“A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. The only value in our two nations possessing nuclear weapons is to make sure they will never be used. But then would it not be better to do away with them entirely?”
-Ronald Reagan

My eyes were adjusting to the near total darkness inside The Roof. The eeriness infected me and made my heart beat with trepidation. At all hours, this place was normally loaded with ponies working, gossiping, or otherwise occupied with their day to day lives. Instead, the silence and darkness was only broken by the occasional gunshot or cry of agony. Every one of them made me want to jump and check, only for the sound to echo in a way that prevented me from knowing where it came from.

The stench of death filled our noses. It was mixed with cordite, gunpowder, ash, and burned blood. My stomach twisted in knots.This wasn’t like the trench. This wasn’t supposed to be a battlefield. This place was where I wanted to call home. Yet now it was a battlefield, where even innocent foals were not spared. My heart sank to my hooves. I wanted to scream, and charge in, but my experience in the trenches and the officer’s manual teachings told me to stay and move carefully.

My armor was already battered and my body was only minimally healed by Quick Stitch. It hurt to move, so much that I couldn’t resist anymore. I rolled down my armored glove sleeve and shot the liquid chill of Med-X into my leg. Within seconds, my body welcomed the feeling and the itch at the back of my mind slowly ebbed away.

I looked at my friends and asked, “Is Alguacil still on the uppermost deck?” Scopola Mina nodded.

“He was coordinating the cover fire to get you inside. They’re pretty secure up there but down here, the raiding parties get in.” She pulled out an inhaler with the word “Dash” crudely inscribe on it and shot it into her mouth. Then she pulled out a cookie and I recognized the scent. ‘Volcano Crumbles’, called that because they were loaded with a drug specifically made to make you hit harder and pump more adrenaline to your muscles, ‘rage’.

We grouped up, I took point. Nyota disappeared into the darkness again. I know now, even if I can’t see or hear you; you’re there. Quick Stitch and Chifundo took the center while Scopola Mina kept checking our rear. Her laser rifle levitated and hummed ready to unleash death as she kept one pointed in every direction just in case.

“Alright listen up, we’re going to move and clear this entire floor as well as secure every single door. We have to be completely sure we everyone is safe.” I told every one of them and we started to make our way through the darkness.

I turned on my PipBuck light and smiled at my friends, “To draw their fire. I’ll be the light in the darkness, and make sure YOU shoot to wound where you can. Otherwise, I’ll be the light at the end of their tunnel.”

“Sunrise, I think the Wasteland is starting to get to you. Though I have to admit, that was still funny.” I glared at her, she just kept giggling till it was almost a cackle then stopped herself.

Yeah, well, maybe it is a little. After this we need some real reflection time. I told her.

Pink pulled out a pen and paper pad, making a notes, “You should get some rest after the siege, I’m taking notes.” She kept scribbling as she spoke.

Great, so you’re my secretary now? She just snickered and ducked out of sight.

We made our way through the darkness, and I shuddered when we found some unarmored bodies. They were residents. A mare, cut from tailbone to the back of her head with some sort of blade. She was clutching two children, a filly and a colt, just as dead. The horror of the situation made my blood boil. Inhaling the scent of dead children is something I will never forget. They must have died days ago, caught in the initial assault. All three were mercilessly cut down with whatever that bladed weapon was.

I’m going to destroy whoever did this!

I could feel Pink in the back of my mind, she was scared of me. “Sunrise, you’re the Angel, don’t become an Angel of Wrath.” I wanted to listen to her, but I even I could not issue mercy to someone who’d done this, maybe forgiveness but NOT mercy.

Suddenly heavy hooves started towards us and I shoved my PipBuck arm in that direction. The light glinted off something huge and metal held high in the air. “You’re mine, stupid filly!” He had a very long sledgehammer levitating in the air with his telekinesis. I raised my shotgun and fired, and with it came a hail of lasers, bullets, and flamer fire, which ripped at the stallion. Within moments of our salvo he was shredded to bits of flesh and blood, and whatever wasn’t torn apart was scorched by Mina’s laser gun.

I heard a cry above me, and I turned to see an earth pony mare. She was flying at me with a sharp metal club as big as I was! No, it was a carriage bumper that had been ripped off, smashed flat, and converted into a giant sword! Her face was curled in a snarl and at any moment, I was going to feel her wrath.

Nyota slammed into her face from the shadows. Her neck cracked so loud, the echoing gunfire sounds died immediately. Her head snapped back and the neck shattered till the head was just held on by flesh and muscle around it, ragdolling around unnaturally as she hit the ground with a hard thud. The sound of the neck snapping made my stomach churn and heart drop at the loss another life. This is senseless! Why are they sacrificing themselves so desperately?

Nyota turned to me with a smile and I saw it, another one with a sword. His eyes were bloodshot from drugs and his pupils were pinpricks. He was coming down on Nyota.

There was no time to stop it. This wasn’t S.A.T.S. I was watching Nyota’s life flash before my eyes. Desperately I threw my body into Nyota, and his head moved just a couple of inches. It was enough.

The blade the size of a pony came down and glanced off his helmet before it landed square onto his back, sending him straight to the ground.

The next blow came for me. My leg shot out like our training and stopped it on my armor plating, it still hurt so bad and my PipPony said my ankle was sprained. I could feel it through the Med-X, but there wasn’t time for that. I slam fired the shotgun as my tongue held the trigger for dear life, while my good forehoof kept racking out round after round.

The blade wielding stallion staggered with each impact until his combat armor was blown off and then blood flew along with bone and kevlar as the shotgun shells punched through. Buckshot, a slug, a depleted crystal round, and the last shot slammed a gout of flame out of the barrel as a dragon’s breath round superheated my weapon’s barrel. I threw it to the ground and pulled out Celestia’s Hammer and flipped the power switch.

“YOU BASTARDS! DIE!!!” All I could see was the same rage that had consumed me when Corners had enraged me at Hearth's Warming Eve. As soon as the large red number indicator on the back read 99 I pulled the trigger. The recoil made me stagger back as the round left the chamber. His life liquids splattered across my faceplate and chest.

I was caked in his remains. His blood, bone, and sinew reduced to a pink mist clinging to the air and my armor. Panting for air, I dropped Celestia’s Hammer from my mouth. I felt the rage leave me and a soothing coolness envelope me as the hatred left my body. The stallion I’d shot was completely unrecognizable as a pony anymore. I felt the utmost horror at the destructive force this weapon possessed. It was beyond anything that should ever be turned on a living creature. Maybe a machine or a tank but firing this at a living creature was simply too much for my heart to bear and I had to look away.

“Nyota are you okay!? Please be…” I whisper in desperation to pray that he wasn’t apart of the smell of death around me. I fell silent, blinking my eyes to see him standing there. Quick Stitch’s horn glowing but that wasn’t stopped me cold. It was the way they were looking at me. They looked concerned and afraid of me at the same time. My rage and passion to protect Nyota or avenge him had made me lose it completely.

Tears coated the inside my ballistic goggles as they had nowhere to go through the air tight armored seal. I wanted to save them, and I didn’t want blood like this. Why are we fighting exactly? What do they really want? I kept struggling with these questions, as I slowly calmed down. I suppressed my rage and realized then, I had a monster instead. One that once angered, there was no stopping it from going on a rampage or thinking of other’s safety. Nyota in trouble was the trigger to release it

We finished sweeping the lowest level, securing all the doors with chains, ropes, or whatever we could. In one case we blocked it with the remains of a house and lots of duct tape. There was one door, however, that made us all hesitate.

It led downstairs. On the stairs were a pile of ponies with the uniforms from the besieging force, all dead. There appeared to be no cause of their death. Their bodies were all piled onto the landing.

Black roots had grown into the concrete, teething is an energy that I didn’t want anything to do with. Some energy there told us that this was an awful place. Chifundo refused to come anywhere near the door. The way he felt spirits, this was simply too much for him.

I closed the door and noticed it had a lock on it, from this side. They aren’t locking us from going downstairs! They’re trying to keep something down there! I closed the lock and then used chains to secure it in place. Even the concrete structure out here was infected by the dark magic roots, but as soon as I closed the door they flinched like I’d slapped them. It was so surreal seeing the tendrils of black growing through the concrete suddenly flinch like I’d punched them.

They withdrew back behind the door, and radiated with an evil I could only call supernatural. Is Chifundo’s connection to spirits rubbing off on us?

“Well it’s either him or me! Probably both actually, now that I think about it.” Pink commented with that slightly sinister smile across her lips. I mentally wiped the smile from her lips and shook my head.

Help me fight the darkness, don’t tell me to embrace it. I shot at her and felt my heart sinking.

Pink physically caught a heart in the corner of my eye and suddenly I was reassured. “Will do.” She saluted me upright and held the heart up. It was like I could feel somepony physically hugging me and whispering into my ear that was it going to be alright. But that’s the thing: this was the feeling of that without any of the words. “It’s getting too dark around here anyway. A bit of light helps and if I’m the bright spot; we’ve got all sorts of party pooping problems. I suggest you show them that it’s darkest before dawn, and the dawn is coming. ”

We made our way upstairs, only to find found several guntraps pointed at us along with a half dozen landmines on the stairs. I disarmed the mines easily while Nyota took care of the gun trap tripwires. We rearmed when we were past them. The guns belonged to the residents of The Roof. They looked like a ragged bunch; I couldn’t see one creature who wasn’t missing fur or feathers from a recent wound healing. Several had bandages on minor wounds rather than straining unicorns for more magical healing.

There were dim lights and torches keeping the path lit, but the feeling in the air was one of hopelessness. Even with me arriving in, some showed recognition for who I was. Most however, did not brighten their spirits. The sense of doom was so pervasive that even Picline did not run to us with enthusiasm, but dragged her hooves while Chifundo dashed to her and wrapped her in a tight hug.

“We’re here to help! I’m sure we can do something.” I assured Picline trying to sound excited and happy to see her face.

“What is there to be excited about? Now we just get to die together.” I paused, shocked that the fiery mare had the fight taken completely out of her. I took a stagger step away from Picline and tried to fathom what we could possibly do.

Chifundo looked like he’d been punched and shook his head, ”Chin up, little one, don’t be so terse. Be reassured we have all survived worse.”

“Chifundo, how is she going to deal with nearly a thousand raiders? We barely have 250 residents left, and the lower basement has been claimed by something evil. They have numbers, and artillery!” She looked around at all the ponies there when I trotted up and huffed my chest out.

“Nothing is ever hopeless! Put Quick Stitch to use healing. Nyota can help put some of your residents back on their feet. Scopola Mina has an arsenal of combat drugs, make use of them on those who are likely to be able to handle it. Chifundo! Go get Alguacil and distribute our excess ammo and rations. All of it, even if we cannot spare it. Give them hope.” There are far too many of them to be more than a drop in the bucket but it might count for something. Every drop of moral will help us. I turned back to Picline and snarled at her. “And get me a radio! I’ve got a plan even if I can’t talk them down!”

Everypony seemed to raise their spirits just a bit and like lightning we were off doing our jobs. Picline lead me inside the doctor's office where a makeshift command center had been setup. Blackhawk was the first pony that looked genuinely relieved to see me. She flapped across the room and gave a proper Equestria Military salute. I tilted my head to her and then snapped a salute back.

“Looks pretty grim, but I've seen you take on far superior forces in direct combat. If any pony can pull us out of this, it’s you!” I nodded to her and approached the radio.

“Do we have a frequency to talk to them?” I moved to look at the board. They had mapped out the artillery gun pieces pretty preciselyThrough they hadn't updated it since Chifundo and I had destroyed one.

“Yeah, we got one, but they keep threatening to level us to the ground if we don't give them our water talisman.” She was dialing in a frequency till it became crystal clear. “Hey! You Goddess lot, got somepony who wants to talk to you, A-S-A-P. Over.” I took the headset off her and took a seat next to the microphone.

“Oih, whadda ya want?” The radio snapped back. He sounded as foul as the creatures who had slaughtered a mother and her children.

Sunrise you have to be stern, you have to intimidate this pony. I tapped the microphone, “You listen here! I'm the pony that just hammered through your lines, blew one of your artillery pieces to kingdom come, and rushed through your gunfire across no-pony’s land into The Roof. Even took a direct hit from one of those cannons you got, and I'm barely scratched!” I hesitated to continue, both unsure how and hoping that last part wouldn't be called out as a lie. My armor needed maintenance and was certainly frayed or dented in quite a few places. “I want to negotiate with your leader. There is no sense in more violence if we can avoid it.” I barked across the microphone.

“I umm... well alright. I'll go get The Goddess.” I paused and realized that green alicorn monster was not their Goddess. I was very confused as to who this Goddess was or how to proceed. Also why does it seem like there are two of these ponies with The Goddess as a title?

A few moments later a very thick Stalliongrad accented mare came across the headset. This was something I’d only heard from Crazy Mac since I woke up. It was a thick heavy handed piece of home hitting my ears in the nightmare of the wasteland. Despite her tone this gave me pause to relax. “Who’s this and what do you want?”

“This is Wandering Sunrise, I want to find a peaceful way out of this for all of us.” I replied and waited. The wait dragged on and on, no pony responded for several seconds.

When the microphone squawked back it was an entirely different tone, one of pure anger. “You’ve got a lot of nerve showing up here! You stupid little green bitch!” I recoiled and looked at Pink who only shrugged and shook her head in that 'Don't ask me but I know' type of way. “What makes you think for two seconds I'm willing to negotiate with you?”

I bit my lip, Pink! This pony knows me and you know something. Tell me.

“NO! You told me to stop you from becoming a monster! I don't wanna have to be afraid you'll jump out of my closet at me. If you go through with this, you’re on your OWN!” Pink stormed off and I could barely feel her in the back of my mind. I looked at the radio, stunned and tried to find words.

“Look, I just want to prevent more death. Your raiding party is down; all the entrances are resealed and battened down. You've seen the destruction I caused on your lines. Surely there is a peaceful resolution to this.” I pleaded, trying to show some sincerity without showing desperation.

“Just for you being there! I ain't negotiating anymore! Not till every pony inside there is in chains or dead! I'm killing me an Angel before this is over. You little unfair piece of old-world trash! You're nothing but a relic and now it's time for the Goddess with a Gun to get a trophy made out of angel wings!” Her words both stunned and made my blood boil.

The radio went dark as the other side changed its frequency. Blackhawk sat there stunned, and I looked at her just as perplexed. “That sounded like she knows you.”

“I think she does, but I don't know how.” Before we could exchange another word, a very strong memory overtook me. I couldn't fight it; I didn't even have time to recognize it. I was waking up quite suddenly somewhere else.

I grabbed onto the wrench and kept working. This crazy experiment had better work. It seems like a terrible idea, but an everything-tree sure sounds nice. A heavy hoof grabbed onto my shoulder, I turned to see Breakfast Blend. Her armored lab coat was unmistakable, “Yeah BB?”

Breakfast Blend shook her head at me in disapproval with a tsk tsk tsk from her lips. “You don’t have faith in this project, do you?”

There was a scratch inside my head, like what Pink did to get my attention but trying to be more subtle. “Barista Foam! Get out of my head!” I shouted at the top of my lungs. The noise of my scream echoed over the bunker doors and their bulkhead shape funneled the noise all the way to the upper level. “As for you Breakfast, look, if you can seriously engineer a tree that can make all the fruit you claim; it will save the wasteland. But getting anything in this rusted out secret-tech stable to work? That will be a miracle.” I spat as I spoke, down at my dirt covered hooves.

Green? This is the first memory I’ve been green in? What does that mean? I wiped my brow while the memory kept me locked inside. I could feel the grime and slime of the machine on my face, now, and smell the putrid waste that had been inside this bunker.

“Look. You and I both know you can fix it.” Breakfast Blend replied, as she pulled out some charts. “Let the biologist and ornithologist do the work on the tree parts; you just get the machine working, engineer.” She spoke in such a way that there was no way to give any reprisal; as if a judge ordering you to jail and you had no say in your trial about it.

“Just keep Barista Foam out of my head. There’s only room for one “Little Green Monster” and she ain’t little no more, not after whatever The Goddess did to her.” I turned back to move a wrench but was interrupted by heavy hooves slamming against concrete and steel walkways towards me.

“And what makes you think you can keep US out?” It was the booming voice of Barista Foam. I turned back around, looking at the pure repulsive green figure. She was an alicorn and green from nose to mane to tail. This wasn’t my lime grassy green that welcomed people. This was a mix of puke and pine needles with hints of diarrhea that you simply were repulsed by. What was worse, I’d see three other green alicorns like her and all three were identical I couldn’t tell the difference.

How am I remembering that? Who am I talking to? How? What is going on?

“Oh! Lookie here, my passenger is trying to figure out I’m talking to her! Yeah, that’s right, I figured out some of Pink’s power and enslaved that stupid mane. Now I can abuse her abilities, including talking to you while you watch what happens here.”

I was completely dumbfounded. Who are you? This doesn’t make any sense? Something cackled at me in the back of my mind. While this creature wearing my skin turned to the alicorn. I could feel the rage and murder in her mind pushing at Barista Foam’s presence. Suddenly I was very aware of the second presence inside my host’s head. That presence writhed in pain and agony.

“Just because you can get into my head doesn’t mean I can’t hurt you!” My voice shouted with sadistic glee as the alicorn recoiled in dismay. The massive creature staggered and put a hoof to her head as we felt her presence leave the shared mind I was in.

“Fine! But let it be known that we do not trust you.” Barista Foam shot back and snarled in our direction. “We know you are The Little Green Monster! You’ve locked the Angel away; we want the Angel for Unity, but you, you we despise.”

I laughed in her face and then spat on her hooves. “You wish you could add earth ponies like me to Unity.” There was another laugh and I pulled up a dash inhaler, shooting it right up. I felt the rush, the sudden mental speed. Everyone around me felt like they were moving in slightly slow motion. I talked faster too, almost comically, “You listen here, you just keep me supplied with Scholar and Dash; we'll talk about my real payment later. Oh, and get the fuck out of my sight, Barista Foam.”

I turned around to Breakfast Blend, “Keep your sister in check. Celestia knows what Coffee Stain would do if she found out I had killed her mother.” I shot a glare back at Barista Foam, “But boy I sure would. I won’t if the war dogs would have a problem with Alicorn meat. That or them really angry cannibal griffins.”

Once they both left the room, I was working on several wires, trying to get a gene sequencer device. I felt my mind searching to make sure it was alone then a mental push against me, the passenger along the ride for this memory. “Oh so you are still here. And you're the Angel version, aren't you?”

I shook my head trying to wrap around how I was talking to myself in a memory with a creature whose mind left nothing like my own. The drugs addling me combine with the rapid change in personality to something that felt disturbed, alien, and just vicious made me very unsure I wanted to respond. Yes... I think so. Why are you in my body? Are you the reason I'm green?

“So it's the version of me who is a softy pantsy. A little piece of dirt paladin who won't take what she wants and live in the moment.” There was a mental scoff directed at me and if you could spit on someone while you were inside their mind; that is what happened. “Listen here you little shit. Get good and ready because you let me out the moment you activated that megaspell bomb. Go on, try to fight me off. You can't!”

I took a few seconds to soak in what was being said and then whipped back, But I can, if this is a memory and I'm in the future; I'm green there too.

The hostile presence quickly turned both confused and sad. “You stupid wimpy cunt! You figured it out! You figured out how to switch our personalities based upon our appearance after the regeneration!” There was a distinctive pause and a long exhale by this thing. “Well just means when they expect the Angel; I'll be there instead. Now, why don't you get out of here before I have to do some serious 4^th wall demolition?”

Wait! What do you mean, detonate the megaspell. How can you know about that? What exactly are you and what did you know? How are you speaking to me? This is a memory!? What do you mean regeneration process? I don’t understand?

“Oh Ho! She did it? She put up the wall that has been keeping me suppressed and all your old memories too? Good job Pink, wherever your drug riddled slutty ass is. I’m going to enjoy some necromancy on you later when I get out!” There was no response from Pink. Whatever this thing was, it was much angrier and had none of my inhibitions to it. The thoughts I was getting from this presence in my mind were so disturbing I had to shut them out just to think clearly. It felt like the raiders I had killed back at the farm when we lost Buddy. She was acting exactly like them.

“I'm the side of your personality that split when you made that megaspell. You don't remember that either, do you?” I felt a presence pushing into me. It hurt like all hell, as though someone was wrenching a wine cork remover down the middle of your forehead then using it to try yank your memories right out.

I gasped for air and fought with all my might. I felt Pink moving to interfere, fighting with me to hold this green monster at bay. “You keep away from her! I put up the wall to keep you out! And I'm never inviting you to my parties!” I felt Pink slam full force into the green monster. Both of them wrestling for control of my mind, Pink kicked me back with all her might. “Get out of here Sunrise! GO NOW!”

I slammed back into the world of the living with a start. Blackhawk was poking me, along with Nyota and Picline. All of them jumped back as I scrambled for protection. Blackhawk prodded me one more time and I resisted the urge to buck her, instead shouting at her over my shoulder. “Knock it off!” I reached out and realized I was on my back, on an examination table. I slowly felt the rest of the room come into focus.

“You were pretty hard gone, little miss Angel. Almost for a solid hour!” Picline remarked with a catty glare towards me.

Nyota nodded and stroked my mane, they had removed my helmet and outer layer of armor, “Quick Stitch is working on doing some field patching to your armor. He is saving as much of his magic as he can for the battle ahead. You okay?”

I nodded, as my heart sank again. An idea popped into my head that even Pink jumped up and wanted to stop me from doing. “Yeah, I'm alright. But I know what we have to do.”

Within a few minutes the entirety of our group were gathered around. Alguacil had quite a few additional notches on his gun handle, and everyone looked very much worse for wear. I brought them all into a close huddle and made sure no one else could hear us.

“Alright, listen up. I have a plan, but I really, really, want any other plan we can find. So if you guys have ideas, I'm all ears. In the meantime, Quick Stitch,” I paused and took a long breath as my heart felt like everything inside was wrong. I had to fight with myself and Pink to get the words out. “Bring me the spell matrix we intended to use for the tank.”

The silence that followed told me everything I needed to know. They knew what I was planning and none of us liked it. “Whoa thar' Sunrise, I tried sniping their leaders and that didn't work. I killed a 'hole entire crew on one of them guns. What ar' you suggesting doing?”

I looked at him with a long stare. Alguacil's accent came out real thick when he was worried or troubled. I wanted to know what was bugging him. The stare I was giving him through made even him take a step away. “Sunrise, darling, are you sure you can do that, and are you sure it's worth the cost?”

I nodded to Scopola Mina and sighed, “Worth the cost, I don't know. But I do know I can do it or I wouldn't have the cutie mark I do. I can make anything explode.” I tried to be as confident as possible. “Look, come up with another solution... a non-lethal one if we can. We are outnumbered five to one. They have artillery, we don't. They just declared this a genocide.” I paused and lowered my voice. “Look around us, these ponies were on the verge of collapse when we got here. They have no fight left. We’ve got to do something drastic.”

I looked at Chifundo and Alguacil, “I studied their ammunition for those big guns. It didn't look very stable. So I want you two going out and finding a good, concealed sniper post here inside The Roof. Load some incendiary or explosive shot; I'm sure Crazy Mack has got it. See if you can get a couple of their guns offline by blowing their ammo.”

I turned to Scopola Mina and Quick Stitch, “You two are great with medicines and chemicals, figure out a way to incapacitate them with a chemical bomb. I'm sure you'll come up with something, and I won't have to do this.”

I looked at Nyota, “Go about and show these ponies a trick or two with hand to hand. Make sure everyone eats; give them the illusion we have so much we can just blow it and not care. Make sure their food is nice and warm. Also, I know you know chems too; it might help if we figured out something non-addictive that can help pick up morale, okay?”

Nyota nodded first and smiled, “I'll do what I can Sunny. I mean my charming good luck and super happy demeanor always help.” I rolled my eyes before snickering. The rest of our group started to laugh. It wasn't the kind of laugh you give when something is actually funny. It was a kind of desperate laugh you give when you need something that isn't doom and gloom.

Even Alguacil, for all his gruffness and angst, gave us a chuckle. Pink slowly crawled out of her corner and gave him a look like your mother telling you; we're gonna have THE TALK soon.

Our laughter was interrupted by the sound of heavy guns. We immediately hit the deck next to each other and The Roof shook to its core. My bones rattled as I tried to stay standing. The ground under me felt like it might give out before I did. Soot and dust fell around us and I had to hold my breath to avoid inhaling it. Ponies all around us huddled in tight as we clung to each other, praying the fortifications held. Over and over again, the place shook and all of us gripped tighter to each other as a circle of friends hoping our number wasn't up. When the shelling stopped, the cries of the wounded started.

I slowly broke the huddle and we set to work. Quick Stitch started patching ponies up, along with Nyota using his knowledge to ease pain where he could. Picline ran up to me, “We haven't seen Cross Stitch in three days. I need somepony to go to his shop and check on him.”

I nodded and looked at Alguacil, “Alguacil, you're with me. Scopola Mina, get to work on chemistry. Chifundo, help raise their spirits or put the dead to rest till we get back. We'll start enacting the plans as soon as we check on Cross Stitch.”

Alguacil and I moved as a team, clearing each corner and every room we walked by that wasn't locked as we made our way from the doctor's office to Cross Stitch's boutique. Two ponies in the armor of The Goddess were working on trying to open a heavy metal security door that was slammed down over the shop.

“Have you got it yet?” One of them whispered rather loudly. His partner was still fumbling with the lock.

“Will you shut up and let me concentrate?! No one knows we're here, and the rest of the raid is dead.” He kept working as even I managed to sneak up to them. I pulled out my shotgun and I could heard Alguacil's revolver click from behind me.

“That was the lock, right?” The first stallion asked with a curious tone in his voice.

The lockpicker shook his head. They both slowly turned around to see us with our weapons pointed at them. “Surrender, and you get to live.” I said and put my shotgun bit into my mouth, waiting for their answer. Their answer was to start dashing towards me.

Alguacil was faster on the draw than me and fired three quick shots into the leading stallion. Two in the chest and one in the head. The triple tapped pony tumbled head over hooves while his horn shattered and flew off into the darkness.

I shot at the legs of the second one and he skidded to a halt just a few steps away from me. He looked up stunned from the shotgun blast taking him off his feet and blew his mane out of his face as I lowered the gun, “I umm, surrender? Parley?”

I slammed the gun barrel across his head, knocking him to his knees. He wasn't unconscious, but he was pretty heavily stunned. “Alguacil, take him back to Picline and the others. Tell them to interrogate him.” I almost let him leave at that, but I remembered how Alguacil interrogated prisoners. “No torture. We've had enough death for one day and I don't wanna give in to my rage anymore.”

It only took a couple of minutes for Alguacil to return. He started to work on the locking mechanism for the door. He seemed frustrated and for once worried. I tilted my head and poked his side to get him to stop his lockpicking.

“Hey what’s going on with you? I’ve never seen you like this, are you afraid?” I asked as his mask fell for just a moment and the worry on his face turned to outright fear in his eyes.

“They had an Alicorn, an Al’corn! You realize how dangerous those things are?” He set his picks down and pulled his hat over his helmet to conceal his face.

“No, I’ve never encountered one that I remember, explain?” Alguacil dipped down checking my face in disbelief. He seemed very disturbed and even rubbed a talon up and down my head, as if checking me for damage to my skull.

“You ain’t ever encountered one?” I shook my head and he scoffed. His eye darted around like he was afraid someone would hear him. Once he was satisfied we were alone, he spoke in a hushed tone. “ ‘lright well... they are pretty rare. But the short is, they all work for some Goddess figure. I don’t think it’s ‘his Goddess with a Gun but a different one. They’re really powerful with magic too! The only reason I got a kill on it was because it turned the shield to block you and not its back.” He spat out and grunted his throat clear. “The legends of ‘em make them seem indestructible and so potent they can vaporize ponies into atoms, not just ash like a laser rifle.”

I gulped as I realized just how much trouble we were in. Alguacil nervously scratched at his shoulder under his armored duster. It was my turn to give a confession. “I sensed that, her voice alone almost made me walk right up to the firing squad she had ready for me. A creature like that, which works for somepony else, means?”

Alguacil nodded at the suggestion I had hanging on the end of my sentence. Alguacil audibly gulped and took out his canteen to get some water. His eye was full of a fear I’d never known from him. “We are in real trouble with how much power this Goddess with a Gun wields.”

I patted his shoulder to reassure him, “Well, we killed that one. Let’s hope they don’t have another one.” Alguacil didn’t speak but calmed down enough he wasn’t shaking anymore. He turned back to picking at the lock and I took out a towel to wipe the sweat from his brow. He was calmer now but I kept my hoof on his shoulder to reassure him; I had his back. With a loud click, it popped and we both slid the door open.

Without warning I took a bright green flash right into the chest that sent me flying back into a nearby wall. The force jarred my teeth together in pain while my chest burned like fire despite my armor plating. I thought back to when my leg was burned into nearly breaking at New Pegasus and felt like my chest might be able to do the same thing.

The explosive force of the energy delivering a shock to my system and a very bad singe to my armor. I smelled burning horsehair and slightly toasted pony. My breath took a second to come back, and finally I inhaled. Okay, not dead! Not sure how, but not dead! My body refused to give out just yet. I coughed a few times, struggling to get myself to move again. I felt like Nyota might have bucked my chest with a power hoof set. Well that's a first. I guess those things pack a hell of a kick.

Pink snickered a bit, “Keep this up, and the Wasteland is gonna owe you a free ice cream sundae before the sun comes up!” She teased and even dragged a banana split into few, devouring it at an insane speed. I swore that pieces of the cream and custard hit my face and even made my eyes blink they were so real.

“Gawd dammit Cross Stitch! It's us! Oh tell me you didn't kill her!” Alguacil squawked and walked over to look at me. I looked at him and saw double for a moment then shook my head clear. He put his talon on my hoof and, very compulsively, pulled me to stand up. I groaned and leaned on him till I got my balance back. “What the hell was that thing!?”

Cross Stitch scoffed audibly at us, “Well I'm sorry but you should announce yourselves before breaking into my shop! And it's a plasma-gauss projector!” My mind try to process the words together. Plasma was a technological invention to put a disintegration spell into a weapon. Gauss was a magnetically accelerated slug that could penetrate most anything with just sheer kinetic power.

Who in their right mind came up with that combination of technology to be put together!? I mentally shouted but couldn't get my vocal cords to move.

Pink poked me in the forehead, “You did, that used to be your gun.” I paused and looked at Pink then at Cross Stitch then at Pink.

“Right, you don’t remember. About thirty some odd years ago, I'd say 5 or 6 of these cycles back when you had a half broken plasma gun and a mostly working gauss rifle. You made about six of them and... well Fancy Pants over there, got one of them.” I blinked a few times and shook my head lose.

Let me guess, The Goddess with a Gun, has one too? I asked rather perturbed to have been shot with my own gun.

“Yepperoni misses pony! Except hers is the canon version.” Pink squeed out with unwarranted amounts of excitement.

I turned back to Cross Stitch “So that is where you know me from, I made you that gun.”

Cross Stitch nodded and lowered his weapon completely, “Never thought I'd be shooting you; Sun and Fun. Why are you here?”

I shook my head loose and turned to Alguacil, “Well here right now Picline sent us to check up on you. As for here at The Roof, Blackhawk put out a mayday so we came a scramblin'.” Cross Stitch nodded with a huff.

“Well, that's fine. But I will do this the Canterlot way, I'm staying in my shop and they can pick it from my cold undead made re-dead hooves before I leave it. Yall are fine, just lock up when you leave.”

Alguacil and I looked at each other perplexed. Honestly after being shot with that gun once, I didn't want a repeat experience, so we closed the shop door. Alguacil picked the lock back into a locked position. I headed for a workshop room while he went to tell Picline that Cross Stitch was okay, as well as to start his sniping attempt.

Scopola Mina used her telekinesis to bring me the spell matrix. She might only have one spell but damn if she couldn't operate as a living forklift. I went into the deepest room and locked the door behind me.

What I was about to do would require no interruptions and anypony too close would get irradiated. I took some Rad-X and set to work. Pink bounced into view as I loosened several outer casing bolts.

“Sunrise! Are you crazy!? Do you wanna commit the worst sin the Old World ever did, all over again!” She screamed at me, but I felt no need to just talk back to her mentally. I needed my brain for what I was working on.

The tension between us built up and Pink moved to completely block my view. I growled at her and let her have all of my frustration all at once. “Pink, give me another option! Give me another way! Give me a way that hurts the fewest creatures!” I flipped the casing off and my PipBuck started to click, slowly since the core was mostly inactive but the fuel was always slightly hot.

I examined the crystal and looked at how I needed to rig it. I put some water into a nearby beaker and started to boil it, adding an alkaline fluid so it would become heavy water. “Well?”

“I don't have an answer to this party but this isn't it! You watched your home burn from these! How do you ever know how to make one? This should be locked behind the wall!” She was screaming so loud it was hard to concentrate. Her body was more animate than a jackrabbit on dash and her face was taking up half my vision as I worked.

“Then we’ve got no choice! Cancer and infertility rates are gonna go up. Every pony after this that walks through where we set this thing off for the next 50 years, will die because of me.” I talked it out, fighting back the tears. “I’m going to betray what my father believed in. I’m going to betray the reason for the megaspell’s creation and shame its creators further. All of that for a short term solution to a problem we shouldn’t even have to deal with!”

I turned to Pink in rage and hatred, not for her but for myself. “And I’m going to have to kill hundreds of ponies to save this place. I get it Pink, I’m going to become the monster that wholesale slaughters in the name of peace. I get that logically this is the worst thing we should resort to long term and short term; I’m repeating the mistakes that gave us the wasteland. So tell me, what other option do I have?” I waited, letting my words echo off the walls around us in the brightly lit room while I stopped my work just long enough to shout her down.

Pink stayed quiet and looked like I’d shot her. I huffed and let out a long sigh, “Besides, I remembered now what I had to do to stop her last time.” I replied and kept working on rearranging the wires inside to help it build an overload. I got the fuel out and separated it, before walking it over to the machine table. Now the clicks on my PipBuck were concerning, concerning enough I went ahead and drank one of our few RadAways. I might actually need more than 1 before I was done.

Pink's stunned silence said it all to me through and I turned to her, “Your wall is crumbling, isn't it?”

Pink rolled her eyes, “Well of course it is dummy. If a cake is made of nothing but icing and if you keep picking an icing with a fork, eventually it all comes crashing down into a puddle.”

“Do you have a better option?” I asked working a bunch of scrap metal into a single rod, before pulling out Celestia's Hammer. I used the spark battery and magnets from it to turn the solid rod of metal into an electromagnetically charged hunk of steel. Once the charge was sufficient and I was sure it wouldn't destabilize anytime soon, I walked it back over to the matrix with the vial of heavy water. I poured the water in first and then setup the rest of the overload around the magically radioactive core with the magnetic rod now ready to plunge into it. I began to build the trigger mechanism next.

Pink paced around my view as I worked, “Come on Sunrise, you can't possibly be serious about this! You shouldn't do it!”

Her response made me incredibly mad, “Then give me anything else!” I shouted at the top of my lungs and growled at her. “Because I know I shouldn't do it. I'm fully aware this is wrong. This is the wrongest thing I could possibly come up with!” I knew every pony outside could hear me seemingly shouting to myself. “So you tell me Pink, what better option do we have? I'm relying on my friends to come up with one, but failing that! Now you tell me, what choice do we have?”

“Well I don't know yet, but there has to be something better than this! This is the same insanity that gave us the wasteland. This is the dark path my friends took!” I felt a coldness wrap around my soul. It wasn't foreign: it was something deep inside me, long since suppressed and not something I wanted to embrace but I knew was there.

“Well then,” I clicked the trigger mechanism into place and put the plate back. The Roof shook as artillery shells exploded against the outer armor. One of them shook the floor and I staggered as I started to undo the next panel. “I've only got 3 cores left for you to find me an answer.”

I poured myself into the work, not speaking another word to Pink's constant protests.

We had assembled upon the top deck, exposed above us was the moonlight night covered in the constant overcast. My friends had gathered around with their various solutions. Scopola had used a bomb casing I made her and some explosives to make some sort of love potion chemical warhead. Not poison, according to her, but a potion.

Quick Stitch had the car up on the roof of the upper deck. I had no idea how he got it up here, but there were a set of skid marks along the concrete that seemed to suggest it dropped right out of the sky.

Quick Stitch smiled as he pointed at the nameplate on the driver’s console, “Well whoever Doc Brown was, he sure did put a lot of gadgets into this car. Almost makes me wish he was here to explain to us how all of it worked.”

I looked at Quick Stitch, “Are there more ejector seats? Can we use them to propel Scopola's bomb safely towards their main camp?” I said pointing out the building they had positioned three of their guns on top of and the direction my PipBuck indicated the radio frequency was coming from.

“Probably, I mean, it's not the best idea. We only have 1 seat left and if it fails, how are we gonna get your bomb out there.” He pointed at the Spell Matrix which had a big red button on top and the words: “Do Not Press Unless Absolutely Sure” written on the side of it.

I grimaced at him and looked outward towards the trenches and camp, “Well I'm not entirely sure. How many guns did you two knock out?”

Alguacil and Chifundo shook their heads in unison, “We only got two with our shots so precise, before the crews became wise.” I hugged them both, Chifundo happily, while Alguacil seemed begrudged to take it.

“Alguacil, it's after midnight. One a day isn't gonna kill you.” I motioned Quick Stitch over and we took a good long look.

“Yeah well, they started counter-sniping us for the last 30 minutes, and we have just had to take cover till they gave up.” Alguacil spat back and I looked over to see two broken hunting rifles, clearly hit from gunfire. Chifundo's meshweave cloak also had two bullet impacts in its hood, clearly starting to break the hybrid fabric.

“Alright, well do we have a way of rangefinding?” I took out my binoculars and look a good long look trying to figure out how to use our completely untested catapult.

Quick Stitch poked me, “That's why there is only one seat left. I used the others for rangefinding to get it exactly on target with a big heavy weight of metal to represent a bomb.”

We all looked at him confused, “Hey it was hard enough to get the car up here at that angle.” He pointed at it and I took in the fact he had it backed onto another destroyed car at a 30 something degree angle. “We had 3 more seats, we only have one left now.”

I tried to do the math and winced, “So what happens if we need my bomb?”

Nyota placed a hoof on my shoulder, “We'll figure that out if we need it, worst case, Alguacil does an aerial drop.” I shook my head.

“No, if he's within 400 meters give or take when it goes off; he'll be dead.” There was a long pause as everyone turned to me with the new deadly information presented to them.

Scopola Mina was the first to speak up, when she did I noticed her eyes still had the indicators of dash coursing through her. “Umm, Miss Sunrise, just what kind of bomb did you build there?”

I shook my head slowly side to side, “The kind you build only as a last resort, that no pony has the right to ever use.” I couldn't bring myself to say the words. A megaspell bomb. A very dirty radiation heavy bomb. It would leave more radiation than actual explosive force. Something I felt terrible shame over. Something that Pink was giving me the silent glare for. She was sitting there, on my ammo indicator, hooves crossed and sitting on her flanks. She just kept glaring at me through the corner of her eyes.

“Sunrise, how long 'xactly do we have once you press dat button?” Alguacil audibly gulped saying the words. I knew he understood what I meant.

“I'd estimate 23 seconds before it builds the overload, after that every millisecond is a blessing.” I honestly doubted it would get past 23.02 seconds before the overload cracked the casing and let loose the most powerful weapon ever devised by ponykind. The same kind of weapon that the monsters who destroyed my world used on each other. I shuddered at the thought and felt Nyota and Chifundo's hooves against my shoulders. I pushed back the tears, the moment that we might have to use the bomb creeping up on me. We haven't used it yet and aren't going to need it.

Scopola set up her bomb into the last seat inside the car. She gave Quick Stitch the thumbs up and got the radio detonator I gave her for this out. Quick Stitch slowly took some time aiming the car and preparing it.

The moment of truth was almost upon us. I really hoped Scopola Mina would succeed where we had failed so far. I didn't want to use a chemical weapon against any pony. But she assured me, it would just incapacitate them till they dehydrated and fell asleep in a cuddle puddle. Long enough for us to head out there, disarm them and convince any who were not affected to surrender, that or clean them up.

Quick Stitch leaned out of the missing passenger seat, “Ready up Mina!” We all took cover near the lip of the upper deck's edge barrier. “Pull!”

“HOLD!” I screamed and everypony looked at me. “I can’t do this, not without giving them one last chance.” I raced into The Roof, down to the medical tent where Blackhawk and Picline were both shocked to see me. I grabbed onto the radio and turned to the two of them.

“Get everypony into cover. No exceptions, we’re about to launch the weapons.” I slowly turned to the ham-radio set and whispered under my breath, “Assuming they won't listen to reason.”

I pressed the broadcast button and hoped we could end the death and destruction. “Hey, Goddess with a Gun. Listen, up we need to talk.”

I waited for the response on the other end. The static made the waiting worse, I felt every second I was about to be ignored. The radio suddenly crackled to life, “Unless you are offering to surrender; this is a waste of my time!”

“I have a megaspell bomb.” I spoke slowly and as clearly as I could, making sure the words had the full gravity of truth. The silence on other end was telling. I would feel inside how those words must has stunned her.

“Bullshit! There is no way you have one of those! If you had it, you'd use it!” She screamed back at me so loud she popped the microphone. “You couldn’t possibly have another one of those!”

I knew her voice now, I knew that cry of rage. I knew something was far too familiar about all of this. It was Breakfast Blend, from the memory I had, her voice was triggering those memories. Now that I knew what was doing it, I changed the bass on the radio to alter her voice and make it not nearly as recognizable.

“You know I don’t lie about explosives. Stand down and leave The Roof alone. No one will pursue you, no one will seek out revenge. That is all I ask.” The static filled the radio waves, everyone in the room moved to me and we waited. We kept waiting.

After what felt like an hour, but had only been moments, a very angry voice came back over, “No Surrender, No Quarter! You dare launch that and I will ensure that every living soul in that place is dead! You hear me! Surrender and I enjoy making you, Angel with a Shotgun, my pet!” Her words were sprayed with such vitral that I could feel the spit even through the radio waves. I could hear the absolute determination in her voice that had made this decision without any remorse.

I felt a pit in my stomach, knowing there was no other option. We weren’t being given an alternative, we had to carry out and I hoped that something besides our megaspell would actually end this siege. I got off the radio and ran back to the top floor where my friends were waiting.

“Alright Quick Stitch, they just threatened us all with death and me with enslavement. They aren’t turning back.” I told him and then looked at all of our friends. “Please, forgive me for this.”

Nyota huffed at me and shook his head, “You did nothing wrong! Let’s use this thing and end them!” I was shocked by this, it was like he didn’t understand how upsetting it was for me to use a megaspell weapon. They had ended my world before and here we were again, repeating the same mistake. We all got into cover and Quick Stitch made ready to press the ejector seat button for Scopola Mina’s chemical weapon solution. This isn’t much better, it may even make us worse ponies for using it first. I just hope it works and no one has to die for it.

He pressed it. The ejector seat fired with a long rocket shooting out of its bottom. The chair flung the massive bomb casing as a trail of pink followed it. The smoke from the bomb releasing some of its chemical payload. I watched as the weapon arch towards its final destination, the center of their trenches.

A massive explosion of sickly pink mixed with the image of a poison skull shot up from the site. Within moments the sounds of screaming could be heard as the gas filtered through their trenches. There was so much of it and their screams were so loud, that even 300 meters away I could hear them almost crystal clear as through they were right upon us.

I thought that cloud might start to pull in towards The Roof when the wind shifted and blew against Breakfast Blend's forces. It kept wrapping them in the cloud of sickening chemicals. We waited, the screams grew louder and changed from passion and pain to rage and hatred. I pulled out my binoculars to zoom into the situation.

There were several of the soldiers inside the trenches caught in the throes of passion, just as Scopola Mina promised, but they paled in comparison to the number crawling out of the trenches and roaring with absolute hate in their eyes.

I looked at Scopola, to which she looked back at me, “Y'all might wanna have a plan B. I think I put too much poison joke in and well; this is about to get really ugly.”

I hesitated and took a stagger step backward. “We don't have a plan B!” I shouted, looking on in horror as the sheer number of ponies made me question why they laid siege in the first place. “Quick Stitch, there aren't any more seats inside the car, are there?”

Quick Stitch shook his head and scrambled to the inside of the vehicle. I heard the engine start at the same time as the ponies gathering on top of their trench broke all form of restraint and charged as a massive wave of flesh towards The Roof.

The defenders got to working their weapons to stem the tide. There was no way they could hope to stop them all, not before we were overrun. Chifundo started working his rifle, “It is time for you to rise, we must have a plan awaken. Our forces cannot compromise, what do we do to stop from being taken?” Chifundo worked his new battle rifle as he emptied the clip and went to load another one. I did this, I've killed us all.

Alguacil grabbed my grenade bag and took flight. His revolver never stopped firing at the front rank over and over again. He threw frag grenades indiscriminately hoping to stop them. NO! I can't use that! I can't! Anything but that!

My self doubt had me paralyzed as my mind raced with all the possibilities of what to do. How do I not become like my ancestors? How do I prevent myself from being a monster?

Nyota grabbed onto me and wracked my shoulders, “Sunrise! Now! We need a plan now!” He screamed into my fair but I could barely hear his words. I was too far lost in my own thoughts as a murder-rape intent horde raced to claim its prize.

I'm going to kill us all or destroy the world just like those before me. We're doomed. Doomed to repeat the cycle. There is no saving this place. I'm just as terrible as the monsters who made the wasteland. I'm a Monster. A little green demon. A relic of the past doomed to make sure we never recover from our sins. Quick Stitch slapped me and suddenly and I was back in reality.

“Sunrise! Activate the bomb and throw it into the car.” I operated on pure logic and robotically did as he told me to. I saw the overload starting to build on the Spell Matrix read out console. 20... 19.... 18... 17...

Quick Stitch pushed me back away from the car as Nyota called to Alguacil, “Get out of the sky! Get to cover! We're going to use the megaspell!” I wanted to scream out to stop them. 16... I wanted anything but this! I was powerless to move on my own, Nyota was forcing me back towards the door ...15... I finally found purchase and held my ground. ...14...

“Sunrise! Save them! Save them all! I don't care what you have to do but don't repeat the past. Save them!” Pink's words finally shook me from my stupor. ...13...

“Nyota! Get down there and get everypony into cover, the further away from that side of the building the better!” ...12... I shoved ponies off the roof and almost threw Chifundo to the ground to get him moving to get inside. Alguacil flew past us ...11... into the fortress like insides of the parking deck.

...10... Quick Stitch threw a brick onto the gas pedal and pressed the jet booster button with his magic. …9... The car took flight and right off the edge of The Roof, flying towards where the love poison chemical bomb had blown. ...8...

“Come on Sunrise, let's get inside now. You won't survive up here either.” I grabbed onto Quick Stitch and just as Nyota had shown me; threw him to his back. ...7...

“NO! You go! I have to make sure it goes off!” I turned and looked as the car slammed into the center of the trenches. 6... Dirt, bodies, and even a artillery piece all flew into the air. The shower of ...5... bits was beautiful to look at. Quick Stitch hesitated to get up but suddenly found himself scrambling to my side. ...4...

“What are you doing, I said GO!” I didn't get another word out as he shoved Rad-X into my mouth. ...3... He pulled me down against the edge of the still intact parking barrier. We huddled together ...2… “I've got you Sunrise, hold on tight.” He whispered. His horn poured out healing magic into both of us. ...1...

...0...

The world white as the bright flash slammed over us like a tidal wave at its apex. I pulled myself above the lip with the initial danger past, my PipBuck rad counter went crazy as I built over 100 rads in a second, only to have Quick Stitch's magic see-sawing it back out of it. The burning and tingle of radioactive waves washing over me. The burning tingle of radiation waves washed over me. His same slight tingle giving me pain as it removed it, in a losing battle between the two sides.

I felt the heat upon my hooves and face, through my armor. It was like the outside air had become an oven. I ignored all of it, a piece of my soul inside dying as I heard the screams of a thousand souls die in an instant.

A mushroom cloud that towered above the city structures still intact rose up. Three buildings crumbled, including the one which contained the artillery batteries. They fell to the ground in a cascade of death and destruction. I saw window fragments incinerated by the bomb that exploded just barely almost half a horizon away. The blast range of the dirty bomb was just over half that, but even here; I knew it could be lethal.

The physical damage wasn't what I felt through. Every shard of falling glass, every fragment of destroyed concrete and wood, even inch of trench was consumed in hellfire; all it ripped little tears into my soul. My very being felt betrayed and destroyed. Everything I held near and dear felt meaningless. Even my love for Nyota couldn't save me from the damage I felt now.

I had become just like those who had fought a war to the final mutually assured destruction 184 years ago. I had become something far worse than them. They died and took their sins to the grave. I was going to live, I was going to have to live with the knowledge I had done the most unholy act ever. I had used a force made for the good of every creature and twisted it. Twisted it into the world ending god-like power before me. And I had used that power for one purpose: Murder.

I had become the very monster I fought against. My mind flashed to the day I went into Stable 43. Seeing the flashes from behind us and looking back at the city that had been my home. Death raining down on it. I could barely make out the buildings from how far away we were, but the dozens of mushroom clouds that dotted the sky told us all we needed to know. Here it was again, a mushroom cloud. The same force that had destroyed my home, that had killed my friends and family, that had ended my world.

I was using that same force now. I was betraying my upbringing in the name of ending conflict. They believed in their cause, whatever they were fighting for. I had sensed it in their spirits as I claimed their lives in the trenches. Now the screams of a few hundred souls shot up like a chorus. I understood they were not bad ponies now. They were just determined for some reason that was beyond me. I couldn’t silence it like I did in the trenches or in the lower floors of The Roof. I may have saved The Roof, but I’d done something terrible to do it.

I’d repeated the mistakes of the Old World. Everything south of The Roof from 500 meters to a full kilometer now would be just as irradiated as the world just after the bombs fell. I had caused that, I had killed all those ponies and anyone who walked through that area for the next 50 years, would die because of me.

A single tear rolled down my cheek. The coolness of it fought through my mind and with it; I felt the stain upon my soul. It sickened me and in that moment, I wanted to leap off the building. I took a step forward to do just that. When Quick Stitch wrapped me in his magic and yanked me into the air.

“No! You bastard! I'm supposed to die with them! I used it! Let me die!” I screamed out in despair, fighting with everything I could to break his hold. He recoiled at this and lost his ability to hold me. Scopola Mina caught me before I fell too far and with that, I was pulled into the darkness of The Roof's inner workings. The only sound I could hear, that of my PipBuck clicking.

If there was the sound of a soul begging to die and being denied; I heard it just as we entered the darkness.

Level Progress - Level 11 Gained! - Yes you just killed a few hundred enemies, did you expect to not get a level?

Level 11 Perk - Leader - All Allies around you gain +2DT and +1 Agility. Welcome to making all the hard decisions, whether you like it or not.