I was fairly tired and slightly irritated (probably related) during the whole morning as we left the Ranger Fort, and shot some spiteful looks towards the steel rangers that had decided to join the group. Amber was in a lot better mood and hummed along with the radio as he did his iconic "tölt" to keep up. Seriously, how does he do that? I faceplanted everytime when I tried, and I am fairly sure it wasn't entirely down to my clumsiness. Speaking of faceplanting, I basically did that when I failed to notice the green mare walking up to me. Seriously? This is getting old, like really quickly. Faceplanting that is, not cute green mares.

"Huh, sorry. Haven't slept well. What did you say?"

I managed to get out as I rose to my hooves.

"I... asked about that, you seem a lot worse for wear compared to yesterday."

She looked seriously concerned, what? It was just a night of bad sleep, was all.

"Yeah, I'm fine. As far as I don't have to deal with any more racist ponies or murderponies. Although I could do with a cup of tea, screw that... get me the whole kettle!"

Why was both of them staring at me in confusion? And when did the colt get on top of his mother's back, was he there the whole time? Gah! Someone should make a drug that helps with concentration, I'd take it everyday!

"Uhm miss?.. T is a letter, not a drink. You know that right?"

The little colt stated cautiously.

"What? HAH! No, tea is a warm drink you make with a bush. We grow them back home and sell it. Don't we have commercials on the radio?"

"Oooh..."

Both exclaimed.

"Sooo anyways... Leaf, what do you want to do when you are grown up?"

I tried to keep the discussion going as I felt my irritation leave and hope I would end up in an actual good mood.

"Hm... HM....I want to see Equestria. Like, ALL OF IT. There is. Just. So. Much. STUFF!!" and he was positively ecstatic. Although, I think I can relate to that statement.

"Sounds like you are going to be a caravanner or a prospector, either way... OH, and try to listen to the radio if you can. Old Stormcloud is going to be on the Blackhoof channel tonight, he has traveled basically everywhere and is a real badass. Helped found Zonytown back in the day."

Well, that was an unexpected and worried look from Wind.

"Wait... you mean he actually exists?"

"Yep! Used to scold me all the time when I fell asleep during his lectures."

"Isn't he... uhm... crazy? And dangerous?"

"Nah. He just really really dislikes slavers, raiders and other horrid people. I half expect him to gun for the Kaiser or Red Eye anyday now. But he will probably just go clean up Reaper's End or start rambling boring stuff for anyone listening."

"I see... Do you know Goldstar's relation to him? If he goes there often and what the princess think of him?"

Hm, why the buck is she so scared of the old fart?..

"Let me think for a moment... Mum said he helped set up generators and stuff, taught the eggheads some stuff and then he left. I have no idea what the princess thinks but he is constantly travelling so I don't think he will show up much."

"PHEW... I just hope all goes well when we get to Goldstar. Can't say I have much of an education, I can barely read. But I am pretty strong and used to the wilds, with some luck there will be work I can do. I mean, it sounds like she takes in almost anypony but I can't help but to worry. Not sure where else we would go."

"Eh. I hear she only refuses really horrid criminals, and she is supposed to be able to tell if you want to help or to mess things up. And if she says no. I suppose, me and Amber will have found ourselves our first job. Finding you two a new place to live. Maybe Flood Town or one of the farms?"

"Thank you. I feel just a bit better now."

She smiled and blushed. Blushing beneath a green coat? Now that is an interesting and adorable colour.

It was reaching midday and the sun had decided to shine for once when we reached a crossroads on the other side of the mountain range and stopped for a break as the group split up. The caravan, the green pair and us two went south. As did half of the steel rangers, the other half as well as some other ponies continued west. Which confounded my intellect a fair bit, and now Amber was on his second radio station and continued to ignore everypony. So only ponies to ask were the rangers themselves.

"Huh, why are you splitting up? Had a fight?"

I asked curiously the rangers as I chewed on a carrot and got a resounding CLONK as an answer. Followed by a very loud and dramatic sigh.

"Ensign Tart, please deal with the crossbreed before I am tempted to break my orders"

Said the facehoofing ranger and was promtly answered by a salute and a "Yes Sir." from another. This one clearly being the same one as the one I had talked to yesterday. Note to self, Ensign Tart is armed with a single big gun and a large ammo box. Might help with identification later. They got up and walked slowly to me.

"Miss... Windstriker was it? Please do not bother the crusader, I'll try to explain things in his stead."

Said the familiar monotone and robotic voice, by now I was starting to doubt whether there was an actual pony beneath the steel or just a robot pretending to be a pony.

"Okay..."

and I motioned with my left hoof for them to continue.

"The other squad is doing a supply run and going to the Dusk Citadel. We however are going escorting scribe Light to Goldstar, further details are confidential."

"So what can I ask about? Your backstory? Your gun? Where I can get armour like that?"

There was a brief pause as Tart processed the questions and decided on what to answer.

"Hm... long story short, my mother was with the Manehattan contigent and left alongside others to join Elder Stardust in her... decision to stay independent and leave for Vanhoover. The gun is a 30 mm autocannon intended for anti air duties, which I choose partly because it is the preferred weapon of Star Paladin Overdrive whom I view as a role model. As for the armour, no you can't. The steel ranger armour was wholly intended to be used by earth ponies and the unicorn helmet was a post war modification, as such there simply is no steel ranger armour that would fit a pegasus."

The caravan started moving again and Amber shot me a glance before shaking his head and continued with his head bobbing. But not a disagreeing head shake, just an amused head shake (I have learned to tell the difference by now).

And to my surprise, Tart decided to continue walking beside me. As such I decided to make the most out of the opportunity.

"So... Do you have any advice for an aspiring hero. Such as what gear to use, where to go and what to do?"

They turned their head and just looked at me for several moments whilst continuing walking without any issue, I am starting to get... envious? Frustrated? Impressed? Probably a mix of all three.

"You are actually serious."

They stated plainly in a slightly impressed voice.

"First thing, ditch the rifles. Whatever your fighting style is, you don't have the cool nor the patience to be a sniper. Go for either sub-machine guns or beam rifles if you need a ranged weapon. Both have little recoil and would not interrupt your aerial maneuvers. Second, you should probably consider some better armour. Not that the leather is horrid, but bullets hurt. A lot."

Okay, all of that made sense and I should probably have thought of that before. But eh. Thinking isn't my job.

"As for where to go, definitely NOT to Las Pegasus. The locals would shoot you on sight, both the ponies and the zebras. On that note, stay away from our Citadel within Vanhoover. Star Paladin Earthquake is a respectable officer but he has plenty of reasons to hate zebras and may not be picky enough to tell the difference between a purebred and a crossbreed."

"We are called zonies you know? ZONIES. I'm a pegasus, my mother is a unicorn and Amber is a crystal earth zony. We are decidedly NOT zebras. You know, stable 33? All kinds of people getting along and forming a tribe?"

There was a slightly tense pause and I could swear that I had several eyes staring at me.

"Noted. For the final question. Try not to get involved in any of the old feuds in the area, nor the gangwar within the city. Those are too large and too complex to be solved by a single individual. As for who to help, there are plenty of refugees, scavengers, farmers and so on that could use a helping hand. Be a source of hope for the wastelanders and a role model for your tribe."

"What about following in the Stable-Dweller's hoofsteps? Or Security's?"

I asked curiously.

"That... might be a bad idea. For all the good they do, they live in different environments and if you run around killing dozens of ponies... You might trigger a war that ends up hurting a lot of innocents. Vanhoover has a remarkably large population and a lot of old wounds. As I understand it, a few decades ago it was entirely raiders, gangs and slavers."

"But that was back then. Things are peaceful now, and people are working together everywhere. Why would they want to start a war?"

I was no longer following their point and was wondering if someone was simply a tad bit paranoid. Not to mention, I needed a proper motivation if I was to not use the Stable-Dweller as a role model.

"Very few ever wants a war. Despite that Equestra got the worst war it ever had, and it died as a result. Look around you, every ruin, every skeleton. They were ponies once, now they paid the price for someponies acting without foresight."

"What? There are no..."

My voice died off as I noticed bones lying besides the road we were walking on, and a fair bit of trash too. And I remembered the ruin we had rested in the night before, it had been a home once. All the ruins had been homes once, not just landmarks. "Fuck..."

"Indeed."

I started shaking all over my body, and sweating as well. Why was I sweating? Makes no sense. And why had I never seen those things before? Or no, I had seen them. Just not cared enough to be bothered about it. What kind of hero was I supposed to be? To be untroubled by corpses like some diehard mercenary? What the hell was wrong with this?!

I turned to look at the green mare that I happily chatted with before and her foal. She was covered in scars and carried an... axe? Made from a pipe and some railway nails. Wait... She ate meat during the break? And was she that faminished before? I could see her ribs through the coat? Little Leaf looked in better health, she must have given him most of the food.

"Hey, Wind!"

She turned her head and looked at me with a worried look and slowed down to let us catch up with her. I did pay attention to the glances she kept shooting towards Tart and tried to keep her foal from getting hyper.

"I was right, you are not OK. Can I help in any way?"

And she told Leaf to not bother the ranger, but he was already paralyzed in awe and let out a long "Wow..."

"Just... Tell me. The corpses, the broken buildings, the trash... You ever NOTICE them before?"

I had a pleading look on my face and was worried by both possible answers, not sure what I hoped for.

"...In what way? They are there, has always been. I have been too busy worrying about the living to care much for the long dead. It is how the world is I guess."

I stopped walking and closed my eyes muttering to myself.

"Fuck the stars this is messed up..."

When I opened my eyes I saw August Wind giving Tart a worried and questioning look. The mechanical voice answered plainfully.

"Anxiety attack, will soon be over."

Then the ranger turned to me.

"Most ponies never pay any attention, too busy surviving. If you ever wondered what drives stable dwellers to become heroes, this is it. Welcome to the equestrian wasteland, Windstriker. Do not let it break you."

After I calmed down a bit I talked with Wind for a while, she listening patiently and Leaf falling asleep halfway through it. I rambled about growing up in Stable 33, hearing about the outside from the adults, listening to the radio and how ignorant I must have been when I left home for the first time. How unprepared I was, and am. How I seriously have no idea what I am actually doing. Every now and then she pointed out how things were from her perspective and offered advice, gentler and more supportive advice than the pragmatic bulletin lists that Tart had given me earlier.

As such I was in considerably better shape, if a tad bit demoralized, when the woodland surrounding us suddenly broke up and revealed a wooden wall (a palisade think?). And the caravan basically grounded to a halt as everyone took in the sight of the land within. On the left side was a gigantic prewar fortress made out of black stone and the ancient walls were dotted by several huge guns. The thing looked like not even a dragon could put a dent in the massive walls. And to the right was fields filled with grains and vegetables, the farmlands were just as impressive as the fortress itself. The food grown here could feed my home, the Black Hoof and possibly all of Vanhoover by my amateurish estimate.

We were greeted by a patrol and I realized that there were wooden towers all alongside the outer edge of the land, with ponies with large... rifles? Machine guns? On that note, the guards made me feel downright rubbish in comparison. They had black uniforms with some weird silver bluish metal armour, broad and plumed helmets and impressive looking rifles.

A stallion with slightly fancier armour than the rest and a plume turned sideways, seemed to be in charge and walked up to us.

"Can I please have an explanation why a ranger squad armed to the teeth shows up to our gates? My subordinates are getting nervous, and they get itchy on the trigger-bridle when they are nervous."

The ranger I think was the crusader (what that is, I have no idea) walked up half a meter in front of him, looking him straight in the eye and answered in that monotone voice I had started identifying with the rangers.

"Escort duty. Scribe Light has something for Miss Starlight, and hopes to work out a deal. Both Head Scribe Sapphire and Star Paladin Overdrive have given their approval."

I have no idea how long time passed as they continued staring at each other, the tension being tasteable in the air. All it would have taken would be a single word and they would start shooting each other. As I found this not only unbearable but also positively terrifying I decided to interject, stepping up in between them.

"If you are neither going to shoot each other or kiss each other can we get this over with? We have a caravan and a mother with foal that wants to meet the princess."

The two turned to stare at me for a moment, the guard blinking and then letting out a loud laugh while the crusader stepped back in shock. That or offense, it was hard to tell with that helmet. But the situation was defused, and that was the important part. As the guard buck stepped aside and turned around.

"Yeah. Come on in. We'll escort you to the trade post." His mood clearly a lot better and I could swear that I heard a chuckle from Tart. The guard officer led us to a large old building that looked remarkably like the train station in Black Hoof. Wait! We have been walking on a railroad all this time? Hm... no tracks. And I'm distracted again, focus on the building. Is that sandbags on the roof? With several more guard ponies? Just how much trouble do they expect around here?

As we got close I realized that the building was used as a welcoming hall and store for visitors as there were several other ponies that argued with a shop clerk and another two almost identical pale blue stallions talking to-

YOWSA!!

That pony does NOT belong to the wasteland. She had a pale black coat and a positively gigantic golden mane that seemed to wave and sparkle like it hid dozens of tiny stars. She wore a quad of golden shoes and a silver tiara holding a blue tear shaped gem, but otherwise walked bare as if unbothered by the harsh wind and dusty air of the wasteland.

As we entered she turned her head towards and I could swear that she looked straight into my soul for a moment and then blinked as if she was almost bored by it. She and the mare next to her walked up to our group that had stopped just inside the doors as everyone else seemed to have the same reaction as me. Amber was flushing red, Wind seemed shocked and Leaf had dropped his jaw to the floor. Only Farstrider seemed used to it and gave a short smile as he removed his hat. He was also the first one she addressed.

"Uncle Farstrider, as we assume you haven't branched into the market of powered armour it seems you have brought us unexpected guests."

I somehow suspected that the term "uncle" was more a sign of affection than a statement of actual blood relation.

"Ayep, since we don't plan on leaving til dawn I 'xpect that business can wait an hour or two?"

"That would be an excellent plan."

Then she walked past him, and the steel rangers. Completely ignoring them as if they weren't there, shot a glance towards me that made my heart skip a beat, and walked up to August Wind and her colt.

"You are from the northern tribes, correct?"

"Yes miss...ehr, your highness. The Evergreens. The snowstorms and the Aurora have been getting worse so the chief tried getting us to move south. We got stuck between the rangers and the Red Suns..."

Wind looked stuck between awe and reliving bad memories.

"Ah. Elder Stardust has had a bad habit of letting her subordinates running loose, shooting everypony unable to fight back. How is the rest of the tribe faring?"

"Scattered mi- your highness, when we reached Black Hoof everypony went separate ways. The chief and the elders had all died and I had Spring Leaf to take care of. So I hoped to we could..."

She looked unsure and dejected, like she didn't really believe it.

"You are more than welcome to stay, both of you. And We assure you, you will be as safe as you can be in the wasteland."

Wind blinked a few times and began tearing up. Spring Leaf however popped up with a question on his face and mouth.

"Are you are real princess?!"

He almost shouted at the gorgeous mare I might be staring a tad bit too much at. Damn it Windstriker, focus. Don't make a foal out of yourself. And now she was laughing, a honest and amused laugh. Then she lowered her head to him and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Not yet dear. we are, however, working on it."

The she raised her head and addressed Wind again.

"So miss Starlight will do just fine. At least until the day we sprout wings. We will show you around the place after our other guests have been attended to. It should not take too long."

Then she turned around and faced both me and Amber (whom proceeded to hide slightly behind me).

"And the two of you?"

"We are looking for contract work, scavenging, fighting beasts or critters. That sort of thing. You got any?"

Not as eloquent as I would have hoped but at least I didn't make a complete embarrassment out of us.

"We might have, Colonel Longshot organizes the guard patrols and most of the contract work. He is within the central keep, 4^th floor. The terrace is just outside, you should not be able to miss it."

Then she paused for a moment, pondering something.

"On second thought, We can take you straight there alongside our newcomers."

Oh now that is a nice change of pace compared to the usual "stripes not welcome" trope I had faced yet from the wasteland ponies. Finally she turned towards the remarkably calm steel rangers, addressing the leader.

"And now, what brings Equestria's Finest to our simple colony?"

The crusader's calm voice was somehow dripping with contempt as he responded. "You can start by explaining why your militia is dressed like a bunch of zebras straight out from the south."

They were? Fooled me.

"We do not have the fortune to have two ministries and the industry of Fillydelphia supplying us with state of the art technology so we have to make do."

She did a dramatic pause before continuing.

"Nor do we have the means of producing proper ceramic or polymer plating. So we tried reproducing ancient pegasi plate armour but the process was slow and the guards complained about a lack of visibility and impaired hearing from the helmets. And as such the logical choice was to look for a viable alternative, and that was found within the zebra battle dress. We reverse engineered it and produced remarkably sturdy and flexible armour thanks to that design and lunar steel supplied by your Elder."

Made sense in my ears and it seems that shut up the crusader even if it didn't sit well with him.

"Any more blatantly obvious questions or did you have an actual reason for coming here?"

At that opportunity the robe clad ranger tried to force his way to the front and waved for the others to step back.

"Sorry about my conflict seeking associates ma'am. I was sent here by instructions of the Head Scribe with the intent of striking a deal."

A very loud and irritated sigh from the princess.

"For the fourth time, we will not lift our trade embargo towards the Steel Rangers until you end your discriminatory policies. You are supposed to be the champions of ALL of us. Not just a select few."

"We are well aware of that ma'am, but this is different. I was sent here on the hope that I would be allowed access to your archive in order to fill in gaps within our own."

She regarded him for a long moment and motioned with her hoof for him to go on.

"This is what we are offering in return."

He opened his saddlebag and carefully pulled out a white orb that seemed to gleam in gold.

"It is a record of Princess Celestia's abdication. Witnessed firsthand by one of the royal guards. We managed to retrieve it during our attempt to liberate Canterlot."

At that several gasps were heard and her eyes widened at the comment.

She actually gulped before she collected herself

"Accepted. You are welcome to stay and study for a year, beginning tomorrow..."

She shut her eyes before continuing

"Your steel clad friends are NOT, we have far too many refugees traumatized by your Order. They will have to leave, immediately."

The scribe turned towards his colleagues and got a comment from the crusader..

"The Star Paladin will be notified of the success, scribe Light."

He nodded and then the rangers begun walking back north, completely ignoring the dozens of guards eyeing them.

A personal tour given by the very Princess? Now that is something I didn't even dare to hope for. As this was a rare opportunity I did my best to stay focused and pay attention to what she was saying and our surroundings. We walked from the trade station towards the castle itself on a wide road that probably had been around for centuries considering the cobblestone.

As we were past the gates, the town revealed itself. It made me wonder what sort of mad architect had made this place. I expected some sort of courtyard or at least an open sky, instead we we were in what seemed more like a an ancient cellar despite being above ground. There were hallways and doors to various rooms everywhere. The only light came from torches hanging from the walls, creating a feel of a haunted labyrinth or a tomb. Everywhere were ponies, more ponies than I had ever seen in my life. It was difficult to get a grip on just how large this place was or how many ponies there were, but it was impressive none the less. The place confused and creeped all four of us out whilst the Princess had a slightly amused smile and her secretary? Marefriend? Was stopped every now and then by ponies with stuff they needed to inform the princess of.

Eventually we reached a staircase of rugged stone, walking upwards we finally felt some natural light. Up here it actually looked like a town, stone floor and wooden buildings all around. It was still fairly cramped but it felt a lot less claustrophobic. Above me was the "keep", it looked way too crude and hostile to be the center of a royal castle. I tried figuring out just how tall this structure was and felt a chill down my spine. It literary blocked out the sun.

As we had all stopped to take in the sight little Leaf stated bluntly my exact thoughts.

"This place can probably stop a dragon!" Which caused a chuckle from the Princess.

"It can most definitely can, we have the skull to prove it."

As Wind looked a bit pale at the statement and Amber had a very skeptical look on his face she elaborated

"A few years ago a dragon came out of the woods, a large one and clearly intelligent. It thought the guns were just for show, it was wrong."

Then her associate added as a matter of factly.

"They are 120 mm howitzers, they earned the nickname dragonkillers back during the war. And for good reason it seems."

Afterwards the Princess continued her nostalgic explenation.

"Serves just as well in scaring off Steel Rangers, they were half the reason to why their army neglected to attack our settlement back when they first showed up."

At this I simply had to ask.

"What was the other half?"

And that was one mysterious smile as she looked me straight into the eye and answered bluntly.

"Us."

As we walked up to the large wooden doors and entered the castle we were greeted by a group of guards in parade formation that promptly saluted when we passed by. Inside was first a short entrance hall with spiraling staircases on both sides but then we were greeted by a large atrium. On the walls hung banners, three variants. One white with a golden sun, one dark blue with a white lunar scythe and the final one black with a golden star in the middle. Representing the two Sisters and the castle itself I figured. The room clearly also served as a mess hall for the inhabitants as various guards, academics and guests sat eating their dinner.

"Oh, hi mum."

I stated plainly before trying to figure out where the various doors and staircases led. A place like this must have plenty of secrets. Wait... why is everyone looking at me? And why was the Princess give my mother such a curious look?

"We knew that you had a daughter, miss Blackhorn, but you neglected to say that she was a pegasus."

Aha, so they knew each other? Should have figured. Can't go anywhere without my mother knowing it. "Nor that she would be visiting us?"

Mum was slightly hesitant for some reason.

"It didn't seem relevant, race doesn't matter much back in the stable. And frankly I had no idea she was coming here." Then she turned to me and sighed.

"So finally going on that adventure you always talked about?"

"Yep!"

I stated proudly.

"Trying to find some work while we travel around."

And got a worried look in response. Gee, thanks for the confidence, mum.

"Oh dear..." She turned to the princess and asked "Nothing too dangerous I hope? Please?"

And got a smile and a short response.

"Of course not"

Then she turned to Amber.

"PLEASE keep her out of any trouble, Amber."

"I know miss, had to stop her from starting a fight twice already. And saved her flank from a raider once."

He stated plainly, as if he was used to it. And now my mother was raising her her eyebrow on me. Really? Did nobody around here trust me?

Well clearly not since she decided to tag along when the Princess showed us to where the "Colonel" had his office. And when I say office, I mean war room. Sure he had a desk and some bookshelves. But also a gigantic map of equestria behind his desk and a large table with a map of the Van Hoofer region. On both maps were marks that seemed to represent settlements or factions, with pieces of strings presumable showing roads or trade routes. The buck himself was a brown unicorn with a grey mane and a large scar where his left eye should have been.

"New recruits or contractors?"

He asked with a quizzical and appraising look.

"The latter, and since one of them is the daughter of miss Blackhorn here..."

One dramatic pause later.

"No combat missions."

And with that she led Wind and Leaf away through a corridor, leaving us there with the scarred buck. Not to mention my mother, whom he gave a long deadpan stare before sighing.

"Allrighty then. Ya got a map mark'r on those things right?"

He asked as he rose up and walked towards the table and levitated a small pin.

"We got a problem with raiders ambushing trav'lers coming from down south."

"Aaand how is that not a 'combat mission'?"

I had to ask because it sounded like the thing we weren't supposed to do. Not that we couldn't, mind you. But because my mother had to stick her nose into my career.

"Because we don't need ya to fight them, only to find where their base is. If you can tell me where to place this blasted pin on the map then I can send a platoon to drive them off. We need the trade route open and that is hard enough as it is with all the critters from the forest and the slavers."

"Wait... we have to deal with raiders, monsters and slavers at once?!"

Now that didn't sound like a newbie friendly job to me, or my mother by the looks of it. He shook his head at that.

"Nah. The slavers rarely go past Roadfort, and if they do, we simply shoot them until they stop. Her highness has been very clear on that account. Slavers is one thing she is not willing to compromise on."

He paused for a moment before continuing "As for the critters, you can go with the caravan. We always send a platoon of guards with the Farstriders when they go south. They need the protection and the missus want any news she can get her hoof on."

Now that seemed a bit more reasonable. But...

"Just how many platoons do you got?"

And I managed to once again get a laugh in response to a honest question. Patterns, I notice them.

"Heheh... A few"

And then he winked at me.

"I won't tell ya the 'xact number but yeah. We can protect our borders and send out patrols without any issue. Especially with contractors like ya'selves helping out."

"And the payment?"

"50 bits for the location, with a variable bonus if you find something extra."

And either I had a very confused face or someone had raised an eyebrow at that.

"sigh Well... News about slaver groups, zebra sightings, sudden ghoul migration over the hills, random dragon flying north or any other event that would endanger everypony. I suppose secret hideouts or pathways would also count."

"OK... That makes sense. And if we find any salvage?"

"Yours to keep, or trade. The standard policy is that satisfied contractors are loyal and hardworking. So we aren't too fuzzy about that kind of stuff. We aren't steel rangers after all."

"Anything else we should know?"

"Yeah. I might have forgotten to mention that the raiders aren't ponies, they are bighorners."

Turns out mum had her very own room in the castle, and as a result we were staying there over the night. Unfortunately due to the circumstances of our contract we had to make use of a dreaded function of our pipbucks, the alarm clock. And mum was staring at me. And now she was sighing.

"I know I can't stop you from travelling. Just try to not get yourself killed, Wingstripe?"

"Name's Windstriker now, I told you at least 8 times!"

Why can't even my mother get it right?

"And I won't. First off, I am pretty tough. Second, I got Amber for the complex stuff."

"Yes, I know. Sorry, 'Windstriker'. It is just tough changing old habits, especially when it was the name your father picked."

Enough with the wounded voice already, stuff matters. Time to change the subject.

"Amber, got anything interesting off the radio?"

And I got an irritated "shush" combined with a downwards hoofshake and avoiding eyes. So much for that distraction...

BAH.

"Anyhow mum. Please stop poking your nose into everything I do? PLEASE? It is difficult to be taken seriously with my own mother looking over my shoulder when I try to talk business."

"Fine."

Oh, that sounded a tad bit cold.

"But this once I had a reason. I have heard from the scholars here that sometimes Colonel Longshot offers jobs that are less... moral. Even the one you got has large potential risks, so perhaps I am allowed to worry a bit?"

"Yeah. Yeah... I'll be careful and try to not do something stupid. Its a promise."

Seriously, buck this subject.

"So what are you doing here? Since you have your very own room in the castle and everything?"

She decidedly brightened at that.

"I am surprised you asked! They have a lot of talented people here, but they are a bit ignorant when it comes to arcano-technology so I took it upon myself to tutor them a bit. Princess Starlight has talked about giving me an official position of some sorts, either as a senior engineer or as the head teacher in magical engineering. It does sound wonderful but I rather not decide before we figured out who will succeed your grandfather."

Yikes, she does like rambling about how brilliant she is. Insensitive much, mum?

"Still, the technology level of Goldstar is a bit subpar, and so are the living conditions and many of these ponies are a bit too bigoted for my taste."

"Tell me about it! The buck that sells guns and ammo in Blackhoof tried to extort me, then a raider insulted me and the steel rangers made us sleep in the ruins!"

I had heard about this idiocy before I left but seriously? It is even worse than I thought.

"Raider? You should probably start from the beginning, dear."

I am seriously not a friend of early mornings, most definitely not a friend of early mornings. If it weren't for Amber I would probably have missed the caravan, as it is I just ended up being mildly irritated. The nigh extreme mist didn't help, it was chillingly cold and I could barely see anything in front of my hooves. I knew of two things that could fix my mood, food and distractions. And since I couldn't eat and walk at once reliably, the latter would have to suffice.

"Hey, Farsight. What sort stuff did you trade?"

I asked the brown buck.

"Hmm? We got stuff from your home, spices and herbs. That sorta stuff, and at Goldstar we got guns and ammo for the south. So supplies for the journey too."

He paused for a moment.

"This caravan goes to Pegasus, whilst the one my daughter runs goes to New Applelosa way south east. And in Pegasus they want every gun and bullet they can get their hoofs on."

"And why is that? Lots of angry loansharks or something?"

He didn't answer, just looked at me for a long while.

"Ya mean you really don't know??"

I know I am a bit ignorant at times but what did I miss this time? This is becoming a bad habit.

"Nope. As an excuse I would like to state that I grew up in a stable in the hindside of the hindside of Equestria. All I know about the wasteland I have heard from somezony or on the radio."

"I see..."

He seemed a bit shocked but I think I he accepted the explanation.

"You can get Radio New Pegasus south of the forest, try listening to it sometime."

A sigh later he explained.

"Is because of the zebras... There is some jerk going around calling himself the new Caesar that has loads of tribes under his hooves. His legion enslaves and kills lots of good honest ponies down there."

"Horse apples..."

How in Tartaros did I miss something like that?!

"That explains a lot actually... Are the steel rangers related to this somehow?"

"Ayep. That Earthquake fellow lived there, gathered up the rangers of that area and left. Joined up with another group and then they ended up here in the northwest. I used to trade with them back in the day."

And that explains why Raspberry Tart didn't want me going near that guy. Weird how things make sense when people actually tell you what is going on.

After a few hours we said goodbye as they continued south and we took a break before heading into the hills. Or more accurately, mountains. I told Amber about what I learned from Farsight but he wasn't all that impressed.

"Yeah, that makes sense. DJPon3 never mentioned it but Rambler made it sound like there was a war going on down in New Pegasus. And it explains why some ponies are downright afraid of zonies. I guess they are from the south."

"So how are we doing this job by the way, the whole scouting stuff?"

And Amber looked like he was considering a facehoof, but honestly? That was a common look for him.

"We find a way up the hills, try to find a high vantage point and look around for clues. Hopefully we can figure out if they are north or south of here. The EFS will help us find and avoid any raiders or monsters. If we find any bighorners then we should try track them until we see any signs of a base."

"I can fly around and see if I find anything?"

I suggested.

"NO. If you do that then you will probably get shot. We don't know how heavily armed the bighorners are and there could be other tribes around. Not to mention slavers. We stay on the ground and try be discrete."

"You are probably right, again. So when can I shoot stuff?"

"When somezony shoots at us, or is otherwise trying to hurt us. If we find anything weird I'll tell you. And try remember that we don't exactly have a lot of firepower with us."

"Right... Speaking of weird stuff. That bonus would be nice to get."

"Yeah, but finishing the job unscathed would be better if we can."

Yeah, he is most likely right. But where would the fun be in that? I could do with the combat experience.

"Either way, the faster we get away from the forest the better. It is giving me the creeps."

As we trotted up the hillside my mood improved substantially, the terrain was remarkably fun. Rocks everywhere, hidden paths, bushes and loads of hiding spaces. It was basically an enormous maze, and the best part about mazes? You can fly out of them. Unfortunately Amber insisted on us talking as little as possible, and no music. So I ended up trying to figure out what all the various bars we encountered meant. No red ones just yet. Thus far I have found four large birds, six small birds, two small cats, one large cat (that seriously rolled its eyes before disappearing), three rabbits, one griffon flying past and...

"Oooh Red bar."

I whispered as I poked my head around a corner carefully, and promptly retracted it. Turned my head to face Amber.

"Ghoul, and he doesn't seem as friendly as Stormcloud."

We popped up our heads at the same time, trying to get a good look at him. What remained of the buck's coat was a broken grey with a blueish tint, the mane was almost non existent. The cloak he wore was full of holes and tears and the eyes glowed blue. Whenever he breathed he exhaled a small grey cloud that was probably not healthy.

Then was the fact that he was talking to himself, well muttering to himself.

"Hungry? Yeah... Always hungry. And thirsty! The dust is so dry, DRY..."

Then he saw us, looking right at us and shrieking.

"EEEEEEEEEEEHahahaha!! Food AND DRINK."

You would presume that this is when he started galloping towards us like a rabid dog, but no. He trotted slowly. With his eyes wide open and staring. Since I didn't want that buck getting anywhere close to Amber I jumped on top of the rock we were hiding behind.

"Oy, stay back!"

My guns aiming straight at him, ready to perforate him with a single bite. He didn't stop.

"Final warning..."

He didn't stop...

BLABLAM

The bullets hit home, both of them digging deep into his chest. He didn't stop, second round.

Caclick. BLABLAM

Oh dear... He is reading for a jump. And he jumped, with an open maw. One swift turn and a hard buck to the face.

CRACK

Did I just kill him?

"AAAARAAHR!!"

Nope, still alive. Shit. Rifles won't work at this distance, got no pistol nor knife. Hooves it is. So I Jumped up, boosted by my wings. One aerial somersault later I was dropping on him with both of my front hooves hitting hard. He hit the ground hard, then he rose. On his hind hooves, turning as he did so and somehow capable of throwing off me without much effort.

"AMBER!!"

This guy was a bit too durable for my taste. Not to mention freaky, with his lower jaw missing. Huh, so that was what I hit. DAMN, not the time to get distracted! Then I noticed Amber's face behind the ghoul, the boxy pistol in his mouth.

PZEEPZEEPZEEEOW

And the ghoul glowed with a yellow aura for a moment (the eyes turned green in the light) and then he just fell apart. Seriously, it was as if he was made out of dust. There was a weird cloud in front of me and a small yellow pile before my.

"What the buck?"

"Disintegration, occassionally happens with energy weapons."

He looked pretty shaken up, I think he was sweating even. "

I suspect that there was something weird about him, that might have made the disintegration easier. He must have been from Reaper's End, only explanation."

"Hey. You ok, Amber?"

He might get an attack if we aren't careful.

"Hm? Yeah. Should be. I mean, we just got attacked by a cannibalistic ghoul. Mother used to threaten me with these things. It is like a nightmare made real."

Yeah, I think I can relate to that somehow. Oh shit, he has started shaking.

"AMBER."

He seriously looked shocked and terrified.

"Breathe..."

"Yeah..."

He needed a few moments to calm down before he was ready to go on. So I was responsible for the moment. Eyes Forward Sparkle, CLEAR. Sounds? Nothing. Geographical location? Right west of Reaper's End, noted. Hm? What was that in the dust pile? A crystal ball? Why would a random ghoul carry that? And does he have anything else? Some 10 mm ammo, no gun though. Gems? Oooh. These are the topazes we use for our beam weapons I think. Double check EFS, white bar. Right behind us. And when I turned to look it disappeared quickly to the south, interesting.

Since Amber needed a rest either way, we paused for a short meal. He helped me reload the rifles and cautiously took the gems, as if they might be cursed. As for the ball he did recognize it.

"Memory orb"

"Which is?"

I was gonna need a better explanation than that.

"A recording of sorts, usually from before the wars. Miss Starlight got one from the rangers remember?"

Oh right. Forgotten that.

"So how does it work?"

"For a unicorn, just focus magic on it."

I raised my eyebrow at that.

"There are machines that let anyone access them, I think there is some Pipbuck add-on that can do it too. But the easiest way is just to either ask a unicorn to look into it or to help you access it. The spell these orbs are based on lets you share memories, which can make you access it."

"Unicorns have it easy."

In more ways than one, the floaty spell thingy felt like cheating. Especially when it came to guns. And writing. Or anything really.

"For once, I agree with you. But we should try to get a look at this, then we can decide if we want to copy it or sell it to someone. Miss Starlight collects these things, as do some other ponies."

"Neat. Decent loot then, for a pretty tough fight."

Oh crap. Should not have mentioned that.

"I am fine now. Thanks, Windstriker. And good call on the ghoul. Definitely hostile."

"Bullets didn't do jackshit though. Maybe we should have gotten some Black Hoof rounds after all."

"Oh, I forgot when we got distracted by the princess and your mother. Goldstar makes those rounds as well."

This time it was my turn to facehoof.

"SIGH... At least I don't have to deal with the jerk then."

Damn that pony to Tartaros.

We continued south, Amber somehow not struggling with the rough design despite his short stature. Fortunately we didn't run into much trouble on our way and as we traversed yet another hilltop I spotted the bighorner. It was huge, easily twice the size of a typical pony and as I observed it I realized that I recognized it. There had been bighorners living in the Black Hoof, yet I had not paid any attention to them and half forgotten that they existed. It hadn't spotted us and with a snort started jumping across the various rocks and past the next hilltop. As it disappeared I realized that I had no idea if these things are sentient in the first place, yet I had nagging suspicion that they were.

"Shall we follow?"

I asked in a hushed voice. Amber seemed a bit worried, most likely about the size of the thing. It was probably just as tough as the ghoul we found earlier.

"Let's go over that hill, see if we spot anything from there. If there are more of them then I think we should leave, mark the spot on the pipbuck and go back north the way we came."

"And if it is just that one?"

"Then we follow it, carefully."

He paused as he pondered for a moment

"And be ready to get the heck out there. Just remember that I can't fly."

That was one thing he reminded me every other day about, was he afraid that I would just fly off and disappear? Or did he not trust my judgement in the heat of things?

"Got it."

So we crept slowly up the hill and tried to spot whence the bighorner had gone. And saw it stand right besides a large rock, he looked around for a moment before turning back and walking in behind the rock. I tried to spot where it had went but saw nothing.

"Huh? Where did he go?"

I was itching in curiosity and impatience.

"Most likely some hidden cave behind the boulder. I think we might have struck jackpot."

He scratched his chin with a hoof and continued

"Now the question is if we wait and see if any more show up, or if we go up to the cave and see if the pipbuck can designate the place."

"Wait, don't you have to do that manually?"

"Nope, if the place has a name then the pipbuck will figure it out."

Huh, wait. White bar moving. I checked realised that there was a pony sneaking around, a malnourished mare by the looks of things. White coat, violet mane. She carried saddlebags and had an old dirty cloak. Not a fighter by the looks of her, and she definitely looked like someone that needed help.

I rose to my hooves and waved at her, she immediately froze. Staring at me like I was a nightmarish horror that just threatened to eat her alive (You know, like the ghoul we encountered?). Then she disappeared behind the rock, not good.

"We have to help her!"

I exclaimed as I half jumped, half flew down. I could hear several curses behind me followed by the sound of hooves jumping on rocks. When I reached the rock and could finally look behind it I saw a gaping hole of utter darkness behind it. The fact that the sun was setting probably didn't help. Amber hit my side to get my attention.

"If we do this, guns up. And be ready to retreat, we have no idea what is in there."

I nodded as he drew his box of a pistol and we snuck in. There was no light apart from a whole in the cavern roof that probably was very handy during daytime. Now was not that time of the cycle unfortunately and I stumbled on something and fell on my face with a resounding THUMP, which was followed by the noise of a hoof scraping against floor.

But I could see nothing but sheer and utter darkness. As such I decided to switch on the light mode of my pipbuck, which in hindsight was probably not a good idea. Seriously, it wasn't.

Next thing I knew was the sound of galloping hooves towards me and I felt something hitting me and throwing me up into the air, which is usually fine. But did you know that caves come with internal roof spikes to punish anyone who try fly? Yeah, me neither. As a result I hit my wing pretty hard and fell down on the floor, again with a heavy THUD and felt the air leave my lungs.

Then the little light I had faded into complete darkness again.

Next time I opened my eyes I saw the faint light of two pipbucks, and I was very acutely aware of a single fact. I hurt, A LOT. Which probably meant that I wasn't dead, which is a good thing. Next thing to check is if Amber is also not dead.

"Hey Amber..."

"Yeah Windstriker?"

Good, he was not dead as well. I think I can work with this, and perhaps make it out of this situation somehow. Whatever the hell this situation was.

"So what happened? Where is that mare, and how fucked are we?"

A sigh later he answered.

"You ran off without consulting me, then you made yourself a clear target and got charged by the bighorner. You might have broken your wing, I am not sure and we probably need to get it checked by a proper doctor of medicine."

He paused for a bit

"As for the mare, she must have escaped through the way we came in the moment the fighting started."

"I fucked up then."

Great... Now I felt emotionally horrible in addition to feeling physically horrible. What is next? A migraine? Hallucinations?

"Yes, Windstriker. Yes you did."

Strange how he didn't sound all that angry.

"As for the situation, I managed to drive off the bighorner. Turns out they don't know much about energy weapons apart from that they are potentially dangerous, it must have thought this pistol was a tad bit more powerful. Unfortunately it left by jumping on various platforms that I can't reach. Then the boulder at the entrance was pushed in place and shut us in."

"So we are stuck then?"

OK, that made things a bit worse.

"Yes, but we have food and water to last a while. And we will not suffocate."

Then he frowned a bit "But if the dude that hurt you decides to come back and brings some friends..."

"Then we are royally screwed."

I stated flatly.

"Yep, this might be it."

He sighed and looked at me solemnly.

"At least neither of us has to die alone, Stormcloud said that nopony should have to do that."

One hoofbump and then we neither said or did anything except wait for dawn to come. Both too tired and broken to talk or eat.

Level Up

Skill Note: Unarmed - 50%

Perk Added: Intense Training – Perception
Either from hard work or because an impactful experience you have grown as an individual and one of your personal attributes has been increased by 1.

Condition Added: Broken Wing
You are not in any state to fly anytime soon and require professional aid in order to recover. This will most likely both be painful and frustrating.