From: Copper Hardwire
To: Pastel Skies

Pastel,

As requested, one Mr. Handy has been selected to become our first ever “Mr. Tour Guide” and plans I’ve drafted for turning one of the offices in its charging station has been attached for financial approval.

Now with all due respect, why do I have to gut this robot and turn it into something it isn’t? It’s already bad enough that they’re expecting us to practically rebuild this facility to accommodate their stupid museum idea while understaffed with no extra funds to make this work. Now they expect me to have this done by the end of the month too? I don’t even know the first thing about programming robots! Let alone one that was meant to just check ID Badges! Can’t Robronco or some other Ministry of Tech company provide us with one instead? It’s like they don’t care what happens as long as this stupid museum gets built.

Look, I understand you have a lot on your plate now with your new position. Especially with all of the pink slips the Ministry gave out recently. All I’m saying is that an expert in robotics would be nice to have right now. Or even a training manual on the subject.

Regardless, I’ll make sure our “Mr. Tour Guide” is ready by opening day, even if I have to cut some corners to do it. Just help the higher ups understand what I have to work with here.

Your friend and colleague,
Hardwire

The screen flickers as I exit out of the message and select ‘Power On Mr. Tour Guide’ on the menu again. And just like before, the ‘Invalid Command’ message blinks on the screen.

“Come on, I need a break here,” I moan before turning my attention to the Mr. Handy nicely tucked in it’s little alcove nearby. The chrome plating on its orb-shaped chassis seems to shine in the light of the terminal next to it. And from each of its three arms to the booster rocket at the bottom, the robot looks better taken care of than the ruined room it currently rests in.

What I would give for the rest of this facility to be in the same state as this Mr. Handy.

The fight between the hellhounds and the ghouls has wreaked havoc on the structure integrity of this place. Collapsed hallways, makeshift barriers, and large holes in the floor turns what should be recognisable landmarks into impassable ruins. And this is on top of the place already looking like something that Discord would design himself.

And if that isn’t frustrating enough to deal with, there’s another issue to deal with: the fact that I have no clue what Winter Rose looks like.

In all honesty, why did it take me this long to realize this? Even with all the madness that I had to take in earlier, asking for a simple description of the pony I’m rescuing should have been the first thing to cross my mind! What kind of an idiot forgets to ask that before rushing into the jaws of death?

‘What kind of idiot rushes into the jaws of death at all?’ The little pony in my head asks while rolling his eyes at me.

I press my forehead against the screen. Thankfully, the one bright spot in all of this is that Rose should be the pony in an entire complex full of hellhounds. Big. Bloodthirsty. Hellhounds.

Yeah, it definitely shouldn’t be hard to spot her at all.

With a groan, I look back at the Mr. Handy next to me. Maybe that thing can tell me what she looks like? It sounded like she might be part of the security of this place. And Mr. Hardwire’s message did suggest that it used to check IDs before it got converted to… whatever it is now. If it even holds that kind of information inside of it still.

I just need to get this thing to work. But how?

Moving in front of the Mr. Handy, I consider it carefully. Think, Intrepid, think. How am I going to get this thing to work when it can’t receive any signals from its terminal?... Maybe I can try jump starting this thing? Shouldn’t be any harder than charging an MFC, eh?

Taking in a deep breath of the dusty air, I touch the robot’s cold plating with my horn focus on channeling my magic into it. It takes some effort, but soon I feel my magic pouring into the robot’s power core on the other side of the plating. Now if only there’s a way to sense how much it needs before it can turn itself on.

“That rat has to be around here somewhere!”

Instinctively, I break off my connection and quickly duck behind the mostly intact wooden door. Peering around the edge, I spy about five hellhounds frantically looking around the intersection nearby.

Each has ragged fur of varying colors with quite a bit of scarring along with random pieces of armor strapped on to them. One of which reminds me of Applejack’s pet dog, Winona (If Winona was a large bipedal bringer of death with razor sharp claws and teeth, of course). A couple of them also have magical energy rifles slung over their shoulders.

And the largest one, a grey hellhound with dried blood staining the fur around her mouth and paws, wears a metal helmet with the symbol of the Grand Pegasus Enclave etched onto it.

Not good. This is not good at all. The Enclave must have caught wind of the warhead stockpile here somehow. Gah! Shouldn’t those racist bigots be fighting their civil war with the Dashites instead of sending hellhounds out to the middle of nowhere?!

“You two! Go down that way!” The grey one barks and two smaller hellhounds instantly move in my direction. I shrink back behind the door right before the second largest, a dirt brown hellhound wearing some patched up leather armor, throws his claws up into the air.

“We’ve been running around for hours now!” He yells, causing the two to pause and look back at him. “Just admit that you lost her scent already!”

The large grey one turns around and glares at the brown one. “What did you say?” She snarls.

“You heard me,” The brown one answers back.

The other hellhounds stand perfectly still as she slowly steps up to the brown hellhound. Despite her towering presence, the brown one doesn’t look the least bit intimidated as he defiantly holds his ground against her.

H-Hang on, aren’t Enclave hellhounds supposed to be mind-controlled somehow? Why are they arguing here? Shouldn’t there be a couple of pegasi around to make sure this doesn’t happen?

“Back. Down. Now,” The grey one finally warns coldly, causing all the other hellhounds to slowly step away from the two.

“Why? It’s been two weeks already and you still can’t find one stupid grey pony,” The brown one sneers back.

A chill runs down my spine as the grey one lets out a low threatening growl.

“Face it, Lupa. Smarty only picked you to lead so you could feel better about yourself,” The brown one says with a smirk on his face, seemingly unaware that ‘Lupa’ is slowly extending her razor-sharp claws. “What good are you if a rat like that winged pony can escape from right under your nose?”

Slowly, Lupa removes her helmet with her left paw and examines it, tracing the symbol with her right claw. “Do you remember the sound the winged ponies used to make us their obedient pets?” She asks in an eerily calm tone. “How it crawled into your head and told you to sit or stay or kill? Do you remember that Max?” She stops tracing and looks straight into the brown hellhound’s eyes. “Do you?”

The smirk on Max’s face fades. Terror slowly showing itself in his eyes despite his best attempts at keeping his defiant stance against the now unnervingly calm Lupa.

“Well, Max. I remember,” Lupa continues. “I remember when Smarty called to me. I remember how she showed me how to make the sound stop. And when it finally stopped,” She flashes him a toothy grin. “I remember how I made those ponies scream!”

In a flash of movement, blood instantly sprays on a nearby wall. A scream of pain rends the air as Max staggers backward, his claws clutching his face while fresh blood runs down it.

It takes all of my self control to stay still even as the little pony in my head screams for me to run away before they figure out I’m there.

“Now,” Lupa says coldly as she puts her helmet back on. “When I find that pony, I will gut her like all the others! Anyone else think I can’t do that?”

No one dares to answer outside of one hastily shaking his head.

“Good. Now split up, find Smarty, and bring her back to me along with that little thieving rat,” Lupa snarls before glaring at the rest. “In one piece.”

The hellhounds quickly scatter and I duck my head behind the door as one of them passes on by. After a few seconds, I peak around the door again and find Max alone in the intersection, clutching at the bleeding gash running down his face.

Out of all the things that could possibly happen, this is, well, not the worst possible thing. Having the Enclave get their hooves on the warheads here so they could nuke innocents with impunity is the worst. Rogue hellhounds, while bad, aren’t likely to care about the warheads at all. Although them being from the Enclave does explain the wiring and stuff inside the head of the hellhound I killed earlier. Meaning these are cybernetically-enhanced rogue Enclave hellhounds.

And Winter Rose somehow managed to foalnap one of them for whatever strange reason. So on top of finding her, I have to figure out a way to lose the hellhounds and figure out what to do with Smarty. Without getting killed in the process.

You know what? I take it back. Out of all the possible things that could happen, this is the worst. Possible. Thing. Dear Luna, why did I promise to bring this pony back in one piece? I should know better than to do that.

‘Even if you didn’t promise that, you’re never going to abandon this pony now, are you?’ My little pony asks solemnly.

The answer to that question is obvious. Looking past Max to the hallway behind him, I look for a spot to teleport to so I can sneak away without him noticing.

“HELLO FELLOW ROCKETEER!”

The booming voice triggers my instincts and I teleport into the hall without thinking. Turning around, I spot the Mr.Handy robot move into view from the door I was hiding behind. It waves one of its claws at me a little too earnestly.

“Oh, for the love of Luna!” I shout back while placing a hoof over my racing heart. “Don’t sneak up on ponies like that! You nearly gave me a heart… attack.”

An uncomfortably warm, moist breath that hits the back of my neck and I slowly turn around to see a rather surprised Max staring back at me.

Oh this isn’t good.

“Umm, hi. Sorry, I’m a little lost here,” I say and slowly back away from him while looking for a viable escape route. “B-But you look a little busy right now, so I’ll just be on my way, ok?”

“You dirty little winged-!” Max snarls while wiping the tears and blood from his eyes. “I’m going to have your hide stupid grey pony!”

And of course he would react like that.

Teleporting behind Max, I start galloping down the hallway, hoping to put enough distance between him and I before he decides to give chase.

Great, just great! I now have the undivided attention of an extremely pissed off hellhound! That stupid robot! Isn’t it smart enough to understand what is going on?! Of all the times it could have activated and blurted out its stupid greeting!

Suddenly, a massive force slams me into a wall, sending a surge of pain through me and dragging my attention back to reality. I look up to see Max lifting his claws above me and I teleport just as he swings them downward, leaving deep gashes into the wall as I reappear further down the hallway.

Pulling out my gauss rifle, I activate S.A.T.S. and queue up two attacks on his head. With a silent prayer to Luna that my shots will find their mark, I pull the trigger and execute the spell.

The first shot, however, misses and glances the hellhound’s shoulder instead. As Max whips his head towards me, the second shot slams into the armor covering his chest, causing him to stagger backwards a few steps.

As I pull out the spent MFC from that second shot, the sound and smell of frying circuits reaches me. A quick glance confirms it: My barely functional gauss rifle is now completely dead and utterly useless to me.

Luna, whatever I did to tick you off today, I profusely apologize for it! Honest!

Dread slowly creeps into my mind as Max digs his claws into the ground and lunges at me. I barely manage to jump out of the way, wincing as his claws scrapes along the side of my body, and slam the butt of my rifle into the gash on his face. He immediately howls in pain while backing away, one of his claws instinctively reaching up towards his face.

Seeing my chance, I quickly start to gallop further down the hallway while looking around frantically for a place to teleport to. A room or janitor closet or something to hide in until Max and the others give up on looking for me and-

Blinding pain sears through my left hind leg, causing me to lose my balance and tumble down one of the gaping holes in the hallway. I land hard on the floor below, crying out in agony from both the impact of the fall and the three deep gashes running up my hind leg.

The sound of movement forces my attention upward and I barely teleport out of the way as Max slams into the ground where I once stood. His eyes seem to glow in the dimly lit surroundings as they lock onto me.

A cruel smile creeps onto Max’s face as I struggle to stand. Unlike the fast movements from before, he slowly walks up to me, claws gleaming in the light as a small chuckle escapes his lips. It is almost like he is deliberately drawing this out just so he can savor the moment. Finding some kind of sick pleasure from my pain instead of getting it over with like any other predator.

I hate monsters like you.

As Max goes in for the kill, my instincts kick in and I lash out with anything my magic can grab hold of. In an instant, he reels back, screaming in pain as he clutches his snout. His nose lies on the ground between us.

And hovering next to me in an aura of green magic is a long thin blade made entirely of blood. My blood.

Like a siren’s song, I feel myself drawn to the wound I inflicted on Max. A dark inflection of my own voice whispers to me from the back of my mind.

‘He doesn’t deserve to live.’

‘Cut into him. Tear him apart. Rip the life out from his body.’

‘Make him pay for hurting you. He deserves nothing less.’

I shake my head violently and throw the blade away in disgust.

These aren’t my thoughts! This isn’t me! I am not like this!

As it loses form and splatters harmlessly against the wall, I look back to see Max now lost to his own bloodlust. He lunges at me with reckless abandon and I barely manage to teleport into the dark hallway near us to get away.

The fact that I’m no longer in front of him doesn’t seem to register to him as he blindly tears into the walls and floor before howling in rage. I barely manage to drag myself around the corner as he begins to look around the place.

Pressing my body against the wall, I peer back to watch as he frantically scans the room. His frustration and anger are evident through the haggard breaths he takes.

Then his eyes focus on a blood trail near me and I quickly duck back before he can spot me. My heart beats out of my chest as I hear his paw steps getting closer to me.

Any thought of running dies the moment I look down at my left hind leg. With it being torn up like it is, running is no longer an option. Can I chain enough teleports to get away? No, it’s too dark to see that far ahead. I won’t get far enough away before Max here can catch up and run me through.

So this is it then. I’m going to die now. Just like I should have a long time ago.

Why do I keep making promises I can’t keep?

The sound of something crashing into the floor echoes throughout the place. I peak around the corner again and see Max glare down the hallway behind him. It doesn’t take long for him to dash down it and disappear into the darkness ahead.

A minute passes.

Then two.

Finally I let out a sigh of relief. It seems he’s finally gone. And it doesn’t sound like the other hellhounds are heading this way either.

Slumping down against the wall, I wince at the pain shooting through my body. Outside of the gashes on my duster and riot gear, the left side of my body doesn’t seem to have suffered all that badly. If only that is the case for my hind leg. It’s a small blessing that it didn’t get cut off with how deeply the gashes on it are.

Nothing a healing potion can’t fix. I open up the saddlebag where I keep my potions, only to find a large hole at the bottom of it. Looking back one more time, I notice the contents of that bag scattered on the floor. Along with the broken remains of the potions reflecting the light from the hole above.

Perfect. Just perfect.

I turn my attention to the blood seeping from my wounded leg. At this rate, it won’t be long before I bleed out. And yet, the more I stare at it, the more a certain feeling takes hold of my mind. Like a spell that is on the tip of my horn but I can’t seem to cast it. Except this spell feels foreign to me. And dark in nature. Where have I felt this before?

‘You already know the answer to that,’ That dark voice from before whispers in my mind, recalling my memory of a chipped and cracked orb as it does so. My body shakes at the imagined sight of it and I press my hooves against my forehead while forcing that memory out of my mind.

No, don’t think about that! That magic is evil! I’ve already used it without me thinking about it. Nothing good can come from using it.

I stare at my leg, watching it bleed, hoping against hope that another solution will appear. Nothing else comes to mind.

Reluctantly, and with a deep breath, I focus my magic on my blood and allow instinct to take over. It’s unnerving how natural I feel doing this, wrapping my own blood around my leg and hardening it into a cast. It’s even more unnerving on how well it works, as if I’ve mastered this spell despite never having done this before in my life. A few hard taps confirms that this cast isn’t going to break anytime soon.

Just until I can find a health potion. Then you come off and I have nothing to do with blood magic ever again!

Luna, if you really are up there, please let there be a health potion nearby.

I slowly lift myself off of the floor, making sure that the blood cast can handle putting my weight on it in the process. When it’s clear the cast is not going to split open on me, I magically mend my equipment and then limp over to retrieve the items scattered on the floor.

There isn’t much to gather, honestly. A lot of the supplies the ghouls gave me must have fallen out while I was still upstairs. Even so, the stillness in the air is enough to quicken my pace. Knowing my luck, Max will decide to come back or any of the other hellhounds in his pack will decide to drop in right now.

Stupid grey pony. I am not a stupid grey pony, thank you very much! Just… ok, I am stupid sometimes. But it does seem like he mistook me for somepony else. Is Winter Rose a grey pony like myself? And they keep saying ‘winged pony’ too. They probably mean pegasus. So am I looking for a grey pegasus ghoul then? Or is she a normal pony like Salt Cube? At least I have an idea as to what she looks like now.

I pull up the map on my PipBuck, stare at the confusing mess for a few seconds, then decide that any direction opposite of where Max went is the best one.

“Here’s hoping we’ll bump into each other soon, Rose,” I mutter to myself as I make my way further into the darkness. “For both our sakes.”

Under the flickering hallway lights, an old oak door stands before me. Strong, sturdy, without any hint that age has weakened it at all. The sign next to it simply reads ‘Office’, with an empty spot for somepony’s name to be placed there. Placing my hoof against the door’s rough surface, I give it a firm push before turning the door knob when it doesn’t budge.

Locked.

I limp over to the nearly identical door next to it and attempt to open that one.

Locked.

Again, I limp over to the next one after that and try a third time.

Locked.

I look back at all the oak doors lining the dusty hallway. Every one of them blocking passage to an office. An office that might contain a first aid box that I could use right now.

And every one of them is locked.

Because of course they would be. Why didn’t I get a crowbar when I had the chance?

Normally, this wouldn’t be the end of the world. But this blood cast is making walking difficult and the idea of facing a hellhound without being able to run is downright suicidal. Actually facing one period is suicidal, but trying to never run into one again is, at best, asking for a miracle and past events proves that I’m not that lucky. Thus, getting a healing potion so I can patch up my leg and get rid of the cast is priority one.

I look over at the final oak door at the end of the hallway and begin to limp towards it.

Maybe this door will be unlocked. And I’ll find an untouched library, filled with Pre-War books and healing potions, and a terminal containing everything I want to know about this place. And while I’m asking for the impossible, there will also be a beautiful mare that’ll come out of nowhere to sweep me off my hooves and make me happy for the rest of my life.

Shaking my head at my own silliness, I place my hoof on the door and blink when it opens with the slightest push. Poking my head into the room beyond, I see an ornate wooden office desk with a terminal on it, two first aid kits mounted on the side wall, and a few bookcases behind the desk, filled to the brim with actual books!

I immediately look around for a beautiful mare. Sadly, there doesn’t seem to be anypony else here.

It’s probably for the best that every sarcastic request I make isn’t granted on the spot.

Limping my way towards the first aid kits in the room, I attempt to open them. Only to find that time has caused them to be stuck shut. After a few good tugs, it becomes clear that only something with the force of a jackhammer is going to open them up. Or Luna is subtly suggesting that I need to work out more.

If only I was an earth pony like Dad….

Maybe there’s a hammer or some other tool inside the desk here that I can pry the kits open with. As I make my way over there, I can’t help but glance at the bookcases and pick out a book that looks interesting. Opening it up, I frown when ‘Approved by the Ministry of Image’ shows up in relatively small print on the inside of the cover page.

Yet another casualty of the Ministry’s war on truth. Maybe I’ll have better luck with the next one?

Tossing that book aside, I pick out another one, only to find the same printed message on the inside of the cover page as well. At that point, I start pulling book after book, searching the inside cover page for the accursed message. After the eighth book, I groan and press my forehead into the bookshelf.

Is it really too much to ask for just one book that hasn’t been twisted into a haven of lies and pointless propaganda?

With a deep breath, I pick out one more book and look at the cover. “Give Peas a Chance,” I read flatly. “The Vegetarian’s Guide to Cooking.”

Well… it’s something. I guess. Nothing that I’m interested in at the moment, sadly.

Placing the book back in its place, I finally turn my attention to the desk. The desk drawers, however, are all locked. Not that that’s surprising anymore, given how rotten Lady Luck has been to me lately. Thankfully, the terminal doesn’t blow up the moment I touch it and hooking my PipBuck to it doesn’t set off any random alarms somewhere. A good sign so far.

And the security exploit once again works for this terminal too. With a few keystrokes, I get the admin password: ‘F1n@nc3s’. A single word, like every other terminal I’ve come across, but at least it isn’t something that can be simply guessed.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a note about where the key for the desk might be (another strange habit some Pre-war ponies tend to have) among the items that appear on the screen. Just a long list of financial reports and receipts. A brief glance through some of them shows that the biggest expenses back then seems split between supplies, replacement parts, and one that is simply labelled ‘accident payout’.

Not that any of that helps with my current predicament. Unless there’s a receipt for healing supplies here and a note where they might be stored at? I skim through the list, trying to pick out the ones that might help me in that regard, when one particular memo catches my attention: ‘With regards to the rumors surrounding the upcoming Ministry of Morale visit.’

Visit seems too tame a word for that particular Ministry. The only reason they would go anywhere if they suspect that there is a zebra sympathiser around. And, if what I’ve read about them is true, they weren’t picky about who they drag away. No sane pony would involve them unless the situation absolutely demanded it.

With that in mind, I open the memo up to see what it says:

To whom it may concern,

As you may have already heard, the rumors of stallions being stalked by a ghost are partially true. Security has recently confiscated some StealthBucks while cleaning out the office of one Amber Blossom, who recently joined us a few months ago and was let go earlier today. And yes, the Ministry of Morale has been notified and will be here to take care of the situation shortly.

Everypony is expected to cooperate with the MoM agents while they are conducting their investigation. If we all do our part and be as helpful as possible, then they should finish in a timely manner and we can continue our work on the museum conversion.

Finally, remember that the NDA is still in full effect here. Anypony found talking about this incident to those that are not employees or members of the Ministries will be dealt with.

Sincerely,
Pastel Skies

Well, this definitely sounds like something to involve the Ministry of Morale over. So this Amber Blossom a spy then? And how did she steal those StealthBucks from the Ministry of Arcane Science? No, the important question is why this spy was here in the first place? The warhead stockpile didn’t exist until the ghouls returned to this place after the war. And with this place being turned into a museum, any government secrets would have been moved elsewhere or destroyed long before they got to this point. Right?

Maybe I should have asked Rocky what happened all those years back.

Regardless, it doesn’t seem like the information on the terminal will provide me with any more answers about this place. With nothing but outdated financial documents left to sift through, I go to log off the system when I notice the options to either play or eject an unnamed holotape. Curious, I check and find that there is indeed a holotape loaded inside of the terminal. While it definitely won’t help with my current situation, it might shed some light on what that spy might be interested in here.

Not really wanting to give away my location by playing the tape, I type in the command to eject the tape only to get an error in return.

Unlike a locked door, this is something I can easily get around. Pulling out my trusty screwdriver, I take off the side panel and dig through the inner workings to find the holotape in question. A few prods and some magically assisted tugging only proves one thing: it’s stuck in there tight.

A blood-curdling howl blares throughout the hallway outside followed by someone running towards this room. I panic, hiding under the table while pulling out my gauss rifle. With the vain hope that maybe it’ll prove useful as a club and I can beat my way out.

Against someone who is stronger, faster, and out for blood.

Here’s hoping it doesn’t come to that.

Suddenly, the door slams open and the familiar voice of Max roars “WHERE ARE YOU?!”

My body stiffens as I hear Max rip something off the wall and slam it against the desk.

“I know you’re around here, winged pony! Even if I can’t smell you, I know you’re around here somewhere!” He rants. Even though I can’t see him, I can sense him pacing around the room. “So come out and give me a straight fight you dirty little rat!”

My body tenses up as one of the bookcases is violently knocked over. “Or do you think you’re too good for me?” He snarls. “You arrogant little master-!”

There’s a brief pause before something violently breaks against the wall on the other side of the room. “YOU’RE NOT A MASTER! YOU’RE A… a…”

The desk cracks as Max pounds something into it. “A stupid winged pony. It’s your fault my mind is this screwed up! You and all of your kind! And I will rip those wings off and shove them down your throat for what you did to us! For taking Smarty! For killing my sister! Don’t think cutting my nose off will save you from me!”

Another pause. Then Max taps his claws on the wooden surface as his voice becomes calm. “No, wait. That red blade was hovering in the air. Winged ponies can’t make things hover in the air. But unicorns can.

“There’s another pony with her.”

He digs his claws into the desk. “I get it now. That’s how she keeps staying one step ahead of us,” The desk creaks once again as I hear Max’s voice move away from me. “Well, I’ll have to find this other grey pony then. Rip her legs off, let her scream for all to hear. The winged pony will have to come to me to save her after hearing that. And when she does.”

The tearing of metal fills the air followed by things dropping to the ground. Then everything grows quiet again. I hold my breath and strain my ears to try and figure out what Max is doing next.

But there is only silence. And it doesn’t feel like he is here anymore.

Not really want to trust my feelings on this, I activate E.F.S. to see if it can pick up anything. Granted, it doesn’t work properly, but it is better than nothing. When no red dots show up in my view, I carefully crawl out from under the desk and peer over its now damaged surface.

It feels like a tornado hit the place. One of the first aid kits has been ripped open, a bag of Rad-Away drips its orange liquid onto the carpet, while the other lies open on the floor. The medical supplies that were inside the second one now lie scattered on the floor along with some books and the torn remains of the terminal. All tiny little hints as to what would have happened to me if Max had found me.

Moving fully out of my hiding spot, I sift through some of the items on the floor and find a dose of Med-X. Not the healing potion I was hoping for, but a powerful painkiller like this might prove useful in the future.

As I put the drug away, I notice how badly I’m shaking from the whole experience. Even after everything I’ve been through, I’m still handling these situations badly. If Flare was here, she’d probably tell me to inject that Med-X into myself to take care of the shaking. Drugs and violence was her two answers for every problem and it was a miracle she didn’t kill herself with all the drugs she put into herself.

No, what ended up killing her was…

I shove that thought out of my mind before it can dredge up any old memories and quickly turn my attention towards the desk. Although seeing the deep claw marks on it doesn’t help calm my nerves any. However, a deep fist-shaped imprint on one of the sides has warped the wood enough to leave a gap between the desk and its first drawer. That is enough to bring a smile to my face.

It doesn’t open easily (probably because of how warped the desk has become now), but I manage to pry it open with my screwdriver all the same. Inside are three perfectly intact StealthBucks! Pulling them out, I give them a quick look over before placing two of them into my saddlebag and prepare to hook the third one up with my PipBuck.

As odd as it is to find these here, I’m not going to turn down the option to turn invisible whenever I want. Especially now with Max hunting me down in this part of the facility.

That’s if I can figure out how to use this thing. It seems straightforward enough: attach it to my PipBuck and flip the switch to activate it. Except my PipBuck isn’t exactly a ‘standard’ model. Hay, it’s a miracle that it works considering what was on hoof at the time. The idea of any kind of potential extensions for this just never crossed my mind until now.

Keeping the StealthBuck hovering by me, I limp over to the remains of the terminal. Maybe with some luck, there will be enough left over to jury-rig a connector for this thing.

As I search through the wreckage for whatever useful parts I can lay my hooves on, I surprisingly find the holotape still intact. Not that there’s time to listen to that now. I put it in my saddlebag and go back to pulling wires and duct taping them together. The end result doesn’t look pretty at all, but it does connect the StealthBuck with my PipBuck. Now to see if it works.

A gunshot suddenly thunders outside, startling me into teleport back to the desk. I take cover behind it as another gunshot echoes throughout the hallway, this one closer than the last.

Ok, that’s definitely a sign that I need to get moving now!

Moving to the exit, I scan the hallway for any hellhounds before leaving the room as fast as my crippled leg will allow. That last shot definitely didn’t come from a magical energy weapon. And none of the hellhounds from earlier were carrying any normal guns with them. That means that Winter Rose must be fighting one of them right now. Something that feels confirmed when another gunshot rings out as I make it to the intersection, followed by a familiar sounding roar.

I look towards the sound of fighting and then to the other end of the dimly lit hallway, where a sign points to a set of stairs a little ways from me.

‘You’re in no condition to help anypony with your leg as torn up as it is,’ The little pony in my head warns as I look back at where Rose might be. ‘Get out of here while you still can.’

Glancing back at my only escape route, I take a deep breath before moving towards the sound of fighting. If Winter Rose is there right now, fighting for her life against the most deadly monster in the wasteland, then there might not be another chance to find her.

‘And what are you hoping to accomplish when you get there?’ My little pony asks harshly. ‘Wave your broken rifle around and hope that scares the hellhound away? All you’re going to do is make yourself a target.’

This isn’t the first time I’ve played bait for something that could easily kill me. If that is what it takes to keep Winter Rose safe, so be it.

My little pony shakes his head. ‘You really think you can distract him long enough for her to escape? It was pure luck that you managed to escape him last time!’

Yeah, but I promised to bring her back safely. And I always keep my promises.

‘You couldn’t keep your last promise,’ My little pony points out. ‘And you were stupid for making another one when you knew better. All you’re going to accomplish now is getting yourself killed.’

Then at least I’ll die trying to help!

My little pony glares at me. ‘And what if your ‘help’ gets her killed too?’

I stop and look down at the ground, that yellow pegasus colt coming to mind as my little pony somberly says ‘Nothing good has ever come from you trying to help others out.’

*Beep*

My ears shoot straight up and twitches. I know that sound.

*Beep Beep* *Beep Beep Beep*

That is not a good sound!

I immediately teleport behind a large piece of debris and hit the deck when the mines go off. The explosions seem to rock the foundation of the facility as the whole place shakes around me. Then everything goes quiet and still, though it’s hard to notice with my body shaking as badly as it is. I take a few deep breaths and attempt to calm down, barely noticing that I’m rubbing my right foreleg in the process.

Land mines. Why are there always land mines? Who in their right mind uses mines in a place that’s barely holding itself up as is?!

One more deep breath and then I push that thought out of my head. There are more important things to worry about. Moving away from my cover, I limp towards the opening with smoking coming out of it when a blood chilling howl comes from somewhere behind me.

Right. Forgot there were others.

With how close that howl sounds, there isn’t enough time to find somewhere to hide. So, looking down at the StealthBuck crudely attached to my PipBuck, I silently pray for it to work as I flip the switch. Some sparks fly out from the wires connected to the StealthBuck but the little green bulb on it and….

Nothing happens. Why isn’t anything happening?

I toggle the switch on and off frantically as I hear claws scratching against the floor start getting closer and closer.

Oh dear Luna, turn on already!

But my silent plea goes unheard as this stupid piece of junk continues to not work. Because nothing ever works!

My head snaps to the other end of the hallway as the scraping of claws against the floor grows louder. Hovering my rifle next to me like a club, I stare into the darkness and wait for them to come.

And like living nightmares, two hellhounds leap from the darkness, running on all fours, their teeth bare. It takes every ounce of will to not shut my eyes and accept my death. No, if I can time this just right then I can teleport away just as they leap for me and lead them away from here.

Gritting my teeth, I stand my ground and defiantly glare at them as they run up and... completely ignore me as they move past me? Wait, what?!

Turning around, I watch as the two hellhounds bank the corner and disappear from my sight, leaving me utterly confused as to what just happened here. How hard is it to not see a pony standing in the middle of the hallway? It’s not like I was trying to hide or anything. Am I really so pathetic, standing here with a broken rifle, that they didn’t want to waste their time with me.

I glance at my rifle only to realize that I can’t see it. It is there, my magical grip on it confirms that much. Moving it back and forth reveals a very slight distortion effect as the appearance of my rifle tries to mimic its surroundings. I look down at my hooves as it suddenly dawns on me.

It works! Ha! That stupid StealthBuck actually works!

I look myself over just to make sure that no part of me is actually visible.

So this is what it feels like to be invisible! Or close to it. Moving seems to give the spell some issues. Which means the spell matrix that operates the StealthBuck must have deteriorated over the years and- no, focus! I need to figure out if they found Rose yet.

Creeping forward so as to not make too much noise, I strain my ears to hear what is going on up ahead. There isn’t any talking, though. No cursing or yelps of pain either as I get closer to the corridor they went down.

Just a low growl that makes every step forward harder to do.

Finally, I manage to poke my head around the corner and recognize the two hellhounds for Lupa and the one that reminded me of Winona. Lupa seems crouched down next to something lying in a puddle of blood, though it is hard to tell what that something might actually be. It doesn’t help that the smoke and dust hasn’t completely settled yet. Then again, given how violent that explosion felt and seeing the damage it caused, From broken viewing windows to parts of the ceiling and walls missing, I’m surprised there is a hallway left.

“I can’t smell anything with all this crap in the air,” The ‘Winona’ looking hellhound complains as she nudges the object in front of them with her paw. “We might have just missed her.”

“She’s still here somewhere,” Lupa says coldly. “Waiting for one of us to drop our guard so she can snipe us. Keep sniffing.”

With that order given, she lifts her nose into the air and sniffs a couple of times. Maybe out of stubborn pride than any reason that makes sense. The smoke here is so strong that even I am having a hard time breathing it in. If the other hellhound can’t smell anything, then I doubt Lupa will-

Suddenly she whips her head around and my blood freezes as her eyes seem to stare straight into my eyes. Her calm, calculating, crimson red eyes. With a terrifying sense of bloodlust lying just behind them.

My little pony screams for me to get out of there, to run before she finds out that I’m here. But my body refuses to budge. Every muscle is locked in place. Even my eyes are unable to tear themselves away from Lupa’s as she slowly gets up and moves towards me.

A gunshot rings out into the hallway as a bullet shatters part of Lupa’s helmet and knocks it off her head. A small stream of blood runs down her face as her head snaps towards one of the shattered viewing windows behind her. She ducks just as another shot is fired and swiftly leaps through the window, the other hellhound following close behind.

Cold, alone, and terrified beyond reason, I stand motionless in my spot for what feels like an eternity until the sound of sparking wires finally snaps me out of it. I disconnect the now visible and burnt out StealthBuck from my PipBuck and hold it in my shaking hooves.

“This is ridiculous,” I mutter to myself while fighting back the urge to laugh hysterically. “My first encounter with a hellhound left me crippled. Then another one sensed that I was here even though I was invisible! And I’m supposed to keep one step ahead of them?”

I throw the StealthBuck to the ground and look at the object-... at the upper half of Max’s body lying in his own blood. His lower half is simply nowhere to be found and the pieces of shrapnel embedded in his torn up body… this is not a way anyone should die.

And Winter Rose did that. With a few landmines, she was able to take down Max while I barely did anything to him. She clearly knows what she is doing down here. There really isn’t a need for me to have come down here at all, is there? All I can do now is get in her way.

I should go. Before something else happens.

With my fear abating, I turn to leave when another feeling surfaces. The same dark feeling from before tugs at my mind, trying to pull me towards Max’s remains. And that pull is getting stronger with every passing moment.

‘That monster is still alive,’ That dark voice from earlier, that dark pony that keeps trying to influence my thoughts with my own voice, whispers.

But that can’t be possible. No one can survive an explosion like that.

My eyes widen as Max struggles to reach out one claw towards the window. He opens his mouth but only a hoarse moan escapes his lips. A cry for help? Maybe, though with how Lupa and the other hellhound treated him, I doubt they would come back. And maybe he realises that too as his claw lowers to the ground. Pain and fear show in his eyes as tears start running down what’s left of his face.

I start limping towards him.

‘Are you insane?!’ The little pony in my head immediately asks. ‘This is the same hellhound that nearly took your leg off!’

‘That is right, he nearly did take your leg off,’ That dark pony reaffirms. ‘Not to mention all of the horrible things he was planning on doing to you once he got his claws on you. You should pay him in kind. You have the power to do so, remember?’

‘But he is bleeding out. He’s going to die regardless of what you do,’ My little pony points out. ‘And getting close to him might tempt him to use the last of his last strength to rip you apart!’

‘Like that pathetic mutt can do anything in that state,’ The dark pony smiles smugly. ‘And if the situations were reversed, he wouldn’t let you die peacefully. Why give him the same courtesy?’

Despite the assertions of the figurative angel and demon on my shoulders, Max doesn’t seem to notice or care about me as I approach. A shiver runs down my spine as I place a hoof on his body, ignoring the blood that gets on it while taking a good look at his wounds. It is honestly a miracle that he is still alive, let alone conscious.

‘Then it would be kind to put him down, wouldn’t it?’ The dark pony asks as that dark feeling becomes more insistent and desperate. ‘You know you want to feel that power coursing through you again. To finally rid the world of monsters like him. So go ahead. Give him what he deserves.’

I open up my saddlebag and search through it until I find the Med-X from earlier.

‘That’s not going to save him,’ My little pony points out. ‘All that will do is delay the inevitable.’

With a deep breath, I tune out the two insistent voices in my head and do my best to administer the Med-X to Max. “There. That should take care of the pain,” I say quietly, as to not attract anything else that might be lurking nearby. “It’s not much, but it’s something at least.”

Sitting down next to him, I watch as the drug does its work on the suffering hellhound. “Pegasi. The winged ponies are called Pegasi. Or Pegasus when singular. I figured you’d like to know since…”

If he understands a word I’m saying, he doesn’t show it as he rests his head on the ground. Calm now replacing the fear and pain from before.

“Sorry, the last thing you probably want is to hear me go on and on about pegasi,” I continue with a weak chuckle. “It’s just that not all Pegasi are evil. Fluttershy would probably snap if she were to ever find out what happened to you.”

I look up at the ceiling. “Fluttershy treated everyone equally. Didn’t matter if you were a pony or not. She didn’t let anything get in the way of helping those that needed her. Dad was much the same way. He even disobeyed orders to save mom and…. Sorry, you probably don’t want to hear about that either.”

“I guess I really don’t know what to do with myself,” I admit. “Outside of keeping you company until Luna comes to reunite you with your sister. Or whoever shepherds hellhounds to the afterlife. Say, do you have a goddess or-.”

My sentence dies as the dark feeling in my head fades away. Confused, I look back over at Max before finally realizing why. “Luna,” I mutter softly as I carefully close Max’s now lifeless eyes. “If you can really hear me, goddess or not, please make sure he gets to where he needs to go.”

It’s strange, really. Even with a beast that wanted me dead, I still can’t help but wish the best for him.

But then, I’ve always been a poor fit for the Wasteland, haven’t I?

Standing back up, I brush myself off and look over at the broken window Lupa and her companion went through.

‘This is probably your last chance to leave,’ My little pony says. ‘Forget about Winter Rose before you get yourself killed trying to find her. She doesn’t need you to go rescue her. She has this under control.’

But for how long? Two weeks is a long time to be fighting anypony, let alone hellhounds. And if this trap is anything to go by, it takes a lot to kill just one hellhound. The amount of supplies she is going through has to be high. So to run away from here with the supplies I currently have, the supplies she probably desperately needs right now… no, it isn’t right to abandon a pony in their hour of need. Regardless of how terrifying those hellhounds are.

It’s just unfortunate that I’m the one that has to help her. I wonder what curse she was inflicted with to have me as her savior in this situation.

Assuming I live long enough to even meet her. From the looks of it, my best chance to find her now is to follow Lupa’s trail and hope that I run into Rose before I run into Lupa. As far as stupid decisions are concerned, this one ranks around the top. I let out a heavy sigh.

Honestly, I really need to stop putting myself into these kinds of situations.

With my path set, I brush myself off and notice that blood has gotten onto my fur coat and leather duster. ‘It’s a shame Max died the way he did,’ That insistent dark pony whispers in my head. ‘It would be an even greater shame to let all of his blood go to waste.’

It doesn’t matter if he is dead or not. Blood magic is evil. No pony should have this kind of power.

‘Call it evil if you must,’ The dark pony says as my magic removes the blood and returns it to the pool near me. ‘But without your rifle, that magic will be the only thing keeping you from an early grave,’ The dark pony then shrugs. ‘Or do you want to risk running into Lupa unarmed?’

A flash of movement catches my eye and I quickly look into the dark room on the other side of the window. E.F.S. doesn’t show any red dots in that direction and nothing appears after a few tense minutes of waiting. The thought of some other hellhound stalking me from the shadows creeps its way into my mind as the dark pony smiles mockingly.

‘Remember, if you die, she dies. That’s the conclusion you came to just now, isn’t it?’

I bite my tongue and hesitantly look down at the blood pool. Unfortunately, as much as I hate to admit it, that evil dark pony has a point. Pulling out one of the few water bottles in my saddlebag, I gulp it down with one go before using my magic to fill the empty bottle up with blood.

This is only a last resort. Until I get my rifle fixed. Then I get Rose out of here and I can go back to my self-imposed solitude.

Stashing the bottle of blood away, I look to the lit hallway that the room exits out to on the other side and teleport there. Just then, the lights ahead flicker for a moment, revealing the torn up remains of two dead ghouls from the darkness, before completely dying out. And out from the black abyss I find myself in, the piercing red eyes of Lupa stare back at me.

My body tenses up as I stare back into them. Only for one of the bulbs above to flicker back on, the red eyes disappearing in the dim light. A figment of my imagination. Maybe.

With a quick glance of my surroundings, I lift a small rock off the ground and cast a light spell on it. Looking down the parts of the hallway still cloaked in shadows, I toss the rock there and sigh with relief when the spell’s green glow doesn’t reveal any hiding hellhounds.

Honestly, like those two would give up the chase and come back for me. They don’t even know that I’m here.

Shaking my head at my own silliness, I limp forward towards the end of the hallway. As I turn the corner and into the intersection, I notice a group of shadows further down along my path.

I pick up another rock.

Congratulations! You’ve managed not to get torn apart by hellhounds within the first few hours of your journey!

Quest Objectives Gained:

Scavenge For Medical Supplies.

Don’t Die.

Current Quest Objective:

Find Winter Rose.