“Is this New Pegasus? It’s a lot...messier than I expected.” Melody asked as we hauled my stuff down the streets of Freeside towards The Pile.

“Nah hun, this is just the ghetto outside of New Pegasus.” Chocolate answered, her weight shifting on my back as she looked around. “New Pegasus is pretty damn clean compared to this dump.”

That comment earned her the scornful stares of those within earshot though it wasn’t as if they could argue her point. The reason anypony lived here was to escape the random nature of the open Wasteland for the somewhat predictable life near the city. While New Pegasus was a broader term than it had been as Las Pegasus, certain parts weren’t going to let just anypony enter though. The Stirrup, home to seven of the remaining famous Las Pegasus casinos, was the Tenpony Tower of the West acting as the home of the region's wealthiest. As often happens whenever there is a wealth gap in the population, the disparity between the rich of the Stirrup and the poor of Freeside was spiteful at best and violent at worst. The Stirrup provided its own automated protection for itself saving it the cost of hiring and paying armed guards. Instead, the front gate leading into the Stirrup was guarded by a new breed of robots that answered only to Mr. House and who required you pass a ‘credit check’ in order to be allowed entry to New Pegasus proper. If you didn't have at least 2k in your caps bag, you didn't have much a chance of getting in without having to deal with the NER and the paperwork needed just to see their embassy within the Stirrup. Sure you could gain a visa to bypass the guards and enter freely but only if you were a citizen of theirs with a valid passport. Arguably the more expensive and time-consuming route of getting inside.

To be honest, it was a strange way to utilize an old concept. Instead of scouring your bank records and calculating your likelihood to default, they literally looked at how much you were worth in pure cash. For me, two thousand was my average spending money for the day, but for the residents of Freeside, 2k in caps was something most of them could barely dream of having to their name. And so, being barred from the Stirrup and hopelessly optimistic dreams of scoring big at the tables, they were left to take root in the ruins surrounding it to fend for themselves. A meager living of prostitution, bartering and trading for goods and scavenging the Wastes for scraps of the old world. It was...an arguably bleak existence but to those lucky enough to have a talent for those things, they generally did OK for themselves and managed to scrape out a respectable living. The rest...well...there was not much that could be done for them. At least...that's what I had liked to tell myself up until now. Now...I wasn't so sure that was true.

My neighbors waved or nodded in acknowledgement as I passed. Despite my attempts to remain low-key while I lived amongst them, there was only so much I could do to reduce my visibility. They didn't bother me much thankfully, word of my profession having made its rounds through the nearby street blocks. I kept my business out of Freeside as a peace offering against any would-be assassin on a mission of revenge for someone I had killed within New Pegasus. And to sweeten the deal, I had used my weapons and skills to assist with Raider attacks and dangerous creatures that had wandered too close for comfort. By now, I had become somewhat of a respected figure in the neighborhood of Fetlock despite my profession being rather sinister and associated with psychos like Black Velvet or Killer Queen. It was an amusing arrangement and I hoped to use all the goodwill I had gathered over the years to see me through this transition.

The Wasteland provided an exciting and challenging way of life that I enjoyed immensely. I had always been the fighting type. Hooked on the adrenaline of combat and the sensory clarity that came with fighting for your life in a battle for survival. However...what it lacked, and the one thing I came to understand about my own needs in the last few days, was stability. Caps changed hooves, bullets ended lives and life continued to meander from one day to the next leaving all but the most basic of instincts unsatisfied. Meeting Gold and subsequently Melody and Chocolate had reminded me just how much I truly needed companionship in my aimless life. The Army had been perfect for me as it satisfied almost all of my needs. Professional badass training? Check. All the guns and ammo I could ever want? Check. Access to the sexiest versions of ArmsTech gear and plenty of exposure to its models? Huge check. Camaraderie and trust forged in combat? Double decker checker. But...with the loss of the Army (and Equestria itself) also came my own personal loss of that companionship that I found myself sorely needing. Add to that the fact what happened at Maripony made me outlive almost anyone I would ever meet...well...it was no wonder why I had preferred to live alone. I hated it...but...it protected me from having to lose someone else I had grown close to. My defense mechanism was a terribly double-edged sword.

“You ok, Athena…?” Melody asked, breaking the downward spiral of my thoughts with her angelic voice. “You look...sad.”

“Sorry…” I replied with a fake smile trying to mask my true feelings. “Lost in thought. I do that a lot.”

She smiled and giggled, “It’s okay, I do it a lot too. Mostly daydreaming about escaping. Guess I’ll have to find something new to dream about huh?”

“Yeah…” I replied, wondering if her rescue was anything like she had dreamed it to be. “You doing ok…? After everything that happened to you...I’m...surprised you’re holding it together like you are.”

Her smile faded as her eyes drifted towards the broken pavement passing beneath our hooves.

“It’s...hard.” She admitted softly, my ears straining to catch her voice without my helmet on. “But the walking and talking really help keep me distracted from...everything.”

I could tell I was beginning to step into an emotional minefield that had yet to safely clear of hazards. Hell, I had barely started to deactivate even one mine as far as I knew. Making the executive decision, I decided to backpedal into safer, happier territory to keep her mind off of what had happened to her. Mom had to do very much the same for me after my first few tours of duty as I had to come to grips with the reality of War. There was a big difference between saying you will kill someone and actually doing it... My first tour in particular had been particularly traumatizing for my bright eyes and bushy tail. As time went on though...I found that I no longer feared the dead that I had killed myself. I was not momma's innocent little filly anymore...nor could I ever be again...

"Welllll, hello there Ranger!"

I looked up from my depressive train of thought and saw to my grateful surprise Black Hole standing nearby, his trusty shovel slung casually over his back. While his name and cutie mark might have once been meant for studying the stars, nowadays it translated into being exceedingly good at digging holes. He was one of the friendlier neighbors I had actually found to be worth more than a few words to.

"Ahh, good old Mr. Holes." I smiled in response, coming closer into order to grip his hoof in greeting. "I am actually glad to see you as I have kind of a huge favor to ask of you for once..."

"Well shit, Crete! Name it!" He boomed with a hearty laugh, his blue eyes sparkling with amusement. "We owe you for a lot. Others might not wanna say it to your face but we appreciate you for sticking up for us. Those guns of yours make short work of those dumb shitheads lemme tell ya! Fuckin' glorious to see them bastards running back to the desert to bleed to death heh heh heh."

"So...I...don't know how to say this." I started, feeling the social awkwardness kick in a little too strongly. "We just came from Old Appleloosa and-"

"No fuckin' way, that was you??" He gasped, sending an icy pole down my spine in fear.

"W-what was me...?" I asked, my hesitation enough to confirm both our suspicions.

"Holyyyy shit Ranger." He grinned, pounding me on the back with his strong hoof. "Heard the place was a fucking massacre. Lemme tell ya, them Slaver whoresons deserved everything ya did to 'em. And then some!"

It hadn't even been four days since we had left New Appleloosa...how the hell had word traveled to New Pegasus already? I knew we had been slow on the trail due to Gold's lack of stamina but I didn't think we were that slow. I was going to need this favor even more than I had thought.

"Thanks heh." I replied awkwardly, looking around the street fearfully for Green's goons, something else he picked up on.

"Crete...what's wrong? What'd ya do?" He asked pointedly, staring me dead in the eye with all the posturing of a lion.

"Look...Holes...I fucked over Green Peace." I admitted after several excruciating seconds of trying to force the truth out. "Big time. Not only did I free the slaves there I...I donated the caps Green had sent me to retrieve to them to help them get on their hooves."

He blinked at me blankly for a few moments as the gravity of what I had just said seemed to sink in. The moment it hit bottom, his expression darkened considerably. His tan coat seemed to bristle with concern.

"Well fuck me with a broken shovel... You've gone and done it this time haven't you?"

"Look, we can butt heads later over my impulsive decision but now is not the fucking time alright? Can you help me or not?"

"I don't know Ranger..." He admitted cautiously, rubbing his chin in thought. "None of us are good in a fight, you know that better than anyone."

"I'm not asking for protection Holes, all I need is for you and anyone you can convince to help just keep an eye out for Green or his fuckwads. Try and keep em away from my place until I can get the rest of my shit moved out. If they don't find it and wreck the bitch, she's all yours. I won't be needing it anymore that's for fucking sure."

"Huh...well, when you put it like that, I think I can handle that. Lemme go put a word through the grapevine and see who's listening and willing to help out. We got your back, Ranger. You've had ours enough time so far, its about time we paid a bit of that back to ya. May the Goddesses help ya out wherever you disappear to ya crazy, crazy bitch."

With a laugh he set off down the road towards the local water spout, as big a place of community as the local bars. It was a large load off my mind knowing I would have at least a somewhat better chance of making it out of the mess I had made for myself. It felt wrong to pull Melody and Gold into my problems but...I had found myself enjoying having them near. Their curiosity and child-like wonder towards the world was a blessed distraction from the cold and unforgiving insides of my own thoughts. I...was willing to almost anything to keep that distraction going. It made me feel better every time it happened.

“Soooo...Melody, did your daydreams happen to include what you wanted to do once you got out of there?” I asked in a happy tone, hoping there was a bucket list of experiences I could try to satisfy.

“W-what do you mean…?” She asked, looking back up at me with hushed excitement.

“Like are there places you wanna go to or things you wanna do that you’ve always wanted to but haven’t been able to until now?” I elaborated. "You know, like go visit the ocean or seeing Ministry Walk even though both of those ideas are so dangerous as to be idiotic. The Hexagon is in Pink Fuckland and the ocean glows at night from residual Rads."

“Oh…” She hummed quietly, scrunching up her face cutely in thought. “Well...umm…”

She clammed up and shook her head with a soft blush of embarrassment that I intended to prod on until she spilled her desires out loud. She was obviously unused to being asked for her personal desires and there was no time like the present to begin tearing down the barriers she had thrown up to protect herself against her abusers.

“Common’, I won’t judge I promise!” I responded, putting on the biggest encouraging smile I could muster and hoping it didn’t come out looking like a grimace.

“W-well...I...I’ve always wanted...t-to learn how to p-play the violin.” She squeaked softly, hiding her blushing face behind her mane like a colorful veil of black, pink and magenta.

The violin huh? That was going to be a hard thing to find but not impossible. I could think of a few places off the top of my head that potentially had a violin, the first and foremost of which was Tenpony Tower. Why a luxury hotel turned stuck-up bitch haven? Well exactly for that same reason. If anyone in the Wastes was going to keep a violin around it was going to be a rich ass Tenpony resident. The other places were old schoolhouse band rooms (which were usually taken over by Raiders who liked shitting on everything) and the College of Arts and Music in Canterlot, aka Pink Fuckland. I had only visited Tenpony once before and had found every reason not to repeat that mistake in the century since then. Too clean, too expensive, full of assholes and they stripped you of your weapons at the gate. That would be a huge fucking hell no from me Mr. Tenpony. Now go fuck your own wrinkled ass ya fucking bigot.

“I think that’s a wonderful goal to have.” I replied gently, finding myself nuzzling her cheek without meaning to as my maternal instincts continued to rouse themselves from centuries of dormancy. “I’m not too sure where we’ll find you a teacher but I’m pretty sure where we can find a violin at least.”

“O-oh?!” She gasped loudly before blushing again and repeating herself in a quieter tone. “Oh? W-where would that be exactly...?”

“Well, don’t quote me on this but I’m ninety-eight percent sure that at least somepony in Tenpony Tower might have one stored away somewhere. If their reputation says anything, it’s that they’re proud to retain the finer culture of the old world, which naturally would include classical music. I mean, it’s possible they don’t have one too, but I’d rather try looking at Tenpony first than at the CAM in Canterlot. The worst Tenpony can do to you is kick you out and/or shoot your ass and both of those things I can deal with. Been dealing with hate-filled bigots and violence nearly my whole life...”

“T-Tenpony Tower…?” She asked softly, glancing at Chocolate before back at me. “You sure they’d even let us in?”

“Hell if I know, but it’s worth a shot. Worst that could happen is we’re told to fuck off and we lose nothing but a bit of pride. At least pride is a renewable commodity. With the CAM? Ehhh...if Canterlot is even a quarter as bad as I’ve been told, then the worse thing we’ll lose is our Souls. Don’t know about you but I’d rather recuperate my hurt pride than be melted into the floor or something while my Soul is torn out my asshole and used as fuel for Necromancy.”

“What exactly happened to Canterlot?” Chocolate asked out of the blue. “I mean, I’ve heard stories about it for years but...I obviously ain’t never been there. Even with my legs I ain't stupid enough to head into that kind of pink if ya catch my drift heh heh.”

“Be glad you haven’t…” I replied as we came to the entrance of The Pile, a half collapsed set of stone archways leading into what had once been the Las Pegasus Gaming Commission headquarters. “I wasn’t there when it happened but according to ponies I’ve talked to, namely Ghouls who survived the Megaspells, the Zebras had somehow managed to sneak a special kind of Balefire Bomb into the city and detonated it. At the same time, they launched a full barrage of ballistic missiles upon the city forcing them to raise the shields. The Princesses had to maintain the shield or risk losing the Capitol but it ended up trapping the blast of the Bomb inside the city. As to what exactly the Bomb did, nopony is really sure...at least not any of the people I’ve talked to about it. It left behind what they call The Cloud, that giant ass pink cloud of Necromantic death that’s clung to Canterlot ever since. Hell, on a clear day you can clearly see it from PonyVille and with a good scope you can even see The Cloud from here if you find a high enough place to stand. Binoculars work good too of course but I prefer to use my scope. Never know when you might have to shoot at something and binoculars don't do the whole 'pew-pew' routine ya know?”

We entered in past the armed guards who stood watch for potential thieves who all regarded me with a nod of approval. I was a regular here. Everypony knew the trench coat wearing Ranger here since she was the one who spent a lot on weapon supplies and usually brought in some neat shit you didn't see too often. Exotic alcohols, fancy cigars, explosive ordinance and even occasionally fine textiles, I made it a habit of snatching up whatever I knew I could sell. Sure, weapons, ammo and body armor were my favorite things to loot but I wasn't stupid. To the right person, a clean dress or an old radio were worth more to them than any finely crafted firearm or box of ammunition. I was a packrat and had gained an eye for appraising value over the years even if the extra money earned was just that, extra. In all honesty, collecting such relics was more of an idle hobby than anything else. Also helped me learn to haggle as well, a useful skill by all accounts.

The marketplace itself filled every available nook and cranny the old LPGC building had to offer, especially the lower floors that had escaped the partially collapsed ceiling above. Considering just how huge the Stirrup had been prior to the bombs, the LPGC was just as big to keep up with it. Once upon a time it had actually been the biggest building in Las Pegasus outside of the Stirrup (bigger than even the City Hall) and stood as a testament to just how vast the gambling industry had been and the lengths needed to govern, monitor and control it all. These days, instead of endless offices, conference rooms, cubicles and filing rooms, the old building was home to the largest Wasteland marketplace on the Westcoast. Because the merchants themselves all owned a claim to the building, they didn’t have to pay any of the ridiculous merchant and land taxes imposed by the New Equestrian Republic in places like Shady Sands. The NER was a pain in my side and I preferred (like most ponies here) to keep them as far away from myself as possible. The moment you become of interest to them, whether as a source of squeezing out taxes or an enemy of the Republic, they would pester and assault you relentlessly until you either gave in or died. At which point they would seize everything you owned and call it 'back-taxes' while billing you for your own funeral. The world hadn't changed one fuckin' bit.

“H-holy s-s-shitballs!” Gold exclaimed as he eyed all the merchant stalls set up throughout the vast hall. “T-this place is h-huge!”

“Yep!” I giggled in response, waving my hoof over it proudly like it was my pet project. “Fillies and gentlecolts? I present to you The Pile! Home to all the useful shit and bullshit you could ever want! Eh...pending availability of course.”

The first time I had seen The Pile upon making my way home from Maripony, it clashed unnervingly with what I had grown up calling marketplaces. I was used to clean and immaculate grocery stores with shelves stocked with all the preservative stuffed foods you could ever want and to come home to find it a dingy, garbage and rubble filled mess was...shocking to say the least. As time went on however, I found myself growing to love The Pile for all its rink-a-dink charm and eventually learned to call it my second home. I wasn’t the Queen of the Pile as that position was filled by somepony else far richer than I...but I was for damn sure one of the best regular customers they saw. Not many ponies can claim (especially in the Wasteland) to have shopped consistently at the same place for fifty years straight without dying somewhere along the way. Then again, I wasn't most ponies now was I?

I gave them the basic tour of the main floor as we walked through it, pointing out the places of interest like the Let Us Stand, a bar and diner that ironically served cabbage rather than lettuce like the name implied, the Gun Runner’s Kiosk, which sold the finest hoof-made firearms in the Wasteland and the New Pegasus Banking and Loan. That last one was a bit of a joke to me but they had obtained a very honorable reputation in The Pile for being fair and reliable people to deposit your money with. To further add to their credibility, most merchants and caravans that passed through the area regularly had at least part of their savings stored away in the massive vault that they had inherited from the LPGC. If you squinted your eyes and held your head at the right angle while wishing on a shooting star, you could almost convince yourself it was a real bank again. Certainly had similar levels of security and armed guards at least.

“I gotta say, this is really impressive.” Chocolate murmured to herself as we followed the thick flow of merchants and shoppers alike leading deeper into The Pile towards our destination. “Thought this place’d be a dump like everything else but...it’s damn impressive. Where’s the brothel eh? I might need a quickie or two before the day is out.”

“Of course…” I sighed with a smile, pointing towards the large stairs leading to the basement levels where the more seedy businesses were located out of sight of the children. “Depends on which one you want and how much you’re willing to pay to get crabs or the clop.”

“Shit, ponies still got crabs even out here?!” Chocolate whined. “You’d think the Rads woulda killed those fuckers off by now or somethin'...”

“What are crabs?” Melody asked innocently, looking back at both of us with a curious stare.

“Something you ain’t wanna get sister.” Chocolate said much to my relief. "Believe me."

“Oh...okay!” She giggled, following close beside us in the thick boisterous crowd of ponies, Griffins and a few other species that had grown to wider acceptance in the Wastes like Wolves, Buffalo, Eagles and even the occasional Zebra.

“H-how much f-farther?” Gold asked as he looked about with continued wonder, obviously wishing to wander about some. “T-that Ironsides Armory p-place looked pretty c-cool.”

“Just through here, common.” I replied as we reached the far end of the hall and walked onto a less crowded skywalk connecting to an old warehouse that used to store the bulk of the LPGC’s files and computer mainframes. “Old Cogsworth decided to set up shop a bit outside the main thoroughfare so he’d have more room to display his stuff and work on his projects. Considering he brings in a lot of caps and pays his chunk of the rent better than most of the other merchants here, they don’t really care that he has so much space to himself. If anything, they’re glad he does since he’s one of the main attractions of The Pile so-to-speak so to let him expand his business means everypony else gets to as well. We’ve got people from all over Equestria coming just to buy from him.”

Melody took a few wobbling steps onto the skywalk before squeaking loudly in fear and dashing back to the ‘safety’ of the entrance back into the main merchant hall.

“G-go on without me! I’ll be ok, I promise!” She called out to us even though we were only six feet away, drawing the attention of several curious passersby.

“What? Oh Mel…” I sighed before walking back to her quivering form. “Are you really that scared of heights? It’s not even a ten foot drop and this skywalk is very safe. I’ve walked on this thing back and forth for over thirty years and not once have I ever felt unsafe on it.”

“Yeah...but you’re also the mare who climbed up twenty feet of nothing but pillars to get...Miss...J-Jingle.” She whispered, the name of her former ‘owner’ getting hissed out with surprising venom.

“You’ve got a point…” I admitted, thinking about the ten-thousand foot drops I had taken part in during the War which made everything less than that less intimidating by contrast.

“Here...just...close your eyes and walk with me alright darling?” I said softly, putting her hoof in my own and nodding for her to close her eyes and trust me. “Very good. Just take a deep, big-girl breath and walk forward. Imagine that we’re just walking down a nice sunny street. The sun is out and warm on your face and there's a big shiny rock just over here. Do you wanna go see what kind of rock it is?”

"Y-yes!" She squeaked again, clamping her eyes shut and holding out her leg for me to grab. "I wanna see the shiny, sparkly rock!"

"Alright, here we go now. Take it slow and keep focused on the sound of my voice." I replied, grasping her leg and beginning to lead her forward towards our goal while feeling rather protective of her.

She took slow tentative steps and gripped my fetlock like a fucking vice but we eventually made it to the other side where Gold stood and applauded Melody for her bravery. It was a small gesture but she took it to heart and blushed hard, hugging him tight before happily skipping along beside us as we made our way down the short flight of steps into the main warehouse floor. It was as spectacular to behold as ever. Aisles upon aisles of chrome plated shelves loaded up with old Pre-War bits and parts for repairing or creating almost anything imaginable. Long as you had the schematics and the brains to make the damn thing of course. For a fee however (or a favor), he would craft it for you if he had the time and few could assemble shit as competently or as professionally as he could.

On one half of the vast room were all the spare parts that anypony with the skill and money could buy in bulk lying in large bins, across the shelves or, in the case of sheet metal, leaning against the far wall. On the other side lay a shrine to the Pre-War world offering up robots, tools, various technologies and even a small selection of the very rare energy weapon. Mr. Helper robots with their octopus-like appearance that helped out around the house as a personal butler, Mr. Gutts the militarized version of the Mr. Helper and even the Defendor with its heavy combat focus in the rough shape of an Equine armed with missiles and a minigun. There were others of course in the vast lineup of mechanized toys but those three were the top sellers everypony wanted to get their hooves on. Miss Helpers and their cousins the Miss Nurse were always in high demand for childcare and any competent doctor's clinic while Protectrons were a cheaper alternative to a Mr. Gutts for defensive purposes. If it ran off Crystalline Fusion tech, Cogs was more than likely going to have it.

As we made our way to the front counter that really acted as the entrance to a third part of the building where Cogsworth kept his repair shop, we passed several Mr. Helper robots. They busied themselves as always, meandering about the aisles floating on their small anti-gravity spell casters and tidying up the shelves of bulk parts or sweeping the floor of dust and sand that had come through the patchy ceiling. Melody and Gold gaped at them with amazement and I had to assume neither of them had ever seen a robot before. Melody, being young and obviously born long past the War, was understandable but Gold...I had to question once more just how old he really was. If he knew the Desert Rangers so well and talked like he was somewhat familiar with the Pre-War world but had never seen a robot before then...fuck it. My brain hurt just trying to figure that one out on my own. I'd just have to find an appropriate time to break down and ask him.

“Cooooooool!!!!” Melody exclaimed loudly causing two of the nearby Mr. Helpers to glide over to her.

“May we assist you young lady?” They asked in unison in their preprogrammed Canterlot stallion accents.

“Whoa! You guys can talk too?! Wowie!” Melody gaped as they bobbed happily above the ground like two chrome plated buoys in the ocean.

“Why yes we can talk young Miss!” One responded in a jolly tone. “Each Mr. Helper is programmed to emulate the speech patterns of your species in order to best acquiesce your every command!”

“Huh…?” Melody hummed as she cocked her head to the side in confusion.

“Heya 42, is Cogsworth in today?” I asked, interrupting her confusion and calling the robot by the number painted in gold on the side of his chrome plated chassis.

“Ah Miss Crete! A pleasure to serve you once again! Yes! The Master is in today, would you like an escort?” He boomed heartily in his almost seductive tones.

“No thanks, is he in the back?” I asked looking towards the space behind the front counter.

“Would there be any place for our Master save for his mighty workshop?” 42 chuckled, gesturing towards the back with one of his eight legs, each of which ended with a different tool for use in various menial and heavy duty tasks. “You will find him there to be sure Miss Crete! Do enjoy your time here and stay safe outside! Wouldn’t want an old Hellhound to take you out of the game now would we old chap?”

“Ditto 42, see ya.” I responded with a soft chuckle as I led our party past the shelves and to the lengthy checkout table that had a glowing red button hooked up to a bell to ring for assistance.

“What were those?” Melody asked excitedly, peeking around me at the many more Mr. Helpers floating about the store. “He was really friendly! I’ve never heard an accent like that before!”

“They’re Mr. Helper robots darling. They're robot butlers made first back when I was your age. That accent isn’t something you’re gonna hear really anywhere anymore...it’s the old Canterlot accent used by the rich asshats who used to live there before the whole place got fucked up beyond recognition.”

“Didn’t that happen everywhere though?” Chocolate asked as I pressed the button and a bell rang above the door leading into the workshop. “I mean...Equestria ain’t exactly a paradise is it?”

“Compared to Canterlot, the Wastes could be considered a paradise. At least we can live down here. Up there...everything is just dead and dead from what I hear. Hardly anypony actually lives who’s visited there looking to scavenge. I mean, if you could somehow survive the Cloud then hellllll yes would Canterlot be the fucking payoff of a lifetime. With all the shit they’ve got there untouched for two-hundred years? Goddesses I can only dream what I would find if I could break my way into the Ministry of War's portion of the Hexagon. The possibility of finding surviving schematics there is fucking insane, not to mention potential fortune in spare sets of armor and weapons they are more than certain to have in storage. Could probably supply a small army with the shit I could haul outa that hellhole. Too bad the whole fuckin' place is well within the confines of Canterlot...”

“Wow...guess we should stay away from Canterlot huh?” Melody giggled, stating the obvious but in a very cute way.

I smiled at her use of the term ‘we’ and said, “Mhm...would be a good idea. Ain't no place for anyone, especially cutiepies such as yourself.”

She blushed softly with a big smile while Chocolate complained about the wait. A curtain hung over the door leading to the back which glowed brightly from behind every now and again accompanied by the sound of sparks. Cogs was hard at work on something and probably was in such a state of focus we couldn't break his concentration. Without further ado, I led everyone through the curtain and into Cogsworth’s personal mechanic shop that was so full of tables, tools and materials it was chaotic compared to the well organized storefront. The room itself was quite large, not as big as the main storefront but due to all the random half finished projects littering the tables and even the concrete floor it felt much smaller than it actually was. Cogsworth was at the far end of the room working an arcane welding torch like a stylus over what looked like a magical energy weapon. The dark teal flame of the torch cast up gold and violet sparks that danced in the air and across the workbench like tiny jeweled embers while their soothing colors gleamed starkly on the black visor of the welding helmet Cogs wore. Despite my eagerness to keep the ball rolling, I couldn't help but stare at the fireworks show with the others for a few moments. Celestium always had a quirky way of responding to arcane fire.

Amongst the projects we passed on our route to his current workstation I saw the partially scraped chassis of a Sky Chariot nearby the modest sized smelter he had built by hoof himself. Following traditions taught to him by his father, he had taken a deep interest and passion for metalworking being largely self-taught by sheer determination. The smelting furnace had served this passion well by allowing him to melt down scrap metals of all types down in order to cast them into something new. Over time he had also picked up another passion, this one for the armor of our forgotten medieval past. With the blessings of modern metallurgy and by the power of his blast furnace, he had been able to craft ancient looking armors out of Celestium steel, tungsten carbide and even a one-of-a-kind suit forged entirely of Lunar Steel. His furnace and anvils had another use however. Though our passing was brief I noticed happily that a large box filled with gleaming little tungsten penetrator darts was labeled with my name and was ready for me to pick up. The only guy I could get high quality penetrators for my AP rounds and not get price gouged.

Possibly the most defining feature of his workshop, aside from all the tools and robotics, was his seeming obsession with Sparkle-Cola. Against one wall were a line of near pristine Sparkle-Cola machines all humming softly with life as they chilled their tasty bottles of Cola while the words ‘Sparkle-Cola’ glowed brightly written in large red letters across the top of each machine. The walls not adorned with tool racks were wallpapered with numerous Sparkle-Cola posters of varying degrees of wear and tear while dozens of empty bottles inhabited a large wastebin. Nearby lay a glass furnace so the empties be reused for some other purpose like the lens of a rifle scope or for a Mr. Helper robot’s optical sensor. I was convinced that at least a portion of his wealth came just from the amount of Cola he consumed almost daily seeing as every opened bottle was a cap for the purse. Not that a Sparklediction was necessarily bad (especially considering it was, to this day, fucking everywhere) but I hoped he wouldn’t replace everything he drank with it. Water, as boring and unflavored as it always has been, is a staple of life. SparkleCola was only so healthy for hydration but...I wasn't his mother and I had a few addictions of my own that were arguably worse than Sparklediction.

When the noise of fizzling sparks and arcane welding died down for a second I tried again to get his attention, this time calling out louder and waving my hooves to try and catch the corner of his eye.

“Hey Cogsworth! How’s it going?” I nearly yelled to which he spun towards me on his swiveled work chair and lifted his welding helmet.

“Well if it is not Colonel Crete!” He chuckled in his Saddle Arabian accent. “Back so soon?”

He was fairly handsome as far as stallions went with a dark chestnut brown coat, black mane and golden wheat colored eyes. His body as usual was covered neck to hoof with his long billowing off-white robes that were part of the old traditional dress of the Saddle Arabians. He had long since upgraded his garb however, throwing his burning passion for armor into his own personal design. He had gone to great lengths to deconstruct and reuse derelict PoA, reforging it into body armor that looked decidedly medieval complete with bronzed titanium scales acting as the flexible underbarding for his breastplate, vambraces, greaves and faulds. Knight in shining armor indeed, a sentiment he took to heart on a personal level as he admired the romanticized values of medieval chivalry. He was a genius no matter which way you sliced it as well as a quirky dork and that was probably what had made me pause to help him find his footing. It was just a shame he had to be born in the Wasteland picking through the scraps of the old world and only gaining glimpses at the full scope of technological achievement of the past. He would have thrived working for the M.O.W or StableTec.

“What do you mean? I haven’t been here in almost a month now.” I replied as we came right up to him. “Don’t tell me you’ve lost track of time again, Cogs.”

“Ummm…” He hummed sheepishly. “To be entirely honest, I am unsure…”

“What month is it?” I asked with a smirk as he set down his welding stylus and bit his lip in thought. “And don’t cheat with your PipBuck. Tell me what month it is.”

I saw his eyes stray towards the large foreleg mounted personal computer on his right foreleg before looking back up at me in defeat. He had been in a Zen mode for an entire fucking month. That explained the abundance of works-in-progress we had passed on our way in.

“June…?” He asked sheepishly. “July…?”

“End of July.” I said flatly. “A week from today it’ll be August again. Well, week from tomorrow but...semantics.”

“Oh…” He said blankly, looking towards the green text on his PipBuck and checking the date for himself. “I...I suppose I became lost once more in my projects...forgive me.”

“No need to apologize Cogs. Nothing wrong with getting so absorbed in something you lose track of time, especially if it’s something you’re passionate about. Helps keep you busy and focused.”

“What about self-pleasure?” He asked with a chuckle as he took off his welding helmet and scratched at his thick black mane with the scale-mail of his foreleg.

“Hey, what I do in my free time isn’t any of your business.” I retorted as I motioned for everypony to drop their bags and find a place to sit.

“Actually you made it my business given that you purchase your Spark Packs from me. You bring in a healthy income with your 'passion'.” He grinned, laughing at the red flushing my cheeks. “Who are these guests you bring? I cannot say I have ever seen you escorting others beside you in this manner before. How rather peculiar.”

“Well…” I said looking at Gold and Melody who sat to my left looking around the workshop with amazement. “That’s kind of the reason why I’m here…”

It took only ten minutes to explain what had happened to lead me through the chain of events of the last week and he listened attentively the entire time only pausing to ask questions when I had finished my narrative. Gold and Melody waved and introduced themselves as if on cue when I mentioned their parts with Chocolate making an all-too-subtle comment about banging Cogsworth like a screen door in a windstorm. The comment seemed to go over Cogs head much to Chocolate and I’s amusement but he seemed to like her anyway. It could have gone a hell of a lot worse to be honest. If he were anyone else, I would not have blamed them for tossing me to the wolves and leaving me to deal with my own bad choices. But not Cogsworth. By his honor as a friend I knew his obsession with chivalry would ensure I had his support.

“So let me attempt to re-say what has been spoken please.” He said quietly. “You have saved this filly and this mare from slavery and freed many others, became friends with this Ghoul and in the process, have screwed over the largest drug lord on the Westcoast?”

“Um...yeah...more or less, heh.” I chuckled nervously, looking at Melody and Gold who just smiled back at me.

“Well...I must say that it is very unlike you to befriend others, Athena. Especially in the manner that you have with these ponies…” He said with an analytical tone. “But I cannot say that I disapprove of your actions. I will gladly store away your personal possessions and will even offer to help secrete you until such time you find suitable housing elsewhere. Have you been approached by anypony from Green’s operation as of yet?”

I shook my head and said, “No. Soon as we jailbreaked everypony from Old Appleloosa, we hauled ass straight here though not by the route I usually take. Also, due to my eh, young friends here, the journey took us a few days more than I would have liked but we managed just fine thankfully. We just came from my apartment and talked to Holes. He said he’ll warn the neighbors and get them on my side. Hopefully that'll be enough to give me the time I need to haul my shit outa there. Told Holes he could keep the place so you'll have to reset the retinal scan to his profile FYI.”

“A good stallion…” He commented mostly to himself as he stroked his black goatee. “Have you any inclinations towards any particular new place of lodging?”

“No...though now that I have...friends.” I found it weird to hear myself speak that unfamiliar word aloud. “I was thinking about getting someplace bigger. Maybe with multiple rooms so everypony can have their own space to decorate as they like. Would be nice to have a real home to come back to for once. Something bigger than an 8'x12' apartment at least.”

I heard Melody gasp as she asked, “M-my own r-room…? Like...my own bed and books and everything?!”

My heart did a few happy flips in my breast at her youthful enthusiasm and I was more set than ever to give her everything she had ever been denied in her short, miserable life. The sound of her jubilation was...intoxicating to say the least. Her voice was at once both soothing, melodic and enchanting...and I wanted to hear it again and again and again. Something inside me was just starting to thaw out and I was getting high off the burn.

“Mhm!” I hummed loudly, beaming in her direction. “A room for everypony to relax and kick back in. Oh, and probably room for my reloading bench and such. Armory, workshop, maybe space for a kitchen? I don't know.”

Cogsworth continued to stroke his goatee in thought as he gazed over the four of us. As he opened his mouth to speak there came a loud yell from the main floor portion of the warehouse as a crass stallion yelled out, “I don’t want to fucking buy anything you fucking chromedome! Where the fuck is the owner of this shithole?!”

Cogsworth sighed and stood as he said, “Do excuse me...it seems I have an irate tenant to attend to.”

The voice sounded dangerously familiar and I waited a second hoping the stallion would yell again so I could try to pinpoint where I had heard him before. I didn't have to wait long as the curtain went up in flames and standing in the smoldering ashes was a thickly built navy blue stallion wearing a heavily modified Flamer battle-saddle. One of his eyes was foggy with a thick scar cutting from his eyebrow down to his cheek with a thick cigar screwed into the right side of his mouth as he sneered through the opening. Was more the pity...I had hoped my knife would have left a festering wound that would have given him sepsis but that was never going to happen. He could drink a hundred health potions and not feel a dent in his wallet with the kind of Bounties he was known for taking.

“There ya are ya Arabian shit!” He bellowed as I yanked Gold and Melody behind a toolbox and out of sight. “Why ain’t ya working the counter waiting for your customers like any good merchant eh? Or did they not teach you manners back in Saddle fuckin' Arabia?”

“As a craftspony, I must fill my inventory with fresh products on a regular basis to meet demand.” Cogsworth said coolly as his hoofsteps retreated from our position and towards the assholey guest. “Or did they not teach you proper inventory management at whatever third-rate school you attended? Oh my, pardon me. I mistook you for one who actually attained an education worthy of note.”

“Don’t get sassy with me ya robot fucking swine!” Bellowed the stallion, the sound of his Flamer warming up sizzling audibly in the air. “Where’s Crete? I know she’s a friend of yours and now that I see ya for myself...I can see why! Fucking traitors gotta stick together don’t ya?”

“If you are referring to my heritage and our part in the War...I must remind you that Saddle Arabia fought valiantly by Equestria’s side for the full duration of the fighting and not one of our Immortals was ever accused of treason. We were annexed were we not?”

As they continued to bicker over ancient history, Melody fearfully asked with a whisper into my ear who the stallion was. Seeing the Flamer and the fucked up eye was more than enough to jog my memory of where I had heard his voice before. The last to fall victim to one of my combat knives.

“He goes by the name of Cook Cook and he’s a total sadist. He rapes girls all the time and then burns them alive for his amusement!” I hissed back in her ear as I rolled Chocolate off my back and shoved the barrel of my AMR between the gap in toolboxes and flicked the bipod open as quietly as I could with magic. With my head on the open market now, so was his.

A month prior Cook Cook had stormed into Freeside with a posse of drugged up psychos he had named his Fiends and began terrorizing everypony on the outskirts of town. He was well known in the area for being a serial rapist without equal and had a bounty on his head for several thousand caps for the trouble he kept causing the NER. He had obtained a sort of diplomatic immunity from Green however by ending up in his employ as one of the local hustlers meaning nopony could touch him (let alone harm or kill him) without Green's approval. If it wasn’t obvious where he got his name, Cook Cook had a tendency to roast ponies alive with his Flammer on a regular basis. The only reason I was able to do anything against him on that occasion was because he had tried to set fire to me when I had gone to defend my neighbors. He had broken Green’s rule about attacking other ‘employees’ and I was allowed to defend myself which I had done by slashing his face wide open and sending his screaming ass back into the San-Palomino.

“Shut the fuck up, where’s that bitch Crete?!” He demanded angrily. “You tell me or I’ma burn this whole fucking place to the ground I swear to fuck!”

“I would like to point out that the amount of fuel in your Flammer is insufficient to incinerate my shop as it is mostly comprised of metal which has an average melting point of fifteen-hundred degrees Celsius whereas your Flammer only produces a flame of around eight hundred and seventy Celsius…” Cogsworth sighed. “I know not where she is. I have not seen her for a month. I have been inundated with orders upon orders and have hardly found time for myself let alone social calls.”

“Bullshit!” Cook spat. “I have a shit ton of your merchant buddies who told me they done seen Crete and a buncha foals walk in here not ten minutes ago! Unless ya wanna call your friends fuckin' liars do ya?”

My AMR was cocked and ready but there was a problem...I was working with my APEI rounds in a rifle meant to destroy armored robots at up to two kilometers away. Yeah, I’d royally fuck Cook Cook up but I’d also blow a massive hole in Cogs’ shop. Sometimes bigger wasn’t always better... It was going to be an awkward shot with my Sequoia with so much junk in the way blocking my lines of sight to the iron sights. While I could fire the AMR semi-blind with the BORS connecting my HUD with the view from my rifle scope, I didn't have such a luxury for my revolver. I'd have to use S.A.T.S to...

To my left I heard the soft but distinct clicking of a rifle safety being switched off and I turned to see Melody bravely if shakily lift her rifle up in her red violet magic and aim it between the toolboxes right at Cook Cook. There was a visible rage flooding her body that harkened to the same violent rage we had seen in Old Appleloosa and I was almost a little scared myself. There was a crazed, fearful look in her eye as she hissed, “Fucking rapist!” and took aim down the scope of her M1 battle rifle.

Cook Cook looked beyond Cogsworth towards the sound of Melody’s voice before the back of his head exploded outwards in a spray of chunky red flesh and he crumpled to the floor. A modest sized hole puncturing his cheek just below the eye I had cut open a month ago and leaving him with a permeant look of angry surprise.

Cogsworth flinched and jumped away from the carnage (probably to save his white robes from needing another cleaning) and then said, “Thank you for your time, do not come again please.”

We clambered out of our hiding place while Cogsworth explained to the twenty odd Mr. Helpers that had immediately entered the workshop at the sound of gunfire that we were no longer in danger and that they could return back to work as usual. Melody leaned back against one of the faded red toolboxes and shook softly, clutching her new rifle to her chest and breathing heavily. Whatever had snapped in her back at Old Appleloosa had just reared its brutal, ugly head and left in its wake a deeply frightened filly who seemed appalled at what she had just done as though waking up from a trance.

“Hey…” I said gently as I tugged on the rifle causing her to look up at me with tear filled eyes.

“W-what did I d-do…?” She whispered, averting her gaze to the carcass she had created to her right. “I-is he…?”

I nodded though maintained a soft encouraging smile as I tugged on the rifle again, which she eagerly relinquished. Setting it on the ground to our side, I hugged her close and pet her back comfortingly hoping it was at least not making the situation worse. It wasn't like I knew what the fuck I was doing trying to mother her.

“Shhhh...it’s going to be ok…” I hummed softly as Cogsworth and a Mr. Helper began cleaning up the mess. “You did the right thing…”

“I k-killed somepony…” She cried softly into my ear. “T-that’s b-b-bad…!”

“He’s killed a lot of innocent ponies, Melody...raped them and burned them alive in front of their whole families just for laughs...he would have done things to you or I or Chocolate that even the slavers back in Old Appleloosa would be sick to even think of doing.”

“B-but…” She attempted to say before I put a hoof to her lips.

“There are some ponies out there...that just don’t deserve to be left alive. I’ve known Cook for too long...and I promise you from the bottom of my heart that he would’ve lit you up like a marshmallow for s'mores without even thinking about it. Killing ponies is bad...but sometimes, killing one pony will save hundreds, even thousands from pain and death.”

I didn’t have the right to say those words. I was a killer. I did it for money. I did it because I was bored. I did it...because I hated the world and enjoyed killing those who inhabited it. I actually felt slightly sick to my stomach with guilt admitting it to myself. I was not a good person...

“W-why didn’t you kill him y-yourself then…?” Gold asked pointedly as he eyed me with a critical gaze. “I’ve s-seen you g-gun down ponies w-without issue, s-so why not him?”

“It’s complicated…” I sighed, letting Melody go and standing up. “I couldn’t touch him before now unless I wanted Green Peace to be all over me and Freeside’s ass. Cook Cook kept Freeside in line by pushing ponies around and getting them to join or at least support Green’s drug trade. At the slightest sign of rebellion he’d swoop in and cause a whole mess of nightmares for everypony.”

“So what’s stopping Green from doing that now?” Chocolate asked from her place on the floor. “Ain’t he just gonna blow this whole place up now this dickweed is dead?”

“No.” Cogsworth responded for me. “His fight is with Athena now and Cook Cook is merely an expendable asset. With his demise, Green will most probably send further Hitmares of his to try and collect the price upon your head.”

“I s-still don’t s-see how h-he’s not gonna w-want to blow u-up Freeside?” Gold said as he checked the load on his new Sequoia and the loose rounds bandoliered on his belt and holster.

“Because Freeside isn’t the one who fucked him, it was just me and he knows it. If he strikes at Freeside without reason then he’ll lose a lot of business on the Westcoast. Freeside might be a shithole but it’s the largest settlement this side of Canterlot and word travels quickly around these parts. Green may be powerful but he doesn’t have a standing army, just a bunch of random merc groups who are scattered around all over the region. If Freeside went up in arms against him, he’d lose. Not only that but Freeside and the Stirrup need each other to survive. As much as Mr. House hates Freeside, he needs it because it brings in business, supplies and acts as a barrier to the Wastes outside. Not only that but the NER has a stake in Freeside as well. If Green moves, he’s going up against House, the NER and all the local militia that will be scrambled up by the Queens. So...instead of attacking Freeside because of me, he’s just going to go for me. Still sure you guys wanna tag along? The road ahead isn't gonna get much easier for awhile...”

I looked around at each of them in turn. Gold looked at his Sequoia, Cogsworth shrugged nonchalantly, Melody looked at her hooves and Chocolate said, “I’m only here because you promised me new legs sooo...my fight ain’t yours bubble butt.”

“Right…” I sighed, slinging my AMR across my back and looking down at all of them. “Look...I’ll give you all, all the caps you could ever need to get by out there. Just take off and keep yourselves out of my shit...you guys don’t have to die just because I did something to piss off Green. You guys have no dog in this fight.”

“Well w-where would we g-go?” Gold asked, looking up from the black and gold cylinder of his revolver.

“Well...wherever you came from before I met you I suppose…” I responded, quietly hoping this was going the direction I wanted it to.

“I-I...don’t come from a-anywhere…” He whimpered. “M-my mom is d-dead...m-my sisters are d-d-dead...I’m j-just w-wandering around…b-better to wander w-with a f-friend than a-alone.”

“You barely know me, Gold…” I sighed, looking down at him in his homemade armor, his back bearing the old Black Armor and helmet that I had promised to have tailored for him. “We’ve only been traveling together for five days…”

“L-long enough for m-me to t-trust you with my l-life.” He said softly, looking up at me with a mixture of respect and awe. “And m-my trust is m-mine to give. Not y-yours.”

I sighed and had to concede he was right. I could only influence his opinion but not actually change it for him, nor was I the master of whom he decided to trust or distrust. He was putting a lot of faith in me and I only hoped I could live up to that trust. It was probably going to get him hurt, or worse, killed. But...I couldn't force him to go. Quite frankly I didn't want him to.

“I...I don’t have anywhere to go either…” Melody whispered. “My parents sold me to...J-Jangle...they owed a debt...and it was either lose their drugs or lose me...obviously they chose me.”

I stared at her horrified that parents to such a beautiful filly were so uncaring they were willing to sell their own child to a drug lord just to get high. I mean, I understood addiction and I knew Buck in particular had usually deadly withdrawal symptoms for long time users but still...it took a particular kind of evil to pull that kind of shit off. I was used to the common evils of the Wastes. Rapists, sadists, Raiders, junkies, Slavers, ‘doctors’...but Melody’s ‘parents’ were a different breed of evil...one that scared me as much as it sickened me. If there was anything I hated more than slavery, I think I just found its rival. If her biological parents were still out there, I was going to make them suffer. Though it was illegal at the time, I still had been given training in ‘advanced interrogation techniques’ by the Rangers for use on in-field interrogations of Zebra captives. I still had the little bag of tricks they had issued at the end of the training and had not let that skillset go to waste when encountering particularly degenerate sickos in the Wastes. I was going to enjoy that one immensely…

“I’ll keep you safe...I promise.” I told her firmly, looking into her mismatched eyes with all the resolution I could muster. “It will be dangerous...but we’ll make it. I haven’t lived this long just to get picked off by some asshat from Green.”

She nodded slowly with a quivering smile as Cogsworth came back with an enchanted keycard, an item I knew all too well. He took us further into the depths of his workshop and ushered us through a nondescript maintenance door and onto a cargo elevator headed beneath the warehouse. Just like with the robots, the elevator ride seemed to delight Gold and Melody but their awe was turned into wide-eyed amazement when we reached the bottom. At the other end of a large hallway stood a large StableTec door closed firmly shut, the large gear shaped door was about twelve feet high and the the center was painted with a large yellow ‘109’. Unlike most Stables though, this one was hardly even worked on before the Great War and was nothing more than the door and Atrium beyond with a few roughly hewn tunnels that all quickly led to dead ends. Cogsworth and I actually found it together hidden behind a false concrete wall a few years after he had bought the building with the door rolled partially open surrounded by skeletons and rusted out construction equipment. There was no documentation for the Stable regarding why development was so late when dozens of other Stables had already been fully built and furnished years before but neither he nor I cared too much to find out. With some time and spare parts, Cogs got the door mechanism to work and I helped string the place up with lights making a cozy little place for him to stash away his money as well as his valuable products. Unlike other Stables however, the door was locked behind an after-market card reader. The keycard system, like the retinal scanner on my apartment, was retrofitted from other sources and worked nicely when it came to ensuring security. Well, as nicely as two hundred year old technology could.

He swiped the card through the reader which immediately flashed a cheery green light before entering a twenty four digit code and speaking an Arabian phrase into a microphone passing the voice pattern analyzer. A klaxon screeched out as little red lights on either side of the door frame spun around announcing the opening of the repurposed Stable. The large gear shaped door slid away from us, pulled inwards from behind by the giant screw like door mechanism and then rolled on its cogs to the left revealing the large plain entrance room that was filled mostly with old machinery and controls to the door. We entered in, Melody, Gold and even Chocolate gasping in awe at the structure as we made our way up the entrance ramp and into the hallway leading to the half finished Atrium where everything was stored. As a precaution, Cogsworth shut the door behind us and reassured everyone that he was not going to lock us in with him, he just wanted to prevent any who might follow from gaining entry to his inner sanctum.

“What is this place?” Melody asked as the lights overhead flickered to life in the dingy white hallway that had some of the wall panels still missing showing the complex wiring and piping underneath. “Some sort of laboratory…?”

“You’re not too far off.” I said simply as we stepped out into the Atrium. “It’s original purpose was quite benign.”

The Atrium itself was a large spacious room with a second floor balcony lining each side of the hall. At the far end of the hall was a large circular window leading into what would have been the Overmare’s office had the place actually been built but instead the empty window frame lead into a small roughly cut stone cave. On either side of the ground floor were open doors leading to the stairs to the second floor of the Atrium with several empty rooms lining the length of the second floor. They were dark and essentially boarded up as they had no current use with their pneumatic doors locked tight until he found a use for the space. The rest of the Atrium floor was filled with even more chrome plated shelves bearing CFC’s, Spark Batteries, rare metals like platinum and tungsten and Cogsworth’s vast supply of gemstones, missiles and his personal collection of Pre-War PipBucks and other Stable-Tec inventions.

“Woah…” Gold gasped as he looked around at everything. “T-this is a-awesome!”

“What are these things?” Melody asked as she cocked her head at one of the PipBucks laying on a separate shelf.

I giggled to myself as I felt Cogsworth’s tech ramble inbound. Out of all the things Cogsworth was obsessed with in Pre-War tech, PipBucks were by far his biggest drug of choice. Robots and energy weapons got him pretty high on life but nothing got his nerd juices pumping quite like PipBucks could.

“That my filly is the PipBuck 3000!” He said proudly, standing by her and putting his hoof on the device like a proud parent with a newborn. “First conceived in the year 2045, the PipBuck is the epitome of personal mobile computing and self management!”

“Ok...I know you’re speaking English but...I didn’t understand anything you just said.” Melody said with a sheeish giggle.

“They’re called PipBucks sweetie.” I said simply. “They’re little computers that get attached to your leg that keep track of your health and what you have in your saddlebags. They also come with a radio, Geiger counter, a mapping spell and a few other nifty tricks that help in battle and travel. Cogsworth here is completely obsessed with them and would do anything to get more of them. I should know seeing as I've nabbed a few of the ones in his collection myself while out and about.”

“Not just any PipBuck am I after! The PipBuck 4000 to be precise!” He boasted, looking at the spot on the shelf reserved for the 4000 model that had eluded him for over a decade now.

“What’s so special about the 4000?” Melody asked, looking at the differences between the 1,2 and 3000 models that Cogs had on display. “I mean, this one looks pretty nifty already.”

“What is so unique?” Cogs asked incredulously, lifting his left leg to show the PipBuck attached around his fetlock. “Why everything of course! S.A.T.S possesses a far superior range and targeting spell-matrix is capable of calculating even minute variables in wind, humidity and gravitational influences on bullet arc. The E.F.S is even capable of distinguishing relative threats based upon synaptic interaction with the spell matrix’s psychological and biochemical analytical system, and the-”

“English, Cogsworth…” I sighed. “Basically, according to the specs he’s found in some old StableTec terminals, the 4000 is supposed to be the best shit since the T-60 went into production, limited as that was.”

“The T what now?” Melody asked looking even more confused.

“Just...the 4000 is supposed to be super awesome ok?” I said with a sigh. "Latest and greatest model."

“Indeed! And I intend to take it, improve upon it and create an even superior model unlike anything anyone has ever seen. Your helmet will be left in the dust, Crete.” He said with a smirk, nodding towards the helmet that was fastened to my saddlebag.

“You keep dreaming Cogs.” I retorted, tossing my bags of stuff in an unused corner. “You know, if you do manage to make that crazy idea of yours come true, you know what I’m going to ask you to do for me right?”

“How could I resist?” He chuckled as he set down the 3000 he was basically fondling in his hooves. “I would be honored to perform the necessary upgrades to your helmet. But first we have much more pressing matters to attend to at this present time. Go hence and gather the rest of your belongings as quickly as you can muster. I will leave the door open but you must move swiftly. With Cook Cook eliminated, word is bound to spread quickly regarding your presence here. I would much prefer we not transform my business into a battlefield.”

“Thanks Cogs, I owe you big time.” I said as I gripped his hoof in a formal show of camaraderie. “Don’t worry, there should only be another load or two. Although...shit...”

“W-what?” Gold asked as I looked towards the doorway leading out.

“We’re going to attract a lot of attention if we come back again with a bunch of bags and shit...fuck, how are we going to do this?” I asked myself, trying to go through the stealthy options I had available and not liking the search results. “There’s only one way into this place so they could easily bottleneck us and choke us off if they were smart enough.”

“There is more than one route to my shop, Crete.” Cogsworth chuckled. “Come! I suppose it is time to unveil my latest project! One of many as I am sure you have noticed thus far.”

We followed quickly behind him and he brought us out to the entranceway of the Stable where the door stood once again firmly shut. He didn’t say a word but proceeded to the left to an innocuous metal wall that he waved the keycard over causing a soft beep to chirp out. I stood in confusion when nothing happened for a few seconds but my confusion turned to elation as the wall parted showing a lit tunnel beyond curling down into the earth before us. The bastard had actually fucking made an escape tunnel for his own fucking Stable, the absolute madlad.

“I concluded it would be best to have an escape route in place in any event I find myself trapped in my own Stable and surrounded by enemies. This path leads outside into the sewer system on the eastern portion of Freeside. There is a ladder nearby the exit that will lead you directly to Junction 16. You should know where to proceed from there.”

“Junction 16? That’s like sixty-feet away from my house.” I responded with surprise.

“Well who better to flee to than the one mare who has yet to not save my ass from death?” He grinned, nodding towards the tunnel. “Go. You must move swiftly. Green is not known for his patience nor his charity.”

I threw my arms around him in a hug of gratitude before suggesting Chocolate stay behind so she could both rest from laying on my back as well as avoid any potential conflict we got into. Both to save her hide as well as to leave me much more free to fight and survive without her weight on my back and her legs or body getting in the way of my movement. She didn’t object and lovingly threw her arms around Cogsworth’s neck as he slung her on his back in preparation to set her down somewhere else. As we left she winked at me subtly and mouthed something along the lines of ‘getting lucky tonight!’ from Cogsworth shoulder before licking her lips and winking again. I rolled my eyes and left her alone with him, leading my group of ragtag foals down the tunnel towards my apartment.

“That mare is going to be very, very disappointed…” I giggled to myself.

Next Chapter: Chapter Eighteen: A Certain Familiar Crimson Estimated time remaining: 23 Hours, 56 Minutes