”

“Okay.” He said with resignation, teetering slightly on his hooves.

“I’ll walk you to your room.” I said, nudging him to the front so that he would lead me there. He didn’t say much as he led me to the living quarters, his adorable crush on Ollie likely taking up the majority of his thought process. He came to a stop in front of door with the number ‘2’ emblazoned next to the access panel. Inside were two beds and a modest collection of toys and other odds and ends. Seated in the second bed with a book between her claws was Adria.

“Papa!” She perked up immediately, the book quickly forgotten and tossed to the side. She took what I now recognized as the pounce position and leapt. This time though, I’d known what to expect and caught her in a field of magic just two inches off the bed.

“Nice try.” I said, gently poking her beak with the tip of my hoof.

“No fair!” She said, her legs kicking uselessly beneath her.

“Did you remember to pack?” I asked, dropping her without warning. She squealed in distress for about half a second before remembering the bed just below her.

“Yes papa.” She said, pointing to a small bag nestled in the corner.

“Y-you’re leaving?” Ebon Glow asked, a slight tremble to his voice.

“For a bit.” I said, feeling a bit guilty, kicking myself for excluding him. “Did you want to come?” I didn’t know how either of them would react to the squire training but I was determined to get it for them. We could deal with the rest when the time came.

“I…I don’t know.” He said, fidgeting in place.

“Well, why don’t you sleep on it and get back to me in the morning. Don’t forget to pack a bag if you do. I’ll see everypony tomorrow.”

“Goodnight papa.”

“Goodnight Adria, Ebon Glow.” I said, nodding to each in turn and seeing myself out. I really wish I could teleport I thought during the long walk back to my office. Pumpkin was true to her word and hadn’t gone anywhere, though the towel wrapped around her mane suggested a slight deviation.

“I could have scrubbed your back you know.” I said, hopping into the bed beside her.

“I get the feeling it isn’t my back you’re interested in.” She said, smiling as I tried to control my blush. “Besides, I wanted to get clean.”

“You ready for tomorrow?” I asked, just as much for myself as her.

She let out a tired sigh. “Not really. This life is going to take a while to get used to. Are you?”

“Not really.” I was doing my best to think of what we’d accomplished today but a hoofful of slaves didn’t equate to the entirety of Stable 54 and the cathedral. Their destruction and the part I’d played in it weighed heavy on my heart. In many ways it was a mercy, saving those who remained from becoming monsters. Crush was the true monster, destroying what he couldn’t keep and leaving the dwellers to die to cover his escape. Something had set him off, but what? What about us could have shaken him so powerfully? Did he recognize me from Eclipse the day I killed Chestnut? Did he recognize Sunny as a regulator? I couldn’t make sense of it but there was still a small part of my mind screaming at me that there was something I was missing, but what? “I get the feeling Lions has another job for us and we still have to take Orchid back to Boulder City, a city I now know to host or at least tolerate Red Eye’s slavers.” I wasn’t looking forward to traveling there before I knew that, now I was worried. Ray said Red Eye knew of me. If he got his information from the sprite-bots then he likely knew what I looked like as well and we were going to walk right into the manticore’s den.

~Are you frightened Starborn?~ Erebus said, appearing on the foot of the bed, his golden eyes boring into mine. ~Do you fear for yourself?~ He sneered, moving his gaze to Pumpkin. ~Or for another?~

You don’t care about why, all you want is a way to turn it to your advantage.

~You think you know me so well, answer me this then, to what end? Even if that were the case what advantage could I gain? We’re on the same path now Sparks and no matter how you try to deviate, no matter how long you stall, the end result will be the same~

You can’t make me do anything.

~Oh? Can’t I? Perhaps a demonstration will cease your insolence~ Erebus stood and waved his hoof through the air, leaving a golden glyph hovering in front of him. He stabbed his hoof through the glyph and at me, destabilizing its shape as the golden dust it became was drawn into me like a magnet. I felt his power surge into me as it had in the past but this time, I gathered my own power and prepared to meet his.

“Sparks? Are you alright?” Pumpkin asked, suddenly sitting up. I could hardly hear her, her voice distorted and far away. In my periphery I could see a streak of pink smoke begin to pour out of my right eye. Fear gripped my heart in a way it never had before. Unlike the last times there were no enemies here to focus my enmity. Instead, I was in an underground bunker surround by allies, friends…and loved ones.

Erebus no! Stop! Don’t do this, you’ve made your point!

~Be silent and drown in darkness. You’ve disrespected me for the last time. Perhaps once these distractions have been removed you will begin to see what I’ve been trying to show you~

NO! I won’t let you control me!

~It’s not up to you~

This was it; a turning point and I was out of time. With extreme effort I found the willpower to turn my head and place a hoof on Pumpkin. Her eyes widened in alarm when she recognized what was happening. Thinking quickly, she pounced atop me and tried to use her weight to keep me pinned down.

“Fight him Sparks!” She yelled, adding her strength to her weight holding me down. “I know you can do it!”

“I’m trying!” My voice came out as a strained wheeze. Seeing no other option, I unleashed the power I’d been gathering and felt it meet the wall of Erebus’ own. The clash of our magic was enough to make the room shudder as Pumpkin was nearly thrown free of me in a sudden outburst of energy. When Pumpkin recovered, her expression hardened and she began preparing a spell. In a near instant flash of blue light Pumpkin teleported us to the surface…a meter off the ground. Pumpkin, still straddling me, accidently drove me into the ground which was just enough to break my concentration. I felt the wall of his power overtake mine and just like that, my resistance vanished.

“You can’t save him.”
~You can’t save him~ He said with my voice.

“You should worry about saving yourself.” Pumpkin hissed, arcs of magical energy swirling around her horn.

“Fool. You don’t have the power to kill me. I am endless!”
~Fool. You don’t have the power to kill me. I am endless!~ We hissed back, kicking her off of us and rolling backwards to get some ground.

“Who said anything about killing you?” Pumpkin said, dropping her worried façade with a smirk. Erebus belatedly recognized what was about to happen and as he gathered magic for a response, I did the same from within and prepared to fight him, I wasn’t eclipsed yet! Pumpkin lowered her head and with a crack of thunder fired a beam of blue magic from her horn big enough to envelop me completely. Erebus responded with a beam of his own, the magic pink with outlines of black. The waves of energy collided with each other with the force of an explosion, pushing us backwards as Pumpkin’s magic threatened to swallow us. Where Erebus tried to dig in his hooves, I tried to jump. Where Erebus tried to summon more power, I flooded our mind with distraction. I don’t know if he’d have been strong enough to overwhelm her but I wasn’t going to let anything be easy as long as I maintained any part of myself.

I…told you. I said, struggling with the effort. You won’t… control me!
Be Strong!
Be Awesome!
Now…LEAVE ME ALONE!

It took everything I had and then some to regain even a modicum of control but with the few seconds I’d bought myself, I dropped the spell we’d been maintaining. By the time Erebus reasserted himself there was nothing he could do as Pumpkin’s spell overcame us. My skin tingled as the wave of energy engulfed me. For a second it felt like I was floating, then reality came back to me all at once with an abrupt rush overwhelming sensation. The glow from the spell dissipated and when it all cleared I was on my back looking up into the dark night sky. I sat up and saw I’d been blasted a decent distance backwards. Standing where I had been was Erebus, his form transparent, a furious glare locked on Pumpkin who returned it with one of her own.

~I underestimated you. Both of you~ It seemed to me like he was smiling as his form was blown away in a wayward gust of wind. I sat up a bit straighter and smiled in disbelief. She’d actually done it! I didn’t know what she’d done exactly but, for the time being, he was gone.

“Sparks.” Pumpkin said tiredly, almost far enough away that I couldn’t hear her. She smiled weakly and tried to take a step forward, only to ungracefully face plant into the dirt.

“Pumpkin!” I called as she fell, springing to my hooves and tripping over myself as I tried to reach her. I felt like I’d been galloping all day and more than once my legs gave out. She was breathing weakly when I reached her and when I tried to levitate her on my back I was instead greeted by a ripple of electric pain from my horn. Somewhere during that outburst, I had burned out. Cursing my own weakness for ever allowing this to happen, I bent down and manually hefted her on my back, taking slow, careful steps so I wouldn’t deposit her into the dirt again. She groaned weakly as I pushed the doors to the barn open and called the elevator. After that my memory gets a little blurry. I remember somepony shouting when the elevator touched down and more shouting when I made it to the infirmary. It wasn’t until some hours later when things became clear again, well, clear enough. I was sitting in the hallway outside the infirmary, Ollie was snoring quietly in a sleeping bag beside me. I don’t remember going to get her but her presence helped more than I could express. According to my PipBuck it was one in the morning and the exhaustion I’d been feeling went even further beyond what I could’ve imagined and no amount of closing my eyes brought me sleep. Approaching from further down the hallway was the sound of hooves on metal, growing progressively louder until-

“How bad was it?” Sunny asked, taking a seat beside me.

“Bad.” I said, my lips pressed together in a tight line. “I don’t know if I could have stopped him on my own.” It was like the first night in the swamp all over again. The level of forcefulness and control he was able to muster was too much for me then, but now? Now at least I knew that no matter how dire it seemed I could fight back. “Is…is anything…?” I started, finding I didn’t have the heart to finish the question. Unfortunately I didn’t need to. Sunny knew me too well. She wore a small frown as she passed me a mirror shard, inside which I confirmed what I’d been fearing. The iris of my right eye was no longer dotted with golden specks. It had become completely gold. I wasn’t entirely me anymore and the reality of what I’d been afraid of since meeting Erebus had never felt so real. My stomach tightened into a painful knot. It was really going to happen. One day, piece by piece, I wouldn’t be me. Would I still see? Trapped forever behind my own eyes or would I just…vanish? I tried to say something but somewhere inside of me something broke and I began to sob into my hooves. I felt Sunny place a comforting hoof on my withers but she said nothing. I could barely open my eyes and even when I managed a crack all was blurred by my tears. Tears I was crying for more than myself. I thought of those we’d lost along the way, especially those who’d died because of me and how they’d now died for nothing. I was heading even deeper down that path when I felt something tapping me on my right side. Sniffling pathetically and trying to wipe the wetness from my eyes, I looked over to see an awake Ollie looking back at me. Her eyes were wide with concern, the pain I’d seen within them gone as she looked up at me, looking like she was going to cry herself. I almost forgot myself as I abandoned the rabbit hole I’d been heading down and focused on her.

“No no, don’t cry Ollie.” I said, my voice cracking around the frog in my throat.

“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Ollie implored, her eyes threatening to overflow.

“It’s nothing Ollie. I’ll be alright. Just got a little scared is all.” It wasn’t a lie per se.

“No.” She said with a defiant shake of her head. What did she mean ‘no’? “I get scared too, and sometimes I cry but not like you.” I could see the pain in her eyes coming back, though this time it wasn’t her own, it was an echo of mine. I couldn’t believe what I said next.

“Because I’m turning into a monster.” I could still sense that Erebus was there but he was far away, much farther than he’d ever been. “And that scares me more than anything.” I wouldn’t say it felt good exactly to say it but it did offer myself some clarity.

“Is that why your eye is different? That doesn’t make you a monster.” Ollie said with an amused giggle. “I think it’s pretty.”

She…laughed? She laughed! I almost couldn’t believe it. I looked back into her eyes and saw my own reflection in them. Despite everything Erebus had tried, the mind games, the physical alterations…I still saw me.

“I- well thank you Ollie.” I said, chuckling with her. I had been brought back from the edge by one of the very things I fight to the edge for, the innocence of children. I always liked being vindicated.

“So don’t cry anymore okay? You’re not a monster.” Ollie slumped forward and wrapped her forelegs around my midsection as much as she could. She didn’t look at me but her trembling was enough to tell me she was scared. Not for herself but for me. It was just like with Aurora. She’d lost her real parent and feared she might lose the surrogate. I was starting to think that maybe kids liked me instead of the other way around. Or maybe this was the inevitable reaction from rescued orphans. Either way it didn’t change how I felt.

“Don’t worry Ollie.” I said, returning her embrace. “I’m not going anywhere.” I didn’t know if that was a lie or not, all that remained was to see how long I could stand by it. The whoosh of a retracting door stole my attention as Gunny walked out into the hallway, looking almost as tired as I felt. She looked over at us and a weary smile pulled at the corner of her mouth.

“Perhaps I should be referring children to you instead of the other way around.” She said, leaning to one side to look at Ollie still holding me. “Hey there sweetheart, are you doing okay?”

Ollie didn’t shy away when she answered. “Mhmm.” Ollie nodded and returned Gunny’s look, squeezing me a little tighter. “Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.”

“How’s Pumpkin?” I asked, fighting the impulse to stand up.

“I’m not a unicorn expert but I think she just overdid it.”

“So s-she’s-”

“She’s fine, yes. Awake even. Would you like to see her?”

I was up on my hooves and inside the clinic in three strides, Ollie squealing from her spot as she hung on for dear life. With a shimmy of my hips I was able to fling the little filly up and on to my back proper. I smiled sheepishly once she was in place, the look on her face decidedly not happy.

“Sorry Ollie.”

“Don’t do that!” She chastised, harmlessly thumping the back of my crest.

“Ow!” I exclaimed in mock pain, theatrically going down to my knees as Ollie giggled.

“I knew you could do it.” A tired voice said from across the room. Pumpkin was on her side on an examination table, a thin sheet covering her bottom half. Forgetting playtime for the moment, I trotted to her side and felt my expression drop. The concern I was wearing must have been obvious as Pumpkin gave a weak chuckle and reached out to stroke my cheek. “Why are you looking at me like that?

“Just not used to being on this end, I guess.” If this was how I’d made my friends feel when I was hurt then I owed them all apologies. “Thank you, Pumpkin, I don’t know that I could have done it without you.”

“Maybe.” She said, lowering her hoof. “Maybe not.” She kicked the sheet off, swung her legs around and hopped off the table. For the first second I actually though she was going to make it. Once her hooves hit the floor and her weight was added to them, she crumpled forward into my waiting grasp.

“Thanks.” She said, leaning closer to me. “I’m so glad you’re alright Sparks.”

“Yeah, me too.” I had more to say but a loud yawn from Ollie stifled my thoughts and reminded me of the plush, fluffy bed that I’d been denied three times today.

“Can we go back to bed now?” Ollie asked, dramatically rubbing at her eyes.

“Of course sweetie.” Pumpkin said, carefully getting all four hooves safely beneath her. She wobbled slightly as she walked but otherwise stayed upright. I slowed my own pace to compensate, making sure I was close enough to catch her if I had to. Gunny was in the hallway where I’d left her, having a quiet conversation with Sunny. She looked up as we emerged, her expression suddenly unreadable.

“Is she good to be released?” I asked, nodding to Pumpkin at my side.

“Good question. Is she?” Gunny directed the question at Pumpkin who seemed to be giving it a fair amount of thought.

“Yes, thank you very much for your care doctor.”

“Just Gunny is fine.” She said with a smile. “Now try to get some rest. You’ll need it.”

“Don’t worry, bed is straight where we’re heading.” I added, unconsciously looking Pumpkin up and down. Gunny frowned and one eyebrow went up.

“I trust you mean to sleep when you get there?”

“Of course, what else would…we…do…oh.” I felt my face warm, unnecessary images dancing through my mind. To my surprise, Pumpkin’s face was flush too.

“I think I’m a bit too worn out for that.” Pumpkin said averting her eyes, smiling nervously.

“If you say so.” Gunny nodded, undoubtedly unconvinced. “Goodnight then you two, Sunny.” She gave us each a small nod and disappeared into the infirmary for some much-needed sleep herself.

“I better hit the hay too.” Sunny said standing and stretching, a few audible pops here and there. “Are we still heading out tomorrow?” It needed to be done but I wasn’t exactly looking forward to it. I looked over at Pumpkin who gave a resolute nod back. I could sense a familiar stubbornness in her that made me smile.

“I think so, against my better judgment.”

“Isn’t it always?” Sunny offered up a rare smile of her own and playfully thumped my shoulder as she passed us, most likely returning to…wherever she slept.

Pumpkin and I began to slowly make our way back to my office. There was an uneasy silence between us that I didn’t know how to breach. At about the halfway point a soft snoring from my back told me that Ollie had lost her battle with the sandpony. Which is apparently what Pumpkin was waiting for.

“Were you crying earlier?” Pumpkin asked, giving me a look somewhere between pity and guilt.

“Yeah.” I decided to give her the honest truth. I had nothing worth hiding from her anyway. “I’m not all me anymore.” I said, turning to give her a clear look at my eye. If she’d noticed earlier it hadn’t shown. “It’s his eye, Pumpkin. Little by little, piece by piece he’s changing me and one day there won’t be anything of me left.” With no known way to separate us it was the inevitable result. How much longer could I hold out? How much time did I have left to do good before my body obeyed another? I had no answers for either.

“‘Not until the bitter end’ remember?”

“I know and I don’t plan on giving up.”

“Then what changed?”

“The reality of it, I guess.” I said, running the event of the last few hours through my head again. “Up until now I entertained the idea that I might be able to stop him with willpower alone. I don’t know what he really is but he’s proved on two occasions now that he can overpower me if he chooses.” I thought further back to a conversation between us earlier today. “But I don’t think the changes are intentional. He told me once that he didn’t understand the orb and that the physical alterations might be some kind of bleeding effect.” Thinking about the orb gave me an idea I hadn’t thought of before. It was risky and carried a lot potential danger but if I was right…I dared not speculate more, not until the time came for me to try it.

“So what? Feeling bad about what you’re doing doesn’t excuse it.”

“I know that.” Perhaps I knew too well. “The point is that it was the only time since I’ve known him that he showed any equinity. Somewhere, buried under centuries of bitterness and dogma is somepony I can relate to, somepony who is more than the monster he wants me to see.” It was a long shot, I didn’t know if I was right and I sincerely hoped that Pumpkin’s spell, whatever it had been, kept him from hearing my voice.

What would the consequences be if I was wrong? What would they be if I was right? The whole thought made me shiver. When the day came for me to put my idea to the test I would know, one way or the other.

“Do you really think you can get through to him?” Pumpkin asked, the look of disbelief on her face mirroring how I felt deep inside.

“I don’t know but at this point I don’t know what else I can do about him.”

“We’ll find something Sparks.” Pumpkin stopped and took my hoof in hers. “Together. I promise.”

“Don’t make a promise you can’t keep.”

“Who says I can’t keep it?”

She had me there. Pumpkin had held a high rank in the Ministry of Magic during the war. If anypony alive could help me with a magical problem it was her.

“We’ll just have to put you to the test now won’t we?” I said, leaning in and crossing my horn over hers. I could feel her warm breath on my neck and my heart picked up speed.

“Careful, I’m under doctor’s orders to get some rest remember?” She said coyly, standing up on the tips of her hooves.

“Thank you, Pumpkin, for everything.” I said, our faces nearly touching, deciding whether or not I should-

“Just kiss me, stupid.” She said, deciding for me as her lips met mine in a gentle but still passionate kiss.

“Yuck!” A voice from my back said. Breaking the kiss, I looked over my shoulder at Ollie who had her tongue out in a dramatic display of disgust.

“What’s wrong Ollie? Feeling left out?” I said, smiling devilishly as I crouched to let her off my back and picked her up, lifting her to face level.

“No don’t! Put me down!” She squirmed to no avail and Pumpkin had to hide a laugh with her hoof.

“Mwah!” I said, placing a kiss on Ollie’s forehead with equal dramatics.

“O-oh.” Ollie’s kicking stopped, as if she had come to some revelation. “M-my dad used to do that for me.”

Oh. Forcing her to remember her parents was the last thing I wanted to do.

“I’m sorry Ollie, I didn’t mean to-

“No, it’s okay.” She interrupted. “It…it felt nice.” Unsure of what to do from there, I gently lowered her to the floor and let go, the mood tentatively ruined. We resumed our journey to bed a few paces when the sound of Ollie clearing her throat came from behind me. She was standing where I’d set her down, her hoof held out with a look of expectation. Moving back to her, I took her hoof in mine.

“C’mon Ollie, you need your sleep.”

“But I’m not tired anymore.” She said, the way she rubbed at her eyes suggesting she was being less than truthful.

“Well, tell you what. We’ll make a bet. If you can make it all the way back without yawning once you can stay up.”

“Really?” She said, the stars in her eyes heralding an excitement her mother most likely never allowed.

“Really.” I said, wondering what I would do if she somehow won.

She didn’t.

Footnote: No Level Up.

Quest Perk: Bulwark of Innocence – You have made a vow to protect the children of the Wasteland and those who hurt them will suffer your wrath! +2 to STR, END and AGL when children are in danger.

Next Chapter: Chapter Thirty-Seven: Lost in Silence Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 49 Minutes