We really didn't stick around more than necessary and trotted off early in the morning, and we got less stares than expected (or maybe I just didn't pay any attention). Our zebra had new (or old) wartime polymer armour, and after some protests got their distinctly zebrecian rifle replaced with the equestrian equivalent. Supposedly a state of the art 5 mm, same weapon the Daughter's use and same caliber the steel rangers use. with a dyed mane Xera could pass as a zony provided we managed to get a spare pipbuck (how I was going to explain this whole thing to my grandfather I had no idea), unfortunately I doubt they would fool any steel rangers. The rangers do have a tendency to count stripes as it were, which was a little worrying considering what our next stop was.

I did however have a plan. Not a good plan, perhaps even a suicidal plan. But hey, it is my thing. Leave the thinking to the smart ponies, like the Stable Dweller or Security. I really didn't want to admit that "smart ponies" included every single zony back home. Of course, there was the risk that they would just shoot us for having a zebra in the party. There is also the risk that I would be viewed as a Goldstar agent and arrested (really shouldn't make that into a habit). Well, let us just say that it was a gamble, hopefully my friendly charisma and recent snooping habits would outweigh my stripes and concussion.

So let's gamble then!

By now the concrete and rubble fort was in front of us and they hadn't shot us yet, step one CHECK. So instead of doing the sensible thing and just trot past we walked up to the gate (Amber really hated this plan FYI), and sure enough two steel rangers at the front stepped forward. Now for step two.

"Hiya, could you contact Ensign Raspberry Tart for me please? I got intel."

Two elite soldiers, clad in head to hoof in steel, enough arcano-electronics to rival a pipbuck and carrying enough ordnance to blow us to bits in a second. Stunned speechless, step two CHECK.

By now there was an entire squad watching us as the one steel ranger I kind of knew walked up between them. You know, the amount of guns pointed our way just quadrupled. But eh, gamble. I no longer gave a buck, and this bait was something they couldn't afford to miss.

"So, Windstriker. What are you playing at? You do realize that if you are messing with us I am obligated to arrest you?"

"No thanks, had enough of that with Goldstar's commendant at Roadfort."

I made a dramatic pause and let it sink in, it wasn't even a lie!

"Either way, I have been digging and struck gold so to speak." A sly smile, not unlike a certain madmare. "How much is the origin of Princess Golden Starlight worth?"

I like to think that I am quite bold, but this was on a whole another level. Through sheer dumb luck I had stumbled on top of a 200 year old secret, through stubbornness I got it verified and now I was going to throw it into the ceaseless conspiracies that nestled deep everywhere in Vanhoover. Considering the decades she had spent preparing, Starlight most likely had countless assassins to avoid just this very thing. Preparation I was about to hit with a sledgehammer.

"... Do you have any idea how many rumours we already heard from various informants, captives and so on?"

"You ponies got a thing going on with the Administrator right? Send one of your scribes to the Tall Tale library and they can confirm it, I just need to tell you what books you should look for."

"...."

The pony before me processed what I was saying for a long awkward moment.

"The Administrator of Tall Tale is furious at Goldstar last I heard, are you suggesting it is all an act?"

"Naah, she just got a huge blind spot. Now can we come in? And can I talk to whomever is in charge?"

"I do not have the authority to make an exception... Stay here, I'll be right back."

Step three, CHECK.

We were allowed to enter, but I alone was led to the reinforced three story building that served as the central keep of the fort. There were a bunch of other travelers resting inside the walls, and one caravan by the looks of things. What surprised me however was that the steel rangers weren't all covered in head to hoof in steel, at least a third of them had simpler polymer armour looking a lot like what Xera had been given (albeit with some really fancy helmet visors). All in all, they really gave the impression of a professional army. Which, in retrospect, is exactly what they were.

"You are playing a dangerous game, Windstriker."

"Bringing a zebra to a steel ranger fort? Yeah, I can see that."

"YOU WHAT??"

Wow, there is a lot of volume in a ranger armour. Turns out the disguise worked after all.

"Hey, they are our sniper/scout. And not legion."

Officer Tart looked back at our group, to the guards of the walls and back to me.

"We already have a delicate political situation on our hooves, and if Star Paladin Earthquake gets word of this then we would be lucky if I were just demoted... Worst case scenario, your stable gets branded as zebra agents and we would be pushed into an all out war."

"Yeah, hoping to avoid it. Trust me, on this."

"... Just be aware, this is probably the single largest steel ranger regiment in all of Equestria. We have been stocking up on ammunition for a decade and Elder Stardust commands enough firepower to level every settlement in the region should she deem it necessary."

Was that a threat?

"If this goes all to Tartaros then it is on YOUR hoofs."

Did I just upset the one friendly steel ranger I knew? A bad habit I guess, but it should all work out in the end. At least without my family and friends being slaughtered due to the curse of a star and our occasional stripes. Trying to focus on the present I looked around as we entered the main building, and saw ponies all around in various robes or unarmoured uniform. The place was busy, very busy. The scribes typed away at terminals, worked on tech everywhere, and to my ignorant eyes the looked remarkably competent (and I had pretty high standards, coming from the Institute).

And holy Luna! That is a lot of ordnance!

There must have been thousands of small caliber rounds, hundreds of large caliber rounds and several hundred more of the largest bullets I ever seen. Are those meant for dragons or something? That is not counting the missiles, dozens of helmets and combat barding. I was under the impression this was some smaller border fort guarding the road to Black Hoof? They really were preparing for an all out war.

On the top floor I was led to an impressive set of double doors with two fully armoured rangers standing guard. And that was a fair bit fancier barding, looked like silver with a bluish tint and everything. Oh, interesting. There was a whole squad on the floor looking at me. So obviously they didn't trust me, sensible of them I suppose.

The two guards opened both of the doors, for the added drama I suspect.

The mare inside commanded a fair bit respect from sheer presence alone as she sat behind an antique desk. Her highly ornate armour stood as a watching guard at her side, might even be an actual ranger inside for all I knew. Star Paladin Overdrive had a grey coat, a short scarlet mane and a few scars. I would definitely call her beautiful, despite it clearly being nowhere on her list of priorities. She had the air of a veteran, ferocity tempered by discipline and experience.

"So this is the zony I have been hearing so much about."

Her voice was neutral, with a bit of curiosity.

"Yes ma'am. There is one other thing however, she brought a zebra inside the walls. Supposedly an independent, it doesn't look like any of the troops have realized it yet."

"... Crusader Tart, the non interference policy is still in effect. This is merely an exception to the rule, see to it that the policy remain intact."

Then her eyes turned to me, with a mix of confusion and amusement. To my relief it was just a regular, ordinary pony gaze and not some star-cursed stare of the stars. So wonderfully ordinary.

"Yes ma'am!"

Then Tart saluted and trotted out of the room. The doors closed and the room suddenly felt a lot smaller, yet I didn't get the same malicious impression from the Star Paladin as from certain other powerful ponies I had met.

"Care to explain that part? Windstriker was it?"

She wasn't angry or offended, merely surprised. Not even shocked.

"Yes, we met them a few days ago and they decided to not shoot me when I clarified that I come from a stable and not the legion. Then they decided to tag along as they have nowhere else to go. Not much else to explain, it has only been a few days."

"THEY. A shaman then?"

When I opened my mouth to answer she raised a hoof.

"Don't answer, it is largely irrelevant. The real question is if it has occurred to you that this zebra might be a legion infiltrator here on one mission or another?"

"I have considered it, but I seriously doubt it. The trauma is real, and when we met with the ruler of Goldstar Xera was more terrified than anyone I have ever seen. And Golden Starlight's reaction was unimpressive to say the least, say what you like but that mare is well informed."

"There ARE rumours that said pretender is a legion agent, which isn't entirely unreasonable considering the equipment and training of her troops. Not to mention her habit of arming various criminal groups all around Vanhoover."

"Yeaaah that is probably not it. Sorry to burst your bubble there."

"Oh?"

Again she raised a hoof to silence me.

"Before we continue I want to know two things, some things that impacts the gravity and sincerity of your so called intel."

"And what is that?"

Friendly discussion without any death threats, just as it should be.

"WHO, my dear pegasus, are you? I know your name, but not your actual identity nor your purpose here. What are you after, Windstriker? Caps? Bits? Revenge? There is no such as a free gift in the wasteland."

"Ah, fair enough. I am the daughter of Blackhorn, and grand daughter of Director Marble of the Starlight Institute and Stable 33. These days I guess I am mostly an independent contractor, can't do sciency stuff for shit."

She nodded, clearly a bit impressed.

"You are here in an official capacity then?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"No, unfortunately not. I am... let's just say a concerned mare, caring about my kin and certain madmares wielding all too much power. As for what I want, I want this discriminatory policy of yours gone. I want the Steel Rangers to accept the zonies of Stable 33 and the Starlight Institute as full equestrian citizens with all that entails."

"A bold, yet perfectly reasonable request. You do realize that I do not have authority to remove that policy on my own?"

"Hm, yeah... I suspected as much. But... I was under the impression that you are still a mare with a lot of say in how things go within the Steel Rangers, aren't you a part of whatever did you call it? Some council thing?"

"The Senior Council, consisting of the elder, the head scribe and the three star paladins. And yes, yes I am. So even if I do not have the authority of cancelling the non interference policy outright, I can forward your request alongside any information you wish to share."

We were on the same page, was this step four? Can't remember anymore.

"So it is a gamble. I have to trust in your honesty, the value of the info and the integrity of the ponies in charge."

Again, she nodded in silent agreement.

"All in all, I am quite confident taking this bet. Info for the survival of my people."

"Then we are understanding each other, now... Let's see how your info hold up."

"First off, and this one you can check yourself. The pretender as you call her is a pony from before the bombs fell, as in living during the days of the ministries and doing Celestia knows what. This I discovered when I looked at an old class photo of Administrator Sable Quil, she is there alongside the major power players of wartime Vanhoover as well as the crystal princess."

Judging by the lack of reaction she had already considered this possibility.

"Do you have this photo with you?`"

"No, I sold it to Starlight. However, it is part of the administrators autobiography which is for sale in Flood Town. You might even have it in your archives without ever noticing it."

"I'll send a scribe to look for it. However I must ask if nopony ever noticed."

"Three things, it is a very unlikely place to look. Second, from what I hear she trotted around Vanhoover killing a lot of ponies all over the place before she started her power grab. Thirdly, I suspect there is some form of spell on the photograph. To keep ponies from noticing."

"... Sounds like quite a stretch, I wouldn't hesitate to call it a conspiracy theory."

"We ARE talking about a two centuries old unicorn sorceress with the best education in wartime Equestria."

"That begs the question of why we never heard of her before. And what exactly was her education?"

"The class in question was at the Crystal Academy in the Crystal Empire, and the teacher was none other than Starlight Glimmer of all ponies."

"Who?"

Seriously? She had never heard of Glimmer before??

"The founder of the Starlight Institute and the personal student of Minister Sparkle? Who in turn was educated by Celestia herself and was the greatest magical prodigy of her generation? With the possible exception of Glimmer that is."

"Why have I never heard of this mare before?"

Her relaxed demeanor was gone, she was very much taking me seriously now. Twilight Sparkle, she most certainly had heard of.

"Honestly, I would ask you the same thing. Why don't you know her? Before the M.O.P. completed the first megaspell of the war, the initial theory work came from our Institute. It is kind of a big deal, even Icetear worked there for a while. Where did you think we came from in the first place?"

The mare gave a short chuckle.

"If you only knew how many quasi-legal private enterprises there were back then, all developing experimental and unethical weaponry and other research. Either way, I guess we can explain this with M.O.I. meddling. They had a bad habit of doing that."

"Anyhow, we are currently on our way home as we all need a proper rest. Whilst we are there I'm going to browse through Director Glimmer's old stuff. Journals, data files, memory orbs and anything else that I can find. I got this hunch that I might find something really important if I dig deep enough."

"You do that. I on the other hoof, am really curious about that book you mentioned. When it is confirmed, it will increase your credibility significantly."

She locked eyes with me, trying to get me to pay attention.

"I'll be honest with you, as impressive as this is... It is not enough, but whatever you find might very well be. Feel free to return here when you find something, I'll have the guards let you pass."

"And this Star Paladin Earthquake?"

"Hmph! I don't answer to that brute. This is a mystery high command really wants solved. If he would ever dare to go against the Elder then I will have him put before a firing squad."

Wait what? Steel Ranger politics is evidently complicated and confusing stuff, which is a bad combo with my head situation.

"You can do that? Aren't you the same rank?"

"Don't tell any of the troops I said this, but there are more things to being a steel ranger than just discipline and regulations. It is a matter of duty, and character. Things that savage lacks."

Oh, I like this mare.

"It is nice to see that somepony has a sense of compassion in the wasteland."

I smiled earnestly.

"Not compassion, it is a fragile thing I no longer believe in. Duty, Windstriker. Duty to the citizens of Equestria and duty to our ancestors. I have been with Elder Stardust since Canterlot, and we have NOT forgotten our duty."

"You know, Windstriker. If your mom ever gets wind of this there will be tartaros to pay."

Amber pointed out as we continued our travels eastward. Oh and by the way, Step Four CHECK. Plan successful. Provided my relatives were sneaky enough I might keep the heat off our backs, and the steel rangers aiming at other ponies.

"Hm, yeah. Let her get mad and see if I care, I doubt she is even half as pissed as I am."

"Over what?? You never explained that part!"

Frustrated, but at least he was talking to me again.

"I already said I don't want to talk about it!"

Nor think about it, princesses save us.

"Then at least leave us out of it. Whatever mess you are making, it is your own problem!"

"I did do that? Don't worry, I'll take full responsibility."

"... You never take responsibility. For anything! That is why we are out here in the first place."

"Please don't shout. I got a concussion remember? Not to mention a bad mood."

"..."

Back to ignoring me it seems, fine then.

So a few hours left until we reach the Black Hoof, with my companions giving me the silent treatment and nothing to do. Hence, time for the radio. Been a while since I listened to DjPon3, maybe something interesting happened?

"...It is a good time to be a decent pony, we got proper heroes and they are kicking flank all the way from Fillydelphia down to Hoofington. Let's start with the Hoofington story, it would be comical if it wasn't so tragic. From reports it seems that half of the ponies around the city are after Security's head, flocking to any rumor that she might have gone this way or that way. Those ponies who happen to DO run into her however, run full speed the other way. Sure, that mare is fighting half of Hoofington but she isn't only surviving. She is winning! The desperate and foolish ponies that encounters her swear up and down they are never going within a mile of that bad ass mare again. Not to mention half of them are swearing off slavery, raiding, chems or whatever vice they might had in their past.

Now, the Stable Dweller hasn't been a slouch either. For one reason or another she snuck into Fillydelphia and tore up the place, destroying whatever doomdsay weapon Red Eye was working on and slaying the mother of all alicorns. From what I hear she is far from done, and I for one am eagerly waiting for her to return and finish the jobs. I am sure a few thousand slaves agree on that account.

Not to say that I am an optimist, because I am not. But one or two more heroes and we might actually end up fixing the place, and I don't just mean the East Coast but all of Equestria. And now, children. Let us pray to Celestia and listen to the Wasteland Wailers with their new song When The Sun Comes Back. Because one day, it will."

The song was beautiful, no discussion about it. And in another mood I would have loved it with all my heart. But it was tainted by the earlier talk of heroes and how important they were. How fantastically powerful and impressive the Stable Dweller and Security were, perhaps they truly were blessed by the princesses and were beyond us regular ponies. I just called myself a pony, that is how messed up I was. How in Celestia's name did they do those things? Isn't the wasteland supposed to be even worse out east?

That's it, even DjPon3 made me angry and filled with self pity these days. Black Hoof Radio it is! Oh, how I would regret that choice... Who knew that that not even the radio was free from the influence of the stars? The song that came on was beyond beautiful, so calm, so serene. It made me want to sing along with it as every bit stuck in my mind, and how it freaked me out.

"I wish I could find a queer street
The crooked queer street that goes
East of the sun and West of the moon
And out where no wind blows
Then I'd find the shop where the seller of stars
Sits and hammers behind the bars

Stars she gives for the asking
Starlight swords for the bold
Moon she sells for a penny or two
Rounded and bright with gold
And broken silver of the sea she sells
And the rain spears and the wind bells

Wings she weaves for the fairies
Gold of the sun you can buy
And silver flowers of frost and dew
Rainbows out of the sky
And delicate morning mist she sells
And pretty new songs for whispering shells

Oh, if I could find that dear street
The darling wee street with her house
I would buy a blackbird's whistle for you
And for Sunny a talking mouse
And a mermare's tail to swim in the sea
And dragon-fly wings for my Mummy and me!

I wish I could find the wee street
That wanders up and down
That is East of the sun and West of the moon
And very near twilight town
Where the seller of stars for a penny or two
Will sell your heart's desire to you

"That was The Seller of the Stars, performed by Courier 7 who had a short musical career down south. It is supposedly her favourite song, and I will admit that it is nice to have a local piece and not something made by the Ministry of Morale. And if I might say so, it is quite enchanting, isn't it?"

Although I had barely spent a few days in the Black Hoof before, it still gave a welcoming impression. It felt like returning home, a sense of safety and a haven from all the centuries old conspiracies I kept running into. Hopefully this place was spared from it, but knowing my luck I just jinxed it.

None the less when we saw the houses, tents and wagons in the distance I began galloping and flapped my wings filled with some real hope for the first time in a while. I circled as I soared higher and higher, this is life. It is in the winds of the sky I belong, I almost forgot that I am a pegasus.

I took in the town from the sky and realized that I had never really looked at it before. It was built around two main roads forming a T-junction with the saloon in the middle alongside the old train station and its radio tower. The rest of the houses had been built around it all, bit by bit expanding over the centuries. Yet all of them were built as if avoiding the Black Hoof saloon and its orchard out of respect. Said orchard rivaled the communal farms in sheer size, signalling the wealth of the Pear family that founded the town two centuries ago.

I cocked my head as I noticed something that should have been obvious, just how dry the place was. It was as night and day compared to Flood Town or Goldstar, was this the difference between Vanhoover and the greater Equestria?

My pondering was broken as something white flew by me at a remarkable speed, a pegasus. The now that was a rare sight, I was curious at the sight and quickly followed. I saw them maneuver with a remarkable skill and land with slight boom in the center of the town, and I promptly crash-landed as I tried the same.

"Oouch, how did you do that?"

I asked as I rubbed my head and looked at the white and azure mare next to me. And yes, she was kind of cute. However, there was something in her eyes that was a total turnoff. A mix of disdain and cold hearted malice that I had seen in several mares just a few days before.

"The fuck? Since when do zebras grow wings?"

"Not zebra, zony. I'm like one eight of a zebra at most. Name's Windstriker, what's yours?"

"A crossbreed??"

Her voice held more disgust than I thought was equinely possible. Oh right, this was the place I first encountered the various stripe hating bigots. How could I have forgotten?

"The proper term is zony, and you didn't tell me your name."

I was mildly irritated.

"Why should I tell a fucking stripe?"

"Wow. Rude."

"Your stripes are rude!"

"That doesn't even make any sense."

Am I the only sensible pegasus in Equestria?

It was about now that my companions caught up to me, clearly frustrated as usual.

"Will you stop flying off like that Windstriker?!"

Amber shouted as he ran up.

"Gentle?.."

Somehow the whisper out of Violette's mouth spoke louder than Amber's shout. Her eyes showed terror that I hadn't seen since we first ran into her. There was something else as well, recognition.

"Oh, look how it is. Did they finally throw you out, pegasis?"

Wait...

The pegasus mare looked back at me.

"HAH Hahahahahaha. Perfect! They threw you out, and now you run with dirt ponies. And a freaking STRIPE to boot."

"Hey, cut it out! You're scaring her."

This was just plain cruel.

"Not talking to you Stripe."

She gazed at Violette for a moment, then she looked as if she had an epiphany.

"Oh, they didn't?"

Then she moved in a blur and stopped behind Violette, throwing her cloak on the ground. I blinked to process what I was seeing, because I hadn't expected a pair of stumps on her back.

"They did! And look at that flank, you're not even a dashite. Just a throwaway nobody wanted."

She poked Violette in the side.

"Hey, did mum do this? Did she finally decide to get rid of the dead weight?"

"OK, that's it!"

I saw red, I didn't understand what was going on. I didn't care. All I knew was that someone I considered a friend was freaking out and being harassed by someone else. Unfortunately for this unknown mare, I was itching for someone to beat up.

I tackled her, full speed, full power. She got knocked off her hooves and sent flying a fair bit. But she didn't touch the ground, instead she caught wind and flew up with an expression caught between annoyance and sadism. She rose up in the air and I followed, knowing the one rule about aerial fights. Altitude is everything; bullets fly faster, swoops go quicker, strikes hit harder.

She turned and swooped towards me with frightening speed, I barely dodged and turned around only to lose sight of her. Next thing I knew I got bucked in the back out of nowhere, my wings got messed up and I crashed downwards. Struggling through the pain I flapped them all I could and gained height again, not to mention a bit of speed. Now, where did this bitch go? I smiled, and entered S.A.T.S.

Bingo!

She was high above me, evidently readying herself for the final blow. But I caught her, frozen in time she had a wicked grin and I looked at the hit percentages. What the Tartaros? 17%?! That can't be right!

Eh, I entered three bursts anyways as remembered that this was still two dozen bullets flying her way. Not to mention she would be flying on direct collision course with them, this would hurt.

Confirm.

Time sped up again and so did the white mare. She descended in a spiral, dancing around my stream of bullets as if it was nothing. Why do I keep running into bigoted mares that can dodge bullets? FREAKING BULLETS?!

"Ah fu..."

Did you know that the ground is hard? And hits hard when you crash into it? Especially with two front hooves knocking you out the sky, and the recoil of a pair of guns adding further insult to the injury. Needless to say, fuck did it hurt. I might have had broken bones, not sure. Head was spinning hard as well, I could barely focus on the villainous pegasus mare standing upright above me. Front hooves held high, ready to punch me out of my last sliver of consciousness.

BABABAM

She was gone, the mare was no longer standing over me. It might be my head imagining things but I thought I heard the flapping of wings for a moment before Xera ran over to me and poured something down my throat. It tasted horrid, and it felt even worse. However, whatever that potion was, it dulled the pain and made my head spin a fair bit less. I could make out some sense of horizontality and make sense out of where the ground was.

I tried looking around in order to see who fired the gun and was met with the scarred face of a a mare easily twice my size, staring at me with a mix of annoyance and anger with her one eye (the other was covered with a patch). To my surprise and slight apprehension she lowered her gun and aimed the barrel straight at me and Xera. I blinked and waited, to much in pain to do much else.

"Well, you going to shoot or what?"

I asked when I grew tired of said waiting.

"Haven't decided yet."

Damn, that mare clearly drank a lot of whiskey.

"Flip a coin or something, this is getting annoying."

She chuckled at that. and about now I realized that there was eight more mares standing in a half circle around me with really fancy armour, dusters and with expensive looking guns. More steel rangers or something? Oh right, the mercenaries. Daughters of Luna or something?

"Ay, Captain. Lay it off!"

"We have laws for a reason, Rose..."

"OH SHUT YA TRAP. Ya know full' well tha' the other one start'd it, and nopony died. Are ya trying to bully 'er for 'er stripes? Do ah need to tell ma about this? Or DUST??"

Whoever this orange mare was, I liked her.

She puffed up her mane, dark red by the way and matching her dress.

"...I'm just doing my job you know."

"Yeah, ah know! And ya was hired by my ma and the caravans. So go do yer freakin' job like an adult and stop bullyin' fillies on mah porch!"

It was certainly fascinating to see a whole group of hardened mercs shy away from a lone unarmed earth pony mare in a dress. And yes, the soldiers actually backed off and walked away without further argument.

She sighed and turned over to me, looking me over and shaking her head. Then over at Violette and Amber, yet another sigh. After trotting up to Violette she redid her cloak and threw her on her back, walking to us.

"Zebra, pick her up and follow me. Ah'll show ya to a spare room."

Next thing I knew I was dropped on top of a very comfortable bed and saw the same thing with Violette. Amber looked very distraught and tried comforting her, Xera on the other hoof seemed to be unsure how to handle the social situation. So I decided to take care of that part.

"Thanks. Rose was it? Can we rent the room for a few days? Got plenty of bits."

"Whiskey Rose, ma told me about ya. Figured ya made a mess. An' don't worry about the rent, is on the house. Food and drink however, ya will have to pay for."

She looked over at Xera with a curious look.

"Don't ya worry yer pretty head, the Saloon is sacred ground. Nopony will bother ya, and if they do. Ah'll throw 'em out."

"...I see. Thank you, pony."

"Yeah. Again, thanks. And has anyone ever told you that you look cute?"

Wow, not even the least bit impressed by the compliment? Seems that I am out of my league, again.

"Sweetie, ya're in no condition to be flirting. And yes, they do. AH AM a Pear ya know, it comes with certain 'xpectations."

She was positively beaming with confidence.

"Anyhow, Windstriker. Rest up a bit, ah insist."

A bed, a soft wonderful proper bed. Clearly princess Luna was giving us a well earned break from the horrors of the wasteland! May she guard our dreams as we fall to sleep and may the stars not touch us. Needless to say I was exhausted and fell asleep nearly instantly, merely mumbling "Praise Luna" and barely noticed Xera almost jumping from the floor at the mention. Instead I focused how my comfy bed was transformed into the most fantastic of clouds, oh how I missed the clouds (mum kept telling me to stay below them for some reason that I no longer could remember). The lamp in the room likewise transformed into the moon and it was the most beautiful night that I could remember.

There were stars of course, even that seven pointed star in the far west. They were however utterly dwarfed by the majesty of the moon and I was quite happy to bask in its holy light once more. None the less I was curious at where I was, it seemed to be Equestria down below after all. So I walked to the edge and looked down.

I froze.

"It can't be..."

Gilded purple rooftops and marble walls, stretching proudly out from the lonely mountain where she stood. The city of culture, the city of love and the city holding the royal thrones of Equestria.

Canterlot.

There was no other city like it in the world, before or after the war. That I was certain of.

I looked back up at the moon, said "Thank you" and began gently gliding downwards to the beautiful capital of the old principality. And felt the cold cobble stones of the road under my hoof, this felt real. Far too real.

As I took one long wonderful breath of pure air I looked around to figure out my surroundings. This was definitely before the bombs fell, it was even idyllic. The streets were barely lit by the streetlights, most of the light during this night came either from the moon or all the windows of houses evidently filled with ponies. There was still a few walking around outside, nearly all of them unicorns however and not one seemed bothered by the war. Was this before the war even started?

I decided to check my pipbuck only to realize that I was utterly naked and without equipment, my vision feeling even more exposed than actual body. Should I have been worried? A zony in Canterlot without any E.F.S. or friends... Turns out it was a pointless worry as nopony paid any attention to me. In fact, when I tried interacting with them they just seemed to fade away like dust. Eventually I found one that felt solid, but when I touched him the world twitched for a heartbeat.

In that short moment everything was changed, the air was pink, the houses rotten, and the pony before me was a half molten corpse. Jaw hanging open and its eyes filled with a necrotic pink light. All around us were carcasses and skeletons fused with the ground and the vegetation seemed sticky, as if it were waiting for somepony to entrap in this nightmare.

My heart beat again and it was back to normal, the buck in front of me continued past without paying any attention to the event. Leaving me in the street, shaken and haunted. I didn't know what part was worse, being alone in this serene place or being one touch away from a nightmare beyond measure.

"What did the zebras do with this place?"

I whispered to myself and took flight once more. The city still had me enthralled however and I didn't want to leave it behind so I instead flapped my wings and aimed for the palace. The walls around it was where I stopped in confusion. Before me was a singular boulevard with six very unique sizable buildings and as I recognized the symbols I realized that these were the ministries.

Since I could interact with the world in some fashion I figured I could find something useful in this place, and was pondering what ministry to visit first when I felt myself drawn towards one far more elegant than the rest. There was something inside, something wonderful and powerful. Something alive. Something calling me.

I landed before the serene white building covered in the most expensive ornaments I ever seen, diamonds even. Lots of them, and even though I had decided to enter it I paused at the sight of the unicorn statue standing in front of it. Rarity, the minister of Image, in all her regal beauty stood before me. The spell woven over me all but forgotten as I sat there gazing at the alabaster monument, and tears began falling from my face as I began realizing just how much we had lost when the world ended. How utterly foolish and pointless our petty conflicts were.

"She is quite a sight, isn't she?"

The soft melancholic voice came from behind the statue. Rubbing my eyes I rose to my hooves and began walking to the one pony that recognized my existence in this dream world. The pony was clad in in a duster and their face hidden by the wide brimmed hat, I could however notice the revolver holster and the elegant rifle on their back.

"Yes, yes she is. You from around here?"

"You could say that."

The voice was strange, magical even. Yet I felt no hostility in it.

"Where are we? This isn't really Canterlot right?"

"Au contraire. This is truly the royal city in all its beauty and horreur. The question, mon ami, is what you are doing here? By all measures you shouldn't be able to reach this place."

The pony aimed at hoof at me.

"You, should not be here!"

"What do you me..."

I got cut off as the world shook again. This time the corruption was permanent. The wind howled and I began coughing violently as a thick cloud of pink flew into my face, the ponies around me were all turned into the warped monsters I had seen before (they couldn't really be called ghouls by any reasonable mind). They saw me, groaned and began trotting towards me with jaws open. The stench of rot and death was beyond repulsive, I could barely breathe as I began coughing blood. The one thing that remained unchanged was the cloaked stranger before me who seemed all to comfortable with the madness.

"GET... ME OUT OF HERE!!"

I shouted in desperation.

The pony raised their head, and two glowing eyes stared into mine. So similar to that of the ravenous monsters, yet filled with intelligence and resentment. The necrotic hunger however, was most certainly there.

You know, part of me didn't think I would wake up from that. That my soul would die in whatever that place was, forever dead and my body never waking up. Or perhaps waking as a feral ghoul, maybe even the creatures I faced? As I came to I was surprised to find that I wasn't drenched in sweat, the floor beside the bed was wonderfully solid and my companions seemed to be healthy (physically speaking at least). As I really didn't want to go back to the bed I instead trotted up to the bathroom, hoping that splashing my face with some cold water would help.

Instead I began coughing and spat out blood, and a burst of pink cloud came out of my nostrils.

"How?.."

I stared in the mirror, being unable to do much more than that.

As my focus returned I began furiously washing my face, my nose and my throat. Attempting to get rid of anything that remained. It seemed to work, no more weird gas at least. And very little blood. I raised my Pipbuck (so glad to have it back), and lo and behold. An unknown biomagical corruption, at least it was classified as benign. Hopefully the doctors back at the Institute knew what to do about that.

Either way I took one of our healing potions and drank it just in case it helped, no idea how many potions we had at this point by the way. Nor how many caps, bits or bullets. My mind had stopped processing all such information by now. Yet I really couldn't go back to sleep, so instead I decided to walk down to the bar.

It was early morning, barely anypony was awake. The air was cool, and the room was filled with fantastic aromas from the various drinks behind the counter. Oh, that is a lot of tasty looking... stuff? I had no idea what different kinds of alcohol were at this point. And there is Rose, sitting behind the counter cleaning glasses and looking... Well, to be honest, splendid. Although the word delicious came to mind.

"Morning Rose, got something cold and sweet?"

Oh, dear my heart skipped a beat when she looked my way.

"Assuming ya mean a drink and aren't flirting, then yes. Ah'll get you something."

"Thanks. So... Are you actually into mares or?"

"Hm... ah might be."

She filled up a glass with ice and poured cider.

"Ya aren't mah type however."

"Is it the stripes?"

I asked anxiously.

"Nah... It is the stable getup. It makes ya look naive."

She ruffled my mane and continued.

"A few more years in the wasteland, then ah might consider it. Anyhow, ya somehow look ever worse after a night of sleep. Nightmare?"

"Yeah... Began coughing blood and pink gas when I woke up."

"... That ain't normal."

"No shit, never visiting Canterlot again."

I shuddered.

"Ya did WHAT??"

"I... Can't really explain it even if I tried... Wait, you're Cider's daughter right? Where is she anyway?"

"Look, ah already said ah wasn't interested. Besides, ah have mah own room ya know?"

I never blushed harder in my life.

"Nonono. Not what I mea..."

She put her hoof on my mouth.

"Shush, ah know. Ma is down in Goldstar, sis want to rebuild the ol' family company."

"Other than the saloon you mean?"

"Concord Arms, ya silly filly. The rifle yer zebra is carrying is one of our designs, as are half of the weapons in the region. The machinery were stolen over a century ago, an' ended up at the old castle som'how. Fortunately, the princess owes us. Everypony does, even ye."

Then she booped my noose.

For once, we did the sensible thing and stayed for a few days. Partly because of my head issues, but mostly because Violette didn't want to leave the room and panicked at the sight of me whenever I entered the room. As a result I spent most of my time in the bar or wandering the town, and I was beginning to really like the place. The ponies were surprisingly friendly, the Daughters didn't bother me and to my surprise there was a whole bunch of bighorners living in the place, even the gun seller apologized for some reason. Eventually I noticed the sign on a building I had passed several times.

"Snow Talons."

So with literally nothing better to do I opened the door and walked in. The room consisted of a counter, filing cabinets, a small table and a couple of chairs. Oh, and a stairwell to the second floor and some doorway behind the counter. The griffin sitting by it looked markedly different from any of those I had met before, and of course she was sitting loading a magazine with ammo. Her accent was new too, sounded more zebrecian than anything else I knew of.

"Pegasus, that is rare. You a client?"

"Nah, a friend. Is Snow, Gyda or Gondul in?"

She ignored me for a few moments. and when I didn't leave she shouted.

"Captain, there is a weird pegasus mare here to see you! Didn't know you were into chicks!"

Next thing, a certain white feathered and hoofed griffin walked down the stairs.

"Ah, Windstriker! Heard you were around. And Ishtar, she is the one I mentioned from the forest expedition."

The other griffin raised an eyebrow.

"The one you wanted to recruit? I thought you meant someone like the hunters down south, not a stable runt. They don't exactly have long life expectancy."

"You weren't there, that forest was Everfree levels of brahmin dung."

Snow's tone was downright grim.

"Uhm, hello? Confused zony here? What is this about recruiting and stuff?"

"Have a seat kid, let's talk business."

She grabbed an orange bottle that had a soft glow to it and two glasses.

"Oh-kay. Sure."

And I sat down on one of the chairs, she sat down in the corner and began pouring the strange liquid. The smell began itching my nose, and I was pretty sure that wasn't exactly a healthy drink.

"First thing, advice from a veteran. Never take a seat with a back to a stranger, one bullet and you're dead."

She took a sip, so I tried it. Sour, sharp and somehow made me thirsty.

"But to the point. You're young, but you got potential. So I wanted to offer you a contract. Full time membership of the talons, same deal as the rest of us. I'll put you under someone's wing until you get the hang of it. You interested?"

"Wait what?? You want me to become a mercenary?"

"Really think she can handle it boss? A pegasus talon is weird enough."

Ishtar interjected.

"There aren't exactly any other griffins around, and it is a security risk to take in the southerners."

"..."

I was frankly stunned, the mix of my head wound and the alcohol didn't help. Then I realized that I didn't really have much of a plan after going home, I seemed to drive away my friends and I did like the town...

"Do you need an answer right now? I kind of got some stuff I need to take care of at the moment."

"Not really..."

She shrugged.

"We are still getting settled and are still figuring things out around here. So it is an indefinite offer. I know you got that stable of yours but you don't seem like the type to stay stuck in a hole somewhere while the bullets fly."

"Heh. Yeah, you got that part right. I'll admit, you seem to be among the few sane individuals I have met since leaving home. However... I got to ask, how are you handling politics by the way? Staying completely neutral as a bunch of freelancers?"

"Pfft, yeah right. We do have standards you know, there is a reason why Talons have a reputation."

She took another sip before continuing.

"You got something going on... No need to say it, I can tell that its personal. Anyhow, if you are going to do something while in the company... As long as it doesn't go against any active contracts or make a mess for the rest of us I honestly don't give a damn... Anyways, this is why you need some training to become a proper professional. As long as there are no witnesses and no way to track it back to you, it never happened."

A shiver went down my spine, she definitely spoke from experience. Then again, that was the one thing I lacked. She offered it, a permanent job, a decent place to stay and camaraderie. Tempting, just...

"Need to rest up, do my stuff and think about it. I am definitely interested however."

"Good."

I have no idea how a griffin beak could smile, but she did.

"On to other matters. I still feel a bit bad about leaving you three back there, did everyone make it out by the way?"

"Yeah, they are all alive. Scarred, angry at me and Violette is freaking out at my wings. But that seems to be unrelated. We are technically on our way back to the stable to rest up for a while, we ran into some annoying pegasus however and ended up staying longer than intended."

"That's the wasteland for you. Point is, I noticed something in town that might interest you. You, and the Pear family if you catch my drift?"

I strained my ears, this griffin heard the juiciest of rumors.

"The Vanhoover Express is missing one of its couriers. Courier 9 hasn't reported back after some big job to be more exact. And I was wondering who that mare we were hunting was..."

So long story short, I was standing outside of the Vanhoover Express office. Evidently stumbling on top of yet another conspiracy in my new favourite town. Not acceptable, someone should do something about it. And since I had little else to do I decided to be the zony for the job. It totally had nothing to do with me trying to score points with the Pear family, it was about justice and stuff.

The place was designed and decorated in a similar fashion as the Talons' office, the buck inside wore a suit, had a pistol holster on the counter, and a duster with a matching hat hanging nearby. He glanced my way before continuing reading some book.

"Sorry, not hiring at the moment."

"Courier 9 is dead."

He closed the book with an expression of annoyance.

"You killed her then?"

There was no hint of accusation in his voice, merely curiosity.

"Nah, a basilisk got to her first."

"Ah... Seems that we are hiring then, you here for the job?"

"No, I'm not. I want information, who was the contract?"

"Look, kid. We pride ourselves at the confidentiality here at the Express. So just give it up."

"No. I think not. See, I was part of the team that retrieved the package and know what it was."

"You realize what you are saying kid..."

His voice turned cold, that same tone I had learned to recognize.

"Give me the info and I'll be on my way, otherwise..."

CLICK

He aimed a revolver straight at my eye, I didn't even flinch this time around.

"Who do think I'm working for?"

I asked him cooly, he hesitated. The stand-off felt like it lasted for minutes. His gun against my friendship, and in the end he relented. Friendship triumphs.

"I'm not going up against the Pears, no one is that suicidal."

He poured a glass of cider and gulped it down.

"It was a pegasus all right? But not one from New Pegasus, had all these weird insults and quirks. Saying stuff like grounder, dirt ponies and shit."

"Wait... Are we talking a white and blue mare? With a snooty attitude?"

I was realizing she didn't have a southern accent, and I didn't know of any other pegasus settlements around.

"Nah, was a buck. Brown with a grey mane. Not the first time I have seen him, but first time I paid any attention. No idea where he came from, but he wanted the package delivered to the old observatory on the coast. I didn't like the contract but the pay was good and Niner took it as a challenge."

He poured another glass and spilled it on the ground for some reason.

"That's all I got kid, now scram!"

So I left, leaving a surprisingly melancholic ass of a pony behind me to his wallowing.

Turns out I have excellent timing, as when I entered the saloon Cider was there. Busy chatting with her daughter. Have I mentioned that I like the town yet? Because I seriously felt more at home here than I ever did back at the Institute, here people valued more things than just brutish intellect and sciency stuff. Here, I was more than just the biggest failure of my generation. Here, I had friends.

"Hey, Cider! I found out some stuff about who took your heirloom."

She froze, and the expression in Rose's face was worrying. Then she turned around, looked at me and beckoned at me to come closer. Motioning to one of the bar chairs.

"Windstriker, please come over here. This is a fairly private matter."

So I sat down, and began explaining.

"You know anything about other pegasus settlements in the area? Because the culprit wasn't from New Pegasus and not from our stable. And whoever was supposed to receive it definitely had wings because I saw them down at the old Observatory. But honestly, they looked more like changelings than anything to me."

"Just how much have you been snooping around?"

She asked in that cold tone, that I really didn't expect from her of all mares in town. It made me pause.

"I... Not much, it is all I know. Sorry, but I can find out more!"

I burst out.

"NO. You have been snooping quite enough, and I thank you for that. However, if you keep it up you are going to wind up dead somewhere. I know which group you have been tracking down and they are extremely dangerous, I do not want for you to get involved any further. It is a family matter."

"But!"

Next thing I knew she threw her hoof around my neck and pulled me closer, kissing me passionately. And that was definitely a tongue! It was unfortunately unexpected and I could barely process it even as I fell backwards and landed with my back on the floor, utterly stunned. And of course, about half of the saloon was watching.

"Sweetheart, now that you have your reward... Please consider the matter settled and stop risking your life for our sake, we are perfectly capable of handling this on our own."

Level Up

Skill Note: Barter - 50%

Perk added: Unbowed, Unbroken
The Wasteland should have broken you, but it failed. You know posses an innate Damage Resistance equal to 5% per point in Endurance. In this specific case it results in a [DR: 30%]

Quest Perk added: Cider's Sweet Kiss
You are evidently one lucky mare, and get a +1 to Luck as well as halving the negative effects of any form of alcohol. This includes the more creative brews of the Black Hoof Saloon, despite whatever radioactive or taint filled ingredients they might contain.

Condition added: Pink Cloud Corruption - Benign
Due to unforeseen and inexplicable events you had the misfortune of breathing the corrosive pink cloud of Canterlot, exactly what this means and if anything can be done about it remains to be seen. One for thing is for sure, it isn't healthy.

Reputation gained: Steel Ranger - Accepted

Reputation gained: Snow Talons - Accepted

Reputation gained: The Black Hoof - Liked

Author's Notes:

The song The Seller of Stars is a song by Donovan, and something I stumbled on by accident. It made me daydream of Vanhoover when I heard the lyrics and I decided i must have it in somewhere. This is a good place, and I have taken a few liberties with the lyrics.

Here is a link to the original on Youtube, hopefully it stays up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovOY6B6oL14