Purple flashes filled the sky as alicorn after alicorn of all colors appeared above, Green bowls forming under some of them to give them a protected platform to attack from. I shrieked like a filly as a magical energy bolt sizzled the pavement in front of me, running for the safety of the interior of the house. In my haste, I had forgotten which side was open, and slammed through both plate glass panes.

I felt as the glass sliced through parts of my coat, the adrenalin cutting down the pain I felt as I tumbled along the floor. I had to get outside and find Maple! If he didn’t have one of his power armored rangers loading that cannon, then we couldn’t clear the sky. No pony would survive the time required to lift the shells. I pulled myself to my hooves, pushing myself off as I felt a surge of strength when my body connected with the front door. The old door slammed down flat as I walked out into the street.

Everypony was firing back from cover, be it shooting blindly, or actually aiming. I felt something burn my hoof, causing me to pull it back only a moment before a bolt struck the ground. My tail was yanked, making me look and spin as another beam narrowly missed me. I felt stupid as I had just noted everypony was firing from cover, all the while I was in the middle of the street.

I scrambled back inside, mouthing around the bit to my saddle, spinning the gun up before peeking my head out. I spotted a platform floating just in my line of sight, the green unicorn casting the shield spell was sitting open and vulnerable. Feeling like I had the advantage, I pulled the primary trigger, immediately killing my ability to hear as my stream of fire flew up, and didn’t find it’s mark.

My burst attracted the fire of the others around it, peppering the ground and walls with burn marks. I jumped back, the whine in my ear dropping off just enough I could hear the heavy hoofsteps of a power armored pony dash across the street.

“Oh my! Oh my!” Doppler shreaked as she made a B line straight for the house, a few of the magical beams grazing her armor and leaving glowing red hot streaks across it. She let out a final eep and dove through the doorway, nearly bowling me over.

“Just what I needed!” I shouted as she got back up. “Get over to that gun and load it!”

“But I’m trying to call for help!” She squeaked and backed away from me, nearly walking back out the doorway before another close shot made her jump back in.

“We won’t need to if you load that gun!” I growled out, stepping past her and taking aim for the same group I had shot at before. Let’s see, Skyline had always talked about distance… elevation… ah-ha! Compensate for wind speed maybe? I bit down on both triggers, letting out another short burst, missing yet again and being answered by yet another bolt barrage. I watched as the bartender from earlier took a step out of cover to fire and was hit by a bolt. He dropped to the dirt, dead as his chest smoldered.

“I… I can’t go out there!” The power armored mare was deathly afraid, as we all were, but I could hear it in her voice. This was the first time she had seen real combat. I know because I remember sounding just like that while the Old Man just told me that I needed to fight. I needed to win. Amongst all other things, I needed, to survive.

“If you don’t, we all die. And I in particular, do not want to die tonight!” I shouted over the gunfire all around. We have to make it. If we lose tonight, the wasteland loses. “You are the only one here that can load that cannon fast enough. Just grab a shell, throw it in, and run back inside. Simple as that.” I pat her on the back. “You can do it! Now get loading!” I turned back to the door, watching as now the Merc we had hired stepped from cover, hoisting his machinegun up in his forehooves as he balanced on his hind legs and took aim at one of the platforms.

“Burn in hell, you mother fuckers!” I could barely hear him over the symphony of fire the rest of the settlement was letting loose, but he looked like he was laughing as he swept an arc of fire across the sky. His smile showing pure ecstasy as, to my amazement, his rounds punched holes through the shielded disks holding a few of the groups up, perforating three or four of the monstrosities.

I bit down on my mouthpiece again, using the distraction he had provided as my chance to fire up at the same group I had been trying to hit. I had hoped I lined it up as the stream of bullets poured out, the blue alicorn on the platform immediately to the right of where I had been aiming fell off and plummeted to the ground.

I got a kill! Not the one I aimed for, but huzzah!

The cannon out back fired off again, making me jump, and helping me to avoid getting fried by another bolt. I stopped for just a moment, swiveling my ear to listen for any telltale sign of the others. I could just barely make out the high pitched whine of Skyline’s gauss rifles among the reports, happy to know that she was still alive. The side door burst open as Fruit Cup was drug down the office hallway by Suture. He was screaming his head off from the fact that his right foreleg had been melted, and sat at a near ninety degree angle from where it should have.

“Backlash, the others need support out the door!” He screamed over to me, disappearing into Lily’s office. I galloped to the door, immediately taking aim at one of the groups firing down at the ponies hiding under a covered eating area. The tin roof was glowing red and sagging heavily from the hits it had taken, while Skyline, Longbow, Lily, and Casserole were huddled with one of the guards from the gate.

Something in my mind flared up, making my rage boil to the surface. “Nopony hurts my friends! NO PONY!” I shouted from around the bit, pulling the trigger and feeling as the gun chattered off. I carefully lead the stream between groups in the sky, sparking the rounds off the bright green shells as the alicorns ducked back to avoid losing their heads. The gun let out a swift series of clicks to tell me it had run dry, my instincts pulling me back before dozens of shots started to shred the doorway.

The report of the large cannon firing again was shortly followed by the smoldering chunks of at least one blue and green alicorn littering the street outside. I turned and ran as fast as I could for the basement to get another can of ammo, hoofing out the spent can, replacing it and getting back up the stairs in ten seconds flat. Our blue coated merc was doing fine as his shots dropped another alicorn’s body into the street, but his shack cover was looking just about as tortured as the others. I was about to lay some covering fire down when Frosty bolted past me into the street, apparently recovered enough to join the fight.

I swear to the goddesses, we were actually winning this fight!

Figuring that Frosty could help them, I turned and ran back to support Longbow and the others. As I got to the doorway, I noticed that the unicorn guard had summoned his own shield, letting both Longbow and Casserole pick their shots before ducking back into cover. It was a smart tactic, but just as the power armored pair ducked back under their cover, a pair of rebar spears shot through the air and skewered the unicorn.

As suddenly as I had decided we were winning, the Goddess struck back, as a rain of hurled debris fell upon us, shredding the cover that the others were hiding behind almost as fast as they could get away from it. My rage flared again as another skewer narrowly missed Longbow, my mind moving my body to act even before I could see what a bad idea it was. And as always, time seemed to slow to a crawl.

I galloped into the street, skidding to a stop in the middle as the others bolt out from the collapsing shacks. I took aim for the closest group of Alicorns, the blue one of the group went wide eyed as she saw me, the barrels on my gun spinning up and firing just as she raised her own shield. The rounds struck her spell will no effect, a smile spreading across her muzzle as she finally could settle things with me. The others ran past me for the door, both Lily and Casserole making it in, with Skyline pushing at Longbow to keep moving.

The stinging pain was one I hadn’t quite felt before as a rebar rod punched through my foreleg, making me release the bit as I tried to scream. I found myself unable to as a worse sensation erupted in my flank. I turned my head to look back, seeing another of the rusting rods had been driven through the reinforced section of my barding. From the way it sat, I knew that it was bad, seeing as not many ponies walked away from injuries like this.

Longbow screamed something as the blue alicorn I had shot at dropped off her perch, enveloping me in her shield and muffling the sounds around us as she walked up to me. A green tinge added to the blue, as one of the green alicorns buffed her spell, making sure we were alone. I glanced down to my pipbuck, cursing as I still hadn’t remembered to change the fuse over before things went to shit. The goddess caught my not so subtle gaze and took my pipbuck in her magic, twisting it hard enough that the bone in my leg snapped, letting it go as I no longer had the strength to stand up.

Not wanting to die with a whimper, I hastily bit down on the bit, wanting to make sure she paid for every life she took today. Instead, She shoved another bar between the barrels, locking them in place as the overcharged motor strained and failed. It gave a quick pop as it exploded, shredding my left side with shrapnel.

“The great and powerful goddess is impressed with your resilience. It is a shame that you have to die here. We would have accepted you. We would have used you to help others in need.” For once, she spoke in a normal tone of voice, which I was forced to focus on , desperately trying to stay conscious. “Instead, you insisted in interfering and fighting. We are curious as to what you have gained by defying us.”

I choked and coughed up a hefty amount of blood, which I made sure to spit onto the monstrosity. Her flesh burned while she didn’t even flinch, oblivious to the fact that my blood was dangerous. As the gears in my head felt like they were slowing down, they managed to give me one good answer as my gaze drifted to the door of the house. Longbow had her helmet off and was angrily firing her rifles at the alicorn, the shots not making a dent on the spell. Lily pulled her out of the way of an incoming magical bolt as I looked back to the Goddess’s emissary.

“I have... friends.” I coughed out and smiled as darkness seeped in, and I felt myself unable to hold my head up any longer. The pain in my body faded away with my cares, as I waited to be met with the warm sun, and soft grass of the afterlife.

“Yeah! Take that you big meanie!” The voice of Pinkie startled me awake as I got to my hooves, immediately shuddering and letting out a scream as the pain from my open wounds shot through my body. I writhed and flailed for what felt like an hour before the wounds numbed. My heart raced in my chest as I cried and attempted to control my breath. But at least it was all over. I had failed in my task to stop 42, or to save Futura, but even so, I was finally done.

“Wow! You guys sure are clobbering them out there! Twenty one to four is a great score!” Pinkie shouted into my ear as I let out a groan. “Sorry about the pain though, the closer you come to sticking here permanently, the more you feel your pain from the other side. It sucks, but you’re only supposed to go through it once.”

I opened my eyes to see that it was night time, and that the moon was shining down brightly on the grassy hill, though, Luna’s silhouette was missing from it. I turned my head, looking over to where Pinkie was talking from, amazed when I was looking at the largest television screen I had ever seen. What was on it was even more unbelievable.

It was a view of the fighting currently going on in Futura. Well, not exactly currently. There I was just now running out into the street like a moron to save Longbow and the others. The image froze as the rods hit me, Pinkie turning to look at me with a face imitating pain.

“How did you manage to deal with that kind of pain. Sheesh, any other pony would have just died from the shock.” She changed her look to one of a smile, patting at the grass next to her.

“I didn’t deal with it. I died.” I strode forward, choosing instead to stand as we talked.

“What? No you didn’t.” She hoofed at a remote in front of her, unfreezing the image to show me talking with the Goddess. Just after I slumped over, Lily came from the doorway and used the bass cannon on the goddess’s shield, the odd reverberating magic it shot shattering it before she then used the shredder on her, turning the goddess into minced meat. Longbow and Suture darted out and dragged me inside, rebar spikes and all. “How come everytime you come here, you think the worst!?”

“How do you know I’m not dead? They just brought me inside, I mean, I could still die, right?” I looked down to her as she beamed a bright smile up to me. “Or… you know that I don’t because you already know everything to come.”

“Correctomundo!” She shouted, flicking her hoof at the air. There was the click of a light switch before the night just instantly became day. I was blinded by the sharp change for a moment, shaking it off as she hoofed the controller and made it and the television disappear. “Follow me, it’s time you learn something about this place.”

She bounced down the hill the opposite way we normally go, leading me along the other hill, stopping halfway down the other side. She sat down and looked at her forehoof intently, tapping her other like she was impatiently waiting for something.

“I don’t get…” I tried to speak, being stopped as she crammed her tiny forehoof into my mouth.

“Wait here and whatever you do, Do. Not. Move. From. This. Spot.” Her eyes bulged out with each word for emphasis, waiting until I nodded to run off. I peeked over the hill and watched her climb up into the Tree, disappearing as I shrugged and lay in the grass, taking the time to enjoy the warmth of the sun.

My ear perked up as I heard the oddest thing.

“Oh, you can’t see your mom yet! Only dead people can get into heaven!” Her voice sounded exactly the same as when she told me that back when…

I tried to get to my hooves, finding myself weighed down against the dirt and grass, and the more I struggled, the harder it got to move. Then, the pain started again. Of course it had to appear going back to the real world. I bit down on my lip, trying not to scream out as it felt like my skin was flaying itself off of me. After a minute, I couldn’t stand it anymore, going to scream when Pinkie appeared over me with a contrail behind her.

“We can’t have you screaming. I’ll send you back, but just know, that even though time has no real meaning here, and the meetings are all mixed up, the next time for you that we meet like this, will be the last time I can help you.” She gave a soft smile as I cried and screamed into her hoof. “Now what was the hint I gave you? Ah, that’s right!” As she pulled her hoof away, I sucked in air to belt out another scream, but found myself sent back before I could start, instantly falling into the painless transition back to real life.

“I don’t care about the risks! FUCKING DO WHAT IT TAKES TO SAVE HIM!” Waking up to Longbow’s shouting twice in one night was something I had hoped to keep to a minimum in a normal relationship, but Goddesses was it good to hear her voice. The sharp prick of a needle in my hoof set my body on fire and gave my extremities frostbite, the extreme patchwork of Hydra doing it’s job as I screamed out into a gag.

“Please, try to stay calm. I’ll give you some Med-X in a moment.” Even through the incredible pain I felt, I could tell that Suture sounded sad. Had the squad lost somepony?

“No, he can’t have Med-X due to his mutation.” Longbow on the other hoof sounded more relaxed, probably due to the fact that I was out of harms way. Focusing on their voices was the only thing that was keeping me from trying to go find a pool to dunk myself in while every fiber of my being felt like it was melting away. “What about buck? I know it’s not nearly as good, but it might help suppress the pain, right?”

The quick pounding of hooves of a pony leaving the room we were in and running down the hallway preceded a sigh from Suture. “You know, with the doses he would need, he’ll form a reliance to the drug before he even got better. Buck is a nasty addiction to have.” And as long as it takes the pain away, I’ll do whatever I need to!

“We’ll… deal with it when it comes up. He just needs to be able to rest, and he can’t if he’s in that much pain, can he?” Longbow, you are amazing. I would kiss you if everything didn’t hurt when I moved! The quick hooves of somepony returned with a shaking bottle, presumably full of Buck.

“I suppose you’re right. Though your group has gone through most of our medical supplies already, pain is… not a pleasant thing to be in for days on end.” His words spoke of experience, one more horrifying that I could dare imagine I’d want to live through. The gag was removed and I felt three tabs of the chalky drug shoved in my muzzle. I swallowed them hastily as I whined.

The thundering of the anti-air cannon had ceased as the sporadic gunfire from outside drifted through the halls of the house of tomorrow. At least there was still fighting going on, but I couldn’t help but think what it had cost us in lives while I was out. As the Buck tabs kicked in, and the pain from the Hydra wore down, I felt a boiling sensation deep inside of me, a constant ebbing of pain that remained, even after I could force myself to relax.

“Are… are you alright?” Longbow’s voice was soft as she leaned close. I opened my eye to look up to her, seeing a smile grow across her muzzle before she hugged me tightly. I whined as her armor squeezed the air from my lungs, gasping before she let me back down softly. “Sorry, I just… I love you.” She smiled and winced as some of my blood burned at her neck where it pressed against me.

I wanted to ask how we were doing when Doppler burst into the room, saluting to Maple, who I hadn’t seen was in here. “Sir, you won’t believe what I’m picking up.” She hoofed at her radio controls on her foreleg, a burst of static coming over her external speaker.

“Neighvarro Tower, this is Raptor Lenticular at coordinates 39.783 by 89.650, responding to a distress call off patrol route one five nine. Settlement thirty one is taking collateral from an engagement below the cover. Scouts report aerial forces that may be a threat to the settlement, please advise.” There was a burst of static before a response came over.

“We are seeing their feed. Command greenlights actions against all aerial targets and all ground based anti air defenses. Good hunting Lenticular. Neighvarro Tower out.” Well I’ll be damned. That field gun may have just saved our flanks! Though, without the others having been in this room, we had to warn them not to fire on them. I pushed myself up, grunting as the pain inside my chest flared, but the Buck gave me more than enough strength to ignore it, ducking past the Rangers and heading for the front door. I almost made it when Skyline flew through it and slammed into me, the two of us dropping to the floor with a thud.

“Sky! No time, we need to warn the others! Stay inside!” I scrambled to my hooves as she shook the dizziness off. I turned toward the door to run out when I saw one of the most confusing things I’m sure I’d see in my life. The armored prow of an enormous boat pressed through the cloud layer, diving under it and leveling out as it rammed through several very surprised alicorns, the bristling gun turrets spun on their mantlets, taking aim and letting forth bright beams of red death through the air.

I couldn’t help but smile at the amazing sight, sure that there was never a time when I thought I would have been glad to see those bug eyed assholes butt into my life again. One of the beams fired down at us, barely missing the house. Instinctively, I turned to see what it had fired at, looking just in time to see the anti-air cannon melt into a heap of glowing slag.

“Yeah! That’s right, I don’t care who ya are! I’ll take all you fuckers on!” Our merc let out a hearty laugh as he went back to spraying down the air. Even with more than a few gashes, burns, and with half his face bloodied, he was still chugging away, murdering alicorns faster than I would have thought possible. I bolted out at him, tackling him to the ground before a bright beam of death turned the dirt where he was standing into a small, glass bowl. “What the fuck did you do that for!?”

He pushed me off him as his ammo cans spilled out, one of them spreading multicolored, starmetal tipped rounds about the dirt. Just the few that I could see as I got up was already around the same amount as I had ever sold to anypony, or seen sold at all. I grumbled and untangled myself from him, spinning to meet everypony else who could walk from the house. I looked up to the sky, smiling as purple flashes dotted it when the alicorns who could teleport, left. The Goddess knew it was a losing fight from here on out, and was determined to save as many of herselves as she could.

Our new ‘friend’ went wide eyed and buried himself under rubble as quickly as he could. I didn’t have time for this. “No, get inside, NOW!” I screamed and burst out into the street, doing my best to serpentine for the front door again. I could feel the heat from a few of of the goddesses parting shots, as well as more than a few of the enclaves shots that drifted too close. I had thought they they would stick to what their command said, but I guess since they brought the big guns out, they might as well use them. I had almost made it to the door, just crossing the dirt where the lawn had been so many years ago, before I was hit hard in the side.

I rolled and tumbled along the dirt, spreading my aching legs to stabilize myself as I groaned. My ribs felt like they had just been hit by somepony swinging a couch at me, (don’t ask how I know how that feels, it’s… not a fun story) but none of them felt broken. When I looked up to see what hit me, I was surprised I hadn’t been killed instead.

“By charter of the Grand Pegasus Enclave, you are ordered to surrender yourself into custody.” Sergeant Granite stood before me, pointing a hoof to me as her charged energy weapons were trained on me. There was a soft click from the speaker in her helmet. I’m just going to say this now, but having that small of a click to turn your speaker to maximum makes you just a bit of an asshole in my book. “Settlement dwellers, the fighting is over. Lay down your weapons and gather in the central building for detention and questioning.”

“You know what they say...” Carlotta coughed out and stepped up beside me as I got onto my hooves. Cuts, bruises, burns, you name it, she had taken quite the beating during the fighting, and the twisted hunks of smoldering metal strapped to her sides bore no resemblance to the rifles they had once been, let alone looking like firearms at all any more. I looked up as the familiar shapes of Enclave Vertibucks and Sky Tanks descended in the mostly intact lighting from the House of Tomorrow. “Out of the frying pan.”

I watched as the Vertibuck that landed in the street before me powered down, the side hatch opening as the the smiling muzzle of a sharply dressed mare dropped as she saw me. Silver Star looked good for having been held captive last time I saw her, but the one thing that I could see that was out of place on her, was that instead of the medal of a major, she now held the rank of lieutenant.

“And into the fire.” I finished the phrase, sighing as today, just wasn’t going to go my way.

“Oh, they just couldn’t believe how a tiny fishing vessel could just ‘shoot down’ a vertibuck.” My guess was that Silver Star really enjoyed the sound of her own voice, seeing as this was now the third time she had recounted the events leading up to her saving our flanks from the goddess. “Or how convenient it was that once the boat reached land, they just ‘let me go’. They threw around words like ‘contaminated’ and ‘dashite’ when they talked about me. ABOUT ME!”

They had locked everypony up inside of the multiplex inn, keeping only a few ponies in each room to stop them from fighting back. It was a small mercy to me that when they had rounded up the ‘terrorist leaders’, they singled out Lily, Longbow, and I, bringing us here. Though, small mercies only go so far when somepony like Silver is droning on and on.

“I was lucky that they only went so far as to demote me to lieutenant because they thought that it was the stress from the encounter that was making me unfit for my position.” She slammed her forehooves down in anger on the table we sat at, glaring at me. “THEY thought the pressure out there had gotten to me, and that a change in scenery would do me some good. So they transferred me to the Lenticular for some ‘light patrol duty’, where you have to show up and RUIN. MY. NIGHT.”

She huffed a few times as her anger drifted away, closing her eyes with a sigh as a smile drew across her muzzle. “So, there I was, free of your terrorist hooves…”

No, fuck hearing this again.

“Oh, give it a rest.” I rolled my eye, cutting her off and getting a growl from her. Then, for once, she surprised me. In her anger, she flipped the table and propelled herself into me, dropping me back onto the floor painfully. She sat on my chest, pressing her hooves into my neck as I tried my best to keep breathing.

“Rest? You don’t GET any rest.” I’ve seen that look before in a pony’s eyes. The look when the absolute hatred of someone had removed any and all inhibitions for their actions. On the Gallant, she had been a by the book sounding officer, but something inside must have snapped from what we made her go through. “You don’t get it, do you?” She gave a quick laugh, telling me that having me under her hoof like this was pure joy. “You’re mine, and I’m going to make sure that you pay, that every mud slinging primitive in this settlement pays, for what you did to me.” As my lungs screamed, I realized that we had turned her into another 42.

The door to the hallway opened as Granite stepped in. Even though the armor, I could tell that she disapproved of what Silver Star was doing. Silver Star took her hooves off of me as darkness clawed around my vision, my lungs drawing in a long whining breath as I could finally get some air. She softly fluttered into the air and to the other side of the room as the power armored mare walked over to me and effortlessly set the chair I was tied to back upright.

“Deviate again from the interrogation, and I will be forced to relieve you from duty.” The cold tone the sergeant used wasn’t winning her any favors from the lieutenant, but I was thankful that somepony up there still at least went by the book. She flipped the table back over to where it had been and left without another word, but the second that door shut, Silver Star relaxed. This simple fact gave me an idea that sent the gears in my head into a flurry.

“You’re wrong. You are going to take your flying friends, and you are going to go back above the clouds like this never happened.” I watched as my words brought back her devious smile. “I’ll have you know that we have five megaspells aimed right at your Raptor.”

She let out a good laugh. “Impossible, our recon groups would have seen the missiles.” She glared at me, her smile wider than before. “You’d have to have a more convincing lie then that.”

Well, that didn’t go as well as I’d hoped it would. “What if I told you there were 25 Steel Rangers with Balefire egg launchers on their way here?” I grinned back, hoping my bluff sounded at least believable. I mean, we did have a whole Squad of them already here, and they saw what we were up against.

“Once again, we would have seen them by now.” She shook her head, looking disappointed. “I’m afraid the ones in this settlement are the only ponies for miles.”

“Would you believe we have an asshole with a machine gun?” I squinted as I truly had nothing left to use against her. Though this one hadn’t technically been a lie, seeing as I don’t know if our Merc friend was found under his rubble pile.

Longbow leaned forward. “How about we talk about the safety of your offshore desalination project?” Unlike the yelling of earlier, super intelligent Longbow was something I loved to see a lot of in our relationship! The words looked like they were hot coals burning into Silver Stars mind as her eye’s twitched slightly.

“How… how do you know about...” She stopped, the muscles on her face relaxing as she sighed again and gave a smile. “No matter. You are here, and can hardly…”

"I’m going to stop you there.” I watched Longbow as she crafted words almost as effectively l as Lily or I could, tailoring the inflections to burrow deep into Silver Star’s head. “First of all, I’m going to tell you that my mother commands a ship. Next, is that she can destroy that floating pile of junk you say passes as a research base, on a whim. And the last thing I will tell you is that there is no such thing as no witnesses. Somepony here saw your little flying light show, and if we die here, she will find out, and she will tear down every enclave base as revenge.”

Thinking back to what she said at the base, maybe I should have taken a bit more time to get to know her mother. You know, to keep from being torn to shreds if she ever thinks I wronged Longbow in any way.

“You talk a good game, but you are making threats you cannot back up.” She smiled, stepping back up to the table. “You forget that once I warn Neighvarro, no ship will ever get within distance to do anything before we blast it from the water.”

“We did.” Longbow timed her response perfectly, drilling in just far enough that Silver Star was on the brink of losing it again. “And sure, you could kill us and take your chances, but your Command would have to reconsider the damage the information you gave us caused.” She’s making this sort of play. I had no idea she could talk with this… this level of diplomacy! “Think about it. You’re going to call in that the same surfacers that held you captive, have threatened to destroy a project they now suddenly know more about?” Longbow wore a sly grin. “The word they’ll be using around you then, is treason.”

That, was perfection.

Silver Star looked like she was about to explode on us again, when something else added to the list of surprises tonight. “But...” Longbow’s one word surprised not only me, but the others as well. “There is a way we can both win here.”

“I’m listening.” Silver Star growled, keeping her gaze locked onto Longbow.

“We make a deal. You leave here without another shot fired, and you run back up to your safe haven in the sky.” Yeah, we win with that, but what is going to make her go? Longbow shifted her position in her chair, the ropes dropping off of her as she brought her hooves onto the table, much to our amazement. “And you leave with the the locations of the listening devices we have planted on your project. You can present them to your commanding officer, make up a heroic story of how you beat the information out of a terrorist leader, I don’t care. They’ll probably realize that you aren’t as far gone at they thought, and give you a promotion.”

Silver Star stroked her chin with her hoof, closing her eyes as she thought it over. “You know I can’t trust that you will give me the real locations of the listening devices, if such objects actually exist.” She canted her head and glanced back at longbow. “Give me the frequency they transmit on as well.”

“Not until we have a deal.” Longbow smiled, her expression telling me that she was screaming in joy inside.

“Deal.” Silver Star said, trotting over to the door and hoofing it open. “Sergeant Granite. Inform the Lenticular that we will be departing shortly, and for them to get me a line ready to General Aurora’s office when I get onboard.

“Yes ma’am.” She saluted and looked into the room. “Shall I inform the other sergeants that the detained are free to go as well?” The moment that passed before Silver Star’s answer was the longest moment of my life.

She replied simply. “Yes.” Giving off a sigh, she turned back to us as the Grey suited mare trot off down the hallway. “I held up my end, now give us the locations and the frequency.”

“6.5 hertz.” Longbow chimed as her magic undid the rope around my chair. “And don’t bother sweeping the barracks, we had no interest in the personal affairs of your scientists.” Silver Star’s eye twitched again, coming to the realization on just how much of a breach that was. “Now go, or remember…” She put her hooves in front of her, attempting to imitate the sound of an explosion going off as she spread her hooves.

“You remember this as well. Next time? You won’t be so lucky to have leverage over me.” She sneered and turned, trotting out the door as both Lily and I stood up from our chairs, looking to longbow with impressed amazement.

“Just a question.” Lily spoke up as she looked her over. “Have you ever considered employment in the mercantile business?”

“Too bad, Lily.” I stepped forward and pulled Longbow into a long, heated kiss. We both savored it a moment before I broke it off, looking back to her with a smile. “She is one treasure that I’ll never let anypony take.”

As the pegasi above the cloud cover mended the holes that our cannon and the enormous boat had punched in it, the task we had on hoof was to assess the damage to the settlement, and to salvage as much as we could from what was left. Tiger Lily had called me into her office to help her try to keep track of what the others were finding out and we had been sitting there in silence for the last few minutes working. Then there was a knock at the door. Twain, as I found out our faithful foul mouthed merc was named, came in with a smirk and a fresh gash that ran across his muzzle to his cheek.

“Both bar’s are a complete waste, though there isn’t enough broken glass to account for the fighting.” He winced and pressed a hoof to the wound. “My bet is that our enclave friends found our hospitality most generous as they looted the damn place. Though I did find one bottle…” That explains what cut him.

“Let me guess.” Lily spoke up, sounding like this wasn’t the first time this had happened. “You tried to bribe his friend into bed again.” Now that I look at it, it could be from a griffin’s talon…

“Just one pass! That was all I made!” Twain sounded like he honestly thought he was in the right. “Not my fault the butch one has to be all protective.” He eyed over to me and shrugged. “No offence to her lifestyle choice that is.”

“I’ll get the bandages and peroxide.” Lily said as she pushed herself from her chair and swiftly walked out. As I followed her out, my gaze stopped on the unique battle saddle he wore, seeing a whole lot of custom parts on it, with the most intriguing being the feed mechanism on the four ammo belts.

“That’s a nice looking battle saddle. Who does the work on it?” I asked, putting the notes I had been scribbling down with a yawn. With all the rushing to get things done, I had forgotten how late it was, and that I hadn’t slept since we left the garage around noon.

“Oh, you like it?” He twist his body about to show it off. “I’ve got a guy I know out in Dodge who did most of the work, but the cross feed was custom made by Lily herself. She fucking ripped me off in the deal though, lied to me about how much what I traded for it was worth.” Well, now if you didn’t do your research, that’s what you get. “That fucking thing was worth ten times what she paid me for it.”

Now he had my attention. “What was it?” Lily isn’t opposed to swindleing customers, but that was down right too much to rip somepony off for. “Maybe she didn’t know what it’s worth was?”

“Some Ministry thing, one part of some sort of weapon key.” Color me more intrigued. “Figured it would be valuable and sold it to her. Turns out, some big shot out west is looking for them, offering ten times as much as she paid. I found the flier for it here, so there’s no way she missed it.”

“Well, I’ll have to talk to her about it.” Anything Ministry of Morale related could make her a target for 42. The gears in my head shot me something else to ask as my eyes washed over the blue striped ammo box in his saddle. “Just a quick question though, where did you find a whole case of star metal rounds?”

He smiled to me with a pompous grin. “Oh, you won't believe how many merchant's I’ve had to kill to get my hooves on this many.”

I couldn’t do more than blink as his answer stopped my mind dead in it’s tracks. “You... WHAT?”

“Calm down, it was just a joke!” He snickered to himself before clearing his voice, giving me a stern look as he answered me again. “But seriously, it was a lot of work to sell that many foals.”

“You’re a FUCKING monster!” I screamed and had to hold myself back from beating his skull in, giving my mind time to work out if he was kidding or not this time. The foals we had to bury on the way to the pool felt like years ago to me, but put fire in my blood all the same. As I ran his words through my mind a few times though, I was certain he wasn’t serious. Even as a joke, there were just some things you don’t touch.

“You are so easy to wind up, you know that? It was payment for another job I did.” He rolled his eyes and waved his hoof around for me to calm down. I took a few deep breaths as I did, watching him with the last embers of my anger burning while he hoofed at his cheek again. “I never found anything big enough to shoot that I needed to use them on until tonight. Was worth it though, seeing as they punched right through their barriers.” Speaking of!

“I’m a stallion of my word, so what do you want as payment?” I sat down, hoofing off my saddlebags to see if I had anything I could give as collateral if he asked for too much.

“Got anything extremely valuable? I want something to hold over Lily’s head so I can get that key back.” Just as he finished talking, she rounded the corner with his supplies, setting them on the floor as he gave her a smile.

“Well, let me see…” I hoofed open my bag, pulling out a few odds and ends, stopping as I hoofed out a piece of paper I didn’t remember. As I flipped it over and read it, it was the note that went along with the Shining Defender energy pistol that Brass had saved my life with.

“Ooo! I love important pieces of paper!” Lily bit down on and snatched the paper from my hooves. Didn’t matter to me, seeing as the gun was the real prize. I went back to looking through things, pulling out the twins and setting them aside.

“You want a piece of paper?” Twain murmured before grunting as he drizzled the peroxide over his wound. “I can get you a literal ton of sealed paper from the mill in vanhoover if you’re that inclined to want something as common as that.”

Lily spit the sheet out onto her desk. “Not just any paper, this is an important paper.” She sat down and continued as she looked at him with a smile. “Ponies only carry papers with important information on it, if it’s not in a ruin, or a pony isn’t carrying it, then odds are it’s not important.” That was just scavenging 101, everypony in the wastes knew that! She went wide eyed as she read it. “Backlash, do you know what you’ve got here? I’ve got a collector in New Pegasus who’s been looking for this gun! Do you have it?”

“It’s expensive?” Twain asked abruptly, pulling something from Barter 101 that Lily shouldn’t have missed. Well, her loss.

“Yes, very.” She gasped and covered her muzzle with her hooved. “I shouldn’t have told you that.”

“That’s what I want as payment, then.” He grinned sadistically as his annoyance finally paid off. That was a smart move by him, seeing as collectors putting out a contract normally have to pay a finders fee on top of what the items worth. And as Lily is the best, her fee is quite high.

“Backlash?” Lily now pulled my attention back to her, hoofing a drawer in her desk open. “Consider this payment and thanks for helping to save Futura.” She slid a small golden, metal rectangle to me.

“You fucking KIDDING ME?” Twain shouted in aggravation, meaning this was more than likely the key he was looking for. I hoofed it over and looked at it more closely. If this was a key, it certainly was of a design I’ve never seen before, but of course, that’s a common theme with old world relics. I tried to drop it into my saddlebag, but misjudged the distance, watching as it hit the floor and rolled against the bottom of Lily’s desk. I instinctively just leaned down and reached for it, my lack of depth perception making me smack my empty eye socket onto her desk as well.

“You know, you look exhausted. When was the last time you got any sleep?” Lily’s voice held genuine concern. “Tell you what. I can handle most of it from here, why don’t you all go join the others and get some rest? We can finish tallying anything left over when you get up.”

“Thanks.” I finally scooped the key piece into my bags and hoofed the twins back in as well. “Do you have some blankets I could borrow, the Marauder is going to be cold tonight…”

“No, no, no.” She cut me off with a wave of your forehoof. “You all are free to spend the night in one of the rooms at the multiplex. There should be plenty of room for all of you.” She smiled and arranged some papers on her desk. “Go on, I’ll still be here when you get up.”

“Thank you, Lily.” I nodded and put my saddlebags on while Twain turned and left. I was just about to exit when she spoke up again.

“Actually Backlash, could I talk to you for just one more minute?” Her voice was hesitant, sorrow coming through more than anything now. I nodded and stepped back inside, shutting the door. “It’s not me you should thank, it’s Willow.” She gave me a soft smile and looked down at her desk. “She was my only friend for most of my life. Without her, Futura wouldn’t have even been on a map.”

“I don’t know much, but she told me how you both left ponyville together, looking to make it big.” I thought back to what we had talked about on the Gallant, which in total, didn’t amount to a lot. My words roused a soft laugh from Lily.

“Yeah, but I bet she didn’t tell you that we left together together. Goddesses our parents were so angry at us, and her father never did forgive her for it. Young mare’s in love.” Lily’s sad tones were constant, and I could tell from her words, that the love she felt was still strong. “But as we realized living on our own made us less than desirable to one another, we decided to just stay friends. Then, with a stroke of luck, she found Snow Shoe, and I found my Husband. My relationship didn’t so much work out, but Willow and Snow? They were meant to be.”

“Then, why would Willow leave?” I asked as the gears in my head spun to work this mystery out, oblivious to the fact that the question was obviously one that weighed heavily on Lily.

“She…She and Snow planned on having their first foal during the winter months, when it was safest from attacks from outside. But that winter was especially harsh on us, and Snow came down with pneumonia.” Lily’s grim face reflected how mine was, as Pneumonia was not something you normally came back from in the wasteland. You just had to wait until your body couldn’t fight anymore. “Shortly after him, she got it as well. She pulled through, but Snow and her unborn foal…”

“I… I’m sorry.” That’s all I wanted to say to Willow. She had lost everything in her life, and now she thinks that she needs to make up for it by attempting to get rid of the goddess for good on her own.

“Yeah. Me too.” She wiped the tears that had silently dripped down her cheeks. “You best go get some rest, and we’ll talk some more tomorrow.” I hoofed open the door, stepping out and taking one last look at Lily, who nodded and smiled as I shut it. I walked down the hall, my legs far too tired to bring me up to a trot, as my whole body screamed for relief. As I walked through the charred and splintered front doorway, the light from the raising sun had already brightened the black skies to their normal greys.

The walk to the Multiplex wasn’t a long one, but it did give me time to reflect on the events of today. What we accomplished wasn’t exactly a short list, seeing as we got the rangers to fight beside us, learned 42 was still alive, completed what was normally a two day, relaxed drive in only ten hours, cleared Sorbet’s bunker, fought 42, saved Futura, and dealt with the Enclave.

I stopped and scrunched up my face as I wondered how exactly I could consider that just over a short list. I shook it off, treading slowly over the dirt lawn of the large, mansion like Multiplex Inn. What at a glance looked like a monstrous house, was actually four two story homes all squished together. Built to sustain four large families, it was the obvious choice to change into an inn when Futura got up and running.

My legs protested every step up to the second floor, and my mind felt sluggish as I wondered if I should sleep in any other ponies room, or try to find my own. As I pushed open the first door I found, the universe decided to provide me with another small favor when Longbow shifted under the sheets in the bed and looked up groggily. She smiled as she saw it was me.

“Hey, sorry I woke you up.” I stepped in and shut the door. I carefully let my saddlebags down before getting to work removing my barding. Turns out the zipper had melted shut, and the only way I could get out, was by tearing the fabric. So I did. “As much as I thought it would help, my friends have provided more protection than any barding I’ve worn.” I dropped the tattered remains of the jumpsuit and climbed up into the bed with a groan.

Longbow sighed as I flopped down next to her. “I… I couldn’t do it.” She spoke up, sounding ashamed for some reason. She caught my worried gaze as I lay there. “When we found Sorbet, Casserole told me to open the door. I found the failsafe wiring inside the panel, but I couldn’t activate it. As much as I wanted to, I just couldn’t bring myself to condemn her.”

“You are a good pony Longbow, above all, you know you did the right thing.” I hoofed her mane aside, looking into her eyes as she gave me a nod. I scooted myself closer to her, pulling her into my hold as the warmth melted away all of my pains. I think it helped her as well, seeing as she relaxed.

This was heaven to me. No absurd emergencies to rush off to solve, no immediate danger to where we were staying, and no worries that the ones I cared for would come to any harm. It was just nice and quiet. That is, until my ear perked with the moaning noises coming from across the hall. This was the first time I could actually hear Carlotta and Skyline, but for once, the thought didn’t disturb me.

“Ugg, why can’t they celebrate our win until after we all sleep?” Longbow groaned and buried her face into her pillow. “All I want to do is try to get as much sleep as I can.”

A smile crossed my face as the gears in my head clicked out the last great idea of the night. “Or…” That perked her attention. “We can try to show them up for once?” Longbow gave a small, light hearted laugh at my suggestion. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I’m worn out enough to sleep just yet.” As I listened to more of the action across the hall, Longbow hooked a hoof around my neck and pulled me close, nuzzling me softly before she whispered into my ear.

“Fine, but I’m on top first.”

When I woke up, it was completely dark outside, and my pipbuck told me that it was 8:30. I had joined Longbow for a shower down the hall, finding that even after the session we had this morning, the hot water had only reinvigorated our lusts, and we decided that a quick shower after this one would be best to actually get cleaned up. As I walked back to our room, unlike the last month, today I felt better than anything, like I was unstoppable. So it came as no surprise, that I when I opened my door, something unexpected was there to greet me.

“The white one instructed the great and powerful goddess to give you a message.” The towering form of a purple alicorn stood in the middle of the room, making my legs lock up as she spoke in a normal voice into my head. “We are to tell you that the wasteland needn’t fear us any longer as an agreement has been made. We shall stay where we are only until the white one is no more, but on that day, we shall return to the wasteland, and we will retrieve what we seek.”

Before I could do anything, she was gone with a flash. Willow had done it. Though, as good as I had felt about what we’ve accomplished, it was in that moment that I felt humbled. Doing this did more for the wasteland than anything I’d ever done, there is no telling how many lives she just saved by keeping the alicorns under control. Longbow opened the bathroom door down the hall, trotting out as her magic wrapped her mane up into her towel. I sat down hard as my hind legs gave out, causing her to rush over to me in a panic.

“It’s over. Willow saved us.” I hooked my hooves around Longbow and squeezed her tight. “The alicorns are gone from the wastes.”

“That… that’s wonderful!” Longbow returned the hug, her voice sounding the same as mine. While glad it was over, we couldn’t help but feel like Willow’s sacrifice was something that she shouldn’t have had to pay for on her own. “We’ve got to tell the others! And Elder Strudel will be so relieved that her patrols won’t have to avoid them any longer, and...” She pushed off of me with a smile, trotting into the room ahead.

“Stay with me.” I spoke up, making her stop as she levitated her armor off the floor.

She looked at me with a confused smile. “I don’t plan on leaving you, Backlash, we’ve still got to plan the bridge attack.” She resumed putting her armor on, clamping down the leg pieces before I spoke up again.

“No, I mean I want you to come stay with me… I mean, with us. With Sky and I.” I felt my heart pound in my chest, a nervousness I hadn’t felt since Sprocket washed over me. “I want to be with you for the rest of my days.”

“Backlash, I… I can’t just leave the Rangers.” Her expression was torn between guilt and sadness. “They’re my life, my family. I can’t just leave.” The chestplate clicked as it secured to her, her horn glowing as she took the helmet and floated it beside her. She walked up and put an armored hoof on my shoulder, looking to me as her mane hid half of her sorrowful face. “I want to, believe me, I do. I just… I can’t leave them.” As I had come to learn, family is everything out in the wasteland, and there was no way that I would make her suffer for my selfishness.

“Then we will find a way to see each other. We'll make it work.” I smiled, brightening her expression. I leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek, watching as she blushed heavily through her coat. “I just need you to do your best not to let your mother go after me if she doesn’t approve. At the very least, a thirty second head start would help immensely.”

Longbow laughed and nodded. “I’ll be sure to cheer for you from the sideline if she ever does.” She levitated my Saddlebags onto me and hoofed her mane from her face. “Now, after the workout we had, what do you say we get ourselves some breakfast.” Just the mention of food made my stomach grumble.

“You have no idea how good that sounds right now.” I nodded and let her walk from the room, hoofing the door closed slowly as my eye caught a glimpse of my ruined barding on the floor. I no longer feared that Longbow would end up like Sprocket, I cared too much for her to spend time worrying about breaking the promise I had made so long ago. No, our relationship was different, and now I felt I was the one in his place, where she was doing her best to protect me.

As the door clicked shut, and I turned to follow Longbow out, I felt it in my mind that I have finally gotten through that chapter in my life. Now, the only issue I had left to resolve, was how we would deal with 42 in the final fight.

--------------------

LEVEL UP!

+9 Big guns

+6 Barter

New Perk: All Bucked Up (Rank 3) - You are the avatar of endurance and survival, living through punishments that any other pony in the wasteland might die from just thinking about. This final rank gives you a 10% chance to ignore the penalties of injuries and status effects each round you are under half health.

Author's Notes:

So! I'll get to the normal thanks section in a minute, but first I'd like to say that both 19 and 20 were mostly written as one, giant chapter, and was a marathon session of writing over the period of just over 5 days. I REALLY have to thank Sawyer for his help in spending his time editing, as he was completely invaluable to getting this these two done so smoothly. Really, go return the favor by reading his stories Old Grudges, and The Long Winter.

First off, Thanks to Kkat, our Illustrious overmare, for creating this fantastically diverse world. Thanks to Somber, for keeping me entertained with every chapter of Project Horizons. No small amount of thanks to Mimezinga, who without Puppeh, I wouldn't have kept any innocence in the wastes. To No-One, for largely giving me the inspiration and drive to create this story! Just the opposite as to above, Thank you Stonershy, for proving that being a bad guy, can sometimes be a good thing. Much thanks to John Colt, who's story leaves nothing unquestioned (and where Craft is best pony). Huge hugs and thankies to Hetnu, who'd provided a lot of inspiration to me through her writing. Thanks to Xjuan, for being so calm around incendiary devices! Thanks to Tinker, for the repeated references and idea of Couch wielding Deadmare.

Super shout outs to Regolit, RevelRomp, and Deathpony, for your feedback and dedication to my story.

And Lastly, as always, thanks to you. Without your mind to read the words, the journey means nothing, and I am glad you have followed me this far.