Fallout: Equestria, Darkness Falls

Blank.

I stood just beyond the perimeter of what had been some kind of grocery store (“Goldpeak General” the now-destroyed sign had once said). The fire had damaged the building enough that it collapsed inward, its walls somewhat standing only because of the mounds of white that surrounded it. Black smoke slowly billowed in the sky, joined by dying embers. And under all that destruction, three dead ponies somewhere in the rubble.

I shook my head. “Rest in peace under Celestia’s sun, sleep tight in Luna’s night,” I murmured in prayer, as was custom for anypony that died in Stable 46. It was a way of sending them off to the Everafter and into the Princesses’ embrace.

I shuddered at the thought that I almost joined them.

With a sigh I studied what remained of my supplies. Sadly, most of what I brought with me was ruined when part of the store collapsed directly onto my saddlebags. I suppose I should be grateful for that, as the support beam landed on them instead of me.

Healing potions shattered, their contents spilled all over everything else; books -- which held useful spells I could wield against the darkness -- were now stained beyond the ability to be read. Not only did this taint my food supply, but the impact had squashed every scrap of food. I knew that fiber was good for a pony’s digestive system, but I don’t think they had three-inch-long wood splinters in mind.

The only serviceable items that survived were some magical bandages, which I used on my singed hind-leg. At least my robes and the pendant of the Princesses survived as well. With reluctance, I salvaged what I could and discarded the rest, my saddlebags painfully lighter.

“Well now,” I spoke aloud with a small sigh. “This is quite the predicament.”

I looked around at what remained of the town, now able to study it without the distraction of an in-distress pony (though I know the truth about said pony now).

I wasn’t sure what to do now. The buildings seemed quiet, which must have meant that my ‘hospitable hosts’ were the only ponies around. That wasn’t going to last, however, as this so-called Bracket could return at any moment. And if he was anything like Shank and her ‘friends’, then I did not want to be around when he showed up.

Still, I bit my lip as I contemplated a course of action. I can’t very well wander around without supplies.

Having to scavenge, somehow, seemed wrong and I found it incessantly hard. After trying one building that had a flying winged pony with some sort of hat and a single-strap bag (“Equestrian Post Office”). I didn’t have much luck with that one. A few golden bits, a magazine that caught my eye (“Supernaturals”), and what I suspected was a form of canned food. My only hint at this was the faded label with an exuberant mare eating a concoction of carrots, lettuce and cabbage.

While I had no idea how to access the canned food, I didn’t have the stomach to. Inside the office there was a pile of charred bones. Scorched by fire and left by time, tangled in an indiscernible mess. There could have been as many as ten. I tried my hardest to ignore the grave of the poor souls.

Moving behind a secure counter, I found an odd device that resembled the computer terminal in my office. I blinked, surprised to find such a thing intact in such a place. My first thought was that it could have a hint as to where Whiskey might possibly be. I tapped the buttons.

There were many entries on package movements to places I’d never heard of. Fillydelphia, Manehatten, Stalliongrad, Ponyville, Canterlot and many more. Package received, package sent, insufficient postage returns, et cetera. Little of it made sense to me.

There were a few messages:

Entry One:

The busy holiday season is coming again. I hope by keeping some logs in my work terminal that I can keep some semblance of sanity (work sucks). That means long hours, irritable ponies and far less sleep. Joy. Juggler keeps breaking packages, and he’s been warned that if his clumsiness persists that he’ll have to be fired. He’s broken three in this past month alone!

And to make everything even better, the war’s come to Stalliongrad. Yep, the Zebra bastards have made it this far. We can hear the explosions from here, like the subtle thumps of somepony knocking on the wall. I can see wagons outside the post office; ponies leaving while they still can. Troops have arrived too and they’re fortifying the town; sandbag bunkers, martial law, et cetera. Should be so much fun…

Entry Two:

Couldn’t sleep. Marionette keeps fretting about the closeness of the war. Half of me wishes she would shut up, but I can’t blame her. Everypony is on edge. The troops guarding us are keeping tight lips, or more likely they don’t know. I hear mixed stuff from some loose-lipped soldiers, though. The fighting’s been fierce the last week. Ground trades practically every day, back and forth. Post-It Note wants us to cut out and display positive articles or wartime reports that reflect well for the war effort. Said it’s to keep up ‘morale’. She’s so full of shit. Doesn’t she realize this stuff is terrible no matter how you slice it?

Either way, it’s getting done. I put them up on the bulletin board as asked, even if I think it’s dumb. Not what I’m paid for, right?

Entry Three:

I’m not sure what’s more disturbing. The fact that the war hasn’t reached our humble little flank-end-of-nowhere, or that no one seems to be getting the upper hand. It’s been three months since the battle for Stalliongrad started and no one has made a decisive blow. No one.

I’m also hearing that not everypony has been evacuated. That there’s thousands still trapped in the city because the fighting’s too thick. Confirmed it in an article I saw in the Daily Haystack. ‘Civilian Convoy Ambushed by Zebra Strike Force’. If the intel is right, that strike force was meant to flank an approaching armored unit from our side and instead found the civvies. One of the soldier mares was deeply concerned as it was her sister’s unit that was supposed to be guarding them. Overheard her yacking about it in the saloon.

I can’t imagine how horrible that has to be. Trapped in the city, waiting to have your door busted down and killed, or trying to escape only to get slaughtered. Personally I would take my chances and try to run, consequences be damned. But that’s just me and it’s easy to say, since Goldpeak is miles away.

At least I know why Marionette is so on edge. I found her guzzling Applejack Daniels and crying; apparently some of her kin are stuck in that tartarus hole. Poor girl. It’s affecting her work here, but I don’t have the heart to report it. What good would it do anyway?

Entry Four:

Something big is going down. Security has doubled and the soldiers are alert. Nearly three dozen trucks arrived with heavy construction equipment. Specialist unicorns and a HUGE drill. All of them with the ‘Stable-Tec’ logo. It’s really mixed reception, here in Goldpeak.

On the one hoof, this is good. In all likelihood, Stable-Tec is building a Stable up top in Mt. Sorbet. This means we’re a shoo-win for getting tickets for me and my girl! A Stable so close to home. It’s literally a short climb up where I suspect they’re breaking ground.

But there’s a dark side to this, too. If Equestria is approving Stable construction, then that means… the worst is a very real possibility. I’m just a postal worker, but even I know stuff like that ain’t cheap. I’m not real concerned about me; it’s my baby girl I worry about.

Anyways, soon as that Stable gets done enough, I’m buying tickets no matter how much it costs. Sell my forelegs if I have to.

Entry Five:

I don’t understand.

Construction on the Stable has been going on for months now, and there’s been absolutely no word on when tickets will be available. I just got off the phone with my cousin in Manehatten, and she has hers. Said she got it only a month after construction started. What the hell? That prick running the relations between Stable-Tec and Goldpeak keeps giving us the runaround of ‘they’ll be available soon’ and ‘soon as it’s deemed safe enough’. What a load of horse apples! Does he think we’re stupid or something? If that stallion doesn’t give us a straight answer soon, I’m calling Stable-Tec HQ. Maybe they’ll straighten him out.

In other news, the battle is STILL raging. Not as bad as it was some six months ago, but the fighting’s still happening. I understand that Stalliongrad is an important city because of its age, but why not let the Zebras have it for now? Fall back, regroup and then hit them hard? I may not have a fancy education from Grim-Hoof like Fire Song has, but that general just doesn’t know when to quit.

Note to self: encrypt the terminal connection. Last thing I need is the Ministry of Morale to see this and think I’m a defeatist.

Entry Six:

Been awhile since I’ve written in here. Ever since Morale agents took Marionette away, it’s been difficult to get any seclusion at work. I knew Marionette was against the war, but for her to start putting down troops? Wow, just wow. I cannot tolerate that kind of stuff, but it just surprises me so much that it was her. She was depressed, sure. Everypony knows somepony or knows somepony who knows somepony that is stuck in Stalliongrad, but this is so ‘out there’ for her.

What was interesting is that it was the big-wig herself that came to investigate. Her and some secretary for the Ministry of Awesome (surprises me that that ministry even does anything, considering the mare in charge). Came and interviewed Marionette and some of the troops, then they went in a skywagon and left. Just like that. Didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye. The secretary stuck around for a little bit. Glad she’s gone, she gave me the willies something awful. There was just something about her eyes that freaked me out.

Furthermore the troops are staying quiet about it as well. Can’t get a Celestia-damned peep out of them now. This is unnerving.

Entry Seven:

It’s happening! Oh Celestia it’s happening!

We were listening to radio Cloudsdayle when it suddenly went out. I assumed the station was just having some kind of technical problem, but then the ground rumbled like an earthquake! Everypony’s in a panic, screaming about an attack.

I gotta go! I have to get my filly to the Stable. If anypony finds this message, get to the Stable!

I stared at the terminal, having read all it had to offer. Disappointment flooded as there was no mention of Whiskey Tango in any of the entries. It did offer a wealth of information on what had happened… even if I couldn’t understand it.

What war? What are zebras? Stable-Tec? So many names, places and things that I had absolutely no idea what they were supposed to be. There was nothing about them in the old texts, I was sure of it. All the terminal left me with was a confound sense of being blind and confused.

I did glance at the bulletin board the terminal had mentioned. It was covered in old, mostly ineligible scraps of paper. After a few moments I gave up with trying to read them and moved on.

Though… the skeletons gave me pause. They were once ponies, but they existed out here. They had to be like Whiskey. Had to. But…

“No,” I muttered to myself and tore my gaze from them. “I have my path, they chose theirs.”

And I promptly left.

Whatever collection of structures lay in the distance, Goldpeak was quite a ways away. So much so that it felt like I would never reach it, even in my wildest dreams. It made my legs ache at the very thought. Was there no transport to speak of in this place? How in the world could Whiskey get so far ahead? It seemed like there was nothing around for the longest distance except white, cold powder everywhere I could see.

I sighed, already I felt like I had failed.

He’s gone. There’s no way I could possibly find him out here. My depression hit me hard, and yet it was at war with the determination to make things right.

Another sigh, more akin to a deep breath. I did my best to reconsider my options.

I glanced back up the way I had come, at the massive mountain that housed my home. I could turn back now and nopony would question it, nor would they argue. Dawn and Harmonics would certainly not mind. Some ponies might be cross with my decision to leave in pursuit of Whiskey, but that would fade in time.

I turned back to the distant city. On the other hoof, I remembered the pain on everyone's faces when we sent Clover to rest. The shock, horror and helplessness in Gauze’s eyes. As well as Genesis. Those horrible feelings swam through my stomach like a rancid apple shake. That, and the depression would eat at my ponies for Celestia knows how long. They wouldn’t, couldn’t be happy without closure.

I shook my head. I needed to carry on. I needed to do this.

Standing on the top of the post-office, which was also the tallest building in the small town of Goldpeak, I could see the city and much, much more. The terminal had described it as ‘Stalliongrad’ as its name. I wondered if that extended to every small mass of buildings that dotted the area around. While they did not match the enormous spires in the city proper, many of them were at least several stories tall.

It almost seemed like the world segregated the metropolis from the rest. Vast stretches of white stood between the outskirts and the rest of the valley. To the west, the infection of white gave way to light brown, and then it ended in a cliff. Though, what caught my eyes was the large, black triangle that rested on a flat, short butte made of rock. From what I could tell, it was dangerously close to falling off of the cliff and into whatever lurked below.

The north was especially disturbing. The grey film that darkened the sky seemed poisoned just beyond the northern mountains. A sickly display of rainbow-sheen, dominated with an eerie green in the color matrix. It swirled slowly, passively in the distant clouds as though waiting for innocents to get close enough. Obscured almost from sight, some form of blurred spire rose from the ground. My curiosity morbidly peaked, I noted it in my list of places to check on.

I gulped. Tartarus was much bigger than my home. I found myself pondering how many evil souls lay just beyond my hooves. More so disturbing was the putrid miasma in the sky. That was supposed to be Celestia’s domain, and it was tainted.

This will be much harder than anticipated, I thought glumly.

Movement caught my attention, and from the crest of a hill some shorter distance off, pony after pony emerged. I could not make them out, even when I squinted my eyes. After a half-dozen of them, a single wagon followed. Even from here I could make out the iron bars of what had to be a cage.

Demons transporting the damned? I thought darkly.

My next thoughts were that they must be this Bracket I had heard about. I tensed and counted the pony-shaped blots as they came. Over a dozen, not including whoever was in the drawn wagon. I was about to turn tail and leave, unwilling to be around more ponies like Shank.

When I remembered: “Pretty much. Bracket’s rounding up slaves to trade to Nexus.”

I blinked, then slowly turned back to the approaching raiders. If what Shank said was true, then those ponies in the wagon had to be taken against their will. It made sense. These ‘raiders’ acted very much like demons from what I could tell. They’re depraved, savage, and absolutely insane. Therefore the ones in the cage couldn’t possibly be there by choice.

I can’t leave them to their fate, can I?

Some of the things that Cleaver said came back to mind. I paled and shook my head.

“No, I cannot…”

I ducked, another raider pony passed by the window.

It didn’t take long before Bracket and his ponies realized something was wrong. The smoke from Goldpeak’s grocery store had tipped them off and they came running. It was all I could do to hide and fold my ears against the barrage of extremely rude insults thrown about randomly as they searched for whoever burned down their place. Such things as disembowelment and strangling one with their own intestines. All the while they howled with hideously psychotic laughter.

I threw up as quietly as I could.

I was ignorant of the threat that Shank posed before, but now I was acutely aware of how much I didn’t want these ponies to find me. So very acute.

I peeked up over the window sill as much as I dared.

In the center of the town, opposite an old, destroyed fountain was the cage. It wasn’t far off from the convenience store ruins. Inside I could see a unicorn mare in rags, beaten and battered from the looks of her attire. Hugged in her forelegs were a pair of foals, they looked like they must have been freshly taken out of their vat tank. There was no way they couldn’t have been. I bristled, these wretches must have removed them early!

Bracket was easy to spot. He was much like Buckshot, except he wore an almost full body suit of rag-tag armor, as no one segment seemed to match the other. All except his head was covered. A wicked set of spikes jutted from each shoulder. He bellowed angrily to the maddened raiders to find the perpetrators responsible. While he didn’t scream any gruesome threats like his companions, my fear towards him was the most pungent.

“Find those fuckers! Drag them screaming back to me, and we’ll…!”

Nevermind. I covered my ears. Goddesses this was awful!

I sighed gently and, while crouched, backed away from the window and into the musty confines of my temporary cover. It was a quaint, dilapidated old place. Decayed and damaged furnishings strewn across the floor gave me adequate cover for the moment. The three seater couch that I was under did nicely, despite the filth that had my skin crawling!

The door banged open and I barely stifled a yelp. Hoofsteps from the other side of my smelly cover advanced inside.

“Slasher,” one voice spoke up. “They ain’t gonna be in here. I tell ya, whoever done did it high-tailed it outta here.”

“Shut up!” the other responded, her voice excited with craze that made my heart skip a beat. Following that was mad giggling and what sounded like the ramblings of a game of hide and seek.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are…” she disturbingly sing-songed. “Come out so we can play!!”

I curled up as much as I could as they moved about, then scooched further under the couch. My ears strained to make sure they weren’t coming near, hooves over my muzzle to stifle any errant sound. When no jubilant screams of death and dismemberment came, I allowed myself an iota or relief.

“I’ll check upstairs for our little play rat!”

“Fine. But don’t steal any ammo this time! Bracket finds you stealin’ again, you’ll be missing them legs!”

“Yeah, promises!”

One of them left, their hoofsteps grew distant with the sounds of creaking wood. The other grumbled madly to themselves, though it was thankfully too quiet for me to hear.

I nearly yelped when sudden pressure descended upon me!

“Ah,” the remaining raider relaxed. “Finally a second to rest.”

I trembled. He was right on top of me, crushing my lungs! Heat built in my face, my back complained under his heavy weight and I had to bite my tongue to keep from grunting. Likewise it was all I could do to keep from squirming as he bounced.

“Lumpier than I remember,” my unintended rider intoned, and I felt pokes through the couch’s cushion.

Arrugh! Get. Off. Of. ME!

My eyes teared up from my burning lungs, then finally the other incessant raider returned!

“Nopony! Damn it!” the returning raider spat, clearly she was disappointed that I was not there for her to kill. So unfortunate I almost felt bad. Almost.

Before too long they left after declaring my hiding place clear of intruders. I held my breath a moment longer and waited for them to leave.

When the door slammed closed I sighed in relief and collapsed, then soothed the burn in my lungs with great mouthfulls of stale air, which devolved into hacking and coughing as dust showered down around me. Through the threat of raiders, the muck and absolute filth rose above the rest.

What do I do now? I’m stuck in here with no real way to get out. That, and my mind drew a blank on how I was to rescue those in the cage. Outnumbered and without a means of defending myself? I was not about to kill anypony. That’s unspeakable. There was just no way.

… or was there?

I peeked over the couch, looking for the stairs that gave access to the second floor I had missed. Sure enough, there was a narrow column that lead upwards. Double-checking the window to make sure I was not about to be spotted, I made for the stairs.

Most of the rooms seemed unappealing and bare, like no one had been in them for years. Though the last one had several metal boxes stacked up on top of each other. Next to that, a table held several devices I could barely name, but they seemed to hold a similar design to Whiskey’s pistol. There were even a few of the terrifying cannons that Buckshot wielded.

And there were a lot of them. If each raider pony, of which there were a dozen, outside were to arm themselves with three weapons here, there’d still be a massive excess.

I paled. Did all of these devices possess the same horrendous power? Some of them seemed even more deadly, if size was any indication. By Celestia! I can’t let them keep this kind of death and destruction! I simply can’t!

Though… how do I go about destroying them?

I bit my lip and looked over each of the atrocious weapons. There were things I couldn’t begin to guess at their function. Stacks of thick orange discs, metallic apples, and boxy things that seemed to match larger, narrower counterparts. Yet, they also seems unnaturally different. It dawned on me that I still needed some way to open the captives’ cage, and I doubted that the key would be within easy reach.

Curious, I levitated up one of the boxy things. It was about the size of Whiskey’s pistol and had a similar mouth-grip. Absent was the little notches along the barrel, and there was no hole at the end. Instead there was a dimly lit gemstone that glowed purple. The likeness of design told me it had to be a weapon of some sort. Pointing the gem side away from me and at a nearby wall, I pulled the trigger.

Pzzat! Pzzat!

The thing gave a sharp whine, a lance of thin, purple energy raced across the room and blackened the far wall. I winced as it only now occurred to me that I may have just given myself away. Thankfully the weapon was not as loud as Whiskey’s, as long seconds passed with no repercussions.

I hummed, noting how the weapon did not recoil like his either. With a frown of disgust I put the device in my mouth and fired again.

Pzzat!

My thoughts were confirmed.

A plan came to mind now. I gathered up some loose paper and other flammable bits of debris until I had a decent pile right underneath the table of weapons. The fire should spread and destroy them. Then, just like the grocery store, the building should catch fire and that would draw everyone’s attention away from the cage. With any luck, I can use this weapon to break the lock.

Or at least I hoped so.

Another couple of blasts and the old papers were smoldering with a soft, deceptively benign glow. Eager to leave, I made my way back downstairs and waited until the coast was clear at the back entrance. Narrowly avoiding a scouring raider (one with a gruesome cutie mark of a skull being smashed by a sledgehammer) I hid a couple of houses down. The center of town was arranged in a circle with the old fountain in the middle, and my query alongside it.

I waited, studying the cage and I saw the thicker bars along the far side. That had to be the gate, and thus, my ultimate goal. If I squinted my eyes I could almost see the large padlock at this distance. I counted at least four raider ponies in my field of view, the rest of them searched the town.

A few minutes passed and finally I could see the dim light in the window. It also helped that it seemed to be getting darker outside, like when most of the lights would dim in the stable to help ponies sleep. Is that what this was? Somepony dimming the lights above? No, that’s not right. I had to remind myself that I wasn’t in the Stable. That was Celestia’s sun, likely being lowered in preparation for Luna’s moon. Though, the thick cloud cover made that fact blurry at best.

Murmuring brought my attention back to the matter at hand. With passing minutes the weakly flickering light grew stronger as the sun’s illumination waned. Some of the raiders had begun to notice it as well. Soon after that, black smoke began to seep from the long-broken window.

“What the fuck is going on!?” Bracket bellowed as he now noticed why his ponies were not still searching.

Somepony answered and Bracket’s face turned to fury. “Then get up there and put it out, fuckwads! We lose that stockpile, we’re fucked! It’ll take months of caravan raids to get even half that shit back! GET TO IT!” He stomped furiously as he growled at his subordinates with unspoken promises of gruesome discipline should they fail.

Three ponies rushed in, joined by a fourth after they bucked the door open. Smoke started to pour from the broken window in abundance, the room ablaze and soon enough the whole house with it. My ears twitched as popping sounds crackled through the air.

A glance around told me almost everything I wanted to know. Nearly everypony was enthralled and distracted by my little act of arson. Raiders that had been searching the town proper were now clustered only several yards away from the about-to-be inferno.

Save for one.

Standing next to the cage door was a solitary raider, exactly where I needed to go. No matter, I am prepared for this.

I am not a stealthy pony. Numerous times I had tried to get Harmonics back by sneaking up behind her, only to be discovered mere moments before I could scare her. That, and I rarely tried to do so. That was mostly because I was anxious about Dawn finding out. With everyone’s attention elsewhere, however, it was not a problem.

Once I was right behind him, I whispered, “Excuse me?”

“Who the flying fu-!!”

Clang!

I swung hard and he fell to the white ground in an unconscious lump, followed by the heavy cast iron pan that I had picked up in the now burning house, a fresh dent marring the otherwise flat bottom. After doing so, I checked his head. Nothing broken, nasty bruise. He’ll be fine, with the exception of a splitting headache for a day or two.

My concern for his health satisfied, I checked to make sure my cover hadn’t been blown. The inferno burned brightly and vigorously, the panicked yells from those inside as they tried to salvage what they could effectively masked anything I did. Right now I could probably shout a curse from the Goddesses at Bracket and he’d be none the wiser.

“Wh-who are you?” the mare asked in an unnecessarily quiet whisper. One look at her told me she was hesitant to think this was real. She must have fully believed herself to be resigned to whatever fate held for her.

I smiled. “I’m here to help.”

She blinked, and that barest hint of hope came with her ears perking just a little bit. Also there seemed to be some kind of… what? Suspicion in her eyes?

Wanting to deliver on my promise, I searched the unconscious pony for the key. I must admit my extreme reluctance in doing so, largely due to his rather pungent odor. Thankfully I didn’t have to use my hoof. It was too occupied trying to shield my nose. Do these raiders ever bathe?

The mare in the cage grew restless, her gaze shifted quickly between the busy raiders and me as I searched for the key. Unfortunately I had no luck.

No matter, I reminded myself, stemming whatever frustration that may have come.

“Please hurry!” she softly urged, trying her best to keep the little ones quiet.

“No need to worry,” I said in my own attempt to ease her concern. “They’re too busy with my little ‘distraction’.” Though, my words seemed to fall on deaf ears. She fidgeted with a worried whimper.

I looked back to see what her worry was and saw nothing of concern. The crackling had risen, becoming an erratic and frequent staccato. The fire itself had engulfed the whole house, transforming it into a brightly burning torch against the twilight, clouded sky. Everypony was frantically shoveling the frozen white puff onto the blazing inferno in a vain attempt to put it out. Everyone except for Bracket himself, who was shouting orders some distance away.

I couldn’t help but smirk. All their ill-gotten weapons had to be destroyed by now. They were wasting their time and I felt like I’d accomplished something good. They won’t be hurting anypony any time soon.

Reveling in my success for only a moment longer, I got back to the matter at hand. Drawing the boxy object liberated from the house, I found the lock and made sure to point the dangerous end at it and it alone.

Pzzat! Pzzat! Pzzat!

Each beam of purple energy struck the crude metal, and on my third blast the lock melted enough to fall off the latch. From there I simply opened the door and--

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

A concussive wave of force bowled me over! The cage and the nearby fountain lurched and crumbled over with such ferocity and swiftness that I had little time to think, much less scream. It was as if the world had suddenly blinked out and tilted violently.

I was reminded of Fresh Gourmet cooking in Stable 46’s kitchens, making flat pancakes by tossing the pan. Except I was the one being tossed away several yards and into a deep pile of cold and white.

My head swam and my body ached, like my insides had been quickly, briefly pressed under immense pressure before letting go.

What just happened?!

One moment I’m by the cage, freeing somepony from raiders, and the next moment I’m soaring through the air!

The clatter of debris rained down around the town square, each piece of decrepit wood or rusted metal plopping down on the white ground and sending the puff flying. What was left of the house was a blackened and charred skeleton, the entire roof and second floor was completely gone. Arms of split wood curved in every angle, blackened and some burning still. A massive column of smoke added to the steady stream of black from earlier, belched into the sky to join the gray above.

I stared in shock, my muzzle agape at the destruction I unintentionally caused. My intent had been to make the raiders’ weapons unusable, not annihilate the building!

There were ponies inside there, I realized.

“Oh no!” I jumped up and promptly cried out as lightning shot up my backside. My hoof on my right hind-leg was swollen up bad. I groaned trying to move it, my eyes moistening at the stiff pain.

Ignoring the pain the best I could, I brought my attention back to the cage. It had landed on its side, the door open and the mare still inside.

“A-are you alright?” I asked, wobbling my way over.

She looked up at me and I gasped. One of her eyes was bruised and closed with blood running down from her mane.

“I’m okay.” She nodded and went back to helping the two young ones. I offered a hoof and checked them over. The poor things were shaken and scared, but without a scratch. A comparison between them and the adult mare told me that she must have used herself to protect them.

Sadly I didn’t have much in the way of supplies to give to her, but I did give her the remainder of bandages I had.

“What are you doing?” she asked curtly as I started off towards the husk of a house and the bodies around it.

I paused and looked back. “I have to help them.”

Her eyes bugged and her jaw dropped. “What? No you don’t! Those are raiders!” She very nearly glared at me, then started ushering the two fillies onward.

I blinked. “I know, but they’re still ponies.” Though, I wasn’t sure about my own statement. They had done horrible things, I was sure of that, and only the Goddesses could know what fate I had just spared her from.

Disgust washed over the face of the one I had saved. She merely shook her head and moved on. I’m almost sure that she murmured something. After that, she called back, “Thank you.”

I nodded, but was quite thoroughly miffed that she was willing to abandon the suffering and dieing. That in mind I was reminded that time was of the essence, and went about checking the injured.

There was absolutely no hope for the three that ventured inside. In all likelihood they had been right next to the gruesome arsenal when my fire set it all off. My stomach rebelled at the thought that there probably wasn’t enough of them left to even consider cremating, as was the traditional means of burial in Stable 46. To my horror most of the raiders were dead, especially those closest to the house. Farther away and they were very badly injured. Pieces of shrapnel burrowed into their bleeding bodies, burns from the fireball, and twisted limbs that simply had to be broken.

All of it beyond my capabilities to heal.

I did my best, but it would be a miracle if any of them lived. If my supplies hadn’t been smashed I could have done more for them.

With a sigh, a heavy heart and the reluctance to see any more, I looked around for anypony else that could possibly be saved.

A soft creak caught my attention. Some distance away a piece of the roof had managed to stay intact. It landed on the ground, crushing half a wagon next to it.

Probably unstable from the fall, I told myself reasonably. It made sense; the roof was on fire and crumbling by the second, the wagon threatening to go up in flames too as it listed with a wheel off of the ground.

Then it lurched.

I paused mid-step, staring at the burning rubble.

It lurched again, wood crackling and the wagon jostled.

Then the horrible finality dawned on me.

“AAAAAGH!”

The roof lurched once more with enough force to flip onto its burning side, then crash into the ground. The wagon suddenly fell, its wheel snapped under its own weight. And underneath lay…

“B-Bracket…” I whispered, and took a painful step back onto my injured hoof as my blood turned to ice.

It was indeed the armored pony. Blown onto his back, his armor gave protection from the section of roof that fell on him. It sported more dings and dents, and was also blackened in places that had been licked at by the flames.

“Son of a bitch!” he growled with hatred, then rolled onto his stomach and shakily stood.

His head didn’t fair quite as well. Multiple lacerations as blood ran down his head and neck. A deep gash across his forehead covered him in his own blood, and it even seeped into his eyes to give them the most demonic red look. Though I knew the fury behind those red eyes was the most terrifying of all.

And it got worse when he saw me. “You!” Bracket snarled, and I eeped.

Bracket looked around at the burning remains of the house and general store, then smiled devilishly as his gaze came back to me. “So you’re the one that’s thrown us such a party.” I got the feeling this ‘party’ was not of the good sort. His laugh was low, hollow, and made my already chilled blood freeze over. “Mmmmhmhm, allow me to thank you in kind…” he said through grit teeth, those horrible eyes locked on me and only me.

Oh Goddesses! I quivered and ordered my body to respond, and it took painfully long seconds -- seconds I knew I would need to escape with my life! -- for it to heed my thoughts. I ran, ignoring my tired body and aching hoof.

“Where are you going, cunt?!” his voice roared after me. “Don’t worry! I won’t kill you! Not yet, anyways!”

I banked down an alley, knowing I couldn’t possibly outrun him in the open. Even if he was injured I wouldn’t make it much farther. I couldn’t hardly see, the sun’s light had gone. The only light I did have was the dim light of my pipbuck and whatever the massive bonfire gave off.

“By the time I’m done with you, you’ll wish you were dead! Every bullet, every grenade, every mine. I am going to fucking make you pay, by taking it out on your fucking flank!”

I’m going to die! Goddesses I’m going to die and it’s going to be at the hooves of a demented lunatic!! I ran for all I was worth; lungs burning, body aching and my injured hoof felt like it would fall off at any second.

“You won’t even make it to Nexus, you little bitch-shit!” Bracket continued, “All the trouble you fucking caused me, I doubt they’ll want a legless, eyeless, stump of a slave like you! Nah, you’ll just be my fuck-toy, little cunt!!”

Every time I turned a corner, Bracket rounded the one I came around before, eyes of fury and the demented snarl of a very angry pony. Despite his ramblings, I blocked out the gruesome promises as I ran for dear life! Or at least I tried to.

Left. Right. Another left and a left again. Winced yelping joined my heavy panting. I could not lose him! It was as if the feral hounds of Tartarus gave the demonic pony the strength to pursue me to the ends of the world. I had to change tactics, I had to do something - anything - to get him off my tail.

Hiding would be useless. Bracket would find me eventually. Running in the town was equally useless.

“In the town…” I huffed between breaths, then glanced at the darkness on the outermost rim of the town. It was my only chance.

I turned one last corner and made my way into the black. Everything around me disappeared, and the adjustment of my eyes did little to let me see where I was going. Bracket’s hooves stopped, and he ceased pursuit for only a moment before giving chase again.

I ran as fast as I still could, but the furious pain that wracked me meant that I could not keep this up for much longer. I must have been on a hill, as the incline made me slow. After reaching the crest things got easier, and I saw a possible boon.

I could barely see a crack in the mountain’s base, similar to the one I had left. I glanced behind me to see where Bracket was, and saw him a short ways off and gaining. After turning off my pipbuck’s light spell, I made for the cave and weaved my way through until I was at the back. Several things clattered in my haste. Even more to my advantage the entrance was partially obscured by a dead bush. I went back as far as I could and went silent.

“Where’d you go little cunt!” I could hear him searching. “Come out, come out fucker! I just want to mount your head on my wall!”

I shoved my hooves to my mouth, afraid to so much as breathe as I trembled in fear that he’d emerge into the cave.

I clenched my eyes and prayed.

Celestia and Luna hear my prayer. I stand in Your light amidst the darkness and fear it not. For I am strong and I am Your child. My faith is unwavering, undenied, and pure. Your wings protect me and Your horn shield me, as they do for all of those that follow You...