“Aria, quickly, give me the hoof and put him on the table!” Compass ordered with the forceful resolve of a battlefront trauma surgeon. Where was this pony when it came to simple things like talking? “Now, Aria! Just be careful with him too.”

“Right!” I responded quickly before carefully rolling Shadowbuck’s unconscious body onto an operating table in the Ministry of Peace Wing. Then, as fast as my hoof could bring it up, I used Toffee Biscuit’s Pipbuck’s sorting spell to bring up and give him ‘Shadowbuck’s Right Forehoof.’ His horn lit up, taking the severed hoof in his soft pink glow, and he slowly connected it with Shadowbuck’s stump.

“Dr. Compass, what is the patient’s blood type so that we may procure a bag for transfusion?” a medical Mr. Handy named Forceps asked politely. It seemed that, while a little out of the loop of the events of the past two hundred years, the robots of the Ministry Hub were, for the most part, in working order; the malfunctioning unit that had killed Brass Bugle seemed to have been in the minority.

“I don’t know, Forceps. Please take a sample, analyze, and get to doing just that. He’s lost a lot of blood and I don’t have time to hook Shadow up to any of the medical equipment,” Compass ordered before muttering under his breath, “If any of this crap still works.”

“Yes, sir,” Forceps replied before slowly inserting a needle into Shadowbuck’s neck.

“Hey! There’s enough blood on me and coming out of his stump! We don’t need any more holes in Shadow right now!” I yelled.

“I am sorry, Madam, but I need an uncontaminated sample to get an accurate reading.” The Mr. Handy unit buzzed for a moment before letting out a happy ding. “Scans show that Knight Shadowbuck’s blood type is A positive. We should have an abundant supply of blood in cold storage.”

“The blood wasn’t in statis?” Compass asked frantically, realizing something that I obviously didn’t. What was the problem with blood from a cooler versus blood that was kept in stasis?

“No, sir. Why would we waste power on stasis when blood donations and supplies are kept in cold storage for up to one year.” One year. That was good. There had to have been a blood drive recently. The Ministry of Peace held regular blood drives back in my time and...

“Oh cud.”

“The blood bank that's available won’t work. It’s been almost two hundred years since that batch was viable. All the donations are completely useless. I’m B positive so I’m not a match. Crap! Aria! What is your blood type?”

“O positive. Am I a match?” I asked, and watched as his eyes suddenly gain a whole new life.

“Are you a match!? You’re a potential match for almost everypony in the world!” Compass said happily, and I smiled, feeling dried blood cracking around my lips.

“Note to self, don’t lick your lips, Aria.”

“So how do we do this?”

“First, we need to reattach the leg and stop the bleeding, which I’m in the process of doing. I just need quiet, please,” he said, a hint of frustration sharpening his voice, and I realized that he had already begun magically reattaching the limb. Sweat was already beginning to form on his brow and he was biting his upper lip harder than I thought was necessary.
Each second that ticked by was agony. The waiting and worrying as I watched Compass work his magic was grueling for all of us. Shadow moaned in pain, half awake as the procedure continued, while Forceps dabbed away the sweat that kept accumulating on his brow and trying to run into Compass’ eyes.

All I could do was stand there and watch as Compass tried to save Shadowbuck’s leg and maybe his life. I know I’m a smart pony, but my areas of expertise are history, magic, and I can dabble in computers, three skills that were completely useless in a post-apocalyptic operating room. My medical expertise boiled down to broken bones are bad, blood stays inside the body, and to cover my mouth with my elbow when I sneezed to stop the spread of germs. What was it grandmother used to call it? Vampire sneeze?

So, like every other time I couldn’t keep going, my mind started to wander into a much darker place. All I could think about was how Shadow might lose a hoof or even die because I screwed up. It had to have been my fault. I must have tripped something or overtaxed the system to the point that the terminal overloaded.

“I should have dropped the barrier and then gotten the data,” I told myself. That way everypony would have made it through with me before the computer exploded. But what would have happened if dropping the barrier would have destroyed the terminal no matter which order I had done it? Had I made the right choice? As I stared down at Shadowbuck, his sweat and blood covered face drained of any of that jovial moxie that defined him, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I yelled at you, Shadow.”

Shadow did not answer. He just moaned softly as Compass worked to fix his amputated leg. The silence was killing me. The guilt was killing me. I couldn’t take this. However, Forceps and Compass ignored me, and the flame flickered in the darkness of my mind.

After about fifteen minutes of strained silence, the only sound cutting through the operating room being Forceps hover jets, Compass broke the air of solemn business with a growl of frustration.

“The nerves aren’t reattaching! The veins and arteries are back in place and the bleeding has stopped, but I can’t get the nerves to reattach!”

“But if you can’t reattach the nerves, then he won’t be able to use his hoof anymore,” I said meekly, our roles suddenly reversed in the blink of an eye. Why I sounded disappointed instead of ecstatic at the fact that he had saved Shadowbuck’s life and not left him with a stump, I don’t know, but I was pretty sure Shadow wouldn’t like anything short of full functionality back in his hoof.

“I know that, Aria!” he snapped before closing his eyes and resting his head on the table. “I thought I could do this. I thought I was as good as dad, I thought... but I’m not. If only this place had a healing talisman table.”

“Doctor Compass, we do have a healing talisman table.” We both turned to the medical robot. “My readings indicate that there are two talisman’s available and still operational in Operating Rooms Two and Three.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?” Compass cried.

“And why did you bring us here instead of to one of those two rooms, you stupid robot?” I snapped, a little angrier than Compass. I blinked, surprised at my response, and smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry. That was rude of me. But why didn’t you bring us to the fully equipped operating room?”

“No. It is my fault, madam. I am, as you say, a stupid robot. I should have realized you would need the healing talismans to help Knight Shadowbuck. It is just that this is Operating Room One and it is available.”

“So?” Compass asked, moving Shadowbuck gently onto a slightly dusty gurney. I immediately knew why. It was simple, yet flawed logic, something only a child or the mediocre artificial intelligence of a Mr. Handy robot could ever think would be the right decision in this circumstance. Putting my hoof to my brow and closing my eyes, I pre-emptively groaned at the answer I knew was coming.

“Because, sir, one comes before two.”

“Woah...” I muttered as the line separating Shadowbuck’s hoof from the rest of his leg vanish before my eyes. There wasn’t any disfigurement or even the slightest hint of a scar. The bright yellow glow enveloping Shadow was a work of magical expertise that I envied. I could only use my magic to fight, but skills like healing magic and talisman crafting were amazing, elegant examples of the true power of unicorn magic.

“Yeah. Healing talismans were amazing. I read about them in one of my ancestor’s copies of the 'Canterlot Journal of Medicine.' This variety were the most powerful and developed towards the end of the war at the Fluttershy Medical Center in Hoofington. Were lucky some of these made it to Trottingham,” Compass explained.

“It was lucky. We can do a lot of good with these, Compass. All the ponies who get sick or hurt out in the ruins could benefit from this magical technology,” I said, finally feeling a glimmer of hope in the darkness that had become my life. The Ministry Hub could really do some good with talismans like these. Maybe I could keep going in this world if I really could help ponies.

“We can’t do that, Aria,” Compass said sadly as he turned towards a cabinet filled with various bottles and containers that I could only guess were medicines and potions.

“Why not? Compass, you don’t want us to hoard these talismans for ourselves, do you?”

“What? No!” he replied before sighing. “I guess these were developed after you died...”

“Can we please stop calling it ‘after I died?’ How about ‘after I got blown up?’ A pony can sometimes survive getting blown up. Oh! Or how about ‘after I took that trip?”

“Yes, well, after you ‘took your trip’ these talismans were developed in Hoofington. The reason there are so few is because they break after use. They’re one treatment to completely heal a pony and then... poof. They’re gone,” he explained as he opened the cabinet and started going over its contents.

“Oh. So there’s only going to be one left when Shadow’s finished healing?” I asked, glancing over at my glowing Steel Ranger friend. My eyes took in his silver and black armor and a flare of anger coursed through me. Could he really be my friend if he served under Cherry Scones? Did I do the right thing by saving his leg at the cost of such a precious magical artifact?

“Yeah.” He paused for a while, the humming of the healing talisman adding only a monotone to the void filling the room. He picked up a small orange pill bottle, inspecting it carefully, before returning it to the shelf and sighing. “You should clean yourself up and head back to Melody. She... she doesn’t like to be alone. I think she’ll need you.”

“Yeah. We have to figure a way out of there,” I replied.

“Sounds like a plan. We’ll head back to the barrier when Shadow’s back on his hooves.” Again, he paused as he tried to find the right words. I took this as a sign that I should get going, but as I turned to exit Operating Room Two, giving Shadowbuck a final passing glance as I left, he spoke up. “Aria. Please take care of her. She’s all I’ve got out here.”

“I will, Compass. She’s all I’ve got too,” I replied before giving him a weak smile. He returned the it, although his was much more genuine compared to my hollow grin, and I headed out the door.

“First things first. I need to wash up,” I said, my mind suddenly becoming distinctly aware of the drying blood caking my armor, mane, and coat. I shivered and stopped to give myself a once over.

Dark red streaks, some slowly turning black as the red blood cells died and ruptured, covered me from head to hoof. I couldn’t see my mane, but the sticky wetness on my scalp and around my ears made my skin crawl. Golden Star’s Aegis was also covered in Shadowbuck’s blood, but I was surprised to see that the crimson fluid had not dried or even started to congeal. Arching an eyebrow, I experimentally sat down for the first time since arriving at the Ministry of Peace Wing and watched as tiny rivulets of blood simply flowed off of the shield’s silver surface and onto my lower back and tail.

“Okay, that’s a nifty little enchantment, but that’s really creepy that you thought to put that one the shield, Golden Star,” I whispered to the shield as if it were my brother sitting on my back. A part of me wanted to believe that he was still with me and a piece of him was in his old shield. I knew it was silly and superstitious, but it was slightly comforting. And a little bit depressing, now that I really thought about it.

Shaking the depressing thoughts of the life I lost out of my head, I turned and trotted into the dimly lit restroom marked ‘Mares.’ Stepping into the bathroom, I felt an amazing sense of relief at the sight of a clean and pristine bathroom. The lights flickered softly, but aside from that the restroom looked perfect. Forceps must have worked as a janitor along with its duties as a nurse.

“Ugh. I really hope that robot remembers to wash its pincers after cleaning in here,” I muttered before stepping into a stall. I might as well take advantage of a clean toilet with working plumbing while I still could, right?

After my little pit stop, I walked over to the sink, turned on the faucet, and unceremoniously dunked my head underneath the stream of lukewarm, radioactive water. My Pipbuck gave a steady ‘tick tick tick’ as it warned me about the hazardous nature of the water running through my mane as it washed the blood away in streams of pink and crimson. Closing my eyes, I let the refreshing nature of my impromptu cleansing wash away the grime and my stress.

Shadowbuck was going to be okay, we had access to the Ministry Hub and all its supplies, still untouched thanks to the overzealous security robots, and I’d find a way to get Melody out of that office. I had a game plan now so all I had to do was enact it.

“I can do this,” I told myself, ignoring the silent flickering of the flame as it danced its seductive dance in the back of my mind. It was calling to me, promising me power, but it didn’t speak a word. It didn’t have to; I already knew what it wanted from me.

“Your pain. Your sorrow. Your hate. Your rage. Give them to me and I shall grant you power beyond your wildest dreams. Power to cleanse this world.”

I could still hear its tantalizing whisper even when it did not speak. The flickering of the flame seemed to match the flickering of the fluorescent lights above me, their quiet hum slowly growing in volume. But I had to ignore it. It was only my mind slowly descending into the pits of insanity. If I gave in, I knew deep down that I would be lost.

Sighing, I turned off the faucet and lifted my eyes to the mirror, but what I saw reflected back was me, yet at the same time it wasn’t.

Standing in the mirror, her face wet with fresh blood and chunks of gore, was a mare out of a horror story. Her mane was alight with balefire, a crop of flickering green flame marked with a streak of blue. She smiled at me wickedly, her mouth baring sharp fangs as baleful flames sparked from deep within her throat and lapped around her curved teeth. Surrounding her was an aura of shadows that flowed her like mist on a tranquil lake on a calm winter’s night. The pulsing, rippling void behind her was like staring into the very soul of Discord himself. But what scared me the most, what caught my breath in my chest and made it impossible to breathe, what made my heart pound in my ears and my blood run cold, was her eyes.

They weren’t violet, but a sickly emerald, the same color as the fleck in my eyes. Even the whites of her eyes had turned a sinister shade of green with tendrils of green magical energy flowing out of them, but they were a lighter shade than her irises like the rind of a lime. The violet eyes that told me I was Celestia’s niece were gone, replaced by eyes that marked me a monstrous example of the worst of pony kind. But I couldn’t look away. Her eyes kept me frozen in place no matter how much my brain screamed for me to turn and run. I was trapped in this spider’s web and there was nothing I could do about it.

Her malevolent smile spoke of horrible deeds and evil acts perpetrated for reasons I couldn’t fathom. Her bloodstained coat spoke of vile murders by the score that she held no remorse over committing. It was me. As I stared into her veredian eyes, my own feeling like they were bulging out of my skull from the mixture of terror and confusion I was feeling, I could have sworn I smelled a hint of sulfur under the scents of water and rusty pipes that filled the bathroom.

All the while, the fear in my eyes seemed to cause the demon in the mirror’s smile to widen. The buzzing of the lights above me was becoming deafening. I could feel my heart slamming against the inside of my chest. The flames in the back of her throat started to rise, an inferno of balefire ready to erupt from her maw and consume me anew, and I wanted to scream. Somepony, anypony, please help me.

Tsksksksk.

Spinning around, my body finally deciding to move out of instinct instead of at my own behest, I fired off a useless spark at a radroach as it scurried into the restroom from the hallway. Grunting painfully, I did the only thing I could think of a pulled my gun. The massive pest finally seemed to notice me and hissed defensively while barring its disgusting mandibles at me. I lined up my shot as I had been taught at the Royal Guard Academy, but before I could pull the trigger with my tongue a crimson beam of magic energy struck the radroach in the back and it burst into flames. Letting out a high pitch screech, the radioactive bug was quickly reduced to ash and was no more.

“Huh?” I mumbled around the mouth guard and watched as a tredded Sentrybot entered the bathroom.

“Excuse me, Lieutenant. We are in the process of clearing out a pest problem. Most likely an escaped Ministry of Arcane Sciences experiment. Do you need assistance?” the robot asked in halting, mechanical tones. I glance back in the mirror, seeing only my own, soaking wet self reflected back at me in the flickering lights, and shook my head.

“No, I’m fine. Return to your duties,” I ordered.

“Yes, ma’am.”

I watched as the mechanical guard rolled out of the bathroom, leaving dirty tread marks in its wake, before shaking myself hard and sending a rain of water everywhere. After I had sufficiently shaken myself dry, although I could still feel some water trapped around the collar of my armor, I frowned at the mirror. It was covered in tiny droplets that slowly crawled down its surface, streaking and obscuring my reflection, but at least it was now showing what was real.

“Or is it?” I whispered, suddenly thinking a very dark thought that sent a ghastly chill down my spine.

I hated ponies saying I died two hundred years ago, it felt wrong to me for some strange reason, but what if they were right? What if I really had died when I fell on those balefire eggs. What if I hadn’t been transported to this post-apocalyptic future that I was currently struggling to survive in?

It made sense. Millions of ponies died in explosions of the same hellfire that I had experienced, but how many had been thrown through time and space? I had never heard any stories of time travellers from the future except those who had used Star Swirl the Bearded’s ‘Time Jaunt’ spell to traverse the space-time continuum and that spell was a one time thing that only lasted for one minute. I had been here for three days, well past the limit of the most advanced temporal magic ever developed.

I remembered the flames engulfing me, but I felt no heat or pain. I remembered witnessing the end of everything I knew and loved as I fell through a tunnel of swirling blue light.

And then I fell into Stable Sixty-Three.

Since then I had been forced to kill, confronted with my own past and how my life had destroyed the lives of others, and reminded that I shouldn’t exist on a constant basis. I was shown how my family and former coltfriend went on to have families of their own in Stable-Sixty Three while I had no one but Melody. I was thrown into a world of monsters, a world where evil and Chaos had replaced the virtues of Love and Harmony.

I was visited by gods I had never heard of and warned of an unimaginably evil being that no pony had ever written on. I was mentally attacked and raped twice in the span of an hour. I was seeing ghosts and hearing voices in my head. A pony I thought was my friend and I sort of liked was mutilated because of my actions. I had watched two ponies who had only tried to help me killed for their assistance. Toffee Biscuits had been joined by Brass Bugle in the hall of guilt that was setting up shop in the void within my heart.

And now I was seeing demonic versions of me in the mirror that vanished in the blink of an eye.

Maybe I wasn’t going crazy? There was a simple, yet terrifying explanation to all of this. It was the thought that kept repeating, over and over, and sent ice rushing through my veins.

What if I couldn’t trust what I saw and experienced. What if I had died? I had fallen out of that tunnel into the Equestrian Wasteland and was experiencing torments I could never have dreamed of in my worst nightmares. What if my soul really was stained by the circumstances of my birth, cursed by my mother’s sins. A horrible thought crossed my mind and wouldn’t leave me be.

“What if I’m dead and this is my hell?”

The tingling feeling as I stepped through the bypass shield in the Ministry of Arcane Sciences wing was something I could never get used to. It was such an odd sensation, something beyond any real description besides ‘tingling.’ It was almost as if the energy field was trying to read every cell of skin and every strand of hair on my body as I passed through the green magical shield.

“I am really starting to not like the color green,” I thought.

I was surprised to see Melody wasn’t still in the hallway, but I couldn’t really blame her. The two pools of blood on the opposite sides of the barrier were disturbing reminders of how close she had come to losing a hoof. I cringed as the blood stained carpet squished loudly under my hooves and my stomach churned. At least my platinum horseshoes gave me protection from stepping directly in the sticky wet fluid.

Before I even stepped hoof into Gestalt and Mosaic’s office, I could hear her. The shallow, choppy breaths, the loud sniffs and and shuddering sighs. I knew those sounds all too well. I entered the office and saw Melody, hunkered over the blown out terminal with her back turned towards the door, as she tried her best not to cry. Her wings moved nimbly through the open back of the casing, gently removing parts that appeared to still be intact, but the sharpness of her breathing was like an equally sharp blade through my heart. Seeing my always cheerful niece in such a distraught state was a major blow to any shred of morale I had left.

“Melody,” I said softly. Surprised, Melody nearly jumped out of her barding and took to the air. Turning slowly in mid air, she wiped her face with her hoof and gave me the weakest, most insincere smile I had ever seen.

“Hey. I-Is Shadow going to be okay?”

“Yeah. Compass kept him stable long enough for us to get him to a healing talisman in the Ministry of Peace wing. He says Shadowbuck should make a full recovery.”

“That’s good,” she sniffed. “Shadowbuck’s a big, strong Steel Ranger, Compass is a great doctor...”

“Melody, why are you crying?”

“Because,” she sniffed before looking away from me again. “Because I’m a bad pony.”

“Why would you say that, Melody? You’re not a bad pony,” I told her and placed my hoof gently on her shoulder. “You’re not a bad pony.”

“Yes, I am. When Shadow got hurt the first thing I thought about was my tail. Shadow’s hoof got cut off and I was worried about my tail.”

“Oh, Melody, it’s only natural. Ponies notice their own injuries, or near injuries, before those of others,” I said, trying my best to comfort her. Why? I didn’t really know. I was beginning to think that this world really wasn’t real, but a part of me still yearned for the few good things here to not be just a passing phase of my eternal punishment. Out of everything and everyone I had met in Trottingham, Melody was the best thing I had going for me. Even if she might not be real, the sight of my niece beating up on herself was too much for me to bear.

“I know, but then I saw all the blood and I froze,” she argued, her eyes tearing up again.

“Well, that much blood can be shocking. You-”

“I wasn’t afraid of the blood, Aria! I was too busy thinking about how that could have been me! I could have lost a hoof. Or I could have been cut in half if I had been slower. I didn’t think to try to help Shadowbuck; all I did was sit in the corner and cry!” she shouted, turning away from me and taking her frustrations and verbal abuse out of the terminal.

“Melody, it’s okay to be scared,” I said, taking her into a hug from behind. I could feel her shaking, but she didn’t try to move away from me. “I-I’m scared too. This world is a nightmare even when I don’t compare it to my Equestria. Do you want to know how many times I saw somepony die before I came here? Never. Do you want to know how many times I’ve seen somepony gravely injured or mutilated before I came here?”

“Never...”

“Right. And I bet it’s the same for you too,” I added, pulling her in tighter. The feeling of holding her felt good. Something about the act of a hug was magical in its own right. Even as I questioned my own sanity or the reality of my situation, I felt like had to hold onto her. Melody, the only family I had in this hellhole and probably the best friend I had ever had. “Now come on, we’ve got to find you a way out of here so we can get back to Compass and Shadowbuck. He’s worried about you.”

“Yeah?” she asked, turning back to look at me before she let out a choked laugh. “He’s such a worry wart.”

“He cares about you.”

“Like you,” she said, her smile brightening.

“Of course I do,” I answered before giving her an affectionate squeeze. “You’re my niece and my best friend.”

“I’m your best friend?” she asked, her eyes practically sparkling. The way the light danced off her sea blue eyes, I could help but be reminded of Golden Star.

“Yep,” I said, smiling back. “This has to be real. I want it to be real. I... But wouldn’t that kind of delusion be exactly the kind of thing hell would want? How does one know if reality is real or not?”

“You’re my best friend too,” she said, spinning around and taking me into her embrace. When we broke apart, she giggled and wiped her eyes. “I think I might have a way for us to get out of here. Come check it out.”

Pulling me over to the open terminal, I grimaced at its burned out remains. Char covered its motherboard, the screen was just a rim of glass along the edges, and the wires and cables were frayed as if they had been chewed through.

“What am I looking at?” I asked, feeling the phantom sting of glass and plastic peppering my face.

“This is just the destroyed terminal, but it had some of the parts I needed to fix the other terminal. See?” she said, pointing to the other terminal that was now glowing softly on the opposite desk.

“You fixed it? Can this terminal drop the shield like the other one?” I asked before moving behind the desk, leaving the seat open for her to sit in. She was the tech expert in the family, after all.

“I don’t know, I just got it running again and got past the password when I noticed smoke coming from the blown out terminal. The motherboard had started burning so I put out the fire before it could spread. But then I saw the severed wires and... and I started thinking about how I could have been cut in half,” she said after sitting down, her voice trailing off to little more than a whisper before timidly looking back at the door.

“Then let’s see if we can use this to get out of here, okay?” I asked, trying to get Melody’s mind off her second brush with death in just as many days.

“Right,” she mumbled. Turning her attention to the screen, Melody’s nimble wings began to fly across the keyboard. At first, all I saw was a jumble of junk code and the occasional command line that I actually recognized, but the smile slowly creeping across Melody’s face told me that she knew exactly what to do.

“Annnnd.... Done!” she cheered, and the terminal let out a soft ‘bing’ as three commands popped up: “Bypass Research,” “E-mail Correspondences,” and “Open Safe.” “Darn it! The network connection to the bypass shield has been severed. How the hell am I going to get out of here if we can’t drop the shield?”

“There’s no way to fix the other computer?”

“No. The hard drive and the motherboard are shot. Even if we replaced them with this one’s parts, it wouldn’t have the network pathways or clearance to connect to the bypass shield’s overrides,” she explained Throwing her hooves into the air, she pushed herself away from the desk.

“Where are you going, Melody?”

“The only other place I can go in this stupid office! I’m going to get a drink!” she snapped, sounding more frustrated than angry, and flitted over to the bar. “Please have some apple whiskey...”

I watched her hover down the shelves of alcohol behind the bar for a few moments, hoping secretly that there was some wine back there too, before turning my attention to the computer.

“Open Safe?” I pressed the button and heard another click, this time realizing it was coming from behind one of the paintings on the wall nearest to me. “Huh? I already opened the safe. Why did it click again unless...”

“There are two safes!” I cried. Melody looked at me incredulously from behind the bar, a bottle of apple whiskey and a shot glass in front of her just waiting to be poured and filled.

“What?” she asked as she wrapped her wingtips around a bottle opener and thrust the tip through the wax covering the cork.

“Melody, can you hold up on the booze and come help me with these paintings,” I asked, trotting over to the painting of Gestalt (Or was it Mosaic?) and wrapped my hooves around the base and the right side. Melody sighed, setting the bottle back down, and flew over to grab the other side of my painting. “Alright, one, two, three... Lift!”

With a mighty heave, the two of us were able to lift the painting off its hook and slowly set it on the ground.

“We’re not bringing this painting to Stable Sixty-Three, are we?” she asked, giving me a wry smile.

“No. I’d like to, they were important ponies during the war, but these two should stay here. At least until things improve, logistically speaking of course.” She shook her head and I chuckled. Wasteland or not, possibility of the false nature of my current reality or not, I guess I was still an Egghead at heart. Looking over my shoulder, I saw the first safe, sitting slightly ajar, and took a deep breath before letting it out to blow my bangs out of my face. “Alright, let’s get the second painting down before you go back to your whiskey.”

“Sure. You want some?” she asked as we took our positions next to Mosaic/Gestalt’s portrait.

“Nah. Not a huge fan of apples. Now if there’s something strawberry flavored back there, I’ll give that a try. One, two, three, lift!”

We lifted the painting and set it down, although this time Melody let go a little too early and the painting landed hard and crashed down to the ground, face first.

“Oops, sorry.” she said, giving me a sheepish grin as she hovered above me. “But we got the safes open, you wanna check them out?”

“I thought you had a bottle of apple whiskey to attend to?”

“What can I say, curiosity got the better of me,” she answered before landing in front of the far safe and opening it up. “Aw come on! It’s just a bunch of files and junk.”

“Really?” I asked as I opened mine and saw about the same thing. Sitting in the safe was a small stack of folders and papers bound with clips and staples, however, sitting on top of the papers was a small device I had never seen before. It was a gray rectangle, about the size of my hoof, “Hey Melody, I got some weird tech sitting on top of my papers, do you have anything in your safe?”

“Hold on, let me check!” Suddenly, a shower of papers spewed forth from the safe, flung by the wingful by a rather impatient pegasus, until she clicked her tongue. “Nope, just a key.”

“Well here,” I said before tossing her the device. Catching it deftly between her hooves and hovering in the air, Melody’s eyes lit up at the sight of the little gray box.

“An energy pistol ammo recycler!? Oh my Goddesses, Aria, this is amazing! Do you know how many caps this is going to save us?”

“I don’t know, but I’m guessing it recycles energy pistol ammo.”

“Yeah. It captures some of the excess magical energy that the pistol radiates when firing and feeds it back into the gem pack. After so many shots it gathers enough energy to equal another blast before the gem pack expires,” she said excitedly. The child-like glee that I had grown so accustomed to seeing on Melody’s face had finally returned as she started equipping her trusty laser pistol with her newest modification. “This is so cool! Maybe if we find where this key goes we can find more cool stuff like this. I bet these Ministry ponies were loaded.”

“High end government salaries? Yeah, probably,” I muttered as I turned back to the safe. Seeing the stack of papers inside, an idea crossed my mind that wouldn’t hurt to at least test to verify. Lifting the papers with my hoof, I spotted a key, painted a bright blue. “Hey Melody, what color is that key you found?”

“Huh? Um, yellow, why? Is that important?” She asked after sliding the ammo recycler into place and giving the key gripped in her wing a cursory glance.

“Maybe. Two keys, one blue and the other yellow. A pair of twins... both green. They have to go to the same lock. Or maybe a pair of locks...” I mumbled, trying to piece together the mystery of the two keys. I almost felt like Sherclop Holmes, the master detective in the deerstalker hat of classic Trottingham literature. As I paced the floor, Melody searched the office with renewed vigor, turning over every seat cushion and rolling up every corner of the large green rug that felt so plush beneath my hooves. Then my eyes fell back on the other terminal and a small smile crossed my face. “Let’s see if you wrote something you shouldn’t have.”

Plopping down behind the desk, I moved the cursor over ‘E-mail correspondence’ and decided to open the last e-mail, one marked only three days before the bombs fell. An audio recording began to play and I listened intently to the mare who had been sitting here two hundred years earlier so she could compose this message.

“Stitches,

I had a good time last night, as always, and I am glad you could accommodate my schedule and privacy needs. I know these past couple months have not been... ideal for the courtship process, and I know our work and my sister have not made it any less stressful, but...

I’m glad you are so understanding of my dilemma. It has been hard to keep this from Gestalt. I know you do not believe me, but we really do read each other’s minds and it is very difficult to keep this from her.

You are the best coltfriend I have ever had... alright, honestly, you are the only coltfriend I have ever had. Not many stallions would ever put up with me and my idiosyncrasies or the hoops we have had to jump through. I love my sister, I really do, I believe the saying is that we are like two peas in a pod, but I am beginning to realize that there is one thing that Gestalt cannot give me, even with our bond...

I am afraid of what she might do if she found out I was dating somepony. I still remember how hurt she was when I said I liked Sunrise Sarsaparilla better than Sparkle Cola. She is so afraid of being alone, just as I once was, and we have never been apart. I think she believes any differences between us might pull us apart.

But you seem to fit that variable and fill me with so many odd and foreign emotions. Your kindness and skill at healing magic is a quality I marvel in you. Your understanding nature and willingness to be with me, no matter the personal expense, is something I find most admirable. I find myself experiencing emotions I have never felt before whenever I am around you, most illogical emotions really. But I also find that I like them. I find it rather amusing to say the least that we are so logically compatible under such illogical circumstances.

Is this what love is? I-”

Suddenly, a strange humming sound began to buzz in the background and Mosaic took a sharp breath.

“Stitches, she is taking the elevator up. I have to go. I promise I will deduce a way to tell her about us, to tell everypony, so she can see why I care about you just as much as her. I am sure she will find us a suitable match. We should meet in Manehatten at that coffee shop on Tuesday afternoon after our trip to Maripony. And to answer your question, I... I think I do love you too.”

The recording cut off and I could only stare at the screen. The green block that denoted the cursor kept flashing over the ‘Y’ in the command, ‘Download to Pipbuck? Y/N.’ I pressed the ‘Y’ button with a heavy heart and downloaded the message with a sad reverence. Mosaic had found a pony who she honestly loved, some stallion that she had secretly grown attached to almost as much, if not more, than her sister. Her voice had been so nervous and unsure and her message had revealed so much about their relationship.

Mosaic had never had a coltfriend, probably because of her admittedly close relationship with her sister, and she finally found another pony she could form a bond with. But she had been afraid of what her sister would think and wanted to take it slow and keep her relationship with Stitches a secret. It was beautiful, not just because they had both found love, but because Stitches had agreed to her request for secrecy in the pursuit of love.

Keeping their love and relationship a secret, such a heavy price that Stitches seemed to have been willing to pay. I envied Mosaic now. I had asked for Brightlight to wait for me and he couldn’t do that. We were still together, we could still share kisses and spend time with one another. Yes, I had a problem with getting distracted, but was that really a reason not to wait for me to be ready to have sex? Was that a reason to cheat on my with Silver Storm? If there were stallions out there that would keep their feelings a secret for the mare they loved, stallions that would jump through hoops and do anything for that mare, why couldn’t Brightlight have done the same for me?

“No, it wasn’t my fault. He cheated on me,” I told myself as I decided to download the rest of the files on the computer. Perhaps there would be more inspirational letters between these star crossed lovers. Or perhaps the notes on Gestalt and Mosaic’s Bypass Spell research would be an interesting and informative read. If one voice message, cut short by Gestalt arriving, could be something I... “Wait. The elevator... Melody! I need your help with something! If I’m right, then we might be able to get you out of here.”

“Huh?” she asked as she checked inside a light fixture for something that could help us.

“I’m going to go call the elevator up. I want you to sit behind this desk and try to hear it coming up, okay?”

“Yeah, sure. Let me just pour myself a drink, okay?”

“Could you just get a soda, I don’t need you being impaired by alcohol.”

“You mean you get to get drunk in a museum full of ghouls, but I can’t get drunk while stuck in the world’s most secure office? You’re no fun,” she griped. She fluttered down next to me, giving me an over exaggerated frown, and I shook my head.

“If this doesn’t work, then we can both get drunk and talk about boys, are you happy?” I asked.

“It’s a deal,” she said, her fake frown vanishing almost as fast as Psyche’s colors shifted. “I’ll get you nice and drunk so you won’t blush every time I bring up sex.”

“What?” I blinked, feeling the warmth flooding to my muzzle.

“See! Like that! You need to loosen up a bit, Aria!” she joked before pushing me out of Mosaic’s seat and taking it for her own. “Alright, let’s get this little experiment of yours under way. I want to be out of here or drunk off my flanks in the next thirty minutes. I’m getting really sick of this office.”

“That’s understandable, so let’s get you out of here,” I said before trotting out the door.

Again, I made the trip through the tingly bypass shield and back into the lobby. Of course when I reached the elevator I realized that the elevator car was on this floor and there would not be anything for Melody to here. Pressing the call button, the doors immediately opened and I stepped inside.

“Alright, I’ll just ride it a floor down and then-Woah!” I told myself until the doors suddenly closed behind me and the car started descending on its own.

Looking up at the light up display over the silver double doors, I saw that I was already passing up the fourth floor and stabbed at the emergency stop button, but nothing happened. The display read ‘3’ and the car slowed to a grinding stop. Pulling Dr. Hoofentrotter’s nine millimeter pistol, I aimed for the doors, readying it just as the ding signalling the them to open chimed. Slowly the doors parted, my jaw clenching around the pistol’s mouth grip, until it revealed a smugly smiling Shadowbuck and a bug eyed Compass, his brown eyes as wide as the coffee cups on the rows of desks behind him.

“Woah! Easy there, Aria. Just just got my hoof back, I don’t want you blowing my head off. I’ve grown quite attached to it,” he joked.

“Shadow?” I mumbled around the mouth piece. Then the realization set in that my friend, who had been horribly maimed less than an hour ago, was standing right in front of me. Letting the gun drop out of my mouth, I threw my hooves around his neck and hugged him as hard as I could. “Shadow! You’re okay!”

“Thanks to Doctor Compass here. The healing talisman didn’t have that much work to do and I was awake and walking around about ten minutes after you left,” he laughed as he hugged me back. Hugs felt good from anypony.

“But is he even real?” a tiny voice in the back of my mind asked, but I my elation at seeing him whole and healthy quickly steamrolled the doubting side of me out of the way for the happy parade’s procession into hug town.

“I-I just wish I had been better. Using up that healing talisman almost feels like a waste,” he said sadly.

“My hoof doesn’t think so,” Shadow said as he took his right hoof away from me to slap Compass on the back. “But ya did good, kid.”

“Um.” That was all that came out of Compass’ mouth as he smiled at us nervously and looked away. It was amazing. In doctor mode, Compass was the most calm, confident, and collected unicorn in the Trottingham Ruins, but the second he wasn’t needed he went back to being the most shy and introverted pony I had ever seen save what I had heard about Ministry Mare Fluttershy.

“What are you doing in the elevator? I thought you were trying to get Melody out of that office?” Shadow asked as he tried to push me off of him. Suddenly realizing that I was holding him a little too tightly, I sheepishly let go.

“I was about to ride the elevator down and then back up again to test something out, but then you two called it down and the emergency stop button doesn’t work,” I explained.

“Ride the elevator to test something? How is riding the elevator going to get Melody past that bypass barrier?” he asked, looking at me skeptically.

“Just ride back up with me and you can see, okay.” I told them before stepping back into the elevator. Shadowbuck shrugged and followed with Compass shadowing him.

We quickly returned to the fifth floor and when we stepped into the hall, Melody was waiting on the other side of the green bypass barrier.

“Compass!” she cried, her smile growing at the sight of her coltfriend. Then she seemed to notice Shadowbuck and he smile grew even larger. Not Psyche large, but I think her cheeks would start hurting soon if she didn’t stop grinning like that pretty soon. “Shadow! You’re okay!”

“Yeah, thanks to your coltfriend here,” he replied before turning to me. “So what was this experiment of yours? Why’d you have to ride the elevator down and back up.”

“Melody,” I said, dismissing his question smoothly. “Were you able to hear the elevator coming up from the office?”

“I couldn’t hear anything until it binged just now.”

“So you couldn’t hear an elevator whirring?” I asked.

“Why is the fact that she can hear the elevator or not important, Aria?” Shadow asked.

“Because, Shadowbuck, the recording on the terminal inside could pick up an elevator so that means only one thing,” I said as I stepped back through the energy field, the static tingle washing over my body for the umpteenth time.

“That the terminal’s got a really sensitive mic?” Shadow asked, but I saw the sudden flash of realization across Melody’s face and knew that she was thinking the same thing I was.

“That there’s another elevator somewhere in the office!”

“Yep! So Melody and I just have to tear that office apart and find the elevator. Then we’ll take it down and meet you guys on the first floor.”

“The first floor is sealed off remember? The stairs collapsed at the second floor landing and the main elevator doors won’t open,” Melody said.

“Well then, we’ll just go out the back way and meet you guys at the boat. The first intersection after the MAMI building was clear so we can meet you there,” I said, amending our plan.

“Okay, I guess that works, but what about the monster’s outside? I have some StealthBucks that Compass can use and I can sneak just fine with the Mark Two, but what about you two?” Shadow asked while Compass nodded vehemently.

“Yes. I don’t want any monsters hurting you... two while we’re not around.” Compass added, mostly looking to Melody, his eyes heavy with worry, but I noticed the pause before he added ‘two’ to his sentence to include me into his worry. He reached out his forehoof, his ears pinned against the back of his head, and placed his hoof on the energy field between him and Melody. Reaching out her own hoof, they met so that only the glowing green field separated the two lovebirds.

“Don’t worry, Compass, I have Aria with me. She’ll keep me safe. We’ll see you guys down by the river,” she told him while giving him a reassuring smile that seemed to put him a little more at ease. His ears twitched and rose a little off his head and he swallowed hard.

“And I have Brass Bugle’s badge, remember? It’ll keep us safe against everything but feral ghoulies, right?” I said, pulling the badge out and pinning it to the lapel of my underbarding.

“Yeah... Just hurry to the boat, okay?” Shadow said before turning back towards the lobby. However, Compass didn’t move as he locked eyes with Melody across the thin wall of translucent green light that might as well have been a billion light years apart.

“I love you, Melody Star,” he whispered, placing his forehead against the barrier.

“I love you too, Compass,” she replied, kissing his forehead through the green energy field before reluctantly turning away from him. A heavy sadness was apparent in her blue eyes, even I could see the facade her smile had taken on.

“We’ll get back to the boat, save Gigaton, and you two can have your... private time,” I said, embarrassment already flushing my cheeks a dark crimson.

“Yeah, come on, lover boy. Let’s finish looting the hospital for meds and then hurry on over to the rendezvous point,” he said, putting his hoof around Compass’ shoulder and gently guiding him back towards the elevator. “If you girls aren’t waiting for us at the intersection, we’re going to go looking for you.”

“Compass has our Pipbuck tags so that shouldn’t be too hard,” Melody told him.

“Right,” I heard him mumble, looking down at his Pipbuck, and Shadowbuck pulled him into the lobby and out of sight.

After what felt like hours, although a quick glance at my Pipbuck told me it had been only twenty minutes, Melody and I had torn Gestalt and Mosaic’s office apart. We flipped every rug and table. We knocked on every wall. We even checked behind the bar until we had to give up and just settled with taking some apple whiskey and strawberry wine. Melody wanted the whiskey, but the idea of wine, which I sort of liked, mixed with strawberries, my absolute favorite food in the whole world, was too appealing for me to pass up.

There were two apple whiskey bottles and two wine bottles, both the exact same year and brand. Actually, now that I thought about it, everything in this office had a twin. The portraits, the desks, even the alcoholic beverages were matching pairs. Everything was the same except...

“The soda machines!” I shouted. I heard a yelp followed immediately by a thump and realized I must have startled Melody as she was checking underneath the desks for the fourth time.

“Ow! What about the soda machines?” she asked as she crawled out from underneath Mosaic’s desk, rubbing the crown of her head gently with her ears lying flat against it and one eye shut against the pain I had inadvertently caused.

“Oh! Sorry about that. But look at the soda machines, Melody. What’s different about them?” I asked, gesturing to the Sunrise Sarsaparilla and Sparkle Cola machines like one of those models on a weekday morning game show.

“Uh... They’re two different brands?”

“Exactly. And why is that weird?” I asked, trying to coax the answer out of my niece.

“It’s not. Who wouldn’t want some variety. Dad always liked Sparkle Cola and apple whiskey after work whenever he could...” A look of sudden epiphany appeared on Melody’s face and her eyes brightened. “But these two have two of everything in here. You don’t think the elevator’s behind the soda machines, do you?”

“Only one way to find out,” I said, taking a position next to the Sunrise Sarsaparilla machine. Placing my forehooves against the side, I tried to pull with all my might... and it wouldn’t budge. Looking down at the base of the soda machine, I couldn’t see anything blocking its path.

“What’s wrong?” Melody asked.

“I have no idea. The thing won’t even budge. I’m not that weak without my magic, am I?”

“I don’t think so. You look pretty strong for a unicorn mare. You’ve got a wider chest and are a little stockier than most and... I’ll shut up now...”

“Yeah...” Dropping to my knees, I could now see that the entire machine had been bolted to the floor. There was no way to move them, whatsoever. I couldn’t even see behind the machine as it was so close to the wall that it almost looked built into it. Closing my eyes and sighing with frustration, I was beginning to see the stupidity in having an elevator behind two soda machines, or even the absurdity of having a second elevator behind an nigh impenetrable wall of magical energy. It was paranoid, it was illogical, it was...

Suddenly, I felt a faint breeze against my face.

“What was that?”

“What was what?” Melody asked. I opened my eyes to see that she was fishing some bits out of one of the pockets in her barding with the tip of her wing.

“I think I just felt a breeze. Did you flap your wings?” I asked, climbing back up to my hooves.

“Nope. I’m just getting some Sparkle Cola. All this talk about soda machines is making me thirsty,” she answered before depositing two bits in the lightly humming machine. She pressed the first button... and nothing happened. The next... Nothing. “Oh come on!”

She tried button after button, but still the machine would not produce a soda. I couldn’t even hear the clicks of the machinery trying to dispense a soda from an empty slot inside the machine. Melody growled under her breath, obviously starting to get more angry at her current circumstances than distraught or annoyed like she had been earlier.

“Maybe it’s broken?”

“No way. I’m not giving up on this. I’m going to pick the lock on this stupid machine and get my Sparkle Cola!” she said, pulling a bobby pin from her hair and a screwdriver from her armored utility barding’s pockets.

“You can pick a lock?”

“Well, no, but how hard can it be?” she asked as she flipped open the metal box that covered the lock. We both stopped and stared at the strange lock underneath the black metal cover. For some odd reason, the lock had been painted yellow. “It’s yellow.”

“Yeah.”

“Like the key.”

“Yeah.” I said again, my brain still trying to come to terms with the fact that the answer had been staring us in the face for so long, but a stroke of dumb luck mixed with frustrated obstinance had been the only reason we had found the answer. The keys from the safes went to the drink machines and the drink machines... “Are the elevators... You have got to be kidding me.”

“Only one way to find out,” she said, putting away her screwdriver and taking out the yellow key. With a gentle turn and a hydraulic hiss, the Sparkle Cola machine opened to reveal a small elevator platform. Barely big enough for a pony to walk into and stay erect, there was no conceivable way for two ponies to take the elevator at the same time. A strange choice, but I guess it would mean that a pony couldn’t take Mosaic or Gestalt hostage and take the secret elevator up with them. “Try your key on the Sunrise machine.

“Okay.” I pulled the blue key out of my saddlebags, thanks mostly in part to the Pipbuck’s sorting spell, but as I tried to push the key in with my mouth, my nose kept hitting the machine and stopping me from fully inserting it. A pony would need magic, or double jointed wings like Melody’s, to insert the key and right now I had neither. “Um, I think I need some help.”

“Sure. Let me get that,” Melody said with a reassuring smile that made me feel even more useless before pushing the key the rest of the way in and turning it. The Sunrise Sarsaparilla machine slowly opened and I sighed.

“Ready to get out of here, Melody?”

“You have no idea,” she said, stepping into the hidden elevator.

“Next stop, ground floor. Radiation, mutants, and hell on Equestria. Going down.”

I heard Melody giggle as the soda machine closed on us and the elevators lurched slowly downwards. I closed my eyes and waited for the elevator cable to suddenly snap, plunging me to my death below. I could see my mangled corpse at the bottom, my blood caked bones jutting through skin where the metal framework hadn’t impaled me. I...

Shaking the suicidal thoughts out of my head, I shuddered against a sob. I needed to get out of this hell, be it literal or figurative, and I was afraid. Was the only way out of this my death? As I thought this over, as dark thoughts fought to overcome the slivers of light left in my life, the flame just watched in silence as if my inner turmoil was his ultimate spectator’s sport.

“Cud! Cud! Cud! Cud! Cuuuuud!” I screamed as Melody and I raced through the Ministry Hub courtyard towards the double doors leading back into the Arcane Science wing.

Of course it would be just my luck that the elevators opened up into the ghoulie filled courtyard. The doors thankfully slid open without a sound and Melody and I were able to get our bearings and start to sneak past the zombie ponies. However, I was so worried about the zombie ponies, I didn’t watch where I was stepping and accidentally kicked an empty Sparkle Cola bottle.

The soft tinking of the glass bottle on broken cobblestone was like a thousand bombs going off in my ears and Melody and I froze as we watched the bottle roll slowly, clinking and chiming over and over, until it slowly rolled to a stop at the mangled, bony hooves of a rather decayed, yet still maniacally vicious looking earth pony mare.
It looked down at the bottle with confusion in its lifeless eyes before slowly raising its head and spotting us. With a guttural howl, the creature charged, its courtyard companions hot on its heels, and Melody and I were fleeing for our lives.

Almost forty stark raving mad ghouls were hot on our tails, literally; I could feel one’s hot, rancid air against my tail. The thought that one of these horrible creatures were less than a foot behind me sent cold fire flooding through my veins, spurring me onwards towards the door that Melody was now opening for me. Why did pegasi have to be so fast? Without my magic I was pretty much the world’s slowest, weakest Earth Pony. Pumping my legs as fast as I can, my heart trying its hardest to smash through my sternum, I dashed through the wide open door, pulling it and Melody through with me.

With a powerful blam that shook the reinforced, bulletproof glass and splattered it with brain matter and black blood, the ghoul that had been right behind me slammed into the door we had just closed. As the rest of the herd slammed into the glass, their bodies and sharpened hooves barely scratching the magically treated glass, Melody and I held the door shut for dear life. Our hooves wrapped around the push bars, we leaned back, putting all our weight into holding our pitiful bulwark in place.

The door shook as the ghouls slammed against it, their feral minds unable to grasp the idea of ‘pull,’ and I eyed the deadlock below my hooves frantically. If I only had my magic, I’d be able to turn the little knob and keep us secure from the zombie horde long enough for us to escape into the streets. Looking to Melody, I saw her eyes dart to the lock and she thrust her left wingtip forward. Twisting as hard and as fast as she could, Melody locked the door and we both collapsed backwards onto our haunches, gasping for every gulp of precious, radioactive, filthy, pony-dust filled air.

“Why... why didn’t the badge work on those things?” Melody asked.

“I think someone said something about it not working on ghouls,” I replied, spitting as I tried to ease the pain in my burning lungs.

“Then let’s avoid any more ghouls, okay?” Melody said while rotating her right wing and trying to work a kink out of it. “Almost pulled something there.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice. Do you need to take a break?”

“No,” she replied simply before pulling up her map on his Pipbuck. “The boys are leaving the Ministry hub from the other side. We should get going and try to get back to the boat as soon as possible.”

“Sound like a plan.”

My legs burned in protest as I forced myself to stand, my body just wanting to lie down and rest, but I didn’t have time. Plus, there was a nice comfy bed on the boat for me to rest in so the extra walking would be rewarded shortly.

Passing the wall of debris blocking the elevators and the stairwell, Melody and I reached the exit facing the street and calmly walked out the door. With the Queen’s Court badge on my lapel I felt safe stepping out into the gloomy, overcast Trottingham night. As long as we didn’t run into anymore ghoulies we should be just fine. Just six city blocks separated us from Compass and Shadowbuck as they snuck their way to the river while Melody and I casually strolled down the-

“Do you hear that?” Melody whispered.

Now that I was out of my own head, I could hear what sounded like... steady, muffled thunder? I was just about to ask Melody what it was when my answer rounded the corner down the block from us. Standing almost fifteen feet tall, it’s gray hide matted and covered in black stains that I could safely assume were blood, was a massive brahmintaur.

The monstrosity before us turned, its eyes bloodshot and yellowed, and sneered at us. I felt all the blood in my body suddenly rush to my hooves at the sight of four earth pony skulls decorating its horns and thee unicorn skulls hanging from a rope around its neck like a macabre set of prayer beads. Seven ponies. This thing had killed at least seven ponies. I heard Melody let out a tiny squeak as the creature approached us, its hooves echoing off the cobblestones with each powerful step.

We tried to move around it, slowly sidestepping towards the opposite sidewalk, but the brahmintaur mirrored our movements and blocked our path while giving us a wicked grin. No matter which way we moved, the brahmintaur copied us and continued to walk towards us. As it loomed over us, its heavy breath filling the air with the smell of rotten meat, I did the only thing I could think of. I smiled.

“Easy there, big fella. We don’t want any trouble. See! We have a badge. You can’t attack us because we ha-”

Pain exploded through my entire body and everything went dark as the brahmintaur spun faster than I could react and slammed two of its meaty fists into my right shoulder in a devestating backfisted double punch. I hit the ground like a ragdoll, limply skipping across the broken cobblestone as the rocky surface ripped into my flesh like a flat stone on a still pond. I hit the wall of what had once been a quaint little flower shop and crumpled to the ground in a heap of bent armor and broken bones. I blinked and quickly regained consciousness, my vision swimming as my eyes tried to make out the brahmintaur slowly approaching me.

“Aria!” I heard Melody scream and watched as the monster spun around, finally noticing her, and lunged at her, four arms outstretched. I filled my lungs with the precious air that had been knocked out of me, and pain came with it.

“Melody! Fly!” I was able to croak out. My Pipbuck was flashing warnings about my right foreleg and torso being ‘crippled’ although the fact that my leg could barely move was indication enough of that. Melody barely took to the air, catching her brahmintaur attacker off guard. The two headed monster was obviously not accustomed to hunting prey that could go airborne and Melody took full advantage of that fact as she backed out of its reach.

“Chicken!” it bellowed to the heavens before launching itself after her. I watched as its fingers brushed Melody’s hooves before plummeting through the second story window of a house across the street. A cloud of dust filled the air, and the roof of the building creaked and cracked loudly as beams strained to support the structure, but it was quickly drowned out by another guttural roar.

I poked the inventory screen with my nose, calling for the sorting spell to give me a healing potion. Once the healing brew had been magically summoned to the top of my saddlebags, I bit off the top and downed it. I felt my bones starting to mend, but as I stood I immediately knew that something was wrong. While I could stand, the weight made my bones ache and shudder inside my leg and I felt my ribs pop uncomfortably within my chest.

Leaping out of the roof, the brahmintaur swing wildly at Melody as she flew above us. A last second midair pirouette saved her from a very painful upper right cross, but something went wrong. Her wing kinked up and she let out a pained shout before she started a spinning nosedive to the streets below. I reached out with my magic, but found nothing. Melody didn’t even glow before hitting the ground, nor did I even get a spark of pain this time. My magic... was gone?

The brahmintaur thankfully crashed through another building, sending more debris and smoke into the air, and that gave me time to rush to Melody.

“I’m okay,” she coughed, jumping to her hooves as she tried to extend her wings. Hissing painfully, she pulled her wing back to her side and whimpered. “I think I tore something.”

“Here, take this potion and let’s get out of here.” I pulled up the second, and last, healing potion and gave it to Melody. Nodding, she drank it as fast as possible as we started to run down the street, only to hear a mighty crash.

Looking behind me, I saw the brahmintaur, two of it’s earth pony skulls missing from its grisly headdress, charging after us at full speed and somehow gaining ground at an alarming rate. How could something so big that only had two legs move that fast? We needed to think of something. We had guns and it didn’t so we just needed to move and shoot. But I couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn unless I had time to line up a shot and this thing was a moving, death barn with two heads and four massive arms. But Melody was pretty darn good with her laser pistol and the skies were the brahmintaur’s enemy.

“Melody! Fly out of his jumping range and blast him to hell!” I ordered as we ran at a full gallop yet again. My lungs and legs were screaming in agony, and I couldn’t keep this up much longer.
“But what about you?”

“I’ll be the distraction. I can take a hit better that you can and you’re the better shot. Don’t worry, Melody. I’ll be fine” I lied. She gave me a small glare before letting out a huff, extending her wings, and taking off.

The brahmintaur saw this and I knew what he was about to do the moment he roared the word ‘chicken’ again. I had to do my part and save Melody. If I died and this was hell, then this didn’t really matter, but if this was real unlike that small voice in the back of my mind kept saying, then she needed to survive. Spinning around, I pulled the nine millimeter pistol and fired wildly, unloading half the clip and actually scoring two hits to the beast’s massive chest as it started to bend its legs to jump after Melody.

The bullets caught it off guard and I smiled as it lost its balance. The smile immediately vanished as it flung itself, horns first, at me. I didn’t have time to dodge, all I was able to do was spin around, placing Golden Star’s Aegis on my back between me at the oncoming body slam. As the freight train of mutated flesh and horns barreled into me from behind, I felt unimaginable pain as my Pipbuck showed warnings that my torso, right foreleg, and both hind legs were all crippled. I even let go of Dr. Hoofentrotter’s pistol as I screamed out in agony.

From the searing pain in my lower back, ribs, and legs, I knew that they were all broken, possibly even shattered when it came to my right foreleg that now looked like a brown worm as it hung limply and bent in very odd directions. My broken hind legs flailed painfully as my body spasmed with each new pain. I wanted to pass out, but the pain was too great for me to force myself to do and my brain refused to shut down. Why couldn’t I just will myself to pass out? I wanted it so bad. I could barely think beyond the pain, it even felt like I was flying which was completely crazy since...

And that’s when I realized that I was suspended in the air, Golden Star’s Aegis stuck on my back and caught between the front head’s horns. The brahmintaur shook its head to try to get me off him. But when it realized he couldn’t shake me loose it reached up and touched my left hind leg. I had stopped moving, in most part because it hurt too much and for the other part because I was absolutely terrified, and when the brahmintaur pulled his hand away and saw sticky red blood covering his gray fingers, he let out a low chuckle. Looking down, I could see a bone sticking through my back leg and felt like vomiting again.

“Let me help you. I can heal you. I can give you the power to make this beast your slave. Just give me your pain. Give me your...” The flame said, but the suddenly light feeling and ringing in my ears were drowning him out. I would seriously love to give my crazy imaginary talking flame my pain, but I could barely stay conscious at the moment, much less make a bargain.

“Aria!” Melody shouted, snapping me back to reality. I was seeing stars and realized I was losing a lot of blood and maybe even had some internal bleeding. I was going to die if I didn’t think fast, but it was really hard to think through all this pain. Thankfully, Melody was in top shape thanks to that healing potion that I now wished I still had and she had the advantage of height and range. “Die, you two headed son of a bitch!”

Pulling her laser pistol, Melody fired shot and shot of blazing red magical energy into the brahmintaur’s chest. With a skill and keen eye that I could never muster unless I were willing the projectile with my magic, Melody deftly missed me entirely while peppering the beast with numerous burn wounds. It looked up at Melody, snorting angrily, before looking around for something I couldn’t see. Using its upper arms as a shield against Melody’s aerial barrage, gave me cover from the blasts as well. I had to get free, but how could I? There was no way my sword could cut through the horns that were holding me in place, especially if they were tougher than this thing’s hide. What could cut through something a bullet couldn’t pierce?

As the brahmintaur stopped moving, which was a relief for my battered and most likely broken back, something hit me in the chin. Looking down, I saw the answer given to me by a Steel Ranger who I hated almost as much as Cherry Scones. In the holster around my right shoulder was Star Paladin Buzzsaw’s Ripper. Drawing the weapon into my mouth, I wrapped my tongue around the trigger that would start the knife sized chainsaw and braced myself.

“Die, chicken! Die!” the brahmintaur screamed as if suddenly dropped down, sending a shockwave of pain through my entire that suddenly made me very glad that I had something hard to bite down on, and then began to spin. I realized too late that the brahmintaur had ripped free the wheel of an ancient sky chariot and watched in disoriented horror as he threw it like a discus straight at Melody.

“That all you got?” she shouted as she deftly dove under the spinning wheel of death. Then, with the grace of a natural flier, she performed a strafing run across the brahmintaur’s chest, flying sideways while her laser pistol belted out blast after blast in rapid succession. The brahmintaur turned its back to Melody’s attack, causing me to almost pass out from the sudden jolt as it spun.

Blinking away the spots swimming around my eyes, I heard another screech of metal on metal as the brahmintaur ripped free another wheel and spun, flinging it faster and more accurately than before. Why did this thing like to spin so much?

“Woah!” Melody shouted as she tucked in her wings, allowing herself to drop hard down to the ground below. The deadly frisbee of doom sailed over her and she fanned out her wings, slowing her descent so she could land safely. I felt the brahmintaur move again as it lowered its body and head to charge Melody as she descended. This was my one and only chance to save Melody.

Although the world was spinning, I cranked miniature engine inside the Ripper to life and plunged the spinning teeth into the Brahmintaur’s right horn. It screamed as I ripped through the horn about half way up, blood and chips of bone beginning to splatter my face, and it thrust its hand up to try to grab me.

As they hit the shield on my back, I was suddenly popped loose, flipped end over end, and landed hard on the back of the rear head’s neck, belly first. The Ripper kept going as I clenched my jaw against the pain, screaming bloody murder and tasting blood as my eyesight went black for a moment. Without even realizing it, I was sawing directly into the base of the front head’s skull.

Something hot and chunky splattered my face and before I knew it I was falling. I blinked, realizing that the hot, chunky stuff was a mixture of the brahmintaur’s blood and brain matter and I had just ripped into its upper spine and medulla oblongata. The brahmintaur’s other head screamed, thrashing and biting at me, but I was tired, angry, and in far too much pain to give the disgusting coat of crimson gray matter a second thought.

Turning my head, I screamed through my clenched teeth and motorized weapon and buried the spinning blade into the back head’s neck. Inch by meaty inch, the blade cut through muscle, arteries, marrow, and nerves, and I kept screaming. Screaming at this hell that I was being put through. Screaming as I imagined Brightlight, Cherry Scones, and Uncle Blueblood in place of this vile abomination. Screaming because I was hurting worse than I had ever hurt in my entire life and I was still going. And then, I was screaming at nothing as I watched, wide eyed and crazed as the brahmintaur’s read head rolled down its back and plopped hard on the ground below, staring at me with dead eyes still filled with rage.

For a few moments, I took breath after tortured breath, not moving or even hearing Melody galloping over to me. (Or maybe she flew and that’s why I didn’t hear her?) Then the tears came. The adrenaline was leaving me and only pain and horror remained. I was covered in blood and gore from my head to my hooves. I was beaten and broken beyond what any pony should have to go through. I was in a living hell, whether figurative or literal, I didn’t know.

“Aria, drink this!” Melody commanded, and I suddenly had a healing potion in my mouth. Cool, refreshing elixir washed the blood from my mouth and filled my body with an amazing, tingling feeling. My legs and back started to shift and move in a way I could only describe as disturbing, and I could suddenly breathe a little more comfortably again as my ribs gave a distinct pop.

“Melody,” I croaked, taking a deep breath through my sobs. The warnings in my vision had disappeared and I could suddenly move my legs without my brain threatening to shut down. Blinking away the spots that still danced in my eyes, I looked at my neice as she started to carefully pull me away from the brahmintaur’s corpse. “What was that?”

“A Super Restoration Potion. Compass gave me one after the mummy incident. Here’s a regular potion for you too.” Before I could say anything, I had another potion bottle thrust into my opening mouth and I drank from it greedily. Oh sweet Luna, never has medicine tasted so good. The potions were an almost instant relief and allowed me to roll over and try to stand. Helping me up slowly, Melody hoisted my front right leg over her shoulder to help support me. “Here, I’ve got two more, so here’s one for you. You really shouldn’t have given me one of your last potions, Aria.”

“How did you know I didn’t have anymore potions?” I asked as she slid a purple potion bottle into my bag and my Pipbuck flashed ‘1 Healing Potion.’

“Because otherwise you would have used it up on that thing’s head. But amazing job, Aunt Aria! I saw your legs and thought you were dead on it’s horns.” Melody said as we started limping down the street.

“I got stuck. Golden Star’s Aegis fit right between its horns and that’s probably what saved me. Two potions and I’m still feeling like I might just keel over right here...” I moaned, noticing that I wasn’t the only one limping. “Melody, you’re limping.”

“Sorry. I didn’t stick my landing all that well. My back hoof hit a pothole,” she laughed. “But I’m glad you’re not dead, Aria.”

“Me-”

“Aria! Aria, just die already! You know you should just die in a fire like the rest of us!”

“No!” I shouted, clenching my eyes shut against the voice of Brightlight echoing in my head.

“No what?” Melody asked, stopping, I could only assume, to look at me like I was crazy.

“Run! Get away from those abominations, Aria!” the flame told me, and I nodded.

“We need to get out of here,” I moaned as more voices from my past started assaulting my psyche. “They’re coming.”

“Give up! Give up and die and we’ll spare the girl,” Princess Luna whispered in my ear.

“Leave Melody alone!” I shouted

Then I heard her gasp.

“Voidowls!” she screamed, and my eyes shot open to see a flock of them, a dark swarm covering the ambient light of the Ministry building reflecting off the clouds above, heading straight for us. “We need to find a place to hide. They can’t get us if we’re inside.”

I really hoped that was true.

We hobbled down the street as fast as we could, looking for some way into one of the houses or businesses that lined the city streets. Why wasn’t the badge working? It was supposed to work on everything but feral ghouls, I had seen it repel voidowls myself, so why wasn’t it working for us? Had the robots plasma pistol actually damaged it in some way that we couldn’t see? There were no switches or buttons so I don’t think I turned it off, if that was even possible. What was going on?

“Aria, look! That door is open!” Melody cried as she started steering us towards a large building that, after she pointed it out, had its front door slightly ajar. Above the door was a metallic musical note that read ‘Philharmonica Instruments’ and I couldn’t help but think that this music store looked more like a large house than a proper place of business. “We can hide in there! Hurry!”

“Just die already, you stupid, worthless bitch!” Silver Storm screamed as the voidowls cleared the roofs of the buildings across the street, their voiceless beaks open and ready to rip us to shreds.
We didn’t have time to debate. Rushing towards the open door, Melody threw the door open right as I noticed the four yellow bars on my E.F.S.

“Melody!” I shouted, but it was too late.

“Shit! Ambush!” a mare shouted and green and red lights filled the room.

“Aria!” Melody screamed as she jumped between me and the volley of magical energy blasts. The flashes of light in the darkness of the music store forced me to blink, and when I opened my eyes, my heart stopped beating in my chest.

I watched Melody, her hooves wrapped around me protectively, burst into flame under the hail of laser and plasma fire. I watched her eyes stare at me, asking me why I let her die. I watched what was left of her mane was engulfed in a crown of magical fire and burned away. I then watched as her features melted away, turned into a searing hot pile of green goo that burned away at my face and chest. I felt my armor fuse into my skin, I felt my eyes burn away as the remains of my niece incinerated my eyelids, and I screamed as green flames erupted from my chest, finishing the job they had started three days ago.

And then I blinked and watched as Melody pulled me down to the ground, her side and back covered in magical energy burns, but still whole.

“Melody!” I cried as I checked to see if she was still breathing, completely forgetting about our attackers. I let out a sigh of relief as I saw that she was still breathing and almost cheered when I saw that the burns, while damaging and painful, had not actually burned completely through the plates of her armored barding. Actually, the only damage she had probably taken was from the melted plates burning her skin... But they were probably first and second degree burns that were causing her intense, sudden pain that caused her to black out.

“Sergeant Flash Frame! What have you done? They’re not ambushing us! They were running from those shadowbirds!” I heard another mare yell. Looking up, I finally saw that the voidowls had stopped their assault on my mind. They were circling above, but not diving us. Why had they stopped unless... they were afraid of magical energy blasts!

“Oh yeah, rookie? Then why is one of ‘em a Dashite?” the other said in a drawl not unlike Applebloom’s or Check’s.

“Holy crap, she is a pegasus! What’s she doing down here?” a stallion asked.

“Shit, her marefriend’s still up!” another stallion shouted as I turned my head towards them.

Inside were four pegasi, each wearing Ministry of Awesome pegasus power armor. A mare and a stallion with battle saddles mounted with antenna like objects that acted as either laser or plasma blasters, one mare with an energy lance on his back, and another stallion with power hooves on his forehooves. I would describe them a little better, but behind the insectoid like design and the black carapace it was hard to see anything but their mouths and chins.

“Wait! She’s wearing Lunar Guard armor!” the mare with the energy lance managed to shout before the two with the battle saddles opened fire on me.

Two beams of scarlet energy struck my chest and the side of my helmet, staggering me as the energy heated up my armor, however, when a green bolt of plasma struck my shoulder white hot pain scorched across my entire body and my legs gave out. The pegasus with the plasma pistols approached us as I lay helpless on the sidewalk next to Melody. Looking us over as my left shoulder convulsed involuntarily and I sucked in each breath through clenched teeth, she grimaced at me.

“Still awake? Damn, you’re a tough one to kill, huh?” She spat on Melody’s cheek who groaned softly in response. I mustered up an angry grunt and tried my best to stare daggers at her, but she wasn’t even fazed in the least. She actually laughed. “Don’t worry mudpony, we’re just gonna take care of your Dashite friend and then we’ll be on our way.”

“Wh-What’s a Dashite?” I asked.

“You don’t know?” she asked before shaking her head. “It’s what your friend is. A Dashite is a traitor to the Grand Pegasus Enclave. She abandoned us and came down here so she’s marked a Dashite and a traitor. Any of us Enclave that see a Dashite are to shoot on site. Haven’t you noticed her Dashite Brand?”

“Brand?” I asked, trying to queue up the healing potion Melody gave me through my Pipbuck’s sorting spell without this Pegasus seeing me.

“Right, she covers it with these saddle bags. See right here her cutie marks been...” Kicking aside Melody’s saddlebags, the Enclave pegasus froze at the sight of Melody’s cutie mark. Now was my chance. Hitting the selection button one more time, I grabbed the potion from my saddlebags, bit off the cap, and downed the healing liquid while the mare in the wicked black power armor stayed focused on Melody’s cutie mark. “What the hell? She should have been branded a Dashite if she fled down below.”

“That’s because she’s a Stablepony!” I shouted, drawing the Sword of Everfree in my mouth and charging her. My leg had been healed, but I could still feel the burning on my shoulder and the nasty scar etched into my flesh.

Before she could respond, I swiped at her neck, missing my target and only nicking the underside of her chin as she jumped away from me. I tried to keep the pressure on her, staying at her side to stay out of her battle saddle’s crosshairs and aiming thrusts for her neck. But without my magic, my accuracy was severely hampered and most of my attacks rang harmlessly off her armor’s plating.

Pew! Pew! Pew!

Laser blasts reflected off my shield, striking the wall to my left and hitting a voidowl as it circled above causing the shadowy predators to scatter and some to even flee. Jumping to the side, I put my back to the wall and stood defensively over Melody’s unconscious form.

“She’s a pegasus from Stable Sixty-Three and my niece. She’s not one of your Dashite traitors so you just l-”

Glass shards rained down on me as the pegasus with the powerhooves smashed through a window on the floor above and came down hard on my back. My shield took most of the force, but I was still driven to my knees. Then came two more laser blasts and a plasma bolt to my sides, the pinpoint specs of crimson staggering me to the right and allowing me to barely miss the deadly emerald glob of magical energy.

Blinking, I looked up just in time to receive a devastating powerhoof jab and felt my cheek bone shatter as the powerful attack sent me hard onto the cobblestone street. Tears had already begun streaming down my broken face as the three pegasi gathered around Melody.

“So what are we gonna do about these two, Sarge?” the laser stallion asked while the pugilist of the group eyed me coldly as I lay stunned in the middle of the street.

“Well, we’re definitely going to kill the dirt pounder. The bitch cut me,” the pegasus I realized must be Sergeant Flash Frame said, spitting in my direction, but falling short of actually reaching me. “But we’re going to have to brand the girl too so why don’t we let her auntie watch before we waste her?”

“B-Brand her?” the fourth pony with the energy lance asked, finally appearing through the doorway. “But ma’am, we don’t have an energy brand. We can’t brand her. Plus...” she said, trailing off at the end while looking at me. I couldn’t tell if she was sympathetic or not because of those stupid helmets, but her voice seemed uneasy about all this.

“Plus what, rookie?” the powerhoofed soldier asked, landing and cracking his wings menacingly.

“Well, plus, um, she’s not really a traitor, she’s just a genetic throwback from down here. So if she’s not a citizen of the Enclave trying to abandon us, then she can’t be a Dashite.”

“Good point, Private Star Runner,” the sergeant said suddenly, causing the two stallions’ mouths to drop. “About how we don’t have a brand. I couldn’t care less if she’s not a real Dashite. I’ve always wanted to brand one of those filthy traitors, but we haven’t had any pony turn Dashite since Deadshot Calamity.”

“Or that bitch, Dawn,” the laser pegasus added in disgust.

“Eh, who cares about your Thunderhead gripin’, Duster.” Powerhooves mocked, getting a growl from Duster.

“My folks left Thunderhead and became Neighvarro citizens when I was eight, Fly By. I’m not one of those ground loving idiots over Hoofington,” Duster spat back at Fly By.

“Enough arguing!” Sergeant Flash Frame barked, and all three Enclave soldiers instantly fell quiet. “Private Star Runner! Give me your energy lance so Duster can do some of his doodling on this Stablepony’s backside.”

“I-”

“No!” I shouted, the simple act of talking shooting needles of pain through my eyes and mouth.

“Shut the fuck up!” Duster shouted before planting his forehooves and giving me the hardest applebuck I think a pegasus could ever muster straight to my jaw.

My world went dark. The ringing sound in my ears was the only sensory input that told me I was still alive. As I started to open my eyes, I could taste blood and felt something weird in my mouth. As I spat, pieces of one of tooth came out with it. Probing my mouth with my tongue, I realized that the third right tooth from the center was missing and I had just spit it out in three tiny chunks. And that’s when I heard the screaming.

Looking up, I saw Sergeant Flash Frame on top of Melody, pinning her to the ground as the laser pony, Duster, was standing over her, a glowing blue energy lance in his mouth as he was cutting into Melody’s flanks. I couldn’t see what he was drawing, but I could smell burning flesh and hear Melody’s pained cries as the three Enclave pegasi laughed at the torture they were inflicting on her.

“Stop! Please! Stop! Not my cutie mark!” she screamed through sobs and gasps of intense pain.

“Melody,” I mumbled through my broken mouth, blood running down my chin. The fourth member, Star Runner, was standing in the doorway of the music shop, trying not to watch the atrocity her squadmates were committing until she saw me and placed her hoof over her mouth. However, Fly By seemed to notice me too and laughed.

“Wow, you’re a tough nag, horny. Usually the ponies I kick like that stay down for good,” he said as flew over to me, landing silently besides me.

Before I could do anything, he had my head pinned under his power hooves. He pushed hard as the rocks beneath my cheek started to grate against my skin painfully. Then, after he felt he had sufficiently ground my face into the bloody cobblestones, he bit down on my mane and lifted me up by my hair. Chuckling through his teeth while he kept his hooves painfully hard against my temples, he forced me to continue watching their ghastly work..

“You said she was your niece, right? Well, she’s gonna be a Dashite now. Just like Rainbow Dash.” He let go of my mane, turned his head to look directly at me, and spat in my eye. “Forever branded a traitor.”

“Why?” I asked. Fly By replied by applying pressure to the sides of my head and I screamed as electricity arced from one hoof to the other using my brain as a conduit. It was only for a brief moment, but the darkness was already taking me again.

“Why not? We can’t let her get above the cloud blanket. She’s probably got some nasty dirt dweller’s disease. Plus, it’s Sergeant’s orders, after all.”

“That’s no ex-”

And everything went black... again.

And in the darkness, he was waiting for me. The flame, taking the shape of a powerful unicorn stallion, strode gallantly towards me. The heat off his emerald body warmed my cold, pained soul just like the sun and the moon once had. I couldn’t look away, he was magnificent in his glory.

“Aria.” the flame said in a sad voice. “You know what I require. You know what I can give you. Your pain. Your sorrow. Your rage. Your hatred. Give them to me and I can remake you. Unlock your hidden potential.”

“What hidden potential?” I asked, feeling so very tired, yet refusing to let sleep take me while I was in the flames presence.

“There is great power locked within you, Aria. You have the blood of gods pumping through your veins. You only need to unlock it.”

“You mean Aunt Luna and Aunt Celestia?” I asked. The flame bowed his head slightly and chuckled.

“Yes. Like Celestia and Luna. Give me what I desire from you and I shall give you the key to the power you need. The power to save those you cherish. The power to cleanse this land and make it like Equestria. Not the mockery it has become due to the foolish and horrid natures of the ponies that destroyed it, but the true Equestria that we know can still come.” His voice was smooth like strawberry milk and his offer was exactly what I needed. I needed to be stronger to save Melody. She needed my help. But a part of me was afraid. A part of me feared that this wasn’t real and that I was in Hell. And if I was in Hell, then wouldn’t the balefire stallion asking for my pain, sorrow, rage and hatred be the Demon Lord of the Underworld?

“I can’t.”

“Why do you hesitate? I can give you what you need.”

“I’m afraid.” Was it really that simple? “What if this isn’t real? What if I’m dead and just dreaming this?” I couldn’t bring myself to say ‘What if you’re the devil?’

“And what if this is real? Would you let Melody die?” I could feel tears running down my cheeks.

“No! I-I just...”

“Fine. Then I shall make you a deal. You are hurting, yes?”

“Uh huh.” I said weakly.

“Then give me your pain. I shall heal your body and give you a taste of the power within you. The power only I can grant you. Do it, Aria. Do it for Melody.”

The power to save Melody. The power to stop hurting. The power to make this world more like the Equestria I knew and loved. In the distance, I could hear Melody, crying out my name in unimaginable pain, her voice ripping through my soul. I knew what I had to do.

“Yes! I’ll do it! I’ll give you my pain if you can give me the power to save Melody!” I told the flame.

“Then feel my power coursing through your veins and use it well.”

Suddenly the flame was gone, replaced by a ring of balefire. The fire was all around me, dancing its warm and inviting dance as its spiral drew closer and closer to me. I wanted to run, but I was in a void of darkness, the polar opposite of The Void Beyond, and I couldn’t move. If the flame really was a demon and I had just failed Hell’s test, then I couldn’t fight off my punishment.

The flames jumped out to me, tendrils of flame crawling up my legs and filling my lungs as the most amazing feeling I had ever felt started to encompass my entire being. My whole being was burning, but it felt so good. I could feel my skin vibrating and my mane and tail tingling, but in a good way.

My eyes shot open and the world had a strange greenish tint, but I didn’t care. I felt absolutely amazing! The power coursing through me was practically orgasmic and I could feel it working wonders on my body. My bones were already mending much better than they had under the Super Restoration Potion’s effects and for the first time since before the ghoul attack in the museum I could feel magic flowing through my horn.

It was as if I had been paralyzed and could now walk again. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world. I needed magic, and the flame gave it back to me. It was almost as if I had just spent a month in the desert and was given a nice, cool glass of water, although something deep down felt off. Like there was something wrong with this power. It felt like there was just the smallest drop of oil mixed in with my refreshing drink, but at the moment, I only had one focus, saving Melody. No, make that two focuses, saving Melody and killing these motherfuckers.

“Looks good, Duster. Want me to flip her over so you can start working on the other one or do you wanna fill this one in first?” the sergeant asked.

“Please, stop,” Melody whimpered. Flash Frame growled before smacking Melody hard on her burned and mutilated flank. She let out a blood curdling scream that filled me with such a rage that the fire within me felt like I was about to explode.

“Yeah! Let us have our fun, girl. You don’t wanna end up dead like your auntie here, do ya?” Fly By laughed, but when he looked down at me, his jaw dropped.

“Dead like me?” I said, and sent a bolt of green lightning arcing out of my lancing into Fly By’s chest.

My magic was a lot stronger than I thought now as the force of the blast sent the pegasus hurtling backwards and landing in a heap on the sidewalk, hopefully deader than that brahmintaur I slaughtered earlier. The two M.E.W. weilding pegasi opened fire, but their stunned surprise made them just a few moments too slow. Teleporting away in a flash of emerald magical energy, I appeared between Flash Frame and Duster as their twin beams of green and red magical energy scorched the air where I had been laying and burnt the wall of the business across the street.

“Who’s next?” I giggled, grasping the energy lance in my magical aura and ripping it out of Duster’s mouth with the added bonus of chipping his front teeth in the process. Next, I spun the weapon around and away from Melody as she looked up at me in stunned disbelief, her eyes filled with tears that these miserable excuse for ponies had made her shed. “Well then, I’ll just have to take back those tears in their blood.” The magically enhanced blade practically sang as I spun it around, making sure the arc of the whirlwind of death would catch Flash Frame in its deadly flow.

She saw the blade coming, but not fast enough. As she tried to take to the air, the blade caught her right across the throat, severing her voice box and larynx while cauterizing the wound immediately. She clutched her throat as she fell, suddenly unable to concentrate on flying after such a painful and devastating cut.

Turning my head back to Duster, he started to backpedal away from me, saying something like “Please do-” before I cackled gleefully, spinning the point to face him, before thrusting it forward, under his chin, and continued until the magical blade was planted squarely in the back of his helmet.
“Oh... Did that hurt?” I taunted the pony corpse at my hooves before turning back to Sergeant Flash Frame.

Clutching her throat and making strange noises that sounded like a mixture of a chicken and a clicking noise, I stepped towards her with a smile on my face. The look of sheer terror in her eyes was so deliciously fabulous that I didn’t want it to end.

“You don’t like being on the receiving end, do you Flash Frame?” I giggled as I stepped even closer to her. She tried to back away, but she was only able to flail on the ground as I made my approach. I realized now that she had no way of drawing another breath and was suffocating right here in front of me. Taking her head in my levitation field and making sure to pinch her wings together so she couldn’t try to fly away, I lifted her up, her legs kicking uselessly as I looked into her visor, a green glare staring back at me. “Oh? You can’t breathe? Such a shame. Well, I guess I can be a little bit merciful and put you out of your misery. Time to fry, Sergeant.”

I was about to summon up another blast of lightning, but suddenly I felt a warmth in my chest. It felt almost like acid reflux after eating way too much popcorn at the movies and I needed to burp. Before I knew what I was doing, I opened my mouth wide and felt a tickling at the back of my throat. Then, as I let go of a breath I hadn’t realized I had taken, a torrent of emerald flames shot from my mouth, the balefire ripping away at her power armor and cooking her alive inside her suit. She tried to scream, but no noise emerged from her lips and before I knew it, the red dot on my E.F.S. was no more. Whether it was the flames or the asphyxiation that did it, I don’t know, and in all honesty, I didn’t care.

“You bitch! Get in here and help me, rookie!” I heard Fly By scream from behind me.

Taking up Golden Star’s Aegis, I expected to see the Private, Star Runner, or the powerhoofed pony himself attacking me. Instead, I saw the pony that broke my face struggling to move his limbs as if his own suit were fighting against him while the younger pegasus stood paralyzed in the doorway, unable to move, but unable to look away from the carnage I was doling out to her fellow Enclave soldiers. Then I realized what was really going on and another sadistic giggle escaped my lips.

“Hehehe... I fried your spell matrix, didn’t I? Your power armor won’t move and the joints are all locked up, aren’t they?” I said with a strange glee before teleporting next to him.

“What would you know about Enclave power armor, you fucking demon bitch!” he shouted. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Demon bitch? That’s good. But to answer your question, I know a little bit about Ministry of Awesome Shadowbolt power armor. I heard rumors that the Ministry of Image designed them and that even the tail is a deadly weapon, although you seem to like hitting ponies into submission.”

“How the fuck would you know where this armor came from?”

“Because, Fly By, I’m wearing this armor for a reason. I’m a two hundred and sixteen year old member of the Lunar Guard. I was alive when that armor was developed. You just shot a member of Princess Luna’s Guard and I am within my right to do this!” I shouted before bringing my shield down on his head hard, cracking the helmet as blood splattered the shield’s silver and gold surface.

“Wait! No!” he screamed, but I just brought the shield down again and again and again.

Over and over I slammed Aegis down on the pathetic excuse for a pony lying before me, long after he had stopped moving and his skull was no more than paste littering the Trottingham streets, and with each blow the smile on my face growing larger and the giggle trickling out of my throat became more manic. Finally, after his decapitation was complete, I turned to spy two yellow blips on my E.F.S. One was Melody as she watched me in silent shock, tears still streaming down her bruised face, and the other pegasus, still rooted to the spot where she had stood the entire encounter.

“Good. I would hate to have to chase you down,” I said gleefully as I started my slow and steady approach.

This seemed to snap her out of her petrified state as Star Runner suddenly extended her wings and tried to leap into the air. However, I had my magic now and I knew exactly how to handle a pegasus. Reaching out with my magic, I grabbed both her wings and pulled them back towards me with a hard wrench that caused poor little Star Runner to scream out in agony. I was actually starting to enjoy this even though I wished it were Silver Storm I was about to string up and not this pathetic excuse for a chicken pony.

“Please! This is my first assignment! It’s my first day!” she cried, the tears already falling down her cheeks past her bug eyed visor. “I just want to go home.”

“Like us. It was our first day too,” a tiny voice cried out from the back of my mind, and for the briefest of moments I hesitated.

“So? You didn’t stop them from torturing and mutilating Melody,” I said, my anger rising and burning in my chest as I pushed the tiny voice away.

“But I tried to talk them out of it!”

“Not fucking good enough! It was your lance that did that!” I shouted, pointing back at Melody’s burned and warped cutie mark without even trying to look back.

“I’m sorry!” she cried, breaking down into frantic and terrified sobs before me.

“She’s not like them. Let her go!” the tiny voice proclaimed.

“Tell me something!” I demanded, and I felt her entire body go rigid and start shaking under the grasp of my telekinesis. “A Dashite is a traitor to the Enclave, correct?”

“Y-Yes.”

“And they’re named after Rainbow Dash, the Ministry Mare of the Ministry of Awesome, Leader of the Shadowbolts, and Bearer of the Element of Loyalty?” I asked, getting a desperate nod out of her.

“Right.”

“And what did the Element of Loyalty do to betray the Enclave, huh?” I asked, feeling my eyes tingle and watching as the strange green light flared against her visor.

“She... she went back down below. We... the Enclave were trying to rebuild after Cloudsdale got destroyed. But she said we had to help the ponies down below even though opening the cloud cover and going down below would've been suicide. S-So she abandoned the Enclave when we... they needed her most. She was a traitor,” she explained through sobs of sheer terror.

“Oh you’re not distancing yourself from them now, Star Runner. As I told your currently headless friend over there, I’m a member of the Lunar Guard, Princess Luna’s personal protectos, if you will. And as I see it, Rainbow Dash betrayed the Enclave by staying loyal to Equestria. So I have one question for you, Private Star Runner.” I said coldly.

I swore I could see her eyes trying to bulge through her visor she was so terrified. And you know what? I was loving every minute of it. I had the power now. I was in control. I was the one inflicting the pain on the horrid creatures of the world that called themselves ponies. Right now I really wished Uncle Blueblood had become a ghoul so I could find him, use this power, and rip his spoiled fucking head off.

“Y-Yes?”

"Address me as your superior officer!” I screamed, feeling the flames tickle my throat as I did.

“Yes, ma’am?” she screamed, and I let out a content little laugh.

“If consider somepony who is loyal to Equestria a traitor, and you were a part of Equestria, and you turned your back on it and let it die, what would you call that pony?” I asked. I lifted a hoof to play with the loose strands of purple hair hanging out of her helmet and then began to use them to tickle her chin playfully. It was so fun to be in control for once. I could even see the sweat forming underneath the matted baby blue of her fur. Swallowing hard, she nervously smiled at me.

“A traitor?”

“Very good!” I praised her before grinning and letting out a low chuckle. “And what was the penalty for treason back in my time?” I asked, watching her breath catch before ripping her helmet off her head to look into her terrified green eyes.
“Answer me!”

“Death!” she cried.

“Correct again! Tell her what she’s won, Jockey!” I proclaimed playfully, mimicking the voice of one of the old game show hosts from a show I would watch when I was younger.

“Huh?”

“She’s won an all expense trip to Hell! First class! So I just have one question for you, Star Runner. Would you like to fry like the pigeon you are?” I laughed as sparks began to fly off my horn while the fire began to scratch at my throat and the sides of my mouth as emerald flames began to trickle out around my lips. “Or burn in the hellfire you left Equestria to die in?”

“Please! That wasn’t me! I didn’t do that! It’s my first day! I didn’t want to do this, but my family needs the money! We were just supposed to get some stupid music file for Colonel Autumn Leaf! It wasn’t supposed to be like this! Please! I just want to see my mom and little brother again!” she plead desperately, and I froze.

“She’s not like them! Let her go! You’ll hate yourself if you kill her!”

“No!” I hissed, fighting within myself as to whether I would pass judgment on this girl. Was she innocent or guilty, and was I really suitable to be judge, jury, and executioner? Looking at her more closely, I suddenly realized that she was younger than me, maybe only fourteen or fifteen, and the notion that she hadn’t wanted any of this was beginning to take shape in my mind.

But she had just stood by and let this happen. She had to be punished!

With her life?

Yes! Think of all the ponies that died because of these Enclave sons of bitches!

But has she killed anypony?

I didn’t know what to do. The little voice was fighting as hard as it could against the sea of thoughts that sought Star Runner’s death and, for some strange reason, she was holding her own against my mind’s lust for vengeance that I hadn’t even known I needed until a few minutes ago.

I had to end this! I had to end her! But I couldn’t! But I must! But... but...

“Aria... Please don’t do this,” Melody said weakly as I felt a hoof delicately placed on my shoulder.

“Why not? Look what they did to you,” I said coldly, not even looking at her. I couldn’t take my eyes away from Star Runner’s, I could even see the flame within calling for me to end her.

“She didn’t do this. They took her lance. They threatened her. You killed the others, don’t do this. Please Aria, you’re not a monster,” she said, before her voice caught.

“A monster! How could you call me a-”

As I whipped around on her, I saw it. The window of the music shop was glowing bright green. I let Star Runner go and heard Melody tell her to run, but I was too mesmerized by the green flame in the dirty window to notice at the time. Was the flame on the other side? Could he tell me what to do? He would know what I should do with the pegasus. Reaching out my bloody hoof, I wiped away the dirt and grime coating the window, and what awaited me on the other side was not me.

Staring back at me was the demon from the bathroom mirror, but this time I knew it was me. The blood on my face was a mixture of the brahmintaur’s, Fly By’s, and my own. I could feel my mane tingling as the green and blue flames danced on the top of my head, the green energy flowing out of my eyes matched the light green tint the world had taken on, and my tongue poked at the sharp fangs that had replace many of my teeth, including the one that Fly By had knocked out. Turning to look at my backside, I could even see that my tail was a thick whip of balefire flames and blue streaks.

“Melody! Stand back I’ll... Aria?” I heard Shadowbuck announce before I spun around to see the two stallions turn a corner and rush towards us, only to stop when they realized that I was me and not a monster they would have to kill. As Compass rushed to Melody’s side, Shadowbuck slowly approached me, taking off his helmet and showing me the concern and fear in his gray eyes. “Aria. Wha-what happened to you?”

Looking at the carnage I had wrought upon the Enclave pegasi, I felt sick. The energy lance buried in Duster’s skull, the blue magical aura slowly cooking his brains inside a bone marrow skillet. The glowing green skeleton in a suit of power armor that had just minutes ago been Sergeant Flash Frame. I felt like vomiting as I saw the blood and brain matter splattering the cobblestones where Fly By’s head had once been.

I knew what had happened to me.

“I-I’m a monster,” I said, and suddenly felt the rush of power leave me. My mane stopped tingling, my gums shifted in the strangest manner, my vision became clearer, and I immediately felt weak and nauseous. Collapsing to my knees and then falling on my side, my head hanging off the sidewalk, I wrapped my hooves around my stomach as a surge of bile rushed out of my body. But what came out of me wasn’t vomit. No. It was some strange, rainbow colored liquid that poured out of my mouth and began to pool among the cobblestones. I heard a acidic hiss as the viscous liquid started to eat away at the street and heard Shadow yelp as he jumped away from me.

“Shit! What the fuck! Melody! Compass! Stay back! Don’t touch that shit!” he shouted, his words filling me with dread, but I couldn’t ask what was wrong as the not-vomit continued to pour from my mouth. I couldn’t breathe, it just kept coming, and I couldn’t feel an end to it.

Then, as I was about to pass out, it stopped, and I could breathe again. And then, the pain came.
So much pain. So much agony. It was like my body was trying to turn itself inside out. I needed help, but Compass and the others were backing away from me as I writhed and screamed on the sidewalk.

“Luna! It hurts so much! Help!” I screamed.

“Compass, try to pull her over here, but don’t get her in that Taint!”

“Taint? The stuff you warned us about?” Melody whimpered as Compass helped support her, his left forehoof around her protectively.

“Yeah! Get her away from that stuff! Help her!” Shadow shouted.

As Compass tried to pull me over to them, far away from the ‘Taint’ that I had vomited, I rolled again and came face to face with something that hadn’t been there a moment before. I know it hadn’t, and by everypony’s reactions, they knew it hadn’t been there either.

I reached out and wrapped my forelegs around a tiny statuette of a pony I knew from so very long ago. It was of a stallion that I loved with all my heart wielding a silver and gold shield that was currently lying in the middle of the street where Star Runner had once been groveling for her life. Hugging the miraculous little figurine to my chest, I started to cry. I kissed his light blue hair and marveled at his confident and loving sea blue eyes.

I closed my eyes against the tears while placing my horn against his, and a spark that I didn’t quite understand became a bridge between us. It was odd, but welcomed because I could feel him in it. I could feel Golden Star’s presence and the pain slipped away. As I made a connection to Golden Star’s statuette, everything disappeared and the hellish world around me was gone.

I was walking down a pristine Trottingham street with a slight limp. I felt something restricting, yet supporting my right hind leg allowing me to walk since it wasn’t moving quite right. It was almost as if my leg didn’t have the strength or desire to move with the rest of my legs. It wasn’t like my leg was broken, it was just... off. At least the smoothly paved sidewalk was better for walking than the cobblestone streets.

The sky was a gorgeous blue that I felt relieved to see. The gloomy eternal cloud cover of the Wasteland made me suddenly realize I missed the blue sky a lot. The birds swooped and sang a joyous tune and I really wished I could stop to take the world I once knew in. To just stand there and absorb the sunlight and revel in the sounds of the city around me. Chittering squirrels, the rhythmic clopping of the hooves as the ponies around me went about their busy days without having to decapitate anyone. But my host just continued walking, completely unaware like the rest of the world that the beauty all around them would soon be gone. Although why I was walking with my legs spread a little farther apart than they needed to be...

“Oh no! I’m in a stallion!” Wait a second. There was something familiar about the body I was now occupying. The lock of light blue hair that fell into his eyes looked extremely familiar. Did I know this stallion?

That question was quickly answered as the sound of choppy music began to play from a music shop he was passing and he stopped in front of a familiar window. He peered through the window as an orange earth pony mare with a bright orange mane of long flowing curls was giving a purple pegasus filly a piano lesson. The little filly was slowly pressing the keys as her teacher watched silently from beside her. The stallion smiled softly at the heart warming scene inside Philharmonica Instruments, and his aqua hair and bright blue eyes looked back at me. He seemed older and much more tired, but I knew this stallion and the sight of him filled me with so much joy and sadness I thought I might burst out of his mind any second and give him a hug.

I was experiencing one of Golden Star’s memories. Somehow, someway that I didn’t understand, the mysterious statuette was acting like a memory orb. How was such a thing possible? Where did it come from?

As these completely valid and highly puzzling questions kept bubbling to the surface of my mind, I realized that we were moving. My brother started limping away before turning around just in time to run headlong into a bespectacled earth pony mare who was too busy looking in the other window while walking to notice him. The powder blue earth pony toppled over, letting out a squeak of surprise as she thrust out her forehooves and wrapped her legs around Golden Star’s neck.

And with a strength that I knew my brother had, even with his bum leg, Golden Star stood firm, allowing the mare to catch herself, as her blue eyes met his over the rim of her glasses. I felt Golden Star’s heart flutter in his chest at the sight of her and found that a little odd. I mean, I guess she was pretty in a sense, but she was mostly average. To be honest, those eyes were about the only thing that she had going for her that set her apart from every other mare I had ever seen give Golden Star the slightest bit of his attention. Those eyes were the same as his, a sparkling blue like the sea on a clear morning.

“Are you okay, miss?” he asked as she set herself upright and pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose. Wow... those things were thick. Could she see anything farther than a few inches in front of her without them?

“Oh. I-I’m sorry,” she apologized, letting go of his neck and trying to hide the blush crossing her cheeks.
Golden Star gave her a once over, although I really didn’t like how he lingered on her flanks a little longer than I felt comfortable with. It was only a few moments more, but I was seeing through my big brother’s eyes so I definitely noticed it. I never took Golden Star for the flank staring type. Did all stallions like to stare at flanks? I threatened Shadowbuck and he still did it. Was it just reflex for them? Why was I even trying to think of an excuse for this kind of behavior?

“No. It’s alright, miss. I should have been watching where I was going.”

“No, no, no.”

“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have been watching Dolly’s lessons and walking at the same time. I should have been more careful, but it’s always so cute seeing her teaching little Keynote to play an instrument,” she said until the little filly played a few sour notes in a row and caused the two to flinch. “I don’t know if piano is her talent either.”

“Do you know them?” Golden Star asked as he looked back through the window.

“Yes. That's Dolly, Da Capo Philharmonica's wife, and Keynote is the daughter of the head flautist and head violinist for the Royal Trottingham Symphony. She hasn’t found her special talent yet so she’s taking lessons from the Philharmonicas to try to discover it. So far the flute, the the violin, the trombone-” Another sour note cut her off and she smiled sadly. “And it seems the piano escapes her as well.”

“Maybe her talent isn’t in music?” Golden Star speculated. It would make sense. While families tended to share talents, like Golden Star and I sharing a talent for magical combat, but your family wasn’t an end all, be all in cutie mark destinies.

“That’s a possibility, but I don’t think she would like that very much,” the mare said.

“Why’s that? Are her parents that demanding?”

“No. It’s her brother, Grand Crescendo. He’s the new conductor for the Canterlot Symphony Orchestra and her dream is to work side by side with him some day. She adores her big brother and wants to be just like him,” she said, smiling contently. I could feel an ache spreading across Golden Star’s chest and his eyes left the unicorn filly at the piano and started staring at the ground.

“She wants to be just like him?” he asked sadly. The mare seemed to notice his change in mood and her smile faded, quickly replaced by concern.

“What’s wrong? You... you look like you’re about to cry,” she asked, placing her hoof on his shoulder.

“I-It’s nothing... It’s just that... I used to be a big brother.” The confusion that crossed the mare’s face suddenly turned to realization and then sadness as she finally noticed something.

“The war?” she asked. Golden Star looked back at his leg, finally showing me the black brace that allowed him to walk on his back right leg, and nodded.

“How did she die?” she asked before adding. “Oh! This is rude of me. I hardly know you and I shouldn’t be prying and-”

“Zebra terrorist attack in Canterlot. She sacrificed herself to save a lot of ponies. Probably saved all of Canterlot,” he said solemnly, never truly returning the mare’s gaze.

“A zebra terrorist attack on Canterlot... Was she a Lunar Guard?” she asked, snapping Golden Star’s attention back to her.

“Yes. How did you know that?” he asked. I’d like to know that too. From what I was told in Stable Sixty-Three, the initial report about my death made news, but everything was swept under the rug after the funeral the next day thanks to Uncle Blueblood.

“I’m a reporter for the Trottingham Herald,” she replied, showing her cutie mark to him. This time I actually paid attention to her flanks, the first time I was trying to be respectful, and saw that her cutie mark was a newspaper, but instead of words she had sheet music written across the front page. “Well, a music critic-slash-reporter, but I remember news about a Lunar Guard sacrificing herself to save Canterlot from a zebra attack. The next day we had one of our reporters out of our Canterlot office go to the funeral and she was sending us the article when the story got cancelled by the higher ups. It was weird stuff that usually only happens when Image or Morale steps in. I think the Canterlot Chronicle was the only paper that covered it and the article was short and on page six of section ‘E.’ I always wondered what happened there.”

“Blueblood happened,” Golden Star growled before turning back to the window with a sigh.

The mare turned to the window as well and they both watched as the filly was left alone while the earth pony mare had to go help a customer. They stood in silence and watched as Keynote left the piano and started walking among the instruments. Occasionally they would take sidelong glances at each other, but one would usually catch the other, a nervous smile would be exchanged, and their attentions would return to the filly. I watched through Golden Star’s eyes as Keynote moved over to the guitars and the mare finally broke the awkward silence. “So what was her name?”

“Aria.”

“What was she like?” she asked.

“She... she was great. She always had her nose firmly planted in every book that she could find. She loved to study, especially history and magic, even when her talent was magical combat. She... she idolized Aunt Luna and wanted to be a member of her personal guard,” he explained, getting a shocked reaction from his companion.

“Aunt Luna? But... You... I... You mean you and your sister were royalty? You’re a prince!? Oh my Celestia! I just... You... I-” she said, blown away by the realization that my brother was of the royal family. Realizing that she was on the verge of 'fangirlism,' the mare smiled and pushed her glasses up her nose. “I’m sorry. Continue. It’s just hard to believe that a princess was killed by zebra forces and it didn’t make the papers? How is that even possible? Even with Prince Blueblood’s interference, which I don’t understand, why would anypony do that to a princess who saved Canterlot?”

“It’s because Aria was considered illegitimate and not a real princess. Everypony considered her my bastard half-sister, but my mom insisted that she didn’t cheat on my dad. Then she suddenly confessed and killed herself, and I don’t buy it. I-I’ve always thought, especially after what he did to Aria, that Uncle Blueblood might have had something to do with that,” he snarled before closing his eyes tight. “And you want to know the really stupid thing?”

“What?” she asked, and when Golden Star opened his eyes he was greeted with an inquisitive set of blue eyes staring back at him.

“Since I moved here I ran into an old teacher of Aria’s, Dr. Hoofentrotter at the Trottingham Natural History Museum. I started researching my sister’s favorite things, especially Medieval Equestrian History. It was my way to honor her and, I guess, mourn...”

“What does Medieval Equestrian History have to do with your sister?” she asked, levelling the query that I was just thinking as well.

“The Everfree’s, the medieval lords of the lands where Ponyville is now built, were married into the royal family. Do you know what the most defining characteristic of the Everfree family was?”

“Can’t say that I do,” she said, shaking her head.

“They were brown. Up until six hundred years ago, brown was a common color among the royal family. Then the royal family seemed to constantly marry a certain type of pony, namely white coated unicorns of high station. That’s why my grandparents, my parents, my uncles, and I all have white coats, it’s a strong hereditary line. But Aria was born brown and everypony jumped to the conclusion that my mother had committed adultery. Now... Now I think my sister might really have been my legitimate sister and she was just a genetic throwback.”

What!? Was this true? Could I really be a throwback to the Everfree line? I had read that they had been brown of coat, but I never drew Golden Star’s conclusion. However, it made sense. If Melody could be born a pegasus two hundred years after her last pegasus ancestor, then was it really so far fetched that I could be born brown, but still be Starshine and Elegant Star’s legitimate daughter?

If I had had a body, I would probably have been shaking. If this was true, then mom really didn’t cheat on Golden Star’s dad and Starshine was actually my father too. But what about Dream’s vision? Could that be wrong? Was this ‘Guardian Heart’ not really my father? That made sense too, if I really thought about it. That gray earth pony mare wasn’t my mother, I knew that, so it was highly possible that the vision of a possible timeline that never came to be must have been radically different.

Or maybe even a lie.

Ow... Time-Space/Alternate Timeline Theory made my non-existent head hurt.

“Just look at me. I’m gushing all my frustrations and crazy theories about how screwed up my family is to a mare I just met. I don’t even know your name,” Golden Star said. Turning to her, he smiled as she offered him her hoof.

“My name is Page Turner and it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Prince...”

“Golden Star. It’s just Golden Star. It’s an honor to meet you, Miss Page Turner,” he said, taking her hoof and bowing his head to genteelly kiss it. Wow. Smooth move, bro. I could tell by the blush on Page Turner’s cheeks and her wide eyed expression that he had made quite the impression on her.

Of course, I could also feel the heat tickling Golden Star’s muzzle and knew he was a little embarrassed by his actions as well. “And, again, I’m sorry that I just spilled my guts to you. It’s just that Aria’s death and my injury have been hard on everypony. It hit grandmother worst of all.”

“It’s no matter, Golden Star. I’m a reporter. I tend to have a knack for getting information out of ponies,” she giggled before she tapered off and nervously pushed up her glasses. “Oh... I’m sorry for your loss.”
Grandmother died because I died? Thank you universe for throwing more guilt on my shoulders! While you’re at it, why don’t you just tell me that my birth brought on the apocalypse too, huh?

“She’s not dead, but she might as well be,” he said solemnly. What!? How could you say that Golden Star!? “When I woke up in the hospital, a cousin came to visit and told me she was ill. When I finally was discharged and released from the military, I went back home.”

“What was the matter?” Page Turner asked, making me realize that this was more the prying questions of a newspony than any form of therapy, but maybe it would help Golden Star too. I really hoped this mare wasn’t taking advantage of my brother for her newspapers gain.

“Her mind’s practically gone. She just spends her entire day rolling around in her wheelchair and have imaginary conversations with Aria. She straightens Aria’s room every day and even scolds her for not keeping her room tidy and...”
I don’t know if you know this, but tears forming in a host pony’s eyes still sting just as much as your own would, especially if you want to cry just as bad as they do. But before the both of us could start crying, Page Turner did something I never would have expected of a complete stranger, she hugged him. Golden Star stiffened under her contact, but the kindness radiating through her physical touch even reached me in the spectral form I was taking in this memory.

“The war has inflicted too much pain on Equestria, Golden Star.”

“Ha-have you lost someone too?” he asked, his voice shuddering against his sorrows.

“No. But Da Capo Philharmonica has. His family and mine have been friends for years and I’ve watched the war rip them apart. The youngest boys all enlisted and only Pipsqueak came home. Windy Reed came back in a coffin and they never recovered Sliding Scale’s body. Their mother, Evening Hymn, died shortly after of a broken heart. And Octavia...” She suddenly trailed off, breaking the hug and re-adjusting her glasses. “Let’s just say that the Ministry of Morale doesn’t take kindly to wartime dissenters.”

“Yeah... the ministries...” Golden Star grumbled before looking back in the window.

Inside, Keynote had lifted an acoustic guitar into her magical grasp and was plucking strings experimentally. A smile crossed her face at the sound of the steel strings before she took the guitar’s neck between her left fetlock and started strumming away at the strings. My jaw would have dropped if I had one as the little filly started playing a skillful arpeggio, something more akin to a country western riff than anything rock and roll or classical, and her smile grew. Page Turner and Golden Star watched, a warmth growing in my brother’s chest as the little filly continued to play, and I even noticed that the mare and the customer stopped talking to watch.

And then an everyday miracle happened. A magical light that came to all fillies and colts who had discovered their special talent erupted from Keynote’s flanks. She did not even seem to notice as she continued playing the jaunty and high spirited guitar solo that was pouring forth from her very soul, but all the adults that were watching smiles as a guitar matching the one she was playing appeared and Keystone’s cutie mark has fully formed.

“She did it,” Page Turner said in hushed tones, and Golden Star let out an affirmative hum and gave a nod.
Inside, the orange mare was all smiles as she rushed over to Keynote and took her and her guitar into a big hug. The little filly seemed confused until the customer gave his congratulations and she suddenly realized she had a cutie mark. The little unicorn let out an excited cheer and Golden Star and I felt a gentle nudge from Page Turner.

“Makes you have some hope for the future, doesn’t it?” she asked, and Golden Star let out a small chuckle.

“Yeah. It does.”

“I have violin lessons with Da Capo in a few minutes. Why don’t you come in with me and congratulate Keynote?” she asked, nodding towards the entrance of Philharmonica Instruments.

“I wouldn’t want to intrude. I guess if you have someplace to be, then this is goodbye,” he said. An ache in his chest telling me that Golden Star did not want the brief time he shared with this kind, smart, and strange mare to end, but he was too proper and unsure to act on his feelings.

“Come on, Golden Star! Ask her out! Ask to see her again! Get her number!”

“But it would be rude not to do it, and we can’t have that, now can we?” she asked, and I laughed along with Golden Star at her mocking tone. She then sidled up next to him and looked up into his eyes from over her glasses. “You can be my guest.”

“No. I guess we can’t,” he mumbled before she came up next to him and I felt his heart flutter again. Wow. This mare really made an impression of Golden Star, didn’t she? Come on, bro, say something cool. “Okay.”

At least it was something.

“Okay,” she echoed before leading my brother into the music store as a gray earth pony stallion with charcoal black hair came out of the back room to see what all the commotion was about. “And maybe after my lessons we can get to know each other a little better over dinner?”

“Are you asking me on a date, Miss Page Turner, or is this your reporter’s instincts looking at a story?” he asked. She scoffed and rolled her eyes before smiling at Golden Star playfully.

“I’m a music critic, Golden Star, not a news hound. This will be strictly off the record.” She then turned her attention to the filly who was hugging her guitar with all her strength and beaming like it were Hearth’s Warming Eve and she had just gotten her favorite toy. “Congratulation, Keynote.”

“Thank you, Miss Page Turner! Who’s your coltfriend?” Keynote asked, getting a surprise out of my brother and a giggle out of Page Turner.

“Just a new friend I made recently. He wanted to say congratulations too. Didn’t you, Prince Golden Star?” she declared, causing every eye, including Golden Star’s, to go wide. Collecting himself far faster than I would have, Golden Star smiled and nodded to Keynote.

“Yes. Congratulations on your cutie mark, Keynote,” he told her before tousling her hair like he used to do to me. I felt a sadness pang at his heart while a smile crossed his face.

“Thank you, Prince Golden Star. I hope my big brother likes my cutie mark. He’s coming home to visit next week,” she giggled.

“I’m sure you’ll always make your big brother proud, no matter what, Keynote,” Golden Star said. Then, in the blink of an eye, the world was gone and replaced by a sea of white.

“Hey Aria,” I heard Golden Star’s voice say behind me, and I froze. Wide eyed, my heart racing, I slowly turned and was confronted by the soft blue eyes and the comforting smile of the most important stallion in my life. I could feel the tears already pouring down my face as I looked at him and I could see that they were starting to build in his eyes too.

“I-Is that really you?” I asked, and he nodded. “But how?”

“Death. She came to me and a few other ponies and asked for our help. She said that you were alive, but in a horrible place and that you needed our help if your were to survive,” he explained as I slowly approached him across the Void Between Worlds.

“But how is this possible? Why would Death do this?” I asked, reaching out and feeling his strong, powerful chest beneath my hoof. Then, before I even thought about doing it, I took him into the biggest hug of my life. I felt his hoof around my neck and nuzzled him lovingly, never wanting him to let go.

“I don’t know how it’s possible, but Death showed me things, showed me who she was and your future. She said she could make an empty soul and create something called a ‘linked soul jar’ to house them. They’d act as a connection between you and the souls of the ponies on the other side that want to help,” he explained as I cried and held him close.

“Why is she helping me? What does this soul jar even do?” I had no idea what a soul jar was, such magic was astounding and I should have been asking a thousand questions a second, but at the moment that was all I could ask as I held my brother tight.

“She said it would impart some of our strength to you, but she said she wanted something more. She said we had to give you hope so she imbued the statuettes with one of our memories before she placed them at the site our memory took place. That’s why you found it there and that’s why I showed you that. It was the happiest day of my life,” he said softly while stroking my mane the way he always had.

“Really? Why?”

“Because it’s the day I met my wife, Aria,” he said happily. I pulled away from him, looking up at him with a smile slowly spreading across my face.

“You mean Page Turner?”

“Yep. She’s the love of my life, Aria. She was kind, funny, and she loved to read. She actually reminded me a little of you,” he laughed before tousling my my mane. I giggled before taking him into another hug.

“I’m glad you found your special somepony, big bro. Is she with you in heaven?”

“Yeah, she is. And so are my children and grandchildren.”

“I wish I was there with you,” I whispered, but he stiffened as I said those words. Breaking apart the hug, he looked deep into my eyes, an anger I had never seen before making those calm blue eyes as turbulent as a stormy sea.

“Never say that, Aria! Life is a gift and you’ve been given a second chance!” he chastised me.

“But the world isn’t what it was. It’s a nightmare out there without you! I-I can’t do it, Golden Star. Equestria has become a living hell!” I argued before he pulled me back into a tight hug.

“I know, Aria! I know what happened. Death showed me. She showed all of us, but she also showed us the future. Your future. She showed us that there is hope for you and all of Equestria, but only if a few good ponies make sure the darkness doesn’t take over. The gardens will bloom someday, Aria, but if you die, if you just give up, then Voidheart will return and that day of sunshine and rainbows will never come. The Lightbringer will not succeed. You have to stop him, Aria!”

“Why me!? Why do I have to stop him? I’m just a stupid unicorn! Death and Dream and Psyche are alicorns, let them do it!” I shouted, burying my face in his shoulder as I let out frustrated and sorrowful tears.

“Because you have a destiny far greater than any of us could ever imagine, but you’ve got to remember something,” he said, holding me tightly as I cried.

“What?” I sobbed, not wanting to hear any more of this.

“You have to keep on fighting and never give up. Life is hard. Life isn’t fair. But we’ve gotta fight to find and protect the good things it gives us.” He then pulled me away again, looking in my tear filled eyes with a determine gaze that radiated with his strength. “Because no matter how hard things get, no matter how bad it looks, we have to protect the things most important to us. You have the potential for great things and you already have something you want to protect, don’t you, Aria?”

“Melody,” I whispered, remembering my niece. But I also remembered Shadowbuck, the stallion who was willing to leave behind his brothers to stay with us and make sure we were safe. And Compass, Melody’s coltfriend, who was willing to do anything to save us. “But what if this isn’t real, Golden Star? What if I’m just going crazy... or worse?”

“Then nothing you do will matter, will it? But I have one question for you, sis? What if all this is real? Would you let darkness descend on Equestria? Would you leave your friends or my granddaughter to die?”

“N-No!” I replied, feeling a new fire start to burn in my chest.

“Then keep on fighting! Keep fighting until the world is a world where you don’t need to fight anymore! Make this world more like the Equestria we knew!” he said confidently, and I nodded.

“You really think that I’m the one that prophecy was talking about?” I asked, and he just smiled.

“You were always destined for greatness, kid.”

“And... and do you really think that I’m your real sister?” I asked, remembering his conversation with his future wife.

“I know so. But even if you weren’t and mom really did have an affair, you’ll always be my sister. You were never a bastard or a half-sister in my eyes, Aria. You’re my sister and I’m your brother and you never forget that,” he said before letting go of me. I could see his image starting to flicker and fade before my very eyes and his smile faded.

“What’s going on?” I asked, reaching out for him again and watching as my hoof passed right through him.

“I think our connection is fading, Aria. Death said it was only a one time thing, I just didn’t think it would end so quickly. Listen to me. There are paintings and books all about our family in the Trottingham University Archives. They’ll tell you what I found out and get rid of any of your doubts. Oh! And you’re using my old shield now, right?”

“Yes! It’s saved my life more times than I can count,” I answered.

“Well, there’s a memory orb in a safe in my office at my estate. I was going to give it to Dr. Hoofentrotter, but I forgot it when the bombs fell in Manehatten and we had to rush to Stable Sixty-Three. The combination is six-twelve-eighteen. That’s a very special shield you’ve got, Aria. Take care of it,” he shouted as he began to fade into the stark white of the Void Between Worlds.

“I will! I love you, big brother!”

“I love you too, little sis! Remember to keep on fighting!” he called out. I reached out to him one last time, but he just smile at me. And then, without a brilliant flash or even a bright light, he was gone.
And that’s when I woke up.

My eyes snapped open to the sight of a dark and dusty living room. Two couches, arranged in an ‘L’ shape, and a recliner were aligned in front of an old television. I happened to be lying on the couch facing the kitchen and I frowned at the rancid taste of oranges coating my tongue. Smacking my lips, I fought the urge to vomit again before pushing myself up to a sitting position.

Thump.

Looking down, I saw that I had knocked the statuette off the couch and onto my saddlebags, armor, and shield that were lying on the floor beneath me. Before I could remember that my magic wasn’t working, I reached out and my horn sprang to life, engulfing the statuette in a blue aura of magic that filled my heart with joy. I smiled as I lifted the statuette of my brother into the air, giggling softly as I caused it to soar like a pegasus in flight, before I took into a hug and felt the warmth of Golden Star’s presence flow through me.

I looked over the detail of my brother’s ‘soul linked’ figurine as he saluted back at me. From his handsome features to his sparkling eyes, the statue was perfect. At it’s base were three simple words that held so much weight, ‘Keep On Fighting.’

“I will, Golden Star,” I whispered as I gave my miniature brother one final hug before slipping the statue in next to my mother’s tiara. My family deserved to be together, even if I wasn’t really one of them; they deserved that much. Letting out a pained sighed, I looked around the quaint little living room I was currently sitting in.

The room was also a dining room, which had a long table with ten places set, and it led into a kitchen that was divided from the joint family room by a long counter. Slowly getting off the couch while fighting a bit of nausea and dizziness, I stepped over my gear to a row of pictures on the wall. An image of three young stallions in uniform, two with charcoal hair and gray coat while the other had a white and brown spotted coat, were proudly saluting as Princess Luna walked by. Next to it was another picture, this one of the gray stallion and the orange mare from Golden Star’s memory in wedding attire. And finally a picture of two mares I knew on sight.

On the left was a white unicorn mare dressed in the most gaudy looking record player costume I had ever seen. Her two-toned blue hair was pulled up into a record shaped hat, her black dress was covered in white musical notes, and her tail had been used to thread a giant record needle. However, with her signature purple sunglasses, I could recognize the famous Vinyl Scratch, also known as the original DJ-Pon3, even when she was wearing a get up that made Photo Finish’s outfits look tasteful.

Even though I wasn’t a fan of her music, it was hard not to recognize the world famous DJ. She was a favorite at Ministry Mare Pinkie Pie’s parties, her albums were only second to Sweetie Belle’s in popularity, and her face was usually plastered across the Hesupermarket tabloids back in wartime Equestria.

It was her friend, the unassuming gray earth pony mare in the pink princess costume that drew my attention though because up until two days ago I would not have known her. Thanks to a strange vision courtesy of the Lord of Dreamland, I knew that this charcoal haired mare who shared my eyes as the mare that could have been my mother had the world been different. But now that I knew what Golden Star had discovered about House Everfree, I didn’t know if could trust that vision. Or anything these Eternals told me, for that matter.

And yet, I couldn’t look away from the photo. This mare whose name I did not even know had a poise and grace that she gave the camera through her demure and ladylike smile that I could never accomplish. Her grace and charisma just oozed out of the photograph. There was no way I could be her daughter just as I could not have been Golden Star’s sister. I was nothing like my family in either realities. I looked back at the statuette poking out of my saddlebags with a heavy heart before magically lifting the photo off the wall and sliding it in next to them.

I don’t know why I wanted to take the picture, I just did. The most rational explanation would be that I wanted another item of the past to remind me of where I came from and keep me sane. The irrational explanation would be that I wanted to get closer to a mare that my quickly evaporating mind wanted to hold onto as a mother figure. I knew this gray earth pony even less than I did my own mother, but the concern she showed in that vision was still more than I had ever received from Elegant Star. Sighing, I continued my reconnaissance mission of this strange house I had awoken in.

That’s when I came across the terminal in the corner. The screen was already open to a series of messages between somepony named Da Capo and another named Octavia. Sitting down, I opened the last e-mail and was greeted by the face of the stallion from the end of Golden Star’s memory.

“Hey Tavi! First off, let me say you are simply amazing! I can’t believe you were able to compose something like this. Okay, to be honest, I can. You’re the best musician this family has ever seen and only someone with your talents can write this breathtaking a piece of orchestral music. This is a symphony for the ages. I’m so glad you were able to get an orchestra, even one as small as the Hoofington Orchestra, to help you record this. This one puts your previous compositions to shame, Tavi,” Da Capo Philharmonica ranted and raved, holding up a print out of sheet music that was pretty much Fancee to me.

“Just so you know, I’m sending you my notes and also sending a copy to Maestro, G Major and Willow Wind’s son. He’s the new conductor at the Canterlot Symphony Orchestra and he’s always been a fan of yours, I’m sure he can talk the Board of Trustees into letting you back in after they hear this. I can’t bear to think of you working for chump change out there in Flankfurt. You are a star, Tavi, and you should be treated and paid like one. You shouldn’t be in this mess because of your political views...” his brown eyes fell to stare at a paper on the desk, and he sighed.

“The war’s taken a lot from us, but things are getting better. Dad’s coming out of his bunker downstairs every now and again, and Pip got a position in Security at Stable Sixty-Two, you know, if worst comes to worst. I know you believe in the best in everyone, pony and zebra alike, but things are getting crazy. You should try to get a pass for a Stable. Maybe you should try Stable Ninety? I hear it’s nearby Flankfurt.”

Suddenly, there was a buzzing coming from nearby and Da Capo’s brow furrowed in confusion. However, that look gave way to shock and horror as sudden realization crossed his face.

“Dolly! Dolly! Grab Opry and our things! We’ve got to get on the ferry to the museum!” he shouted, forgetting about the message that was recording as he leapt to his hooves and galloped out of view. As the recording kept playing, I heard more voices pop up.

“Da Capo! What’s going on?” a mare with a southern accent asked.

“We’ve got the call from Stable-Tec! The receiver's buzzing like crazy and there isn’t a drill scheduled for the next three weeks!” (Banging on a door.) “Dad! Come on! Something’s happening! This isn’t a drill! We’ve got to get to Stable Sixty-Three!”

“I’m not leaving my home for those striped bastards to plunder! This house and shop have been in our family for almost three hundred years!” an older male voice, muffled and rough, responded angrily.

“Dad, please, this is crazy.” Da Capo plead, but after a few moments of silence, his father did not bother to reply.

“Mum, dad, what’s going on?” a colt asked off screen, his voice filled with fear only because his parents seemed to be scared.

“Nothing, honey, just go get the things we said ya could bring with ya to the museum, okay?” Dolly said softly, but she was thankfully within range of the terminal’s built-in microphone. “We’re going on a little trip, but we’ve gotta hurry.”

“It’s like a game?” he asked, and my stomach clenched. The innocence of a child. On a day like the end of the world, a game would be preferable to the truth, wouldn’t it.

“Opry, go upstairs and get your things. Don’t forget your Ursa Ruxpin,” Da Capo told his son gently.

“Okay, dad.”

“Do you have everything Applebloom sent you?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure? The passes? The keys? The Pipbucks?” he asked again, and I could hear little hooves running around upstairs.

“Yes. Ah even have that statue of cousin Applejack she sent me. Ah... Ah don’t know if Ah can do this, Da Capo,” she lamented before slowly walking back into view.

The orange mare looked much older than she had in Golden Star’s vision. It was as if someone had placed the weight of the world on her shoulders and it had quickly drained the life from her. The bags under her eyes and wrinkles forming on her once youthful face betrayed the orange hair dye that was concealing her gray hair. That and the fact that I could see her roots.

Da Capo stepped back into view and hugged his wife from behind. They were so different. One gray, the other bright orange. One a refined classical musician from Trottingham, the other was obviously an Apple relative from the country. And yet, as Da Capo held Dolly while the world was coming to an end, I could tell that their love was strong.

“You’ll do great. You, Golden Star, Brightlight, and Dr. Hoofentrotter have done a simply brilliant job putting Stable Sixty-Three together with Stable-Tec. I know you’ll be an amazing Overmare.”

“Are ya sure?” she asked again.

“I am complete, one hundred and twenty percent sure,” he replied, giving his wife a comforting kiss that coaxed a smile smile from her.

Then there was a soft creaking sound as a door opened and the two turned towards it. Their sadness seemed to melt a bit and they both smiled.

“Baroque, I-” Dolly tried to say.

“I’m not coming with you,” the older voice from before interuppted.

“What? Why, dad?” Da Capo asked, letting go of Dolly and rushing to his father.

“Because... Because there are better ponies than me, younger ponies with lives that are worthwhile that need my spot more than I do.”

“Dad, that’s not true! Please-”

“I’ve made up my mind. I just came out to say goodbye to you two and my grandson,” Da Capo’s father said sternly. “I don’t have too much longer anyway, son, and... and I just want to go see your mother again.”

“Dad...”

“Baroque,” Dolly said softly, unable to say anything more.

“Dolly. I know I haven’t been the best father-in-law, I know I didn’t like you very much at first, but you’ve proven me wrong again and again. Come here and give me a hug, daughter” he said, and Dolly rushed off screen.

“I got my things, dad! Can I bring Ursa and Mr. Turtle?” I heard Opry call as his little hooves clopped down the stairwell.

“Grandpa!” The hoofbeats quickened and I could just imagine a family holding each other as the world was about to end. “Are you playing the game with us too, Grandpa?”

“No, Opry, I’m not. Grandpa’s just too old. I’ll be waiting right here for you when the game is over, okay?” he said comfortingly.

It was a necessary lie, but it felt like a punch to the gut. I knew they weren’t coming back. The adults knew it too. But this little colt was about to lose everything and almost everyone he had ever known and it tore me apart inside. And then I started thinking about the fact that this was happening all over the world and I couldn’t stop myself; I was crying again.

“Alright, we’ve gotta go. Ready to go to the museum, Opry?” Dolly asked.

“Yeah! We can’t let Uncle Golden Star and Aunt Page Turner beat us there!”

“Goodbye... dad,” Da Capo said one more time before suddenly realizing something. “My video message to Octavia.”

“Don’t worry, son. I’ll send it. I’d like to tell her something too. Get going,” Baroque said sadly before walking back into view.

“Bye, grandpa!” Opry shouted again.

“Yeah... bye, Baroque... Dad,” Dolly added as an elderly gray stallion walked into view. He simply nodded and a few seconds later I heard a door close.

“Octavia... I think this is it. I want you to stay strong. You’ve had it rough, but I’m so proud of you. I’ll always be proud of you. Maybe this is just another false alarm, but if it’s not... I love you and you will always be my little filly.”

And then the screen went dark except for two simple sentences, stark against the darkness of the empty terminal screen.

“Hoofington server not found. Failure to send.”

She never got it. The video. The orchestra music. Octavia never heard those final words from her family. She had either died in Flankfurt or made it to Stable Ninety, but either way she would have died without knowing what happened to her family. I could see that someone had recently downloaded the music file, the Enclave pegasi probably, but the video file was still there. I started to download it onto my Pipbuck when I suddenly remembered what had happened before.

The Enclave. The flame. What I had become. The horrible images of what I did came flooding back into my mind. I shut my eyes and tried to push them away, but they just kept coming. I wanted to deny that it was me, that the flame had taken control of my body and I had just been along for the ride, but I couldn’t. Deep down, I had wanted to murder those ponies, all of them, and I think I had finally snapped. I-

“Aria.”

I opened my stinging red eyes and saw Compass watching me from the other side of the desk. How long had I been crying? How long had he been standing there? By the sad look on his face, I would say he had been there long enough.

“Compass?”

“So you’re worse off than I initially thought.”

“Wha-What do you mean?” I asked as a hiccup of sadness escaped my throat.

“How long have you been like this, Aria? I saw the signs, but these kind of mood swings and fits are much more serious than I thought,” Compass replied coldly.

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re obviously depressed, worse than I thought too. Have you been having suicidal thoughts?”

“I, um, the recording was...” I stopped. I had been having them all the time since I emerged into the wasteland. I wanted to lie to him and say I was okay, but I wasn’t. I wanted to die and be with Golden Star on the other side. I wanted this all to be my hell, my punishment for ever being born. “I need help.”

“That is the first step,” Compass said quietly, pulling me slowly back over to the couches. He sat me down on the other couch while he sat in the recliner. We sat there in silence for a while, me just crying and him just watching me. So many messed up and depressing thoughts kept swirling through my mind, but each time the spiral began I felt a little stronger, as if Golden Star really was with me and trying to comfort me.

“Say something!” I screamed at him, wanting him to do anything. His eyes, studying me from behind his glasses were ripping me apart inside. But all he did was place a hoof on my mouth and shake his head.

“Melody’s sleeping. She’s had it rough and needs her rest,” he said before pausing to take a deep breath. “She told me what happened. She told me about the brahmintaur and the pegasi and that... nightmare you became.”

A nightmare? That... that’s actually what it felt like. That mare that the window reflected back, the one who mercilessly slaughtered those pegasi and tried to kill Star Runner, she was like my nightmares incarnate. Born from the darkness within my mind, I was unable to resist her pull for long because she was a part of me. I shuddered at the thought and looked away.

“Is Melody alright?”

“Physically, if you discount the scarring and mutilation done to her right cutie mark, then yes. But mentally and emotionally... I don’t know. Brutality like that... and what it seems to have done to you...”

“What do I have to do with Melody’s mental health?” I snapped, instantly realizing that I came across too harsh and sighed. “Sorry.”

“Seeing you like that was a big blow to her emotionally. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Melody idolizes you,” he explained.

“Really?”

“Of course,” he said, pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts before continuing. “Things were always hard for Melody when we were kids. First there was the fact that everypony freaked out when she was born with wings. There hadn’t been a pegasus in Stable Sixty-Three since her great grandmother, Silver Storm.”

“Yeah... Her.”

“Yes. Well, that revelation about her ancestry aside, she grew up ostracized by the other kids. With the exception of Starshine, Tea Leaves, and myself, she had no friends. The earth pony kids considered her weaker and more delicate than them and the unicorn kids didn’t like her because she wasn’t an earth pony, but couldn’t use magic either. She was different and you know how kids can be.”

“Yeah, I do.” I remember how cruel my cousins could be to me because of the circumstances behind my birth. At least I wasn’t physically different and a social stigma that not everyone adhered to was my reason to be shunned, but Melody’s had been a physical part of her. How was she always so happy when she had grown up like that? “But why were you and Tea Leaves friends with her?”

“Through our parents. We were all born around the same time. I’m only two days younger than Melody and Tea Leaves is only two months older than us. The daughter of the Overmare, the daughter of the Chief of Security, and the son of the Chief of Medical. Kids were afraid of Tea Leaves’ mother, Pulpit. She was strict, but fair. But kids see strict as scary so she was forced into the outcast click with us.”

“And you?”

“I... I couldn’t speak until I was five years old. It wasn’t that I was stupid-”

“That’s obvious,” I said, trying to at least add something to the conversation.

“Yes, well, um, right...” he stammered nervously. “It’s just that I couldn’t. It was a mental thing, I guess, but I didn’t need to talk either. I had Melody to do all the talking for me. We... we’ve been inseparable since... and...”

“And what?”

“And it hurts me that she’s so focused on the heroic you from her ancestor’s stories that the fact that you’re falling so short is tearing her apart. You were born different and removed from everypony around you, and so was she. She took inspiration from your story and the fact that you became a hero drove her to find her talent and her special ability to use her wings just as well as a unicorn can use magic. She always stood up to my bullies and never gave up. But...”

“But I’m not the Aria from that mural,” I said, lowering my head in shame. Melody looked up to me and all I was doing was letting her down. Compass must be telling me this because she’s too nice to say it and hurt my feelings.

“Right. You’re not. However, you are important to her, and I am training to be a doctor, so I’m going to try to help you, Aria,” he said, leaning over and placing his hoof on mine.

“H-How can you help me?”

“You need therapy, that’s for certain, but I can already tell that the wasteland isn’t very therapeutic. Thankfully, I saw the signs of severe depression a little while ago after your frequent breakdowns. You need medical treatment too, Aria. I have something for you,” he told me before his horn lit up and pulled a small pill bottle out of his lab coat. “It’s an anti-depression drug. I found some bottles of it in the Ministry of Peace wing while I was waiting for Shadowbuck to wake up. Here.”

As Compass floated the little orange bottle over to me, I had the strangest sense of deja vu. Taking it into my own magical aura, I turned the bottle over and saw one word, ‘Sertraline’ and froze. This... this is what Psyche was telling me about. She said I should trust Compass, but the real question was, could I trust Psyche?

“What do I do with this?” I asked.

“Take one pill every morning with breakfast. There’s five pills in there, not enough for you to overdose on, and I have a few more full bottles that I’ll keep on me. You should start feeling more balanced within a day or two after you start taking them,” he said, dry and clinical like any doctor from my time.

“But what about... the nightmare me?” I asked, hoping that maybe medicine could fix the broken, darker side of me. Compass sighed.

“I don’t know what that was, Aria. Do you?” I shook my head, unable to tell him about the flame or the Eternals that were haunting my dreams. Depression was one thing, but I couldn’t admit that I was going completely nuts. Not just yet. Sighing, Compass shrugged.

“Then I don’t know either. Can you tell me what you were feeling while the transformation was occurring?” he asked, pulling a notepad and pencil from his coat pocket.

“I-I was powerful. I felt invincible, but I was also... angry. And I didn’t care about if I was hurting those ponies or who I was hurting... As long as I could get revenge and protect Melody, that was all that mattered to me. I couldn’t control it. I-I liked it,” I admitted, hanging my head in shame. For a few minutes, we sat in silence, Compass writing on his notepad, occasionally stopping to chew on the eraser of his pencil and think, and I just sat there, reflecting on what I had done. Then I remembered the terror in Star Runner’s voice and the tears I was revealing in and began to cry yet again. “And what I almost did.”

“I think I have a theory, Aria,” Compass said as he put a comforting hoof on my shoulder. “It’s not good news, but it might at least give us a starting point to go off of. Would you like to hear it?”

I nodded, swallowing hard and trying to compose myself.

“I think you’re exposure to that balefire explosion and whatever magic brought you here has mutated you. I don’t know too much about mutations, just theory written in old books, but this fits the bill. You’ve probably been infused with the necrotic energies inherent in balefire in a different way than that ghouls or the rad monsters we’ve seen out here in the ruins. It would explain your change in appearance and the fact that your health is being affected detrimentally.”

“Wait... what?”

“Oh. I’m sorry. I forgot. When we found you, you were vomiting a highly toxic, acidic, and dangerous chemical that Shadowbuck was calling Taint. I don’t know if the Taint he knows and what you were expelling were the same thing, but that chemical, whatever it was, ate through the street and down into the sewers below. However, it doesn’t seem to affect you. Any of it that got on you was just absorbed back into your skin,” he explained.

“So I’m vomiting toxic waste, but it doesn’t affect me. That’s not so bad, I guess,” I said, trying my hardest to keep a positive outlook and give him a false smile. His dower expression sent that attempt fleeing for the hills.

“That’s not all. You were highly irradiated and we had to use almost all of our RadAway to cure you and Melody. She’s back to normal now, and there doesn’t seem to be any lingering effects, but you on the other hoof...”

“What?”

“Could you pull up your RAD meter on your Pipbuck?” he said, showing me how and I mirrored his commands. When I brought up the little bar, I noticed that his was firmly planted on the zero, but mine was between the zero and two hundred markers. “This is the RAD meter.”

“Okay. What’s it mean?” I asked, completely unfamiliar with this function.

“It’s the way the Pipbuck reads out the radiation saturation within your body. I currently have such a small amount of radiation within me that it reads zero. You however, have one hundred.”

“Right. I got that. Why don’t you just give me some more RadAway so we can knock out the rest of it?”

“That’s the problem, Aria. We did.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” I asked.

“We got you back down to one hundred rads, but no matter how much RadAway we gave you, the radiation levels inside you wouldn’t go any farther down,” Compass said, trying to sound as comforting as he possibly could.

“Well, maybe I’m just immune to radiation now. If I’ve mutated, maybe it’s not bad for me.” By the look on Compass’ face, I knew immediately that he didn’t agree.

“I checked you over thoroughly, Aria. You’re cells are fighting that radiation the same way normal ponies do. I theorize that another hundred rads would push you into Minor Radiation Poisoning, just like normal ponies, and then you’ll get sick. I also theorize that this ‘Nightmare Form’ is what’s causing your body to retain the radiation,” Compass sighed, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “Whatever this mutation is, it’s changing you... and it’s killing you.”

“What do you mean it’s changing me?” I asked, knowing full well that it definitely changed me for the worse while under its influence.

“You said it yourself. While you were under it, a darker side of you took control. In psychological terms, I’d say your id becomes your dominant personality trait. But it’s also changed you physically. Have you not noticed your teeth?”

“Huh? My...” As my tongue reflexively prodded my teeth, something felt different. Guiding my tongue down, I felt a tooth in the spot where Fly By had kicked it to pieces, but this one was wrong. What use to be a thin, square shaped tooth for ripping into a nice daisy sandwich or some toffee biscuits had been replaced by a long, sharp fang like the ones predators and monsters had. Flinching, I pulled my tongue away from the canine like tooth and cringed. “Okay. That was unexpected.”

Why couldn’t I stop poking it with my tongue?

“Look Aria, you’re important to Melody, so I want to help you. Please, take the medicine and get some sleep. Shadow says we’ve got to leave at first light to go defuse the balefire bomb and since the badge isn’t working we have to wait for dawn. We’re upstairs if you need us,” he said, slowly getting to his hooves and straightening his coat. “I still can’t believe that out of all the buildings in Trottingham, Melody finds the one full of evil pegasi and it happens to be the Philharmonica house.”

“Do you know this place?” I asked.

“Yes. Dolly Philharmonica was Stable Sixty-Three’s first Overmare. She got the Stable through some pretty bad times through music and her kind and caring ways. She’s a legend down there. Every Overmare since is descended from her and rubs the Applejack statuette they keep on their desk for good luck,” he said, and laughed. “It’s such a silly tradition.”

“So was Nightmare Night, but it was always a fun holiday,” I told him.

“Let’s not talk about nightmares, okay? Get some rest,” he told me. I nodded, and he turned and ascended the stairs.

“Goodnight, Compass,” I said.

“Goodnight, Aria. Please...” he said, stopping on the landing. “Please do better... For Melody’s sake.”

Sleep did not come easy to me that night. Thoughts of the atrocities I had committed and the horrors I had wanted to commit kept swimming through my head. The pegasi burning alive, their heads crushed mercilessly by my brother’s shield, all of it too horrible to allow me get even one out of forty winks. Even the memory of the Ripper tearing through the brahmintaur’s neck would send my heart racing and my nerves on edge. After what seemed like hours of tossing and turning on that couch, I heard my companions stirring upstairs. Sighing, I pushed myself off of the couch and started equipping my gear. As I tied the last strap of my armor, a very disheartening thought crossed my mind.

“If this is life in the Wasteland, will I ever be able to sleep again?”

“Aria? Are you okay?” Melody asked, her voice weak and obviously tired. Looking up, I watched her limping slowly down the stairs, her flanks wrapped in magical bandages, as Compass helped give her support.

“I-Yeah. I’m so sorry, Melody,” I apologized, bowing my head low in shame.

“You don’t have anything to be sorry about, Aria. You saved me,” she told me as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

“But I scared you. I became a monster. I...”

“But you didn’t kill that pegasus mare. And you came back to us,” she said, flittering over to me and taking me into her embrace. “Just promise me you won’t turn into... her again, alright?”

“Mmhmm,” I hummed, finding it hard to speak.

“Promise me, please,” she begging. Shutting my eyes, I nodded, rubbing my muzzle against her neck. My heart was hurting, but I firmly believe that hugs have their own healing properties as the pain and emptiness lessened.

“I promise. I won’t let it happen again.”

“That would be for the best,” Shadowbuck said, coming out of a door under the stairs.

“Shadow!? Where did you come from?” I shouted, breaking the hug in my fright. He just rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Checking out this bunker. It’s full of food and anti-rad meds... and some poor S.O.B. who didn’t seem to even touch the stuff,” he explained.

“How’d you get in?”

“How else? I picked the lock last night and snuck down here while you were asleep. I didn’t want to wake you,” he said with a wink.

“Yeah. Asleep.” I mumbled, realizing that the Steel Ranger was far too stealthy for me to ever see coming. With that new sniper rifle and his uncanny sneakiness, I guess I’d have to rely on my E.F.S. to... “Why can’t I see you on my Eyes Forward Sparkle, Shadow?”

“That would be this baby. Ace’s sniper rifle has some of the most impressive enchantments I’ve ever seen. It’s got a silencer, obviously, but it has three zebra enchanted gems,” he said with a grin, turning to show off the red and green gems inlaid along the barrel and the blue gem on the side of the scope. “The ruby doubles the rifles range without sacrificing accuracy, the emerald makes the bullet in flight unaffected by wind or atmospheric conditions, and the aquamarine allows the scope to adjust its zoom between times one and time twenty magnification by merely aligning your eye to the eyepiece and thinking about it.”

“That still doesn’t answer my question, Shadow,” I grumbled, giving him a nice anti-stallion glare.

“I’m getting to that. See,” he said, showing off the stock of the rifle and a strange glyph on the side. There was something about the spiraling wave of black flame burned into the metal that sent chills down my spine. “It’s a zebra glyph that’s been magically infused with some kind of disruption enchantment or something. I think it makes the person carrying or using this rifle invisible to all magical detection spells, including E.F.S. I guess it was made to protect the sniper from being spotted by Steel Rangers or unicorns.”

“The Royal Flusher Raiders can make something like that?” Melody asked, inspecting the gun carefully. While I didn’t know firearms that well, I knew enough about enchantments to know that Ace’s rifle was the work of a skilled zebra shaman, not the drug crazed and murderous raiders of the Royal Flush. Unless King or Queen were zebra, but how would a zebra know about me?

“I don’t think so,” Shadow and I both said in unison.

“Sorry. Continue, Shadow,” I said, slightly embarrassed for interrupting.

“Yeah, well, this thing’s in great shape, but I’m pretty sure it’s a lot older than it looks. It was probably made during the war. You ever heard of the zebra using weapons like this, Aria?”

“No. That probably means it was developed towards the end of the war. The question is, how did it get here in Trottingham?”

“That is a good question,” Compass said, eyeing the gun suspiciously as if it might start shooting us any minute.

“So does it have a name?” Melody asked.

“I’m calling it ‘Patricide.’” he growled before turning to descend back into the Philharmonica bunker.

“Why?” I asked, already dreading to hear the answer.

“Because this is the gun that killed my father.”

“Celestia... Why would you even use a gun like that?” Compass cursed, his eyes wide as he saw the rifle in a horrible new light.

“Because I’m going to use it to kill King, Queen, and Jack. Now let’s just drop it,” Shadow said coldly before looking back over his shoulder at us. “You coming? They’ve got a lot of fruit preserves down here.”

“What kind?” I asked, the promise of fruit waking me from my insomnia driven funk.

“Figs, apples, strawberries, pea-”

“Did you say strawberries?” I asked suddenly. Shadowbuck seemed taken aback and blinked a few times.

“Um, yeah.”

And like a bullet, I rushed down the stairs towards the promise of strawberries and Shadowbuck was lucky he got out of my way because no pony, and I mean no pony, gets between me and strawberries.
Ever!

The Philharmonica Bunker. Stocked from wall to wall with canned and preserved food, medicine, and bottles upon bottles of water, but none of it had been touched. I couldn’t see a single empty space on the shelves, but soon my eyes were drawn to a sadder sight. An earth pony skeleton, barely held together by a few strands of brittle and decayed sinew, was huddled in a corner, his hooves wrapped around two framed photographs.

Through his ribcage I could see one was of a happy family, Baroque, Evening Hymn, Da Capo, Dolly, Octavia, and two other boys I didn’t know all gathered around the Hearth’s Warming Eve tree. One of them, a little white colt with brown spots who still too young to even have his cutie mark, was hugging his mother, who he bore a striking resemblance to, as the others watched or opened their own presents. If I remembered Page Turner’s recount, there were four boys so the last must have been taking the picture.

The second photo was simply Baroque and his wife, young and happy, on their wedding day. He wore a simple suit, worn around the elbows and neckline, while she wore a simple white dress. They were poor, but happy, and that was what Baroque must have been trying to remember as he died. He hadn’t even tried to survive any longer in his bunker because without his family he didn’t want to live anymore.

“I hope you found her, Baroque,” I told the skeleton softly.

“This was Overmare Dolly’s father-in-law?” Melody asked as she slowly flew down the stairs.

“Yeah.”

“We-we should bury him,” Melody said.

“It’s only right,” Compass added.

“Guys, we need to get going soon. You know, slowly growing invisible cloud of radiation and all that jazz,” Shadowbuck interjected, and the three of us all gave him our best death-to-Shadowbuck stares. Wilting under our gaze, he looked away and coughed. “Alright. I get it. Just hurry up, will you? I’ll divide up these supplies into four groups so we can carry as much as we can back. This much clean food, water, and medicine can really help out Trottingham for the better.”

“Right. So where are we going to bury him?” Compass asked, trying to lift the body. When the sinew snapped and the bones separated, his magic wasn’t potent or versatile enough to catch everything and Baroque’s body fell apart in an implosion of magical energy. “And how are we going to move him?”

“I’ve got this,” I said, scooping up the bones and pictures in my magic and turning to go. Compass just stared at me while Melody was already turning to leave. Shadow, on the other hoof, was already hard at work looting the basement bunker for everything that wasn’t bolted to the wall or floor.

Out behind the house we found an old tool shed and the remains of a burned up pine tree, its gnarled black branches reaching for the sky before the ends twisted in on themselves. Trotting over to the tree, I set the bones down before taking up Golden Star’s Aegis.

“I think here is good. It must have been nice out here before the end.” I said before plunging the point of my shield into the ground and using it like a giant spade.

“I’ll go check the toolshed. Maybe there’s a shovel,” Melody said before flying off towards the shed. Meanwhile, I removed scoop after scoop of dirt, trying to at least get a few feet deep so I could properly bury a pony I hadn’t even known. But I needed to do this.

“I see your magic is back,” Compass said plainly.

“Yep.”

“I found some medicine in the Ministry of Peace wing that is supposed to help with magical burnout.”

“And when were you going to tell me about this?” I asked, never taking my eyes away from my work.

“Found one! Oops! Never mind! It’s a sledgehammer!” Melody called out from the shed.

“When I was sure you weren’t going to hurt Melody or anyone else. And with what you told me last night, I should add you to that list,” he said sternly, taking on the assertive nature of Dr. Compass and not the meek and mild nature of normal Compass.

“Well then, I guess it’s a good thing it came back to me naturally,” I snapped back, annoyed more at myself than him, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t being annoying.

“Have you taken the medicine I did give you?”

“Not yet.”

“Will you?”

“Yes,” I lied, not knowing if I would or not. Could I really trust Compass or Psyche? I trusted Golden Star, but that didn’t translate to Death or her celestial compatriots.

I returned to digging in silence, shield full after shield full of loose, dry dirt piling up next to me. After a few more minutes, Melody came back out looking a bit angry.

“The only shovel they have in there was broken in half. I think it might have been termites,” Melody said before stopping to look in the hole. “Sweet Luna above, Aria! You’re digging like a madmare!”

“Just a little deeper,” I said, not even noticing that I had dug a hole already two feet across and three feet deep. I didn’t notice the sweat on my brow, or the heaving in my chest. I was determined to give Baroque a burial. I had to give this pony a proper burial. I had to!

“You’re going to strain your horn again, Aria. Take a break,” Compass said, gentle concern returning to his voice.

“No.”

“Why not?” Melody asked.

“Because.

“Why not?” Compass asked as well.

“Because!” I growled.

“Why is burying the father-in-law of Stable Sixty-Three’s first Overmare so important to you?” Melody asked. “You’re not even from our Stable, Aria.”

Turning on her, I snarled.

“Because I need to do this so I can still feel like a decent pony! I turned into a monster last night! A literal monster! I need to do something good and decent! Something a monster would never do!” I shouted before turning away from them and back to Baroque’s bones.

Lifting them as gently as I could in my agitated state, I lowered them into the earth along with the photos. I wanted to keep them, especially the picture with Dolly so I could give it to Stable Sixty-Three, but I couldn’t. I could understand looting the possessions of long dead ponies, that was a necessary evil in this horrible world, but I would not steal from him. Killing in life or death situations, it still shook me, but it was understandable as well. But stealing from this pony is where I would draw the line. These were Baroque’s treasures, the items he held in his hooves as he drew his final breath, they deserved to be buried with him.

“May Celestia and Luna take you into their grace, Mr. Baroque,” Melody prayed. Looking over to them, I saw their heads were bowed respectfully in worship of my aunts, sending Baroque off to his final rest, and I nodded to the grave in my own sign of respect.

Turning away from the grave, I left them to their prayers. I didn’t know if Aunt Luna and Aunt Celestia were up there watching over us or if they were dead like the rest of the world, but as I glanced up at the rolling sea of clouds above and sighed. If my prayers would be answered, I’d like for that day of sunshine and rainbows that Golden Star was talking about to come today. The Wasteland might just be a little better off with the sun warming its heart and the blue skies above to give its spirit somewhere to soar.

That would be nice.

The sun was rising behind us as we turned the corner onto the street leading to the docks. Our bags were stuffed full of every possible supply we could effectively carry in our saddlebags without weighing ourselves down. As the sun peaked over the horizon, but remained under the cloud cover, the monsters of Trottingham were forced to go back into hiding until nightfall. Shadow assured us that it was safe now, excluding the possibility of ghouls or manticores. But as the Steel Rangers’ boat came into view, we all let out a sigh of relief.

“Just a little bit longer and this nightmare is over,” Melody said, a soft smile returning to her face.

“Yeah, I...” Suddenly, I felt this odd, tingly feeling running up my mane and the base of my tail. I could feel a power pulsing from the river estate to our right. It felt similar to the power the flame had sent coursing through my veins, but it was different. More condensed. More... dangerous? “Wait... guys. What’s that?”

“What’s what?” Shadow asked, stopping to look at me funny.

Suddenly, a rose colored mare stepped out onto a second story balcony with a strange, rather large gun on her back. Spreading her legs to brace herself, she fired and the launched a large, green orb directly at the boat. Shadow watched in horror as the balefire egg arched over the manor fence and broke open on the deck of the ship, right between two very surprised acolytes.

FUSH... BOOM!

As the balefire egg erupted into an inferno of green flames, the flash temporarily blinding me as the miniature mushroom cloud began to build up towards the sky and a blast of super heated air struck us like a sky chariot. Knocking us all off our hooves and onto the hard cobblestone street beneath us, I even fell on Golden Star’s statuette as something sharp dug into my back between the plates of my armor, but didn’t cut me. Ow! That tiny horn hurt!

Groaning, my ears ringing and my eyes finding it hard to adjust, I rolled over to see the boat engulfed in sickly flames. Black smoke billowed into the sky as the distant sound of screaming and cheering began to break through the dull tone buzzing in my head. That’s when I saw them. Ten, no, twenty raiders rushing out of hiding spots inside the manor’s grounds towards the boat, unable to see us because of the bright sun rising behind us. A few knights emerged from the flames, their armor melted and parts of their flesh burned away enough to reveal bone and skull beneath, but they were only able to return a few shots before the raiders cut them down in a hail of gunfire.

Rat-tat-tat-at-tat-ta-tat!

A minigun screamed from within the burning wreckage as raider after raider was struck down by the unseen barrage. The Flushers who weren’t immediately gunned down took cover behind debris and the low retaining wall along the perimeter of the riverfront estate. I started hearing a ticking in my ear before I realized that my Pipbuck was reading a large amount of radiation coming from the area. Thankfully, we were just on its edge and the amount of rads per second was minimal.

Then, out of the smoke stepped Bulletstorm, his twin miniguns belting out round after round of deadly lead. The bullets tore into the raiders cover and made it impossible for them to return fire. Looking at him, his armor and helmet had been burned away to the top of his shoulders and a large portion of his jawbone was sticking out among his warped and blackened flesh, but miraculously he was still standing. The minigun made quick work of the raiders who took cover behind old trash cans or a sky bus stop, and he was beginning to tear the old wall apart when the loud crack of a rifle filled the air at the same time a bullet ripped into Bulletstorm’s left shoulder.

“Die, you Flusher fuckers!” he screamed, his voice harsh and bloody as he continued his assault unhindered by his wounds. How many combat drugs was the back half of his suit feeding in him?

“Ugh... Bulletstorm?” Shadow groaned as he started to come to along with the others. I shook my head, trying to help him up while Compass was already slowly pulling himself towards Melody, his legs still wobbly from the blast.

That’s when the shadow burst out of the smoke, descending upon Bulletstorm with the force of a small train car being dropped from twenty feet up. Bulletstorm screamed as the beast crashed down on top of him, but before he could turn his guns of the scaley demon, Jack opened his maw and in one swift bite removed the Steel Ranger’s head clean from his shoulders and blood sprayed into the back of his throat.

Blood dripping down his jaws, Jack smiled at his men as they let out cheers of victory. He pulled his head back like a serpent about to strike and deadly blow and spit Bulletstorm’s head down the street. Bouncing and rolling, wet, burned flesh squelching each time it struck the ground, the head came to a stop. His eyes still burned open in a visage of rage, Bulletstorm looked up at Shadow just as I was helping him to his hooves.

“Two hundred feet! That’s a new record, you goat fuckers!” Jack cried, eliciting another round of cheers from the Royal Flush Raiders.

I could feel the anger shaking his body and bubbling up from within him before he screamed, but I couldn’t stop him in time.

“I’ll kill you, you motherfucker!” Shadow screamed, lunging forward to charge the ten or eleven raider ponies and the undead dragon by himself, completely blinded by his rage and grief. If it hadn’t been for my hooves wrapped around him to help him up he would have been half way down the street in a pure bloodrage.

Squinting, Jack saw us as we stood near the entrance to the Ministry of Awesome, Morale, and Image building and smiled.

“Looks like we’ve got some more fun on our plate!” he ordered, pointing into the sun and giving away our position. “Kill ‘em all!”

As I held Shadowbuck back with all my might, two words escaped my lips.

“Oh shit...”

Footnote: Level Up

New Perk: Advanced Spells - You have gained access to more advanced and more powerful spells. Add five additional advanced level spells to your spell list.

New Quest Perk: Nightmare Form - When you give into the darkness within, you become an embodiment of balefire. You exude 3 rads/round and gain Healing 5/round. You're potency and Strain increase by 20% (Rounded Up), but you lose control of your character. Lasts until shocked out of it or your strain goes below 10. Afterwards, you will vomit Taint and your total RADS permanently increases by 100. You are still susceptible to RAD sickness and death.
Keep On Fighting: +10 to Melee Weapons Skill

Melee Weapons Skill: 75

Author's Footnote: Special thanks to my editor/pre-reader Chimpso for the help with editing. Also, sorry for taking so long with this chapter, but life’s been a bit crazy lately and as you can see, it’s the longest chapter to date. Hope you all enjoyed it and Chapter Eight should definitely be shorter (The usually twenty thousandish words) and come out faster.