Chapter 5: Ghosts of the past.
“If you want to go somewhere you have to know where to go first.”

Wraith and Bucky squirmed in my magical grip. The aura tightened around their necks and began to choke the two ponies to death.

“I said stop!” The Goddess shouted and my grip on the two ponies loosened. We cast our gaze towards the floor as a glaring Goddess walked over.

“What... do you think stopped her?” Wraith asked Bucky.

“Fuck if I know! Alicorns are nuts!” He replied.

'We are not insane!'

I turned my head towards them and wrapped Bucky’s heart in magic as I attempted to squeeze it flat, but all he did was squirm and we found that we could no more crush his heart than we could teleport. Then our attention went to Wraith and we tried to kill her by stopping her heart. However all it did was completely fail in a shower of sparks from our horn.

The both of them dropped to the ground when all of our magic failed. We quickly grabbed them by the shoulders and held them against the wall again.

“The Great and Powerful Goddess does not wish you to kill these two,” she said as we kept the chainsword near the both of them. “Look at me!”

I did so, and gazed into perfection. She waved a hoof across Wraith and Bucky. The Goddess then looked at me. “Why would you kill them like so? Without a chance to fight back?”

“Be.. Because they are the enemy?” We replied and smiled. Both Bucky and Wraith looked at me, then followed my gaze to the Goddess standing next to them and back to me.

“What’s she looking at?” Bucky asked Wraith.

“No fucking clue. A more important question is how do we get away?”

The Goddess stepped in front of them, blocking our vision as she said, “do not worry about what they say. I am invisible to them, but not to you as I have planned.” I nodded. She added with a tilt of her head. “If they are the enemy, then why are you working with them? The Great and Powerful Goddess would like an explanation of this most troubling problem.”

I withdrew the chainsword from their necks and set it off to the side as I sat on my haunches. We looked into her perfect eyes while we explained. “We made a deal with her,” I pointed a hoof at Wraith, “help her and gain the Enclave’s help to fight Steel Rangers.”

“Mhm, and this one?” Goddess pointed a hoof at Bucky. “Why would you want to work with him?”

“He is an ex-Steel Ranger and may have important intel on them.”

“The Great and Powerful Goddess wishes to know: Why then are you trying to kill them?”

“They...” My gaze went to the chainsword to my right as I telepathically mumbled, “attacked each other and wouldn’t stop fighting...”

“Uh-huh, did you give them a chance?”

“No...” We frowned and sighed. “We may have overreacted.”

She smiled as she laid a hoof on my shoulder. “Well at least I was here to stop you before...” Her eyes widened while she pointed a hoof at my side. The Goddess recoiled in shock, almost bumping into the two ponies behind her as she shouted. “What’s that in your wing?!”

We looked back and our magic field exploded with a pop. The two ponies dropped roughly to the metal floor of the tunnel. There was something moving under the skin! I squealed like a filly in terror and flapped the appendage as I tried to throw whatever it was off. I heard Bucky shout. “Hold her down so I can cut it out!”

Wraith attempted to tackle me but I spun around her attempt. Then I noticed my other wing’s itching had also increased. I looked over at it as something moved under the surface as well. I lifted the Ripper in magic and gripped the handle. The chainsword revved to life before I remembered that it is a stupid idea to cut one’s own wings off and tossed it down the tunnel.

“Goddess, help me!” I shouted telepathically. However she was nowhere in sight as I frantically looked around .

A pair of lightly armored forelegs wrapped around around me as Wraith attempted to tackle me. The both of us crashed into the wall, denting pipes and sending a shockwave through my body. I pushed off the wall jumping across and body slamming Wraith into the other wall. “How dost thou liketh it?!” we telepathically yelled into her mind as she slid off. The pegasus groaned out something about her head being split open like with an axe.

We spun around as we lifted Bucky’s knife off the ground and unfolded our left wing. Whatever it was under the wing was moving more than ever.

My magic field failed again as a creature clawed its way through the skin. I shrieked a second time. My green eyes widening to the size of pie plates as I saw something akin to a small rat the size of, well a rat, poke its nasty blood-soaked head out of the skin.

I rolled my wing hard and the creature flew off the feathery appendage. It stuck the wall with a faint snap and fell dead to the ground. My gaze went over to my other wing as I floated the knife up. I pushed it into the skin and cringed. I pushed it in deeper as I worked the blade in a circle as the creature moved about under my flesh. As I rotated the knife down the creature was pushed out prematurely.

It fell to the catwalk and my hoof came down, stomping it flat with a wet crunch.

“Still want to cut the tissue?” I asked out loud as I looked at the red stain leaking out.

He shook his head. “No fucking way. You do it!”

I narrowed an eye and put on my most serious face as I looked at the skin. Though my face appeared to be a mask I was completely fucking mortified by the fact that I had been carrying and incubating those imp spawns! I wiped my hoof off on the rusty metal grate as I pushed the not-so-sharp knife in. My wing trembled at the root as I fought the urge to scream in pain, cry, run away, and stop cutting all at the same time.

My ears swiveled to the left as Wraith asked. “Okay, will somepony please tell me why I’m covered in sticky green shit and why I have The. Worst. Possible. Hangover. In all of Equestria?! And who is this Steel Ranger meathead?”

I gave a sigh of relief and levitated the flesh to eye level. The flesh was black and dead. I tossed it away away with a hiss. The good news is that our Pipbuck said we were no longer poisoned. We turned our attention to the other wing and drove the blade in. We whimpered and wished for Med-X as our eyes threatened tears.

Bucky pointed a hoof at me and said flatly. “I am her husband.”

My eyes grew even bigger than pie plates as my pupils shrank to the size of a pea. The knife clattered to the catwalk as Wraith fell over laughing. She giggled, “oh it makes perfect sense now!”

“That... That was a joke! Heh... heh-heh...” We said telepathically and unsure myself.

“Not with your reaction it wasn’t!”

We hissed and used the Pipbuck’s inventory spell to bring out the holodisk, and tossed it to Wraith. The disk landed on her belly as she giggled. She tilted her head and lifted it up in a hoof. “What is this?”

“The research data you asked for.” We replied with our mind.

She nodded and put the holodisk away. Wraith reached for the chainsword but we lifted it out of her grasp. She then took to the air attempting to grab it in her hooves.

“You said I could have it!” She whined like a foal and pouted as she pushed up her mask to give us a badly working eye trick.

Our old mind slowly pieced together Enclave information as we came up with a reason for her to not have it. However Bucky beat us to it. “Do you really think they’re going to let you keep it? Afterall you are covered in an unknown substance. From the surface.”

Wraith gasped. “Oh no! I’m gonna be stuck in detox for a month!” She softly petted the Ripper, then unhooked the sheathe from her back. We floated both items back to us as she sighed, “guess I’ll see you guys around, maybe... hopefully. If I don’t become a vegetable”

We watched as she turned around and flew into the dark abyss of the tunnel. Then a pair of metallic hooves gripped our wing and we yelped in surprise. Bucky drove the blade in and began cutting. “Hold still!” he mumbled. We looked away and cringed.

*** ***

"...and then she turned around and flew off," we told the Goddess as the three of us walked along in the tunnels towards Raul's place. Bucky kept glancing back with a strange look in eyes and we wondered what he was looking at.

The Goddess nodded. "The Great and Powerful Goddess wishes to know: Are you two really married?"

I shook my head. "Not by choice, Goddess. It was forced upon us while we were in a drugged state as a joke that got way, way, WAY out of hoof. But we were saved because of it."

“From this Steel Ranger who kills alicorns for pleasure?"

We nodded our head rapidly as we replied. "Yes, we barely escaped with our lives."

Her eyes narrowed. "I’m ordering you to stop referring to yourself as 'we'. Unity is long gone and my body was destroyed. You are free again."

"We... I shall try, Great and Powerful Goddess. This will not be an easy task for... me."

She smiled. "I've heard all your prayers, and pleas for help. It is why I finally chose to make myself known when you needed help in such a dire circumstance."

We nodded slowly. "Yes, we do not know what would have happened had you not appeared."

Bucky stopped as he turned around to look at the both of us. He held a power armored hoof to his eye level. "Alright, I've had it up to here with this one pony conversation. Shell Shock, there is no other pony besides you and me in this area."

I waved a hoof over towards the Goddess and smiled. "The Great and Powerful Goddess is right here, but you cannot see her as you are not an alicorn like us."

"Just keep the conversations with her quiet, okay?" He said with a roll of his eyes.

We gave him a nod and then looked at our, or we should say my, wings. The healing bandages wrapped around them were slowly mending the flesh that the radiation for some odd reason could not. Thy Pipbuck was saying that we were back at 602 rads and falling slowly.

Bucky's stomach grumbled in annoyance. I sighed. Another reminder that being an alicorn was so much better than being a regular pony. We did not need to sleep, eat, or drink. I had to shift and adjust the mare's power armor before trotting to catch up. The Goddess watched me do this in confusion.

"Why are you carrying armor on your back that you cannot use ? It is much too small."

"I can have Rose make something with it," I replied with a grin.

Bucky laughed. "Hah! Right."

I glared lasers at him and as I turned my attention forward the tunnel shrank. Both Bucky and the Goddess disappeared.

***===***===***

We trotted along the narrow dirt tunnel, our long exquisite horn scraping dirt onto our head, so we had to lower it a little. We looked behind us at a blocked passageway. A frown formed on our face and we adjusted our wings. Spreading them and fluffing up the feathers before pulling our glorious wings against our body. Ahead of us was a dirt tunnel strung with poor lights. This we know to be a zebra tunnel from our memories.

However we were never an alicorn then, nor did we ever go in them as an alicorn and so we did not know why we were there. One minute we were walking along with Bucky and the Goddess, then the next second it was a dirt tunnel that was mostly dark with the smell of damp dirt. The lights guided us and every so often we stopped to look back only to find a black abyss.

The dirt tunnel was slowly filled with grey ethereal zebras as our ears picked up the sounds of the ghosts running to and fro. They ran past us in armor and with various weapons, but did not even glance at us.

We suspected that to them we were the ghost.

We pressed deeper into the complex and dirt fell every so often from the ceiling when artillery hit above us. We followed a tight left here, then a wide right there, going down brand new wooden stairs and stopped at a hallway that ended in a giant concrete and metal wall.

Ahead of us was a stable’s rusty cog door. The number 55 painted in dried blood on the door and its original number was long since gone. Our eyes narrowed as we trotted over to the panel and looked at it. We reached out with magic and pulled on the lever. A loud grating buzzer rang out as two yellow lights started rotating. There was a loud crash behind the door as something moved, then with an ear piercing shriek of metal on metal the giant door was pulled back and rolled out of the way.

Beyond was not a stable but a large bedroom with not so clean grey walls. There was a large crimson unicorn mare in a thick grey coat that covered her cutie mark laying on a bed directly ahead of us. We looked around as she motioned us over. Our gaze noted that she looked oh-so-very hungry and thin.

This mare was there on that hill with our company shortly after the bombs had fallen. The two of us became very good friends after a disagreement with the Steel Ranger Lieutenant over the zebras. Though we do not know why she is in our memory because she is long dead.

We sighed and trotted over the threshold onto the slowly rotting wooden floor..

When we looked back the door and zebra tunnels were gone. They were replaced with a loo that had been had seen better days. Then our gaze went back to the crimson mare as she trotted over. “You know,” she began with a soft and sweet voice. “I’ve seen what you originally looked like but that look suits you. The ripped suit and bandages.”

She stopped a half a foot away and looked slightly up at us with bright gray eyes. Her grey mane was put into twin braids. The mare stood up slightly on her hind legs and gave us a light nuzzle to the cheek. We responded with a friendly hug, as that was what we felt we should do, then we stepped back and tilted our head as we said. “We... do not remember your name, we are sorry.”

She laughed and turned around as her long grey tail wrapped around our neck in a suggestive way. “Of course you wouldn’t remember me. Afterall you spent what, 175 years in Unity and left me to starve in the wastes? I knew ‘Unity’ was bad news but would you listen? Nooo. not miss thickhead.” The mare pointed a hoof behind us as she added. "Go look at yourself in that mirror, Dog.”

Our ears folded back. “Do not call us that, that is not our name anymore.”

“You don’t even have a cutie mark! A mark that everypony should have. Those alicorns turned you into a mockery of a pony. A hollow shell of your former self.”

“I was dying!" We telepathically shouted at her. "What was I supposed to do? Turn into a hideous ghoul, or worse, a mindless feral ghoul zombie?!”

"But you left me to starve!" She stomped a hoof down in anger and gave us a scowl that made us shrink back a little despite her being smaller. "Without you I nearly died that winter! I could have helped you had you turned into a ghoul. I would have made sure you didn’t turn into a zombie!"

We spread our glorious wings and pointed a hoof. “I can fly, and use powerful magic. Being a hideous ghoul would have been horrible. Unity made me better as they promised they would!"

"And being a mindless drone is sooo much better, am I right? How well was Unity, hm? From what I saw of alicorns they had zero free will."

"At least I am alive!" I shouted back, then quickly softened my gaze as she looked down at the floor with a hurt expression, her ears folded back as well. "I'm sorry I said that. Please don’t be angry with us. Unity was like watching through some other ponies eyes and hearing so many voices all whispering and talking almost at once."

We watched as the crimson mare trotted over to the window and pointed a hoof out. “Storm’s coming. You shouldn't go out in it. We're okay on food for another week if we stretch it. If you go out you might get lost and... there are those princess look-a-like monsters out there. I know you say they are friendly, but they’re not. The ponies that go with them never come back and..." she looked to us with big puppy dog eyes, "I want you to come back. You're all that I have left now.”

Our hoofsteps sounded like thunder in the large room as we walked over. We stopped and looked out as our eyes narrowed. There was nothing there but black void! A clothed foreleg wrapped around our neck and pulled us close to her.

She whispered in our ear. “Why are you listening to that false Goddess? You should listen to me. Who was it that showed you that spell? Not her, but me.”

We withdrew from the window and the mare’s embrace as we said with our mouth. “That... that crushing spell was yours?”

“Where do you think you got it?” She kept pace with us as we stumbled into a sitting position. “That was the first spell I ever taught you. And I taught you many more. You just have to remember them and you'll be your old self again." She pointed a hoof at the loo and shouted. “Go look at yourself in the mirror!”

But before we could reply we felt something grab our shoulders. The world faded to darkness as the Goddess’s sweet musical voice filled our head. “Come back to me, my child.”

***===***===***

We blinked.

Bucky’s face filled our vision as he waved a power armored hoof in front of our eyes. We smiled at him and he sighed. He stepped back a few feet and said. “Finally! You were just standing there for the last half hour like a statue.”

We glanced around and saw the Goddess with her hooves on our shoulders from our side. Our head tilted as we lowered it. “Thank you, Goddess. We were, I mean, I was trapped somewhere and could not leave.”

“The Great and Powerful Goddess already knows this. I heard your conversation and pulled you back before she could tempt you further. Do not use those spells she gave you. Each time you do you lose a part of yourself. Please listen to me on this."

“I shall not use them.” We nodded slightly.

Bucky tapped my chest with a power armored hoof. Which caused me to turn my head to look at him. He asked. “Please tell me this spacing out and talking to invisible ponies thing is normal for all alicorns?”

*** ***

Half a day later we arrived down the hall from Raul's place. My E.F.S. was not picking up any blue or orange bars, and neither could we hear music. The Goddess sat behind me next to Bucky as I looked at the light that spilled out from the door. My exquisite, but not perfect mane flowed to the side as it obstructed Bucky's view and bumped into the wall.

I set thy power armor down, unsheathing the Ripper chainsword in the same movement. I slowly stalked towards the door while keeping an eye on the E.F.S. There was a pained moan from inside the room. “Help...”

I remembered my lesson from that fool weeks ago and wrapped my mane around my right wing with magic. Then I peered with one eye into the room.

Inside was the red ghoul Raul laying down on the bed as if he were sleeping. His shack looked perfectly clean and the crossbow was in the corner propped against a toolbox.

Then I heard the moan again and looked down. I observed Raul for a bit and noticed that he had the Twilight statue clutched in his forehooves. As we watched him our gaze went to the empty E.F.S and we noted his lack of breathing. The chainsword was set down and I looked to the others as I projected, "something does not feel right."

The Goddess projected back, "do not do anything I wouldn't do."

With a nod we looked back into the room. I scanned everything again before cautiously stepping inside. However we made sure to check for tripwires before we moved our hooves. We did not see any, so we took two steps forward and stood there waiting for two minutes with our muscles tensed.

Nothing happened and so I took two more slow steps, then waited. Another two steps, and then two more. Raul moaned, causing us to take a step back. I slowly lowered my head, my mane came undone on its own as I turned and tilted it sideways. My ear twitched as it picked up absolutely... nothing. If he were breathing he would make raspy noises would he not?

Then came another moan and my eyes went to thy Pipbuck's clock as I lifted the foreleg. We stood as still as a rock while waiting. Seconds ticked by agonizingly slow. I was thankful for this Pipbuck's clock but I now realized how much time sleeping wastes.

About eight hours of wasted time.

My ear swiveled as Raul's same short, pained moan came back. Everything was the same. Even the length of time. I kept my eyes on the clock and waited. Thirty seconds passed before he did it again. Then I turned my tail back to the door and slowly backed out of the room into the tunnel.

"What's wrong?" We heard the Goddess's voice in our head.

We told both her and Bucky. "Something's wrong. Raul is dead and it feels like a trap."

"How do you know it is a trap?"

As we looked back we replied, "because we have done something similar. Now stay back."

I wrapped the Twilight statue in my magic's grip and retreated eight feet down the hallway. It was disconcerting moving objects that I could not see but we could manage much easier than regular unicorns. I shut my eyes and covered my ears with my hooves as I opened my mouth and turned away from the room.

There was resistance as I tugged on the statue but it finally pulled free. I attempted to float it out of the room and wondered why the bomb did not go off. Was there even a bomb or were we being paranoid?

The tunnel shook as the room exploded. We felt the statue fly from our magic's grip and were sad that we could not deliver it to Rose.

As I opened my eyes we looked back over our shoulder. We wondered how in the Goddess's name the statue was still intact. Because smoke and fire slowly billowed out of the door frame as the dust in the tunnel settled. We coughed, waving a hoof in front of our face to breathe in clean fresh air.

We glanced at thy Pipbuck’s compass as we scanned for hostiles. We did not find any so we pulled the statue back to us and looked at it in awe. We... I felt a surge of energy clear my head as I read the inscription. ‘Be smart’.

'Well we can be smart, can't we? I believe I can.'

My ears swiveled back as I heard Bucky and the Goddess walk over. They each looked over a shoulder at it.

"Hm... Twilight Sparkle. I, The Great and Powerful Goddess remember her. Yes, this one suits you."

"That's all you got? A stupid doll? What about the crossbow, how come you didn’t grab that instead?" Bucky asked.

'Wait what?'

Both the Goddess and I turned to look at him. My eyes narrowed. “What... did you say? How did you know there was a crossbow in there?”

Bucky pointed in a random direction as he stepped back. “I heard you tell her you had one!” I looked over at the Goddess and Bucky muttered. “Oh, she’s there...” His hoof moved to point at her. “You told her!”

I turned my attention to the pink asshole as I stood up but was forced down by the Goddess's hooves. She whispered, “perhaps there is an explanation?”

I let out a breath as I put a hoof to my chest and counted down from five. It gave us an idea and we grinned as we floated out the Zebra Rifle. I aimed it at his head as I asked. “Tell me, Bucky, hath thee ever seen a Zebra Rifle fire? Its bullets set ponies on fire.”

His eyes widened. “I... I swear it! You told her about the crossbow!”

I shook my head. “No, I did not. I remember telling her about everything after I went into that research lab, I did not carry the crossbow in there. Now explain yourself or run away. Either way you have ten seconds before we turn you into a flaming corpse. Nine... Eight... Six.."

"What happened to seven?" The Goddess projected into my head. I grinned maniacally at Bucky.

“Five... Four... Three...”

“We followed you inside the stable after talking to that ghoul. They want the data from that stable to grow food. Somehow it can grow anywhere and that is perfect for the mainland. I saw you... I saw you make a copy of it.”

We hissed through our teeth as we asked. “Is that why you came with us? So you can steal our data when we sleep and run?”

He worked his mouth, attempting to form a reply while we could see his blue eyes dart around and the sweat poured off his face. The crosshairs of the scope was right on one of his eyes. “No-yes...?”

We telepathically screamed, “get out of our sight this instant!”

He turned around and bolted. His hooves thundered down the tunnel as we tracked him with the scope until he turned a corner. Our ears then folded back as we let the useless weapon drop. A frown slowly formed on our face. I looked at the ground as annoying tears welled up in my eyes. “I thought...” I sniffed and looked up at the Goddess. “I thought he... liked me?”

She wrapped a wing around me and pulled me tight. "I thought so too. Even one such as I can’t predict everything."

We looked into her eyes as we asked, "Art thou really the Goddess?"

She nodded. "But of course I am! I heard you telling ponies I was not dead yet they do not believe you. Then you thanked me for guiding you to radiation. And when you were about to kill that stallion and so on and so forth."

I smiled and wiped away a tear with a hoof. "So you could hear me. We, I mean, I had wondered if we were imagining it. Nopony ever responds to my telepathy! Well except for a couple of alicorns, but they do not like us."

"Just because they do not respond does not mean that they do not hear you, my child." The Goddess wrapped both her forelegs around me in a hug. She pulled me tight and shushed me. "Do not cry over him. Plan your revenge instead."

"Re-revenge?" We looked at her in confusion as she smiled.

"Oh yes! Sweet, sweet revenge. As I understand it that pink stallion drugged you and then took advantage of your state as well as constantly abusing your trust in him. Surely there must be some feelings of anger, yes?"

I looked down towards where Bucky had gone and gripped the chainsword in magic and removed the bandages from my wings as they took us down the tunnel after him.

*** ***

I followed a blue bar as I came barreling around the corner. The Goddess behind and Bucky fifty yards ahead. The floating torch highlighting his Knight armor. We telepathically shouted. "Dear husband, you hath forgotten to give me a goodbye kiss!"

His hooves echoed on the catwalk. He was fast but I was faster because of the tunnel being wide enough to fly in. With a quick flap of my wings I closed the distance. The chainsword's blunt end came around and struck Bucky in the side of the head. He stumbled and fell in a metallic crash, tumbling and sliding to a stop as I hovered over him.

“Payback’s a bitch!" I cackled as the Ripper's spinning Hellhound cutting edge came down on his neck.

However something stopped it from going any farther than just above his hide. The spinning blades making his eyes go wide as they sliced a line of red on his pink hide. My gaze went to the Goddess as her horn glowed.

"The Great and Powerful Goddess meant for you to geld him with his own blade, not kill him!"

I let go of the trigger as I looked back at Bucky and the blades slowed to a stop while the sword was raised. "Get up." I ordered with my mind.

He did so slowly. My gaze went across his power armor and I smiled. It is a much closer fit than that mare's! I pointed the chainsword at his chest and used my mind. "Take your armor off."

"What?" He blinked in shock.

"I said take it off!" I shouted at him.

Bucky reached up with a hoof and began to slowly take his armor off. Though we think he to be going too slow. He spoke while doing so. "You know, Eclipse is probably on her way right now."

"But is she not at the naval base?"

I saw the Goddess in the corner of my eye turn around. She pointed a hoof into the abyss. "I, The Great and Powerful Goddess believes there to be some ponies coming this way that do not look friendly."

He chuckled. "She was right. You are gullible. I’ve been broadcasting where we were since we left the stable!" Bucky's chuckle turned into full on laughter as he dropped the last piece of armor onto the floor.

We heard a familiar voice whisper softly in the back of our mind, “no more missus nice mare.”

My eyes narrowed as I brought the sword around in an arc. The wall behind was painted with a line of dripping blood as the blade sliced his head from his body. Bucky’s head rolled to the floor as his body fell across his armor. Coating it in crimson as blood poured from his neck.

"What did you do?!" The Goddess shouted in surprise.

"I am tired of being played for a fool,” I replied grimly and scooped up his armor in magic, “there are consequences for it now and they are severe." I laid the heavy suit across my back and broke into a gallop as the sound of multiple heavy ponies echoed in the tunnel.

*** ***

Almost five hours later my gallop slowed to a walk as I looked around the annoying tunnel. Luckily we were near a ladder and there were no hostiles around but there were a bunch of dead mutant rat things. We groaned as we realized this was the same one that was welded shut! As I put the torch away the Goddess commented. "Thy Pipbuck light is on."

I frowned at her as she winked back. I clicked that feature off and a soft glow emanated from the screen as the darkness enveloped us like a blanket. My hind legs decided to give out as I looked at the Pipbuck. The power armor fill off with a metallic crash. I played back Bucky's message and listened to a voice I'd never hear again other than through this message.

An azure blue wing pulled me against the Goddess as my eyes filled again with unwanted tears. I played the message again. "But why did he stutter after saying to stay safe? Why did he say stay safe?!" I asked out loud.

"We may never know." she whispered into my ear.

They folded against my head as I scrolled through the Pipbuck's functions. I turned the radio on while looking for the research data file. A somewhat slow country song was playing out as a pony began singing about falling into a ring of fire.

I shut the radio off after a few moments and wondered whether or not the DJ could see us. Then we shook our head to clear it of the silly idea.

I did not love Bucky but...

My eyes widened. 'That is a stupid idea as he only knew us for one night and the foal betrayed us constantly!'

"Goddess, you're not trying to take advantage of me being stupid, are you?" I asked to take my mind off that absurd idea.

Her hoof brushed my long flowing mane as she smiled. She replied as she shook her head. "No. I, The Great and Powerful Goddess am not trying to use you. You are my greatest creation. It is why The Goddess sent you to this island. The others did not have your determination, nor devotion to the task at hoof."

I shut my eyes and buried my face in her neck as I cried silently. She patted the back of my head with her wing. "That's it. Let it all out. If you keep our emotions in you will explode like a volcano and We know that is not a good thing for Us."

The ground beneath us began to sway again and we held onto the Goddess as nearby pipes cracked and sprayed steam into the tunnel. We sat there and waited for the swaying and shaking to subside. It took about two minutes. Then my ears picked up the flapping of wings as a pony asked. "Uhh... Shell Shock, what are you doing?"

I sniffed and cleared the tears from my eyes as I lifted my head up. Hovering before me was Wraith in all her her ichor-covered glory.

She tilted her head as the Goddess stood up, looked at me and nodded. "The Great and Powerful Goddess must go. It would not be prudent to only visit you." I nodded and waved, Wraith looked over as the Goddess said. "Stay safe, my child."

She turned into a cloud of mist that faded to nothing. I looked back to Wraith and smiled at the Enclave pony.

"Who were you looking at and what were you doing?" She asked again.

"We... I was communing with The Goddess. Yes, communing with The Goddess and she touched on a subject that made me upset."

She landed and sat down. I could see her wings tremble slightly as she attempted to sit still but couldn’t. Wraith kept fidgeting as she asked. "What was it? I mean you don't have to tell me of course. I’m curious is all."

I tapped my teeth lightly with a hoof in thought. Should we tell her about Bucky? She already has guessed our relationship, but... "I will tell you if you answer our question first: why are you following me?"

Her voice was shaky. “W-well... you... kinda... took my... dru-medicine and... I need them back?”

She rubbed her foreleg with a hoof and pushed up her mask with a wing. I could see it in her eyes and the sweat running down her face. She was addicted to Dash and I had her last dose. I nodded. With my magic I floated out the drug from a pocket and put it to her lips. Wraith used her hooves and pressed down lightly on the button as she inhaled some of it.

Then she passed it to me but I politely refused by shaking my head and held out a hoof. Wraith nodded and put the inhaler away as she said. "I know I said I didn't like you but that was before you saved my flank in that facility. Any other pony would have left me to die. I figure I should repay the favor and you know what?"

I shook my head as I replied, "no, Wraith I do not."

She dug in a pocket with a wing and withdrew the holodisk. Wraith tossed it on the floor and stomped it flat with a hoof. She twisted said hoof and the parts broke in half then spread out everywhere. She held up the central disk and ripped it in half with her teeth.

Wraith spit it out and said. "Fuck that data. No good can come of it, not from what I remember seeing."

I smiled and nodded. "You should have seen it. There was this giant carnivorous plant with eyes and a mouth and tentacles that could swallow me whole. And indeed it did so while we were carrying you!"

Wraith winced. She looked at her armor as she asked, "Is that why I'm covered in this crap?"

"Allow me to show you events you missed?"

She nodded, but asked, "what does that mean?"

"This." Her eyes widened as I lowered my horn to touch the top of her head. I showed her the memories from after she passed out: The giant plant monster and the fact that she kept falling off against our will. Then the time with Bucky and...
My eyes widened as I felt Wraith's mind touch a memory we did not want her to see

"What's this?" I heard her voice in my head. My world faded as we got sucked into it.

***===***===***

I sat behind the turret of the the tank destroyer named Hellcat with a gas mask on my face and my IF-12 floating in front of me. She was driving at fifteen miles an hour along a green snow covered road ahead of the others. Hellcat’s open top turret noisily rotated left as looked into a line of trees. I could see the orange tiger painted on along with the name and eight white rings painted around the barrel marking the number of heavy tank kills. My gaze went right to more trees as I wished that the gas mask did not obscure my peripheral vision.

We’d been trying to get to the nearest Stable for the last four days. We lost three tanks and twenty ponies. The area was abandoned but it didn’t matter anymore as there was nopony to bitch to. Since we were still in zebra territory we couldn’t simply hop on the tanks and let them go full speed. That was a good way to get blown up.

My ears swiveled as the turret adjusted its aim again. I looked at the one twenty yards behind us and saw it was looking to the right of our mismatched convoy. Behind that tank held a transport wagon full of random squads we had picked up. Including, oddly enough, one zebra platoon. My gaze went to my cyberleg and I prayed to Celestia that it did not fail me anytime soon.

***===***===***

I pushed off Wraith as I cried out in shock and fell over backwards across Bucky's old power armor. The lightly armored pegasus stepped over and filled my dark vision as she extended a hoof.

I shouted while rolling to my hooves. "How did you do that?!"

"My mother always says ‘once you open a door you can go wherever’." Wraith smiled.

I glared at her and pointed a hoof. "You... you stay away from us!"

"Hey you touched me first!" she shouted. Then she quietly asked "that was just after the bombs, wasn't it?"

"Not your concern!" I hissed while turning around and lifted Bucky's armor. An unladylike grunt escaped us from the weight as we laid it across our back..

I heard her hoofsteps get closer. Then one of them touched my side. My hind legs tensed and kicked out. It hit air as the Dash head darted to the side. My eye twitched as I glared lasers at her. "No pony... No pony but the Goddess has ever seen those! It would do you well to forget you ever saw them. You get two questions to ask about them. Any more and I get angry and beat you to a pulp."

"What was the war like?"

"Hell... or like the surface wasteland but with a great many rules."

She nodded. Wraith scratched her muzzle with a hoof as she hovered in thought. "Okay, I got the next one..." We stood as still as a statue waiting for it. "...how... old are you?"

The twitch in my eye returned. I telepathically shouted in Royal Canterlot Voice volume. "ONE DOES NOT SIMPLY ASK A LADY THAT QUESTION!!"

Wraith shrank back. Her hooves clutched her head as she groaned in pain and fell to the metal floor. My eyes widened as I went to her side and I quietly whispered with my mouth. "Sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't realize it would do that." I used the Pipbuck inventory sorting spell to bring out one of Bucky's healing potions.

I frowned as I put it to her lips and made her drink it. Wraith gulped the whole thing down then looked at it in confusion. "Why... did you give me this?"

"To fix our screaming in your head."

She chuckled and put the empty bottle away. "I guess that works."

I smiled at her. "So you are better now?"

"Yeah." She smiled back.

I held my foreleg out to look at my Pipbuck and asked. “Is there a way to delete files? We, I mean I accidentally copied the research data and I am unsure of how these things work.”

She took it in her hooves and I winced from the blades. But I giggled as she had to use her nose to move its functions around, which is so funny to see! Wraith pushed on a few buttons and I watched. After a minute or two she stepped back and nodded. “There. It’s deleting the research data.”

As I looked down I saw it was deleting the data and nodded. Then my gaze went to the ceiling as I tried to open the ponyhole cover to no avail. I facehoofed as I remembered that it was welded shut.

The hallway was filled with the sound of thine chainsword as I telepathically told her. “Step back and let me open it.”

Sparks shot down towards us as the weapon was applied to metal and Wraith jumped out of the way. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her take another dose of Dash. We made up our mind at that point to find her more or get her off it.

My eyes narrowed as I noticed that the ponyhole cover was much, much, harder to cut through than the doors in what Bucky had called a stable. It took almost an hour to saw all the way around and smoke filled the tunnel as the glowing ponyhole cover tumbled to the floor.

The acrid smoke was sucked into the area above as Wraith commented on the obvious that we could plainly see. "There's a draft up there."

I rolled my eyes. "It is the outside so of course there is a draft!"

Wraith took flight. She stuck her head through the hole and asked with an echo. "Then why does it look like the interior of a ship?"

"What?" We asked but received no response as she had flown through already.

I followed her up with the power armor floating above me. Indeed it did look like the inside of a ship! Narrow rusty corridors with small watertight hatches and a stairwell leading up. My gaze watched as the dark smoke went up the stairs. There must be an exit that way.

Bucky’s armor was tossed roughly onto the deck and we climbed through with our hooves so as to not burn our glorious wings. Instead we singed the bottom of our forelegs.

*** ***

The corridors seemed to stretch on forever. It was like the tunnels below only slightly higher up. We followed the breeze blowing in fresh salt air for what seemed like an eternity. According to our Pipbuck we traveled for two hours before we came across another stairwell which we followed up.

As the hatch swung with a rusty shriek cold salt air blew in on a fast wind. I momentarily shut my eyes and looked away. The compass did not show any hostiles, so I was not worried about an attack.

Wraith was nearly out of her ‘medicine’ as she calls it. Though I don’t know why because I know exactly what it is: Dash.

My ears picked up the sounds of the Oakwood jungle causing me to open my eyes and look out into nothingness. My eyes slowly adjusted to the light and I made out a star filled purple night sky, moonlit jungle split the horizon in half and I looked down at thy Pipbuck.

There is something I must do but... what?

Wraith pushed past me as she said, “Thanks for the help. I’m gonna go wash my armor and head back to the Raptors. See ya whenever.”

“Okay. Fly safe.” I replied without taking my eyes off the Pipbuck. In the corner of my eye I saw her take flight with a quick flap of her wings.

I smiled as I located Rose on the Pipbuck map. I turned towards the jungle and flapped my wings. Quickly taking to the air and gaining altitude. I very nearly lost the suit of power armor in the process. My eyes widened as I caught it in magic and set it across my back.

I flew higher as I shut my eyes and let the wind flow through my mane. It was the most amazing feeling one could ever feel. Having your ability to fly taken away is like having your horn cut off. Not a good thing.

*** ***

I approached the blown out wall in the building from the air while invisible. My wings carried me in through the hole I had made. I pulled them against my body before landing softly on the ruined floor. My gaze went to the bed where Rose was. Her light green mane was halfway covering her face, her lab coat and her blue mechanic's coveralls were covering up her body, but... She breathed slowly in a deep sleep and the E.F.S. showed a blue bar.

However as I studied her I noticed something wrapped around her neck. My eyes narrowed as I recognized a slave collar. Slowly I trotted over to the bed where she slept and inspected the collar. There was an orange light on the back near some kind of latch. I silently hissed through my teeth as I realized that this one was actually active. The power armor was set down in the center of the room as gently as I could. Then I turned my head and dug through my saddlebags.

I found the suppressed revolver and gripped it in my teeth. With a smile I stalked towards the door like I remember Wraith doing, one slow step after the other. Rose stirred as I pressed my ear to the door. I looked at her as she looked at the bloody power armor, then looked around the room

“Shell Shock?” She whispered as she sat up. We set the revolver down and slid it over with a hoof. Rose smiled at it as she lifted it in her grip. But then her ears folded back and she set it on the bed. Rose looked to where I stood and pointed a hoof at her collar but I knew she could not see me. “I can’t go with you, but I’ll keep it nearby if they decide to come in. There should be about five in this building.”

We gave a nod and opened the door. We slipped into the ruined hallway and noticed a lack of guards. However the E.F.S. showed at least four red bars. I walked forward and wondered how I’m going to do this silently as I cannot use my telekinetic crushing spell. An idea formed in my head that caused me to smile.

We reached the end of the hallway and looked in both directions. On my left was a normal looking blue pony that didn’t wear power armor. She looked as bored as one could get on guard duty. In fact she was sleeping. I slowly walked towards her.

And stopped almost on top of the sleeping mare as I glanced around again. After finding it clear I swung the Pipbuck around. It struck the mare in the head and sent her to the floor. She groaned as she began to move but we reached down with our other leg. We lifted her up and squeezed her neck tightly.

The mare’s face turned a darker shade of blue and then a purple color as we squeezed her air passage tighter and tighter. We did not stop until after the bar disappeared from the E.F.S. Then I went through her barding and bags for anything. I was annoyed that I did not find the detonator for the collar but I did find an okay condition semi-automatic 10mm pistol along with two extra magazines.

We pressed forward towards the stairwell and descended them as quietly as we could. As we pressed our ear against the door there was a muffled voice that we could not understand along with two hostiles. The door gave in with a wooden groan as it slammed to the floor throwing up dust and obscuring the two ponies vision. They looked at eachother then the door and the dull orange one motioned with his horn as he levitated out a shotgun.

My eyes widened as I slowly stepped back. The two ponies had their weapons out and were advancing towards me. I sighed quietly as I aimed the pistol at the first one and prepared to blow his head off.

However the door behind them was kicked in causing them to immediately turn around and a pale gold ghoul hovered in through the door. On her head was a ripped wide brimmed purple hat and around her body was a tattered purple dress. In Ripper’s forehooves was a recently cleaned Fallen Angel that nearly shined in the dark light of the moon. She dropped to all fours and held the Buckmaster in her right foreleg. Ripper looked at the two advancing ponies without a care.

“Alright, which one of you pissants knows where my saddle is?” She asked with her gravelly voice.

The response she received was a shotgun round to the chest that sent the ghoul pegasus stumbling back. Ripper looked at the hole and shook her head. Then her ruby red eyes locked on the unicorn as she aimed Fallen Angel by quickly standing on her hind legs.

We ducked back as the hallway was filled with the deafening roar of the Buckmaster followed by the sound of a single pony dropping dead.

“Was it you?!” Ripper shouted. “Did you steal my shit?”

“N-no!” The other stallion replied. I looked back around and saw Ripper holding the barrel of the automatic rifle against his chest. "What are you talking about?!"

Then she looked over at me and shouted. “Stop hiding over there. I can see you, thief.”

“Thief?” We replied as we dropped the invisibility spell and caught the 10mm pistol in magic. I trotted forward as I glared at the ghoul pegasus. “You knocked us out and stole things from me! Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t blow your head off!”

Ripper smirked and pushed the barrel of Angel against the other pony as he attempted to move. The white stallion winced. She said. “I did you a favor. That journal kills its owners. Everypony that has ever written into it is dead. Even me. Oh sure they didn’t all die as soon as they wrote in it but the second they started writing into the journal their journey got worse and worse and worse until it killed them.”

I stopped three feet away and tilted my head. “What do you mean?”

“That thing is like taint to its owners. Read.” She dug around in a pocket of her dress with a wing and produced the aforementioned journal and held it out for me. Then her attention turned to the white stallion she had pinned against the wall. “Well? Where? Is? My? Saddle?!”

“What’s it look-”

We started in surprise as Fallen Angel roared three times and the wall behind the pony was painted in blood. The stallion slid to the floor as Ripper spit on his corpse. “Useless.”

We opened the journal and skimmed through the pages. We stopped where the first owner had died and then we skimmed through to the next change of ownership. Though we just assumed that the second owner had just stopped writing. As we glanced up we saw the barrel of Fallen Angel pointed right at our head.

“Now then. I know alicorns appear immortal to normal ponies but I'm not normal." Ripper began. “You’re still flesh and blood and a headshot will still kill you.”

My jaw dropped as my eyes widened. “What... what do you want?”

“Same question that I’ve asked these fine gentlecolts here. You don't want me to ask a third time.”

With a nod I replied. “Eclipse stole it from us and we were told that she was at the old naval base. However we are unsure if it is correct information as the pony that told it to us betrayed us from the start.”

Fallen Angel was lowered as Ripper nodded. Then she swiped the journal back from me before I had a chance to look at it more. “I’ll spare you the details and boring parts.” She explained as she put it away. “I killed the first owner. The second one was me, killed by a zebra vampony. The third was my coltfriend, who I had to practically level a base to save and I found out he was dead the whole time. The fourth was a random airship captain and you saw the results of that.”

My eyes narrowed as I noticed something. “If you died then how are you alive?”

She facehoofed and groaned. “Did you not hear the vampony part?! When they turn you they... ugh, nevermind! I’ll see you later.” We heard her mumble “I’m surrounded by morons.”

I arched a brow as Ripper turned around and trotted down the hallway. her long flowing purple dress acted like the cloak of a superhero.

'If she is undead and appears to not die then we could use her help.'

With a smile I said. “Rose needs help.”

Ripper stopped, slowly turning her head to look back at me as she said. “Save her yourself. I’m done saving ponies.”

*** ***

I found that each floor all the way down to the bottom had been empty. Rose stood behind me as we floated the revolver nearby. I cast my gaze about the hallway and scanned for hostiles. There was only a blue bar and they were behind this door.

With an exasperated sigh I cracked it open and peered in. There was a beautifully thin and curvy stallion sitting behind a desk looking out of the shattered window at the building across the street. The floor was made from wood with a single moldy carpet between us and the desk. It had white walls and rotted furniture. I noted that the detonator was sitting on the desk not far away from the earth pony's grasp. Next to him sat an unusual weapon.

It was as if somepony mated a beam pistol with a hunting rifle stock. The 'barrel' of it ended in three prongs that sparked constantly with red energy. Its battery compartment looked to hold small energy cells and I had no illusions that this was a poor weapon because of it being hoofmade. It's total length was about as long as a hunting rifle.

This stallion was... different from almost all of the others we have come across. He wore a pinstripe suit that looked to have been recently cleaned and the slate grey pony looked to have bathed this morning. He was very handsome and looked back at us with a genuine smile that hid the wrinkles which were just starting to show on his face. "Ah,” he began with a smooth voice. “The elusive Green Terror of Oakwood. I must say it's a pleasure to meet you. You've done us a favor from what I hear. I’m Major Comet."

I frowned as I realized that this pony wasn't an earth pony but a pegasus. I only just now noticed this because he used a wing in a form of salute. The pinstripe suit had a flap to hide his wings from a pony’s vision. His short cropped silver and azure blue mane was starting to show signs of grey as well.

"Do come in and bring your small friend. We have much to discuss." Comet said as I looked down at Rose.

I stepped into the room with Rose using my long flowing tail to hide behind. I asked with a tilt of my head, "what is going on?"

The pegasus held a wing out and motioned to a pair of chairs. "Sit and I’ll explain."

My gaze went to the chairs but I firmly planted my rump where I stood and replied. "We do not trust thee."

Rose appeared to be using us as a shield from this pony and that caused us to wonder. If this old stallion in front of us has an enchanted suit to hide his wings... does Rose's lab coat act similar? Could this be her father?!

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Comet smiled as he pointed a hoof at his face. "Don't I look familiar?"

I looked back as I felt Rose tap my flank with a hoof. "He's Enclave."

"Correct!" The stallion laughed. "You, Miss alicorn, have saved my daughter from a most horrible death and offered to help us in exchange for our help, did you not?"

My eyes widened as I looked back at the slate grey pegasus and his name hit me like a bag of bricks. "You are Wraith's father!"

"She shouldn’t have gone in the first place." he hissed and looked at the wall. "Anyway!" Comet looked back at us. "Yes, you have offered to help us in exchange for our Raptor support. And I am here to discuss terms and conditions."

"What?!" Rose shouted in shock. "Shell Shock, how could you do that?!"

Wraith's father didn't hear her. "Now then. Normally this is where I shoot you with my toy and say ‘no deal’ BUT! You've saved my daughter and that debt needs to be re-payed."

"How do you know I saved her? We parted ways less than four hours ago!"

Comet spread his forehooves wide as he smugly proclaimed. "I’m a fast flyer for my age and not to mention the Raptors are close by."

'In the mist.' We added for him in our mind.

I remembered something Wraith had told me. "You didn't force the memories out did you?"

His eyes widened as he slammed his forehooves down. "Not in a million years! I would never harm my own daughter! Wraith gave me a quick version of what happened and I flew out to track you. However you arrived here before I could talk to you." He reached under the desk and lifted a hoof full of glowing pink ash. "This is what's left of the one that put the collar on her neck, so don't get angry at me. Take this as a gift of good faith."

As the ash fell off the hoof it revealed a strange key that he tossed over. I caught it in magic and eyed it. We put it into the slot on the collar but hesitated. "This..." I looked back at Comet. "This is a trick, it has to be as this is too easy."

The pegasus rolled his gold eyes and trotted over to his 'toy'. He gripped it and turned around to aim at us. "Turn it!" Wraith's father mumbled around the grip.

"No, we will not hurt our friend!" I replied as I thought about shooting him with the floating pistol.

"It's okay," Rose whispered, "I think if he meant to kill me he would have pushed the button."

We did not think about that. As I looked at the key I sighed. I turned it as the collar clicked and whined. The explosive collar landed on the floor with a metallic thunk. Rose hugged our foreleg tight. We looked down and rubbed her mane with a wing.

"Good. Now that business is settled let's talk about my terms of helping you." Comet said as he set the hoofmade energy rifle down and looked at us.

I raised a brow in confusion. "Are you not doing this freely?"

"We have to agree on how we're going to help each other before we can." He smirked smugly and I felt like knocking it off his face.

"What are your terms?"

"Well the first order of business is talking to that airship captain and finding out their intentions and whether or not they are a threat to the Enclave. If they aren't we'll let them continue as they have been. Second, you show me everything you know about the Steel Rangers on this island: Where they're located, what weapons they use, their numbers, etcetera etcetera. If you do very good in this aspect I will see about your reimbursement."

"What do you mean reimbursement?" Rose asked. Wraith's father wrinkled his nose as he looked at the miniature pony.

However he replied to the question. "My daughter told me this... Shell Shock was carrying a spare Steel Ranger suit of power armor in a vain attempt to get it possibly fitted for her. Is this true?"

I nodded. "Yes, finding barding in my size is very hard indeed. We were lucky that a Steel Ranger we came across was close to our size."

Comet tut-tutted as he shook his head. "For shame. Steel Ranger armor is for earth ponies and idiotic unicorns who de-horn themselves. Their 'armor' is overweight outdated trash that is better suited for use as a boat anchor. For you to wear it, my dear Shell Shock, you would be at a severe disadvantage. Think long and hard, have you ever seen a Steel Ranger with... wings?"

"This we did not consider," I replied as I looked at the floor, my ears folded against my head. "I understand. We would be constricted and unable to fly."

Comet nodded slowly as he grinned. "Now. I may be able to see about getting you fitted for a set of Enclave power armor. Minus the helmet obviously as it wouldn't fit with your horn. This is no guarantee, mind you, as you're not officially part of the Enclave yet."

I looked down at Rose and asked. "What do you think?"

She looked at Comet instead and told him, "if you lie to Shell Shock. I can guarantee you that it would be the last thing you ever do."

He nodded. "Yes, my daughter already told me about a certain pink Steel Ranger who had lied to her and had his head removed for it. I am not lying, because I don't lie to those I work with. It’s bad form you see."

"How do we know you're not lying about not lying?" I asked.

An object was removed from behind the desk and slid across the floor. I stopped it with a hoof and looked down at the framed picture. It was of a younger Comet, a faint pink mare and two identical fillies standing in front.

"My family has always put honesty and loyalty above everything else. The maroon filly on the left is a longtime Dash addict. She tries to hide it but I know about her problem. The one on the right was bitten by a glowing ghoul and has fallen ill. Wraith is tending to her now, because she was not fit to come down here in the first place. I swear to you on my daughters’ lives, I am not trying to trick you.”

I gave a nod. "That is acceptable."

Comet looked at Rose then me and said. "Please don't get mad or take offense but my daughter told me that you might be... simple?" My jaw dropped as my cheeks burned in anger. "I don't think you are. What do I see you as you wonder? I see a mare that uses her wits to get her foes to drop their guard by letting them think she is simple and then strikes them down hard."

I beamed at the compliment as I grinned and inadvertently picked up Rose's thoughts, "he calls Shell Shock stupid and she likes it? But I do it and she threatens to kill me? What am I, chopped liver? Or does she see me as..."

To distract my brain I asked. "This power armor we might get. What color will it be and how well will it fit?"

Comet put the picture away and spoke as he slung a set of saddlebags that also had a bedroll onto his back. "Well I would hope like mine: Fits you like a glove." He spread his wings and gave them a test flap as he looked at us. "Ready to go?"

We looked at Rose. She shook her head. "I appreciate you saving me Shell Shock, but I'll be back in Candlelight if you need me."

My ears folded against my head as I knelt down and pulled her into a bear hug that she returned. I told her. "Please stay safe, Rose. Other than Sister you are our only friend."

She whispered softly into our ear. "I truly hope you know what you're doing."

*** ***

The two of us flew through the sky while thy Pipbuck played music. Comet was in front and doing tricks. I had left Bucky's armor back at Alicorns Perch as it was ungainly to take with me everywhere. Not to mention this prospect of having better armor!

I beat my wings faster as Comet did a barrel roll with a laugh. He spun around and motioned us closer while he shouted. "Come on, I thought you'd be faster than this!"

With a grin I tried to close the gap but he pulled away. We could see the airship in question to the far north as it traveled in what appeared to be a straight line. Comet laughed more and went into a dive. I followed suit. I rolled inverted and chased after him.

Blue's almost-male voice filled my head as I dove straight down. "Sister, can you hear me?"

"Yes. Sorry I forgot to tell you that I made it." I replied to her.

"That is fine. I have moved your friend Mudpie to a new location. She is stable and slowly improving. However she does not want to burden you with her dead weight, so she says to finish what you are doing before you return."

With a grin I replied. "Tell her, 'thank you and we will be safe'."

“We hope you will be.” she replied and her presence faded.

I followed Comet out of the dive and we began skimming the rooftops of Oakwood City. The dark moonlit ground below became a blur of blue-grey colors as we focused on just catching the pony in front of us.

It is surprising how fast and agile Comet is for his age! I held a hoof out as I slowly inched closer. But before I could tap him he dropped down to street level.

My eyes widened but I kept up. My hooves parting grass as my injured wings began to strain so I slowed down. Comet looked back and pulled into a half loop. Then flew a wide circle that brought him right next to us.

"You're tired?” he asked. “And here I thought alicorns were supposed to be the superior species."

I dropped to the overgrown street and held out a wing to show him where I had been bitten as I explained. "Something bit me, then its imp spawn grew under the skin and destroyed all the tissue."

"Don't you have healing potions?" Comet asked with a roll of his eyes. "Just pour one or two on the wound and it'll be fixt lickety split."

"No, I did not think of that as radiation does the same thing for alicorns."

“Yeah,” he scoffed. "Sure looks like it's doing a bang up job."

I looked at the wound and inspected it for new tissue but found none. Odd.

“Hold it right there!” A pony shouted. Causing the both of us to turn our heads and look at two red bars on my E.F.S. about thirty yards away. The red armored and battle saddle wearing stallion continued. “Let’s see those pretty little hooves reach for the sky nice and slow.”

The one on his left had a rocket launcher saddle. Comet rolled his gold eyes. “Always with the talking! Miss Shock, we have a schedule to keep. If that airship reaches the mist before we board we’ll be stuck in nothingness.”

The both of us took flight and turned towards the airship. We quickly tried to catch the flying boat before it disappeared. Both the stallions looked up at us and then at each other in confusion.

*** ***

I attempted to catch up with Comet as we streaked through the sky towards the airship. A literal wall of grey mist only a few hundred yards ahead of it. Though I do not know what he means by stuck in nothingness but I will trust his judgement as he seems smarter than me. The airship’s name was painted in gold on the back of the stern: Celestia’s Delight.

Smoke drifted from the single central stack as its six propellers turned to propel it through the air. How it flies we have no clue but there it was: A large 380 foot long cargo ship flying in the air. Her rain water stained white superstructure gleamed in the moonlight. There were two cranes: One ahead and one behind the central island of metal with boxes fore and aft.

The two of us landed on the wooden deck near a large box by the bow and I noticed that there were machine gun blisters in various locations about the superstructure. Four M-2 .50 cals were aimed at the two of us. I gulped and put my hooves in the air as I sat on my haunches and Comet followed suit.

A hatch near the bottom of the central structure opened up and spilled red light onto the deck. I looked behind me and saw the wall of mist was only a hundred yards away now. However the deck tilted as the airship turned away from the fog. As I turned my attention towards the hatch I saw a burnt umber earth pony stallion in a ship captains hat and coat.

“Alicorn! What’s your business aboard my boat?” He asked loudly. “Best be quick about it before my ponies get trigger happy.”

I decided that using my mind would be bad so I loudly said with my mouth. “I wish to talk to DJ Snow. I’m a fan of hers and wish to thank her face to face. Also the two of us would like accommodation. Preferably with a shower and separate beds.”

“I don’t think she takes visitors but if you pay three hundred caps you can have a stateroom for a day.”

“Is there some way we could possibly get a discount? As that is an awfully high price.”

“That is the discount.” he replied.

“May I get into my bags?” Comet asked. The earth pony nodded and Comet turned his head to nose through the saddlebag and produced a sack of something heavy that he slowly tossed at the captain’s hooves.

The earth pony picked them up and looked inside. Then he frowned. “These are Enclave bits. Where did you get them?”

I replied before Comet could. “We found them in a warehouse. The pegasi were pulled apart by some kind of mutated rats.” My wing extended and I pointed a hoof at the dead flesh. “When they bite you they inject their spawn into the wound and a day later it pops out.”

He looked at me with an arched brow and I wondered if my lie was perhaps a bit too much. Even though it was mostly true. I tried to read Comet but it was like trying to read a brick wall. After perhaps an agonizing five seconds the earth pony nodded. “Welcome aboard the Celestia’s Delight. Don’t go out on deck in the daytime.”

“Why?”

“Because the fog has claws.” he replied flatly.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" I shouted, but the earth pony had turned back around and Comet had begun to trot forward after him.

75% to next level.

Companion perk - Better healing. You gain 20% more healing from healing potions or bandages. Does not affect radiation. Given by Comet.

Author's Notes:

I finally got a pre-reader! And I've gotta thank Amethyst Wind for helping with this chapter. Otherwise it would have been a horrible mess.

Edit: Removed song lyrics.