Ok ,Backlash, keep your cool. All you have to do is explain to the Mayor your situation and ask if you can borrow some sort of transportation to get back to Manehatten. Easy as pie. I mean, why should I be afraid of being alone, nopony has EVER been able to out-negotiate me. Well, do draws count? Because if they do, then Lilly always beats me. Besides, how good could the mayor of a backwater mining town be?

"Are you a gambling stallion, Mr. Lash?" Doc Lodge called back as we hobbled toward the porch of the mayor's cabin.

"It's just Backlash, and only when I can afford it." I replied curiously. "Why do you ask?"

"Twenty caps says that before the end of tonight, you'll willingly want to help us." He said rather sure of himself as he stopped. I let what he suggested bounce around in my head for a moment. He wasn't feigning confidence, he definitely was stating it as more of an honest fact than anything, but that didn't mean I had to trust that he wouldn't cheat.

"You already know I don't have anything to pay you with, why make a bet if you know I can't pay?" I stopped in front of the porch, staring down at the single, six inch rise to the porch. This was going to suck.

"Oh, let me worry about how you'll get to pay me." He waved a hoof in dismissal, letting a hint of malevolence through. I slowly put one hoof up onto the porch, mentally preparing myself for the pain that would hit. "Aren't you interested at all in what you might win?"

"Not... exactly!" I groaned as I strained to pull myself onto the creaky wooden deck. That actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! I panted lightly as I looked over to the doctor, watching as he seemed to be studying me, seeing how I reacted to things. It was actually getting to be really creepy. "To be honest, as much as I'd like to stay and help, I need to get back to Manehatten."

Doc Lodge's magic opened the door as he hopped up and limped inside ahead of me. I followed in, making sure to keep from knocking Brass's head against the wall (Because I'm more courteous than Sorbet's Rangers will ever be). I looked across the cabin to a desk that sat to the left of the door, a very odd-looking ghoul sat in a chair behind it.

I say very odd looking because his body was oddly shaped for a pony and his muzzle was a light tan that transitioned to brown just past his frowning lips. One of his light blue eyes had turned milky white somewhere in his life and his ears were just nubs, not to mention he had lost his entire mane. The one feature that stood out though, was his frown. It hung so low on his muzzle that I half wasn't sure if it was actually a frown, or that his muzzle was just slowly rotting off.

"So tell me, kid, why are you in my town." He spoke as if this was a common conversation, as if he just needed to go through the motions of it to reach some conclusion. "You lost, unemployed, maybe just..." He stopped as he looked over to me, glaring down at my pipbuck. His expression changed from one of boredom, to one of seething hatred. "Where did you get THAT?"

"My Pipbuck? I am current head of the Ministry of Morale..." I tried to respond with authority, watching as that only seemed to make him quake with anger.

"LODGE, DETAIN HIM!" He belted out as he slammed his chair back. I turned just in time to see Doc Lodge's horn press into my forhead softly. As soon as I realized what he was doing, I had lost feeling in all of my legs and flopped over onto the floor. With the paralysis spell numbing me, I could barely move my eyes, let alone blink them. I really hoped that I didn't crush brass under me when I fell, but I heard him moan from next to my ear as he started to wake up. "Hit his monster pal with it as well." The ghoul calmly spoke, Lodge stepping over me and did as he was told.

"You kids just rest on the floor while good, old Pariah here tells you a little story." He spoke as he walked back behind the desk. I had a bad feeling that I had just stumbled upon yet another Wastelander who had his own agenda. How the hell do I keep getting into these situations? Oh, that's right, Skyline isn't around to keep me from being a dumb pony. Well, that hasn't stopped me the last few times.

The telltale metallic click of a lighter flipping open drew my attention. Lodge stepped back over to the door and looked over to where Pariah was lighting up a cigar. The ghoul nodded softly to Lodge, watching as the doctor who had just saved my life, left me on the floor of this strange cabin. Pariah took a few long draws off the old world luxury before shutting his lighter, sitting down in his chair as I head the front door latch shut.

"Do you know why I had you detained?" Pariah started out, his internal rage seeming to quell as he smoked. "My father was a good friend of the mare who founded the ministry you claim to belong to. He and my mother would constantly tell me that they owed everything to her for what she did for them. But when I was young, I got to meet Aunt Pinkie Pie for myself..." He tensed up when remembering her, anger flushing across his face momentarily.

"She was always so happy and cheerful, and she always wanted to play games or pull pranks. And for a time, I was happy, but like eventually everything does, things changed. The war happened, and Aunty was off to run the ministry she had been handed, without little more than a goodbye to her so called, 'friends'." He took a long draw off of his cigar, helping him relax again as he leaned back. "Father had sent me here, to Redwing, telling me of how I needed to do my best to help Equestria. And once again, for a time, I did just that. I worked hard, rose through the ranks, and was generally seen as the up and comer to look out for."

A scowl grew across Pariah's face as he leaned forward. "But then the Zebra's started losing, and looked to hire out any race they could. Buying off Griffins, Dragons, and even the Sea Serpents to attack Equestria from every corner. Admittedly, I should have seen it coming, but our fair Princess had deemed any non pony resident of Equestria was suspect to collusion with the damned stripes!" Pariah gagged and coughed a few times, thumping his hoof against his chest to clear his throat. I took the moment to think over what he had said, the gears in my head turning and throwing out what I should have seen. Pariah wasn't a pony at all!

"Almost overnight, the friends I had made at the mine turned on me, calling for the M.O.M. to take us away. Those fools didn't seem understand that the Donkey folk have always been Equestrians!" He took another puff from his now half finished cigar, savoring the flavor before blowing a ring across the room above me. "So I was lumped in with the couple of Zebra's who worked with us and carted off to Manehatten for 'interrogation'. There, we were sorted by non-pony race and strapped into seats. They spent hours having us recount our life's stories, and the ones they didn't think checked out, they interrogated via memory viewing and alteration spells."

I could see the anger welling up inside of him again, growing bit by bit while the cigar no longer did enough to help. "I thought I was one of the unlucky ones, saying that they believed me, but when they were done, they didn't take me back to the mine. They took me home." He scoffed and shoved a set of papers off his desk. "Using only the stories I had recounted of my father's journeys across Equestria, they deemed it 'necessary' to interrogate him as well. Do you know what it's like when you are forced to stand and watch as your actions get your family arrested?"

He growled and dropped his cigar on the table, slamming his hoof down on top of it in anger. "When they brought him back, he didn't even remember who I was. He couldn't even remember who his own WIFE was." Pariah reared up and kicked his desk, nearly flipping it over. "That Ministry DESTROYED my father, they DESTROYED my family! On top of all that, our Pink 'Friend' did NOTHING to stop it!" He stomped up to me and placed his hoof on my neck, pressing down to where the still hot embers of his cigar burned into me enough that I could feel it through the spell holding me.

"That is quite enough." An exotic sounding voice chimed up from behind me. Wait, somepony else has been watching us all along!? I let out a little whimper as Pariah kept constant pressure. "He can not open the door if he is not in good enough health to do so."

"The ONLY reason you are still here Xin, is because of ME." Pariah shot back to what I could only guess was a Zebra, as they are the only ones I know of who take odd names like that. After a moment of silence, I watched as the rotting hoof drew off of me. "You want him uninjured, than you just volunteered to babysit. I'll have Lodge inform Miss Fury that she is now temporarily Mine overseer."

"What of the other one?" Xin questioned curiously, stepping closer to me. Please, Goddesses, if you can hear me, I need you to keep Brass safe. I don't know how, but I will find a way to get us out of this place and make it up to you, I just need you to keep him safe! I swear that I'll be a damned saint if you get us out of here. Every minute we waste here is another that Sorbet has to find more megaspells anyway, and that wouldn't be good for anypony!

"Just fucking kill him." Pariah snarled, pushing his desk back to it's upright position. No! I can't let this happen! I desperately tried to tell my legs to move, but as hard as I tried to flail, they refused to budge at all. My ear perked with movement as Xin took a step forward.

"If I may be so bold, sir, why waste a perfectly good pony when you could put him to work? " Xin spoke with what my mind now interpreted as the voice of an angel. Luna, I know I've been asking you for a lot recently, but please, PLEASE let him agree.

"FINE, just get them out of here." He snorted and sat down in his chair, putting my mind to rest for the moment. Speaking of, my mind struggled to find an answer to the realization that if Xin was a Zebra, how was she supposed to take us anywhere? Brass, she might be able to hoof up onto her back, but I'm not exactly a lightweight! "Oh, and put them both in the cage. Fury will be by to pick up the monster in the morning."

"As you wish." Xin spoke, stepping up right behind me. I watched my vision twist and rise up as she used her hoof to sling me over her... shoulder? I was now staring down at the floor as my limp hooves dangled in front of me, feeling all kinds of awkward as she was standing on her hind legs only. She turned and leaned forward to grab Brass before standing back up.

Part of me wondered if S.A.T.S. could be used to guide hoof based attacks, or maybe at least get my hooves to move through the paralysis. The hope of figuring anything out was crushed as the gears in my head threw out the reminder that I had to use my muscles to activate S.A.T.S. in the first place. Xin walked over to the door and used one of her legs to knock on it, amazingly able to balance on a single hoof. I think I'm beginning to understand why Carlotta doesn't like Zebras so much, they are really fucking weird.

We left the cabin and stepped out into the darkness of night. I could barely see the ground under Xin's hooves as we were hauled further up the mountain side, the sound of gravel crunching under hoof my only companion. So, I'm stuck, but at least I'm not stuck alone. I wish I could tell Brass how glad I am that he's been here, but I don't think anything I say could even come close to expressing it. He keeps trying to ask, so maybe I should try to repay him with a date. Even if I would never really date somepony his age, I think he's at least earned it.

After a few minutes of being silently taken up the trail, I started to wonder just how far we were going to go. The constant swaying of Xin as she walked was starting to make me tired, and my eyelids were getting harder to keep open. I couldn't fall asleep yet though, I need every bit of information my surroundings could give when I got to where ever it is we were being taken to. My mind perked up slightly as some of the gravel started to reflect a bit of orange light.

The light grew brighter with each step. The annoyingly unnatural orange glow of the fluorescent light ahead soon accompanied by the slight buzzing sound they were known to give off. We stopped moving as Xin leaned to one side, balancing on a single hoof again to kick open a wooden... something. As she leaned back onto both hooves, I swung across her and caught a blurred glance of her glyph mark. Even if it was only a flash, the weird shape almost blending right in with her stripes. I don't know why, but my mind thought that it was important enough to try to figure out.

As I was about to rock into view of it again, but instead found myself tumbling. My mind felt for a brief moment like I was going to fall into the Delemare again, panicking about swimming with my body paralysed. Of course this was completely idiotic, because I slammed into the dirt floor with a heavy plop. My head had landed oddly and bounced to where I was stuck looking into the far corner of the cell, the dry bones of a long-dead previous occupant sat propped up in the corner.

My view was obstructed when Brass was carefully set down next to me, a soft snoring coming from his muzzle as he lay in the dirt. I felt both annoyed and greatful that she had at least made sure to treat him with respect. But why was she doing that at all? Two times she has shown compassion for him, and two times I have had to feel feel greatful for it. Maybe that was something I could use to get out of here.

I think it actually might work, remembering back to one of the old Zebra stealth magazines that Skyline had bought me. The intention was to help me hide better, but it never helped because of my... body type. (Don't ask me how I can be overweight in the wasteland. I'm just 'gifted' like that I guess.) It had an article that read that should you ever be captured, you should attempt to form a bond with your guard. Making yourself and other hostages seem like more than just bargaining chips could be a good way to break their will. But I couldn't shake this itchy feeling that Xin wasn't going to be that easy.

Wait... I have an itch! FUCK! And of course, now that I've thought about it, it get's worse. Oh Celestia, if I can just ask ONE more thing of you today!

"GOOD MORNING WASTELANDERS!" The obnoxiously loud voice of DJ Pon3 called out into the air. "You know what time it is! NEWS TIME!" I grunted and rolled over, reaching up to rub my eyes with my hoof and accidentally smacked my nose with my pipbuck. For once, a dreamless sleep wasn't exactly what I was wanting. I had been hoping that I was lucky enough to go back and see Pinkie. Maybe find out why she was so distraught the last time I was there.

"Now, I know all my little ponies are still calling the Fillydelphia earthquake a megaspell, but the local Steel Rangers are reassuring that there is no trace of a blast or residual fallout, and have blamed the massive crater in the outskirts on the natural collapse of an underground cave system." His smooth voice practically oozed across the airwaves. Even though I didn't want to be woken up this early, he was one of the few I didn't mind doing it.

I opened my eyes slowly, seeing a few dim beams of light poke in through the wooden wall of... well, where ever I was. I turned my head over with a groan to see Brass smiling down on me. DJ Pon3 continued at a whisper, "If you ask me, I think they're lying in order to hoard a bunker of brand new toasters, but don't tell them your friend DJ Pon3 said anything. Wink wink, nudge nudge." Yeah, great time to be joking about life when Sorbet probably has every ranger under her command trying to gain access to every single megaspell Equestria has left.

"In other news, the residents of Tenpony..."

I reached my hoof up and turned the volume nob down until it clicked, shutting the radio off. "You alright over there, buddy?" I asked as I tried to get to my hooves. I felt a shooting pain run up my rear legs as I was forcefully reminded that they didn't have the muscle to work them properly yet. How long was it supposed to take to recover from hydra anyway?

"Yeah, I'm a bit stiff, but that comes from sleeping in the dirt. Here, let me help..." He said as he got up, his horn glowing dimly for a moment before a spark shot out from it. He winced and stumbled for a moment before attempting to look at his horn with a frown. "I think I'm burnt out. Sorry Backlash."

"No, Brass, don't be. I'm the one who got us into this mess in the first place." Not able to fully get onto my hooves like normal, I spread my rear legs and walked myself up with my forehooves, sitting on the surprisingly warm floor. "Besides, you're the one with the strong mind. I need you to think us a way out of here."

"Where IS here exactly?" He asked as he looked about. I did the same, finding out that the room we were in was mostly made from hollowed out rock. The only two features of the room was the pony wide, wooden door that was letting the light in, and a small hole near the back wall that I assume we were supposed to use as a restroom. "The last thing I really remember is that we were following behind Doc Lodge and then my memory get's a little fuzzy."

"Yeah, Lodge tricked us. We're being held hostage here in Redwing because Pariah apparently has a vendetta against the M.O.M." I rolled my eyes and glanced at the hole in the ground. I don't know why, but in just seeing it, my bladder reminded me that I hadn't gone since I was on the boat.

"But... what... Lodge? Really?" Brass stammered, obviously having an issue comprehending the situation. He shook his head wildly to clear it, a few strands of his mane floated to the ground. "Who the HELL is Pariah?"

I attempted to scoot myself in a circle, trying to twist myself as my weak legs protested every time I instinctively tried to use them. "He's a ghoul that doesn't like Pinkie Pie. That's pretty much how I can sum him up for you." Almost there, just a bit more twisting...

"And how did he know you were the head of the Ministry of Morale?" Brass asked more to himself than me, but I couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. I grunted and drug my legs around so that I was completely facing the hole. Great, now I just need to scoot myself forward! "Wait... you told him you were, didn't you." Brass gave out a sigh.

"How was I supposed to know he was going to hate me!?" I called out, half scooting, half dragging myself closer to the hole. "It's not like he had a sign out front that said; 'I hate the M.O.M. because of what they did in the war', just so I know not to tell if he asks." I got myself to the hole finally, glancing down with a smile before coming to the annoying realization that I can't piss when I'm sitting.

"Well you should know by now that everypony you meet is probably going to try to kill you, Backlash!" Brass retorted quickly, sounding more than a little worried. "We're two hundred and fifty miles inland, with no supplies, no weapons, no way to contact anypony, AND we are being held hostage."

I tried to rock myself forward, hoping that I could get enough momentum to pitch myself onto all fours. On my fourth rock, I had almost got it, but slammed back down hard onto my tail. I let out a yelp, and instinctively jumped onto my hooves, quickly spinning to see a short, hairless nub sticking out of my rump where my tail normally was. Thinking about it, my tail did extend further than where my legs had been in the wall. As sad as I was to have a naked tail, at least it got me to my hooves.

Brass gave a little giggle as I looked myself over, bringing a small smile to my face with how ridiculous I must look. "Ok, ok. You're right, I probably should have seen this coming, but we both need to work together on a way..." I stopped abruptly as I heard the crunching of gravel under hoof approaching. I stepped up beside Brass and watched the door intently.

"Rise and shine, my little ponies!" The delighted voice of a mare sang through the air. Without a moment's warning, the door to our cell was flung open as a mare stood in the dusty, morning light. "Rise and shine." Her orange eyes were the first thing to catch my attention about her, the wide and mischievous grin she wore was the second. "My, my. Daddy did find me a new toy." She moved her gaze from Brass to me, her smile fading to a disapproving frown.

She was studying me as much as I was her. She was of larger than average size for a pony (no where near as built as Harmony was though) and had a sharp looking horn sticking out of her head. Her mint green and bright yellow striped mane dropped over the side of her head in a tangled mess, making me wonder if she too had just woken up, or if it always looked that bad. Her horn glowed as she levitated a coiled whip to her side, her smile growing again as she glared at me. "They said I couldn't take you, but they never said I couldn't break you."

"Righteous Fury, you shall not harm my charge." The voice of Xin called out in the morning air. The Zebra mare appeared from behind her, cloaked in a dusty, brown leather trench coat and similarly colored, wide-brimmed, squat leather hat. Her outfit seemed to be designed to help hide her face, forcing you to look at the tattered jacket and hat than to focus on her identity. I had seen outfits like that before and was normally worn by bounty hunters. "Take the small one to his shift, and keep to your duties. Pariah expects nothing less then for you to do your job."

"Yeah yeah, miss mysterious." Righteous Fury remarked with the toss of her mane. "What's with the get up anyway? It's kinda kinky if you ask me." She grinned deviously as Xin stepped up beside her. "Oh, now I get it, you're trying to impress the new guy." Before Xin could answer, there was a low WHUMP that filled the air, the ground shaking for a moment as the hole behind me giving off a choking plume of dust. "FUCKING MORONS. What are they thinking, blasting this early!?" Righteous hacked out through a fit of coughing.

I used my hoof to waft away some of the stale cloud as I coughed as well. So it wasn't a piss hole, it was a ventilation shaft... well, I guess I would have ruined some poor worker's day had they not shown up! "Can you walk?" Xin asked, her gaze mostly hidden under the brim of her hat.

"Yes, but..." I tried to respond, but got cut short when Xin tossed a lasso around my neck and yanked me forward. I almost dropped to the ground, but managed to keep my balance as I did my best to trot after her. I twisted my head back and called out to Brass. "Just, do what they say! I'll fix..." I was cut off as the rope yanked again, forcing me to keep my head forward. "Slow down! I can't move that fast in these braces!" I tried to call out, but my captor only seemed to ignore me as she lead me away from the rock face that we had spent the night in. We had switched to a new path, one that headed even further up the mountain.

"It is only a short distance up, you will manage." She commanded me, somehow speaking near perfectly through the rope in her muzzle. I didn't even have time to argue before I was yanked along, climbing the rough and rocky path as well as I could. I looked up as we continued, nearly stopping in awe as the cloud cover here was unnaturally low. Part of me wanted to just keep climbing the mountain, it was only another two hundred meters until the clouds met the mountain. As I was jerked to a stop, I realized that wasn't going to happen.

"We're here?" I asked, sounding just as stupid as ever when I dropped my gaze to in front of us. It was another cave entrance, this time the wooden door was part of a wall that stretched across the wide mouth only a couple meters in. "What am I going to be doing anyway? You mentioned something yesterday about a door?" Xin trot forward, hoofing open the door before tilting her head for me to go in. I did as I was told and walked past her, stopping just through the doorway as I gazed upon the most unexpected sight. It was a large gear shaped door with the initials O7 cut into it. This was another Orchard?

The weathered steel door was a far cry from the good condition of the East Orchard's, but I know that it was still standing due to the architects of old Equestria being the best around. The cavern the door sat in, on the other hand, was large, and just barely big enough that they had set a small military style portable inside of it. Granted, it wasn't so secure anymore, seeing the whole front of it had fallen off and acted like a ramp up into it. Inside were a set of rusty lockers, a wire frame cage with what looked like mining gear inside. The desk that sat in the far end was separated by what was left of a wall, making a partitioned office that must have been quite homey to somepony. The still working terminal on the dest glowed a soft green against the back wall.

My short spell of awe was broken by my bladder reminding me I still needed to complete at least one part of my morning rituals. The wooden door shutting behind me as Xin trot ahead, tugging me to follow. I didn't get more than a few more steps in before my body tried to prod me into paying attention to it.

"Umm, I need to take a piss." I said defiantly as I pulled against the rope, letting out a wheeze and cough as it dug into my neck. Ok, that probably wasn't one of my best of ideas, but it seemed to get the message across, seeing as she stopped with a sigh.

"You pony folk and your constant need to relieve yourselves." She said while spitting the rope from her muzzle. She raised a hoof toward a corner of the cavern by the desk. "Fine, you may go over there, then you must get your gear on."

I wanted to ask her what she meant by that, but my legs were telling me that if I didn't walk now, I wouldn't make it. I did my best to get to a trot, making the old metal frames around me legs squeal and grind as I made my way promptly to the corner. I whined and used my forehooves to brace myself against the wall as I couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Hey, what do you mean by gear?" I had nearly moaned over my shoulder, feeling so much better.

"You will dig." The stark voice came from right behind me. I nearly jumped my own height in the air as my heart slammed against my chest, my body telling me to run as my mind restrained it. Why is it everypony insists on sneaking up behind me! She didn't seem to be phased by my mini heart attack at all and continued without missing a beat. "The door control panel was buried in an accident nearly three months ago. You will dig it out."

My ear perked at her voice, the tone catching me off guard as she sounded somewhat sad. I sighed as my body finished emptying itself, turning to only momentarily meet Xin's deep blue eyes. She spun away before I could get a good look at her, but something about her face bothered me, seeming all too familiar. She leaned down and took the rope in her muzzle again, dragging me again without warning up into the old office.

"Why don't you just blast the door open? Or cut through it?" I suggested, mostly because I knew that both idea's probably wouldn't work, and that they may buy me time to figure a way to get out of this crazy town. And hey, both ideas gave me a pretty handy weapon to use if I wanted to just bust my way out of town.

"We tried. The door is too thick, and it is magnetically sealed." She spoke with a now annoyed tone through the rope. Well, there goes that idea. "And before you suggest cutting the power, the only way to override it is through the control panel." She tugged hard on the rope and pulled me the rest of the way up the ramp.

Leading me over to the wire cage inside, she swung it open with her hoof and stepped aside. I gazed down and saw a few battle saddle looking harnesses on the floor, each with an odd, plastic looking jug on the side with hoses coming out of it. Xin pointed her hoof at it and motioned for me to take it, which actually made me happy, seeing as she just handed me part of a weapon. I leaned down and bit one, pulling it out as I remarked on how tasting the 120 year old, caked on dust was not something I ever want to do again, even if it is half of a way out.

"Put the harness on, then I will fit the tool bit to you." She spoke in her commanding tone again. I didn't really have much choice at the moment, so I did as I was told. I stepped over the harness and bit down on the control bit, dragging the saddle up as I felt her hooves latch it on with remarkable speed. I felt odd as the modified saddle had the reload lever up on my foreleg, rather than rear, which was rather convenient seeing as I couldn't buck those legs worth a damn anyway.

Xin trotted in front of me, leaning in to the cage and dragging a heavy looking box out, a long, well worn drill bit stuck out of a pneumatic tube on one end of it. She swung it over with relative ease and hung it on the saddle, the sudden added weight making my leg braces feel like they were bowing out. With a couple of snaps, she hoofed the hoses from the other side of the saddle into the box, connecting the two. It was... an interesting setup for a simple drill to say the least, seeing that this one ran on some sort of combustible liquid instead of spark power. Though, I didn't think these drills were an old enough design to have been around for gasoline.

"Do not move while I get fuel." Xin commanded yet again as a quick thought of me spearing her with the bit flashed through my mind. Should I just go for it? I could probably kill her, but could I really get out of Redwing without anypony noticing? I would have to get Brass first, and that would involve getting him past the stuck up bitch who showed up earlier. Fuck, why does my life have to be so damned annoying?

Xin opened the closest locker and pulled out an old bottle of clear water, which was confusing until she brought it closer. The container reeked of alcohol, enough so that the fumes were making me nauseous already. This thing running on alcohol actually makes a whole ton of sense, seeing as nopony has had fresh gasoline for over a century. She tipped it over and poured the foul contents into the container strapped to me, feeling as a trickle ran down my coat. Yeah, now I'm not so good with this plan. One spark and I would be very unhappily on fire most likely.

"You realize a spark battery would be much safer than alcohol, right?" I asked as she hooved the canister shut.

"Yes, but Spark Batteries die too quickly and are expensive. Running the drills on alcohol is much more efficient for an operation like ours." She spoke with a smirk, tilting her hat down as she pointed across the cavern. "The lever along your leg will start the device. One trigger on the bit will extend the drill, the other will spin it." I nodded, turning and shambling my way slowly down the collapsed wall. The added weight on my back threatened to throw me off balance with each painstakingly slow step. "Oh, and do not worry, you will get used to the fumes. Most ponies only pass out once or twice before they do." She called out, ending in a sadistic chuckle.

I stopped halfway down the ramp as the gears in my head forced a realization upon me. If all the others working the mine were all using these, the air in the mine would be completely toxic! If spark batteries were too 'costly' to use, than I'm guessing safety gear was also out of the question. I kicked the lever along my leg, the old engine sputtering for a moment before stopping.

You know what, fuck this town.

"So is that how you lot run the mine?" I growled as I kicked my leg again. The engine turned over for a moment before sputtering to a stop again. "How would anypony EVER agree to work for you!?" I kicked again hard, the engine thrumming to life as the odd, yet overpowering smell of exhaust filled my nose. I slowly turned myself around, taking small steps up back up the ramp, the bit now clenched tightly in my mouth. I haven't done anything stupid in a while, and I really don't have time to deal with evil assholes anymore.

"The management of this town is none of your concern." She looked down to me as I stopped at the top of the ramp, only a hoofs reach away, her Blue eyes reminding me remarkably of Isaac's. "Now, get to..."

I bit down on both triggers.

The drill spun and drove forward towards Xin, plunging into the right side of her face. She didn't even move as it tore across her flesh, the remaining half of her muzzle even giving off a smile. The glint that came from the metal under her flesh as it tore away helped me understand that I had just made a huge mistake. She didn't just remind me of Isaac, she was a robot just like him!

Before I could react, she spun to my left and opened her muzzle, biting down on the drill, sheering it off with little trouble. Finishing her spin, she threw her rear hooves up and bucked hard, slamming into the fuel tank with a crunch and sending me flying through the air. Oh, wait. I've heard that crunch before. That wasn't the fuel tank, so much as it was the rib plate in my chest snapping in half.

As I flew through the air, time slowed to a crawl, leaving me floating as I was pulled into S.A.T.S. unexpectedly. For a moment, my brain couldn't really process the odd perspective I had been left in, but it passed quickly as tried to focus on the ceiling above me.

"You really do know how to show a girl a good time, don't you?" B.I.T. jested as she formed in front of me on the ceiling, walking about the craggy surface. "First we go sky diving, then just diving, which I thought an odd set of activities for my first time out. But was that enough for you? No, it's off for a cruise, which goes straight into a cross country trip to see old friends of the family."

Of all the times B.I.T. had to appear, of course it has to be now. Cause I can't just get my flank kicked in like any other pony, I have to be berated for it! I mean, I would expect this from P.I.N.K., but B.I.T.?

"Well, if you'd like, I can let you get back to being lit on fire and being in terrible pain if you'd like." She said as snarkily as she could. "But just so you know, this is exactly what I was talking about. You let your inner monster show through just now, and look what happened! You need to think before you act. You knew something was off about her, but did you try to figure it out? Noooo. You just went at her like a moron."

My inner what? A moron? How can she sit there and call me a monster when Xin, Pariah and Lodge can hold Brass and I captive! Who the hell is B.I.T. to be able to judge me anyway?

"I am the remnant of Twilight Sparkle's morality. That's what gives me the authority to judge!" She raised her voice steadily. "You didn't even stop to think for yourself on why the ponies in this town work for them! Did it ever occur to you that there may be a good reason? And even if there weren't, on the subject of authority, why are you suddenly judge, jury, and executioner?" She sat down on the ceiling and crossed her forehooves. "I expected better from you, Chief."

She expected BETTER from me? How else am I supposed to react!? I can't just continue the way I have been any longer without myself going insane! Argh! I'm so frustrated that I could scream if it weren't for being locked in my own mind!

The gears in my head worked, throwing all sorts of ideas out to me. Now that I have some time to thing about it, Pariah did originally ask me why I showed up. Maybe they took the ponies here in when they had no place else to go. Maybe they were all injured like I was and are just working off their debt?

"See? Where was this stallion two minutes ago? Might have saved you the trouble of getting your flank beaten in." B.I.T. sighed and facehooved before getting back up. "I know that you've been stressed about the past three weeks, but that's no excuse to turn violent against anypony. You have to be better then that and at least need to offer them a second chance. Don't let yourself become a monster." She started to fuzz away, her words echoing through my head as time started up again.

The pain arced through my side as the ruptured fuel canister caught fire from the exhaust of the engine, bright orange flames enveloping my waist right before I slammed down into the dirt. I bounced for a moment, skidding along before everything went black. The pain slipping from my mind just as abruptly as it had clawed it's way in.

The sound of the howling wind filled my ears as I opened my eyes, the darkness of night time enveloped the rooftop we had camped out on. The skycar sat across from me, a single shadow moving around inside of it. Longbow must be awake and wondering where I was. I'm not sure why she was awake, or how I got out here, but I know she's worried about me. I got to my hooves and walked across the cold rooftop, standing in front of the hatch for a moment as a murmur from inside caught my attention.

"Something's out there." Longbow whispered, her voice filled with worry. "I'm going to check it out." I took a step back as I heard her get up, slowly making her way to the door. It unlatched with a shrill squeak and swung open, the blue mare I had grown fond of met my soft gaze with one of her own.

Then she screamed.

"MONSTER!" She yelled as her horn flashed, the boxy, black form of Heartstopper floated quickly to her side. I tried to call out to her, I tried to ask her what was wrong, but I found myself unable to. The shotgun roared out, the flash blinding me as my chest felt heavy. I looked down, peering at the gaping wound that tore through me. It bled a black ichor, the foul liquid burned as it poured from me.

"What... are you?" I looked up again, staring straight down the muzzle of Heartstopper. I looked past it, watching as tears of fear streamed down Longbow's cheeks. I opened my muzzle to speak, but she screamed and pulled the trigger again, filling my vision with a bright flash, and making the whole world spin around me. When my eyes cleared again, I found I couldn't move. I was stuck laying on the rooftop, looking straight up to the sky. The sounds of more hoofsteps leaving the trailer held my attention.

"What was it?" And all too familiar mare spoke peaking her head over my vision. Harmony looked down sadly at me, her face conveying more sympathy over what had happened than anything else.

"Just another one of the abominations the wasteland created." The indifferent voice of a stallion called out, slowly getting closer. No, he couldn't be here! I don't want to look at him, not after what happened! Just please, I want to close my eyes! "Probably could have been something good as some point, but that's what happens here." Sprocket poked his head in as well, a deep hatred burning in his eyes filled me with regret. "Good thing you put it down. Think of the lives it could have ruined if it kept on going like that." I swear he was looking directly into my soul as he spoke, trying to rip it out for what I did to him. "Good riddance."

"SPROCKET!" I called out, sitting up abruptly from the hard dirt floor of the cave Brass and I had spent the previous night in. A sharp Pain shot through my head and side as I regained my senses, making the room spin momentarily. There wasn't much light coming through the door, but what little there was happened to be the sickly orange from the lantern outside. I realized that I must have been out for hours, but if that was true, how did I get here? I twisted my body painfully, noticing that my chest seemed fine, but my side was blistered up from the burns I got when the alcohol lit up.

I groaned and looked about, not seeing Brass inside here with me. Maybe he was still working? That or maybe they had him in his own quarters for tonight. Hopefully he did better than me and actually kept his cool. At least I hope he didn't get into a one sided fight with that bitch he was stuck with.

A beep from my pipbuck pulled my attention to it, B.I.T. was scrolling some text across the screen.

"Thank's for the update." I laid back down, wincing as my side ached. For some reason, it didn't hurt nearly as much as that last set of burns I received, even though these were much worse. Was that because of the mutation? Or was it just because I've been through so much, and felt so much pain, that things like burns just don't hurt like they used to anymore? It doesn't matter I guess, I just need to think of a way to get out of here.

"Hey B.I.T." I stared at the dark ceiling as the warm floor felt surprisingly good. "Thanks for being honest earlier. Just as I told Brass, I admire honest friends." I lifted my forehoof as the pipbuck beeped again, a smiling face displaying before she fuzzed off the screen, leaving me with the audiolog screen. With nopony around, and no urge to sleep yet, I might as well listen to a few of them. I hoofed at the controls, moving down to the next file on the list.

"Ministry of Arcane Sciences Chief Twilight Sparkle project log 04 - Project Golem Phase Two start up, day three.

The geodesic nature of the reaction chamber has stabilized the pool's reserves. The flux reactor is maintaining a three hundred percent output to the mirror pond, and the water has been noted as drawing off of it at a rate of two hundred and eighty percent. If my notes are correct, and assuming that there are no more equipment failures, then the pond will be ready once it absorbs enough magic to bring it's efficiency to three thousand times it's normal potency.

Pinkie Pie spoke to me yesterday, surprising me with her random moments of scientific lucidity. She reasserted her concerns that, and I quote "abnormalities in the flux might cause the magic exchanger to create unforeseen variables that when refocused in the main chamber might affect the stability of the created clone". Which was actually something I had not taken into account.

Although, as much as I have grown to trust what she says, I have run the figures again and again and have found that no such abnormality can be created. Her concern is now noted in this log, but regardless of the risks, I will be approving the startup of phase three tomorrow once I return from Applebloom's advanced mainframe presentation in Manehattan.

End of report."

The logged clicked to a stop and left me in the silence of my own thoughts. Not much useful information in this one, seeing as I already know that 42 is unstable. But the fact that Twilight had to travel to Manehattan at least eliminates there as a possible location. I hoofed at the pipbuck again, lowering the entry to the next one. I was about to hit it when I heard voices approaching, my ear flicked as one of the muffled sounds let out a whine.

"For being a monster, you aren't that scary." Lodge in the same snarkyness he had used the day before. The door swung open in his levitation as he also floated Brass inside, unceremoniously dumping him on the floor. "Oh, look, you're awake. You should really avoid fights with industrial equipment, they tend to be a bit more durable than you are."

"Thanks for the advice Doctor Dick." I waved my hoof from the floor for him to leave us. As much as I wanted to try to kick his flank, I knew I couldn't.

"Oh, you're welcome for fixing you up again." He trotted inside, his shadow casted against the back wall as I laid there, letting me see that he left the door behind him wide open. I could feel the urge to do something stupid rising again. I could handle him, even with the braces on my legs... wait, why was there another source of light? I sat up and turned my head to look, feeling as Lodge's horn pressed into me. Immediately I lost all feeling throughout my body, me head flopping down into the dirt as he stepped over me.

I fell for the same, stupid trick twice.

"Anyway, Pariah doesn't want you starting fights with that overgrown pipbuck anymore. Nothing gets done when you're all banged up. Not to mention it takes away from my own valuable time." His horn glowed softly as he levitated something in front of me, letting me get a good look at it. It was the bright orange handle of a Pipbuck removal tool. Oh Celestia, this is not happening! "Speaking of, I thought that since you did lose the bet, AND you can't pay for the services I'd rendered, I might as well claim this as my prize."

He clicked the tool into the top of the Pipbuck and turned it, unlatching the one possession I had left to my name. Goddesses this can't be happening! That pipbuck is the only advantage I have against 42! Not to mention, I can't lose it until I get BIT out of it either! Lodge stood up and swung the Pipbuck around, clamping it to his left foreleg. He lifted it and hoofed at the buttons.

"Is there some sort of trick to make it work?" He asked me sincerely, hoofing at the controls frustratedly. I wanted to rip his head off, but it was hard not to laugh at how he was asking the guy he just made immobile how to work a device he just stole. Actually, it was easy not to laugh. Being paralyzed kinda just killed the moment. "Ah, whatever. I've got all day tomorrow to figure it out!" He patted my head with his hoof before turning to leave. "Get some rest. Doctors orders!"

And with that, he walked out and shut the door. So we were alone for yet another night. Fantastic. Lodge's hoofsteps drifted into the distance as I heard Brass get up with a loud sigh and walk toward me. He flopped down against me, jostling my vision for a moment.

"Backlash, I want to go home." He spoke softly as he readjusted himself on the floor, whining in pain. I swear to the goddesses, if they hurt him at all, they forfeit their right to a 'second chance'. "Promise me you'll take me to see my mother when we get out of here."

I so desperately wanted to answer. I want to take him back! They've assumed he's been dead this whole time, and there is little chance that Sorbet will have reported any change in his status. I wanted to tell his parents that I'm responsible for him becoming a ghoul, and I want them to know that I owe much more to him than I can ever repay in my lifetime. But as silence-filled room, my hopes of figuring us a way out of here dimmed as fast as my mind clouded.

I felt my eyelids sink, starting to feel my energy drain out of me as my body got used to being relaxed. Figuring out a way for us to get out of here is now my top priority, but that will have to wait until morning. Maybe, if I dream, I can ask pinkie for help escaping. She'd have to help us, wouldn't she?

"Backlash, we need to talk." Brass called out as he shook me, waking me up from what had once again, been a dreamless sleep. I mumbled something even I didn't understand and rolled over, squinting as the brightness in front of me hurt. "Oh! Sorry about that." He apologized as the light from his horn dimmed to a level that was comfortable. At least his magic seemed to be strong enough to cast that after yesterday.

"Hey buddy, is everything alright?" I groaned as I sat up, feeling dizzy as my brain tried to coordinate with my stiff muscles. I tried to rub at my eyes with my hoof, but pulled it up too fast and smacked myself in the face instead. It was strange, I was sure that my hoof was heavier than that. I opened my eyes to see my bare, left foreleg in front of me, bringing the memory of last night back to me.

"Backlash, we need to do something about the town! The conditions in the mine are appalling!" I glanced over at him as he sat back and flailed his hooves lazily, heavy bags hanging under his eyes. "They run the drills off of..."

"Alcohol, I know." I cut him off as I held my hoof up, noting that it felt weird without the extra weight on it. "There's another Orchard inside this mountain, and Pariah is trying to get me to open it." I looked over to Brass again, watching as he went to speak. I moved my hoof and placed it on his muzzle, waiting for him to nod in response before removing it.

"Do you remember a few days ago, back in the East Orchard, I mentioned Isaac..." I felt my words fail me as I glanced over Brass's already flaking coat. He had deep, dark bruises lining him. Blood oozed from the raw sections on him where the harness he had to wear bit into his flesh. Those bastards have somepony HIS size wearing a drill!? Even B.I.T. would have to agree that foal labor was just downright wrong!

I let out a soft sigh as I remembered what B.I.T. had told me. She said that Twilight thought that a second chance is something that everypony deserves, but does that still hold true with what ponies do in the wasteland?

"Backlash... are you alright?" Brass waved his hoof in front of my face, snapping me back to attention. "What's wrong? You've been completely out of it since we left Filly." His tone shifted to genuine concern. "Does it have something to do with somepony named Sprocket?" I felt a spark shoot up my spine as his name hit my ears. Brass's expression shifted again, this time to regret as he seemed to have realized that Sprocket's name just hit me hard.

"No, I'm..." I flopped back down onto the dirt. "Who am I kidding, I'm far from alright, YOU'RE far from alright. We're stranded two hundred and fifty some odd miles from Manehatten with no way to get help, and I can't stand to see you get hurt." I let out a long sigh, looking up to my worried best friend. "Tell me about them, Brass. Tell me about your parents."

"Wha... WHY?" Brass's horn wavered for a moment before returning to normal, giving me a flustered look mixed with a bit of a blush. "Well... well, I asked you first." He slumped down next to me, wincing as his open wounds pressed into the floor. "Look, if you tell me about Sprocket, I'll tell you about my parents. Deal?"

"You... really want to know about Sprocket?" I asked hesitantly, hoping from the back of my mind that he would say no. But of course, he nodded softly and gave a slight smile. "Why?"

"Skyline told me about him on the ride back from Sorbet's place." Brass reached his hoof out and pat me on the shoulder. "She mentioned that she had seen that look in your eyes before. Back when you had lost a pony close to you." Brass's soft smile grew for a moment. "She also told me just the other day that nopony had made you as happy as you were with him until Longbow." His smile dropped as he swung his gaze to the floor. "He must have been a very special somepony to you."

"He... it..." I tried to start, feeling the familiar pang of guilt inside forming in the same place I had left it when I finally felt like I could move past what happened. Get. A. Hold. Of. Yourself. Just take a deep breath and tell him. He deserves to know, and you need to talk about him. I can't let myself use anymore excuses.

"Skyline and I have made a few trips to Paradise over the years. As you know the arcano-tech on that side of the border is quite different than the stuff you can find around here. I've made quite a few caps figuring out new ways to repair their versions of toasters and other household items! it's really fascinating how they..." I glanced up at Brass, who seemed annoyed that I was drifting off topic.

"Right." I sighed again and looked Brass straight in the eyes. "I first met Sprocket on the first day of one of the usual trips Skyline and I made into Paradise. There's a casino up there named 'The Moon' that Skyline would drag me into every time we came into town, relentlessly telling me that I needed to go relax and get laid."

"So, Sprocket was an escort?" Brass asked flatly, seeming unimpressed.

"No... just... just sit and listen." I scrunch muzzled and glared at him, "When we trot in, I noticed that the Sparkle-Cola machine they had by the door had an 'out of order' sign slapped on it, and any excuse to get away from Sky and her 'plans' for me was a welcomed one. So off I went." I felt a smile growing across my muzzle as I recalled the evening. "Once in front of the machine, I managed to wrench it open with my hooves to take a look inside."

"I was about to inspect the inner workings, but a stallion called out to me from down the hallway. Grey coat, coal black mane, and the brightest ice blue eyes you've ever seen." I felt a sharp pinch in my gut as I remembered his face from the dream, the seething hatred making me lose my train of thought for a moment. I shook the feeling from my head and continued. "He had just come out of the restroom from my best guess, he had been fixing some pipes."

"How did you figure that?" Brass asked with a hint of snarkiness. "Oh, and let me guess, you fixed the soda machine and he was so impressed, he fell deeply in love with you." He rolled his eyes before I reached my hoof over and prodded him sharply.

"Quiet." I hoofed at him until he fidgeted and pushed my hoof away. "I figured it out cause he had a pipe wrench slung in his maintenance barding." I stated rather Matter 'O factly. "And no, I never got a chance to fix the machine seeing as he took that wrench and slugged me right across the muzzle with it."

I rubbed my muzzle with my hoof, remembering how I had once thought that was the best pain I had ever been in. "Anyway, he tried to explain to the management that he thought I was stealing the sodas, but apparently they take less kindly to employees who beat customers, than to misidentified thieves."

"So, what happened next?" Brass scooted himself closer. I threw my hoof over him and pulled him close, making him blush.

"So, in feeling immensely guilty that I got an innocent pony fired, I offered to let him stay with Sky and I for the time we were in Paradise. He took some convincing, but nopony can talk their way past me!" I chuckled to myself. "Over the next few days, I didn't have a ton of trading to do and we spent some time comparing life stories. Turns out that he too grew up in a scavenging town outside of hoofington, and moved down to Paradise when times got hard, taking odd jobs doing the thing he loved. And that was fixing things."

"Anyway, when the time came to leave Caladonia, I asked him to come along with us. He was hesitant at first, but he had shown interest in me and I in him. Once again, I did what I do best and convinced him to be mine. And from there, our relationship only grew." I could feel my heart thumping in my chest now. The thought of the times we had now fueling the pain in my gut, my guilt growing more and more as I knew what came next. I started to hyperventilate, feeling light headed as I struggled to not break down right then and there.

"After a while together, I... I..." and just like that, I lost the words. My throat closed up and my lungs screamed in protest.

"Just breathe, Backlash." Brass looked up at me, keeping himself remarkably calm. "Remember what longbow told you." He rubbed at my scarred chest with his hoof softly as I tried to focus on the memory of Longbow telling me to calm down. Breathe in, and out. In. And out. "That's it, you can do it, Buddy." His voice was smooth and comforting, wavering with concern as I tried to relax.

"I screwed up, Brass." I finally choked out, tears forming in my eyes. "I did something horrible, and if I tell anypony, they'll end up just like him!" I wailed and broke down. I showed him the moon, knowing that I was told to keep it a secret, and Luna punished HIM. I screamed out into Brass's side, crying like a colt again as he held me. "What did he do to deserve that? Everything was my fault, not his!"

"It's alright, Backlash. You don't have to tell me any more." Brass spoke softly as he bushed my mane with his hoof, sounding as if he was also on the verge of tears. "I know life can be unfair, so just let it all out."

And for the next hour, I did. I laid on that dirt floor and cried in Brass's hooves until my eyes dried out. But as much as I thought it felt good to cry, the guilt inside didn't go away at all. It stuck to me like the grey on the clouds, never quite letting you forget that they are still up there. Eventually, I did manage to get a hold of myself again, doing my best to wipe the dried tears from my muzzle. I looked up to Brass with a small smile, happy to see him return it.

"Brass, I'm sorry, for everything." I tilted my head down and pressed my forehead against his horn. "I'm sorry that I can't be the kind of stallion you want me to..."

I was cut off as he put his hoof up to my muzzle, drawing my gaze up to his. He leaned forward and kissed me, making me feel for only a moment, like I did when I was with Sprocket. He blushed heavily and smiled as I sat in shock, the gears in my head feeling like they were jammed up as I tried to process what just happened.

"I know that what I want, will never happen," Brass stated, his smile growing wider with every word. "But that just made everything that's happened to me worth it. You don't owe me anything else, Backlash. I'm just honored to call you my friend." He giggled and got to his hooves wobbly, apparently also trying to belive that had just happened. "Just do me a favor... don't tell Longbow about this."

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LEVEL UP!

+15 Survival.

New Perk: Imposed Empathy - You are so in touch with your emotions, you can even weaponize them in conversation to alter the outcome! You may now reroll a failed speach check at a -15 modifer.

Author's Notes:

Thanks to Kkat who created this wonderful and immersive world! To Somber who is one of my greatest hero's for creating the mare who saves ponies. Thanks to Mimezinga, for keeping my spirits up with delightful antics. To No-One, for making Hired the mare to strive to be. To Psychoshy, for confronting Double's issues head on. Thanks to John Colt, for making me always second guess and look out for the small details for the bigger picture. And Thanks to Hnetu (Hidden Fortune), for having the strength to continue, acting as a beacon to the other writers that even if you feel down, in no way are you out.

Special thanks to Regolit, dude, seriously you rock.

Thanks to my editor and pre-reader Bad Pun for kicking me in the flank when something doesn't sound quite right.

And last of all, but in no way the least. Thank YOU. Without readers, this story is nothing, and I thank you for taking the time out to view it. You mean the world to me.