Chapter 8: The Badlands

“I will show you fear in a handful of dust.”

“Zinfandel!”

The zebra jerked in surprise at my forceful tone. Her eyes were wide and bloodshot as her tears continued to pour. “There’s nothing more you can do.” Both of us looked down at the dead mare. Ravelin seemed so peaceful in death, serene even. She had died to bring new life into this world.

Rampart had woken up and was crying in my arms. With a heavy sniff, the banded female held out her hooves to me.

“Here, let me hold him for a bit.” I passed the foal to her carefully. She looked down at him and smiled sadly, rocking the colt gently. She took one of the blankets not totally sodden with fluid and wiped the blood off Ravelin’s teats. Then the zebra set the colt on his mother’s belly and the child naturally began to suckle.

At first I was appalled. “What are you doing?” I demanded.

“Let him drink her milk while it’s still warm. Let her give him that much at least.” Any argument I may have had about the foal nursing from his dead mother died in my throat. She was right. I didn’t know if the zebra could make a substitute formula for Rampart and could only hope that Ravelin’s sister would be able to manage something.

Not a little disquieted, I climbed over into the passenger seat.

“Hey, do you have any cigarettes, Hammer?” Wordlessly, the Unicorn floated a fresh pack over to me. I wiped off the blood with muttered thanks. As I was about to put one in my beak, a bump forced my digits closed and broke the tobacco stick in half. Nonplussed, I got a fresh one but didn’t light it.

Numb, my emotions, my spirit, were numb to the core. It wasn’t that I didn’t feel sad, or mourn Ravelin, it was just too much. No tears came, Zinfandel was shedding enough and I didn’t want to add to her misery by being sad too. A void had opened in my chest where my heart used to be that drank in everything. All my thoughts and feelings poured into that chasm, yet not even that was enough to fill it.

At that moment, I just let my mind go blank and dwelled on my physical senses. The bumps in the road the Workhorse drove over, the sound of the tires on the gravel and pavement, the seat beneath my flank, the smell and feel of the cigarette in my beak, the dull throb of my latest injuries, and the sight of the wasteland ahead.

Clouds, dark and brooding, formed a massive storm front. The air was thick and only a dull wind blew ahead of the encroaching rain. I could smell the moisture and the ionization in the atmosphere. Maybe it was my heritage as a creature of the sky that allowed me to sense these things. Some instinct buried in my genetics that even two hundred years of living below ground had been unable to quell.

Whatever it was, I could tell that the storm would be fierce and unforgiving.

“Looks like rain.” Said Hammer, his voice cracking at his own pent up feelings, mirroring my own conclusion. In a way that was almost prescient, fat drops began plunking against the windshield to our vehicle. Partly because the same part of me that warned of the danger of the storm now urged me rather fervently to seek shelter and partly because I didn’t think Hammer Horn was up to driving in such conditions, I suggested we pull over.

There was a broken piece of highway overpass that had collapsed against its support column and formed a natural lean-to not far off the side of the road that looked promising. A sheet of water followed by a gust of buffeting wind hit our vehicle right before we pulled into the sheltering shadow of the ruined viaduct. I breathed a sigh of relief I didn’t know I’d been holding.

At least the storm was something natural, something understandable in this backwards world. However frightening, however primal and untamed the forces may be, it was comforting somehow to know that some things never changed. As dangerous as it was, I could not help but be fascinated by the storm. Wider and wider my gaze became, trying to encompass the whole and being unable.

Reading it and experiencing it were two very different hydra heads.

I stepped out of the Workhorse and looked around. Hammer cut the engine and did the same. After I felt we were safe I set about finding something combustible. There was no lack of junk that would make good kindling.

Discovery wasn’t really an issue. Anypony, raider or otherwise wouldn’t be looking for us in this, and the water would wash away any tracks.

Zinfandel climbed out as well, cradling the again sleeping Rampart. The rain picked up and beat a loud rhythm against everything, drowning out all thoughts with its white noise. Hammer set up his cooking pot and the zebra just stared into the fire.

Oddly enough, I felt a strange burst of fidgety energy. It took me a moment to pin down the source of the feeling. Ah, yes of course. Ravelin still needed to be put to rest. Everything was too wet for a pyre, and honestly I didn’t want the smell to permeate the camp. So, finding a point a small distance away, I began to dig. At first I used a rock to break up the hard ground and soon Hammer came to help me. Together we labored until there was a shallow grave.

I climbed back into the Workhorse and carried the mare. She seemed so light, so weightless. Zinfandel watched from the fire, cradling the babe, and watched me lay Ravelin into the depression. Respectfully, I crossed her front legs above her still swollen belly and covered her with a blanket. That done I piled the dirt back up and covered her in a mound of broken concrete, piece by piece so scavengers wouldn’t get to her.

I think it’s what she would have wanted, even though it was unmarked. I hoped that being an earth pony, she would desire to return to whatever spirit remained of the land. Much as I had for Cinder, I prayed to whatever deity still had mercy that the late mare would find peace.

Looking out at the pouring rain, I felt the dirt, the grit, and the grime, grind into my joints. The urge to scrub myself raw scratched at my mind. I never knew it could feel so good to strip naked. Unwrapping myself was an annoying affair, but equally liberating.

“I’m going to take a shower.” I announced. Hammer mumbled something and poured some of the raider swill into his skillet without looking up. Zinfandel reached across the fire and grabbed the neck of the bottle in her mouth and knocked back half of it. The two started to argue.

Just as long as they kept it down, I didn’t care.

There was a point on the broken highway above that formed sort of a sluiceway around a large shattered piece of road that jutted up like a wall. Water poured down it, forming a small waterfall that struck a perpendicular chunk of rubble. My PipBuck said the precipitation wasn’t radioactive at least.

The rain was lukewarm, and felt so very good.

I just stood and closed my eyes, letting the liquid pound off my back and fill my hearing with its rush. I just let go and let it wash away everything. My haunches found a comfortable spot and I let my head droop, surrendering myself to the torrent. All the blood, mine and others, was swept away. There was even still a little grease in my crest feathers from the day I escape the Stable and that too was soon gone.

It felt purifying. Flowing so smoothly, it slipped between every feather, every toe and talon. Until then I did not know what it meant to be clean because I hadn’t known what it meant to be truly dirty. Maybe soap would have helped, yet all the soap in the world could replace an honest to Celestia rain shower.

If it were just a little warmer, I might have even dozed off in that aqueous heaven.

Five minutes passed, then ten, then fifteen, and some of the more congealed gunk was finally starting to come loose.

“Hey, Ghost.” Sweet Celestia on my hatchingday cake!

“Oh, Zinny, you nearly scared the feathers off me.” I had been so relaxed the zebra had rounded the convenient privacy wall and taken me by surprise. She giggled. It was the most feminine thing I’d ever heard the zebra utter.

That’s when I actually stopped and really looked at her. She was naked. And very curvaceous I couldn’t help but notice. Without her cloak, without her gun, and divested of the packs and pouches she had worn around her waist, the natural figure of the mare was obvious. Her bulky gear had obscured the slimness of her waist and the width of her hips. Exotic didn’t even begin to cover it.

Now, being a male, all of this was filed neatly away in the lustful part of my brain as casually as can be before my chivalrous nature made me avert my eyes in modesty. Not before I caught the gleam in her gaze however. She sauntered towards me.

“I was wondering if you could wash my back for me?” She asked sweetly before stepping into the stream of water.

Again, being a male, I had a biological propensity for missing subtle cues from females, but when one practically bends over in front of me… ohh my… that was her hips rubbing against my leg. Those lovely, curvy hips. Yes, foreplay, I could dig that.

If I were to hazard a guess at this lucky turn of events, I would have to conclude that the zebra wanted physical comfort, the touch of another living thing. And somehow I doubted she would seek it from Hammer, so that left me. And honestly, though I would not take advantage of a mare in a weak moment, I was in a fragile mindset too.

All my thoughts were wiped away at the urges welling up within. To forget myself in physical union, with a zebra no less was enough to fill a part of that void. To give in to something so simple, so… intimate would erase some of the pain.

So I reared back and began to wash, or rather sensually rub her striped back. I smoothed the tense muscle knots I found. Having individually articulated digits, I often surprised hooved mares with the sensations I could provoke.

“Oh, Ghost.” Zinfandel moaned softly under my ministrations. I smiled to myself in triumph. It had… been a while I will admit. Had things taken a different turn, I would have scored with Honey Cup back in my Stable, and before then… Well, the thing with Ireena had put me off my game.

I knew I shouldn’t have, but the appetites, the urges, the lusts of the physical body were something that didn’t know shame or humility. Much like a starvation can drive the proudest soul to beggary, so too does the pursuit of coitus drive males to any length. It was a steady progression. Devoid of sex, first comes tension, feelings of lightness or heaviness. Then the body begins to hum with need, vibrating with that urge. Soon, if it’s dwelled on the mind almost reverts to a more primal state, ready to annihilate any obstacle between itself and gratification.

It’s so easy to surrender to those erotic pangs and let all rational thought drown in the instinctual carnal pursuit of pleasure. She turned to face me, breathing hotly and inching closer. The zebra was much shorter than I, and had to lean her neck back for to look at me. Closer and closer she came, her lips nearly to my beak, and I caught a faint fragrance.

To my surprise she did not follow through with her motion to kiss me and instead leaned past, and vomited.

Well… damn.

With a sigh, I wrapped a forelimb around her for support and pulled the mane out of her face as she heaved. The aroma I had just barely detected was that of the alcohol, now coming back up the way it had gone down. Yes, above and before all else, I am a gentlegriffin, studied and versed in the fine arts of romance and proper etiquette. So, when a fine lady who was in the process of throwing herself upon your mercy suddenly takes ill, you do the polite thing and keep the hair out of the way as she throws up and do not mention just how truly foul it smells.

I waited until she was done heaving, made sure to wash any lingering sick from her muzzle and slung her over my back. “Uhn...” She moaned in nausea.

“C’mon drinky zebra, let’s get you tucked in.” I walked back to the camp and set her down close to the fire.

“You’re a good friend, Ghost.” Her voice was slightly slurred.

“Yeah,” I said as I tucked Rampart close to her to keep them both a little warmer. Almost immediately, she was out like a light. I plopped myself down and tossed more wood onto the fire. Hammer floated a bowl of something over to me. It was filled with a thick, unidentifiable brown sludge.

“What is it?”

“Slop,” Said Hammer, a faint hint of amusement in his tone. I scooped a little out. It jiggled.

“What’s in it?”

“Slop,” he said again, the smile clear in his voice. Experimentally, I nibbled at the strange gelatinous concoction. When it didn’t hiss at me I took a larger, tentative bite. Not bad.

“So, Hammer, what made you leave home for all this?” I said between mouthfuls, gesturing to our surroundings.

“Well, my home situation wasn’t exactly pleasant. My parents had certain expectations of me. I’m not the oldest, so I was supposed to sort of take care of the farm while my older brothers ran the family business. Figured there was more to life than moving rocks from one field to another trying to cultivate gemstones. Ravelin had gone missing and her sister made me an offer I couldn’t refuse ya know?” His voice drooped somberly for a moment, but the perky unicorn’s tone upshifted. “Out here I can do what I really like: Cookin’!” He exclaimed happily, brandishing a large spoon in a magic grip.

“I get to see things I never imagined before. I was kinda sheltered ya know.”

“Where’d you learn how to drive then?” The pale blue buck squirmed a little.

“Well… Uhh… that is umm, my folks made sure that I had a good education just in case my two older brothers died or something I had the knowhow to pick up the slack.” He said evasively and quickly changed the subject. “What about you? How come ya left yer Stable?”

Because I was tired of being a slave and opportunity fell in my lap.

“I don’t really wanna talk about it.” And I meant it. It felt like a part of my life I’d rather never think about again, rather bury beneath my new life. I’d rather just let Ashes to Ashes die and become Ghost. Ghost didn’t have a sister, he didn’t have a sire or dam. He was just Ghost.

“But, what about that whole ‘branding’ thing? Is that why?” I felt something inside me like a caged beast wanting to get out.

“I was a slave, okay?” I blurted, and once the flow started, I couldn’t stop it. “All the griffins in Stable 57 are. Once a griffin comes of age they’re branded, so they know who owns them. Who fucking owns them! They made us wear bindings that strapped down our wings.” With a shudder I had to reach back and feel my feathers to reassure myself the horrible harness wasn’t there. “We couldn’t fly without permission. We couldn’t do anything without permission. We were worked to the bone so they didn’t have to. I just got lucky. Lucky enough to escape.”

I stuck a broken piece of wood into the fire and played with the burning embers. “It wasn’t always like that though. In the Overmare’s terminal there were records of what really happened, how a pony noble years and years ago killed the griffin who was supposed to co-manage the Stable and made it look like a suicide. Made it seem like the griffins couldn’t be trusted.” It was a rather abridged version, but that was the gist of it.

“I only figured it out by accident though; I was fixing the Overmare’s terminal and found everything. She walked in on me and nearly killed me for finding the other system, buried in the Stable network.”

“Shit dude, I had no idea. What’d you do?” I looked up at the unicorn.

“I broke her horn off and made her apologize.” Hammer Horn stared at me in horror and reached up to protectively cover his own appendage.

“You don’t do anything half-way. Didn’t you say you were lookin’ fer yer mom though?”

“Yeah, she got out a few years ago, long before Cinder and I did.”

“Who’s Cinder?”

…Shit, I said her name didn’t I?

“My… sister. She died. So did my father. I guess in a way my mom is all I have left.” I laughed a little, quietly reliving jumping through the closing Stable door, and standing in front of a burning pyre. No, you stay dead Ashes, you burned with your sister. “I don’t even know if she’s still alive, just that she went to Rust Town.”

“Whoa man, that’s harsh.” Okay, Hammer had had his questions, and I had spilled way too much already, so I turned the conversation back around on the stallion.

“So, what’s with the zebra hate? It doesn’t sound like something you believe, but something you’ve been made to believe.” If I knew anything, it was hate.

“What makes you say that?” He said defensively. There was a difference between honest to Celestia, soul searing natural born hate, and hate that had been conditioned. Years of living it as a griffin and seeing it in pony nobles had taught me that. “Why shouldn’t I hate zebras?” Perhaps it had been a bit of a shot in the dark, but Hammer’s uncertain undertone cinched my suspicion.

“Because you and Zinfandel would have killed each other already for one thing. Have you even met a zebra before?”

“Well, I’ve seen ‘em, but never talked with one. It’s just what my dad would always say. He would go on and on about ‘em, how they started the war, how they butchered children and other, less flattering things.” Was that a little parental resentment I detected? His look turned serious and he shifted the conversation once again.

“What really happened in the MAS building, Ghost? What were the zebras after? How come you can see memory orbs without a recollector? That mark on your ass doesn’t look like a brand; it looks like a genuine cutie mark.”

“Recollector?”

“Yeah, ya wear it on your head and lets non-unicorns look at orbs.”

Honestly, until that point, I had taken Hammer Horn to be a bit dull-witted. He surprised me with the accuracy of his observations. Alicorns and fire spirits flickered through my mind. I matched his gaze with my own.

“I’m not sure, and that’s the truth. There’s a lot that happened down there that there’s no real explanation for. I intend to find out though. Do you mind standing guard while I look these two orbs I found down there?” It wasn’t a real answer, but Hammer was a good sport about it and nodded.

I pulled my saddle bags close and reached inside to-

Note to self: remember that the memory orbs are activated by touch. For me at least.

I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to the very disturbing shock of inhabiting a body that had hooves and other… discrepancies.

This time I was inside a unicorn. Hmm, horns are weird. I wanted to scrunch my brow or shake my head at the strange feeling of the bony appendage poking out of my host’s mane. He reached out a hoof a pushed open a door leading into a small office. Standing behind a desk, drawing diagrams on a large chalkboard was a familiar mousey mare.

My host sauntered up quietly behind her and threw his hooves over her shoulders. She let out the most adorable squeak of fright and turned. Her expression of surprise changed to one of annoyed amusement.

“Oh Hypothesis, you know I hate it when you do that.” She playfully tapped a hoof against his/my shoulder. I mentally recoiled.

I was in that bastard! The colt who betrayed her! Oh, how I wished this wasn’t just a memory, I dearly desired that I could reach out and take control, warn the mare about the stallion who even now was likely thinking her mad.

Synthesis turned back to her board, crammed full of equations, drawings, and arcane diagrams with various notations next to them. Beyond my realm of influence, the stallion sidled next to her and nibbled at the back of her neck.

“But you like when I do this, don’t you?” He continued to softly nip and kiss the soft and fragrant fur of her neck. She giggled and lightheartedly tried to push him away. He was persistent though and soon she was crooning in his embrace.

If I were to rate Hypothesis, he would have to fall somewhere between radroach shedding and dirt, infertile dirt. To so take advantage of a mare, a mare that obviously deeply trusted him and viewed him as more than just a coworker or fellow researcher was reprehensibility of the highest caliber. And then to sell her out as a crack-pot! The nerve.

My fury only grew as he continued his physical advances. They/we bumped against the chalkboard as my host leaned around for a kiss. I felt… a stirring inside the body I rode and revulsion rose in equal measure. It wasn’t fair for one thing, not right after Zinfandel and our little encounter. She tasted sweet, just ever so slightly sweet.

Oh please, goddesses have mercy, don’t let them have sex with me in his memories.

The mare pulled away and sauntered to the doorway where I knew a cot waited. My host hurried after her. The lights were turned off and the two ponies climbed into the soft blankets together.

Oh thank you, Luna. Thank you for the little things. I resurfaced from the depths of the orb and made sure nothing was amiss in my mental absence. Zinfandel and Rampart were still snoozing softly together. Good. Hammer had packed away his meal and stared out into the rain, keeping watch. A slight pain jabbed into my frontal lobe and made me wince.

Hypothesis sobbed quietly, in regret. It tainted his steps, his thoughts, his every move was tinged with that mournful feeling. He took out an orb and a note, and set them on the cot that he shared with an amazing mare that he had just thrown away. Only when something is gone, do we realize just how much it really means to us. And too late, did the stallion understand just how big of a role she had played in his happiness.

I shook my head, feeling like there were cobwebs stuck in my skull. What the hell was that? Intuition? My imagination often got the better of me, but that felt just a little too spot on. I set the memory orb I had just viewed aside so I wouldn’t accidently bump it.

What was… what is… what may yet be…

Ow. Ow, ow, ow. I massaged my temples as another flash pierced through my thoughts. Did everything out in the wasteland have to be enigmatic and more often than not extremely painful? Ugh, I had no patience for headaches, whether stress, idiot, or mystery induced.

Too much thinking, not enough acting.

I put a claw back into my bags and rummaged about for the other…

At least I was somewhat more prepared that time.

Okay, who and where was I this time?

Hmm… rows of work stations, rocky walls, and giant red crystal. That was easy enough. This must be the orb I found in the safe, so it would stand to reason then, that this is the day Twilight Sparkle visited her ministry in Baltimare.

Now, who was I in? My host walked a few steps forward, checking what appeared to be a graph on a screen set in a large machine whose purpose was unclear.

…

Oh.

I was Synthesis’ memories, and in her body.

HER body.

As much as I enjoyed admiring the female form, and exploring their anatomy, that did not mean I wanted to actually experience it. Things felt distinctly, err… well, I’d rather not go on about the airiness this new sensation bestowed upon my twitching consciousness. Suffice it so say, that once more I was as far from my comfort zone as metaphysically possible.

“Is everything ready? Are we ready?”

Focus Ghost. Important stuff going on.

My host turned and addressed the assembled ponies in their strange, long coats. Her eyes locked on Hypothesis standing in the group and he gave her a reassuring smile.

“We have nothing to worry about everypony. It’s just Twilight Sparkle. So long as we remain confident and show her the amazing progress we’ve made, I have no doubt that she’ll give us the best review of any of her hubs.” I could sense her trembling and the raise in her heartbeat, but her tone remained steady and level. This little mare had guts; I had to give her that.

A stallion burst in through the doors and breathlessly announced that the guest of honor was on her way. Just a moment later, from those same doors walked an older lavender mare flanked by a pair of oddly similar looking unicorns. The streaks of color through her mane and tail were just starting to fade, but there was a definite, ineffable aura about this strange pony.

She was small in all honesty. I didn’t know what to expect from one of the legendary mares, and there was something about this filly, something I couldn’t quite place my mental talon. Perhaps it was the awed hush that descended among the scientists or perhaps the small group of ponies that trailed even further behind, talking quickly and furtively among themselves.

Twilight Sparkle peered around at her surroundings, taking in the workstations and various technical apparatus in at a glance. Then her eyes focused on the ones which I shared and a wide smile broke her serious expression. With a casualness that shocked both I and my host, she trotted quickly up to Synthesis and held out her hoof. Dumbfounded, a hoof rose in my view to meet hers and was shaken politely.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Synthesis, I’ve heard many good things about you and the work you’re doing here. From what I’ve seen so far, this facility is a fine example of how Arcane Science research divisions should be run, a standard that all who strive for science should work toward. I can’t wait to see what you’ve got lined up to show. I’m sure it will be spectacular.” Careful Twilight, you might give poor Synthesis a heart attack, judging by the way dopamine and endorphins were flooding her brain.

It was quite a euphoric sensation.

I could also feel the blood flushing her cheeks. “The pleasure is all ours Miss Sparkle, you do us great honor by personally visiting the Baltimare MAS hub. If you’ll come this way?” My host ushered the ministry mare over to a larger chalkboard upon which was a massive array of equations and technical diagrams focused around the large fire ruby.

“This,” Synthesis swept a hoof to indicate the board. “is a basic outline of our proposed superconductivity functionality and our understanding of its interface with the crystalline structure leading to spell form manifestation.” The little mare was a little out of breath after that explanation. Twilight Sparkle did not seem to mind in the least bit and was staring intently at the board with its myriad of arcane technobabble.

“Fascinating, you’ve managed to isolate Starswirl the Bearded’s principle of magical suspension!” She turned to look at my host. “Would you mind too terribly dear if I add a few things of my own?” Did Synthesis’ loins just spasm a little?

“Oh no! Not at all Miss Sparkle, we have copies of this.”

“Just Twilight is fine, Synthesis.” She said with another warm smile. The purple unicorn levitated a piece of chalk that had been in a holder at the bottom of the board and began to make methodical lines and additional calculations to the board. Behind, both the scientists and Twilight’s entourage had fallen silent to watch the Ministry Mare work.

I stared through my host’s vision, in rapturous awe. I could decipher some of the mathematical equations and inferred the purpose of some of the diagrams from my own experience inside the crystal. What this unicorn was doing though… it defied understanding. She casually flicked through complicated root formulas and magic structures that filled my mind to bursting point. It seemed impossible that simple chalk could contain the level of enlightenment exhibited by this pony.

She wasn’t just Ministry Mare, some simple beurocrat, or organizational figurehead. No, Twilight Sparkle was an extremely gifted, and frighteningly intelligent scientist all her own. Her intellect dwarfed mine as a skyscraper looms over an anthill. There was nothing this unicorn could not solve, no scientific mystery beyond her grasp or understanding.

The lilac mare even hummed happily to herself as she made a few finishing touches here, scrutinized a number there, and underlined a component or two. After another minute she stepped back and set the chalk down, seemingly satisfied with her work.

“Very excellent work, Synthesis, I couldn’t find anything that was really wrong and only a few things that I think could use an improvement. It’s not your fault in the least bit though; you didn’t have access to his archives after all.” There was a tiny hint of arrogance, but mostly contentment in Twilight’s tone. Synthesis stepped forward, running her eyes over the veritable wall of arcane science. “If you make these few adjustments here, here, and there, you should be able to hold a more powerful spell for longer. Shall we move on to the main event then? I’ve been just itching to see these spell manifestations ever since I read your report.” The mare let out a feminine giggle of happiness.

“Of course, right this way.” Synthesis’ voice was a little distant as she took in the altered algorithms. She led the way around to the fire ruby on its ziggurat. There was a whole assemblage of heavy machinery that I didn’t remember being there last time. I got a good view of the giant crystal from the outside before the war, before the chaos and the destruction.

The gold frame around the mighty mineral edifice gleamed and crackled with barely contained energy. Perhaps it was just my imagination, but something seemed to stir, some strange reflection of the light didn’t quite catch right passing through the gem. There was a glowing heart at the center of it that pulsed and glimmered. It was beautiful, it was mighty, and although those around me did not know, it was alive.

My host trotted over to a table with a strange helmet looking device connected by half a dozen very thick cables. “This is our interface unit. It’s pretty simple actually. The receptors transfer the energy of the spell into the frame around the crystal which acts kind of like a localized focus. Instead of it being cast from your horn, the spell is cast from the frame.” She set down the helmet and pointed a hoof to huge bank of matte black cooling fans that also connected via large cables.

“When we turn on the cooling units and run a very specific charge through the fire ruby, we’re able to drop the temperature of the metal and in essence freeze the spell.”

“But you’re not really freezing it, you’re actually speeding it up to such a degree through the superconductive material that we’re able to see the individual partitions of the spell itself.” added Twilight. “The energies of the spell travel at such relativistic velocities that once going such a speed they seem to stand still. It’s perfect! The fire ruby though, that was the real stroke of genius. What else could handle such levels of heat like that except for a fire ruby?”

She chuckled a little sardonically. “It’s no small wonder our ancestors chose this land to settle.” Once again the mare turned to my host. “I didn’t mean to interrupt, please continue.” Synthesis smiled sheepishly.

“You surmised it all quite nicely Miss Spark- err… Twilight. Would you like to see it?”

“By all means,” Her magenta eyes glimmered with the prospect of what was about to occur. My host nodded to Hypothesis who quickly got the team of unicorns into positions. The hum of the cooling towers filled the large chamber and a few electrical sparks jumped from the gold frame to the fire ruby it surrounded as they threw switches and typed commands into terminals. In a surprisingly short amount of time which made me suspect they had had the whole system on standby, one of the unicorns announced they were ready.

Synthesis picked up the helmet with her telekinesis and set it on her head. It was heavy and made breathing a little stuffy. I felt her magic well up and her horn tingled in a moderately pleasant way. I heard a few ponies give out little gasps. She pulled the helmet back off and set it on the table.

“I’d recognize that anywhere.” Twilight said, stepping up to a glowing mote of light. All around the giant crystal was aglow with tiny points of suspended light. Tiny traceries of light tighed the little glowing orbs together like gossamer string. A whole constellation of lights floated in the air, giving off their golden glow of my host’s magic.

It was truly a sight to behold as the ruby throbbed with the heat sunk into it and the golden framework frosted over and vapor misted the air from the metal beams. If I was to hazard a guess, there had to be at least two hundred individual points of dainty luminescence no bigger than a talon. The string connecting many of the orbs glittered like glass as they caught the light from the ruby.

“This is a lift spell isn’t it?” She turned back to the floating spell. “Turning a page, levitating a book. Something all unicorns know. Ah, there’s the direction, and there! I recognize force of the magic, everything! Every little part of a spell, down to the tinniest of details. It’s magnificent.” Twilight Sparkle praised. If Synthesis could blush any harder she’d likely catch fire.

The floating constellations were indecipherable to me, but as the lavender mare pointed out certain aspects and named them, I began to see the patterns, the relative position of some, the connections others had, and even the subtle difference in intensity. Synthesis walked beside the Ministry Mare and actually touched one of the orbs! I was expecting it to burn, or maybe be extremely cold, but there was just a slight tingling around her hoof as she carefully bumped the point of light.

Serenely, the little light moved upwards and sent a little pulse through the connections with the rest. A few immediately corresponding luminescent orbs changed position as well.

“And there I altered the size of the levitation field from a pencil, to a clipboard.” Twilight Sparkle actually looked impressed and more than that, fascinated.

“I can see the other parts are in fact harmonic with the set and altered parameters. It’s fascinating. What other spells have you tried! Oh, oh, I simply must attempt one of my own. This could usher in a new age of arcane understanding! This is like a microscope but for spells, spells too fleeting to truly analyze.”

“Err, well we haven’t really done much past simple things like telekinesis and a few healing spells.” Poor Synthesis stammered.

“I’m sure Fluttershy would love to take a look at those. And Rarity has been trying to get that broadcasting spell working for ages now. Oh! And of course Applejack has been looking for new ways of enchanting gems for talismans. Pinkie and Rainbow Dash are sure to have a use for a new spell or two as well.” She frowned a little at the name ‘Pinkie’ and turned back to the strange pair of unicorns who were diligently taking notes and sending some of the entourage out with scrolls.

I searched my memory quickly and Twilight was of course referring to the other Ministries and the other bearers of those mantles.

“Of course Miss Twilight Sparkle,” Said the stallion.

“We must remind you however,” added the mare.

“That you will soon be late for your-“ Continued the colt.

“-meeting with Princess Luna.” Finished the mare. Seemingly nonplussed by the duo’s odd speech, Twilight nodded before looking back at Synthesis.

“I’m afraid I don’t have much time left, but I would like to see something for myself first if that would be alright?” She sighed, seeming suddenly very tired. The mare I was occupying nodded frantically and walked with the purple unicorn back over to the helmet. With a little help Twilight Sparkle donned the complicated interface and stepped back. The room was still for a moment in anticipation.

They would not be disappointed.

Light practically exploded from the ruby and the superconductive gold. At first I was afraid that something had gone wrong, but the wave of energy resolved itself into spiraling galaxies of those mystical orbs. Instead of a soft gold, these were of a range of indigo, reflecting their caster. Constellations of what must have been a hundred thousand tiny lights practically filled the whole chamber! The air shimmered and hummed with barely restrained forces.

And they were not still either. The motes and their thin threads moved, rotating and spinning, at times crashing into each other and spiraling away again. The gossamer strands throbbed and pulsed with lively energy. I could feel my mare’s jaw wide open, and if I had been in control it would have been hitting the floor.

Whispers and mutterings of wonder flitted through the air along with the lights. Twilight Sparkle took off the helmet and surveyed her work with a wide grin. As she walked through the thick of the lights they moved aside for her and clustered in her wake like a cloak of stars. She paced right up to the fire ruby and stood a just a few steps away. She reached a hoof up as if intending to touch the gem and hesitated.

“You’ve got something miraculous here, Synthesis. And not just the spell manipulation.” She turned back with a wry smile as the lights began to fade. A wave of vapor billowed out as the metal tried to compensate for the massive power surging through it. Clearly the whole mechanism wasn’t quite able to handle the level of power poured into it for long.

The Ministry Mare strode confidently through the mist, mistress of all things scientific and unafraid of the forces at her beck and call. My esteem for this creature, long lost now, was truly monumental. Would this world ever see her like again? Could there ever be hope of a pony coming along in even another thousand generations that equaled Twilight Sparkle?

The way she had reached toward the ruby… did she…? Could she suspect, even from her brief contact, that there was more to the giant crystal than met the eye? If anypony could, then wouldn’t Twilight Sparkle? Then why hadn’t she said anything? And what spell was that which she had cast! It was indescribable.

She walked past Synthesis who I felt was on the verge of an arcane display induce aneurism and gave her a gentle nudge with her flank.

“Keep up the good work; I have faith in your abilities. Make us all proud.” My hostess stammered something that even I couldn’t quite catch. And the lavender unicorn walked out of the chamber with her subordinates trailing close behind.

I felt her cheeks stretch in a smile so wide they hurt and the world went black.

Holy throne of Canterlot, I now understood why the ministries had descended on the mousey mare as they had. Surely, they had simply been waiting for an excuse to strip Synthesis of her position and take her to lead their own research projects. Inwardly I cringed. With her success, she had ceased to be an individual and had become a commodity.

I rose up in sudden concern, aware that the memory had probably taken a fair bit of time. I looked around, making sure that everything was alright. Yep, there was Zinny still sleeping off her alcohol with Rampart and Hammer huddled close to the fire. Rain still hammered the earth and distant thunder still rumbled.

The wind carried a chill bite to it and I shuddered as my beak started chattering in the cold. Fuck, cold, cold, cold! I had been lying without as much as a blanket under the collapsed highway section. The blue unicorn looked up at my motion.

“Thank Celestia, I was afraid you’d never come outta that damn thing. It’s your turn for watch, man. It got cold real quick and I’m tired. Did you find anythin’ out in that orb?” I shook my head as I scooted closer to the fire and added a fair stack of broken wood to stoke the flames.

“N-n-nothin’ I couldn’t have g-g-guessed. A f-f-few tidbit-t-ts but that’s r-r-really it.”

“Some of ‘em are kinda useless. Whatever, ah’m goin’ to bed.” The unicorn was obviously a little grumpy from having to stay up in the cold. I watched Zinfandel shudder a little bit under the blanket and a sudden spike of worry for the foal shot through me.

“H-h-hey Hammer, w-w-we need to keep the baby warm. Here, get under the covers with Zinfandel.” I thought it was a pretty good deal. He got to sleep with a good looking mare and keep her and little Rampart warm. He looked at me, then to her, then back to me.

“Ah ain’t cuddlin’ with no damn zebra.” Oh, there was that.

“Look, the two of you together will make sure Rampart stays warm, and you’ll be warmer too. Besides, she’s not gonna wake up, passed out stone drunk.”

“Ah ain’t cuddlin’ with no damn zebra.”

“Cram it mister stubborn! You cuddle that damn zebra!” I pointed firmly with a talon and locked my eyes with his and stared him down. At first he continued to obstinate, but through a combination of cold, concern for the baby, and my own gaze he eventually looked away and grumbled under his breath as he made his way over to the sleeping pair.

With another irritated look at me he huddled close to Zinny without actually touching her and threw his blanket over the both of them without actually getting underneath hers. After only a few minutes his form was rising in a steady rhythm. For a while I just looked into the fire, playing with the piled on pieces of wood as they caught. It felt good to just sit and think, letting information process itself at an easier pace.

I however, am a fickle creature, and am quickly bored without something to do, or at least with the possibility of doing something an option. The rain and the cold made me seriously doubtful that anything was going to attack, but I had a duty to watch over my companions and I was not about to shirk my duty. There were a few things that needed taken care of anyway and now was as good a time as any.

I flicked on my PipBuck light and headed over to the Workhorse to make sure the talisman was still in place and charged. Ah, which reminded me that I now had a radio. With a few clicks the radio station with the oddly upbeat DJ issued from my leg. I kept the volume low and listened happily to the slow old tunes. The smooth voice of the station did not speak up between songs. I guess even the wasteland sleeps sometimes.

In an old tool box below the seat was a faded copy of a pamphlet containing the routine for regular maintenance on the boxy vehicle. It was only a few pages pretty much surmising my belief that so long as the talisman at the heart of the engine had charge the thing would run. There really wasn’t much I could do sadly without the necessary parts or fluids.

A few of my head feathers hung loosely in my face. I blew some air at the rebellious plumage and used the opportunity to slick them back again. A melancholy idea bubbled up within, that I had washed the last of Stable 57 from me. It still felt like I could just turn around and Cinder would be there, that I would wake up and it all just be a dream, a strange dream brought on by too much fiction.

Every time I opened my eyes, I did not see the walls of my Stable nor the smiling face of my sister or the scowling one of my father, just an empty waste. I buried such thoughts by going back to the fire and organizing the stuff I hadn’t dumped into the Workhorse, being careful to pick up the memory orbs with a piece of cloth.

I cleaned the guns I washed the gore from my knife and axe, taking another moment to pine after weapons I felt more confident with. At least with SATS I was a good enough throw with the knife. There was one thing however, that I had not yet done. Something I hadn’t looked at.

The Megaspell Theory book.

I figured that Hypothesis had left it in the safe as he had left the orb on Synthesis’ cot after her relocation. The bombs, the megaspells had heralded the end, so someone other than Synthesis had to have put it there. Some things I somehow felt would remain unknown. Carefully cracking the cover, I began to read.

Chapter 1: Theory

Magic. It resides within all living things, from the horns of the unicorns, the strength of the earth ponies, or the wings of the pegasi. But ponykind is not alone in the blessing, the gift of magic. From the most troublesome parasprite, to the most ancient dragon, magic is an integral part of what breathes life into our world, without which there would likely be no life.

Through the advancement of our understanding of magic and the underlying principles that governs it, we have been able to make innovations in leaps and bounds in the recent century. Unheard of modernization has sprouted from our drive to comprehend, and master the forces around us.

Without understanding, without progress, we would still be in the dark ages.

A megaspell can refer to two very distinct things. It can refer to the end result, the greatly enhanced spell effects. Or, the vessel that amplifies or contains the amplified spell form itself. Now these frozen spells can take shape either as a chamber or structure that needs to be actively charged through different stimuli or required conditions. These are often huge edifices requiring careful calibration and a team of masterfully skilled and highly trained unicorns.

Or, the spell can be essentially cast and contained for later use. As our understanding and mastery of the megaspell concept we have been able to put more potent spells in ever smaller vessels. This storage allows for portability, espionage, battlefield application, and installment into a variety of delivery systems.

The first known field test was that of a healing megaspell, ignited on the front lines by Ministry Mare Fluttershy and select Ministry of Peace operatives to observe the effects. It was beyond successful, healing every wound, life-threatening and otherwise. There are even reports of those who had only just passed being revived, many of whom are still alive today. The radius of the effects was so great that it in fact crossed over into zebra lines as well.

Whether this was by design is unknown, megaspells still being very early in development and their yield still difficult to calculate.

Ever since the leak of the megaspell plans to the zebras, it has be construed that the zebras have in fact been able to fully reverse engineer the forms for holding their own, backwards alchemical reactions, seemingly capable of emulating the general concept of exponential amplification found in our own.

Chapter 2: The Self-Sustaining Reaction

Underlying the very nature of the megaspell, is the theory that any spell of any sort, with the right materials can be amplified. This has given rise to the belief that it is in fact possible to create a self-sustaining reaction. A closed loop cycle of continuously gyrating energies and complementary breakdowns followed by constructions of matter and magical power.

It would require a unique synthetic medium coupled with either a singular or matrix of synergistic spells simply to ignite. Then, once ignited there would have to be a containment or suspension structure around the reaction. And to top it all off, a control mechanism of some kind would have to be capable of safely manipulating output and catalyst regulation to insure the reaction did not fizzle or grow beyond safety margins.

This is the holy grail of megaspells, in theory capable of generating infinite power, a unique, controllable spell that once ignited would be possible of not only self-replenishment, but what we have come to understand as a ‘fusion’ reaction. This is process we understand as occurring within a very unique celestial body.

The sun.

Ever has ponykind and unicorns especially tried to grasp even a sliver of the power as wielded by our fair lady, Princess Celestia.

As of the publication of this compilation of study on the subject of megaspells however, it remains a mystery as to whether such a thing is possible at all. After all, what spell, what material could possibly compare to the power, even in megaspell form, of the very sun?

Somehow, that struck me as ironically sacrilegious.

***

After a few hours the rain had petered off to a drizzle and eventually stopped. In the faraway distance I saw a shaft or two of sun break through the cloud layer for brief moments before vanishing. The rain should have brought clear skies, but the forecast was only ever overcast out here. The thought that I had traded once ceiling for another once again was brought to my attention.

Zinfandel actually woke up first, rubbing her undoubtedly throbbing head and giving out a little shriek when she noticed who was sleeping with her. That woke up Rampart who began squalling. The zebra picked up the crying babe and began trying to rock him and rub her head at the same time. Hammer followed the two of them into wakefulness shortly after and had his own gripes to voice about being woken up as he had.

I stifled a yawn and waited. Taking faint amusement from watching the pair. The megaspell book had been a fair bit of interesting intellectual posturing and not a small amount of advanced math and magic formulas that were beyond me, requiring a much higher level of education than I possessed.

The zebra set to brewing something which I assumed would be breakfast for Rampart and set to arguing with Hammer, calling him something in her tongue which was probably unflattering. The two quipped back and forth with various accusations and less than civil name calling. The babe was swaddled in one of our spare blankets and the stripped mare dripped some of her brew into his mouth and soon he was content again.

I didn’t want to wait for Hammer to cook us a full morning meal so we set out.

Once out on the road again, the mood seemed to brighten a bit. Even though Celestia’s grace was hidden, it still warmed the air. This was a thirsty land, and the standing puddles of water were soon gone. After an hour Hammer and I were talking amicably again while Zinfandel giggled and crooned over Rampart who made little burbling noises of his own.

“…and that’s when the brahmin exploded.” I gave him an incredulous look I knew he couldn’t see.

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope, out of the blue, bang! Oh, it was everywhere.” I laughed until my sides hurt. Soon we would be to our destination. According to Hammer we were only about two miles or so away. After everything, escaping my Stable I was finally going to find some real civilization. I looked out at the landscape speeding by thought I saw something.

“Hey, what’s that over there?” I pointed. Hammer had to keep his eyes on the road so Zinfandel looked.

“Can’t you see, Ghost?” She asked.

“Uh, well, it’s kinda fuzzy is all.” She looked back at me.

“Ghost, do you normally wear glasses?”

“No, I don’t need glasses, I can see just fine. Things that far away are supposed to be blurry right?” She gave me the doctor look again. “What?” She sighed and wordlessly hoofed me a delicate set of wire-frame lenses. I opened them and set the spectacles on my beak.

Wow, okay maybe I do need some corrective lenses. Everything was suddenly much sharper, like I had been seeing things further than twenty feet away in a lower resolution. I looked back where I saw the suspicious looking smudges and spotted ponies moving.

It looked like it was already over. Five were dead, three normal looking ponies and two of their attackers. They were feral, like beasts. These must be raiders, their hides covered in a mishmash of gear, their manes spiked into crude warhawks and other styles were enjoying the spoils of their conquest, namely the one surviving mare. I could see one moving between her legs as the two others held her down over a rock.

“Oh shit, Hammer, turn the Workhorse to the right! Raiders, but there’s a survivor. We gotta help her!” Neither of my companions moved.

“Ghost, there’s nothing you can do. It’s best to just move along.” Zinfandel said dejectedly.

“For once, I gotta agree with her, Ghost. It ain’t our business.” Hammer never took his eyes off the road in front of him. I stared at the two of them.

“What the hell is wrong with you two? They’re raping her!” They were silent and didn't answer my challenge. My tail lashed back and forth in agitation. Rampart began to cry again. Fine, if that's how it was going to be.

“Screw you both, I’m not just gonna sit here and watch.” I donned my vest, grabbed a pistol, my knife, and tossed the glasses back to the banded mare.

“Ghost, wait!” Cried the zebra as I launched out of the top hatch. If they didn’t want to help that was fine. I could handle it on my own. Of all the things that boiled me to the core, that sent me into a fury, few were equal to that of rape. It was a crime that offended my sensibilities. As a gentlegriffin, nothing was more abhorrent.

It was back in the Stable that I first heard talk about it, then witnessed it myself. Oftentimes I had frequented the lesser traversed passages, preferring to avoid congestion and ponies. There was nothing special about that day, nothing particularly different or odd. It was another grey day with grey walls that I came across a pair and their intended target.

They had hauled her down the side passages to have their way with her in private. I came across the bastards and demanded what they were doing. ‘Keep your beak outa this, griffin.’ Was the wrong answer. After beating the two senseless I helped the crying mare to medical to make sure she was alright. The victim was Lily Blossom, daughter of the original Overmare. Her family had fallen in the cutthroat world of upper Stable politics and had since been replaced.

Only now did I see the satirical nature of me, a griffin, saving the descendant of the original Overmare of Stable 57 from other ponies. Of course, Lily Blossom had been very grateful and had happily performed for me the very act she was almost forced to do for the other two. Did that make me twisted? I hadn’t solicited it from her, Lily provided it of her own free will. Maybe that’s what separated me, or rather how I separated myself.

Choice, and freedom.

I mentally kicked myself to be free from distraction and descended like a lightning bolt of retribution. With only a thump to betray my landing, I alighted behind the trio, pistol in one talon, knife in the other. The mare alternated between screaming and crying. One of them spotted me quickly enough to turn and got several ten millimeter bullets to the chest and neck. I shifted aim and gunned the other one down as well.

These ponies were like animals, slavering and howling, driven by base urges and insane. Ghouls acted with more reason. I closed the distance with the one who had been busy between the minty green mare’s legs. As he turned, cursing and spitting, I wrenched his head back by the mane and drew every inch of razor steel across his throat. Blood hemorrhaged from his severed arteries and remorselessly I dropped the raider like the piece of garbage that he was.

Up close, the raiders were even worse. They stank of shit and death, the ragged patches in their fur and yellow eyes showing disease and pestilence. I put away my weapons and went to the mare who had curled up into a protective ball, hugging her fluffy bright blue tail to herself.

“Are you okay?” stupid question, Ghost. Of course she wasn’t alright. She looked at me in fear, pupils contracting sharply.

“Please don’t kill me!” There was blood and other things flowing weakly from between her legs, and my expression softened in sympathy.

“I’m not going to hurt you. I swear I mean you no harm. Here,” I offered her a talon, which of course she flinched away from. I held my ground patiently, even managed to smile a little, and slowly the mare uncurled herself. Her eyes flashed to something behind me as the last raider screamed and galloped at me with a club.

Before he took two more steps I drew my gun and emptied the rest of its clip. Two to the chest, two to the neck, and my shots aimed at his head missed. Somehow, whether through bloodlust or some kind of drug, the stallion kept charging. I leapt forward with a beat of my wings and snapped a kick firmly into the side of his head. With our combined velocities that made for a strike that sent the raider tumbling to gurgle the last of his lifeblood through the holes in his gullet. My paw throbbed lightly as I landed.

The mare looked at me with a mix of fear from my display, and hope at the possibility of salvation.

“I’m heading to Rust Town and we can take you there if you’d like.” I said, trying to keep my voice steady after the rush of combat. The Workhorse had turned around and was heading back. The mare nodded. I smiled and stretched out my talon again and this time she took it. I helped the traumatized filly to her hooves.

“Rust Town or bust.”

Level Up.

Perk Gained: Quick Draw - Weapon drawing and holstering is now 50% faster.

Trait Discovered: Four Eyed Griffin - Whoops! Too much time in a dark room with a bright terminal has damaged your eyesight, but you didn’t realize until now! +2 to Perception while wearing glasses but Perception lowered by 1 when not wearing corrective eye-wear.

(Author’s notes: Okay, I know this chapter is VERY late, but I have been obscenely busy! (I know I know) And rest assured that I will endeavor to make the next one not quite so late (and it’s going to be a fair bit longer) but it may be a little delayed as well. College finals for me are imminently approaching so school will have to bear the brunt of my attentions for a little while. Tell me what you guys think! I love comments, praise or criticism.)