“Good news,” Shadow smiled at them. “After a week of no responses, I got one. A conversation too. Lieutenant Honey Bee claims he forgot, lost in the details of the map. We have not had trouble with communications. He still will not send a back up terminal or any other communication devices, despite the scare we had.”

“Still stuck here then,” Nor groaned.

“Yes,” Shadow said hanging his head.

“Orders?” Slice asked.

“To continue to scope out the wasteland,” Shadow said, steeling his heart. “They are unable to receive us at the time.”

“Unable to receive us?” Storm said kicking the wall in anger. He was rewarded with pain.

“I think he is correct,” Shadow sighed. “I think receiving us would be a huge disruption. Chaotic. I know things were a problem with demonstrations.”

“If they got worse then they need us back,” Thunder replied. “I have personal experience there. I have done plenty of work with security for demonstrations.”

“I too have experienced it,” Shadow replied. “And have been barred from them. My farming background puts me too close to the issue. I would probably end up backing them if forced to be at a demonstration again.”

They all chuckled.

“So, what do you think we should do?” Slice asked.

“Feel,” Shadow replied. “The ponies of this wasteland can not handle our power armor. But we can’t risk removing it yet. So we need to feel what it is like so we can get in character. To start, cloaking our armor and then heading out to a complete unknown spot that has never seen the Enclave before.”

“If we botch things there, it is botched. We have things in Manehatten that we need to know about and check on, like the city. We only get one real shot at it there.”

“I have a good amount of the prep work done on the clothing for our suits,” Slice added. “With any real effort, a day at most for them to be made.”

“Get it done,” Shadow ordered. “Tomorrow we sew and the day after, to Baltimare. To seek out the unknown.”

“Perhaps we will finally meet somepony civilized,” Thunder replied. “Still, bombing the shit out of those bloodsuckers was worth it.”

Thunder sighed. “I wish it was not so bloody. I love to blow things up, but even this is getting bloody for my tastes. It is a war we are waging, with no back up and very limited supplies when we hit the field.”

“This is getting weird,” Slice commented. “Shadow calling for the obliteration of others, Thunder wanting the blood to stop.”

“I never drew blood before,” Thunder sighed. “Explosions, yes. Blood, when? The bombing is fine, but we tore those suits to shreds. There were faces beneath them. Bloody, mangled faces, but faces.”

“Nothing is as we expected,” Shadow said standing up, annoyed. “We are facing the reality of the wasteland. It is trying to strip us of all we hold dear and sacred. Let us stay together as a unit. As the Inquisitors. Separate minds, but one unit. We can hold true to ourselves by helping each other.”

Slice stood up as well. “I must be off to finish the design preparations. Those gecko hides will be our cloaks.”

“Good use,” Nor said as Slice walked away.

The next day brought a lot of poked hooves as they worked to stitch, hem and anchor the cloth to mask their power armor. Shadow was the one working on the gecko skin cloaks. They were thick and it took a lot drive the needle through them. It needed skilled hooves.

Each of them packed ammunition as they saw fit. Shadow packed 8 spare strips of GPER rounds, one spare strip of Novasurge packs, two of the laser rifle, one set of rockets, two shotgun strips, and two spare power packs for the minigun.

He stayed open to carry more miscellaneous equipment they found. He was as good of a shot as Thunder, but he conserved his ammo four times better. After all, Thunder’s prerogative was to be the pony first into the fight and last out.

They silently departed the Stable. Shadow had done some practice with his wings in the dark, but this would be the first real test for him.

They pushed hard, avoiding the Hollow Shades.

“I think I see lights,” Nor commented as they cruised near them.

“We will check it out later,” Shadow replied. “But I am positive you did. Lets focus on the mountain on the other side for camp.”

They pushed on. Shadow was a bit weak, but nothing to worry about. He was still the best flier, even though he still was technically recovering.

“Our maps are so odd,” Slice groaned as they landed to make camp. “We are again without scale.”

“But we are making it scaled,” Shadow replied. “Sucks, but we are getting a good grip on the overall scaling of Equestria. Every point we mark with time, heading, and lat and long, we make it better. It will help later.”

“Two days?” Nor asked tired.”

“I think so,” Shadow sighed. “Not one, but two till we hit Baltimare. Rest now. I will take first watch.”

“How do you feel?” Thunder asked.

“Fine,” Shadow smiled. “It feels good to fly. I will always be more at home on my hooves; still, flying is freeing to me, assuming I can reach the speeds. I have not been tested to those speeds yet. When we need that speed, I will be ready.”

They settled down for the night. They were high up on the mountain, safely on a plateau. Still, they didn’t dare to relax on watch and take that risk.

Shadow unpacked their last fresh food he had prepared and they at quickly. Baltimare was not in sight, which was troubling. Their ancient map indicate it should be in view.

“Maybe it is just the wasteland haze,” Nor suggested.

“Hopefully,” Shadow nodded as he took off on point.

It was out of sight for a reason. They had to camp in lowlands.

“We are among old farm land,” Nor said digging at the ground. “Seems likely that this will grow well. Well enough to keep those farmers and nearby settlements fed.”

“Good,” Shadow smiled. “That will prove useful no matter who ends up with this ground.”

“I have first watch,” Nor announced as he gathered dirt samples. “Don’t worry. I won’t get too focused on this task.”

The morning was hazy and the radiation levels were higher.

“On wings,” Shadow ordered. “Lets stay out of the radiation as much as possible, even risking being seen.”

They launched straight up. The higher they went, the more radiation.

“Drop down and lets run,” Shadow ordered.

“If we are heading into a deeper storm?” Nor asked.

“That is why we have meds,” Shadow panted and they touched down.

Thunder was the first to take off in a dead run. They had caught sight of city’s ruins and Thunder was panicking with the radiation. Shadow was trying to keep up.

“Breath,” Shadow coached. “Your filter gives you pure, clean air.”

“I hate an enemy I can not fight,” He replied slowing down.

“If we get to the city and its still like this, we will bolt. It will be a push, but worth it,” Shadow stated.

Thunder slowed down and allowed the team to catch up before they began a good, sustainable trot.

“The buildings should give reprieve,” Nor commented as they entered the last mile. “And I think this is just a storm by the wind pattern. It will pass.”

“Good,” Thunder panted, relieved.

The city gave them the reprieve they needed. They took good enough shelter to take medications.

“Recommendations?” Shadow asked. “This is a good spot, but it is early.”

“It is a good spot, but I feel that we should push further in,” Thunder replied. “I think we can do better and I think we can get a more advantageous location for exploring.”

“Lead on,” Shadow smiled taking a drink.

“Eat an early dinner,” Thunder ordered. “Then we can move out without caring about our bellies.”

They complied and moved out on his orders. Shadow was taking up the rear.

“How late do you want to go?” Storm asked.

Thunder halted. They were in the middle of a square and slipped into defensive positions on his command. A minute later, a giant Earth Pony came bulking in. Easily twice the size of Black or Buck.

Whether his coat was dirty, or it was really different colors was something Shadow couldn’t determine. His front hooves were covered in concrete blocks. Chains were his only clothing and his mane was in tatters.

The voice was gruff and gravelly.

“GAAAH WHERE’S THAT NOISE COMING FROM!?!”

Their cover was not great and Shadow was noticed almost immediately.

“YOU PONIES! SO STUPID! SO WEAK! WE FIND YOU EASY!”

Shadow dashed out and bucked the rear leg, to force it to buckle.

“HA HA HA! YOU HIT LIKE A RADROACH” He laughed as he took a swipe at Shadow with the block on his hoof.

Shadow rolled out of the way easily. The others stayed down in case more came. Shadow did two back flips to gain the distance before he put a single round into it’s head.

The crack of the rifle echoed through the city, ending it’s sleep.

“WHAT! NEEEEEIGH!!! WHATS THAT NOISE!?!”

Shadow put three rounds into another one as it came around the corner. Slice and Storm were tag teaming another with their laser rifles.

“UNICORN!!” Nor yelled, dashing away.

His hoof prints in the dust were blown apart by the minigun the thing was levitating.

Shadow couldn't deal with it as one jumped in front of him

“I AM A SUPER PONY! I AM UNSTOPPABLE!” He yelled swinging a sledgehammer.

Shadow was knocked into the center of the street by the crippling blow. His armor was throwing warnings and flashing red where his was struck. His shotgun was out of commission.

The thing barreled down on Shadow, raising the hammer high. Nor retaliated with a rocket to the face. It shook the ground as it fell. Shadow was looking at a skull, stripped of it’s flesh and oozing blood.

“I’m up,” Shadow said stumbling onto his feet.

“Chase them?” Storm asked.

They couldn't see Shadow’s smile, but it was evident. “Carefully, but lets find their lair and clear it out!”

They bounded through the ruins, cutting them down as they jumped them. Neither side was quiet, but at least the Inquisitors could be quiet. They were able to spring a few traps. They found themselves at an old hospital where they picked off two exiting.

“Close quarters,” Shadow panted. “It will get dangerous.”

“I look forward to killing such a disgusting abomination,” Slice chuckled with slightly too much mania.

They were all feeling the rush of hunting these beasts.

“Reload,” Shadow ordered. “I will take the rear with Thunder on point. My shotgun is crushed. That is the bulk of the damage outside of a very good jolt.”

“Guys,” Nor said prettified. “This is an oozing sack. As in, it is in fresh decay. I do not like the profile of the skull I see.”

“Steel your heart,” Shadow advised. “Lets make sure they do not prey upon any others in the area. And clean them out for resettlement by anypony.”

They stormed in and were met by a howl from a hound. Thunder dispatched it, but the talk and skulking of the mutants was turned towards them. They had to deal with a lobby that had balconies on three floors.

Rockets and grenades took care of the ones that came out on the balconies. They began to sweep room by room. So many were collapsed and way to many were broom closets. Point was rotated by who was ready to head into the next room.

“Watch out for the left!”

“Two doors down. Watch out!”

“Nice hit!”

“Reloading GPER!”

“That is one way to open a door.”

“Rocket reload assistance!”

“Don’t make us use our rockets to reload yours Thunder!”

They were facing the final door. They had heard a Super Mutant behind it.

“Last one,” Shadow laughed.

“Oh boy, this is fun!” Nor laughed.

“Slice, blow that door open!” Shadow order.

The doors exploded into themselves. They were kicked out a minute later by a Super Pony’s buck. Nor ducked as the whole door almost took off his head. They laughed and let loose more rounds than were necessary.

Shadow was first in the room. It was an infectious disease ward, including observation windows and seats. The bed in the center had somepony on it. Shadow and Slice strolled forward to look at the horrors inflicted while the others poked around. Thunder was, of course, watching their rear.

“She’s alive!” Shadow gasped as she began to scream and pull against the restraints.

Slice jumped the few feet to the other side of the bed. She calmed down as she recognized they were regular ponies. Shadow flicked out his blade and looked at Slice, who flicked out his.

Shadow stared her in the face, debating what to do. She began to beg for her life. If fell on deaf ears. Shadow was frozen in pain. She didn’t belong here, that was clear, but would sparing her spare them? Or would their third meeting with ‘civilized’ ponies result in blood?

Shadow looked at Slice who nodded his head and then looked at Thunder. They stared at each other for a minute before Thunder nodded his.

Shadow sliced the restraint. It gave a good tug before it let the blade do it’s job. Slice cut the other one. She was hyperventilating.

Shadow pulled his helmet off and found an unexpected assault. He staggered to the side, throwing up as the perfume of gelled flesh, shit and piss hit his nostrils. He threw up well past dry heave after dry heave.

“Water!” He gasped.

Nor tossed him a canteen. Shadow juggled it before getting a good grip and opening it. He gargled the first half before he spit it out. The second he swilled around to wash as much shit from his mouth as possible.

“Sorry for the waste of water,” Shadow sputtered.

Nor laughed. With Shadow’s helmet off, they switched to audio, not coms. “Worth it to watch you and to solidify that taking my helmet off was a bad idea. I mean, there are bags of rotting… stuff. I thought it was common sense.”

“Beasts,” Shadow said shaking his head.

“Now,” Shadow smiled at the pony on the bed.

“My father will give you all the caps he can in reward,” She stammered, still trying to catch her breath.

“CAPS!” Nor exclaimed holding up a container. “Oh, sorry. I mean I found a large stash of caps, not that we wanted a reward or didn’t want a reward, never mind. I am shutting up.”

Shadow shook his head and Slice helped her off the bed. She crumbled in screams of pain and Nor, who was closer, helped Slicer get her back on the bed.

“Your back right leg?” Slice asked.

All she could do was nod with watery eyes.

“Great,” Thunder groaned. “No catch and release.”

“That nod was acknowledging that we would get her back,” Slice said annoyed. “You need to work on reading our non verbals.”

“Cool it,” Shadow softly order before anything sparked.

Slice was as gentle as he could be. It didn’t help that she had nothing on, not even tattered rags. She groaned in pain as he zeroed in on the injury.

“I think it is broken,” Slice announced. “Can one of you grab bandages?”

“Here,” Nor offered. “I found these magical bandages in the drawer and this healing potion. Both were rammed in the back and took some prying. Probably why they survived this long in a hospital.”

Slice looked at Shadow. His conflict was obvious. He didn’t want to give up the healing potion, but he really wanted to give it to her.

“We have no need to hoard either,” Shadow stated. “We have enough on us and such.”

Nor helped her drink it while slice began to splint and bind the leg. Shadow poked around. He found a trunk of assorted things, mostly rags and pure junk. He pulled out a black stetson, in good shape, and put it on his head.

“How do I look?” He asked turning to the others.

“Now that the wasteland is removing your hair’s backbone, it looks good,” Nor replied happily.

Shadow slipped it into a bag and continued to poke around more. Assorted weapons and ammo were piled up as Storm and Thunder headed out to collect what they could.

“Where do you call home?” Shadow asked when Slice was done and she had been able to relax from the pain a bit.

“Dry Dock City, in the old shipyard,” She smiled. It was easier for her to address a pony’s face rather than a metal mask.

“Nor?” Shadow called.

“Right!” He said pulling out the hard map. “We have good pre-war maps of each city at least.”

He checked around for a good five minutes. “I can’t find any shipyards,” Nor admitted. “I guess these maps are not that good.”

“It is on the northern side of the bay,” She said.

Nor had her point it out on the map.

“Well, it isn’t too far,” Nor told Shadow. “A mild two hour walk through the rubble. Unless we have to deal with the beasts again.”

“This is a hospital, find a stretcher,” Shadow ordered. “I can’t carry her with my shoulder. I can’t bolt.”

“Let me carry her on my back,” Slice replied. “We can’t risk two laden down with them outside.”

Shadow took a few deep breaths. “What are you carrying? We will need to remove weight.”

“I can handle it,” Slice replied.

“Do you need this minigun?” Nor asked poking it. “When did you even find this thing?”

“Yes,” Slice nodded. “Resale value.”

“What is the resale on a minigun?” Nor jeered. “We do not even understand caps!”

“What is the resale on a minigun?” Slice asked her.

“I don’t deal with weapons,” She said with a weak smile. “I have no idea.”

“Then its sale value is high and it stays!” Slice declared. “At worst it is a toy to tinker with. I snagged a good amount of ammo too. Besides, it all fits in the bag.”

“I am lost,” She sighed. “You know nothing, yet everything.”

“We are travelers,” Shadow said trying to clarify things. “From a distant land, to see what is left of Equestria. How she has fared. And if possible, reestablish connections. So we only have stuff from before the mega spells fell. And even that is spotty.”

“How?” She asked Shadow. “You are all so different, like you should not work well together. The strain is evident.”

“Well,” Shadow said trying to come up with an answer. “We all are on this job for a reason. Thunder there, is the heavy weapons and explosives expert. Storm is not in the room, but he is the technology expert. Nor there is the science expert, telling us what exactly has changed and the hows and whys. Slice next to you in the mechanical expert and I am Shadow, the strategist, weapons expert and leader.”

“No medical, or does that fall to the scientist?”

“He died,” Shadow replied, sucking in the pain.

“I’m sorry,” She smiled.

“We knew it could happen, but came because the job is important,” Shadow replied. “We are more harmonious than we can appear. Like we have not slept since early morning and it is getting really late. We need to get on the move. But we could use help understanding the cap system.”

“Well, they are caps,” She shrugged. “Some things are worth more than others. Value is chosen by demand and rarity. That is how I got caught. A few of us were picking through the ruins to sell scavenged goods. They ate…”

“Fuck,” Thunder said shocked. “I would spend the rest of my life hunting these demons if I could.”

“Talk later,” Shadow said moving them along. He didn’t want to sit still any longer.

It was an easy, uneventful walk to the city.

“They attack often,” She whispered. “The tall walls have helped us survive. We have plenty of room, and plenty of raw materials and panels to use for the wall.”

“Concrete,” Nor said tapping on it. “Plenty of concrete and stone.”

“Not all is like that, but yes. Plenty of building materials for sure. Farming is another issue, but we get along.”

They continued in silence, walking the length of the wall until they came to the city gates.

“What are those?” Thunder asked looking at the gates.

“Bulkheads of a ship,” She replied. “They look a lot better in the light.”

Thunder raised his hoof to knock but she told him not to. They backed a good hundred feet at her command.

“It is Sweet Waters!” She called. “I was just rescued by a few ponies!”

“That will get their attention,” She said to them. “And be non threatening.”

A few minutes later two spotlights lit them up.

“Sweet Waters?” A gruff voice called back. “How do I know you are not under their hoof? I don’t like the looks of them. All masked like that.”

“Travelers from afar,” She replied. “They killed a hundred Super Ponies to get to me in Baltimare General Hospital.”

“Baltimare General? Are you sure?”

“We came in from the south west,” Nor called out. “We don’t know what these Super Ponies are, just that they tried to kill us, so we killed them. It led us to some medical center, where we decided to kill any inside. We quite enjoyed killing them.”

“I am not sure that is what we should broadcast,” Shadow whispered to Nor.

“Well we did,” He whispered back.

“You just came to kill Super Ponies?” They called back.

“And to trade,” Sweet Waters answered. “A long journey, with an unexpected rescue. I need medical aid more than they could provide, and they need a place to lay their heads without looking over their shoulder. We can sort this out in the morning.”

“The sun rises in less than an hour.”

Shadow saw Slice begin to buckle and caught Sweet Waters, enough so that she rolled on top of him as he safely crumbled.

“DAMN IT SLICE!” Storm yelled. “You said you had her! I kept asking if you were okay.”

“I DID HAVE HER!” Slice yelled back. “Until then!”

“Guests!” Thunder warned.

He had been watching their backs. He took a few steps further into the ruins to give some space.

“Give me her!” Storm said sliding up.

Shadow rolled her onto Storm’s back and he took off at full speed to the wall. Nor pulled Slice up and they began to rush towards the gate. Thunder took a few steps back to where Shadow was.

“Can you see them?” Thunder asked Shadow.

“Yeah,” Shadow replied. “What concerns me is why they are waiting. They know we can see them.”

“I don’t want to waste rockets,” Thunder replied.

Their conversation ended as a rocket flew overhead and exploded against the city’s wall.

“Got em!” Shadow said firing two shots with his Novasurge rifle.

The hit was good, and sparked a charge. Thunder and Shadow spun up their laser miniguns and began to walk backwards as they shot wherever they could. Some dropped, most were only stunned and burned. It caused the things to back away.”

“I had a feeling they were stalking us,” Thunder gulped.

“Me too,” Shadow said taking a few deep breaths.

“Then turn around and get inside!” Nor yelled.

They hadn’t heard the gate grind open a fraction since they were shooting. They slipped through the cracked open gate. It was sealed shut with a bang.

Thunder reared up in fear. “Unicorn!”

“Easy,” Shadow said stepping in between them and focusing on calming Thunder down.

“You are jumpy from everything tonight,” Shadow soothed. “Ponies and unicorns live here. Good ones, who do not mean us harm.”

“Yet,” Thunder grumbled.

“I do not think it will ever be a yet,” Shadow replied taking his helmet off. “I know why, but for now we are safe and good.”

Shadow and Thunder joined the others who were with Rivet, the sergeant on duty for the guards. Sweet Waters was still on Storm’s back. She was lounging on it at this point.

Thunder kept his helmet on, Shadow didn’t prod him to remove it. It was clear Thunder was more comfortable with it on, and that there was a good reason for that.

“It has been five days,” Rivet said. “We put out a search party, but there was only so much we could safely do. We found no evidence of the team at all. How?”

“Luck,” Nor replied.

“Fate,” Shadow corrected. “It has not been an easy journey for us. Lots of blood. It was fun to spill blood that was truly vile, and not maybe. There always is that other side, well at least in Fillydelphia.”

“You came from Fillydelphia?” Rivet gasped.

“We visited a few times,” Shadow nodded. “Not pleasant. However, this is getting unpleasant for me with Sweet Water in need of more stable medical care. It was Sweet Water?”

“Waters,” She smiled. “Sweet Waters. I feel okay now, but you are right. I need rest. I don’t know if Metal Heart could do better. A solid split with magical bandages, a whole healing potion.”

“You gave her those?” Rivet stammered in shock.

“We found them in the hospital,” Shadow said putting his hoof up to stop Rivet from any more questions.

“WATERS!!!!” An older stallion called out as he raced towards them.

“Dad!” She called back.

“You!” He said sliding up. He couldn’t find his voice.

“I am okay. Unharmed.” She smiled. “I was afraid they were going to kill me when they found me, but they didn’t.”

“What was that look?” Rivet asked with a tone that meant business.

The others looked at Shadow, forcing him to respond.

“It’s been a tough journey,” Shadow reaffirmed. “We were unsure what to do with a pony that was tied down by a non pony beast race. Peace talks have always ended with our blood being spilled. We took a moment to consider the options.”

“Relax,” Sweet Waters groaned, frustrated. “They didn’t. And you didn’t see what they did to the Super Ponies. Consideration was earned. What if they set me free and then we came hunting them? Or worse, they escorted me here to be trapped. We didn’t know my leg was hurt when they first cut me loose.”

“You speak wisely,” He said to his daughter. “I am Salt Waters.”

“Shadow Flare,” Shadow said shaking his hoof. “Storm Eye, Apple Slice, Nor’easter and Thunder Clap. He bears the burden of being out primary fighter.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you all,” Salt Waters smiled. “Come, let us get Sweet Waters to her bed and then I know the Governor and the Captain will want to speak to you.”

“Where exactly are where?” Nor asked as they walked. “Sweet Waters said shipyards, but my Baltimare map doesn’t have this. None of our maps do or any information about this place.”

“This area was transformed late war,” Salt Waters explained. “These are ships, in dry dock. They were being built. Mostly all of them were finished, just waiting on their final inspections. Days from being released into the sea. Two cruisers, two destroyers, a battleship and the carrier. I will let the Captain speak on them and their history.”

“But we walled off the whole shipyard, which wasn’t hard, and we use the ships for housing and other things. Like I said, they were set to launch not long after the bombs fell, so they have plenty of rooms and such prepared for our use. The closest strike was west of the city. We call that area the glowing sea.”

“Marked!” Nor stated. “We will walk around that next time.”

“You went through it? And lived?” Sweet Waters exclaimed.

“We had to flush our systems with meds,” Nor replied. “And we were on the southern edge, mostly.”

“You guys need diagnostic equipment to avoid radiation if you are going to explore as you do,” She said yawning.

“Good, get your rest,” Shadow smiled to her. “And we do. We gambled to get to Baltimare. We won from what we can tell. You ponies have a lot to teach us foreigners.”

Slice and Storm went into the Battleship where Sweet Waters’ room was. They all didn’t need to enter. They came back out soon enough. The morning light was cresting.

“I know the governor is in his office by now,” Salt Waters said. “The morning watch has begun, so half of Dry Dock City knows of last night by now.”

They followed him to the carrier at the end of the docks where the seat of government and security was. They were greeted at the ramp into the ship by a unicorn. A younger stallion than they expected, especially with his gray coat and white mane.

“Come on in. I am Governor Silver Sifter.”

“Silver Sifter?” Storm asked. “That name makes no sense to me. Sifter?”

“My parent were great scavengers,” He smiled. “Picking through the ruins, sifting through the dirt and rubble.”

“I have never heard that word before,” Storm admitted.

The office had a wall knocked out for more room, which they needed.

“So,” Governor Silver Sifter said sitting down. “I understand you blasted your way into Baltimare General Hospital and then rescued Sweet Waters, raising her from the dead.”

“She was very much alive,” Slice replied confused.

“Sorry,” The Governor smiled. “I meant that we had given up hope of ever finding any of them again. Five days, no word, not even a trace. If we are lucky, we find evidence of somepony’s death within three days. Five days in unheard of. And so deep within their territory.”

“We are foreigners,” Shadow said calmly. “We knew nothing different.”

“Who almost killed her for no reason,” Governor Silver Sifter smiled as he learned back in his chair.

“Who have lost a lot of blood dealing with other ponies,” Shadow corrected. “This is the first friendly settlement we have found. Fillydelphia was a murderous festering wound.”

“You came from Fillydelphia?” He asked shocked.

“We visited,” Shadow nodded. “Each time our blood was spilled. Each time they wanted to strip us for parts, torture and or enslave us, and even tried to buy my loyalty.”

“The raiders were that bad?” The Governor asked.

Shadow nodded. “Well, the Steel Rangers were the ones who wanted to strip us for our guns, but the rest, yes. The Disciples, lead by Nesha, have taken over the other part of the city. And they are holding their own against the Steel Rangers.”

“Terrible news. It is trouble like that why the caravans have stopped coming. Where else have you visited?”

Nor pulled out his maps. “Ponyville, Appleloosa, a new town along the rails from Appleloosa, and Fillydelphia. We know Manehatten has a large city, but we are concerned how we would be received. This place was unexpected, let alone being welcomed.”

“You had a very good gesture that your hearts are pure,” Governor Silver Sifter smiled. “May I see your map?”

“It is outdated, and the scaling, we are trying to correct it,” Nor admitted.

Governor Silver Sifter’s horn glowed as he took the map and the sound of Thunder’s shotgun coming out of his suit made them all freeze.

“BACK OFF!” Shadow ordered. “I know…”

Thunder cut off Shadow by removing his helmet.

“Forgive me Governor,” He said bowing his head slightly. “Unicorns make me jumpy. The wasteland has made me very wary of Unicorns. I say it not as an excuse, but an explanation of my poor actions.”

“Forgiven,” He smiled. “If you made it through the Super Ponies, your judgment is obviously sound for survival. I hope your stay here will calm your mind. A lot of good unicorns live here.”

“I hope so too,” Thunder quietly admitted.

“Well, this place here is called New Appleloosa. I know little about it, except it is friendly and hates raiders. You can be sure of that. Friendship city and Tenpony Towers are safe, but Tenpony has strict entrance rules, like no loaded guns and they hate ghouls.”

“How bad are things above?”

They turned to look at the newcomer who was leaning against the door frame. He was wearing a old jacket and cloak. Shadow recognized the jacket as being a flight jacket, like the Wonderbolts wore.

“Ghoul?” Nor asked concerned.

“I guess you have never met a ghoul with a proper mind?”

“Try first time,” Thunder said shaking a bit.

“Well, my mind is good. I am not feral. My companions were not so lucky. I was the Captain over the air compliment for this carrier. We were set to move south and begin conduction raids and missions from the sea upon the Zebras. Bombing, aerial combat, advanced maneuvers behind enemy lines and such.”

“But then the spells came, and ended that. Half of us were killed within days, the other half turned to be like me, those that didn’t immediately lose their minds, soon did as the decades continued.”

“Out of the ashes this place arose. Most were workers here, but others came. I led the defense of the city and soon enough, those Super Ponies came. Our walls were raised and my team died one by one, most as feral ghouls. That is the story of this city.”

“But how desperate is the Enclave after all this time?”

Shadow shook his head in shame. “Is it that obvious?”

“No,” The Captain smiled. “I know because I lived when the Enclave was making the push that it was not the Pegasus Race’s war. It was our war. We are part of Equestria and have been for well over a millennium. Their name lives on as the shadows. Evil. For it was they who sealed up the sky and keep the sun and stars from us. It was them who are hiding away, hoarding what they have. It is them who let us suffer.”

“And,” He smiled. “I really know because I do the same thing.”

The Captain unfurled his wings from under his jacket.

“It hides them well. Many forget I have wings because I never need to fly. Newcomers would have no idea. Just like they have no idea about you.”

“Well, we are here because we are beginning to be unsustainable,” Shadow replied stoically. “We know very little. Several years back, expeditions began and were quickly halted as they were ripped to shreds. Now it is just us restarting the program. First team down with real equipment and training learned from the costly mistakes.”

“We are not short on food, yet. We have to restrict our population growth. The problem is that we are low on other resources. Mostly metals, glass, and wood. Hence the expeditions below.”

“We were supposed to be back, mission to Fillydelphia over, but they said they can not receive us at the moment, and to continue gathering information. Nothing was known about Baltimare from the previous missions, so we headed here. We have no idea how to act like a pony from the wasteland.”

Shadow let out a troubled sigh. “I have no idea what to report. On one side, I have a duty to my family and the following generations; to let them know of the danger of Super Ponies, regardless of what moral stance or action they take. Life is life. But I do not want to compromise this place in any way.”

“Fillydelphia needs to be burned to ash, but here, you are too small and defense oriented to make a war ally. But you will never pose a threat and you will be a very good city to trade with and make good friends with. You opened your doors and welcomed us despite our obvious suspicions.”

“You know the state of things above,” The Captain smiled. “I know you will make the right decision, like you did freeing Sweet Waters, properly binding her wound and even sacrificing a healing potion. And then you carried her here through more Super Ponies.”

“The Captain is a better judge on this than me,” Governor Silver Sifter smiled. “Do us no intentional harm and you will always be welcomed here. Rest, trade, and be on your way when the time comes.”

“I will take you to the local inn,” The Captain said.

“I was in an Aerial Combat Unit,” Shadow said as they left. “I would love to learn more about your proposed job and this carrier. The others are tech and mechanical specialists, scientists and heavy weapons expert. These ships are phenomenal.”

“Then let me take the few minutes to introduce you to what was being planned,” The Captain smiled.

He turned and climbed a set up stairs that quickly led to a hatch which opened up onto the smooth deck and behind them, the command tower.

“Here, the magic would happen,” He smiled. “Self explanatory to you, but have you ever thought about using yourselves as bombers? I know the Cloudships had a modification for bomb bays they were discussing.”

“That was our third mission to Fillydelphia,” Shadow said, hanging his head. “The Steel Rangers killed our Lieutenant, who also was our medic, during peace talks, after we had assisted them in dispatching a group of Disciples.”

“Second was more probing, but I got caught doing a more detailed survey of Disciples’ territory. That was an interesting conversation. I was offered a spot in their organization. They are knife wielding savages who love torture. Sadists.”

“I was forced to fight and survive. I was fatally wounded. I only survived because they went against protocol to save my life. I had information on the area and Nesha that nopony could get again. I was worth the risk.”

“So the third was pure retaliation. Thunder built bombs with his demolitions and explosive background and the four of them made a night bombing run while I was healing. Some very good damage was made against The Disciples. I had good information on their specifics, but the Steel Rangers were blind targets. Still good strikes with an obvious message.”

“Unfortunate,” The Captain replied. “All of it. But I can see that you believe there is good here.”

“Not all of us in the group,” Thunder spoke up. “And many in the Enclave want to burn everything down here. But we are trying to give the wasteland a chance. Our reports will help dictate what they do. We are, I am, getting tired of here and the blood. We would prefer to go home, or at least be able to sit still while things get worked out so we can go back. We are supposed to continue without respite.”

“I hope for your sakes you can,” The Captain sighed. “I had family in Los Pegasus when the clouds were sealed up. Never had a chance to say goodbye or even be considered a martyr. Just another senseless Pegasus death.”

“We all want to return to our families,” Nor said annoyed. “But we all will fight to the end to get Shadow back. He has a wife. Married right before deployment. A secret to the Enclave so that they would not pull him from the mission that he had been working so hard to build. And we have needed him. Our mission leader above changed suddenly.”

“I am truly sorry,” The Captain replied. “But you look like a strong Pegasus, despite your size. You all are strong. You all will have a very good chance at making it back.”

“And then quite recon,” Storm grumbled.

“What is that?” Nor asked ending the depressing talk.

He was pointing to the end of Horseshoe Bay’s hook. I was called Horseshoe Bay for an obvious reason.

“Ah, Fort Strong,” The Captain replied. “Built to help protect the bay after a Zebra warship got too close before it was destroyed. As well as protect this dry dock and the ships that would be built. A lot of our supplies and ordinances were stored there before while we waited to set sail. It is controlled by the Super Ponies and has been since the start.”

“And those?” Nor asked.

“Those are our two tug boats and barge. We dump our trash into the bay with the barge.”

“Tell me more about this fleet,” Shadow asked as he looked along the row of them.

“They may be sea worthy still,” The Captain grinned. “We have worked hard to keep them painted and in good shape. They are our homes. The questions would be the engines. These are the first of the fully modernized fleet. A small one to start.”

“We stand on the flagship, the carrier Princesses Naval Vessel Celestia. It was the first of what would be three carriers. The other two would be the Luna and the Cadance. We have several anti air guns along side the under deck and the rails. Those were to combat the threat of dragons. There is also machine gun emplacements.

“The anti air guns are interesting. A row of three guns, firing armor piercing and explosive rounds. Fully automatic, they take two ponies to work. One to move side to side, the other to move up and down. Together they would shoot down anything in the sky.”

“I saw them in Filly,” Shadow stated. “I literally stared down their barrels a few times. Two or Three, they are not fun. But these are different. The city had CD-2s installed.”

“I didn’t know Fillydelphia had them installed,” The Captain said. “These are the Naval variant, specifically the SD-3. The difference isn’t the gun, its how it is mounted to be stable. Also, ours have those shields, to protect from dragon fire. But we just call them anti air guns. Keep it simple.”

“Next down the row is the Battleship, the PNV Shinning Armor. Four turrets of two 16 inch guns. Two forward, to aft. Her job was to sink any naval vessels and give naval bombardments for land troops. Bow and stern anti air guns, and flanking guns on the side of the bridge. But her 16s could be turned to the sky for attacking dragons. And never count out their double machine gun nests along the sides as well. She has 12 around her deck.”

“Then the cruisers, the Nightmare Moon and the Discord. Two 16s turrets, centered around the bridge, and then two double 6 inch gun turrets on the bow and stern. Along with two anti air guns flanking the bridge. 8 machine gun mounts as well around the ship. Faster engagement, but less range. They can operate on their own quite well. A well rounded vessel suitable for all types of naval warfare.”

“The final two are the destroyers. Fleetfoot and Rapidfire. They are named for two Wonderbolts before they were disbanded. They are meant to intercept anything before they get near the carrier or play a role as scouts. They only have that forward double 6 turret and then the rear anti air gun. 4 machine gun mounts as well.”

“Do the guns work?” Slice asked intrigued.

“Maybe,” The Captain shrugged. “We never maintained them outside exterior painting, but we never stripped them either. They were left alone. We have no need for guns that big in the positions they are in. We can not get any of them to serve in a direct role for the defense of this city. Even if we used them, it would be bombarding unknown targets, a waste of time and effort.”

“We need to free Fort Strong,” Thunder said speaking for them all. “Free it and then drag what we can onto the barge and tug boats. There must be a ton of medical supplies, weapons, ammo, food and who knows what else. The naval shells need to get out of there. Put them in a safe place where they can not be used against you.”

“Tomorrow,” Shadow nodded.

“I will gather a team,” The Captain smiled. “But I will fly with you. My battle saddle is in great condition. I made sure to keep it that way. Other guards do use the saddles from my team. On lend of course.”

“I bet there will be more saddles in the fort,” Shadow grinned.

He yawned and got serious. “But first, rest. Meeting on this deck at dark. The rest of the day is yours.”

“I will make sure cloaks are brought to your rooms,” The Captain added. “That way you are not forced to wear your armor. And don’t worry, the others, pegasi are not hated here. They are not evil, selfish or anything but another pony.”

“Shit, I need to get mine repaired,” Shadow swore. “Are local shops open?”

“By now, yes,” The Captain said thinking as he led them to the battleship where inn was.

“Our suits have talismans like the Steel Rangers and regenerate given the proper material,” Shadow explained. “I do not know he we got them, only that we have them and they are rare.”

“You are very forthcoming,” The Captain replied. “Odd given your assignment.”

“I am a strong proponent of peace,” Shadow yawned. “I am not afraid to be open, especially to a place so welcoming. And even more you. You are somepony we all can trust, being a Pegasus who gets us in ways others just can not. And explaining why I need a few pieces of random steel and then do no actual work on my armor; you are not blind or stupid.”

They were at the front desk, ending the conversation.

“Velvet Pond, five rooms for our guests, under my name,” The Captain said smiling.

“Ah, the ones who found Sweet Waters,” She smiled at them grabbing keys. “Right this way.”

The rooms were simple. A bed, nightstand and a chest of drawers. Showers and bathrooms were communal since this was a naval warship.

Shadow followed The Captain back out to trade for the simple scraps he needed. He traded them a shotgun in exchange. He knew he lost a lot on the deal, but he was tired and just wanted to get his suit on the way to repairing itself.

Shadow was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Next Chapter: Chapter 42 - Dry Dock City Estimated time remaining: 8 Hours, 43 Minutes