Shadow awoke with a start. His immediate thought was his special items that were still hidden. The second that it was halfway into third watch. Ornate Charm was still diligently watching over everything.

“It’s okay,” She said before Shadow could say anything. “I wasn’t tired and you needed the rest. Stitched up and health potion doesn’t mean that you don’t need rest.”

Shadow got up. “I need to go to the bathroom,” he stated. “I will be right back.”

She nodded in response. Shadow did his business and then retrieved his lifelines. He was going to have to change to put his totems back on. He could do that when the others awoke. Shadow sat down next to Ornate Charm.

She spoke up. “My mind has been filled with the hope of a new life. A life of my own again and with a purpose. There was no sleep once I was awake.”

Shadow just nodded in understanding.

“You are not taking us back to where you are,” Ornate Charm stated. “You have another place in mind.”

“You can not go where we can,” Shadow stated. “But it is a good place. Aptly named. You should enjoy life there.”

“I am a fool to think that you are not taken. That necklace is from her?”

“You are no fool,” Shadow smiled at her. “I am taken. It holds the memories until we can finally be united again. Right now, we are cut off. But we will make it home.”

“And right now, you are just feeling the thrill of being rescued and you feel safe. You are just attracted to your rescuer. It happens. It is normal and it is okay. It is no different than how Purple Show and Ivory Leaf felt. They were not trapped, but they were in love of being rescued by a very handsome pony.”

Ornate Charm gave a sad chuckle. “You are right, but it doesn’t change how I feel.”

“And that is okay,” Shadow said bringing her in for a side hug. “You will soon realize it is for the best as things settle down. There is way too much excitement in the air. You even have trouble sleeping.”

“Thank you. For everything. I never expected you to bring hope to my life.”

“I hate killing,” Shadow sighed. “So it is nice to brighten the day of another. Even better to change their life for the better.”

They sat in silence as the rest of the watch finished up and things began to move. The Kings had ample food supplies. The pre-war packed stuff was much better than their shit rations. Shadow put his totems on and they got to work.

Purple Show picked up a pistol for self defense and Ornate Charm kept with the semi automatic rifle one of the ponies had been carrying when Shadow had gunned him down as he came up the stairs. It wasn’t hard for them to find enough ammo for both of them, and then some.

Slice and Shadow unplugged the terminals from the arms building and moved them across the street to a building The Kings had been using which had power. Slice went back to try and restore power. Thunder played look out while Shadow and the ladies combed through the terminals.

They were useless administrative ones with no value about anything the company was doing. Purple Show found one that was locked down. Shadow began to pick his way through the programming to hack in. He almost was locked out when he stumbled upon the back door and had full access to everything as the administrator.

Most of it was again, administrative, but it was Walter’s personal terminal. The CEO. One of the later, personal entries had what he need.

Project AZRS2P has been finished. There were some problems and with the recent security issues at several firms, the Project has been moved to the Bank of Equestria for safe keeping until the presentation day. The bank has multiple security features including plenty of turrets and automatic systems.

This project is bitter sweet after the unforeseen sequence of events and consequences. The bank vault password is 67CTRFSP68742T1. The key to the safes will be with me at all times.

The sooner this project is closed, the better.

Shadow took a step back and exited the terminal. He had what they needed, but he still wanted access to the inside.

“Guys, the exact treasure I was hoping was in there has been moved to the Bank of Equestria, which is nearby. But lets not leave this workshop unopened.”

“Fuck yeah we are getting inside,” Slice replied.

Slice yelped as he got shocked. This was basic electrical work. He knew how to do this.

Shadow shut down the terminal and moved it to the arms building. It made for a better defense and security for all. It wasn’t much longer before Slice had the power running again.

“Fucking idiots,” Slice grumbled. “They broke their own power lines and it was not hard to fix.”

“The workshop is still locked,” Shadow pointed out.

“Of course it is,” Slice chuckled. “It required two different keys to get in. And neither of them are normal. One is an internal cut key, the other is a centry key with three blades. Now, it will take some time, but I can get them to open.”

Slice pulled out his cloud master key and inserted it into the first lock. It was going to take a while for the key to conform to the proper configuration and it would take all of his concentration.

They gave him his space and Shadow began to look through Walter’s terminal since they had power again. It was all business with this terminal. Walter’s team had submitted multiple designs to the Ministry of Wartime Technology.

The last two designs that the Ministry had bought were the Applesnack Submachine Gun and the Applejack Rifle. Other designs were the M1S1, the U9S Unicorn 9mm pistol, and the 20mm artillery gun.

From the contracts, he was awarded a lot of money and the Ministry was even paying him to do more research. But Walter was not alone. He had a team that made sure they succeeded at creating a better, more secure Equestria.

Private companies had contracted out for a civilian version of the U9S and a pony version of the U9. The Striker Semiautomatic Defense gun in 5.56 was a popular contract and probably made up a considerable number of semiautomatic rifles found in the wasteland. The other one was the DCD Shotgun which was designed to fire non lethal beanbag rounds, but also accepted standard 12 gauge rounds. It’s downside was that there was no choke to allow for the bean bag rounds.

In the Workshop, Walter was joined by Firecracker Burst, a Unicorn, and Long Shot, a former paparazzi photographer with an eye for style and great at building scopes and sights for weapons.

Strike was their ballistic expert who designed new bullets and cartridges. Serena stayed out of the workshop and was their ‘receptionist’ who managed the business side of things and contracts. All except for Long Shot, they were from Ponyville and knew the Ministry Mares before the war.

“First one down,” Slice informed them. “It is getting late. You might want to secure lunch.”

Purple Show and Ornate Charm insisted on going to find food. They wanted to pull their own weight as much as possible and it was safe enough.

Slice did break for a quick lunch. He estimated the key was halfway done conforming to the lock. It was a lot more difficult than he had expected.

It was mid afternoon when they all heard the satisfying roll of multiple deadbolt locks snap out of their holes and the unlocking of doors.

Ornate Charm used her horn to light up the room until Slice could find the junction box. Multiple terminals booted up and so did the air filtration system. Each terminal was beside a work bench. There were seven work benches. Three along the side walls and one giant one along the back wall.

Thunder closed the doors and locked them again. It was easier than trying to guard the door. He wanted to have a look around, not stand guard.

There were three guns on workbenches. The first was on Workbench 3, along the left wall. The other two were on the right at 6 and 7. They approached 3 first. It had a picture of a sage Unicorn with a fiery mane and a flaming Cutie Mark.

The gun was unlike any they had seen before. It had mount points for a battle saddle, but it was almost like a shotgun, except it was one long tube with a box on the side. Shadow opened up the unsecured terminal. He clicked on ‘Project overview’ and read it aloud.

Project AZRS1,

The Zebras have begun to field powerful robot combatants. This is Project Anti Zebra Robot Service Weapon 1. The goal is to disable the robots without a conventional system.

Shadow skipped forward to the last entry and began to read it aloud.

Project AZRS1 is needed, but we can’t get it out of development stage. We have upped the shock power to lethal levels, but the waves won’t go beyond 50 yards. The troops need a weapon that can shut down the robots out to 300 yards.

How to deliver the electromagnetic shock out to those distances without a unleashing a conventional round is eluding us. Currently, the weapon only disables them for at most, 30 minutes. But that is enough time to deal with or reboot it to our advantage.

We have tried to focus it into a beam, but it still stays within 100 Yards and it has been burning out of the focuser even at low levels. Perhaps the problem lies within the enchanted gem itself.

We have contacted the Ministry of Arcane Sciences for assistance. They are sending somepony to take a look and help solve this problem.

“I don’t think their assistant made it,” Slice said holding the weapon. “But she is good out to 50 yards. I think we should take it.”

“Of course we are taking it,” Shadow said shaking his head. “Besides, the Bank of Equestria has major security shit and we need to disable it. Doing so in a manner that lets them go back online is a nice advantage. We can keep others from snooping after we leave. Leave no trace.”

Shadow stepped over to the large workbench. The picture above the terminal was of a large, brown Earth Pony with a short cropped mane. He pulled up the most recent project. Project AZRS2. “Check out the others. I want to take a look at this one. It should be about the treasure I have been seeking.”

Project AZRS2

The Zebras have begun to field powerful robot combatants. This is Project Anti Zebra Robot Service Weapon 2. Our primary goal is to use an unconventional weapon to disable the robots. While I am confident the project will be a success, I am preparing a conventional design to ensure our troops are safe.

Strike had recently developed a powerful round that will easily do the job and I am building the rifle around it. The round is already being used in several heave machine gun designs we are building. That young stallion is a ballistic genius. All of his days bowling have sharpened his mind for this type of work. Sad that his skill has to be applied in such a manner.

Shadow read through each report. Most were useless updates about materials and overcoming different aspects of design. Walter had tried to make the rifle semiautomatic, but was forced to ditch it for the more stable bolt action.

Today Applejack herself stormed into the workshop. It was an unscheduled visit and she was fuming.

The week prior I had let Dane Tee Dove take a spare prototype of the rifle to show Ironshod. She was impressed at our test results, but wanted to conduct some of their own before we presented it to the Ministry. I have never had a problem with her or them before, so I let her borrow it.

Applejack knows my designs well and came in raving, asking how we could have designed a rifle to kill our own. She called it an Anti-machine Rifle. Ironshod stole my design and put it into production without approval of anypony outside of their company.

I had no idea what to respond. I turned to the data we had acquired. The Steel Rangers have only been around a year or so, but I had designed a weapon that would easily punch through their armor. And it was a question of when, not if, the Zebras get a hold of the design and make their own.

It took time, but after letting her comb through every report, every test, everything pertaining to Project AZRS2 and showing her AZRS1 and all we had done there; but she removed us from any blame. Every test we had done was against robots. She could see that it was the honest truth that our designs were purely to protect Equestria, and that we had not realized the dark flaw in AZRS2.

I had never seen Applejack cry, but she broke down in tears in our workshop. I am not sure how much she has slept the past few days. The others had skillfully exited before to give us private time. She had gone through a rough few days dealing with Ironshod.

I am mortified that I did not foresee the dark side of the design. I never would have let it out of my workshop it if I had known. I would have locked everything away in our cellar.

I showed her the finished projects, Applejack and Applesnack, that we were about to pitch to the Ministry. She was optimistic, but wanted a full, official report to be drawn up for the presentation. Telling her that we had named it the Applejack Rifle because it had the power she had in a buck did bring a slight smile to her face.

She asked me to never to make another weapon powerful enough to kill our Steel Rangers. I pulled out Project AZRS2P for clearance. She wasn’t happy with it, but it was for a worthy cause. They had deserved it. She gave me permission to continue to make them, and only those two.

I feel terrible. As soon as the personal projects are done, I am sealing this project away for good.

“Shadow,” Thunder called. He was extremely happy. “This is the first Applesnack Submachine Gun! This was hoof produced and doesn’t even have serial number! The same with the Applejack Rifle!

“And they have this bow and a crossbow! They are fascinating designs that they hoped to field in combat for silent missions. I am taking them and their equipment. The project was rejected by the Ministry of Wartime Technology, but it is still really good!”

“Sweet!” Shadow grinned. “And, there is a cellar in here that holds the unknown. At least I think it is in here. Walter mentioned locking stuff away in a cellar.”

“Let’s find this bitch!” Ornate Charm said rearing up. “I may not get anything from it, but you are getting me to safety.”

Her horn glowed and she began to comb every inch of the floor with Slice. Purple Show was sitting at their break table, staying out of the way and drinking a room temperature Sparkle-Cola. She had several other bottles out from the rest of them. They had been sitting in the fridge all these years.

Shadow turned back to Project AZRS2P. This had to be the rifle for The Captain and Spitfire.

The log entries for that project continued after the AZRS2 ones.

Today the gems Trixie Lulamoon enchanted for us arrived. The came in a fancy box she had made with her Cutie Mark on top. It was not the container we sent the unenchanted gems in. Show off.

I have my doubts about using her magic, but the Ministry of Arcane Sciences trusts her and more importantly, the head Mare, Twilight Sparkle does. She was the one who gave the assignment to Trixie Lulamoon.

Onto the next one.

The gems have been installed and aligned with the help of Firecracker Burst. Tomorrow I am taking the rifles out to test. Strike is coming with me to be my spotter and to help carry the ammo.

And the next.

The rifles performed better than expected. I am astounded by Trixie’s skill. It is a lot better than when she came to Ponyville. She will never be able to defeat an Ursa Major, but her magic has improved dramatically.

Each rifle’s gems sucked up the recoil so it was incredibly easy to use. Like planned, these are perfect for a pegasus to snipe with. It won’t move the shooter like the regular version will and the weight is like a feather. It’s magic held, meaning some of the moving parts we removed were not needed. And the thing should never jam because we put a gemstone for that as well.

It’s ballistics are more accurate because of the magic, but it still is susceptible to wind and gravity over long distances because it fires real bullets.

Soarin’s Lighting was beyond expected. The rifle’s barrel lit up like lightning as it sucked up the recoil and the hit was phenomenal as the bullet itself struck like lighting. The inch thick metal target had burn marks. The only problem is that the burn marks are in the shape of Trixie Lulamoon’s Cutie Mark.

The rifle was able to surpass the basic rifles capability to blast through two inches of steel and punched through five. We stopped testing after five because we didn’t have thicker targets. Even if the round was stopped by armor, the target will get a very nice shock from the electrocuted round.

Spitfire’s Thunder was unique as well and performed to the same standards. She sounded like the god of thunder himself/herself had brought his/her hammer down on the target. No electricity, but the round punches like a hammer.

The round won’t fragment if it is completely stopped by armor. It will transfer all of the kinetic energy into the target which will be a devastating blow. Our test targets not only were pierced, but were rent apart. We were firing at heavy duty armor plating.

I do not expect the bullets will rend apart lighter armor. Like what the enemy troops wear, or even Steel Ranger armor. Those are too light. It will just punch in like a real round. They can’t stop it.

I hate to say it, but Trixie Lulamoon outdid herself.

The second to last entry.

The body pieces came back from the shop. They did an amazing job with the paint schemes. They are ready to be paired up with the expertly blued hardware.

Spitfire's Thunder’s name plate came out marvelously and fit perfectly with the flame-styled filigree I had asked for. Soarin’s Lighting was electric. Blue and white bolts cracking across the surface. Again, the embossed name plate was expertly set in so it flowed with the scheme.

The final entry surprised Shadow.

The rifles have been broken down for storage and are ready for presentation. The final details are being worked out on that. But soon, two of Equestria’s greatest pegasi will receiving weapons befitting them.

There was no mention of the move to the Bank of Equestria. It concerned Shadow, but he figured since it was an unsecured terminal, it probably didn’t have that information.

Shadow joined Purple Show and Thunder at the table, drinking Sparkle-Cola. They were watching Slice and Ornate Charm work to opened the cleverly hidden cellar. The floor was wooden, but the cellar flowed with them so pieces were sticking out and the top had to pulled up then out.

It was a third key, but of typical design. Slice had it open quickly. The light was turned on and they heard Slice’s wonder from below.

“This is amazing,” He called to them. “So much is in here.”

“We will come down if it is worth it,” Shadow called back. “Are we talking guns, or scrapped projects?”

“Most are scrapped designs,” Slice called back a bit later. “There is a set of locked boxes that hold successful designs, but none of them are impressive. Most of them are seen in the wasteland or their further developed counterparts are.”

Slice came back out.

“Yeah, not much of value,” He said as he locked the cellar. “I did grab their prototype DCD Shotgun and a ton of 12 gauge beanbag rounds. This baby doesn’t feed from a tube below the barrel like a typical shotgun. She has 10 round magazines. I grabbed the file on it. The magazines didn’t feed the beanbag rounds to their satisfaction. They set their bar high. Perfectly on the 12 gauge, but this baby was designed for civilian control via non-lethal rounds. So they went with the six round tube, hoping to work on the feed mechanism for the magazines later. I’m sure I can make it work.

“And then they have these giant ass rounds for their big project. I assume they have something to do with your treasure.”

“Yes,” Shadow nodded. “They do.”

“Well they are heavy,” Slice said as he let the ammo can thud onto the floor. “So it better be worth it.”

“I agree,” Shadow nodded. “It better be worth it. Now get over here, have a drink and some food.”

Slice left the ammo can on the floor and joined them. They didn’t have the luxury of lounging around for long, not locked inside like they were. Being unable to see outside was dangerous.

“Look, you saved my neck, now it is time for me to make sure you are safe as we exit,” Purple Show insisted as they prepared to leave.

They unlocked the door and she slipped out. It was all clear and they exited easily. It was getting late, almost dark.

“Should we hunker down for the night?” Slice asked.

“No, lets push to the bank and hold there,” Thunder said.

“I don’t want to stay,” Shadow said. “But we have no idea what the bank’s status is. We leave in the morning, for safety reason.”

Thunder grumbled but complied.

It was another painful night spent in the second floor of Walter Arms. Shadow didn’t like bringing the mares up here again. A reminder of what they just escaped. But it was the safest place they had. At least this time, they would actually leave in the morning.

Shadow walked to the back of the floor where he had killed Vulpes. The dress was there, right where he had dropped it. Shadow picked it up and examined it. It was in great shape and would fit Cardinal Spitfire. He also could wear it for laughs from her. He needed a good laugh. He needed to hear her laugh. Shadow put it in his bags. It would go back with him, for her.

The Kings had stockpiled plenty of food, meaning it was more prewar packaged goods before they began to stalk through the ruins. They were not going to be caught unaware by any gangs again.

A firefight erupted ahead of them and they dove for cover. They waited for the gunfire to die down before they pushed ahead with great caution.

“There it is,” Shadow whispered. “And its right next to a clinic? Interesting choice.”

They waited a while before believing it was secure and dashing across. Slice grabbed the door and pushed it in. Thunder darted through, clearing the empty place and Shadow was the last through, walking backwards in. Slice tried to lock the door, but that mechanism had broken a long time ago.

“It’s a bank,” Thunder stated. “This place has to have some real gems. Even after all these years.”

“Lets start with clearing the upstairs administrative and business sections,” Shadow said. “Slice, this floor is yours with the ladies.”

“Right,” Slice said trying to wink with the goggles. It failed.

“Don’t be stupid,” Shadow said.

The ladies joined Shadow in a quiet laugh.

The building was empty and no breaches anywhere. The top floor had a wall that looked a bit unstable, but that was nothing to worry about at the moment. They went back downstairs.

“Slice,” Shadow said. “It’s you and me. Have that AZRS1 on standby. This place is well protected on the way to the vault. Lets knock them offline.”

“Right,” Slice grinned.

It was a lot of diving and rolling, but Shadow and Slice worked to knock out all of the turrets. When they got to the vault, Shadow opened the terminal and was quickly unlocking the vault thanks to the password. Oddly, this door retracted down, into the floor.

“I am going to make sure that we don’t get shot in the back,” Slice said, giving Shadow the cloud master key. “That door is marked security for a reason. I will make sure we are on it’s approved list.”

Shadow just nodded and slipped into the vault. He was soon unlocking each and every safe, sweeping the often pointless contents into a bank bag. The vault had plenty empty bags. He filled one and then two. It was mostly old prewar coins and pony’s important papers. Little value to them.

Shadow got to a larger safe and pushed the key in. This one was tricky, but he let the key work it’s magic.

“Wow,” Slice said entering. “You certainly swept up everything.”

“Eh,” Shadow shrugged. “If you are going to rob a bank vault, do it right.”

Slice picked up the bags and put them in his saddlebags.

“I never got the system to recognize us,” Slice said. “But I got a robot up and running. Flamethrower and everything. We have about five minutes until everything comes back online.”

“Great,” Shadow groaned as he unlocked the largest safe. This one held toys. Military toys. Grenades and mines. Filled it to the top. All magic, which meant a whole lot of boom.

Shadow stuffed them into his bags and focused on the next safe. It finally clicked and Shadow pulled out the prize he was looking for. In a second he had Soarin’s Lightning pieced together.

It was lighter than he expected, even after reading about it. The lightning bolts infused in the metal danced as if they were alive. The blue gems that were set along the barrel to reduce the recoil glistened with life.

A beeping began, slow and stead.

“1 minute countdown!” Slice yelped.

Shadow grabbed the stack of papers in the safe and they dashed out. Slice kept running, but Shadow had to close the vault. He locked it up tight and dashed away as the turrets came online. Several shots were taken but they all missed as he dove out of the way.

“I also found this book,” Slice said as Shadow got up. “Increasing Your Sales Figures.”

“Are you going to read it?” Shadow asked.

“Fuck no,” Slice laughed before tossing it onto a desk. The book landed solidly but slid, down and off.

Shadow cheered as he failed while Slice booed. A little friendly competition never hurt anything.

“Try again?” Shadow asked.

“Nah, it may be the start of the hallway, but I don’t want to get any closer than I am right now to those turrets. I may have put their lethality and sensitivity up a few notches.”

“Of course you did,” Shadow chuckled.

They trotted over to the others in the lobby.

“Our perimeter is being probed,” Thunder said quietly. “So if you could keep the hollering down.”

“Steel Rangers?” Shadow asked.

“Worse,” Thunder said glancing at Shadow.

Thunder trotted over to him. “That is a fucking amazing gun,” He marveled.

“Designed for a Pegasus Sniper,” Shadow grinned. “We have not faced the business end of the regular model, thankfully.”

“This is a worthwhile treasure,” Thunder said taking it in his hooves. “Too bad he only made one.”

“I only had time to find the one,” Shadow sighed. “The turrets came back on line before I could get it’s sister. But we are not heading back down.”

“As beautiful and powerful it is, not worth it,” Thunder concurred.

“I found you magic grenades and mines,” Shadow grinned.

“Perfect,” Thunder chuckled. “We are going to use them to trap those bastards outside. If I set things right, when they come in, the trap will not only go off, but collapse the area so the door is pinned by rubble. Helping to ensure that the vault is never opened and that the other gun is safe.”

“Lets kill these fuckers,” Slice grinned.

They backed out, letting Thunder do his thing. Once things were set, Thunder opened the front door with little subtlety. They were all at a safe distance, but they heard several gruff Disciples charge in.

They set off the trap, which forced the door closed from the blast and did more than drop rubble onto the door. The explosion also cause the wall they were concerned about above to crumble.

Shadow crept up to the lobby and looked around. The door was secure. The blast was massive and stuff was still oozing. He saw the back of a safe on the now exposed wall of the clinic beside it. Whatever was in the safe was gone from the explosion. It would take somepony small, only a little bigger than Shadow, to slip through and even then, the front door was secure.

Gunfire erupted above Shadow and he scrambled to the top. The compromised wall had opened up to a joint building which housed raiders. Thunder and Ornate Charm were blasting away at them, making them bleed. Slice was pinned by another as he tried to protect Purple Show.

Shadow dashed in, vaulting over the gunfire into a roll. He came out of it, bucking a raider in the head. The raider’s head bounced off the wall with a crack and Shadow bucking it again to finish him.

Now that Slice was free, he was able to flank with Shadow and make the raiders pay for the way they decorated the place. Bloody walls, dead animals and other gross, horrible things that pointed to unchecked savagery, not reasonable beings.

They were having trouble with two pinned raiders. Each was behind cover that their pathetic 5.56 rounds couldn't pierce. Shadow pulled out his revolver and put a three rounds through the garbage can one was hiding behind. The can began to burn and the raider was silenced.

The other was trickier. He was behind a desk and out of the way, but in order to leave, they had to go past his direct line of fire. Thunder was out of grenades.

“Suggestions?” Shadow asked as he reloaded his revolver.

“We are wasting precious ammo,” Thunder said. “Can you hop out and fancy around?”

“This is a big risk,” Shadow replied. “I am not confident in that.”

They jumped as Ornate Charm racked a shotgun. “Or, I could use this and levitate it around. Bang bang, one of you jumps around to make sure he is dead.”

“Shadow,” Thunder and Slice volunteered.

“Fine, feed me to the wolves,” Shadow sighed playfully.

Ornate Charm emptied the shotgun and Shadow danced around. The raider had been hit in the leg with bird shot. Shadow kicked away her pistol and drew his combat knife. A knife to the throat always solved the problem. This time, the victim got a blood curdling scream off before the knife silenced her.

“Fuck! I hate that,” Shadow shivered. “Good work Ornate Charm. Blind firing like that isn’t easy.”

“Thanks,” She blushed. “But please, just call me Charm.”

Shadow nodded.

Ornate Charm picked up another shotgun and unloaded it. It was in poor condition. She decided to carry the shotgun as a secondary weapon. They helped her gather what shells were around before heading down the building and out into the street. They couldn’t fix there being one way into the bank. It’s defenses would have to hold it.

Thunder led them out, quickly moving through the streets on a westward pathway. They scrambled through a half destroyed building and kept their heads down as much as possible. There were several close calls, but they made it out into the suburbs as the light began to fade.

“Not a bad day,” Shadow smiled as they secured the house they had chosen to spend the night in. “Profitable.”

Slice shook his head. “If you call two bags of whatever was in the safes profitable, then yes.”

“Like I said, if you are going to rob a bank vault, get it all. If only we had another five minutes to finish out the last few safes and clean up the stuff I dropped.”

“I had to carry enough, thank you.” Slice shot back.

“Yeah, yeah,” Shadow said rolling his eyes. “Give me the ammo so I can carry my fair share.”

“Well, since you asked,” Slice said sarcastically. “I guess I can. It shouldn’t slow you down much.”

Shadow picked up the can. It was much heavier than he expected. He grunted. “How can this weight so much when the rifle weighs so little?”

“Magic,” Slice said waving his hooves in front of his face for effect.

The ammo can forced Shadow to reorganize his saddlebags.

“I need more bags,” Shadow stated. “Like our old double bags or something. But they have to be rugged.”

Shadow played with the idea of using Dream Catcher’s bags. Part of him believed she would have wanted him to carry them. But there would always be that constant reminder of everything. He had put the round through the bag. It was soiled.

“We shouldn’t have a problem adjusting our spares,” Thunder said. “Maybe next round, we go for a trading run. And actually bring caps.”

Both of them chuckled at their mistake.

The night was easy and the next day they were making an easy walk out of the suburbs and into farmland. Shadow wondered how long these farms would sustain themselves with the Disciples gaining territory. If a gang in Fillydelphia didn’t die fighting for their turf or join up, they would be pushed out and likely come after the easy pickings of the farms.

The Steel Rangers had to patrol these parts very well. It was vital to their survival. But they couldn’t be everywhere all the time.

As they were nearing the edge of the farms a group intersected them. Shadow knew from a ways off who they were. Their stupid cloaks gave them away.

“Let me talk,” Shadow said to the others. “Don’t say anything about us taking you to a safe place. It won’t be safe anymore if you do.”

They waited patiently for the Steel Rangers to intercept them.

“Lot’s of weapons you have on you,” Dahlia said.

“We got lucky,” Shadow replied. “We have been able to make a decent profit off this land. And we like to keep idiots from thinking twice about jumping us.”

“I haven’t see you three mares or either of you two stallions around,” Dahlia stated. “And I get around.”

“Obviously not enough,” Shadow calmly replied. “You can’t be everywhere. And who exactly are you?”

“Dahlia and these are my Dragoons.”

“Right,” Shadow nodded.

“So you have heard of us.”

“No,” Shadow chuckled. “No. Your reputation does not proceed you.”

“You are a bit, nervous,” Dahlia stated. “So are your companions.”

“There are eight of you,” Thunder asserted. “And five of us. You outnumber us, your team is spread out to cover us and you certainly have us out gunned. We might look like we are packing some heavy guns, but we had a hell of a time in Filly with some raiders. And they outnumbered us as well. Thank goodness we are the better shots.”

“Alright,” Dahlia said taking a step back. “We have no reason to detain you at all. And we mean you no harm. But if you find several pegasi in dark blue armor, let us know. Or any pegasi for that matter. They are wanted by the Ministry of Wartime Technology and are extremely dangerous. Don’t try and take them for a bounty. It doesn’t exist.”

Shadow kept them still until Dahlia was a ways away on their patrol. He breath a big sigh of relief and they pressed on.

“I know we don’t know things,” Ornate Charm hesitated. “But you have run into her before, haven’t you?”

“I wish I could deny it,” Shadow spat.

“How many of your friends has she killed?”

Shadow had to stop to think. “One. A horrible act. Deplorable. No mercy for us or our situation. The Steel Rangers killed another of us in cold blood.

“Dahlia is hunting us for a reason. Our retaliation for our first meeting, when they killed our friend while he was talking peacefully with them; well it was messy and they were unprepared for what we could dish out at the time.”

Shadow let out a sorrowful sigh as he hung his head. “But those days are gone.”

“I am truly sorry,” Ornate Charm said putting her hoof on Shadow’s shoulder. “I wish I had kept my mouth shut.”

“No, it is fine,” Shadow softly replied. “It helps the healing. Its not much for us three to talk about it together. Sadly.”

They continued on, making it to the forest.

“We will camp here,” Thunder decided.

“You mean again,” Slice said, uncovering one of their old campfires.

“Well, it is a good spot,” Thunder fumbled in response.

“Just settle in,” Shadow said annoyed. “I will grab some firewood. We have the time available to easily get a good coal bed going for warmth.”

Shadow used his hoof laser, a rock and some wood shavings to get the fire going. He removed the beam focuser so that the laser emitted a wider band that just heated the area. The rock got hot and helped catch the tinder on fire.

Shadow refocused the laser and put it away. They kept the fire low as they all ate field rations and they soon had a good coal bed going for warmth. It would hold through the night if it was gently fed more fuel.

Shadow took third watch. He was surprised when Ornate Charm woke up, soon after the watch started. She just needed the bathroom. But she was awake and there was no going to sleep so she sat beside him.

“You guys have been through a lot,” She finally said.

“Yep,” Shadow nodded. “Good and bad. Both extremes. We don’t belong here, but we are forced to be here, for now. Hopefully, we will soon disappear just like we came. And just leave a scar that will heal and disappear with time. Forgotten shadows on this wretched land.”

“You must come from a very different place.”

“Very,” Shadow nodded. “Very different. Where bullets are not thought about unless you are a soldier defending our homes and where death is of old age or by a freak accident. We have our fears, but they are trivial compared to this nightmare.”

“And you are stuck here?”

Shadow steeled his heart but hung his head. “Sadly, yes. We are journeyers. Our job was to reconnect with here. But we have not been told to come home. It seems we have been left and forgotten. We are here until they decide we can come back. They will shoot us if we are not allowed back. It is a broken system that we didn’t know was broken until after things broke. It has kept us as a whole safe, but our lives may be the very price of that safety.”

“Why not join us, where you are bringing us?”

“Because we have to hold on to hope that we will see our families again. My wife is waiting for me to come home. If we give up, and leave where they know we are supposed to be, then we have abandoned that hope for good.”

They sat in silence for a while before Ornate Charm had another question.

“Do you get mistaken for a mare a lot?”

Shadow chuckled. “Enough. It used to bother me when I was younger. But once I found my calling, it stopped. Now I get a kick out of it. It has it’s advantages, as you have seen. My wife will get a really good laugh out of Vulpes thinking I was a mare and becoming a Queen. Me wearing a dress, she will never let me live it down.”

“But that is where the fun lies. In being vulnerable about something I can not help, and surprising so many because they never expect me to be able to do what I do. When we talked Cutie Marks, I didn’t lie when I said that I am an acrobat.”

“And it only helped me be better for this job. I can strike fast and accurately, dealing hard enough strikes, few know what hit them when they have to face me. I am a mean hoof to hoof fighter. I hate it. I have a power that surprises even me.”

“Yeah,” Ornate Charm nodded. “You certainly can handle yourself in an up close fight.”

“I grew up on a farm. It was north, making for harsh farming conditions. We worked the land all year around, made our living well. We didn’t go without and we wanted little more than to make sure the others at home were fed. No matter what part of home there were at.

“I am stronger than I look and I can carry heavy weights. You can’t move me, but I can’t pull. My size puts me at a disadvantage for the angle. But I love working on the farm. A good purpose. A good life.”

“That explains some things,” Ornate Charm chuckled. “But there is a whole lot more to you.”

“Yes, I suppose there is,” Shadow replied.

Ornate Charm and Purple Show did not want to eat any field rations. They had eaten enough for a lifetime the night before. They were confused at the Inquisitors laughter. They were expecting their disapproval to be a slight against their food. Neither of them expected that they all shared the same feelings.

It was a nice walk through the woods as they finished their journey. They got within hearing distance of Sanctuary and pointed the two of them in the right direction.

“You two can take these,” Slice said pulling out the loot sacks from the bank. “We really do not need them. I am sure they have some value in them to you and where you are going. Fair warning, Shadow just dumped all the contents of the safes in here. We have no real idea what is in these bags.”

“Thank you,” Purple Show said as they were put in her bags. “We will never forget your kindness and generosity.”

“Goodbye,” Ornate Charm smiled. “I hope everything works out for you all.”

They turned back to head east for a bit before Shadow slipped around to check that they had made it. They did and we being warmly welcomed.

Shadow joined the others. They had unbuttoned the fabric hiding their wings. As soon as it was dark, they took off, climbing to a good height and cruising to the plateau, unseen.

Shadow checked the cloud terminal as the others opened the door. It had no new messages. Shadow sent one confirming they had come back and headed inside.

“To do list?” Slice asked when Shadow joined them.

“I need to adjust some bags,” Shadow stated. “And I want my saddle changed up so the sword can come and we drop one of the machine guns for a shotgun. I can’t carry a heavier arsenal than that without drawing major attention to myself.”

“On it,” Slice grinned. “Finally something to do.”

“I should adjust mine as well,” Thunder stated. “Shadow, can you make me an explosives bag?”

“Sure can,” Shadow nodded. “Slice, do you need a bag?”

“While you are at it, another set would be nice. Like on my back, in between my wings.”

“I was considering that for myself,” Shadow chuckled.

“Hey,” Thunder exclaimed. “We made it to Filly and back without a gunshot wound. Almost made it without losing any blood, but Shadow had to go and get stabbed.”

“I was in the most compromised position,” Shadow shot back. “But it was fun. I had way to much fun.”

“It was,” Slice sighed contently. “We went treasure hunting and we got treasure. And we also did some good again. We made a difference in their lives. We freed them. They may not have been slaves, but they were held against their will.”

“Agreed,” Shadow smiled. “I am so glad I had Soarin’s Lightning broken down when Dahlia intercepted us. Otherwise it would have been bad. She would have wanted it.”

“But, we fooled her,” Slice said elated. “We got away with talking to Steel Rangers without them knowing it was us. Twice! It was even better when we talked with Dahlia!”

“We did a really good job, all around,” Thunder said, beaming.

Next Chapter: Chapter 99 - The Slog Estimated time remaining: 11 Hours, 17 Minutes