I failed.

I tried. I tried so hard to fix things. To finally be the hero like my father.

But then I screwed up and got everypony killed as a result.

I’m sorry Storm Bolt. I couldn’t keep my promise to you. I couldn’t even save you when it mattered most. Dear Luna, what am I-

“Are you still thinking about that stupid base?”

I hover my book closer to my face, trying to ignore the question. Not that it matters, as an orange earth pony rips it out of my magical grasp. “Hey!”

“Look, ponies die, ok? Especially annoying colts we happen to like,” Flare says as she stuffs my book into my saddlebag. “So toughen up and quit hanging your head before you stab somepony with that horn of yours.”

“Leave him alone, Flare,” Zigs says with an edge of irritation in his tone. “He’s gone through enough without you making things worse.”

“Please don’t start arguing again,” I groan. “I’ll keep my head up, ok? Just-”

“Making things worse?!” Flare spits at the ground before marching up into the zebra’s face. “He nearly got us killed! He should be thankful I’m trying to be nice to him at all!”

“This is nice?” Zigs asks before shaking his head. “Storm Bolt practically worshipped him and you called him an ‘annoying colt’. That’s pretty heartless, even for you.”

I wince at the mention of Storm Bolt. “Can we please stop? I don’t really want to talk about-”

“Heartless? Heartless?!” Flare jabs a hoof into Zig’s chest. “That’s rich coming from you! How many bones did you rip out of their dead bodies while we weren’t looking?”

Zigs pushes Flare’s hoof to the side. “Better in my care than a raider like you. You’re just upset you couldn’t break their legs while they were bleeding to death.”

Flare pushes her head against Zigs’. “Oh, now you’re asking for it!”

“STOP IT!” I finally scream out. “I get it, alright?! I made a mistake! I didn’t want to make it! I studied and worked out all of the angles and still a lot of good ponies died pointlessly because I screwed up! How am I just supposed to ‘get over’ something like that?! What do you two want from me?!”

Flare and Zigs back off from each other and look away. Feeling rather awkward now, I shake my head. “S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to lose my cool. It’s not like we intentionally kill those ponies, right?” I look up and offer a weak smile. “I know this is just how the wasteland works, Flare. I, I just need some time, ok?”

Flare mutters something under her breath before looking up ahead. “Silverwing! Are we there yet?! We’re out of Buck and I need my fix soon!”

Silverwing slows to a stop but doesn’t seem to react to Flare’s question. Watching the silver-winged griffon stand there in the midst of this rocky landscape, scanning the surroundings with the same serious expression on his face that he adopts for negotiations, I realize that there is something off about him.

Trepidation? Anxiety? Guilt? It feels ridiculous to apply any of these to the Silverwing I know. Yet, since the vampire pony cave, he hasn’t been acting like the Silverwing I know. He mutters to himself and mostly ignores us, save to glare at me on occasion.

Once again, the little pony in my head points out that he was off at Trian Mill too. Like he was trying too hard to convince us he was ok even as he gave me the holotape I needed to fix the turret system. A tape that ended up nearly dooming us all. ‘Something isn’t right here,’ The little pony whispers. ‘He is up to something.’

Buck it all, I’m tired of all of this. I’m tired of dealing with these people. I’m tired of suspecting them of lying and deceit. And I’m tired of lying to myself. Change Equestria for the better? I haven’t done a single good thing since I left! Hay, I can’t even fix one stupid turret system without murdering everypony! Equestria would have been better off if I had never left in the first place!

Dear Luna, why am I even out here anymore?!

“Silverwing?” Zigs asks as he walks up to Silverwing and taps his back. “You expecting trouble?”

“Just keep your gun ready,” Silverwing says before something catches his eye. Then he brushes his shoulders off. “Alright everypony, look sharp. We have company.”

From behind a rocky outcrop a little distance away emerges two ponies: a green earth pony wearing what looks to be some kind of recon barding and a white unicorn wearing a Scribes robe with the markings and colors of the Steel Rangers. A sack, enveloped in an orange magical glow, hovers closely to the unicorn.

A lot of flags immediately go off in my head. From what Dad told me about the Steel Rangers, Scribes don’t travel unless it is absolutely important and, when they do, they’re usually surrounded by a small group of knights. E.F.S. doesn’t reveal anypony else outside of our two groups, so this already makes their presence here suspicious.

Maybe they don’t want to attract attention? Why? We’re in the middle of nowhere. And there isn’t any group of ponies around here that would care for miles. At least, not anymore.

As my mind tries to make sense of this, the earth pony spots me and points his gun at me. Ah, right, I look like an NCR Ranger. Of course they would be cautious around me.

“He’s with me,” Silverwing immediately shouts as he waves one claw at them. The Scribe looks between Silverwing and myself before glancing at her guard and nodding her head. Thankfully, this gets the earth pony to lower his weapon again.

“Silverwing, what’s going on here?” I ask. “Do you know these ponies?”

“Of course I do. We smuggled crates to them for the map,” Silverwing says without even looking down at me. “Now whatever happens, Don’t. Do. Anything. Got it?”

There it is again. That sharp edge that never seems to leave Silverwing’s voice whenever he talks to me. It is this kind of hostility that made me want to stay at Trian Mill once the turrets were back online but…. And to think that I was once his prized bookworm. Now I’m just a nuisance to him.

And an incompetent nuisance at that.

“Got it,” I mutter as the Scribe and her escort finally arrive.

The Scribe looks us all over, taking an extra moment to scrutinize me, before finally looking up at Silverwing. “So they’re the ones that helped you smuggle in those weapons for us?” She says in a tone that heavily suggests that she isn’t impressed with us.

“Weapons?” I say quietly, earning me a quick glare from Silverwing; those feelings from before still hiding behind his eyes along with something else I don’t quite recognise.

“Yes, this is my faithful crew,” Silverwing says before placing his claws on his chest. “No doubt you’ve seen the results of our excellent work for yourself.”

“That is more or less why I’m here,” the Scribe says flatly.

“So you’re here to hire us again?” Flare asks while moving to stand next to Silverwing.

That quickly earns Flare a confused look from the Scribe. “No, I’m here to congratulate you on a job well done.”

That line confuses me while Zigs furrows his brow at the Scribe. “Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but that smuggling job was done months ago.”

The Scribe turns her attention to Zigs. “I’m not here for that. I’m here for the extermination job you did for us,” She then tosses the sack at Silverwing. “Twelve thousand caps, just as promised.”

“W-What?” I ask as Silverwing opens up the sack and picks out a bottle cap to inspect. “What do you mean-”

“Intrepid,” Silverwing warns before looking back at the Scribe. “Yeah, this should make up for recent losses quite nicely.”

“To be honest, I had my doubts that a bunch of tribal like yourselves would have been able to load the virus into the turret system without screwing it up,” The Scribe says nonchalantly as my blood suddenly runs cold. “But you did just as you promised. And even made sure the system shut itself off after it was done clearing out the undesirables. The Steel Rangers are in your debt for giving us a new base of operations in this area.”

Virus? Turret system? No, she can’t be talking about Trian Mill, can she?

“This can’t be true,” I shake my head before looking up at Silverwing. “There’s some kind of mistake. She’s mistaking us for somepony else. She has to be. Otherwise… otherwise, that would mean that you lied to me and we just murdered all of those ponies for blood caps. You wouldn’t do that, right? Silverwing?”

The griffon simply averts his gaze from me.

Something snaps in my head, releasing a torrent of emotions as I rip the sack from Silverwing’s grasp and shove it into the Scribe’s chest. “Bring Them Back!” I say with tears in my eyes. “Take Your Caps And Bring Those Ponies Back!”

The sack drops to the ground as the earth pony shoves me back. The faces of all of the ponies we met in Trian Mill flashes before my eyes as I stare at the caps on the ground. Dead. Every single one of them. And I killed them. I helped those murderers kill them.

No, no they can't get away with this! I won’t let them get away with this!

With anger and grief burning inside of me, I charge forward and drive my horn into the chest of the Scribe. As a strange sensation rushes through my body, I feel myself drawn to the blood running down my face. Almost like a siren’s song is calling out to me.

Instinctively, I reach out and rip out the blood from the Scribe’s chest, forming it into a blade. My anger and hate focus my attention on her as a dark feeling overtakes my mind; all other feelings fade away as I coldly tear into her.

A shot grazes my shoulder pulls my attention towards the Scribe’s escort. My attempts to cut off his head only succeeds in cutting into his forehead as somepony else tackles me to the ground. My vision turns red as I lash out at everypony around me and-

I shut my eyes and desperately try to pull myself out of this memory. The pain, the anguish, the hate. I don’t want to go back there. I don’t want to relive this horrible experience again.

‘But this is who you are.’

As my eyes open again, the scenery changes to one I remember all too well: Zigs, Flare, the Steel Rangers, all lie broken and torn into several pieces on the ground as their blood covers the ground. Silverwing crawls on the ground in front of me, desperately trying to get away. And a darker reflection of myself standing right next to me.

“Alright, who are you really?” I ask the dark pony. “And why won’t you leave me alone?”

‘We both know who I am,’ The dark pony says as he walks over to Silverwing and forces his head into the ground. ‘I’m the part of you that you rejected. The part that understands just how vindictive, self-righteous, and powerful you are. After all, these thoughts can’t possibly be yours right?’

I glare at the dark pony. “They’re not! How could I possibly want to do any of this?!” I motion to the dead bodies all around me.

‘Because they deserved it,’ The dark pony says bluntly. ‘This is the wasteland, not Tenpony Tower. There isn’t anypony that would have punished them for what they did. For what they made us do.’

“That still doesn’t make it right!” I slam my hoof into the ground.

‘So? Might makes right here,’ The dark pony says before smashing Silverwing’s head into pieces. ‘And you finally have the means to make things right.’

As I shake my head, the dark pony walks over Silverwing’s now lifeless body and stands in front of me. ‘If you really want me to go away, all you have to do is accept that I’m who you really are.’

“No, I’m going to give in to that,” I say while taking a step back. “I’m nothing like you!”

The dark pony laughs. ‘Really? Really? And all of that hate you leveled towards Lupa and the other hellhounds? You lit Lupa on fire with rocket fuel, you turned Smarty into a bomb, not to mention all of the other horrible things you did to them! And just because they killed a bunch of ghouls you’ve never met before?’

My gaze drifts towards the ground. “Shut up.”

‘You even ripped apart Lupa because she was going to kill Winter Rose. A pony you only met a couple of days ago,’ The dark pony shakes his head. ‘Tell me, were you really afraid for her life? Or was it an excuse to feel the rush coursing through you every time a pony dies around you?’

“Shut. Up.”

‘Then again, you do like her,’ The dark pony continues. ‘So maybe you’re trying so hard to ignore this part of you because you know the truth. You can’t change that part of you. And deep down, you know she’ll turn her back on you once she finds out.’

“I Said Shut! Up!”

‘Not that it matters,’ The dark pony shrugs. ‘She’s dead now because of you. Just like Storm Bolt, just like Trian Mill. Maybe it would have been better had she never met you at all.’

“SHUT UP!” I scream as the blood around me forms into multiple blades. I immediately tear into the pony in front of me, pouring all of my self-loathing and hate into every strike. Until the bloodlust passes and the onslaught slows to a stop.

“I-It’s not like that,” I mutter as I take deep breaths. “I-I tried talking them down, I-I tried to avoid them, I-I didn’t want to kill any of them, I… I… “

My eyes widen as I look down at the body in front of me. Instead of the dark pony, there lies the broken body of Rose.

‘Admit it, Intrepid,’ The dark pony whispers in my eyes as I stare in horror at what I’ve done.

‘You.’

‘Are.’

‘A.’

‘Monster.’

Feeling my heart pounding in my chest, I open my eyes to the blurry vision of a grey room. Slowly, I sit myself up, only barely registering the sheet draped over my body, and take some deep breaths as sweat runs down my face.

There’s sound around me but that takes a back seat to the fact that, blurry or no, this doesn’t look like the corridor I was focusing on with my teleportation spell. As this realization settles on my mind, the image of Rose’s broken body comes to mind.

A pony in front of me places a hoof on my shoulder and, without thinking, I immediately bury my head into their shoulder and hug them tightly. “I killed her,” I say as tears stream down my face. “She was counting on me to save her and I killed her instead. Dear Luna, why couldn’t I save Rose? Why?”

There is a moment of silence as I continue to sob into the pony’s shoulder before I feel a hoof running through my mane. “No you didn’t, Intrepid. I’m still here.”

That voice. I know that voice.

Pushing myself back, I finally recognise the pony sitting in front of me. “Rose? You’re alive?!”

“Of course I’m alive! Who do you think I am?” Rose asks before lightly bopping the top of my head. “That’s for leaving me alone back there! And after everything I told you too!” She shakes her head and gives me a smile. “Yeesh, what am I going to do with you?”

“I’m sorry about that, I just- Well that doesn’t matter now! I’m so glad you’re alright! I honestly thought I had screwed up and didn’t get back to you in time!” I say while wiping the tears from my eyes. “You have no clue how happy this… makes… me… ”

My face starts burning up as the realization of what I just did and to whom I did it to suddenly sinks in. “I-I’m sorry, I-I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable! Just, just that I was, what I mean is, umm… “

An odd echoing laughter from some other pony in the room only makes the situation more awkward for me.

“Alright Rocky, how about we waive the medical fee for such a heartwarming display,” Bright Eyes suggests. “Before our friend here turns any redder and dies from embarrassment.”

I bury my face and let out a groan. Dear Luna, why is this happening?

A faint orange aura encompasses my foreleg and pulls it away from my face before the bandaged light blue unicorn ghoul calmly removes the I.V. attached to it. “Well we can’t have the hero of the hour die of embarrassment now can we?,” Rocky Shores asks. “Not after hearing about how you two saved the day.”

“Yep!” Rose says while beaming with pride. Her foreleg wraps around my shoulder and pulls me closer to her, causing my face to burn hotter than before. “We went in, kicked butt, got your tapes, and took care of your hellhound problem with style!” She flicks her mane back for emphasis. “It was a piece of cake for somepony as awesome as us!”

“I’ll admit, your story was a bit much to take in. Especially with your reputation for over exaggeration in these parts,” Bright eyes says as she leans over a lab table next to my bed. “But meeting that traumatized hellhound earlier and watching her frantically beg for sanctuary did help to make it go down easier."

“Hellhound?” I glance over at Bright Eyes. “You mean Roxie? She’s here?”

“Roxie was here,” Bright Eyes says with a nod. “Frantically asking a pony doll in her possession to explain to us that she was very sorry and to call off the ‘Blood Reaper’ we had apparently sent to punish her and her pack for what they did to us.”

“Ah,” I mutter softly before looking towards the ground.

“I’m still surprised you talked to her at all,” Rose says. “Ya know, since they’re bloodthirsty monsters and all of that.”

Bloodthirsty monsters. The words make me flinch as they conjure up the last few moments of my nightmare. Not that anypony seems to notice as Rocky pulls out a medkit. “The Goddess Luna asks that we forgive all who sincerely ask for it just as she was forgiven long ago,” Rocky says as he starts tending to the wound left behind by the I.V.. “But it was hard to convince her of that, but we did get her to go into detail on what happened to her and her pack.”

Rose thankfully lets go as she beams proudly at Rocky. “She probably talked about how a sly and beautiful huntress like myself kept eluding her time and time again until she and her handsome and talented partner bested Lupa and sent her running?”

Rocky stares at Rose unamusingly. “Along with some interesting details about the creative uses of explosives and museum pieces that nearly took down half of the R&D Complex.”

“Well that was mostly Lupa’s fault,” Rose says with a nervous smile while innocently scratching her neck. “Any damage we did was completely unintentional. Honest!”

“Still, I, for one, am impressed with what you did to that old Sentinel in the museum,” Bright Eyes says before patting my shoulder. “That thing was supposed to be completely gutted but you managed to get it working again. You even rigged a StealthBuck to it. I’d be terrified if one of those things appeared out of nowhere with guns pointed at me.”

“It wasn’t completely gutted.” I say before glancing towards the floor. The image of Lupa’s blood circling around me as I stood before Winona comes to mind as I add “And that wasn’t what terrified them in the end.”

“No, I agree that didn’t scare them. But I think I have an idea on who did,” Rocky says and I avoid his gaze as he looks up at me. “The moment Roxie heard that Rose had carried you here, she panicked and made a run for it. Thankfully she didn’t do too much damage on the way out.”

Then Rocky smiles at me. “I don’t know what you did to make her afraid of you, but I get the feeling that she won’t be causing trouble for anypony because of it. You did good, Intrepid. Thank you.”

No. I don’t deserve this praise. The dark pony is right about me. After what I just did…

“Hey, I helped out too!” Rose sticks her tongue out at Rocky before proceeding to ruffle my mane. “But yeah, Intrepid is definitely the hero here.”

I shake my head and push myself away from Rose. “No, no I’m not. I haven’t done anything that warrants me being called a hero!”

“Come on, don’t be modest,” Rose says. “Sure, it was a little dicey near the end there.”

“A little dicey?” I say while staring at her in disbelief. “Did you not see what I did to those hellhounds?! Did you not tell them what actually happened there?!”

“I didn’t think it was that important to tell them,” She says with a serious look on her face.

“Not important? Really?!” I nearly shout back, trying my hardest to keep my voice calm. “Rose, I ripped their blood out! I tore them apart with it! Monsters do that, not heroes! Hay, good ponies don’t even do that!”

“But it was obvious you didn’t like doing any of that stuff to them!” She says, her voice carrying an edge to it as it grows louder.

It takes all of my self-control not to laugh at that. “I didn’t like it?! I clearly gave in to bloodlust and murdered everypony I could get my hooves on! Just like I did to Zigs and Flare and-”

“Intrepid, stop!” She shouts. “This wasn’t like last time! I was there, remember? Lupa forced your hoof! If you hadn’t done what you did, Lupa would have killed me!”

“Instead I nearly killed you!” I snap back. “Or did you forget about all of the blades I had hovering over you?! Dear Luna, why did you try to snap me out of it?! Didn’t I tell you not to do that?! Why didn’t you just let me go after Roxie and get away while I was distracted with her?!”

She shakes her head. “Because that wasn’t you! That was that stupid magic messing with your head! I had to snap you out of it before-”

“YOU SHOULD HAVE BLOWN MY HEAD OFF!”

Rose slaps my cheek hard. Her body quivering in anger as tears run down her cheeks. A great deal of pain and frustration shows from behind her eyes as she glares at me.

“Don’t. Say. That.” Rose says, her voice threatening to break as she speaks. “Don’t You Ever Say That To Me Again.”

Shock keeps my tongue at bay and I simply stare as she rips off her scarf, revealing a hideous scar running across her neck. “See This?! This is what monsters do!” She says while pointing at her scar. “They hurt and kill others for their own sick amusement!”

She then looks straight into my eyes. “But you’re not like that! You’re nothing like that! You’re just this stupidly kind and loyal pony who’s stuck with some power you never wanted in the first place! Don’t you dare tell me that I should have killed you! If I did that, I… I… GAH!”

In a fit of frustration, Rose throws her scarf at my face and quickly marches out of the room before slamming the door shut behind her. An awkward silence settles in the room as I pull her scarf off of my face and stare at it; the image of that horrible scar still fresh in my mind as I remember how she got it. How raiders came in and sadistically took everything away from her.

And I, possibly the closest thing she has to a friend, had the audacity to get mad at her for not killing me when she had the chance.

I let out a sigh and lie back down on the bed while hugging the scarf. “I really am an idiot, aren’t I?”

“You are,” Rocky says bluntly, earning him a glare from Bright Eyes before I press a pillow against my face and groan loudly.

Another awkward moment passes before Bright Eyes speaks up. “It might not be my place to say this, but I do not think you are the monster you believe yourself to be.”

Moving the pillow to the side, I take a deep breath and look over at Bright Eyes. “You didn’t see what happened. If you had, you wouldn’t be saying that.”

“Maybe,” Bright Eyes says, leaning forward on the table before motioning towards the door. “But Rose was. You should have seen the look on her face when she dragged your unconscious body here. Or how worried she sounded when she explained how you nearly bled to death trying to save her life. Or how terrified she was when we explained that we might not have enough blood to replace what you lost. She could barely stand herself and yet she refused to leave your side until she was sure that you would be ok.”

Every word stabs itself into my heart and makes me feel progressively ashamed of myself. Before I can bury my head back into my pillow again, Rocky asks “Intrepid, do monsters inspire loyalty?”

I think for a moment then shake my head.

“You were unconscious for almost two days,” He says. “And Rose stayed in that spot almost the entire time. When I finally asked why she was doing this, she said it was the same reason why she couldn’t bring herself to just leave you behind and go for help: Apparently you were the only pony in her life that wouldn’t abandon her and she wasn’t going to do that to you. Especially not with a hellhound still wandering around the place.”

He then looks up at Bright Eyes and smiles. “Like Bright Eyes has my back, Rose seems to think you have her back and has decided to have yours. I don’t think a monster could inspire as much from her.”

My eyes glances between Bright Eyes and Rocky Shores before looking back at the scarf I’m holding. “She shouldn’t trust me that much, though.” I say weakly. “I screwed up so many times and I nearly got her killed because of them. And after what I just did to her? I’m sorry, but I shouldn’t be forgiven this easily for something like this.”

“And that’s your problem right there,” Bright Eyes says kindly. “I believe Goddess Luna had the same thoughts concerning her rebellion against her sister, Celestia. There were times when she felt like she could never fully forgive herself for that. And her actions were, to some extent, her way of trying to make up for that and every mistake she made since then.”

Rocky then quietly adds “No matter how many times it was made apparent that that wasn’t needed.”

“So if Rose thinks that you’re good, then we think so too,” Bright Eyes says before tapping my forehead with her fist. “So don’t fall into the same trap our Goddess did while she was mortal. Forgive yourself of your past mistakes and move on to higher ground.”

“There’s a difference between a Goddess and somepony like me,” I immediately point out. “After all, Luna never went back to being Nightmare Moon while I’ve easily turned into this… ‘Blood Reaper’ twice now. I honestly don’t know if I’ll be able to keep it from happening a third or fourth time,” I let out a frustrated groan and press my hoof against my forehead. “Why she would even want to be around me after what I almost did to her...”

I jump off the bed and toss Rose’s red scarf around my neck. “Regardless, I have to make it up to her somehow. I wait until Rose cools off before I beg for her forgiveness. Maybe have a chat with Floria while I wait, there is a question I need to ask her anyway.”

Just as I begin to walk towards the door, I turn around and rub the back of my neck. “So, about that potion I stole from your office, and the display case I destroyed, and-”

Bright Eyes chuckles as she shakes her head while Rocky says “Considering the situation, I think I can forgive you for destroying some worthless trinkets I was planning on leaving behind anyway. I’m just glad that the experimental “restorative healing” potion found some use. Though, I’m actually surprised it still had some potency after all these years.”

“And you do have the data you need, right?” I continue. “Did we manage to at least get that much done?”

He nods. “Don’t worry, we got everything we needed thanks to you two. We’ll be able to launch in the next couple of days and you’re welcome to stay until we finally take off for the moon.”

“Finally, some good news,” I say as relief washes over me. “I assume you have a plan for the ferals and Salt Cube already worked out, eh?”

The two ghouls exchange uncomfortable glances before Rocky says “If it isn’t too much to ask, we were hoping that you might be able to escort Salt Cube to the town of Green Bean and maybe help him start a new life there?”

A nagging feeling tugs at the corner of my mind as I nod my head. “That’s within my ability to accomplish. But what about the ferals?”

Bright Eyes scratches the back of her head while letting out a sigh. “After some discussion… we’ve decided to keep them locked up in their cages and leave them behind.”

Her answer really shouldn’t mean much to me. After all, they’re a bunch of feral ghouls who had lost their minds a long time ago. In fact, Bright Eyes said as much during her argument with Salt Cube before I left.

Yet, after going through the tour, seeing the group picture of everypony who spent their lives working towards this one goal, I find myself saying “Is that seriously how you’re going to treat your colleagues? Your friends? Your family? I’ve been through the testing grounds, listened to some of the tapes, and even took the tour and saw a glimpse of your dream! I’ve seen the results of all of the hard work and sweat they put into this! And after everything they sacrificed to get you here, they-”

“Are not themselves anymore,” Rocky Shores says firmly. “Do you know how hard it is to look at them and not see the pony that they used to be? And you want us to take them so we can keep being reminded of that fact every single day?”

“So it’s better to just leave them behind then? Rotting away in filthy cages until they escape again and start attacking wandering ponies like me?” I ask while leveling my gaze at Rocky. “Unless you plan on taking them with you, to the one place where they can’t possibly hurt anypony any more, then put a bullet in their heads and give them the decency of a proper burial before you leave. They’ve earned that much from you.”

Rocky visibly bites his tongue before looking towards the ground. It must be hard to be told that you have to put down a pony that looks like somepony you knew once. Hay, I doubt I’d be able to pull the trigger if Silver Bolt came back as a feral ghoul. And if they pick that option, I can’t imagine how they would be able to explain that to Salt Cube, given his unique outlook on their condition.

But that doesn’t change the fact that this needs to be resolved in a way that won’t cause more deaths down the line.

I look over at Bright Eyes. “So here’s my deal: I’ll help Salt Cube out once you leave. But only if you either kill all of the ferals or take them to the moon with you. Those are my terms. And I’m not changing my mind on this.”

Bright Eyes stares at me, searching behind my eyes with those glowing orbs of hers, before she nods her head. “We’ll let you know what we have decided before we leave.”

Returning her nod with one of my own, I once again begin to leave the room. Then I stop at the door, nervously clear my throat, and look over my shoulder.

“Umm, before I leave, could either of you tell me how to get to Floria’s room from here?”

It feels like an eternity since I last stood in front of this door. So many things have happened in such a short amount of time, it’s hard to imagine that I would once again find myself back at this room again; Seeking information about the one thing I had been so desperate to ignore days earlier.

If nothing else, this means that I’ve changed a lot since then. Whether or not it’s for the better remains to be seen.

“Hello? Floria?” I ask as I move to knock on the door. The moment my hoof hit the wood, I nearly jump out of my skin and teleport a foot away from the door as an assortment of loud sounds comes from the other side. From the sounds of it, a bookcase or two full of random objects was knocked over and maybe one pony was sent crashing to the ground along with them.

And today started off so wonderfully too.

“S-Sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you!” I say loudly, taking a step back. “I’ll just come back later and-”

“Stay right there, Intrepid!” Floria immediately shouts back.

Clearly hearing movement from behind the door, I nervously walk back to the door and pull out my book. I barely manage to get to the third page before the door opens up again and a surprisingly calm zebra ghoul ushers me into an equally surprisingly clean room.

“I’m sorry to intrude upon you right now,” I say while scanning the room. No toppled over bookcase, no broken trinkets scattered about, just a red scarf similar to the one around my neck on the floor next to the wardrobe. “I just wanted to talk to you and, if you don’t mind me asking, what was all of that sound from earlier about?”

“It was nothing,” Floria says as she picks the scarf off the floor. At the sound of the wardrobe slightly opening, Floria quickly slams it shut before adding “Just this old thing finally falling apart on me.”

“If that door is giving you issues, I have a spell that could fix that.” I offer.

“You don’t need to do that for me, I’ll be leaving it behind soon enough,” She says while tying the wardrobe shut with the scarf. She then glances back before adding “I see we have the same taste in scarves.”

I glance down at the scarf around my neck. “This is actually Rose’s scarf. She, umm, threw it at me after I said some truly horrible things to her.”

“That would explain her behavior earlier,” Floria muses while she pulls up a chair. “Kept going on about how stupid you were among other things.”

“Ah,” I say quietly as I rub the back of my neck. “Well, I am a rather stupid pony for angering a mare like that.”

She smiles. “My husband would have called it ‘bravery without thinking’.”

That earns a small chuckle from me. “No, what I did was crass and stupid and a whole host of other things I don’t feel like saying right now,” I say before glancing at the wardrobe again. “Umm, Rose isn’t hiding somewhere around here, is she?”

“Don’t worry, you are safe here,” She says before motioning for me to sit down. That is not really an answer, but I get the feeling that I’m not getting anything better than that. So, I sit in the chair next to me. As I do so, she pulls up another chair right across from me and sits down herself. “So what can this old mare help you with?”

A few seconds pass as the words struggle to come to mind. How do I approach something like this? What do I say without making Floria panic? Then I notice her glass eye. She did make that one comment to Rocky in that one holotape about being able to see the souls of ponies. Was Floria being honest when she said it back then?

Only one way to find out.

I take a deep breath. “Back when I first got here, you kept staring at me as if I had something in my mane. Then you eventually asked me what I knew about the spirits and if I honestly hadn’t found anything in that vampire pony lair I mentioned to you. And I lied about that. There was a broken memory orb and it did something to my head that I haven’t been able to understand or control.”

Floria looks over at the open book on her desk as I add “Please, I want to know, or rather need to know, what you saw back then. I need to know exactly what is wrong with me so I can finally get rid of it!”

Silence. I bite my tongue to keep myself from pleading any further as Floria continues to look thoughtfully at her book.

After some time, Floria looks back at me and presses a hoof on my forehead. “Right there,” she says before retracting her hoof. “I wasn’t sure before but a part of your soul has been blackened, almost like something burned it there. It’s similar to the kind of mark that vengeful spirits leave behind when they curse those that have angered them.”

“A scorch mark on my soul, eh?” I say, unsure of how to feel about the revelation. “That might explain that wrongness I’ve been feeling lately. But that doesn’t explain…”

I swallow hard before looking at Floria. “The orb gave me Blood Magic. Or rather, it forced the knowledge into my head. And when I… lose it, basically, a kind of bloodlust takes over my mind. During that time, I feel energy leaking out of open wounds. Especially… especially when they are dying. And, in that state, I need it. Otherwise, I feel… I don’t know, like there’s something wrong with me if I don’t get it. That need overrides everything else, to the point where I don’t recognise anypony as anything but another source for this energy.”

Floria stays surprisingly calm when I finish. Instead of shock or horror, she calmly thinks about what I said before saying “From what you are describing here, it sounds like you’ve been turned into a life drinker.”

I blink. “A-A life drinker?”

“Mahzun talked about them once,” Floria explains. “Zebras that attempted to avoid death and lengthen their lives by making a deal with the stars for that power. Power gained from drinking the souls of their victims. I thought it was just another story to explain away his next preparation kit but-”

“T-That can’t be right,” I slowly sink into my chair and press a hoof up against my forehead. “I-I was just looking for vampire ponies. Blood drinking, ritualistic vampire ponies! I should be craving blood right now! Not ripping out the souls of others! Why in Luna’s good name would vampire ponies even have a cursed memory orb like this in the first place?!”

“Intrepid, calm down,” She says with an extended hoof. She waits as I take in a few deep breaths before asking “Do you remember what was contained in that orb?”

“Just… just a lot of darkness, sorrow, pain, and hate,” I say while shaking my head. “Nothing that would explain how it turned me into this life drinking monster. Or why I instinctively know this magic. Or why it didn’t teach me how to even drink souls.”

Then I glance up at her before adding “Please tell me you know of a way to get rid of this.”

As she quietly ponders, I feel a bit of hope rising inside of me. That bit of hope dies when she shakes her head. “I’m sorry Intrepid, but I’m just a rocket scientist. This is beyond my understanding to fix.”

“But what about your grandmother’s book?” I ask before pointing to the book on the desk. “Doesn’t it have anything that can help here?”

“It doesn’t have anything on curses or life drinkers,” She says. “The only reason I know this much is because of what Mahzun said decades ago and that won’t help here,” She then places a hoof on my shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“Then I’ll speak with Mahzun,” I move to get up but hesitate when Floria frowns. “He is still around, isn’t he?”

“No, he left decades ago,” She glances over at a small picture of her standing next to a messy-maned zebra wearing a suit. The same one she was hugging in the large group picture back at the museum. “Mahzun didn’t share our dream of traveling to the moon, even if he did help us as best he could. And once the world finally ended, he decided it was time to finally live and accomplish those things he had been putting off due to fear."

She then shakes her head. "I don’t know where he could possibly be now or if he is still alive. And even if you found him, I doubt he would know more about your curse than what he has told me over the years."

So this is it then. Floria can’t help me and Mahzun is long gone, assuming he could even help me in the first place. Maybe it was silly to hope that they would know how to help me. After all, it took me years to find the vampire pony lair using scraps and that one map. It’s just… I slowly nod my head. “That’s ok,” I say with a weak smile on my face. “I had a feeling this was a long shot anyway, but I had to try. Guess there is little I can do now to keep this power from consuming my soul.”

“I never said that it would consume your soul,” Floria says firmly. “I simply said that it was there and what I think it was. I also remember telling you that you were stronger than you give yourself credit for. You did break free of its influence when it took over, did you not?”

“Not without some help,” I say. “If Rose hadn’t called me by that silly nickname she gave me, I don’t know if I ever would have gotten out of it.”

“What about that name helped you overcome it?” She asks.

“The fact that she was the only one to call me by it,” I answer quietly before clearing my throat and talking more normally. “That was enough to help me remember that she was bleeding somewhere. Then the fear of losing her motivated me to finally push the influence out of my head.”

She smiles softly. “A bit grim, perhaps. But if it helps you keep control, then I suggest remembering that the next time you use that power. Just be mindful that it is there,” She then taps my forehead. “It hasn’t gotten worse since the last time I saw it. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t still dangerous.”

“Really?” I ask, rubbing my forehead. “I figured it would have gotten worse after everything that happened.”

“As I said, the soul drinkers gain their power from drinking souls,” She says. “Since you can’t drink souls, the curse can’t corrupt you any more than it has,” She pauses for a moment, looking slightly hesitant before smiling again. “It may even wane and disappear if you starve it long enough.”

That isn’t the most reassuring answer ever. After all, I instinctively learned how to forge blades and casts using blood. There is nothing to say that I won’t eventually learn how to drink souls in the same way. Although, my instinctive learning seems to only kick in at times when I need them. And that hasn’t happened yet with soul drinking despite the opportunities for that to happen. So maybe there is hope for me after all.

Hope. It is strange to legitimately feel hope again, after having abandoned it for so long. Of course, it would be disingenuous to say that this is the first time I’ve felt it since coming here. Rose has put a lot of effort into rekindling that for me. Telling me that I’m like my father, the one pony I had given up ever being like. Believing in me when I didn’t. Staying by my side when it would have been better to have abandoned me.

And I repaid her for all of this by uttering a horrible phrase to her while in a fit of self-loathing. Rose went through a lot to save me, even though I must have terrified her when I gave in and turned into that monster. And instead of thanking her, I carelessly hurt her instead and probably drove her away for good.

I really am a pathetic pony, aren’t I?

“That is reassuring, thank you.” I say while smiling, despite feeling rather awkward doing so. Especially after that last thought.

“You are welcome,” Floria says, smiling back. “I will say, you are the most peculiar wastelander I’ve ever met. After obtaining it, most would not seek to give up the power over life like you are.”

My smile disappears as a more serious expression takes hold. “Power that can’t be bent towards good ends isn’t worth having. With power like this that feeds off of hate and fear, that I can lose control rather easily,” I shake my head. “I don’t want it. Not after everything it cost me. And what it almost cost me.”

She nods. “I wish I had more comforting words to say to you. But this is the best I can do for you,” She then opens one of the drawers of her desk. “Now, how was the talisman I gave you?”

I blink. “Oh! It definitely helped a couple of times! But, umm, it broke after that. I have the pieces right-” I reach for my saddlebags before realising that it isn’t there. And none of my gear is on me right now either. Just Rose’s scarf hanging around my neck. Which makes sense, my equipment and armor must be in tatters right now (or completely destroyed like my gauss rifle). I will have to remember to pick them up and fix them after I patch things up with Rose. Not that I have any clue how to show Rose how sorry I am for what I’ve done.

“Don’t worry about it,” Floria says while pulling out random objects from her drawer. “I have an extra one somewhere that you can have. It is the least I can do after everything you’ve done for us.”

“I just did what I felt was right,” I say, watching as more and more items end up on her desk. However, seeing her set aside a small bag of different colored gemstones piques my interest. “What are those for?”

“Talisman making,” She answers before pulling out a talisman with a jade gemstone embedded into it. “Ah, I knew it was in here!” She then hoofs it over to me. “Now, is there anything else that you need?”

Taking the talisman from her, I consider it for a bit then glance over at the bag of gemstones. “Actually, if you don’t mind, there is one more thing I would like to ask for.”

Nothing is coming to mind.

It’s been hours since my visit with Floria. Hours devoted towards putting together some kind of apology that would fix everything between Rose and I. Maybe I should have spent more time on this. But Floria did point out how unwise it would be to make a mare wait too long for an apology. Especially after hurting her as badly as I did.

So here I am, standing in front of the room where Rose is supposedly staying in. And yet words continue to elude me.

It doesn’t help that it is oddly quiet around here. Given the ghouls’ lack of need for sleep, there should be some noise considering the amount of work that will be needed to get everything ready. It also doesn’t help that there isn’t any noise on the other side of the oak door. Though maybe this silence is actually a blessing; I don’t think I would have the nerve to stand here if I could hear her crying. Assuming she is even in here.

With Rose’s scarf folded and hovering next to me, I raise a hoof to the door before hesitating.

Dear Luna, what am I going to say to her? What can be said to her to make this right? Sorry, a nightmare terrified me enough to thoughtlessly ask for death without considering your feelings on the matter? Just because I’d rather die than risk turning into a mindless killing machine again? Fearing that I would never be able to snap out of it again?

I let out a sigh, stare at the scarf for a moment, then knock on the door.

No answer.

“Rose?” I ask before knocking again. “It’s… it’s me, Treppy. I brought your scarf back. Umm, can we talk, please?”

More silence. I take a deep breath. “You don’t have to come to the door or anything. Just hear me out, ok?”

My mind continues to draw blanks as I stand there, rubbing my right foreleg while the awkwardness of the situation gnaws at me.

Why am I bothering with this? Rose is probably going to ignore me anyway. I’m just wasting my time here.

No, I didn’t come this far to give up now. “I’m sorry,” I begin, not really sure what to say next. “I’m just… I’m not really sure why… no, I know why I said those horrible things to you. I was scared. Scared of my past repeating itself here. And a little upset with myself that I had somehow let everything happen again. So much so that I didn’t want to… keep living after that.”

The words are starting to come more naturally to me now as I continue. “I know better now. It’s just that, well, everything was going so well with Trian Mill too. I remember this little silver colt, Storm Bolt, that honestly thought I was the coolest pony ever. Hearing about my misadventures from Flare and Zigs only made him idolise me further. Storm Bolt saw something in me that I was losing sight of. So much so that I felt compelled to promise him that I would make everypony there safe.”

I glance down at my PipBuck. “And we both know how that story turned out.”

Sitting down next to the door, I press my back against the wall. “Then I came here and got roped into all of this madness. After what happened with Trian Mill, I didn’t want anything to do with the rocket or trying to get any data or anything like that. Then I found this amazing mare who saw something in me that I had completely lost sight of at that point. Better yet, that mare eventually helped me see that part of me too. There was a lot of arguing and stumbling around the place, to be sure. But near the end, things were finally going well for me.”

I glance up at the ceiling and shut my eyes. “And the story almost repeated itself then. Seeing your wounded body then, laid out in much the same way Storm Bolt’s broken body was so long ago, and knowing that I was so close to causing your death…”

Shaking my head, I look back at the door. “But it didn’t repeat, did it? You’re still here and everything worked out in the end. I should have focused on that instead of panicking over what could have happened.”

There’s a moment’s hesitation before I finally set Rose’s scarf in front of the door. “So I’m going to leave the past behind me now. No more dwelling on Trian Mill and what I should have done. No more worrying about repeating the past and not doing anything about it.”

Regardless of how silly I must seem to an onlooker, I stand back up, brush myself off, and give the door the most confident smile I can muster. “I’m Intrepid Scholar, Twilight Society member and one-time partner of the amazing Winter Rose, greatest bounty hunter in all of Equestria! And I’m going to change this miserable wasteland for the better! Regardless of how many times I might screw up along the way!”

Right. No matter how many times it will take, I will keep picking myself off the ground and keep trying until I finally get there. It really is the only way to make sure her efforts aren’t wasted on a pony like me.

“I’m sorry for saying what I said,” I say as my smile falters. “I know better now. And thank you for helping me see the kind of pony I can be and giving me hope that I can one day be that pony,” I then turn around and start walking away from the door. “Goodbye, Rose. I’ll never forget what you did for me. Or the advice that you gave me back when I didn’t believe in myself.”

“Wait.”

I stop in my tracks as I hear Rose’s voice. Looking behind me, I watch as the door opens up a crack and Rose quietly stares through it at the scarf on the ground. Seeing her hoof trying to cover the horrible scar running across her neck rekindles my anger towards the raiders that did that to her. And also reminds me that I almost did far worse to her myself.

She pushes the door open even further and reaches out towards her scarf. There is a brief moment of hesitation before she drags it back toward her and picks it up. In the middle of unfurling the scarf in her hooves, she stops and picks out the mane ornament hidden within its folds: A simple pin made out of wires with a few thin white gemstones arranged in the shape of a flower at the end.

For a few minutes, she stares at it. Then I finally gather the courage to say “It’s a white rose. Or, at least, it’s supposed to be. It was hard getting the gemstones to look just right. But I figured it would go nicely with that white dress once you got it.”

The dim light of the hallway reflects off of the tears in her eyes as Rose stares straight into mine. She opens her mouth but then closes it and looks down as she carefully folds the ornament into the scarf again. Placing the scarf behind her, she takes a deep breath. “Treppy, I… thank you. Good night, Intrepid.”

“Good night, Rose.” I answer back.

She nods her head before quietly closing the door.

Minutes pass as I stare at the door. I guess it was pretty foalish of me to expect that some kind words and a small trinket would make Rose her usual self again. Still, this is the best outcome I could have reasonably hoped for, right? I should be relieved that this worked out as well as it did.

So then, why do I feel dejected instead?

With no answers coming to mind, I slowly make my way back to my room.

It still doesn’t feel like four days has passed.

With the data Rose and I retrieved, the ghouls have been utterly busy finishing up their preparations for launch. And with the hellhounds gone, some have been taking trips into the R&D complex, gathering what remains of their belongings before they leave Equestria for good. For my part, I spent my time dragging Salt Cube to the control center. Just so he could answer my questions as I pour over the schematics and the launch procedures binder from the complex. At least, until he yelled that he had enough. He gave me a very curt explanation about only needing to know when to push the red button. Afterwards, he kicked me out and locked the door.

Honestly, all I wanted to do was open up the console to see if the schematics were actually correct, not rip it apart like some kind of uncouth barbarian. Although, I probably could have found a less annoying way of conducting myself around him.

Being locked out gave me very little to do. Outside of fixing my gear up and working on my PipBuck in the comfort of my room, that is. Though, to be honest, this is more of an excuse to avoid bumping into Rose again than anything. She did decide to stick around and clear out the leftover traps in the R&D complex. While it is good to hear that she is doing much better, it wouldn’t be a good idea to run into her again. With what happened between us and how the apology ended that night (especially after saying goodbye to her), it would feel more awkward and embarrassed to keep seeing her moving around the place..

Thus, on the eve of the launch and with nothing better to do, I find myself going through my copy of the data on my PipBuck. Waiting for somepony to drop by and let me know that I’m allowed to enter the control center again. And progress towards understanding all of this data has been slow. Really slow, actually.

So much so that I practically jump out of my chair at the sound of somepony knocking on the door. “One minute!” I yell as I throw my gear on and hurry towards the door.

About time they came for me! I was beginning to wonder if they had forgotten that I was still here! Though, it would be the first time that happened. But whatever! It’s finally time to get this show started and-

Opening the door, I am taken aback to see Rose sitting on the other side. My heart races as I notice the white rose ornament in her mane while she looks at me with a nervous smile on her face. “Intrepid.”

“Rose,” I say, trying my hardest to hide my surprise at seeing her here.

For the next few moments, we stand around awkwardly as my mind races to try and figure out what to say. And coming up with nothing. Eventually, Rose clear her throat. “So Treppy, I have a deal I want to run by you.”

“Oh?” I ask.

“See, normally I only work with somepony for one job and then we part ways,” She says while straightening her scarf, much like a business pony would with a tie. “But having worked with you, I got to thinking: we work well together. Like, really well. And two awesome ponies are always better than one awesome pony.”

There’s a pause as she starts to fidget with the scarf more. “So I’m wondering if, after we’re done seeing the ghouls off, you would, you know, like to keep being my partner?”

I give her a long hard look as the little pony in my head immediately starts shaking his head. ‘This is a horrible idea. As long as that curse hangs over your head, you’re a threat to everypony around you. You don’t know when you’re going to snap and completely lose control again. And when that happens again, will you be able to keep yourself from killing Rose a second time?

‘It would be better for everypony if you just traveled alone.’

Right. Because there’s no telling what will happen if I decide to travel with Rose or anypony else… But then, I’ve tried that already, haven’t I? Drifting from one place to another, avoiding as much contact with other ponies as possible, and look at how well that turned out in preventing another bloodbath.

Looking into Rose’s eyes as she looks into mine, seeing the hints of loneliness behind them. It makes me realise just how lonely I’ve been since I stopped traveling with anypony. And… I don’t want to go back to being alone again. Not really.

I sit down and rub the back of my neck. “So, even though I’ve said some truly horrible things to you, you actually want me to be your partner, eh? It’s as simple as that?”

“Yeah, it’s as simple as that,” Rose answers before tapping her hairpin. “You went out of your way to show that you were sorry. So I’m willing to forgive you as long as you promise never to say that again.”

“You have my word,” I place a hoof over my heart and then raise an eyebrow. “But are you really sure you don’t mind teaming up with a pony who nearly killed you with blood magic?”

She waves her hoof dismissively. “You know how many times my partners have nearly killed me? It’s kind of a rite of passage at this point. Plus, that was the curse doing all of that, not you,” When I give her a more inquisitive stare, she scratches her scarf. “I was venting at Floria and may have, sort of, kind of, panicked when I heard your voice. Then she shoved me into the wardrobe before letting you in.”

I let out a sigh. “I figured as much.”

“Hey,” She lightly nudges my shoulder. “We’ll find out a way to cure you in a week, tops! Trust me!”

That is enough to bring a smile to my face. “So we’ll be equal partners in all of this?”

A large grin forms on her face. “Of course! We’re a team here, Treppy!” She then wraps a foreleg around my neck and pulls me in while extending the other one out. “I can see it now! Intrepid Scholar and Winter Rose! Greatest Bounty Hunters Ever! We either get famous together or not at all!”

Slipping out of her grasp, I give her a faux skeptical look. “So I assume we'll both get the same pay then?”

Rose gives me an irritated look. “What did I just say about us being a team?”

“Just wanted to make sure,” I say before extending my hoof out to her. “Well Rose, you got me. I’m in.”

Instead of taking my hoof, Rose opts to rush in and hug me instead. Deciding to just let her have her way, I awkwardly pat her back while trying to keep my cool. After a second or two, Rose lets go and ruffles my mane with possibly the biggest smile I’ve seen on her face yet. “And that, my dear Treppy, is how you ask a pony out.”

“Very funny, Rose,” I say while playfully swatting her hoof away. “But we were definitely talking about being business partners, not romantic ones.”

That immediately comes into question when she simply gives me a very seductive wink before gingerly walking away. “Hmm, I think we’ll need to wear something that matches so everypony knows we’re together now.”

“As Business Partners!” I shout at her as she turns around the corner and disappears from sight. Letting out a very long drawn out sigh, I press my hoof against my forehead before muttering the words “Honestly, why do you have to do this to me?”

Yet, despite knowing that Rose will use this misunderstanding to make my life even more awkward, I can’t help but smile. It’s nice to finally have somepony I can trust at my side. Even if that same pony is doing everything she can to drive me into an early grave.

“Thank you for being on time,” Salt Cube says flatly as he stands between me and the control center. “Do you promise to stop trying to take everything apart?”

Fighting the urge to roll my eyes, I place a hoof over my heart. Or rather, where the heart would normally be located in a typical pony. “You have my word that I will not take apart every console in that room to satisfy my thirst for knowledge.”

Salt Cube gives me a very skeptical look before finally stepping aside and escorting me to the main controls. Through the large observation windows, the L33-742A Eclipse Missile turned rocket gleams in the morning sun as ghouls run around on the launch pad below. Crates of supplies and equipment are carried up the loading ramp in preparation for the journey to the moon.

“So where’s your marefriend?” Salt Cube asks as he settles down in one of the chairs near the row of control consoles in front of the windows. “I figured she would have come with you for this.”

“Rose is not my marefriend,” I point out while taking a seat myself. “We’re just partners in crime. Nothing more.”

Salt Cube considers me for a second before beginning to work on the console. “Sorry for assuming then. I figured, with the way you defended Rose that one time, the way she acted after you woke up a few days ago, and how she was practically skipping down the halls earlier today, that something happened between the two of you.”

“Nothing happened between us, I swear,” I say before rubbing the back of my neck. “Rose saved my life a few times so of course I was going to defend her. And she was justified in being angry a few days back because I did say something horribly stupid to her. But I apologized for that and, today, we finally put all of that behind us. That’s it.”

For a brief moment, Salt Cube looks away from the monitor to give me another skeptical look, prompting me to add, “Look, there is seriously nothing going on between us, honest!”

“Oh, there you are Intrepid!” Rose says, as if on cue, and Salt Cube and I both look to see her head poking through the doorway. “Having fun yet?”

“Not yet,” I answer back. “Just barely got here myself.”

She nods and walks in with an extra red scarf draped around her neck. Before I can ask about it, Rose quickly moves to my side, tying said scarf around my neck. “I’m so glad Floria decided to let me keep this!” She says before wrapping her foreleg around me and pulls me in. “Don’t you think we look good with matching scarves, Salty?”

Dear Luna, why are you doing this to me?

Salt Cube looks between Rose and I before his eyes drift up to Rose’s mane. “You like it?” She asks before brushing a part of her mane back to show off her mane ornament. “Intrepid gave it to me. Don’t you think it goes well with my stunning good looks?”

And my embarrassment shoots through the roof as Salt Cube gives me a deadpan stare. “Not your marefriend, huh?”

“Marefriend?” Rose asks in genuine surprise before a sly smile forms on her face. “Why Intrepid, have you been telling ponies we’re an item now?"

“No I haven’t!” I say before pushing her off of me. “Although with the way you’ve been acting, I wouldn’t be surprised if everypony now assumes we were making out in your room. And no!” My attention immediately snaps to Salt Cube. “We did not kiss at all!”

From the corner of my eye, I see Rose scratching her scarf while looking away from me. “Well, that’s technically not true.”

Slowly, I turn my attention back to Rose, who risks a glance back at me before finally turning to face me. “Look, you were barely conscious and bleeding to death!” She quickly explains. “I had to get some of the potion down your throat somehow!”

My mind is having a hard time trying to figure out how to respond to this revelation. First, there’s gratitude that I was conscious enough to swallow, though obviously not coherent enough to remember any of this. Rose would no doubt have lost it if her attempt to save me ended up drowning me instead.

Then there’s the matter of Rose actually kissing me! All of her germs and saliva that I must have swallowed, the diseases that I could have contracted from it, the idea that her tongue was in my mouth, that her soft lips were pressed against mine, that her warm body was actually that close to me…

Slowly, I turn around, rest my head against the console, and bury my face into my forehooves. The room becomes so horribly uncomfortably warm right now. But, surprisingly, I am less upset over this than I really should be. Why that is is beyond my ability to comprehend at the moment.

I feel a hoof on my shoulder. “Come on! Don’t be like that!” Rose says nervously. “It’s not like it was a real kiss or anything like that! Besides, you should be happy that a beautiful mare like me was willing to do that for you!” When I don’t offer a reply, she asks “I went too far again, didn’t I?”

“It’s fine,” I answer back, trying desperately to not let my obvious discomfort seep into my voice. “I just need a moment.”

After a brief yet extremely awkward moment of silence, I finally work up the nerve to get off my chair. “I almost forgot, I need to talk to Bright Eyes and Rocky Shores about something important, so if you will excuse me.”

“Oh yeah! I ran into Bright Eyes on my way over here!” Rose immediately says, looking relieved for the change in subject. “She said you don’t need to worry about finding her and that she’ll give you your answer on the launch pad. Or something like that.”

Thank you for completely destroying my only excuse for escaping this awkward situation, Bright Eyes. I really appreciate it.

Before I can ask for more clarification, Salt Cube immediately stands up and shouts “What is Hay Bale doing down there?”

Rose and I both look back through the observation window to see a large group of other ghouls being herded up the loading ramp; A few of which I recognise from the group of feral ghouls that tried to eat me my first day here.

“So that’s what Bright Eyes meant,” I say as a smile forms on my face. “They decided to take them after all.”

“I-I don’t understand. What are you talking about?!” Salt Cube asks while his attention is still fixed on a faded yellow ghoul in the group. “What the hay is going on here?!”

“I made a deal with Rocky Shores and Bright Eyes,” I explain while glancing over at Salt Cube. “In exchange for helping you get on your hooves in Green Bean, I managed to get them to take the feral- I mean, sick ghouls with them to the moon.”

Salt Cube looks conflicted, his gaze shifting from the loading ramp to the control console and back again. It is hard watching everypony you’ve grown close to leave you behind. Knowing that you can not go with them and that you will never see them again. But he must be happy to see that Hay Bale is not going to be left behind, right? Or am I just being hopelessly naive again?

Static blares from the speakers in the room before Bright Eyes’ echoey voice replaces it. “Children of Luna, if I may have your attention.”

Down on the launch platform, surrounded by a large mixed group of ghouls, stands Bright Eyes and Rocky Shores with a small metal box next to him. Bright Eyes looks around before smiling and passing the microphone attached to the metal box down to Rocky, who clears his throat before taking it. “Over two hundred years ago, I looked up at the moon and decided that I wanted to go there. In what Equestria would consider one of the most foalish moves ever, I gathered a group of like minded ponies and created a place specifically aimed at finding a way to get to the moon. Very few of us had any idea as to how we were going to do it and even fewer knew how to handle the price tag that we would accrue along the way.”

He looks over the group in front of him with a somber smile. “And we’ve been through our fair share of hardships, haven’t we? So many mistakes were made. So many accidents and mishaps that kept setting us back. Not to mention our deal with the Ministry of Wartime Technology. A deal that was supposed to save us from bankruptcy but instead robbed us of our dream in the long run. A deal I will never forgive myself for making.”

Bright Eyes places a claw on Rocky’s shoulder as he continues. “But then the world ended. And even though we lost a lot of good ponies and zebras, Luna saw fit to give us another chance at obtaining our goal. First,” He glances up at Bright Eyes. “By making sure this facility survived the bombing intact and by reuniting all of us here. And Second,” He then glances up at us. “By sending us help when we needed it the most.”

Rocky offers the microphone to Bright Eyes, who takes it and, along with the rest of the ghouls present, turns to look up at us. “Salt Cube, we want to let you know that we wouldn’t have gotten to this point without you. Your knowledge and fresh perspective was essential in helping us overcome many of the flaws that we, and by we, I mostly mean me, were too stubborn or blind to see. I’m sorry for all of the arguments we had and all of us here honestly wish we could take you with us.”

Salt Cube just stares at Bright Eyes as her expression becomes more serious. “But it’s time to face the truth: you are not a ghoul like us. We’ve long since lived our lives and there is nothing left for us here. However, you still have a life left to live and a world that desperately needs a pony like you if it is going to change for the better. We’ve asked Intrepid to help you get started. And it is our hope that you’ll soon forget about us and find some noble goal to aim for. Know that you will always be a part of our family and we wish you success in whatever goal you choose for yourself.”

Salt Cube slowly slumps into his chair as Bright Eyes looks over at Rose and I. “As for our two heroes, you have our sincerest thanks and our deepest gratitude. Without you, we would have, at best, been set behind by years and, at worst, slaughtered outright by the hellhounds who decided to attack us. Know that we will always remember you and that your names will be held in highest regard among us.”

Rose noticeably swells with pride over the praise while I simply smile in response. My attention is quickly dragged back to Bright Eyes when she says “And Intrepid, there is one more thing we want to say to you. About your curse.”

Every ghoul is looking at me as Bright Eyes continues. "Don’t be mad at Floria, she tried her best to keep it a secret. But we are a small community. Naturally, when a hellhound that was killing us weeks ago suddenly wants a doll to help her make peace with us? Well, we all wanted to know what you did to terrify her.”

As understandable as that might be, it still does little to keep me from trying to shrink at the metaphorical spotlight on me. Naturally, Bright Eyes can’t see this and smiles warmly. “I want you to know that, while we may not understand what you are going through, we do know what it is like to be gifted with something we never asked for nor wanted. Finding this out about you hasn’t changed our opinion of you. If anything, it makes us more grateful for aiding us despite your original reluctance towards our plight. While we are leaving for good, know that we believe in you and will be praying for you. May Luna’s moon always guide you in your darkest times as it has with all of us.”

I tear up and Rose pats my back as the crowd of ghouls cheer our names and wish us luck. After a few moments, Rocky Shores takes the microphone back and announces with pride “Everypony, board the rocket and take your seats! The day has finally arrived! Our journey to the promised land awaits! Off to the moon we go!”

“So,” I say softly while wiping the tears from my eyes. “This is what it feels like to finally do something without screwing it up. It took me long enough to finally get it right.”

“Yeah it did,” Rose says with a nod as we watch the ghouls board the rocket. “Though I get the feeling we’re forgetting something here.”

Oddly enough, I have that same feeling as well. But before I can really put much thought into it, I notice Salt Cube start to shake his head and mutter something under his breath. That has me worried. “Umm, Salt Cube? Are you ok?”

He ignores me and instead stares down at his hooves. Rose gives me a worried look and I place a hoof on his shoulder, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin. “Salt Cube, is everything fine?”

“I’m fine, I’m just…” He says before looking up at me. “They really wished that I could go with them. But they knew that I couldn’t. All this time I thought they were lying to me about not being able to take me and Hay Bale with them. That they couldn’t admit that Hay Bale was the only one that wanted me around. But I was the one that didn’t want to admit that they were right all along. I’m not really a ghoul, am I?”

I sadly shake my head. “But it’s like I said before, you are a part of their family. And no matter how badly it hurts both you and them, they had to make the choice that would ultimately make you happy in the long run. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have made sure that somepony would be here to help you out once they were gone.”

“Right. What Intrepid said,” Rose chips in while giving Salt Cube a pat on the shoulder. “Sometimes you need somepony who really cares about you to give you a swift kick in the head when you’re acting like an idiot.”

Not the most elegant way of putting it, Rose. But I appreciate the extra reinforcement all the same.

“Yes, yes, I got that part. I just thought… ” Salt Cube looks back and watches as the last ghoul enters the rocket and closes the hatch behind them. His expression turns thoughtful for a moment before he frantically works the consoles in front of him. “Dear Luna, why didn’t they tell me that they changed their mind on Hay Bale sooner?” He asks while the clamps and umbilical cords detach and the rocket prepares to blast off.

Suddenly, I hear the sound of marching echoing throughout the halls outside. Rose turns around to aim her rifle at the door while Salt Cube swears before typing in a command into a nearby terminal. Watching all of the screens display a ‘locked by administrator’ message, I turn to him and ask the obvious question: “Salt Cube, what the hay is going on?!”

My answer soon arrives as two power armored ponies kick open the door and level their rifles at Rose and I; Both wearing the emblem and colors of the Steel Rangers. I glare at Salt Cube. “You. Didn’t.”

A third Steel Ranger soon enters the control center, takes one look around, and levels their gaze at Salt Cube. “I take it you were the one that radioed in about the balefire missile?” A mare’s voice asks from within the helmet of the third ranger’s power armor.

Salt Cube sweats bullets as he nods his head in affirmation. “That was me. However, I over-exaggerated how badly things were and I don’t really need help any more!”

The ranger glances out the window before glancing back at Salt Cube. “The way I see it, things are a lot worse than what you had let on,” She says before walking straight up to me and sizes me up. “NCR. Finally found a quick way to get rid of an enemy and some nutcases willing to help you do it, didn’t you? So who were you about to nuke anyway? The Enclave? Some big shot Red Eye warlord that got too big for you to handle? Or maybe you finally had it with Tenpony Tower?”

“The moon,” I say flatly.

While the helmet does a good job of hiding facial expressions, the swift kick to the gut is enough to tell me that the mare wearing it didn’t appreciate my comment any. I quickly collapse into a coughing fit on the ground as the wind is knocked out of me.

“Hey! Leave Him Alone!” Rose shouts and points her rifle at the third ranger, causing the other two to point their weapons at her.

“Hold your fire!” The third ranger barks before looking straight are Rose. “It’s odd to see you engaging in an act of terrorism here, Winter Rose. Or maybe not, considering your willingness to throw your lot with anyone for a bag of caps.”

“I thought you knew me better than that, Diamond,” Rose growls. “And he didn’t deserve to get hit like that! We’re not threatening anypony here! We’re just helping some ghouls get to the moon! So back off already!”

“We will see about that,” Diamond says as I struggle to get back onto my hooves. “And remember who you’re addressing, mercenary. We’re not friends. And I’ll remind you that acting as such is a quick way to get on my bad side.” She then glances down at me. “Now, let me properly introduce myself. Star Paladin Diamond Shard. Green Bean Contingent.”

With a flick of her tail, Diamond motions towards the other two rangers. “Detain them for questioning and-” She glances over at one of the monitors. “Salt Cube, did you lock these?”

“No, I didn’t!” Salt Cube says quickly. “Some kind of failsafe activated just before you arrived and completely locked us out. I don’t know how to get back into it.”

Diamond stares at Salt Cube for a moment, then at me, before glancing out the observation window. “The missile looks like it could launch at any moment,” She says before turning to the two rangers in the room. “Get Scribe Silver Circuit in here to hack the console. With Salt Cube’s help, maybe we can prevent it from launching off to Celestia knows where.”

“Because only the Steel Rangers can be trusted with something like this, right?” I say while struggling to get on my hooves. “Please, quit acting like you’re being noble here. We all know you want this just so other ponies will think twice while you keep butchering innocent ponies for their stuff.”

Diamond and I glare at each other with an intensity that makes everypony around us noticeably nervous. “You have quite a mouth on you, unicorn,” Diamond says coldly. “Knights, get them out of my sight. Now.”

One of the rangers nods before motioning the other ranger over to us. I lift my hoof towards Rose but slowly lower it again as a rifle is pointed at my head. “Hooves to yourselves,” The ranger at the door orders as the other one motions with his rifle for us to walk out.

Rose gives me a brief, reassuring smile before assuming a more serious expression as she is escorted out of the control center. I briefly glare at Salt Cube, who turns away in shame, before the ranger escorts me out as well.

From frying pan to fire to the 'loving' care of the Steel Rangers. Things just keep getting better and better.

You have completed some quest objectives and have improved your relationship with The Children of Luna faction.

Faction Update:

The Children of Luna - Current Status: IdolizedGreen Bean Steel Rangers - Current Status: Hated

Quest Objectives Completed:

Escort Winter Rose Back To Safety.Help The Ghouls Prepare For Launch.

Quest Objective Gained:

Figure Out What The Steel Rangers Want.Beat The Ever Living Hay Out Of Salt Cube For Involving The Steel Rangers.Launch The Rocket To The Moon.

Current Quest Objectives:

Don’t Die.