Chapter 4-3: Change In The Wind

Waking up from this memory orb was less uncomfortable than the last one. It was barely a transition at all. I didn’t even notice at first. I just kept stroking the mane of the pony in my lap.

“Want to have some ‘fun’, Sass?”

That didn’t sound like Caramel.

I looked down. The flowing brown locks were replaced by wirey orange frizz. Fedexi Lexi grinned up at me expectantly.

“Sorry Caramel, I’m not in the mood.”

The grin turned to confusion. This was apparently not the response she was expecting. “Well that’s a little disappointin’. I was all set to watch your freak out.”

I just shrugged. I meant what I said...thought...whatever in the orb. Besides, after some of the stuff I’d been through the past week I was hardly likely to be spooked by waking up in close proximity with a strange pony. Especially one who just spent the last few hours fixing my leg. I knew this because it was the one doing the mane-stroking and was missing a bullet hole, though not a scar. “Thanks for fixing me up. I take it you’ve seen the orb yourself?”

“Uh-huh. A bunch of times. There are worse ways to kill a few hours when business is slow.”

“Do you know who they were? Sassaflash and Caramel?”

Lexi shook her head. “Nope. Picked up the orb a while back after a trade run to Neighlway. Just a couple o’ long dead lovers now.”

I knew I’d heard the name of that town before. Ah, that was it. “Neighlway is Steel Ranger territory isn’t it? Did you have any trouble?”

She laughed as if this was comedy gold. “Psh, naw! Those tin-saddles need food and ammo and gear like the rest of us. They like having a supply chain. Course that don’t mean we don’t put heavy security on those runs in case they get grabby. I like paying customers but I like them to stay paying.”

I’d resumed stroking her hair as I processed this. She didn’t seem to mind. “So how’d Sprinkles Supplies get started anyway?”

“Beats me. I found the place Maybe 10 years back. Abandoned but fixable. The name was already on the walls but I figured that nopony was using it so...”

“Recycling. Doing your part for Equestria.”

She chuckled at this. “Exac’ly. That’s a nice way to put it. Think I’ll use that for future marketin’.”

“Happy to help.”

“Well it goes on the bill for fixin’ your leg. I ain’t no charity.”

I reached into the pockets of the slaver gear I was still wearing, sans identifying marks, and withdrew the insignia I’d gotten from Contego. “Maybe this’ll settle my fee.”

A serious atmosphere immediately descended upon the room. Lexi’s next words were light but edged. “Now where did you get that?”

I’d best not do anything to upset her. “I got it from Contego personally. I snuck into Plottawa and spoke to him and Vorbis. They’ve both been captured. The caravan’s completely destroyed too. Vorbis told me to get this back to you rather than try to break them out.”

She relaxed upon hearing that, at least a little. “Yeah that’s Vorbis alright. Never met a pony with a surer head on his shoulders. Alright I’d say this works as payment. You’ve got my thanks.”

“No problem. Like I said, happy to help.”

The tension left her, and she lay her head down in my lap again. “Well I’m not happy that they’ve been caught, but it’s better than not knowin’.”

“They won’t be mistreated. That’s not the deal in Plottawa. Bad for business to rough up the merchandise apparently.”

She nodded distractedly. “Yeah I guess. What’s next for you though?”

I pondered this. “I don’t know really. I came here because I had an obligation to Contego and Vorbis. Now that that’s taken care of I really don’t know what I’ll do next.”

“Got some free time on your hooves? Want to earn a few caps? I’m taking on extra caravan guards for a trip to Grindstone. It’s a buffalo settlement to the northwest.”

“Buffalo? I’m in!”

She smirked. “Oh so you like ‘em big do you?”

I smirked back, hardly embarrassed. “Not like that. I’ve got three brothers and they’re all buffalo.”

She cocked an eyebrow at this. “Well if that don’t beat all. I could use your help for sure. You know how to talk to ‘em and you ticked off a guy I’ve got cause to dislike. Not to mention having Red Ice on the staff might help out our rep.”

So she knows. This is turning into the worst kept secret in the Wasteland. “A fan of DJ Pon-3 then?”

“He don’t really take sides. Makes him easier to trust than anypony else on the squawkbox.”

“There is that.”

Lexi sat up and stretched, her white arrow Cutie Mark pointing towards her hindquarters. She saw me looking but didn’t comment. “Come on, I’ll get you all set to join the caravan.”

~~~~~~

This is not helping me to keep my composure.

“What do you mean you’re not gonna do it?!”

I nodded over Lexi’s shoulder at the pony standing in the wings. “She shot me. I’m not going anywhere with her OR her sister.”

Cassiopeia Venatici bristled at this. “You leave Breeze out of this.”

I scoffed even as I fought hard to keep my composure. “Yes because she’s blameless in this.”

Aqua Breeze swooped down from where she’d been tying supplies to the caravan roof. “Hey I probably saved your life. Nopony has a better eye than Cassie. The only reason you were able to make it here at all is because your hoof was numb from my Shock Lock. The pain would’ve drowned you otherwise. You’re welcome.”

I just stared. Is she serious?

Lexi shared my sentiment. “Breeze, was it? That was the single dumbest thing I’ve heard all year. Shut up. That’s an order.”

Cassie lay a hoof on Breeze’s shoulder to stem the imminent eruption before addressing the caravan boss. “Why is the Unicorn here? We weren’t told there would be others besides ourselves.”

Lexi met her stare evenly. “This run to Grindstone passes pretty near to Neighlway. We want to...discourage Steel Ranger interference.”

She made a slow circuit, facing Cassie, Breeze and myself in turn. “Think you’re up to the task? I don’t allow any friendly fire on my runs. You WILL work together or else the half dozen seasoned vets I’m sending along will kill all three of you. Are we clear?”

~~~~~~

“Oh would you let it go already? We said we were sorry.” Aqua Breeze was not fo'nd of the fact that I disliked being attacked. We’d left the Sprinkles Supplies compound hours ago and she’d kept up a running diatribe the entire trip. Apparently she’d made it her goal to befriend me, the pony she’d been been so proud of caging just the day before, because “we’re on the same side now!”

So far it had not been successful.

“Actually,” I interjected and pointed at Cassiopeia. “She apologised. You never did.”

Breeze’s smile faltered. “Err...”

“I’m waiting.”

Breeze looked to her sister. Said sister was smirking at the exchange and watching with obvious amusement. Defeated, Breeze caved. “Oh, alright! I’m sorry I threw grenades at you.”

“...and put me in a cage.”

She drew herself up haughtily. “My Shock Lock is not just a-”

The abrupt cutoff caught my attention. I thought she might’ve been trying to find the right word but she wasn’t even looking at me. Cassie was staring at her sister with concern.

Breeze’s eyes darted this way and that in the midday sun, searching for something.

“Sister?” Cassie voiced her consternation.

Ignoring her, Breeze hollered at the guards on the wagons. “Hey! How long til we get where to Grindstone?”

The guard checked the map and hollered back. “Still a ways yet. We’re skirting the edge of Neighlway territory now. Hours to go.”

This was not happy news. Breeze was still scanning the skies. “Get everypony up and armed! Something big’s coming!”

Instantly Cassie was at her side. “Where, Breeze?”

The blue-and-white mane shook. Breeze couldn’t tell. “I can hear them but I can’t figure out where from. Can you see anything, sis?”

Cassie tried but quickly gave up. “Too much haze. The heat’s throwing me off.”

The guards had been listening in and now were looking uneasy themselves. “I don’t hear anything.” One ventured.

Breeze dismissed him. “You don’t have my ears, chum. Something...no, a lot of somethings are on the way.”

My Pipbuck lit up with red signals. I stared at Breeze in amazement. She’s got more range than my Pipbuck! No wonder they found me last night.

I turned in a circle, allowing the locator function to determine which direction the enemies would be coming from. The readings were confusing and I had to wave it back and forth to make sense of what I was seeing.

This thing says they’re over that way...but over this way too?

Cassie’s voice broke the tense silence. It sounded faraway. “This lot-of-somethings? Does it sound like it has wings...lots of wings?”

“Yeah.” Was the grim response.

Cassie pointed up. “I’ve found them.”

Right, three dimensions. I followed her hoof but saw nothing but the midday sun overhead before us. “I don’t see anything. You sure?”

Both sisters nodded. Their attentions were both fixed on the same spot now.

My Pipbuck chirped agreement with the direction but offered no more info. “Then what are we dealing with?”

Both produced weapons. Cassie wielded the rifle she’d pierced me with before and Breeze had what looked like an oversized memory orb in each hoof. As she sighted along the barrel Cassie paused to blow some red hair from her eyes. Her voice was flat. “Red Ice, go join the others at the wagons. Use your magic at close range.”

Putting aside the issue of taking orders from my attacker, I still didn’t like this idea. “What about you two?”

Breeze’s voice matched her sister in tone. “We can fly. You can’t. Go help the ground-pounders.”

“Help them against what?”

“Hissyflits.”

I struggled not to laugh at the absurd sounding name.

What are they? Characters in a babybook?

I was the only one who found it amusing. Upon hearing the word several guards cursed and the rest went wide-eyed.

“What are...Hissyflits?”

Cassie flicked a perturbed glance my way before returning to her scope. “Not the time. Move!”

I inwardly sighed. I get the picture. Bad news. Best do as she says.

I clambered up on top of one of the caravans with two stallions wielding pistols in their mouths. One offered me a spare but I declined. “Can’t hit a thing with that. I’ll make do.”

He turned away. Looking our group I realised that I was the only unicorn here. I hope they’re not expecting me to be Shining Armour. They’ll be disappointed.

Cassie’s sudden gunfire startled me. I looked up to see Breeze go racing up into the sun...which seemed to be developing a dark spot at its center. As the stain grew larger it began to resolve into individual shapes. They were small but there were an awful lot of them. Breeze tossed her orbs straight into the heart of the swarm. There was a moment of stillness as they vanished behind the gathering of fliers.

Then fire raged through the mass as the incendiary grenades ignited. Dozens of charred corpses dropped lifelessly.

Breeze immediately broke off and retreated. The remaining attackers charged after her. Cassie fired in quick succession, dropping any beast that got close enough to harry her sibling.

As the fight drew closer to us I finally understood how the creatures got their names. The static-y sound grew louder and louder as they approached. Their leathery wings certainly flitted as they moved and their feline faces bore oversized fangs which glistened in the light. Something told me I didn’t want to take a nibble from one of those teeth.

Still not as big as a Molar Bear’s chompers though. That’s something at least.

Cassie paused her barrage to load more ammo. Now that they were close enough, the guards opened up with their guns and the mass slowed down. Still enough survived the volley to get dangerously close to Breeze. Cassie and the others were occupied and couldn’t cover her.

“Look out!”

Breeze glanced behind her and saw the beasts’ proximity. “Oh shit!”

She reached for the greave around her right leg. I didn’t see what she did but suddenly a glowing wall of light sprang up between her and her attackers, who smacked into the construct. The flock recovered and hesitated. They appeared confused by the new hindrance.

Cassie wasn’t. She’d reloaded and resumed firing. The other guards followed her example and got their shots in. The horde was starting to thin out but the light wall was beginning to fade. I watched helplessly with my short-range Power Hooves and wished there was something I could do to help.

Breeze answered my wish. She slammed down next to me and triggered her greave. A cracked and smoking crystal popped out with a thunk. She slammed home another one then grabbed me, shoving the new crystal in my face.

“Ice, charge this up!”

I stared back in confusion. “What?”

She waved the greave around frantically. “Hurry! There’s not much time. Pour your magic into this before the barrier fails!”

Well I could maybe do that at least. I concentrated. It was amazing how much easier it was to do magic when my life was in danger. My horn blazed almost instantly. Aside from a few drop-offs I kept up a constant stream of cold.

Amazingly the crystal soaked it up like a sponge until it shone a brilliant snow-white. I could barely look at it. Breeze seemed satisfied though. I was glad of that because I was starting to feel faint.

“Good. Full charge!”

She swung and pointed the greave at the Hissyflits, who screamed down as the barrier disappeared.

“EAT IT!”

A blizzard blew out of her greave towards the monsters, who scattered in an attempt to get out of its path. Maybe two dozen were successful. The rest were hit by the storm of magic and instantly froze solid. Shattering on the hard earth as they dropped from the sky. The blizzard vanished just like the barrier and another ruined crystal was ejected from Breeze’s terrifying weapon.

Unfortunately she seemed to be out of tricks as she deployed a hidden knife from her other greave and held it before her defensively. Cassie had likewise holstered her rifle now that the enemy were too close for its range and had her own hidden blade out. A whip trailed from Cassie’s other bracer which she wielded with deadly precision. Her impressive eyes guided the snake-like chord wherever she wanted. Blocking and striking at the same time.

Each of the nine ponies were now facing 2 Hissyflits apiece. The guards were more confident now that they had the measure of them. The flying creatures were still threatening but seemed to rely on numbers to swarm their much-larger prey.

I was so busy watching the others that I almost lost track of my opponents. Good thing they don’t just hiss. The hellish scream sounded out behind me and I swung around. I blindly brought both sparking Power Hooves together on one of my assailants, instantly crushing it and silencing its scream.

Too bad it was behind the first one.

I got a really close look at the thing before its fangs sank into my shoulder. It had the head of a cat but the eyes were double diamonds of purple and gold. A forked tongue and wirey stubs of limbs hung from the undersized body. It was obvious that most of the work was done through the head. Said head was currently pumping whatever made those fangs so shiny in the light straight into my bloodstream. Instantly my shoulder stiffened up and felt 3 times as heavy as normal.

I fell backwards as I tried to awkwardly smack the thing off. The sound of gunfire increased as the guards and the two pegasi sisters fought off the remaining bat-cat hybrids.

I saw none of this on account of rolling on the ground with a little bastard doing its best to chew my ever-more-immobile foreleg off at the base.

I did, however, see the armoured limb that flashed down microns from my face and crushed the Hissyflit underhoof.

Shocked at this and the sudden absence of gunfire, I was a little slow in rolling over and looking up at the roughly pony-shaped shadow standing over me. It appeared to be speaking with the guards. The voice was robotic, distorted. “This one has been bitten. She will come with us for treatment.”

I will?

~~~~~~

Cassie and Breeze had taken flight instantly and the guards had better things to do than fight over a ‘scab’. So I now found myself in the renowned hospitality of the Neighlway Steel Rangers.

There had only been two Rangers at the battle but they still outgunned the 6 guards. These ponies were walking arsenals! On their backs were heavy duty weapons I suspected would be more at home mounted on a wagon or something and they were kitted out with all sorts of goodies besides that. It was a wonder they could even stand up under all that gear. They must be strong as Buffalo! I’d been slung over the back of one while the other watched the guards for a response. My bearer hadn’t even seem to feel the added weight.

The two ponies had said nothing more as we trooped towards Neighlway. From my precarious position of being slowly paralyzed on the back of a living tank I didn’t manage to get a good look at Neighlway from the outside. All I saw was that the walls looked imposing and cast a long shadow. We passed through a very long tunnel before emerging into an underground facility where many more ponies in armour went about their various duties. There were also ponies in robes who seemed to be support staff rather than frontline fighters. I passed several rooms where I caught glimpses of activity: Maps, screens, terminals and weapons were spotted out of the corners of my eye. Still my two escorts trudged on silently.

Finally I found myself deposited in a medical ward, which had happened disturbingly often since leaving the Stable. As I lay on the table, twitching occasionally as I tested what parts of my body I could still move and trying to stem my rising panic, the two Rangers took up positions at the door and stood to attention just before they opened and two Earth ponies walked in.

One was dressed in a labcoat and began mixing up a concoction after a short consultation with the Rangers. The other was an older Earth stallion with far more elaborate trappings than his compatriots. This attire and the way he held himself gave the air of importance. The doctor pony jabbed a needle into my shoulder and injected something at the sight of the bite wound. It stung but within seconds I felt the minutest sensation of loosening muscles. The medical pony left with one of the Rangers as the older pony sat down next to me. “Forgive the suddenness of our bringing you here. I’m afraid that the guards didn’t have the necessary medical supplies for treating Hissyflit venom. Well, not before your heart stopped anyway.”

Said heart skipped a beat at this matter-of-fact statement. That and the fact that I was suddenly very aware of the weight of the Pipbuck hidden under my Sprinkles Supplies jumpsuit. “Is...is that so?”

The old stallion gave a smile but it was probably not as reassuring as he hoped it would be. “Yes. You’re quite lucky, young one. Were we not there you might not be here, as it were.”

I couldn’t really think of what to say to that. Instead I tried to keep things light. “So where’s here, mister...”

The stallion quickly sat back and gave that failing smile again. “Ah, forgive me. I am Elder Iron Sights of the Steel Rangers. This is our Neighlway contingent. Welcome. May I have your name?”

This is definitely not a job for Red Ice. “I’m Snowflake. Nice to meet you.”

Iron Sights inclined his head in greeting. “A pleasure, Snowflake. We are always glad to be of service to our friends at Sprinkles Supplies. Do give my best to Fedexi Lexi when next you see her, won’t you?”

“...You know the boss? Sorry, I haven’t been at the company long.”

He waved his hoof in acceptance. “That’s quite alright. Yes, she was very wise to approach us about a business venture early on when she started up her company. Truly a capable mare.”

I still couldn’t properly move my shoulder but it definitely felt better. “I’ll tell her you said that. Speaking of which, I should really be getting back. I thank you for your help and will be sure to get some caps sent to you as soon as possible but I really-”

“A moment, please.”

Uh-oh.

“Y-yes?”

“If you’re willing, I have an alternative payment method that should cover the use of our medical supplies.”

“Y-yes?”

Iron Sights let out a sigh. “I’m sure you’ve heard by now about the trouble in Plottawa a few days ago?”

“Um. DJ Pon-3 mentioned it on his radio broadcast.”

A flash of annoyance crossed the Elder’s face at the name. “...Yes, he did. I’m afraid that the Plottawan slavers have become increasingly aggressive since Red Eye or Red Ice or whoever it was infiltrated them and attacked this ‘Peanut’. They have attacked several of our business partners who are under our protection.”

I stayed silent. Nope. Not got a say a thing on this subject.

Iron Sights wasn’t done talking though. “As such, we have many of our Knights and Paladins out in the field at present. Due to a slight scheduling mishap we actually have no Unicorns here at Neighlway at the current time and don’t expect any back for a few days.”

“Um...is that a problem?”

He let out a long exhale of vexation. “Unfortunately yes. Tell me, are you familiar with memory orbs?”

Oh, damn. I was suddenly very aware of the orb in my pocket. “The boss uses one for putting us under when she needs to fix us up.”

He chuckled at this. “A clever mare indeed. Yes, they can be used for that purpose. We are more interested in the contents of the orbs themselves. As you know, they contain memories of ponies who lived before the bombs fell. Even if it leads to nothing we must examine each and every one to determine whether they contain important information that we can act on.”

“Even after 200 years?”

“Certainly. Many things from the past have lasted that long and will last even longer. The memory orbs themselves for example.”

“...Okay. I still don’t understand what this has to do with me, though.”

His expression suggested that he considered me a little slow on the uptake. “Well, as I mentioned before, you are the only Unicorn in Neighlway at present. A Unicorn is necessary to activate the magic of the memory orbs. We have recently managed to repair two orbs that had been damaged. We are quite excited to see what memories they contain. If you could look into them for us then we will consider your debt repaid and provide you with the means to return to Sprinkles Supplies.”

That was an experience I was not keen to repeat even if the last time hadn’t hurt like the first one. “Um...do I have to?”

It was considerably more than a flash this time. “Of course you don’t have to. We aren’t monsters. However you won’t be under our protection after leaving. Immediately. It would be a bad situation for a lone filly even without partial paralysis and no firearm in Hissyflit hunting grounds.”

...Facemask had a point about these guys.

I slumped in defeat. “Well when you put it like that I’d be happy to help the Steel Rangers.

A victorious and vicious grin graced his features. “I am so glad to hear that. Please follow me.”

Supported by the remaining Knight I followed Iron Sights to another lab where I was fixed into a chair with the first of the two orbs supported in front of my horn with a mechanical arm. The second lay in waiting further along the apparatus.

Mentally steeling myself, I reached out to it with my magic...

“Anything?” A tired voice cried out.

“No, nothing.” Came the reply from above.

Ah, these two again. I’m Caramel this time.

As I thought this, Sassaflash flew down from wherever she’d been. “I don’t understand. We’ve been hearing these broadcasts for weeks! How could the door be sealed?”

Caramel seemed equally frustrated. He loudly banged his hoof against the metal barrier three times. “OPEN DAMN YOU!”

Sassaflash plopped herself down in dejection. “We came all this way! Barely made it through that damn blizzard outside and now they Stable’s closed!”

Stable? Blizzard?

Caramel sat down and tried to comfort her with by pulling her into a hug. “Don’t give up. We’ll wait here as long as we need to. We will escape the war.”

Escape the war? Oh no.

Oh nonono.

Please say they aren’t where I think they are?

Caramel’s eyes followed Sassaflash as she glared at the increasingly familiar door. “This isn’t over! We’ll be back!”

The two got up and began to leave the cave. Caramel was muttering under his breath. “Fucking Stable 61. What are they trying to pull?”

Damn it. I knew it.

Caramel nudged his marefriend, trying in vain to keep her spirits up. “Come on, we’ll come back tomorrow. Let’s head back to that abandoned spice farm we passed on the way here. At least it’s out of the cold.”

Spice farm? What spice farm? There was no spice farm when I left the Stable, just Cefar.

Ah, I get it. spiCE FARm. The sign must’ve broken. Heh, lazy long-dead ponies can’t even maintain a sign for 200 years.

Pleased at my own cleverness, I barely noticed the two standing at the cave mouth. The wind whipping at their faces.

They both spoke at the same time.
“We’ll be okay, right?”
“We’ll be okay, right?”

Sassaflash’s surprise and sadness were most likely mirrored by Caramel.

Moving a little closer together, they walked out into the world of white.

I came out of the orb trance shaken. I didn’t want to think that Stable 61 had turned its back on anybody who wanted to get away from the conflict.

Iron Sights’ pathetic smile really didn’t help. “What did you see?”

Nothing for your eyes. “Two ponies. A mare and a stallion. They were in a cave. I didn’t recognise it.”

He appeared thoughtful. “That’s not particularly helpful. Did they say anything?”

What are you after? “Not really. They couldn’t get any further than where they’d reached. They were upset. I...I don’t think the bombs had dropped yet.”

“They were just talking in a cave? Nothing else around?”

“No. It was dark. The stallion I was spent most of the time staring at the mare.”

This was immediately ignored. “Well this is a bust then. I guess we’ll move onto the second orb.”

“H-hey! Can’t I get a rest first. I’m new to this.”

The technicians were staring at me strangely. Iron Sights just sighed. “That orb was very short. You should be fine, even with the venom still in your system. We continue.” He turned to the hulking steel-covered guard. “Knight, restrain her and we’ll continue.”

That robotic voice sounded again. “Yes sir.”

The hulking mass clunked forward and stood before me. “Please remain still for your own safety.”

I was not happy with this, but complied. “You sure know how to make a filly feel welcome, Iron Sights.”

The Knight bristled. “You will address him as Elder!”

I looked him/her in the...visor as I replied. “You...will be disappointed!”

The technician ponies had finished restraining me and the Knight reluctantly stepped back. The next orb swung into place in front of my horn. I glared at Iron Sights and his nasty little smile as I connected with it.

“Do we have to do this again?” The voice was weary.

It was also familiar.

A visibly-older Sassaflash stood in the doorway. She was clad in Steel Ranger armour.

There was a mirror next to her. In it I saw Caramel. He had also aged and was wearing the robes I’d seen around Neighlway.

Sassaflash nodded. “We do. It’s been 13 years. Big Macintosh is dead. We need to give it up. We have a life here. That should be enough.”

“Enough for what?” His bitterness was transparent. “We sit here in this bunker or root through the decaying corpse of Equestria for scraps! That doesn’t help anypony!”

Sassaflash had obviously heard this before. “It’s our duty!” She looked away from him as her anger shifted to sadness. “Not that you’d know anything about duty.”

Judging by Caramel’s lack of reaction he had heard that before too. “What can I do to make you understand, Sass?”

She jerked as if shot by Cassie’s rifle. Her pupils shrank to pinpoints. “DON’T CALL ME THAT! DON’T EVER CALL ME THAT AGAIN! NOT AFTER...”

Ashamed, Caramel deflated. “I know. I’m sorry.”

Sassaflash got herself under control. She picked up her helmet but paused with it in her hooves. “We are needed here, Scribe Caramel. The Stable is a pipe dream which we can no longer afford. Our work here is real. It will preserve Equestria. It will bring it back from the dead.”

She donned her helmet and, somehow, lost everything that made her more than the suit of armour she wore. She left without another word.

I watched through Caramel’s eyes as his head drooped and the tears began to fall. “I hate this place. I wish we never came here. The Rangers are wrong.”

He looked at the empty doorway. In the mirror I could see the haunted look in his eyes. “You’ll never forgive me for taking our daughter to the Stable cave, will you? Not after little Sassy didn’t come back...”

He sat there for a long time.

I opened my eyes.

“Well my dear? Was this trip more beneficial?”

I blinked away the moisture in my eyes. “N-no. Just two ponies who lost more than they should have.”

He didn’t think much of my deflection. “That’s completely unhelpful Snowflake. I need details.”

I really don’t like you, Iron Sights. “It was the ponies from the first orb again. They were older this time. They had joined the Steel Rangers. Their names were Sassaflash and Caramel.”

The nasty smile was replaced by a thoughtful purse of the lips. “I think I know those names. I must confirm this.”

He began to walk away. I yelled out after him. “Hey! Let me go already. We’re even now.”

He looked back and seemed entirely surprised I was still there. “Oh! Yes. Knight! Release her and provide her with an escort and supplies to make the trip home, will you?”

“Yes sir!”

~~~~~~

At least he was true to his word.

The Steel Ranger Knight escorted me to the limits of Neighlway territory but sulkily refused to chat until I referred to Iron Sights as Elder Iron Sights. I in turn cheerfully refused to do so. Apart from his seemingly random firings of the heavy cannon on his back which always struck an incoming Hissyflit there was no sound besides our hooffalls.

I wasn’t exactly complaining. I had plenty to think about. Caramel and Sassaflash. They’d gone to Stable 61 in search of an escape but found the door slammed shut in their face. I could relate. Without the Stable they couldn’t escape Old Equestria and what would become the Wasteland. They signed on with the Steel Rangers. Judging by Caramel’s demeanour it had been out of necessity rather than design.

I was in trouble. As soon as Iron Sights got a Unicorn back to the base he’d see the full picture in the orbs. He’d find out about Stable 61.

How long would the Stable door keep the Steel Rangers out of that treasure trove of pre-war technology? They wouldn’t stop until they got in.

I needed to buy some time or find a way to warn the Stable.

The Steel Rangers and I would not be friends.

~~~~~~

The moment I was out of their territory he turned and began to walk back the way he came.

“Have a safe trip!” I mockingly called after him. His gait became more tense but there was no other response. Soon he disappeared over the crest of a hill.

I consulted my Pipbuck. It was a trip of a good few hours to get to Sprinkles Supplies. About the same to Grindstone. I had a choice to make. “Do I head back to Lexi or go meet up with the Buffalo?”

I considered this while keeping an eye out for Hissyflits.

“How about a third option?” I was apparently not as attentive as I thought. The unexpected voice startled me so much I fell over.

“Smooth.”

The voice was distorted and tinny. It didn’t sound like a Steel Ranger though. I picked myself up off the ground before looking up. “Who are you?”

When I finally saw who was addressing me I didn’t know what to think.

Floating in front of me appeared to be some form of flying radio.

“You can call me Watcher.”

~~~~~~

Level Up!

Perks gained: Are You Low-Orbing Me? - Your barter skill has increased. More dialogue options are available for negotiations.

~~~~~~

Author's Notes:

As always, a big thank you to KKat, Y1, Auramane, Cascadejackal (he did the original cover art, which is still on the Fallout Equestria wiki), Void Heart (he did the new cover art), Shunketsunoponi and you, the readers. Please read and comment, and pass the word along if you like the story. Finally, because I find it a really funny coincidence to have another fic with a Stable 61 that’s set in Equestrian Canada, go read Fallout Equestria: Pure Hearts.

That’s all for now, folks. Please keep reading, commenting, and spreading the word on Old Souls. I really appreciate your feedback.