Without an alarm to get up to, I could have lied in bed all day. What woke me up though, was the lack of a cute pony on the other side of the bed. Opening my eyes revealed she, in-fact, wasn't in the room at all. However, an orange bubble floated silently above me. “Hey little guy,” I said groggily, “what are you doing here?” I prodded the bubble for an answer and ended up popping it.

To my surprise, Solani's voice whispered into the air. “Hey Xileel, hope you slept, *snore* er… are, sleeping well. Did you know you, *snore* snore?” She giggled. “Well, I had to leave the bubble because I remembered I had some stuff to, *snore* do in the morning. I'll catch back up with you later today. *snore*” she mocked my snoring and laughed a bit. “Yea well, I'll talk to you later.” She made a kissing noise and the beginning of a snore barely made it into the end.

At least my snore wasn't loud, just… grunty?

I smiled and felt happy inside. Still only just waking up, I lied in bed for a bit; letting my mind run wild with happy fantasies and creative imagery. After some time, I found enough energy to get out of bed, sleepily lifting myself from my warm indention. The muffled commotion outside continued to draw my attention, so I turned on the Stable PA on my Pipbuck, catching the end of an announcement.

“Our future begins!” The Overmare’s voice said.

Like… the very end.

Some time passed and I had made my way to the living room. Looking out the window revealed that everyone was moving stuff, personal belongings, supplies, etc.

Seriously, what did I miss?

I saw Isu, carrying a few vials of colorful liquid, as he passed my window. By tapping it, I tried to get his attention… and failed.

I guess it was just too loud out there.

My Pipbuck started to play a celebratory tune and a voice began to speak through. “Greeting everyone, this is Founder Twisty Roads.” His raspy old voice said. “I am,overjoyed to see all of your hard work finally pay off. You all are a shining example of how the world could have been… should, have been. But as you know, that world has long since passed. A new world awaits you outside. Dangers only encountered by your Expedition Teams, who in turn should bring you all up to speed. No one can guarantee your safety once you step outside this stable, but as long as you remain unified. Your strength will only grow! I only wish that I could be there to see you off, to congratulate you all personally. You've made an old pony proud. Your Pipbucks have had instructions loaded onto them, plus a little something extra.” My Pipbuck chimed. “Now go… our future begins.” There was a long pause. “Uhhh… how do I turn this off?” A series of taps and bumps sounded through the speaker. “Axuel! How do I get this to stop?!”

“Did you press the red button?” A distant, accented voice responded.

“That's a but-” the transmission ended abruptly and a wave of laughter echoed through the stable.

I chuckled at the old pony’s technical difficulties, but sudden realization struck me like a professional applebuck to the face, “We're leaving the stable?!”

And you're super behind on packing.

Shut up, I noticed! Checking my Pipbuck’s info tab, I found the instructions and activated the file.

A happy female's voice erupted from the speaker. “Congratulations on successfully making it to Reclamation Day! Before you leave we have some special information that should help you on your journey.” she said overenthusiastically. “First things first, INTRODUCTIONS! Hi, my designation is Founder’s Artificial Intelligence; but you can call me Fae, and I'm yours, and everyone else's, new personal assistant. I can do just about anything and I'm super duper smart!” She boasted. “And I'll tell you all there is to know about things you don't know squat about!” As I listened, I began to rush around my home and pack all of my belongings. “So now that that's outta the way, let's show you the ropes! As you know, the inner island of Newshire is now covered in a dense jungle. Luckily for us, here on Carsas we don't have that problem.” She began to whisper, “Sure did get off easier than the others, huh?” And went back to her annoyingly cheerful, and loud voice. “So most of the surrounding landscapes and structures are, mostly, intact. Perfect for sprucing back up to tippy top shape. However they aren't abandoned just quite yet. With no pony to manage the wild animal population, they kinda, sorta, moved in. But no worries, you can just ask them to leave and you'll be right as radioactive rain.”

“Where did I put that vest?” I asked aloud.

“Under there.”

“Under where… really?”

“Ha! Classic. Anyway, if the wildlife isn't so friendly then I have just the solution.” A panel flipped around in the room and a speaker was revealed. “Quick, take me to that speaker!”

Did I just get tricked… by an AI… with that joke?

I followed suit and lifted my Pipbuck up to the speaker. “Voice recognition code, Frank, Alpha, Ida. Hi, nice ta meetcha!”

“Voice recognition confirmed. Hi Fae!”

The panel flipped around and a secondary panel opened beside it revealing some shiny new gun parts. “BEHOLD! The finest in Founder hardware. The Self-Adjustable-Energy-Rifle. SAER!”

The weapon’s parts were neatly laid out in different sections; barrels, sights and stocks. A unique handle that could switch between a undermounted talon-held or side mounted mouth-grip. Its unique edged look was only accented by its enameled frame and grey paint.

“Since we knew there would be a bunch of different creatures, we made the SAER fully customizable. Perfect for any situation! On the fly modification is simple, just like those old techno-colored dart guns, just twist and click. It's even easier while it's in the case. ” All the parts slid back and down into one convenient carrying case. “Which can do it automatically at the press of a button. The case also doubles as a battle saddle!” Fae informed, the case splitting in half and revealing its battle saddle form then closing.

“This is amazing!” I said grabbing the case, which was also much lighter than expected. I switched it to battle saddle mode and floated it onto my back, for convenience. I had already packed most of my belongings. Majority being small items, since I myself, didn't have a whole lot. However I did have to leave my mother's belongings. I only took a few of her things, that of which meant something to me. An old necklace that my father gave her. Holding the tooth of a great beast from his homeland, accented by small colored beads. As well as a picture of her. I looked at the picture and held it to my chest, wishing I could hold the pony within. Before I could cry, I placed it with my things.

“Hey, it seems someone's trying to ping your radio systems. Would you like me to answer?” Fae asked.

“What do you mean?”

“It's like a phone call.”

“Ohhh, yea sure.” I answered.

Static broke through the speakers and then was replaced by a familiar voice. “Hey Xye? Can you hear me?” Isu asked from the other side.

“Hey! Yea, I can hear you. What's up?” I asked, not knowing whether or not I had to speak directly into the Pipbuck.

“Are you finished packing? Everyone's down on the lowest level, it's like a huge garage or something. You should hurry up and get your stuff on these trucks. The Expedition Teams are about to do a... powerpoint, whatever that is.”

Oh crap! “Ok, I'm on my way.” I said quickly.

I floated all of my stuff onto the trolley cart and wheeled it down to the atrium; in which had a large ramp, that hadn't been there before, leading down into the garage Isu told me about. Which was massive, the room extended beyond that of the above stable and ended in two large hangar doors. The large, tan painted, trucks lining the walls, had cloth covered trailers, as well as high suspension, off-road wheels. As I admired the military-esk vehicles, a Mister Handy robot floated over to me.

“Greetings sir! Would you like me to load your luggage?”

“Uhh, sure.” I answered hesitantly.

“Excellent, please take this,” it handed me a ticket with a barcode on it, “it will help us in redistribution of luggage to its respective owners.” The robot began to stick tags to all of my luggage then began to load it onto a truck.

I quietly moved over to the mass of Ponies, Zebra and Griffins and joined the briefing, which I’d hoped had just started. On the large projected screen, showed a picture of a
SAER that changed configuration every few seconds, explaining the things that Fae had already told me. The screen then showed a collection of the different wildlife and their newer, mutated variants. Most of which still looked mostly harmless, save for a few. Then they showed some of the big, mean, murderous creatures, resulting in gasps and shocked expressions from everyone. The next slide showed a location on a Pipbuck map as well as photos of a town from afar. A somewhat nearby and slightly overgrown looking place, where most of its buildings were covered in vines and ivy as well as trees growing through its streets. “This is Doveport,” One of the Expedition Team members said loudly, “and this will be our new home until we can take back the mainland. It has a large infestation of Guana, the lizard type animal you saw a few slides ago, so keep your SAERs ready upon arrival. More information will be loaded onto your Pipbuck after this briefing is over… which is now.”

My Pipbuck chimed and Fae began to speak, “Hi again, so I'm here to tell you you're in Group D, the Sharpshooters. You'll provide long-range fire support while groups A and B clear the town and buildings. Group C will provide protection for Group E while Group E will remain at the trucks, as they are our non-combatant personnel, elders, children, pacifists and such.”

“At this time your Faes should have given out your groups and how your group will run. Groups A and B, please follow Assault-Leader Skyscreamer, he will run you through a more detailed plan. Group C please follow me, Field-Medic Counter Pulse. While Group D will follow Sharpshooter Done Ham. Group E please follow Ms. Reign. Alright everyone let’s get moving! Double time!”

Wait, Ms. Reign!?

Everyone began to move accordingly. The large mass of people starting to thin as every-creature found their groupings. I made my way to Sharpshooter Done Ham and hopped up into a truck bed, taking a seat between two Zebras. “Ego non exspectare impetro ex hic,” one to my left said, “et tu?” he asked me.

“Vix paulum im,” I responded, “tamen spero bonum.”

He nudged me and smiled, “Simul udiutorio tuo vincemus.” he said reassuringly.

A klaxon rang out through the garage as yellow lights flashed brilliantly. A single roar of engines cascaded down the rows of trucks. The simultaneous growls shaking the room. The klaxon rang twice and the large hangar doors began to pull away from each other. Fresh air rushed through my mane as the pressure equalized. New scents assaulted my nose, thick with sea salt. The klaxon let out a triple burst and the first row of trucks began to pull off, then the second and so on. Our truck lurched forward, causing myself and a few others to lose balance. The convoy rolled through the doors and warm sunshine shown across us all. Our eyes adjusted and we saw the outside for the first time.

Thick brush lined the dirt path as dust kicked up from the truck tires. The sky was vibrant through the clouds, which appeared to have been parted at some point. We crested a hill, revealing much more of Carsas. I could see the old port town resting in between some hills, a few birds flying above. Looking back, I could barely see the mound from which we exited through all the dust. Coming down and around a bend revealed a sightline to the Newshire mainland, and what we saw could only be described as nightmarish. A gargantuan tree rose up into the sky, separating the clouds at its canopy; large vines hanging from its thick branches. Monstrous dark roots broke the the surrounding jungle like an angry sea serpent. A giant shadow cast over the island as if it were the domain of Nightmare Moon herself. Fear clawed at my body as our daunting task lied before us. I could see the looks of dread on those who also stared at the tree. The convoy soon rolled behind a hill, breaking our view, but blinking only showed the afterimage burned into my eyes.

How were we supposed to get through that?

The convoy rolled to a stop at an intersection, our dirt path perpendicular to a long stretch of highway and a tunnel across from us. Wildgrasses had broken through the pavement and moss had begun to grow on the old rusted cars and trucks that littered the lanes. Old road signs sat rusted and illegible upon their supports. A breeze disturbing the old sands and blowing through the trucks canopy. Our engine turned off and the sounds of nature became much clearer. Bird chirps and distant howls echoed through the air, only to be interrupted soon after, “Hiyas, so I'm here to let you know, fireteam leader Done Ham is sending out a broadcast ping for Group D. Would you like to listen?” Fae said suddenly.

Simultaneous affirming noises sounded through the truck. “Fae, how many got the ping?” Done Ham asked over the coms. “And how many joined?” More silence. “Perfect, alright everyone listen up. As stated before; we are Group D, the Sharpshooters. We will be providing cover fire for Groups A and B as they clear Doveport. All non-flyers will be positioned here.” A small white marker appeared in my vision, numbers above it indicating distance.

Urge to swat at, rising.

“All flyers will be given separate instructions by Ariel. You should be getting a broadcast ping now. As for the rest of you, configure your SAERs for long range, Sniper is preferred. Now for a run-down of the weapon; there is no bullet drop, since it's a laser rifle. Also being that, there is little to no delay between the time it takes to take a shot and for that shot to connect to the target. Sniper mode takes more energy than most and thus results in more frequent reloading. The laser is also very focused and will penetrate soft materials, so please check your aim. Any and all questions should be directed to your Fae. We move out in fifteen minutes, so get prepared.” Done Ham concluded.

“Broadcast connection lost. I'll let you know when it's time to go.” Fae said happily.

“Thanks Fae,” I responded, but I didn't want to sit here for fifteen minutes, “hey Fae, can you set up a four-way call?” I asked.

“Of course, who shall I ping?”

“Isu, Solani, and Chaser, I'm gonna see if they want to explore a bit.” I explained.

“Alrighty, sending out a broadcast ping now.” A few seconds passed, “A user has joined your channel!”

“Hello?” Solani’s voice came first.

“Hey Solani, how you been?” I asked, glad to hear her voice again.

“I've been good. I got assigned to Group C, what about you?”

“User has joined your channel!” Fae interrupted.

“Hey Xileel, good to hear you didn't get left behind… or did you?” Isu joked.

“Yea I made it. I'm in Group D, also I'd like to introduce you to-”

“User has joined your channel!” Fae interrupted again.

“Fae, is there anyway to not say that everytime?” I asked, visibly frustrated.

“Of course, default settings changed!” Fae informed me.

“How's it been Xileel, what group did you get?” Chaser asked.

“I'm good, and Group D. Since we've got some time, let's meet up at the intersection,” I looked around for anything landmark-ish, spotting a tree, “by the Y-shaped tree on the median.”

“Alrighty.” Solani responded.

“Bet!” Chaser exclaimed.

“Can do, see you then.” Isu said.

Hopping down from the truck bed revealed that many others had the same idea. Some having already grouped up, while others spoke over a broadcast. Pegasi and Griffins had taken to the skies, finally able to fly without limitations. Halfway to the intersection a saw a group of people getting lessons in marksponyship from Done Ham. Further up I could see Isu and Chaser walking close to each other. Just before I could begin to trot faster and catch up, I was suddenly weighed down as some pony threw themselves onto my back.
“Heyyy, I found you!” She said playfully. The sudden attack made me lose my balance, thus causing us both to collapse onto the ground. “Where have you been mister?” Solani asked from atop me.

“I could say the same to you missy.” I said, raising an eyebrow. “Where’d you go this morning?”

“I had to go back home and do some stuff for today! Didn't you know today was today?” She questioned booping my muzzle with a hoof.

“I'm not good with dates.” I said rubbing the back of my head in embarrassment. Having gotten tired of being the bottom, I teleported from under her and back into a standing position. With my body absent, she flopped to the ground and gave me a look that promised payback. “Oops.” I said with a mocking smile.

“Mhmm, laugh it up. I'll get you back.” A devilish smile spreading across her muzzle.

“I'm soo scared,” I feigned, waving a hoof dismissively, “come on, Chaser and Isu are probably already at the tree.”

“Fiine.” She said dusting herself off.

Finishing up the rest of the walk, we made it to the intersection. Isu and Chaser chatting under the Y-shaped tree. “About time you two showed up!” Isu yelled as we neared.

“Yea, what gives?” Chaser yelled as well.

“We were at the back of the pack, sorry.” Solani lied innocently.

“Now that we're all together, I guess introductions are in order?”

“Well, Chaser and I got acquainted before you guys got here. But my name’s Isu and I'm Group A, we're clearing the buildings.”

“And I'm Chaser, Group E because apparently I'm not old enough to have a gun.” Chaser pouted.

“Well I'm Solani, nice to meet you both, and I'm in Group C.” Solani said, finishing introductions.

“Well what should we do first, not like I'll be able to do anything later.” Chaser pouted, ticked that he was Group E.

“You could always fly around for a minute and find anything interesting. You are the one with wings after all.” Isu said matter of factly to Chaser.

Chaser looked back at his wings and flapped them a bit. “Oh yeah,” was all he said before he took off into the sky at breakneck speed. “Be right back!” He yelled back to us.

“So what do we do while we wait for him?” Solani asked.

“I don't know about you two, but I'm quite keen on seeing if there's anything left in these old cars.” Isu said, checking the driver side of an old truck.

Out of nowhere, Chaser stopped just before hitting the ground and landed effortlessly on the road. “I didn't see much on this side besides the town. It's in a valley and the highway surrounds the hills that border it.” Chaser told us. “However there is a small pack of Guanas sunbathing on a Sparkle-Cola truck. We could… or rather you could, go take them out.” He corrected after remembering his lack of weaponry.

“Hey Chaser!” Isu called out, tossing over an old mouth-grip pistol. “Now you can help. There's some ammo in here too.”

Chaser zipped over to Isu and took a look inside the old cart. “Yo, thanks Isu!” He loaded the pistol with a not-so-new magazine, small amounts of rust coating the outside of the weapon. “Ok follow me, and we'll get a bit of experience under our belts.” Chaser started flying over to the truck and we followed. We walked through, on top of, and around the vehicular graveyard and come up on the old Sparkle-Cola truck. The pony-sized lizards resting atop it, loving the heat that soaked into their dark yellow-green scales. The few that weren't on the truck, sat on their own cars; keeping watch, or prowling the grounds nearby. “Alright, I saw like eight of them, but I don't know if they've gotten inside the trailer.” Chaser explained as we hid behind some cars.

“Fae can you help us out?” I asked.

“Sure can, just use your E.F.S. or Eyes Forward Sparkle. It should be at the top of your vision.” She told us. Focusing on the top of my vision, there was a bar with red markers, some with little arrows above them. “The red markers are those Guanas over there. I'm counting ten by the way.” She informed us.

“Why haven't I ever noticed that?” Isu asked.

“Because it wasn't active inside the stable. There was no need for it.” Fae explained.

“Makes sense.” Chaser added.

A deep guttural call echoed over the cars. Looking over we could see the Guanas looking in our direction, a few actually closing in. “I think they heard us.” Solani stated.

“Fae, go assault rifle mode!” I told her. My SAER unfolded and a rifle barrel extended from the case. A firing bit appeared at my chin.Everyone got ready for a fight; Chaser taking to the sky with his pistol, Isu switching to scattershot mode and rushing the closest Guana, while Solani chose to take a vantage point on top of a truck trailer. I fired a quick burst into a Guana, a beam piercing its leg and forcing it to the ground.

Isu may have bitten off more than he could chew as three Guanas began to surround him. He lunged at one, sending a powerful kick to its skull and spun around to fire a cone of beams into a Guana thinking it had an opportunity. Solani firing a single beam into the last Guana by Isu. “I've got your backs!” She yelled. Chaser came flying in and sprayed a few bullets before crashing into the side of a Guana, knocking it off of the car it stood on.

The rest of the Guanas got the message and began charging at us, slithering between cars and grasses. “Here they come!” I yelled. I sent another burst into the group, only managing to graze one of them. “Damn!” I growled. Solani firing several beams into the chests of two Guanas, stopping them dead.

Chaser had came back around and sent another volley of rounds into a Guana, the bullets hitting something vital and collapsing the beast. “Fuck yea! I got one!” He celebrated as he flew back up.

Isu had managed to get even closer to their truck and had gotten himself into a wrestling match with one of the lizards. He had been pinned down, the creature trying to snap at his face. He got all his hooves under the beast and threw it up into the air. Rotating his SAER he blasted its belly, reducing it to blue ash in midair. He righted himself and clambered onto the truck and kicking a Guana straight off the side. Solani firing and killing the fallen beast.

Chaser had gotten back and flew hind hooves first into a Guanas back and cracked its spine. instantly killing it. “Yea, totally Group E material!” He said sarcastically.

With only two left the beasts began to retreat back into the forest. One being the crippled one I shot. “Well done everyone,” Fae congratulated, “your teamwork was excellent!”

“Thanks Fae,” I said concealing my SAER in its case. “by the way, how much time do we have before we clear Doveport?”

“Exactly five minutes, thirty-six seconds.” She responded.

“Perfect, let's check out the truck.” Chaser said landing on top of said truck.

After everyone regrouped, I unlatched the truck's rusted trailer door handle and cautiously pulled it open. A mass of rotten meat and gore sloughed out of the back and slapped against the cracked concrete. Everyone immediately recoiled at the smell, a few swears slipping from our muzzles. Fighting through the horrid stench, we saw the remains of what looked to be a giant Guana. Its few remaining features looked similar, but we couldn't be certain. Behind it were a few silver containers, barely visible under the mass of flesh. “So uhh, who wants to go in?” Solani asked, almost gagging before she could finish.

“I've got it, just… give me a second.” Isu said taking in as much fresh air as possible before jumping inside. Every step he took caused the bloody meat to slosh, caking his hooves in remains. Climbing over the beasts decayed hind leg, he cleared off the containers and rummaged inside, pulling out an old drink holder with something glowing inside. After balancing it on his SAER case, he hightailed it out of the trailer, diving into fresh air. He began coughing and gasping, “Air,” he wheezed, “I need air!”

I grabbed the doors with my magic and slammed them shut, throwing the latch back in place. The smell dissipated and we could breathe easy again. “What'd you find?” I asked.
Isu had begun to wipe gunk off his hooves in some nearby sand. “Something called Sparkle-Cola RAD,” he said before lifting a glowing blue bottle from his bag. “Fae, can you analyze?” He took a whiff of his hoof and immediately pulled away.

“Sure can! Scanning… scan complete! This appears to be a limited edition, prewar soft drink. Its glow is due to a radioactive isotope added during production. It should be safe to ingest, even if mildly radioactive.” Fae explained.

“Sweet! More than enough to go around.” Chaser exclaimed. Isu passed out the sodas and we all took a celebratory Sparkle break.

The breeze atop the hill blew through my hide, cooling me off as the sun beat down from above. The cloud cover only allowing its rays to touch half of the town now. My SAER sat atop its case as I lied on the ground behind it. Through my scope, a large group of Ponies, Zebras, and Griffins moved in along the main road. A beam lancing out somewhere from my left and burning through a resting Guana. Groups A and B began to open fire through the streets and buildings. Blue lasers creating a deadly monochrome disco throughout. I fired, sending a beam through the skull of a Guana. I caught a glimpse of Isu jumping through a broken wall into another building. A dark griffin following…

Oh no.

“Fae open a broadcast to Isu, hurry!”

Another one joined the rest as my lasers turned a Guana to dust. I honestly expected more of a challenge, this was just too easy. A Guana hissed as it lunged at me from a hole in the roof. I rolled and kicked it in the side, flinging it into a nearby wall, then pinned it with my hooves, “Where's your mama, huh?” I taunted. The beast hissed in response, “That's no way to speak in PUBLIC!” I finished sending beams into its face.

“Xileel is trying to open a channel with you.” Fae told me.

“Open it.” I said calmly.

“Isu! I think Gnash is tailing you!” Xileel panicked.

“Oh really? You think he still wants that fight?” I asked rhetorically, “Ego istuc curabo eum. Just cover me if things go sideways.”

“Will do.” Xileel finished before canceling the broadcast.

I turned around after hearing the crack of broken glass get crushed underneath a claw. “What do we have here, the same bitch from yesterday. You ready to die?!” Gnash growled, his SAER unfolding threateningly.

“Well that all depends, can you finish the job this time?” I taunted, dashing behind a wall before he sent a blast of beams in my direction. I returned fire and grazed his wing before he took off through the hole he entered through. “Once again, running awa-” I was cut off as he came crashing through a window, slamming into me and pinning me against the opposite wall.

“Got you now!” He said before pulling his claw into a fist and sending it into the wall beside my head.

“That's what YOU think!” I yelled as I kicked him away with all four legs. His wings extended, stopping his momentum. I fired a blast of laser into him and tackled him through the window, landing on the lower level balcony. We crashed through an old wooden table and I lost my grip on him. Dust kicked up and made it hard to see. But I knew exactly where he was thanks to EFS, I ran full speed and charged into him, throwing him through another table set.

“Damn YOU!” He roared before grabbing me and flying into the air. He flew past the highest ceiling and was quickly gaining altitude before a beam lanced through both of his wings. He screeched and we both began to fall. I punched him in the face and took the opportunity to reposition myself above him before we smashed into a roof, breaking it and falling to the floor below. More dust and debris fell in after us and visibility went to shit. I coughed up some blood and wiped off the excess on a hoof.

Maybe he heard me cough, since he lunged at me through the dust, flattening me against the ground. “I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!” He screamed, raising his claws. He swiped furiously and cut into my raised arms as I defended my face. I heard the sound of wind rustling leaves, but it somehow sounded, threatening. “WHAT THE-” Gnash was cut off and his weight above me lifted.

I slowly uncovered my face, my arms bleeding heavily. I saw Gnash being lifted above me, a wooden stake piercing his chest from the back. Then I saw the rest of the creature; a giant spider made of wood and vines, its glowing green eyes tracking its newly begotten prey as it began to wrap an orange resin around Gnash's corpse. His blood dripping down onto me, I lied in awe as the beast completely encased him, attaching him to its splintered thorax before scuttling away. “Fae… you saw that too right?” I asked.

“I sure did! I also took photos if you'd like to see it again.” She said happily.

“Please no.” I said simply. I'd rather be miles away from that thing. “Fae, can you check my internals.” I said shaking off all the dust.

“It seems you have a cracked rib, it doesn't seem out of place so a healing potion should do the trick.” She told me.

“Good to hear,” I said uncorking a healing potion and drinking it. “Cuz I count that as a win in my books.”

“Done Ham has informed me that Groups A and B are almost done clearing the town. Keep up the good work!” Fae relayed to me.

“Thanks for the intel Fae.” I said taking another shot at a fleeing Guana, the beam passing through its chest and dropping it instantly.

I hope Isu is okay…

A few more minutes passed and Fae returned, “Done Ham is saying to regroup at the trucks, mission successful.”

“Alright.” I said plainly. I broke down my SAER and placed it back into the case. “Fae check can you see if Isu is okay?”

“I can check his vitals, which are stable. Does that help?” She asked.

“Yea, I guess. What about Gnash?”

“I'm not seeing any vitals but his Pipbuck tag is out of the city. Half a kilometer to be exact.”

“But that doesn't make sense.” How would he be so far out? He was just with Isu… right?

The suns rays no longer shown through the clouds, leaving us and the town in the cloud’s shadow. With daylight fading, we loaded back,onto the trucks and made our way into the town. Groups A and B had remained and began fortifying the location. Once the trucks arrived, it was all hooves and talons on deck. Floodlights brightened the area as walls and facilities were built. The night began to take over and the stars shown in the sky. Before long, Doveport had regained some of its prewar glamour.

Solani, Isu, Chaser and I had taken one of the many rooms in the local hotel. Fourth floor corner room, except it was missing a part of its corner, which we had fashioned into a small balcony. “Wow! Some day, huh you guys?” Solani said from the bunk above me.

“Sure was, soo much fun.” Chaser said sarcastically. Turns out, even if he did kill a few Guanas and be semi-competent with a firearm, security protocol stated that the gun be seized and the child returned to their family. “They took my gun! MY gun!” He protested.

“Well you know the security personnel don't really bend when it comes to the rules.” Isu stated. Which was true. Security didn't want to risk anything, after an angsty colt became hellbent on shooting up a stable because his mom didn't let him have the last cookie, true story.

“But it was mine! Isu found it for me fair and square!”

“You could probably convince them to give it back to you. I'm sure you'll be around us anyway, so you'd be our responsibility. Although you'd also have to convince your parents.” I told him.

“How about we not tell my parents?” Chaser suggested.

“How long do you think it'll take before they find out though. It's not like security is just going to leave them in the dark.” Solani said matter of factly.

“I, uh… erm. Graaghh! I HATE being a kid, I haate it.” He exclaimed. The rest of us laughing at his predicament.

“He's just a little baaby.” Solani cooed, sending another wave of laughter through the room.

“I am NOT! I'm more mature than eighty percent of kids my age!” Chaser yelled back.

I stifled a laugh, “Don’t worry, we know.” Our laughs became chuckles and soon those chuckles died down.

“Screw you guys, if you need me i'll be flying, because I can do that!” He finished before taking off through the balcony.

With no topics, I remembered something, “hey Isu, we never got around to your encounter with Gnash. What happened after I shot him down?”

He visibly shuttered, “oh, uh that. Nice shot by the way, but um, yea. After your shot clipped his wings, we crashed through a roof. I'm sure you saw that.” I nodded. “After that he got the upper hoof, err, claw, and starting slicing into my arms. Then this… thing showed hi and just, snatched him. Fae, you still have those pictures right?”

“Sure do!”

“Can you make a hologram or something with what you have?” He asked.

“Unfortunately no, not with your Pipbuck alone, however I can make a screen projection. Find a clear wall and face the Pipbuck screen towards it.” Fae told him. We found a wall, mostly clear of cracks and grime, and faced Isu’s Pipbuck towards it. The screen glowed and an image of a monstrous spider creature appeared, nearly giving Solani and I heart attacks.

“Sweet Celestia, what is that!?” Solani asked, stunned by the beast.

“I have no idea, but it reminds me of those Timber Wolves that inhabited Equestria. So maybe we can call it an Arachnivine?” Isu suggested.

“You're trying to name it,” she guffawed, “look at the size of it! It's like a huge tarantula!”

“A Treelantula.” I added.

“You can not be serious.” She sat defeated by the male mentality. “Shouldn't we be trying to warn everyone?”

“No, it would cause a panic. This is on a need-to-know basis,” I told her. “Fae, have you sent these to anyone?”

“Not yet no. Can I now!?” She asked excitedly.

“Only to the higher-ups. The Founders, the group leaders, people of that nature. Also you can stop the projection.” Isu informed her.

“Okie dokie!” the projection died and Fae probably went off to do her thing.

Solani yawned, “I think I might go to sleep soon.”

If you then while reading this I win.

The yawn spread quickly, “Nooo, I caught The Yawn!” I protested through a yawn.

“Ha, sucks for you guys. I only yawn when I want to.” Isu boasted.

“That’s *yawn* not how it works.” I corrected.

“Maybe for you, but I’ve trained for years. I am immune to The Yawn.”

“How did you *yawn* do that?” Solani asked as she laid in her bunk.

“My father’s father was a Legionnaire agent, so keeping your cool, even during interrogation, was a specialty of his. Yawning could give away a number of things, thus controlling it those secrets hidden from the enemy.” Isu explained.

“From just a *yawn* yawn? That’s crazy! What else can you control?” My voice beginning to trail off as my eyelids grew heavier.

“Well I can control most body fluids; sweat and tears, certain hormones…” Isu’s voice fading away as I fell asleep.

Footnote: Level Up!
Perk Added! Fairy Knowledge: With Fae at your side, you’ll always know something about anything. In SATS you can see the weaknesses and resistances of targeted enemies.

Thank you all so much for the support! It really means a lot. Huge thanks to fallout_equestria_official for the shout out on their Instagram. All the exposure really helps get my content to the masses. Hope you enjoyed.
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