I'm the fresh casualty of an unusually unfortunate circumstance. My lot in life, I suppose

The cloudy skies overhead were lit up in blood red glares, with hints of black as dark as the void. The air was heavy and hot with fire and ash, and reeked of decay. A violent wind howled as it pushed against me.

The trees were dead and barren like the land it stood on. Just like how I imagined the wasteland would look like before I arose from below the ground. I looked to my right to see the distant towers of Saddle; one of them leaned against the other, as it had been for two centuries.

I felt a hole in my chest, about an inch just above my heart. I had noticed that, after putting my hoof over what I imagined was a gunshot, that my coat was silver.

I looked at the ground before me and spotted a trail of blood that led through the dead woods. I started to trot forward, following the trail, as I hummed a tune.

Rocks had crumbled, trees had been torn from the dark soil, and by the looks of it, for all I knew, all of Equus was dying entirely before me.

I came to a stop at the sight of a familiar landmark, smiling, despite all the chaos and destruction around me.

Two ponies were strapped to the front of both disabled sentries, still screaming and thrashing about. The steel door of 32 was behind them. Their eyes were missing, and blood spilled from their mouth. Barbed wire wrapped around their forms, digging into their bleeding coats. Their screams were nothing I had ever heard before. Not even I had made something as horrible as the shrieks I was hearing, when the... wait, how did I even get here? I couldn't exactly remember what happened to make me come here... Nothing good, but that was about all I knew...

The screams echoed and distorted constantly, but it never died. I found myself grinning as I stared into the dark red pits where their eyes had once been.

I focused on the entrance of the stable, and spoke in a voice that wasn't my own.

"Soon..."

With that, I turned back to the trail of blood and continued following it.

As the wind roared past me in a hasty current, it started to sound more and more like the screams of millions... perhaps billions of other ponies in a never ending trip of agony. Ahead, in the distance, just a little bit over the horizon, I saw a vortex of black, and around it, a ring of red that bent upwards into the sky, made up of the clouds. White orbs raised from the earth and met there, only to get sucked in like a vacuum as the screams and shrieks went on.

My attention was diverted to the grunts and struggles of a pony in the vicinity.

I looked over at a boulder to my left, where the noise was coming from, and smirked as I calmly approached.

Making my around its mass, I came across the same, purple coated raider that had killed Para. He was beaten pretty badly, and a bullet had even clipped his ear. He looked up into my eyes with plea as I stopped before him.

"Please..." He shielded his face with a hoof, as if he was expecting to get beaten more. "Please, no more... I'm sorry..."

I simply shook my head, keeping my smile. Before too long, I found myself singing. "If you're Happy and you know it, stomp your hooves." I slammed both my forehooves down into his gut, making him cry out and spit blood; making red join the purple. "If you're Happy and you know it, stomp your hooves." I gave him another set of hoof stomps; this time, over his chest. I kept them pressed down as he wheezed and gasped for air, begging me to stop. "If you're Happy and you know it, and you really oughta show it..." I raised up on my rears, smiling down at him in a calm manner. He stared back in horror, barely audible.

"Please... no..." He whispered.

My hooves slammed down into his head, caving his face into his skull. Red stained my hooves, and I kept them dipped into his brain as I stood there, looking down at him with that calm smile.

"... If you're Happy and you know it, stomp your hooves." I finished in a soft note, before looking up at the blood red sky.

"Come on, Robutt..." I heard the familiar voice of a filly say in desperation. "Wake up..."

Something was lodged between my lips, and a tangy fluid washed down my throat, making me gag. I coughed, to which the neck of the bottle vacated the premises.

The hole in my side was gradually feeling better as I rolled over, coughing and hacking. My flank and my hooves were both starting to feel a little better as well. A little sore, maybe. But not like what it was.

I laid on my side and cracked my eyes open, only to see a set of violets looking back at me.

"Good..." She sighed and hung her head down. "You're alive."

"I thought you didn't like me." I spoke in a soft, raspy tone.

She quickly looked back into my eyes, stunned. Her mouth hung open, but nothing came out for a few seconds. "I... I don't. But letting you die wouldn't make anything right. Besides... you saved my life. Figured I owed you."

I felt my lips curl in a faint smile. "You're a good kid..." I looked down at the floor between us to see a bottle lying on its side, with a purple liquid within. Some of it had spilled out, mixing with the blood that pooled around me. "Where'd you get that?"

"Went through the vents and came across a medical bay. I thought it'd be useful along the way. Turns out I was right." She beamed at me. I wrapped a hoof around her to pull her into a hug.

She tensed up, and that grin became a grimace, which gave me pause. I took my hoof away and instead, gave her two pats on the head.

"Thanks, Flukes..." I rolled onto my back and looked up at the ceiling.

"Don't call me that."

"What, Flukes?"

She gritted her teeth and groaned in annoyance. "Yes..."

I glanced over at the door to see it was still sealed shut. "Hey, how did you get in here anyways?"

"Hm?"

I looked at her and pointed a hoof to the door. "The door. It's jammed. How did you get in here?"

"I used the vents."

... Oh.

Well, I felt stupid.

"You got yourself pretty beaten up." She stated.

"You think?" I replied in a sarcastic tone as I raised an eyebrow at her. "I totally planned on getting my gut shredded."

She gave me a more sympathetic smile and tilted her head to the side. "Do you wanna rest here for a bit?"

I nodded. "Just for a few minutes." I needed to relax a bit after what just happened.

"Alright." She stood up and made her way to the shelves. "I'm gonna look around, see if I can't find anything useful."

I continued to lie there on my back as she dug through metal scraps and broken appliances. Every so often, she'd pick something up, examine it for a few seconds, then put it to her ear and give it a shake, before muttering to herself as she tossed it behind her.

As I looked up at the ceiling, the dream I had earlier played over and over in my head. I remembered it vividly, as if it happened to me personally.

The screaming wouldn't leave... The vortex in the sky that consumed the mysterious orbs...

"Cap for your thoughts?"

"What?" I looked over to see Fluky was looking back with a curious smile. "Oh. Yeah, uh... Just a dream I had when I was... dying." I scoffed and shook my head, but she trotted to my side and sat on her haunches. Alright, I guess it was story time... "It was as real as you... As real as me..." I looked around the room. "As real as this place..."

After going into vivid detail about everything that had happened in the dream, the only reaction I got from her was a worried expression, and, "sounds like you need a therapist."

"Gee... Thanks." I rolled my eyes and sat up, groaning. My side felt stitches, but it was a lot better than feeling splinters and a giant, gaping hole in my side. I looked down to see several wooden shards lying around in the puddle. I looked at her, baffled, to which she beamed at me again, tilting her head and closing her eyes.

"Not sure if I got them all, but I tried."

"How?"

She waved her hooves around in front of her face and whispered. "Magic." Then she put her hooves down and looked more serious. "Seriously, though. Magic. Had to pull one out at a time so that I didn't end up burning my horn out, and again, I don't know if I got them all or not. But it should feel better than it did before."

"It does." I nodded with a faint smile. "Thank you again, Flukes."

She scowled. "Stop calling me that!"

"Stop calling me Robutt." I grinned.

"Never! You earned your title!" She pointed a hoof at me.

"So did you."

"I..." She froze, blinked, then shook her head. "AGH!" She huffed and pouted. "Stupid Robutt..."

"Silly Flukes." I patted her on the head again, and she swiped a hoof at mine. I pulled away before she could hit it, which earned me another scowl.

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes and started to trot back to the shelves. "Far as I know, the world is still there." She started sorting through the junk again. "Dead, but there."

I leaned my back against the wall and took a deep breath as I looked up at the ceiling again. If I went out there to find the wasteland like it was in the dream...

"Hey, Fluke..." I looked at her to see she was glaring at me. "... ey." She calmed down a little.

"What?"

"Can you give me a radio? I need to check something."

"They're busted." She stated, looking at a pile that she had categorized from the rest of the crap here.

"Yes, I know. In that case, give me a few."

She raised an eyebrow, and I grabbed the rolled up fabric of tools and put them on display before me.

She grabbed one and set it down next to me, then went back for another, and another.

For a while, I stared at the three of them; studying their frame, wiring, and circuitry. The one on the far right was the better of the three when it came to operational value. There were a few things that needed fixing, but it didn't seem to be too much of a problem, and the other radios supplied the parts I needed to replace the ones that were too damaged in the radio I selected for repair.

Seriously, what was wrong with this stable when it came to broken radios? It was like somepony absolutely hated them.

Where one of the spare radios didn't have a functional system that I needed, then the other usually did. When it didn't, I sent Fluky to hunt for another radio.

By the time I was theoretically done fixing the device, there were up to nine spares lying around me. Clearly, I had underestimated how this was going to go. Still, I hadn't dropped a bead of sweat or show even a hint of frustration.

"Here goes..." I said, about to flick the switch up with my hoof. Before I could, Fluky flinched and ducked behind a mound of metal scrap she had made in her search for useful tech. There was nothing that caught her attention.

I looked over with a raised brow. "What gives?"

She peeked her head out from the mound. "For all I know, you're a horrible repair pony. I'm not getting my face blown off because you put a wire in the wrong area." She ducked her head behind the detritus once more.

I sighed and rolled me eyes, before flicking the switch. "Nice to know you have faith in me..." The light within the radio flickered to life, and a gentle static filled the room.

Fluky peeked her head out once more; this time, only to her eye level.

"Alright, do you remember the channel that Para was always on? Maybe the DJ can give us some insight on the surface."

"I don't remember..." She said as she kept her distance.

"I never bothered to look..." I sighed and started turning the dial. There was nothing but static on the waves.

Still, I kept going back and forth in the desperate hope that I'd find something out there. I needed to hear that the surface wasn't what it was like in the dream. It was probably just paranoia, but it could have also been something else. Something more. All I could do was hope it wasn't.

It didn't matter, though... No matter how slow I turned the dial, no matter how many times I went back, it wasn't there. Nothing was.

It was all dead...

This wasn't important right now, anyways... If worse came to worse, I'd deal with it later. In the meantime, I had to focus on our survival in 32.

"Come on out, Fluky." I said with a smile, turning up the volume of static.

She started to step out from the cover and warily approach.

"See?" I pointed at the radio. "It works just fi-" Suddenly, the machine popped in front of me in a flash of white. My ears rang. I couldn't see. There was a sharp pain in my chest, about an inch above my heart, just like in the dream. I felt the cold surface of the floor pressed up against my back.

I felt myself screaming, and not long after, I heard said screams, though they were muffled.

I moved my hoof around my chest, only to feel a jagged tooth of shrapnel lodged in. A second later, I felt Fluky's hooves over mine. She seemed to be trying to pull them away from the piece of metal that stuck out of me. I did what I assumed she wanted me to do, to which I felt her grab a hold of the shrapnel.

Before I could think about what was going to happen, she yanked hard, and the jagged edge left my body as I cried out in agony. Those cries were quickly interrupted with the neck of a bottle to my lips. The rest of its contents washed down my throat.

The wound started to close, and my vision started to come back, as did my hearing.

"Well, that's twice I saved you." She stated, looking down at me as she set an empty bottle down.

"Three times, actually." I muttered, moving my hoof over my chest. There wasn't even a scar left. "You're forgetting about the motel." I rolled over on my stomach and stood up on all fours. I was definitely feeling better at this point. Not just in my chest, but everywhere. Both hooves were back to working order, my flank wasn't on fire, and while I still felt a few things left in my side, it wasn't all that painful. Uncomfortable, maybe. But not painful. "I owe you, Fluky. Thank you."

"You're right." She said with a blank expression. "You do. You've owed me since Saddle." She tore her eyes away from mine after a few seconds, and looked down at the radio. "So does this mean you're a bad repair pony?"

"No." I shook my head hard, glad that the topic was changed. "Some tech shouldn't be messed with, is all. I know my way around a radio."

"Uh huh... Sure you do." She looked up at me skeptically, then nodded her head to the vent behind the pile of boxes that the Gutsy sprang out from. "Ready to hit it, then? Or do you need more time?"

"Just give me a second. I need to do something."

She nodded, then sat on her haunches, waiting quietly.

I stretched my legs and groaned, before releasing a satisfied sigh. I got back into my armor, packed up the tools, loaded in a fresh clip to the pistol, resupplied the old one, and holstered the gun. I slipped the spare in the pouch with the rest of the ammo, and the other spare.

The barding had a slit in its side, and my blood had painted the area around it. The rest of it was fine, so there was no reason to leave it behind. Just needed to be more cautious and aware of my surroundings. Not many ponies got second chances. Wait, would this be my third chance? Those weird smoke monsters back at the towers made me think so.

I looked at her once I knew I had everything and gave her a single nod. "Let's go."

The air ducts were a bit of a tight squeeze for me, and the armor and gear wasn't helping in the slightest. Fluky, however, was doing just fine. Being smaller had its benefits, I guess.

I had noticed that she slipped the baton into the ammo pouch of my armor; the end sticking out.

Throughout our claustrophobic expedition, every once in a while, we'd come across a grate that led down to a room or corridor in the residential wing of the stable. Every so often, we'd see a sentry, Handy, or Gutsy patrolling the area or just sitting there, doing nothing.

There was a room I wanted to stop to drop down in, after seeing three health potions and a rifle locked away in a cabinet, along with three magazines. It was a living quarter, and the cabinet was left alone in the master bedroom, which remained wide open, taunting me.

However, a Gutsy appeared to be guarding it. I didn't want to deal with that again... I felt a twinge of pain in my gut just looking at it.

As painful as it was to leave that equipment behind, it was probably for the best. At least, for the time being. I needed to play it smart. I'd go back if I found my chances of survival increase. Though, that was unlikely. Not impossible... Just unlikely.

Gunfire echoed through the stable suddenly, causing both Fluky and I to look at one another with concern. There were faint shouts and orders behind those shots, along with the deep, metallic voices of sentries, and the cries of a war general offering nothing but death to whoever they were screaming at.

"Keep going." I said, tapping Fluky on the shoulder.

She flinched, glanced back at me with worry, then resumed her crawl. I followed close behind. It appeared the Gutsy guarding the cabinet wasn't going to move for anything.

The farther we traveled, the louder the shots became, respectively. The shaft eventually brought us closer to the ground, and not long after, we reached a grate that gave us a view of a firefight occurring in a corridor. I couldn't see who was shooting at who, but judging by the voices, I had a pretty good idea.

It went to show that traveling through the ducts was a much safer bet than the alternative.

Fluky crossed the vent and turned around to look through, giving me room so that I could see what was happening as well.

A sentry rolled down the plant infested hallway, spraying gatling laser ahead, while the Gutsy covered it with plasma fire.

"DO NOT RESIST." The sentry bellowed as it pushed forward.

Before I knew it, Bloodwing launched forward and ripped the sentry's head clean off its body, then threw it at the Gutsy that was approaching from behind the machine.

"FUCK YOU!" She screamed, knocking the Gutsy back. She blasted both the decapitated sentry and the stunned Gutsy unit with the barrels of her battle saddle. The time gap between each thunderous shot was maybe half a second. It left my ears ringing. Fluky too, I imagined. The world may have well been tearing apart from its shots.

Both of the machines went limp and died out fairly quick, which only made me want those guns. Shame I wasn't a pegasus...

She spun around, glaring back at the crew that approached. "Hurry your ass up!"

Several ponies wasted no time running past her in a panic as she resumed fire down the way she came.

There was a series of hissings and growls, but it wasn't like the roots. There was a rattling behind these ones.

Bloodwing started backing up as she opened fire on the mysterious sound. Sting stopped at her side, levitated his rifle, and started emptying his magazine on whatever was down there.

"Agh, fuck!" Bloodwing's guns started turning red around the barrels, and smoke started to emerge from her wings from the heat. "There's too many!" She started backing up again, as the remaining of the crew fled past them.

"Go." Sting said in a calm manner that I could barely hear, before he turned around and ran. Bloodwing stood there and glared ahead as her guns cooled down.

One final raider; the grey coated griffin that threw Fluky down on the ground when she ripped his feathers out, flew forward to catch up with the rest. A series of grey, almost moldy vines snapped forward, grabbing his wings and grounding him right before Bloodwing, who jumped back; her jaw dropped.

He cried out in fear as he attempted crawling forward, but more vines came and wrapped around his form, one limb at a time. He looked up at Bloodwing for help, but she closed her beak and shook her head slowly. His eyes grew wide in terror.

"You or me." She smiled faintly, then glanced at the creature that had him in custody. Looking back down at him, she continued. "Thanks for the sacrifice." With that, she spun around and flew off.

"No! Come back! Don't leave me here with these things! PLEASE! Kill me!"

A grey, severely injured... 'pony' stumbled forward; the vines coming from both of its sides. It took me a moment to realize that there was barely any fur left. A series of holes had dug into the skin. Where there wasn't holes, there were cysts and warts, some of which pulsated, as if ready to burst. Its green, glowing eyes stared down at its prey as it hissed; baring a set of black, thin fangs. It stepped over him as he begged and fought to get away, then came to a stop.

Its abdomen split open down the middle, and several other tendrils - these ones red and dripping - spilled out like guts, before snaking their way around the griffin's form as he screamed from pure horror.

A few of them had silenced him by securely wrapping around his neck, choking him. He tried using his talons to cut through them, but they had been apprehended before any major damage could be inflicted.

A larger tendril with a pod at the end emerged. The pod opened like a gory, slimy flower, and several dozen smaller tendrils slithered out from the center as it got closer to the griffin's beak. He fought to turn away, squeeling at this point.

Another tendril came down from the insides of the monster and wrapped around the top of his head, keeping it in place as the suction launched forward. It wrapped around his beak and pumped violently, as if it were force feeding him something.

His squirming body was lifted up into the split abdomen, before it sealed back up. Several others like it moved forward after the group of raiders that had left behind one of their own.

The bulge inside the monster squirmed around, trying to break free. I could still hear his muffled cries...

They weren't good people. They were raiders. They killed, raped, defiled, and pillaged.

But no one... no one deserved the kind of fate that I had just witnessed. I didn't fully understand what was happening in there, and I was okay with that.

I heard a shudder, and looking over at Fluky, I saw her looking away from the grate, crying softly to herself.

I carefully reached my hoof out and placed it on her shoulder, but she only gasped and flinched away. She looked back at me with eyes of terror. It was worse than when I saw her behind the couch, or pinned by the raiders.

Far worse.

She may have just seen a glimpse of hell.

Tears ran down her cheeks. I could hear it in her whimpered breaths. Could see it in her eyes. She was doing all she could to not break down completely from what she just witnessed. She did all she could to not make a sound, and while she failed at that, none of them had noticed.

I mouthed the words 'keeping going' and glanced to the left once more. The creature that had abducted the griffin continued to stand still. Its hooves seemed to be growing into the ground like roots.

She turned back around and resumed her crawl, therefore allowing me to move forward. She was shaking.

I was too...

Not too far ahead was an incline back toward the ceiling. I could only assume that the vent we had stopped at was an access point for maintenance, in case there was something wrong with the ventilation, back when this stable was... well, I had doubts that this place was ever normal. I guess the most accurate word for this was... living?

After a few minutes of venturing the ducts, she turned to me again and pointed down at a vent before her, then mouthed the word 'in.'

I listened closely, but couldn't hear the whirring of machinery. The hissing in the background made it hard to determine whether or not there was any of those abominations wherever that vent led to.

I squeezed forward, to which Fluky groaned in disgust. This duct was too small for the two of us...

"Ever hear of personal space?"

"Shush." I replied quickly, looking down through the grate. There was a bed directly below us. I didn't see anything moving down there.

I moved the vent aside, rolled onto my back, and peeked into the room; my head upside down. The bedroom was empty of any life; hostile or otherwise.

It was surprisingly cleaner than everything else I had seen, so far. A bookshelf stood tall next to the exit, and the books were neatly organized, instead of thrown about. It was... uncanny, seeing something so tidy in a place like this.

I looked back at a flustered Fluky and nodded, then slid the vent aside completely.

Fluky peeked her head down into the room for a few seconds, scanning the perimeter, before dropping down and landing on the mattress. The springs creaked in protest. She hopped off the double bed and sat on the floor, panting under her breath and shaking.

I dropped down on the bed with a bit more noise than Fluky had made, but it went unnoticed. I got off and sat beside her.

"What..." She choked. "What w-was that...?"

"I don't know..." I said softly, still worried about making any noise.

"That's been... that's been living under us all this time..." She winced as tears fought themselves free, and she hissed from the burn. "That's been under... under us..." She looked up at me with dread. "I want to get out of here... I don't want to be here... I don't-" A sudden stream of tears broke loose, and she with it, shaking even more than she had been earlier.

I put my arm around her and drew her in close. I had expected her to push me away, but to my surprise, she buried her head in my armored chest, weeping.

My jaw dropped for a few seconds, before I snapped it back shut and started to remove my armor. She looked up at me with fear and curiosity mixed, and I leaned my back against the bed, reaching out both hooves, after I had finished taking the armor off.

She nodded and came to me, and I lifted her up in my arms, cradling her as she buried her muzzle in the coat of my chest, allowing me to offer something a lot more than a cold, rough barding.

I could still hear the monsters outside. It didn't put either of us at ease, but instead, made things worse for the both of us. She couldn't stop crying, and I couldn't stop assuming the worst for us.

"I don't want to die..." She whimpered. "I don't want what happened out there to happen to me... or even you..."

I looked down at her coolly, but remained quiet.

"Don't let that happen... Don't let it... Don't leave me..."

"Shh..." I gently rubbed my hoof through her mane as I whispered. "I'm not going anywhere... I'm right here..."

She closed her eyes and continued to shudder as I sat there, holding her close. I didn't know what we were doing. I didn't know if I was waiting for the next bad thing to happen. Something breaking in and killing us all...

The Gutsy was a much better way to go than the latter.

Beyond the gate of the dry, barren park, was a forest of gore and rot. The trees weren't that of bark, but instead, the bloody coats of ponies. Bones stuck out like branches, covered in red. The air was heavy with the acrid scent of decay. Ponies of all ages hung by their necks from the 'branches,' via a noose made of intestines.

The howls of the wind blew past, heading for the vortex in the sky, behind me.

I took a deep breath of air and exhaled, as if I were enjoying a fresh spring, before trotting further into the forest, towards the towers in the distance.

I opened my eyes, looking ahead at the closed door. The lights in the bedroom were still working fine, so I wasn't worried about anything being in here with us.

I hadn't realized that I had fallen asleep here. I suppose that the stillness of the room had gotten to me.

I yawned and looked down at Fluky, who remained snuggled up to me, fast asleep.

The hissing of the monsters outside was at the same volume as before, when we got in here. There were far too many to deal with, judging by how many I heard out there. I couldn't put it in numbers. That didn't really matter at this point. We were both screwed if we went out there. There had to be another way out. That, or we just waited until they all passed by... But who knew how long that would take.

I gently lifted Fluky up off of me. She reached out her hooves and groaned softly under her breath, trying to grab a hold of me again. Her arms waved around a bit.

I smiled softly and gently laid her down on the bed I had been leaning my back against for the better part of... however long we were sleeping here. She rolled over on her side and curled up as I pulled the blanket over her tiny form.

We were stuck here for however long it took for a horde to pass through, so I may as well have started searching the place for anything good.

The dresser consisted of nothing more than clothing of a pre war time, and a few bits. That was all but useful, so I moved on to a desk in the opposite corner of the room. Inside was a series of paperwork, and the surface of it provided just as much yawn material as what was in the desk's drawers.

The bookshelf was more medical encyclopedias than fiction... YAWN!

I looked to the door, listening to the hisses. After about a minute of putting all my attention on it, I had noticed they weren't coming from the other side of the door. Only the vent.

I turned back to the sleeping filly with a somber expression, before turning back to the door and pressing my hoof on the panel.

It slid open before me with ease, like it was supposed to, and I was greeted by a living room. There were a few plants here and there; many of which were actually potted. Somehow, after all this, they had managed to stay alive. Other than the few unwelcome plants, this place seemed pretty normal. Smelled musty, but it wasn't too bad.

There were two couches on one side, a jukebox - which, of course, was broken - a desk in the far left corner, behind one of the couches, and atop that, a terminal that still looked functional. Well... the frame looked good, anyways. Who knew what the inside looked like...

Nevertheless, that was the first thing I approached. I pressed the tip of my hoof against the power button. The insides whirred and clicked, and the screen slowly lit up.

The glowing, green text disappeared, and in its place, came a password entry.

"Damn it..." I muttered, thumping my head against the keyboard.

I was a repair pony... Not a hacker.

Wait...

I lifted my head from the keyboard and stared at the series of dots that filled the task bar. Luck had seemed to be on our side a lot of times. Maybe my head slam had put in the right password!

I grinned at the idea and hit 'enter.'

That grin vanished, and my shoulders slumped in disappointment.

Okay... Think... Think...

I rubbed the tips of my fores over my temple in a circular motion and closed my eyes for a few seconds, before opening them again and looking around the wooden desk. 'Kay... my thinking cap is on and ready to... uh... think.

Yeah, okay...

Lamp... no.

Phone? Doubt it.

I froze when my eyes came across a framed photo; the picture face down on the dusty surface.

I lifted it up to discover that this 'Petiole' had a special somepony in their life. She held her lover in a comforting embrace as they held a kiss that lasted until the end of time. Her eyes were closed, as were his. They were lost in that moment. Lost in each other. Nothing else mattered in that moment. They had each other. That was all they cared about.

The picture must have been taken before the bombs, seeing as they stood in a wooded area. Beautiful, green life flourished around them, and the sun shined down on the two lovebirds.

She had a tan coat, and he, a light grey. Her bangs curled at the end, just above her eyes, and her mane was the color of snow. His remained straight, but stayed about the same length as hers; it being a much darker shade of grey than his coat.

They looked happy. They looked like they were...

Hm...

I put the picture down and typed in 'love,' then hit enter.

A smaller message appeared under the password bar, which read 'INVALID ENTRY.'

I typed 'lover,' then hit enter again.

I hit 'Y,' then read the following message that popped up below the password entry.

Something lost, and never to be found...? Well, that was vague. A lot of things could have been lost. Was she talking about something of hers, personally, or the war, or what? Ugh... I was horrible at this.

Hope? Peace? Love? No wait, I already tried that... Happiness? Sweet Celestia, was I always this depressing...? Uhhh... House keys! Is it house keys? Everyone loses house keys! I typed it in.

... Nope.

... Not house keys.

Sanity? I was certainly losing mine, trying to figure out how to unlock this damn terminal.

"Agh!" I slammed my head against the keyboard. "I just! Want to! Know! What's! Inside!" With each pause, I smacked my head against the keys. It was started to hurt... Probably best to stop... What the hell was happening to me...?

Despite my frustration, I spoke in a hushed tone.

A pony with passwords is a pony of secrets, but not if I can help it! I wanted to know what happened here to cause all the shit out there to exist. Maybe I could find a weakness against the monsters out there, if I opened this up.

I opened the desk drawers and started digging through the papers again. Everything here was just paperwork and documents on patients.

And then I found it...

I looked down at a small photo of Petiole sitting beside her lover, pointing a hoof at her overgrown tummy and grinning. The stallion smiled thoughtfully as he glanced down at their future. They were going to have a baby.

I gently put the photo down where I found it, as if it were fragile, then quietly closed the drawer. I stared back at the screen and typed my next answer.

I took a deep breath as I continued to stare at the screen. Eventually, the message vanished, and a new one appeared.

Well... if it wasn't one thing... it was another.

I sighed and slumped in my seat, pouting.

Of course it wasn't going to be this 'easy...' It never was.

"Ro-Robutt?" I heard Fluky say in a panicked tone, in the other room. "Robutt, where are you?" She started to raise her voice out of fear of being left behind.

I jumped to my hooves and ran to the other room, stopping in the doorway.

She was sitting up straight, pressed up in the corner, holding the blanket up to her neck, as if it would keep the monsters away.

The fear etched onto her face quickly vacated the premises once she laid eyes on me, and sighed with relief. "I thought you were gone..."

I smiled softly and calmly approached, then sat at the side of the bed. "Never. Not until you want me to be."

She looked around her surroundings, then down at the blanket with a slightly confused look, to which I replied.

"I figured you'd want to keep sleeping, so I tucked you in."

She looked up at me and gave a wan smile, after putting the blanket down and shifting out of the corner. "Thanks, Robutt."

"Are you gonna keep calling me that?"

She nodded. "Yep."

"I'm still a butt, then?"

She gave me another short nod. "Yep."

"So, I guess this means that everything that comes out of my mouth is shit."

She giggled softly and rolled her eyes. "Well, I wouldn't say that. You're sincere. I can see it. And... you mean well."

We both went silent as the hissing and growling outside started to gradually get quieter.

"Sounds like they're finally starting to pass." I said softly, looking up at the vent. I stood up and started to put the security barding back on. "Chances are they'll be blocking the exit of the stable, though."

"So, what are we going to do?" Fluky asked, turning her head from the vent and back to me.

"What we came here to do." I slipped the helmet on; my visor tinting my vision just a little as I looked at Fluky. "Search and rescue." With that, I started for the exit.

"So this isn't about supplies anymore?"

I paused and glanced back. "Well... that too. Just not my top priority at the moment..."

"Whenever you're ready." She spoke with determination, and I looked over to see the most sincere smile I've seen from her for the entire time I've known her.

That warmed my heart.

The door slid open before us, and we both stepped out into a corridor littered with spent shell casings, burnt energy cartridges, destroyed turret parts, and a lot of vegetation. The hissing was a lot quieter, and I wasn't witnessing any traffic coming through. Still, as a precaution, we kept quiet.

I started for the left, towards a four way intersection, where I imagined the raiders ran, and ultimately, where the fungal specimens stumbled off to.

Coming to a stop just before stepping out into the open, I peeked around the corner, to my right; to where the creatures went. I didn't see any movement, and the hissing was only growing more distant, so I turned to the left to see a sentry in the middle of the corridor, at the far end.

Instinct had me tense up and freeze. My heart started pounding again. Any more of this, and I imagined I'd have to be worrying about heart failure.

After a few seconds of staring, wide-eye'd, I discovered it was broken down. The lights were out, and it wasn't emitting any noise. It wasn't going to be a problem.

I sighed and hung my head down, smiling softly to myself and shaking my head, before I turned and looked at her. She raised a brow at me, clearly wondering what was going on with me.

"I... may or may not have PTSD from robots, now."

"PTS... huh?" She wrinkled her nose and frowned.

"Post traumatic stress." I answered simply, looking back at the broken mech. "Something you get when you face something terrible."

"Like hearing your family, friends, and home getting destroyed?"

"Er... yeah..." I paused, wearing guilt on my features. I couldn't bear to look at her at that time. Not after what she said... Why did she have to remind me...? "Like that..."

I started walking down the corridor, towards the sentry. Fluky stayed by my side. "So what's the D stand for?"

"D?" I kept my eyes forward.

"Yeah. PSD, or whatever you called it."

"Disorder."

"What?"

"Post traumatic stress disorder. PTSD." I walked past the expired sentry, watching it closely, half expecting it to come back to life and start firing at us.

I had noticed that the creature that abducted the griffin was nowhere to be found. Perhaps it had moved on with the rest of the horde, after a while.

We moved on with, thank Celestia, no problems.

So far...

On our way through the residential section of 32, we encountered several other fungal creatures that had succumbed to heavy gunfire. Even then, we took extra caution making our way around them. We knew nothing of these things. For all we knew, they were just sleeping and waiting for someone to make a noise or inspect them.

The farther we got, the bigger the body count became. We had to hug the right wall for a while, then the left, then the right, and so forth. It was a labyrinth of corpses. Make the wrong move and... well, I didn't want to think about that.

It was getting problematic for us, to say in the least. More so, for Fluky. She had to jump over any and all appendages that lay sprawled along the floor, in front of her path. All I had to do was step over them.

Being bigger had its benefits, too.

I turned around and looked at her as she stood there, panting from the constant leaps. She looked up at me, then looked down at the thick tendril before her, then back up at me.

I lifted her up and put her on my back. Navigating through this wasn't too much of a problem for me. I just had to be careful not to bump into anything, and consider each and every path to take.

Thankfully, she didn't protest against it. On the contrary, actually. She seemed to have welcomed it.

Continuing on our way, I had to divert from the wall again, due to a pile of bodies that lied against it, therefore blocking my path.

Zig zagging through the corridor took a lot longer, but there was no way I was going to risk it. We were still getting somewhere. It was just taking a lot longer than I would have liked.

Ahead of us was another four way intersection, and straight ahead, beyond said intersection, was a large, more complicated door than the ones I had been dealing with earlier. There was a flickering, dirt covered sign that read 'LIBRARY.'

As much as I loved books, I didn't have time to stop and check out their selection.

I proceeded, and one hoof forward had a turret drop down from the ceiling. I nearly jumped out of my hide from the surprise. I was ready to turn around and make a run for it. I'd have brought Fluky to my front to shield her from the imminent attack, once I turned. It quickly spun around, aimed at me, and...

Clicked.

Over and over again, in a rapid annoyance, it clicked at me, refusing to give up its aggression.

Looking around my surroundings, I found that none of the bodies moved or made any noise.

"I guess we're safe..." I spoke quietly, as I looked behind us.

Fluky looked around at the corpses for a bit, before focusing on me. "Can I still stay up here? I don't want to touch them..."

Focusing back on her, I nodded and smiled faintly. "Of course you can." Turning back to the clicking turret that tried in desperate attempts to kill us, I continued. "Looks like it ran out of ammo."

"Gee, I wouldn't have guessed!" She said in a sarcastic tone that had me roll my eyes. "Do you have to state the obvious?"

"Probably." I replied. "Oh, I guess I must have triggered it through proximity! What else could have made it come dow-"

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up." I heard a faint giggle in that voice.

With that, I continued on my way.

The turret followed my movement, still peppering me with imaginary bullets as I passed by.

I stopped before stepping out into the open, as I had been doing whenever we came across an intersection, then peeked my head out and looked both ways.

The left route was blocked by a mountain of lockers, tables, chairs, and dressers.

The right, however, was open to us.

The ground wasn't littered with corpses as much, this way, either. Several dismantled Handy and Gutsy units lied about, however. I could only assume this was Bloodwing's handiwork. Made sense. She appeared to be the more brutal one of that group. It went without saying that they were all aggressive on some level. But Bloodwing... she had pent up anger issues. Not even Sting seemed all that bad. If anything, he was the most considerate of the lot, and that was saying something.

He spared Fluky the trauma and humiliation though. That had to mean something. Maybe he was just a little more decent than the rest? Maybe something happened? Fuck if I knew...

He most definitely wasn't good. But he was reasonable. I wasn't sure if that was good, or if that made him the most dangerous one of that group...

I turned right and started down the only real option we had. The library certainly wasn't going to do.

The corridor turned left at the end. To me, that meant progress.

I stopped at the rolling of wheels, and looking ahead, I noticed the right wall at the far end started to glow red.

I pulled out the pistol from its holster and aimed at where the sentry was going to come from. I didn't know how good a ten mil was going to do against one, but I needed to go this way, and I was tired of the shit in this stable.

... Okay, was it just me, or was it a bit louder than the usual...?

The front half a voluminous, buffer sentry rolled into view. Its protective plating was a polished grayish silver, and between said plating, was a bright green glow. I didn't see any damage inflicted on the machine, after it rolled into the corridor in full view. It was maybe twice the size of a normal one...

It stopped and started to turn. There was no way I could take this on...

I turned and booked it, keeping Fluky on my back. It didn't see me yet, but it was about to if I didn't hurry. If so, I'd bring in her front, just like with the turret. I didn't want her getting hurt...

I could barely live with what I did to her town, as it was.

Just as I turned right, into the hall that led to the library, I heard the sentry speak in a loud, booming volume that put the other sentries to shame.

"SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY DETECTED. INVESTIGATING."

Shit... Shit, shit, shit!

Its wheels started rolling down the corridor again.

I ran for the large, glorified door that led to the library, and hit the button beside it. The locks clicked, and the wheel in the center started to turn, allowing two bars in the mechanism to sink in the ground, while two others raised up into the ceiling. Both sides of the door folded in on themselves and slid into the walls, and only after, did the steel slab in the center slide into the slot in the ground, where two of the four bars hid.

To my surprise, it had actually opened with no problems. But in doing so, it created a lot of noise, as the metal had grinded on each other obnoxiously, causing both Fluky and I to cringe.

I ran inside with no hesitation, spun around - and nearly knocking Fluky off my back in the process - and hit the switch on the other side. As the door reversed its animation, I saw the sentry's red glare, and then the front half of it rolled into view once again. That green glow between the plating had changed to a dark blue.

... And then the door jammed on itself before it could close entirely.

"No, no, no!" I whispered. "Don't do that!"

The sentry started to turn to face us, and I quickly hid behind the center slab that came up about halfway. Fluky jumped off and hid underneath me just as the red glare swept over the slab. A beam of red struck the floor of the library's entrance. We were hidden within the space of the small rectangle of shadow that the slab had created. If she had stayed up there for a second longer, that would have been it for her.

Both sides of the walls were blocked by bookshelves, so those weren't options when it came to hiding elsewhere.

The machine stopped on the other side of the door. I knew it, because its wheels stopped moving just before hitting the other end. Admittedly, they were a bit squeaky.

For moments, we sat there, waiting for it to leave, but it seemed it wasn't going to leave us alone. The tension was getting unbearable... If only getting up and yelling at it to fuck off would actually work...

After what felt like forever, the sphere-like wheels started moving again, and after a few seconds, I peeked around the corner to see it was turning around and heading back down the corridor, therefore giving up its search. Judging by how big it was, there was no way it could fit through the doorframe.

"Ha... Dumb bitch..." I muttered, once it started heading down the way we came, passing the intersection.

I stood up and shook my head, thumping my hoof against the door, annoyed that it didn't close when I needed it to.

It slid closed as easily as it had opened, from there.

That one hit... just one... fucking... hit... and it fixed the jam right up...

I sighed with resigned anger and turned away from it, looking around the room.

The library was probably the cleanest part of this stable when it came to vegetation. But there were books and binders littered around the desk that formed a circle in the center of the room. Certain parts of the walls and floors were stained with brown splotches for obvious reasons, as there were a few skeletons of ponies either under the splashes on the walls, or over the dried up pools on the floor. They were only located towards the center of the room, by the looks of it.

But there were no plants here. No plants whatsoever. And I didn't hear or see any machines here. I wanted to believe we were safe here, but... but I've been wrong before.

I stepped forward, towards a flickering terminal on the surface of the desk in the center. Just like almost every other technological system here, this was useless.

I turned right, first. There was a series of aisles, most of which were left unlabeled. The final six, at the very far end of the long stretch of walkway, had labels, but I couldn't make them out just yet.

Looking to the left, I found more aisles. Reaching the end would take maybe three to four minutes, due to the length between me and it. Both sides were clean of any bodies, which was definitely a nice change of scenery. No bones. No corpses. No old blood stains. Just a few binders and books lying scattered around. I was grateful that the rest of the room wasn't as messy as the center.

There were five labels for the shelves closest to me, but beyond that, it was bare.

M.E.A. -2066

M.E.A. -2067

M.E.A. -2068

M.E.A. -2069

M.E.A. -2070

"Stay here, Fluky..." I said under my breath, before turning around and took a few steps forward, only to stop at the edge of the right aisle. I stared at the far end, looking for any movement; listening for any sound. The room had an old book smell, and nothing more than that. Everything was quiet, save for my breathing. I didn't see anything move. Even between the empty shelves.

Still... I didn't trust anything.

"Come on out!" I shouted in a muffled tone, biting down hard on the grip of the pistol as I kept it aimed forward.

Nothing.

I turned and looked down the other end. In the process, I saw Fluky giving me a worried look. I ignored it and kept to my own business.

"Show yourself!"

"Robutt!" Fluky hissed in a hushed tone.

I glanced over, then looked back down the hall. "What'll it be!?"

She trotted up to me. "Robutt, stop. There's nothing here."

I looked to her, then back to both sides of the library. "Just... wait here. I'm gonna scope the place out, make sure everything is safe..."

"What's wrong with you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "There's nothing here." She started to raise her voice.

"Better safe than sorry..." I muttered as I started for the right side of the library.

She groaned in frustration and leaned against the desk.

Minutes had gone by where I quietly walked forward, looking through each individual aisle I passed by, ready to shoot anything that moved. I didn't know how much time had passed, but I could tell Fluky was getting impatient.

The labels for the right side of the library consisted of five 'L.E.A.'s,' and the last aisle read 'FICTION.' The aisle opposite of that was too tattered and scratched up to read.

With nothing on the L.E.A. side, I turned and doubled back for the M.E.A section. As I started to reach the center of the room, Fluky looked at me with a bored expression. "You done yet?"

I shook my head, and she sighed and smacked the back of her head against the desk behind her. She rubbed the back of it with her hoof as she closed her eyes tight. "Okay, ouch..."

I continued on my way.

Left, nothing. Right, nothing. Moving on.

Left, nothing. Right, nothing. Moving on...

I kept moving forward ever so slowly, being thorough in my search for other hostile life. I didn't want anymore surprises jumping out at me and ripping my gut open... again.

Eventually, I had reached the end, then doubled back to the center once more.

"Okay, now I'm done." I holstered the pistol.

"And?" She looked on with irritation.

"And you were right. Nothing is here. I just needed to be sure."

"You called out to nothing, Robutt!" She threw her arms up in the air. "And nothing came out. I swear, you're just wasting time now. Was that not evidence enough?"

"Guess not." I answered, giving her a simple look.

"What's going on?" She asked in a more serious note, but willing to listen. "You've been acting strange."

I sighed and looked over to the door. "I'm guessing we're not going back out that way. But I found a vent we can use down there." I pointed my hoof towards the L.E.A. side.

"Don't change the subject." She glared and stood up on all fours, inches from my muzzle, once I turned to look back at her. "What's going on with you?"

I sat down and took a deep breath. "Doesn't really matter what's going on with me."

"Stop with the self pity and answer me!"

I hung my head down for a few seconds and sighed, before looking deep into her eyes, then spoke in a somber tone. "I don't trust anything anymore. I've been out here for a little over a week, and I don't trust anything." My answer softened her glare. "I lost trust in the Steel Rangers that I once called family. I lost trust for my own sister. I lost trust for pretty much everything... But worst of all, I lost trust in myself..."

"What are you talking about?" She asked in a more calm, understanding tone.

"My people killed yours. I helped. It all happened so fast, and I couldn't think straight... I got Para killed over my plans to come here, and you were almost..." I stopped myself. I didn't want to say that word. I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want to even think it. "And now we're stuck down here, in a stable filled with... whatever the fuck those things are out there, and a bunch of violent tech. I brought us here, because all I wanted to do was help someone, and who knows if they're even alive anymore. Fluky, I messed up. And now we're gonna die down here, because of my own stupid plan to save a pony that's most likely a pile of bones, or one of those things shambling around out there."

And here I was, venting to a filly whose life I destroyed.

Sweet Celestia, I was a goddess damned mess...

I closed my eyes and hung my head down, sighing. I fought my tears. I didn't want to cry. Not because I was a full grown stallion, and crying was considered 'weak' to the male spectrum. No, crying was for everyone, regardless of gender or age. It was a healthy venting source. I didn't want to cry, because I didn't deserve it. And so I did everything in my power to stop it from happening. I was not going to play the victim...

Especially in front of the victim...

I felt a hoof touch my shoulder, and opening my eyes, I saw Fluky's, staring back at mine.

"We're not dead yet, Robutt." She smiled softly. "I know I can't do much, but for what it's worth, I got your back. So long as you got mine."

I smiled back faintly and scoffed, nodding. "You're too smart for your own good, Flukes..." I took her hoof in both of mine, gently squeezing it for reassurance.

And then, while still keeping that smile up, she responded with four words.

"Don't call me that."

I chuckled softly and sat up. "Well, I guess we could take a break here. Wait for things to die down outside a bit. Then move again."

"Sounds like a plan." Fluky looked around. "Mind if I check out some of the books here?"

I turned to the L.E.A. section. Each binder had a lockbox underneath it, in a smaller shelf. "Afraid most of the stuff here is just binders for... whatever this place was used for. But I saw a fiction section at the far end that you can check out."

She nodded, then started to run for the fiction aisle like a filly eager to see her friend after a day of chores.

I laughed a little as I watched her go for it. She occasionally almost slipped on a paper or a binder that had been knocked down off a shelf, but she kept going.

I followed her to the end, but kept myself at a nice trot, until I reached the 2066 aisle.

The left seemed to start off closer to the beginning of the year, while the right reached for the end.

Respectively, I went for the left. Perhaps I'd find something out about this place, for once. Maybe, if I was lucky, find out what happened here.

I went for the end of the aisle, where it started a little before what was once Nightmare Night.

Like most of my knowledge of the past, I obtained it through books. Lots of books. I had a curious mind for what life was like back then.

Some of the binders were missing from the shelves, which I assumed were mixed with others, on the floor. I couldn't go in exact order, but that was fine. I wasn't planning on reading them all, anyways. That would take far too much time that we probably didn't have.

Despite it being close to the ending of the year, they had a lot to say. I imagine I would too, if I was in their situation.

Each binder had a date printed on the side, and so I picked the one that was closest to when the bombs dropped. It wasn't the exact date, and I'm sure they didn't even do anything on that day. They must have all been in shock.

This date was on the 28th. A few days before Nightmare Night.

I sat down and opened the binder, starting from the first page.

:Lab Entry Archive #03:

Date: 10/28/2066

Test: Convenience in Plant Growth Time Duration

Notes:

The chemical that was used in this session only showed negative effects to not just the organic matter, but the soil it resided on, as well. About 0300 hours after applying a drop of the Colodium compound, it had rotted the strawberry seed before it could start to grow, and the soil started to deteriorate due to long term exposure of said compound. Almost immediately after the soil started deterioration, the seed started to show acidic behaviors. A toxin grew in the air around the testing station, which quickly led to the subject being disposed of in a timely manner.

There were moderate casualties, and there is a death count of two. One injured, who is now recovering in the medical bay.

The session was terminated, and the test was recorded as inconclusive.

Plant growth, huh? Something told me that backfired on their part.

I continued reading the rest of the pages, but there weren't very many, and it had nothing to do with plant growth. Just notes on different gems, metals, and minerals, and how they reacted to certain things.

I had no idea what was going on in the rest of the binder, so I gave up about three pages in, put the binder back, then moved on to the next. And the next.

... And the next...

I spent more then enough time skimming through each of the binders, until I actually found something about the plant growth. Everything else just seemed like a waste of time to read about. By the time I had found another entry in regards to the plants, I was much closer to the end of the year, meaning I was towards the end of the aisle opposite from the one I started in.

:Lab Entry Archive #89:

Date: 12/24/2066

Test: Convenience in Plant Growth Time Duration

Notes: Furonite Acitane showed the same, negative effect on each seed we tested, save for one. While every other subject melted upon being exposed to the chemical, apple seeds hardened and petrified within mere seconds of coming in contact. After about three minutes, the soil began to turn red and grow in temperature to the point where the lab had to be evacuated. About a minute after everyone had left, and the room was secured, the sprinkler system and the alarms had both gone off. The water seemed to have an effect on the soil, while still in contact with Furonite Acitane, as it started to grow into an agitated state and swell to voluminous levels. From there, they proceeded to form into what appeared to be a sac, or a larvae of sorts.

Just before they could reach the ceiling, they had exploded, sending red, glowing thorns in each direction. Thorns have been taken in for further research.

There were no casualties.

The session was terminated after coming to the conclusion that all seeds, soils, and fertilizers ended with the same results. The test was recorded as non-applicable.

So far, it seemed like the chemicals they were using hated organic life.

I flipped to the next page, expecting a continuation of their tedious research on metals, minerals, and gems.

Instead, I found the notes on the thorn study.

:Lab Entry Archive #89:

Date: 12/24/2066

Test: Research on Thorn

Notes:

Each thorn from the Furonite Acitane incident appeared to be the same size in width and length as all the others. (6 inches in width, 12 inches in length). This includes all thorns, even if they had emerged from a separate sac. The reasoning behind this anomaly remains unknown, but further studies will occur in the near future, regarding this subject.

Each individual subject to this cause has a dark, red, polished texture to it. Upon closer inspection, it became known that, like the seed in the experiment prior to this one, they appear petrified.

These specimens show no reaction to Furonite Acitane, or any other element from the periodic table.

The session was terminated, and the samples were stored away in Cold Storage Cell #309. The test was recorded as inconclusive.

Okay, I couldn't really talk, but... These scientists didn't seem to know what they hell they were doing. I read three entries so far, and they hadn't solved anything. In fact, it looked like they went overboard on the research, seeing as the stable was overrun with... quite a bit, actually. Not just one creature, but plant life, and robots. Probably even more than that. Good one, guys. Ya done fucked up.

I decided to finally check on what was inside the small boxes underneath the binders, but was only greeted with a hard drive that I assumed contained a - now - corrupt, digital copy of the same thing I was reading. The EMP could have wiped out all virtual memory of this place...

I started to head for the next aisle, until I heard Fluky talking to herself quietly. I stopped and listened.

"Whoa... I never saw anything like this, before..."

Oh... OH!

I trotted out of the aisle and stopped behind her. "What are you reading, Fluky?" I asked curiously.

"Some comic." She kept her eyes fixated on the page. "There's a lot of fighting going on in it. I don't know why, but... I really like it."

I peeked over her shoulder.

That wasn't a comic...

"Fluky, uh..."

"I mean, the story isn't all that good. If there even is one. I can't tell. And they keep introducing all these new characters with like, no context or backstory, but man... there's just something about it that just... heh... gets me excited." She flipped to a new page and stared at the steel grey buck who mounted a pink coated mare, rutting her, the way nature intended. They looked like they were both having a great time together. Fuck, I missed those days... It's been a while, for sure. "I noticed they're never really saying anything, either. And some of the pages are kinda stuck to each other for some reason. I mean, if you're gonna eat while reading, at least be respectful about it and keep it out of the books! Other people wanna read too, ya know!" She gestured her hoof to the page as she complained.

"Um..." I stepped around her and grabbed the comic... the 'comic.'

"Wha-hey!" She stood up quickly.

I looked away nervously, and she reached out for it to try and take it back. I closed it and slid it in my bag with the ammo, then looked at her. "Fluky... you're not ready for the talk of the birds and the bees, just yet."

"Birds and the bees?" She stopped trying to get the 'comic' back, and raised a brow, looking at me. "What do you mean?"

Oh Goddess, she had no idea what she just got into...

"Birds, bees, trains, tunnels. When you're older, you can have the uh... comic... back." I shook my head hard. "That's all I'm gonna say. You'll understand when you're older." Seriously, who leaves behind a playpony magazine in a library that mostly consisted of scientific data? A used playpony magazine, no less!

... WHY DID I HAVE TO ASK THAT QUESTION TO BEGIN WITH!?

Fluky pouted and hung her head down, but submitted. "Well... ugh... fine..."

"It's for the best." I answered, refusing to look back at her as I made my way forward. She followed close behind.

In all honesty, I felt slightly aroused from what I saw in that magazine. I'd just have to take care of that later...

"I noticed you were reading some stuff." She started in a sulky tone. "What did you find?"

"Eh. Just some science mumbo jumbo. Nothing fancy."

"So, does this mean we're leaving?"

I nodded and glanced back. "Yep. So long as you're ready to."

"I mean..." She paused, and I focused on her. She looked a bit shy. "This feeling... I wanna do something, I just don't know what."

"I know what it is, and I'd rather you didn't." I said quickly, taking a deep breath after. "And everything you saw in that magazine... I'd really appreciate it if you didn't do that with anyone, at your age." I turned to face forward once more, then resumed walking, until I found the vent I mentioned earlier, in the side of the wall, at the end of an aisle. "So, I'll ask again. Are you ready to go?"

She sighed and nodded. "Yes."

We were back to crawling through the air ducts, which I had truly realized that, at this time, was definitely the safest route to take. Through each vent, I had witnessed a lot more security patrols of sentries as big as the one that had nearly caught us in the library, as well as bulkier Handy and Gutsy units. They all had the bright green glow between the armor plating, and their weapons were both bigger, deadlier, and extended farther, by the looks of it.

I had my fair share of gut extraction for one lifetime. Just looking at the sawblade made my stomach tighten.

The gunfire, I could handle. It hurt like a bitch, but I could take it. But buzzsaws...

And that wasn't all...

Some of the fungal creatures stumbled around the corridors below us, wandering aimlessly. Some bumped into each other, walls, or even other machines, who ignored them and continued on their way.

I shuddered from the creatures, and the sight of the saws, as I looked down through the vent. Fluky tapped me on the shoulder, and I looked back at her. She shared a sympathetic look and nodded silently.

I nodded back and continued forward.

Eventually, we had reached a dead end in the shaft. Below us was a vent that dropped down into a corridor, where a door remained shut. Next to the vent, was a yellow tinted, flickering sign that read 'RECREATION.'

We didn't hear anything close by, and heading back and going through another route sounded like a bad idea. This was the first real 'exit' we had actually found out of the residential section. This was a good place to stop at.

At least... I hoped so.

We removed the vent, and Fluky peeked her head out to look around her surroundings. After a few seconds, she came back up and looked at me. "Clear." She whispered.

One by one, we got out and landed on the floor. The softer landing on the dirt had silenced our fall, so I had no worries that we alerted our presence.

After looking down the stretch of corridor to find that we were still in the clear, we turned to each other, then to the door behind us. I pressed the button beside the large door, like the one the library had, and watched as it folded in on itself and slid into the walls and floor.

Beyond that was something I hadn't entirely expected.

There was a forest, and in this forest, a park, with fancy street lights, cobblestone walkways, and benches. Birds sang their songs. The light air was ever so sweet. The trees were healthy, green, and strong. Sunlight shot down through the leaves on their branches in beams, mixing with an early morning fog.

I stepped forward onto the cobblestone path, and Fluky followed; her jaw dropped.

Yeah, that's about how I felt, too...

I looked up at a bright blue, sunlit sky; only a few streaks of white, puffy cloud had floated on by.

I closed the door behind us, in case something had the bright idea to sneak up behind us and attack. If something was in here with us, I guess we were screwed either way.

This was something I wanted to leave uninterrupted.

It was like how the books I read as a colt described it, but better. This must have been what life was like before the war. The air itself was addicting. The books had left a lot out... This was so much better to experience in person. I wanted to sit here forever and just take in the beauty... one breath at a time.

And then the sky flickered out, before turning to black. The birds died, and the sweet air turned musty and old. The room grew dead silent, save for our breath. The temperature quickly dropped.

"What just happened...?" Fluky asked softly, as if she were scared to talk too loud.

"I'm not su-"

The sky flickered back to existence, but instead of that wonderful, blue sky, and that glorious, bright sun, we were only greeted with large, green, digital text.

A few seconds went by, and the text disappeared. The birds resumed singing. The gentle breeze brushed through the leaves and blades of grass. Brushed past our coats. The sun and sky was back.

"I knew it was too good to be true..." I muttered, then looked down at her as she studied her surroundings with narrow eyes. "It's just a digital recreation."

"What a shame..." She said quietly. "For a second there, I thought we stepped into another dimension."

"Keep dreamin', Flukes..." I spoke in a somber tone.

She sighed and looked away. "Don't call me that."

As we ventured through the park's walkway, the scenery would black out every so often, which had us stop dead in our tracks and listen for anything that could be in the area, just in case we weren't alone. I hated being out in the dark like this. I felt... exposed. I wouldn't put it past anything to lurk in the dark and stalk us.

When the sun and sky came back, and the birds crackled back to life through the speakers, we took a look at our surroundings to make sure we were in the clear, before moving on. So far, it seemed to be only us.

Still... I didn't trust it. I couldn't. I wasn't letting my guard down again.

Eventually, after what felt like an hour of walking cautiously, stopping when the lights turned out, checking our surroundings when they came back on, and kept walking, we had come across a dry fountain with a statue of a pony standing on its rears, pointing up at the digital sky with one forehoof while staring up.

The pathway circled the structure, and went off in two different directions.

Beyond the fountain was a small lake. I stepped up to the shore. This was the first one I had ever really seen outside, and it wasn't really outside. Wasn't that just sad?

This time, Fluky stayed behind to observe the statue on the fountain.

The fog was heavier over the water, so there wasn't much to see ahead, but as I stopped at the edge of the grass and looked down at my reflection, a small tide distorted my image.

Water wasn't supposed to move like that, unless there was something in it... right?

I backed up and pulled out the 10 mil., and aimed it ahead as the waves started to gradually get bigger and more restless. Something was splashing in the distance, but I couldn't see anything.

"Fluky...?" I said softly. Soon enough, my rump hit the outer rim of the fountain. "Fluky, we need to go..."

"What? What are you ta-"

I turned to look at her, biting down on the grip of the pistol, then nodded off to the lake as the water continued its splashes.

She stopped and stared in silence for a few seconds, before turning back to me. "Whatever it is, don't fight it." She whispered.

"I don't intend to." I whispered back as best I could, while remaining coherent. " Which is why I said we. Need. To. Go."

She quickly nodded, then stopped to think to herself for a bit, before turning back the way we came. "You don't mean back there, do you...?"

I shook my head. "Follow me..."

With that, we silently made our way to the path, left of the fountain. The waves were getting louder, as if something was walking... walking towards us...

I glanced to my right to see, even through the thick fog over the water, a giant black lump moving in the distance.

Then, the sun turned off...

I slowed down a little and put my hoof on Fluky's back, bringing her to my pace. I wasn't going to stop, but I wasn't going to be reckless, either.

The water sloshed and splashed against the land, before I heard - and felt - several heavy thumps against the ground, coming closer...

It stopped behind me, and I heard a chittering, along with a series of clicks...

The sun turned on.

Before I could turn around and see what it was, Fluky was already screaming in horror, and I was knocked forward.

I quickly recovered and spun around to see a creature with two antennae, an intimidating set of serrated mandibles that clicked together as it stared down at me with those large, dark eyes, and a black, shiny, massive exoskeleton around its head, thorax, and abdomen. Its legs were serrated at the ends, as well.

I never read about beetles being this size before...

I quickly aimed up at its head and pulled the trigger repeatedly, striking the creature. That seemed to do fuck all for me...

Instead, the insect seemed to get more agitated and charged at me. Before I could move out of the way with little no warning, it had grabbed a hold of my hindleg with its mandibles and raised me in the air, swinging me around as I screamed and fought, therefore losing the grip of my gun.

Oh, I was gonna be sick...

That was the least of my worries, though. I could feel my hoof being torn into by the serrated edges of the mandibles, and as each second passed, it cut deeper to the bone... I could feel it starting to crack...

My body was flung across the path, until my back struck the trunk of a tree. I heard the bang of metal as a sharp pain shot up in my spine and the back of my head. I couldn't scream. I couldn't move. Everything was ringing and throbbing.

My weight shifted to one side, and I laid there on the grass, watching the beetle approach to finish me off.

Fluky... Where was Flukes...? Did she make it out...?

I felt blood spill from my leg and pool around the limb. The room was growing colder...

Everything started getting blurry, and the sound was growing quieter as the beast approached...

Then, I heard a muffled shout of a familiar filly.

"Over here, bug butt!" I heard a few gunshots, and the silhouette of the beetle turned to face a blurry Fluky. "Oh... man, you're big... Uh..." She shook her head and stared up at the monster. "Y-Yeah, that's right! Come and get me, you big ol' meanie! Filly fillet is on the menu!" She paused as she started to back up. "Can't believe I just said that..." With that, she turned and ran through the woods as the beetle started to chase after her. "Gotta try harder than that!"

I tried to force myself back up, but in doing so, I both heard and felt something snap, therefore causing me to collapse on my back and groan.

I just barely managed to turn my head to my right, towards the forest that Fluky ran in. The back of my neck was going through absolute hell, as was the rest of my back... and my hoof... again.

Didn't I just get that healed up?

Fluky ran through the forest, circling around the metal trees as the oversized beetle came charging after her, knocking anything down that got in its way.

She jumped up, bit down on a hanging vine, and ripped it from the tree, providing her a decent amount of the stuff. She continued running, letting the rest of it drag along the ground behind her, until I couldn't see her anymore. Too many trees blocked my view.

And then the sun turned off.

I could hear metal creaking in the distance, and 'trees' being torn from the ground and come tumbling down. It grew more distant as time went on. I couldn't see anything. Only listen.

Then, quite suddenly, a bright white light flashed through the trees in the horizon, like the moon lighting up a dark land, or a spotlight flashing on and aiming at me.

When the sun came back, Fluky didn't... and the sound of the trees falling had ceased. I was growing more worried each second.

I forced myself to stand up, crying out in agony as I did. My spine and hoof were both protesting through the whole effort, and I really wanted to fall back down and never get up again. But if I had anything to say about it, that wasn't going to happen. And so far, I did.

I moved for the newly made path that the beetle had made through sheer brute force, picked up the pistol that lied on the grass at the entrance, holstered it, and made my way into the forest. A lot of trees that had fallen were in the way, and so I had to make some detours here and there, making my journey last a lot longer than it should have. I couldn't go over them with my condition. I wasn't going to even try. I already knew I'd regret it. Hell, I was regretting just getting up. It was hard enough just walking at the slow pace that I was.

In taking these detours, I got to see that the inside of the trunks consisted of a series of wires and circuitry. For what it was for, I had no clue.

Farther in, I heard the clicks of the beetle's mandibles going at it. I could see the top of its body moving around frantically.

Please... No. Don't tell me...

"Hey there, Robutt."

I quickly swung my head to the right - which was a horrible idea - to see Fluky standing there with a smile as she panted.

Oh, my head... Why did I do that...?

"You alright?" She asked, raising a brow.

I smiled back and sighed with relief, though I was still in a great deal of pain. "I'll... be okay. You?"

"Oh, I'm fine." She grinned. "Got that giant bug tied up pretty good when the light show on the ceiling vanished." She glanced up at the digital sun.

"You..." I peeked over the tree trunk in my way to see it struggling against the vines that she had grabbed earlier. Ohhh my neck... They went around every leg several times, and for extra measure, the rest of it wrapped around the abdomen, keeping its wings from expanding. That is, if it had any. I wasn't sure, yet. I looked back to Fluky, smiling. "How did you do that?" I already knew the answer, but I wanted to see if she knew.

"Honestly..." She put her hoof to her muzzle, looking down and thinking hard. "I'm not quite sure... I just... did it." She sat down, now realizing what she did. "I might have actually blacked out... I remembered the lights going out, and I got scared. Super scared. Next thing I know, I'm standing there, the power is back on, and I'm staring at a tied down beetle. What if..." She looked up at me with wonder. "What if there's somepony else here, helping us?"

"Doubt it." I replied with a skeptical look. "Told ya before, you have a magical talent. Maybe it kicked in."

"You... really think I did..." She looked over at the beetle questioningly, as if it was going to answer for her. "That...?"

I nodded with a faint smile. "Yes."

"Hm..." She thought quietly to herself for a while, then gasped and stood up quickly, as if she had just had a great idea for something. "Maybe I got a cutiemark as a monster hunter!" She beamed at me, before turning to look at her flank, only to be disappointed by its blank, yellow, canvas. She frowned and looked back down at the ground before her, kicking some dirt aside with a hoof. "Pooey..."

I laughed softly and looked back the way I came. "One day, Flukes... One day."

"Don't call me that." She spoke behind clenched teeth. I looked back at her to see her roll her eyes at me.

I poked my head back over the tree trunk to watch the insect.

It wasn't giving up against the vines. Maybe it would escape. Few hours. Few days, maybe? But I wasn't going to be around when it did.

I wasn't going to kill it, either. I had enough blood on my hooves. It was trying to survive like the rest of us. We invaded its home. We were the intruders. We were the bad guys. I couldn't kill it for that...

"We should go." I said, looking back down the way we came.

"Are you sure?" She asked, giving me a skeptical look. "I mean... I saw how you hit that tree. Figured you'd wanna rest your back or something." She paused once I gave her a blank expression, then continued as she glanced at my rear hoof with a grimace. "The way you've been walking makes me think you need it. I'll see what I can do about that hoof."

Yeahhh... She was probably right. Otherwise, I'd die from blood loss. I was already halfway there...

I nodded in agreement. "'Kay... Ten minutes, then we go." I glanced back at the bug, before turning back to her. "But let's get somewhere safe, first."

Author's Notes:

So. Much. Chaos... SO MUCH CHAOS... SOOOO MUCH CHAOS occurred through the making of this chapter. First, my birthday (though, that wasn't chaotic, it did get in the way of me working on this), then Pines had to go to his hometown for a family member's funeral, then work getting hectic, me getting exhausted almost every day after work, then Christmas happened, and New Years, I ended up getting... um... molested. That wasn't fun...
Oh, and my internet crapped out again. Fuck you, Xfinity. Taking my money, but not giving me anything in return. Thanks for that.
Anyways, we finally got the chapter done.
Fact: When we came up with the monster pony things for the stable, we only planned on having fungus-type zombies. They bit, they infected... basic zombie stuff. But for me, it didn't feel like enough. So I just wrote whatever came to my mind, and it made... whatever the fuck those things are.
Ahem... Click here for a good time/reference. ;)

Also, Stable 32 was meant to be a two part chapter, but with all the stuff in this, there was no way to finish it up. So Stable 32 might be a 3 parter, if not 4. Sorry, not sorry. We're thorough.

Anyways, special thanks to Kkat for making the wonderful world of Fallout Equestria, Somber for making Project Horizons, anyone who reads Radio Static and keeps up with the story, Alchestbreach for leading the rebellion against the radios, Pines for dealing with my shit, my good friend Nylten Emeda, for making the cover picture for Radio Static, and the constant distractions that life provides.

Also, I want to address the date that this is set in. I couldn't really find a date that the FoE universe is set in, so I just went for the regular Fallout date, even though it's probably *very* inaccurate to FoE. So, my apologies if that's the case.

Pines, your up, bud.

Pines:
Remember, colts and fillies... when you hear a creepy noise, stay away. Especially when an adult that made you an orphan is leading you towards it. But in all seriousness... stay safe out there. Tune in for the next episode of RADIO STATIC!