Fallout Equestria: Treasure Hunting

by Hnetu

Chapter 6: Dissimilar Metals

Chapter Six: Dissimilar Metals
“Oh, so ponies up top have survived!”

Locked.

Of course it was locked. Why hadn’t that thought ever crossed my mind? Really, how hard was it to be a thinky pony? All it required was taking a few seconds to think through what I was doing and not rushing in headlong without a plan. All I’d done so far was the opposite of being a thinky pony. From now on, it was L.A.’s job to make all the decisions...

“Can... can you get into it?” Rough Night asked, looking at me.

“I’m not the pony to ask,” I answered. “Sis?” The three of us looked to her, waiting for a response.

Lost said nothing, just held a forehoof up and tapped it thoughtfully against the visor of her suit. All she could do was shrug.

I let out a sigh and trotted up to the giant door in front of me. To the side, where the terminal had been on Stable Twelve, there was nothing. Just sheer rock face inset with the same dull gems that had been killing us. I kicked at the door a few times, but again there was nothing, just an unfeeling steel door sitting between us and the prize we’d been coerced into finding.

Worst. Treasure hunt. Ever.

I tried to think back to what we had found before. Despite all that had happened, it’d been only two days ago that we’d stumbled upon Stable Twelve and Twenty One and started this adventure. The Stables there were both surrounded by old skeletons of ponies from the war, something that was surprisingly absent here. There had been two doors, an obvious difference... And there was an outside input so we could get into it. Well, Lost could. But there was nothing here, everything was sealed tight. The door didn’t even have any visible hinges that we could break off. If we had some explosives, maybe a few gren- No, no grenades. Okay, maybe grenades as long as they’re not the ‘light me and everything else on fire’ kind. Lost was a thinky pony. I was sure she’d have a plan, probably one that didn’t involve me blowing myself up or setting myself on fire.

“I don’t know...” she finally said, her voice empty of emotion.

Dammit.

“There’s nothing to look into,” she explained, “nothing I could hack, nothing I could rewire, nothing at all. It’s just... a big giant door.” She followed my lead, placing a hoof on the ‘60’ painted on the door and giving a gentle push. “There may not even be anything inside. What if it wasn’t finished? Or the ponies in there used everything and died. Will Jazz kill us if we come back with empty hooves?”

“I wonder again, why is it that you ponies seem to imagine the worst,” Xeno said. “Is it not possible to have a day where you do not discuss killing one another? The Wasteland we are in has enough chances to die, is there something that complies you to think of it constantly?” The zebra stared blankly through her visor into the steel door before us. A few blinks later she tilted her head. “I wish to not think of death. It is too close at all times. We do not need to talk of it constantly as well.”

“You’re right Xeno, I’m sorry,” L.A. said, “but we need a way to get in. At least to see what’s inside.”

Suddenly the steel erupted into flame. A second bright fiery glow erupted behind us, as the stallion with us unleashed a fireball from the tip of his horn. It slammed into the door, just to the side of the first one, with an eruption that sent Lost and I backpedaling to avoid the flames.

“What’re you doing?!” I yelled, turning to shoot a glare at Rough. “What if you’d blown a hole in our suits!”

“Sorry,” Rough said. “I just... If we can’t open it, maybe I can melt a hole in it?” He flashed me a nervous smile from within the suit.

“These doors are far thicker than you’d be able to cut open with a flame. Celestia herself couldn’t cut through one of these doors without spending hours at it!” I snapped at him. How, how in the world could he think something like that? Had the radiation rotted his brain?

"It might not need to cut through it,” Lost suggested. “Maybe it got the attention to whoever is inside."

“What if it did?” I snapped. “We don’t know who’s inside there. What if they’re more of those bastard Steel Rangers and wanted to take our things and leave us for dead in some Goddesses forsaken death pit, like, I don’t know... an underground mine full of gems that leak out centuries old radiation?” I ended the sentence shouting at my sister. There was an awkward grinding sound in the background, but I paid no mind to it, given the surge of anger I felt.

“And what if they weren’t Steel Rangers, and wanted to help us fight them to get our stuff back?” She screamed at me, fogging up the visor of her suit.

Xeno tried to step in. “Sisters. There is a-”

“We can’t know that!” I continued. “They could be evil, almost all the ponies we’ve met so far have been evil. Do I need to list them off? Even the supposed Hero we found shot you in the throat the first time he saw you!” I was pissed now, yelling as loud as I could. Despite the guilt I had for shooting first and not asking any questions, he had shot my sister. I stepped closer, pushing my head against hers.

“Yes he did! Did you ever stop to think that his E.F.S. would have shown me as friendly? He was evil! Just because the radio says he's a hero doesn't mean he is. We know nothing about the voice on the radio, what if it's a fake or a recording? What if it's lies!” L.A. screamed, pushing back against me. Our visors squeaked against each other, the yelling we were doing echoing inside the suits.

“Umm,” Rough interrupted, “I think you two shoul-”

I put up a hoof, silencing him. “Then that’s just more reason to play it safe and not go dropping dynamite down a radscorpion hole!” I stomped the raised hoof to the ground for emphasis. “He could’ve been evil. Seethe is definitely evil! The zebras might as well have been evil!” I turned to Xeno, giving her a nod and a smile. “No offense.” I turned back to my sister, raising a hoof at her. “The raiders and bandits and every other monster we’ve ever met has been evil. And now the soldiers we thought would be well armed and armored and able to help us, also turn out to be evil. I’m trying to be a thinky pony, trying to be more like you! Do you really want to-”

A low, static-y rumble sounded off next to me. Both my sister and I turned and looked.

Between us, in the open stable door, stood a pony that loomed over me, looming like a monolith in the power armor. Whoever they were, they looked eerily similar to Jazz and the others. His visor and light glared blindingly, as if he were skipping the fake friendship and going straight to intimidation. Oh dear, another Steel Ranger, now I was proper fucked... When did he even get there? And for that matter, when had the door opened!

I shied away, moving closer to L.A. She backed off several steps, practically tripping over her hooves and blushing profusely. “Why’d you have to start a fight?” I whispered at her a bit too loud for comfort. For emphasis, I punched her in the side with a forehoof.

“I didn’t start it, you did,” she hissed back.

“No, you did!” I wasn’t even whispering anymore, just yelling again. If this kept up I was gonna hit her so hard!

“I didn’t sta-”

“Ponies. Iam thinking that this would be a good time to stop the fighting amongst sisters,” Xeno said, stepping between us and breaking up the fight.

The large armored pony before us turned and cocked his head to one side. In a guttural voice, accompanied by too much static, he uttered one word.

“Come.”

* * *

The stallion made us remove the radiation suits as soon as the door closed behind us. I wanted to take the suit with me, but apparently there were procedures to follow in an operational Stable. We were shielded from the radiation outside, so we didn't really need the suits. That wasn't a relief, though. I knew we’d have to exit the same way we came, and that meant trudging back through the death cavern.

On top of that, the armored stallion confiscated our newly-found weapons and armor. He assured us we’d get them all back, but it still felt like I was standing in line again, with Trifle going through our private possessions. With our irradiated belongings safely tucked away, we followed him down a long hallway, far into the depths of the Stable. It stretched on forever...

This Stable was much the same as the previous two we’d been in. It had the same dark oppressiveness to it, the sterile, unnatural feeling that no pony should ever have to live in it. Hard steel floors and humming lights just didn’t have the same feeling as the world above. The minute we stepped in, I missed the caves. They might have been slowly killing me, but they were a far sight better than the steel gray tomb of the Stable. All we needed was a dark room and some zombies and it would be just like last time. Then, a pony could jump out of the shadows and try to kill one of us. Just like then... At least this one wasn’t full of broken machines from a failed radiation experiment. In fact, it looked to be in pristine condition. Even the walls were washed.

Without anything to keep me distracted, I got lost in my thoughts...

I stared at the metal flanks of the stallion walking before me. He was in slightly different power armor than the kind worn by Jazz and her ilk. His bore ornate etchings in several places, and a rank insignia I didn’t recognize emblazoned on the shoulders. He did have the same emblem as the others, right where the cutie mark would be if he were unarmored. It was a half-apple overlaid with gears, sparks, and a sword, all of which rested over a set of outstretched wings. All that did was raise more questions, because if he had the same markings as the others... But why would Scifresh’s chapter be searching then?

Okay just, I needed to take a minute to slow down and think. To be a thinky pony.

Steel Rangers cared about... well, whatever qualified as ‘sufficiently advanced technology,’ like magical energy weapons and PipBucks, both of which were pre-war technology... I took a breath, and stared down the long hallway. Seriously, how far down did we have to go? I shook my head, forcing myself to pay attention so I could figure everything out.

Were the Steel Rangers really that old? Hadn’t mom said something about the technology needed to create their power armor being from the war? And Jazz had said something about different chapters...

This group could be totally separate. Which meant they could be friends.

I felt a lot better after coming to that little revelation. It wasn’t much, but if there was a chance we could finally get some allies to help, it would mean a lot. With the Wirepony and Jazz’s chapter up top, both probably on a warpath to find the four of us and end our ‘savage’ lives, it’d be a huge boon to get some major firepower to throw back at them.

Not... Not that I wanted to start a war or anything. I just needed to get out and survive. This whole quest had been a bust so far. There was only one place left in the PipBuck that could have any relevance to Gunbuck. Hopefully that place would give me the closure about him I needed, and we could go back to being reclusive. Or maybe visit zebra lands with Xeno and prove all ponies weren’t evil...

While I’d been lost in thought, we’d reached the end of the long hallway down to the depths of the underworld. To be honest, it was better being lost in thought, away from the near claustrophobic jail of the Stable. I looked over to my sister and friends. Lost looked like she was about to run off, with her eyes flicking back and forth like they were. Sorry sis, I’d been calm and ignoring you while you were terrified of being trapped down here... Xeno on the other hoof looked the same as always, slightly distant with a blank look. Rough was much the same as my sister, looking around without any subtlety with a distraught look on his face.

“Oh, so ponies up top have survived!” said a cheerful voice. Down another hallway to the side stood a pretty earth pony mare. She waved a hoof and galloped toward us. “Found somepony up there, eh Lamington?”

“Rank is required when addressing your superiors,” he responded, turning on the lamp on his head and shining it in her eyes. “And where is your power armor? You’re supposed to wear it at all times. I will tell mother.”

The mare stuck out her tongue, making an incredibly silly face. “I’m having Custard clean it,” she announced. “Wearing it all the time without ever showering? It’s a mess inside. Sometimes it just feels good to be... free!” She did a little spin, showing off her bare coat, before stopping to face the power armored pony. The silly face she was making quickly shifted to a smug grin, and she turned to our little group. “So, who’re you ponies?”

“Uh... well I-” Lost stammered.

“My name is Xeno,” the zebra interrupted, stomping her hoof, “and Iam not a pony.”

“Oh? Neat!” the Stable pony interrupted in turn. “I’ve never met a baby dragon before!”

The poor zebra looked utterly flabbergasted. She blinked several times, as if searching for words. “I am a zebra!” she finally squawked. “If you could remember that, I would greatly appreciate it.” Xeno’s normally peaceful eyes turned fierce, as if a chord had been struck by the silly pony. For a zebra who was so unorthodox by her own admission, she did seem to have a lot of cultural pride.

“Praline,” Lamington boomed, “stop this silliness. I am taking these people to the conference room to be debriefed. We need to find out what the world is like up there.” His gravelly voice was nearly inaudible over the static. Without waiting for a response, he turned to lead us down another long hallway.

The mare followed, her dark chocolate coat contrasting nicely with the cold steel walls all around. “So what’re your names?” she chirped, practically bouncing. “Like Lamington said, I'm Praline! I'm a Knight. Mother says I'm really good at it, and might make Crusader soon!”

“Ahem!” Apparently that touched a nerve with Lamington, who shot a look at the bouncing mare. Whatever the look was, he sounded very upset, and she settled down almost immediately.

“Well, my name is Hidden Fortune, and this is my sister Lost Art,” I said, trying my hardest to be pleasant. I pointed a hoof at my sister, who gave a weak smile and backed behind me sheepishly.

“Sister? Just like us! This is my big brother, he’s the Star Paladin,” Praline explained, pointing a hoof at the power armored pony. “We’re all family here, Lamington is my oldest brother and then there’s Chocolate Fondue and Chocolate Éclair and Custard and my sisters Crème Brûlée and Marshmallow Sundae and Raspberry and my mother is the Elder her name is Drop Scone and we’re all that’s left it’s actually kind of sad because after there’s no other ponies in the stable!” That was one big family...

“Knight Praline,” the stallion said, “by order of your Star Paladin, you are to cease your senseless prattle. We shall handle this in an organized fashion. The mines are perilously radioactive, they set off my sensors with numbers the scale of which I’ve never seen before. We have guests, and we’ve all the time in the world for you to talk to them, after they have been debriefed. You will settle down. You will return to Custard and retrieve your armor, and you will wear it as you are supposed to. Now go, before I tell the Elder.”

The Star Paladin kept a level tone as he delivered Praline’s orders, then the lamp on his helmet dimmed and he returned his attention to us. “Come,” he said. “You look hungry. We can hold the debriefing in the atrium instead.” He started down the hallway again.

I was a bit terrified. This... Lamington completely kept his cool, even when dealing with something that bouncy, perky, and obnoxious. And, he said he wanted to give us food, and talk to us. That was far better than being fixed up only to be...

Waitaminute. Groups of ponies cannot be trusted. Remember what mom taught us.

We followed him. We were stuck in the Stable at that point, and after the way we were treated by Jazz, there wasn’t a reason not to take a chance and try to escape. Even up top it would have been hard, but down here... the door was sealed tight.

Praline, meanwhile, saluted, making her curly mass of off-white hair bounce, and scrambled off down the opposite hallway, followed by the clatter of hooves on steel. How could a pony like that be a soldier...?

“Think he meant what he said?” I whispered to L.A.

“I don’t know what to think,” she whispered back, “but a free meal isn’t something I’m going to turn down.”

“You’re a wasteland pony and you pay for food... What’s wrong with you?” Rough chipped in, keeping his voice to a whisper like ours.

“It’s not that, it’s just we’ve been really unlucky with hunting lately,” I explained.

The hall led us past a number of sealed metal doors. Every now and then, we passed an open one, into which I peeked to sate my curiosity for what might be inside. The first room we passed was identical to the hallways, steel walls and floor. Inside, though, were terminals by the dozen, all stacked up on several desks and wired together. I shuddered, wired terminals... The next room we passed had a large desk with paper strewn all around it, looking extremely haphazard. The last door we passed led to a clinic, where I could only see half a desk and a screen hiding any details. Finally though, we were taken down a stairway and into the gigantic atrium.

Inside the atrium was a single massive table, that stretched from one wall nearly to the other, with five seats lining each side. In the far corner of the room was a cafeteria, with food that looked more delicious than anything I’d ever seen.

“Marshmallow, see to our guests, if you would,” yelled the Star Paladin to a short white pony dressed in a robe that would have been a perfect match for Elder Scifresh’s, though it looked far simpler in design, lacking some of the unnecessary frills. He then directed the four of us to sit at the table in the center of the room.

* * *

I stared at the empty plate before me. I’d never known food could taste so delicious. I’d never known food to have a taste. Whoever that ‘Marshmallow’ mare was, she was an excellent cook. There were leafy vegetables, crispy vegetables, and juicy vegetables. Not to mention half a dozen dishes I’d never heard of and couldn’t remember the names for. Even the soup was delicious. Now that I was full, I started paying attention to the conversation at hoof.

“...and then she took everything! Hidden’s battle saddle is still up there, probably gathering rust in whatever room they’ve stuffed it in,” Lost told the Star Paladin, flailing a forehoof in the general direction of ‘up’ to illustrate where my things were being held.

“The Scribe pony was not able to take everything. You two still have the weapon you brought with you, do you not?” Xeno asked, still picking at her food.

“Well yeah, but I mean the plasma pistol we managed to sneak in. Who knows what would have happened if we didn’t,” I said.

“Still didn’t save my Sweet...” Rough grumbled, “so what good was it?” He hadn’t touched anything yet, a full plate still sat on the table in front of him. Despite the RadAway we’d been offered, he hadn’t been able to stomach a thing. “Not that you care! You just... let him die, and ran away like it was nothing...” With that, he dropped his head to the table, and sobbed.

“It was either that or we all died,” I said. “What good would it do for you to be lying there lifeless next to him?” I offered a hoof to the blue stallion.

“At least we’d be together...” he whimpered, sniffling again. Raising a hoof, he wiped the tears away and sat back up. “Who are you three anyway? I’ve never seen you before in The Cinch, you don’t know about the Queen, and you probably don’t give two shits about a ganger like me...”

“Alright ponies, I believe that’s enough,” the armored stallion said, silencing us. Lamington hadn’t taken his armor off during the entire meal, which meant he was either already well fed, or the power armor somehow fed him from inside. It sent a slight shiver down my spine, making the claws dig at my mind. If he never took it off...

Stop. He wasn’t made of wires.

The static over Lamington’s voice had cut down quite a bit, at least. He continued, “It surprises me to learn that so many ponies are still alive outside. Tell me, aside from these Rangers that have taken over the... hrm, ‘Factory,’ you said?”

He paused in his question, and both L.A. and I nodded in response.

“Factory. Apart from the ponies at the factory, what is it like up there? My family, we were all born in this Stable, several generations removed from the ponies who first entered. You are the only outsiders to enter since the War. And, if I recall correctly, which I might not, I am the only one who’s ever opened the door.” He laughed, the power armor’s static giving it a mechanical sound. “Whatever you did to knock on the door, it echoed down the halls and alerted everypony.”

“That was me,” muttered Rough Night. He raised a hoof and tapped on his horn a few times. “Fire spells hit hard, I guess.”

The power-armored stallion looked at Rough for a moment, silently. Finally, he asked, “Are all of you so destructively powerful?”

I thought back to the day I’d had. If the Star Paladin thought that that was destructive, he and the other Stable Sixty ponies had a lot to learn. Not only were there many more Steel Rangers on the surface, they had an entire armory, and guards, and mercenaries. Not to mention that wired monstrosity might still be out there.

I shuddered. All we had... was nothing. Lost and I were the furthest thing from ‘destructive’ I could think of. We’d been hopefully outmatched, and if Jazz had turned her ponies on us we’d be piles of dust in the ruins above. I took a deep breath, raising a hoof to hold against my throat the same way my sister often did. “There’s far worse up there,” I said quietly. “There’s ponies who forced us at gunpoint down here. They threatened us with death if we didn’t find this Stable.”

“Oh dea-”

“That’s not all,” I interrupted. I slammed my hoof down on the table. “They’re fucked up, but that’s not even the worst of it.” I could feel my heart pounding in the back of my eyes, almost like I’d swallowed another tablet of Buck. “That was after they saved us. Faking being nice just make us drop our guard.” My eyelid twitched. “And there’s that fucking wire monster up there, armor and rotting flesh...” I trailed off, my lungs suddenly burning. The Wasteland was full of many bad bad things. I took a deep breath, making sure to remember that burning sensation. I wouldn’t let the Steel Rangers or that monster get the best of me.

“I’m going to destroy it.”

“That’s quite a vendetta,” a voice like pre-War silk said from behind me. I turned to see another mare, this one in a Scribe’s robe, with a coat the color of creamy honey and a caramel mane. She took a seat next to Lamington, and turned toward our little group. “What did this monster do to gain your hatred?”

“Let’s see. He tried to crush my ribs and choke me, and broke one of my legs,” I recounted. “Then there was that time he launched a grenade at me, and it burnt half of my back off. Oh, and did I mention the part where he tried to eat me?” I found myself trembling, still hearing the whirring of the chainsaw-teeth, smelling the stench of the rotten flesh. “And just when I finally had him where I wanted him, he wrapped those Luna damned wires around my throat and nearly strangled me to death.” I slammed my hoof into the table, making each of the plates bounce and clatter. Just the memory had me pissed, furious enough that I was grinding my teeth. “I’ll kill the fucker if I ever get the chance!”

“And without any weapons, what will you do?” the newcomer said with a smirk.

I felt my ears droop. I didn’t have a comeback for that, but the others gave a chuckle at my expense. Even Rough Night managed a small smile. I deserved it... I was still going to find that monster, find a big gun, and blow it to the moon. Lost didn’t laugh, she just looked at me sadly.

She continued, “Are you sure it was a good idea to bring outside ponies in brother? Elder Drop Scone will be cross with you.”

“Alright,” Lamington said, ignoring the mare, “I believe we’re almost done. One more question for the four of you, then the Elder and I shall see to finding a place for you all to sleep. It’s getting very late. I’m sure you’re weary after your adventure in the mines.”

“The cute purple-maned one can sleep with me, if she wants...” the mare said. She leaned against the table and winked at Lost. My sister’s only reaction was to blush bright red and shrink into her chair.

Ugh... I didn’t want to know what was going through her head, but given how she’d reacted to meeting Praline, I had a good idea. That definitely didn’t leave me feeling comfortable.

“Crème, that’s enough,” the Star Paladin ordered, keeping that calm voice he always had. “Did this Scifresh explain what kind of supplies?”

“We-ere told nothing by the Elder pony,” Xeno explained. “She said that we-ere prisoners, and would work until we found The Stable she was looking for. I was called a ‘savage’ many times.” She paused to take another bite. “There was no time when she said what we-ere to be looking in the Stable for.”

“The zebra talks cute too. Can I keep her, Lamington?” Crème begged, holding her hooves up together toward the Steel Ranger in a mock beg.

“We’re done here,” he said, ignoring her request. He stood up and walked away, calling over his shoulder in a static-y voice. “I’m going to go speak to the Elder. We’ll decide on sleeping arrangements. Crème Brûlée, bring them up to the office when you’re finished teasing those poor mares.”

The door slammed shut behind the armored pony, and I wearily looked toward his sister. She grinned wickedly, rolling her eyes. “He didn’t say to leave the stallion alone...” With that, she hopped up and sidled over to sit next to Rough. “Hey...”

“No,” Rough snapped. “I just lost my special somepony. Go harass somepony else. I don’t care who.” He turned away from her, shoved his plate away, and stepped back from the table. With nowhere to go, he just went and stood in the corner. Once he reached the wall, he pressed his head against it. What a weird stallion...

“Spoilsport...” Crème Brûlée said with a soft sigh, turning to the remaining three of us. “I’m just teasing. Look. You’ve stirred up a lot of excitement. Praline is bouncing off the walls more than ever, enough that I think she might break her armor. The twins are excited to meet you, and would already be crawling through your manes if it weren’t for their chores.” She tapped her hooves on the table as she spoke, looking back and forth from the door to the kitchen.

“Have you ever heard of...” I started, before realizing that the Star Paladin said they’d never seen the door open to their memory. How would they have heard of Gunbuck? “Oh nevermind...”

“No no, you've started now and you have to finish,” said the white mare from the kitchen. Whatever she'd been doing in there she'd finished and just joined us at the table. Almost as an afterthought, she said, “by the way, it's Marshmallow Sundae, not just Marshmallow.”

“Oh alright,” I said begrudgingly, “I was just wondering if you'd heard of somepony called Gunbuck. Which makes no sense, since you've been living down here the whole time.” They'd had no contact with the world, why was I even bringing this up?

“Gunbuck hmm? Is that your special somepony?” Crème Brûlée asked, fluttering her eyelashes at me.

“I. What? No. No!” I stammered, feeling myself blush.

“Better not be. He shot me in the throat, and she killed him,” Lost explained to the group. All around were gasps and weird looks. Oh dear.

Crème Brûlée stood from her seat and slowly walked around the table. She smoothly placed a hoof on my sister's chair and used the other to tip Lost's chin up.

“Are you alright, my dear?” she asked in a sultry voice, leaning close.

“Eheheheh... I-I'm fine,” L.A. responded, giggling nervously. She flailed her hooves around, trying to find a comfortable place to put them. “Really, I’m okay.” Despite the fact that the overt sexuality made me twitch a little, it was fun finally seeing Lost get flustered like that. She didn’t feel the same way though, as the blushing gave way to fear. She moved seats, hopping one further away from the mare and grabbing ahold of my foreleg.

“Ok so...” I started, trying to shift the subject back.

“Don't worry she's just like that,” Marshmallow said. “If it weren't for the fact that we're all family I think she'd have slept with everypony in the Stable.” She stifled another snicker with her hoof. “Please continue.”

Crème Brûlée shot her sister a glare.

I chuckled too, at Lost's apparent lack of brain function, but continued, “We were in another Stable, a broken one. While trying to find some good treasure to hunt, we ran into another Wasteland pony. I don't know why, but he shot L.A. in the throat. I panicked and jumped him... Shot a hole through his neck big enough that it took his head off...” Everypony watched in rapt attention, even Rough had stopped his sulking to listen.

“You. You are a dangerous pony. My brothers...” Xeno muttered, slipping back into her native tongue and rambling a bunch of jibberish at me. From the look on her face, she seemed upset. I guess there was a first time for everything.

Lost looked up at me, then turned to the other ponies at the table. She relented and let go, once Crème Brûlée backed off. Still blushing profusely, L.A. said, “Xeno, it's not like that. Everything happened in the heat of the moment... Well. I'm glad he's dead, killing Gunbuck is what drove us to meet you, and eventually brought us here.”

“You're all crazy!” Rough snapped, pointing a hoof accusingly at me. “I thought some of the gangers were bad, before our Queen showed up, but you?” He slammed a hoof against the wall. “You’re fucking nuts! Both of you!”

Okay, that hurt. I might act rash and not think things through, and I might jump to conclusions, but I wasn't crazy. “Look,” I explained, “I'm just trying to find out who he is so I can apologize and make it better. I even gave his head a burial. Can we just change subjects? It was survival. I didn't think it would turn out like this.” I didn't want it to turn out like this either. So far I'd been hurt more in the past few days than I had in my entire life, and taken too many lives.

“You... buried... his head...” Xeno asked, a shocked look on her face. “I will never understand ponies.”

“I-” Rough said, “I’ve seen some fucked up shit in the Wasteland, things that keep me up at night. I was given my name because of some of the things I’ve done to other ponies. Things that should have made somepony like Sweet run from me at first sight. But that... You’re a fucking psycho.” The unicorn backed against the corner, his voice was still wavering. If only there were more we could have done for the poor mute pony. “He should’ve run...” Rough whispered, then punched the wall with a hoof. He gave up after a few hits, and just leaned against the wall in defeat.

Crème Brûlée turned to Marshmallow Sundae. “Maybe it's a good thing we've been down here all these years?” she said, giggling quietly. Maybe she didn’t mean it?

It felt like a good time to leave, to get away and relax. I'd made an idiot of myself enough already for one evening. “Lost, can I have the PipBuck?” I asked, holding out my hoof for it.

“Huh? Oh, sure,” she said, using her telekinesis to unlatch it. She levitated it to me and latched it on my foreleg. “Are... are you okay?”

“I just need a minute or two alone. I'll be back,” I said, and wandered away from the judgemental ponies.

“Please hurry back...” Lost called after me.

* * *

Since nopony had stopped me, I assumed I had free rein to explore the Stable. It was awkward at first, but I quickly grew to enjoy it. For the first time in as long as I could remember, I felt like I could take a few minutes to myself and bask in the quiet. We were deep underground, and the Stable was hidden away from anypony from the outside but the four of us. Even if somepony did manage to find it, the door was locked, bolted, and so thick that we’d have hours to prepare for whatever might come knocking.

Lost had stayed to continue talking with the Steel Ranger family, and I actually felt safe enough to leave her side and explore. So far, I’d found everything I’d expected. The clinic was meticulously clean, and had a full supply of medicine of every variety, even some kinds I’d never even heard of. If only the glass cabinet it was in wasn’t locked. The room I’d seen with all the papers was an office for somepony important, with records on the power consumption and other confusing things a thinky pony would need to know to run a Stable.

I entered the first room we’d passed, the one with the terminals all stacked up. Here none of them... None of them would be full of wires to kill me, or rigged with grenades to go off in my face. I stepped up to the closest one that was still turned on, and tapped at it a few times. The screen flickered on, shining in a sickly green. The screen had a password input showing, which meant hacking. I sighed heavily, since Lost wasn’t here to help. For that matter, was it right for me to break into the terminals that belonged to ponies who were being so nice? Mom said not to trust them, but never said that we should betray them.

I turned away from the terminal. It wasn’t right. I wouldn’t do it. But, if I only took a peek... I turned back around, and saw a book sitting on the desk. Curiosity got the better of me, and I went over. The Big Book of Arcane Sciences, eh? I propped it open with a hoof and flipped through the first few pages. Magic this, magic that, more magic, cheater magic, boring magic... Oooh. Terminals and their functions. I skimmed the index and saw a section for debugging. Flipping to it, I found a detailed set of commands to use to get past a password lock. Perfect. Now I just had to practice.

Several minutes later, I learned something new and managed to worm my way into the terminal system. Yes, it might have been wrong, but I was only going to look. There was only one file on the terminal, so I opened it. The entire file was one long roster, with pictures and names of every pony who had lived in this Stable, along with their rank or position keyed in above the picture. Several of them were blacked out and had censored names. There were uncensored notes every dozen or so entries with a note stating the door had been opened and closed again. Apparently they believed the radiation right outside the door was the same all over and it was still unsafe the leave the Stable. That explained why they were still here... It seemed like, aside from the current crop we’d met, everypony else had died and then been removed from the records. Wow, there were really only nine ponies left here. And Praline had said something about being brothers and sisters. Hopefully there wouldn’t ever be a problem with inbreeding, especially since they knew the outside isn’t inhabitable now. I closed the file and turned off the terminal. Checking the door, I did stash the book to later share with L.A.

My curiosity sated, I made a stop at the bathroom. I couldn't remember the last time I had been able to use a working Stable restroom, and we hadn’t been able to in Twelve or Twenty One. I assumed I had while I was growing up, before we left. But I couldn't remember ever having done so since then. Having running water and a flushing toilet was divine. Were it not for the fact that we didn’t belong here, I would never leave. Cold steel, unforgiving walls, and a mare that was a constant flirt were small prices for the luxury of not pissing on a patch of dead grass. I even took the time to sneak in a shower, then stalled long enough to dry off so the others wouldn’t notice. It felt so good to be clean. For the first time in half of forever, I didn’t have dirt or blood or any mess caked into my coat or mane. I may have spent too long in there, but I didn’t know if I’d ever get another hot shower in my life.

My business finished, I returned to the atrium. The others all sat at the table as Xeno shared a story of some sort. In addition to Crème Brûlée and Marshmallow, there were now two young ponies, barely older than foals, sitting with the group. I trotted over and joined them.

“... until Zaki could not stand it. He refused to learn your pony language, but would always get frustrated because he could not speak to anyone other than Zahi and I. He would get so upset and let it out in front of ponies, who could never understand. It was surprisingly arousing,” Xeno told them all.

There was some chuckling as the group laughed to the joke I’d missed. Or maybe they were laughing at Xeno’s poor word choice. I took a seat next to L.A. and leaned against her.

“Find anything interesting out there?” she asked with a smile, offering me a Sparkle~Cola.

“Not rea-” Sparkle~Cola! Finally, she was sharing one with me. I snatched it from her levitation before she could down it in front of me, like she always did. I chugged the entire bottle, not even taking the time to savor the delicious carroty taste. “Thank you,” I said, grateful she finally shared one with me.

“You’re welcome, I’ve already had three,” she said, flashing a grin. She grabbed the bottle in her telekinesis. “Now watch out.”

Immediately after, the two youngest ponies in the atrium tackled me over onto the floor. One was a pink-maned filly, and the other a colt with a blonde mane. Both had identical coats, a shade darker than Crème Brûlée’s. I landed on my side, and the two perched themselves on top of me.

“Hi!” the filly said.

“Who’re you?” the colt asked. From there the two spoke so fast I couldn’t keep up. With one of them talking it would have been hard, with both talking it was impossible to keep up. They poked and prodded my side and legs, examining my cutie mark and fiddling with my mane and tail, before I finally had enough.

“Okay, stop!” I yelled, my voice echoing through the atrium. Apparently that was funny, because Crème Brûlée and Marshmallow snickered, while Lost just reached down a hoof to help me up.

“Sorry, we just never get to meet new ponies. You four are the first,” the filly said apologetically, getting a sour look from our resident zebra. She shuffled a hoof, before nudging the colt in the side. “C’mon, apologize.”

“Sorry...” he mumbled. Having said their piece, the two hopped back onto the table, scrambled over, and took their seats next to Marshmallow, one on each side.

I took my sister’s hoof and pulled myself up.

“Those are the Berliners. Raspberry,” Lost said, pointing to the filly, “and Custard.” She pointed to the colt. “And this, foals, is my sister Hidden. She’s been hurt a lot lately, please don’t tackle her again.”

“So, umm. Did I miss some bonding?” I asked as I righted myself. Without waiting for an answer, I asked, “Has the Star Paladin said anything about the Elder yet?”

“Lamington said to head up to the office whenever you got back. So we can go now. C’mon everypony,” said the caramel-maned mare. She waved a hoof for us to follow.

The already small hallways became incredibly cramped as the group of us tried to all walk through at the same time. Crème Brûlée led us, while the Berliner twins pestered Xeno and Rough Night with question after question while balancing on the backs of their older sisters. I tried my best not to listen, their chatter hurt my brain. Lost smiled pleasantly, making small talk with Marshmallow about the food. It’d been a long time since I've seen her smile like that...

The trip didn’t last long, so many conversations went unfinished. We arrived at a door that looked suspiciously like the door to the Overmare’s office back in Stable Twelve, but with the Steel Ranger design stamped on instead of the flower.

Crème Brûlée opened the door, and led the four of us outsiders in, while the other three Stable ponies left to go back to whatever it was they did. Inside were Star Paladin Lamington and an old earth pony mare, the latter sitting behind a simple desk with her eyes closed. She had a wide smile upon her muzzle, which only grew when we walked in.

“Hi, mother,” Crème said, trotting over to give the older mare a hug.

“Hello, Head Scribe, thank you for bringing our new friends,” the Elder said in the sweetest voice I could imagine. “I hope the food and medicine has helped. We don’t get visitors and...” She opened her eyes wide, stopped, and stared at the four of us. “Why, you’re nothing but skin and bones! You did have Scribe Marshmallow Sundae feed them, didn’t you?”

“Yes, ma’am. We ate. I promise,” Lost said, patting her stomach with a hoof. “I couldn’t eat another bite if I tried.”

“I asked for a second plate for Sweet Dreams, but she wouldn’t give me one,” Rough said, staring at the floor. “One... one last meal-” He stopped mid-sentence, a hoof shooting up to cover his mouth. For only a second he stood there, shaking and trying so hard to keep his composure. The dam burst, he collapsed, and burst into tears.

“Oh deary dear, what happened out there?” Elder Drop Scone asked, hopping down from her seat and trotting over. She wrapped her forehooves around Rough and gave a squeeze. “Everything’ll be okay, just let it out...”

Rough didn’t argue, just wrapped his hooves around her and buried his face against her neck, letting his tears fall, unhindered by embarrassment. For several minutes we all stood in an awkward silence, letting the stallion get it out of his system.

Once Rough settled down, the Elder gave him another squeeze, and returned to her desk. She smiled wide again, and began. “Star Paladin Lamington has told me everything that you related to him, and I feel like it’s a good reason for us to begin expanding,” she said. “You won’t be familiar with the ways of the Steel Rangers, but we operate on traditions that have been around since our founding. Which means that Steel Breeds Steel, and well... The only remaining Rangers here are all children of mine. We’ve been underground far too long. Before I die, I’d like to see the sky once, no matter how it looks.”

“It’s pretty bad out there,” I said, looking to Lost. “There’s raiders, bandits, gangers... Not to mention things like poison joke, manticores, and zombies.” I frowned, looking around her office. It was really nice, with a little map of the Stable, and pictures of the previous Elders. “It’s much nicer, safer, down here. Even if you’re the last generation... I’d rather die in peace than be eaten alive or die a slow and nasty death by radiation poisoning.”

“Be that as it may, we could also help ponies,” she said with a smile. “But time isn't that pressing. I think we can allow you a night of peace before we leave. I’ll have the Initiates handle your weapons and clothing so that it will be ready in the morning. I want to have a talk with this Elder in the factory above. We might be able to work together. Is there anything else you think I should know?” the Elder asked.

Xeno pushed past me, her normally stoic face twisted in rage. “Ponies dwell on death far too much,” she said. “It rules their lives. Unlike my kind, they seem to believe in evoking the end of their lives regularly. There are many violent ponies who do not take time to ask questions, or look for allies. Some attack simply because they feel they can. Others because ponies need something. Few ponies attack out of self defense.” She lowered her head. “My brothers were killed because of this.” From the corner of her eye, she looked at my sister and I. “I do not blame the ponies who killed them.”

Lost and I stared at the floor in remorse.

“There are good ponies though,” Xeno finished. “It is a matter of finding them. You must be prepared, elder pony, to take lives. It will be necessary.”

Harsh...

“Yes, it seems ponies never change,” the Elder said. “I’m well aware of what happened in the War and how the relationship between zebra and pony changed. It’s very sad to hear that it’s gotten so much worse, but I appreciate the warning. Now.” She hopped out of her seat again, and stepped over to the map. It looked familiar. “I had Chocolate Fondue and Chocolate Éclair set up some rooms in the residential area here.” She tapped the map to show us where the residential block was. “You can use whatever sleeping arrangement you want. For tonight, the Stable is yours to explore. Just do not go into the Armory. Our power armor is ours. For others, it must be earned.”

“Thank you,” we all said almost in perfect harmony. Even Rough showed his appreciation at being given a place to rest. Afterwards, we were herded out and into the small hallway again by the Head Scribe and led off.

“Do sleep well, little ponies!” the Elder called from inside the office. What a nice mare. Too nice. I had to wonder, what was she planning...?

* * *

I lay in what had to be the comfiest bed ever. So far, everything I’d experienced in the Stable had been the best everything ever. I really couldn’t imagine a reason for mom to have ever made us leave the Stable I was born in. I wish I could’ve remembered why we left. I looked over to L.A.

“So... I think that Crème Brûlée mare likes you,” I said, teasing my sister.

Lost turned bright red. She looked away, refusing to make eye contact. Rarely was there a chance to tease her about something, so I decided to get just a little bit more in before going to sleep.

“Not interested?” I giggled just a little. “What about Lamington? Big strong stallion to save you from the Wastes?” That was, if he ever took his power armor off. I was distracted for a moment, wondering what he might look like under it.

Lost shivered visibly, a long one that started at her hooves and worked its way up. “No. No he’s... he’s not my type,” she said, fidgeting a little with the Big Book of Arcane Sciences I had set on the nightstand. “So, thanks for the book.”

Way to change the subject... but I wasn’t going to press it. “Well, you’re better with technology stuffs than I am,” I said. “It helped a little for me, so you might be able to get something out of it.” I rolled under the covers to lay on my side.

“Hidden, has something been on your mind?” Lost asked. “You don’t usually wander off like that. Doing it today makes twice, first to talk to that severed head, and then here... I was worried you know.” She lifted the book with her telekinesis and flipped a few pages.

She just had to bring that up. Couldn’t we just talk about terminals? Or go back to teasing her about relationships?

“I’m fine Lost,” I lied. “If there was something wrong you know I’d tell you.” I rolled back to keep her from seeing. I was fine, there wasn’t anything wrong. Nightmares and memories that haunted me weren’t going to affect anything. I was fine. “Are you gonna try to get some sleep?” I asked, changing the subject one more time.

“No. I’m not tired,” she replied. “Might go visit the Initiates and see about all those guns we found.” She gave me a concerned look, but thankfully didn’t press the subject. When the time was right I could talk about it, but it was off limits for now.

I was too tired for serious talks about my problems as it was. Today had already been too long, even without the added drama of emotional chitchats. “Okay... I know you don’t sleep as much as me, but try to get some, okay? And be careful around those two.” I yawned and pulled the covers up higher, snuggling into them. They were ever so soft...

“I’ll try. Are you feeling any better?” L.A. asked in a worried tone. She sat next to my bed, and placed a hoof on the edge of it.

“Yeah, the extra healing potion they had really did wonders. I actually feel better than I have since... Ever!” I said, smiling. “But that autodoc thing that they’ve got... Please don’t ever let that touch me. It looks horrifying, all those arms and claws and that saw.” I shuddered. Being strapped down in something like that would be worse than being strapped down by Seethe. At least he had tender bits I could hurt and get him to stop. Maybe.

“I won’t. I promise. But I need to get to work, those guns aren’t going to repair themselves, and it looks like we're gonna need them tomorrow. Good night sis,” she said. “I love ya.” She gave me a hug and then turned to leave.

“Love you too,” I said, smiling as she walked out. At least here she was safe to go wandering about without me. As long as that Crème Brûlée didn’t get to her...

After Lost left, I spent a good deal of time staring at the ceiling and counting the rivets and plates that formed it. I stared for a long time, counting over and over again in an effort to get to sleep. It was so weird to sleep in a bed that wasn’t covered in two centuries of filth.

I wondered how Xeno and Rough were doing. Xeno had probably never seen or been in a Stable, but she was so calm about, well, everything, that I doubted it phased her at all. Night, on the other hoof, he’d admitted to being a ganger, hadn’t he? And he’d mentioned a queen something-or-other. Was there really still royalty related to the Goddesses still alive? Mom never said anything about Princess Celestia or Princess Luna ever having foals. Their family was kept under wraps as well, she said nopony knew if they had foals, or who their parents were. But given they were supposed to have been over a thousand years old even during the War, did they even have parents?

They were Goddesses after all. I stared at the ceiling again, doing my best to stare through it.

“Celestia? Luna?” I said to the ceiling, “are you really up there? Whatever happened to let your beautiful world come to this...?” I didn’t expect an answer. “You did the best you could, I suppose, just like Lost does. Like I’m trying to do.” I smiled at the ceiling. “I believe that, at least. Good night, Goddesses.”

~ ~ ~

I stared at the grass, brown and rotten, between my hooves. What a pretty garden it must have been, before the War...

All around me were ruined buildings, blown to pieces by a bomb that had helped to destroy the world. Everything seemed so small, so pointless, but it meant something to somepony, long ago. I gazed lazily in front of me, away from the ruined carnage, and saw a house. It was a two story cottage, leaning sharply to the side, somehow having survived the same bomb that ruined everything around me. I felt like I’d seen this house before, but I couldn’t remember where...

Curiosity drove me to move toward it. Why did it feel so familiar? There was something... off about it, that I couldn’t put my hoof on it. But it felt wrong. Wrong on some fundamental level, something subtle, that clawed at the back of my mind, like an itch I’d never be able to reach. I placed a hoof on the door.

Locked.

“Hey, Lost,” I said, “do you...” I turned, but she wasn’t there. “Sis? Where... where are you?” I still couldn’t see her. I did a few turns, looked behind the house, behind the fence, and everywhere else I could think of. There wasn’t a back door, and the front was locked. Maybe she’d gotten inside somehow? “Lost!” I yelled as loud as I could, circling back around to the front of the slanted house. There wasn’t a response... Maybe... Maybe I’d just go inside, and she’d be there.

I got to work on the lock, and leaned down to get a good look at my progress. I twisted the pin, confident that I had it-

I heard the sound of a filly’s voice, though I knew I was alone. I jumped. SNAP! The bobby pin cracked in half. I glared at the half-pin lying in the dirt, annoyed at my own incompetence. I should have learned by now how to pick locks despite distractions. Calming myself, I pulled out another, and started on the lock again. It took me several minutes, but I finally managed to pop the door open. “Ok, we’re good. Let’s go inside,” I said to nopony in particular.

Once inside, I pushed the door shut behind me, and gave the interior a cursory look. A blue pony sat in a chair at the far side of the room. He wasn’t moving. Had he not heard the door open? I crouched down, biting the bit for-

Where was my gun? The unsettling wrongness crept up again, digging like an itch in the back of my mind. I never went anywhere without a gun unless I had to. First L.A. had gone missing, and now this? I crouched down and took a few quiet steps toward the seated stallion, setting my hooves down as silently as possible. If he was an enemy, he wouldn’t even hear me coming.

I rounded the chair he was in, staying close to the ground until I got a better look at him. He was a young earth pony, his eyes hollow and empty, sitting with his head cocked to the side. Either he was blind or deaf or...

His throat was crushed. Around his neck was a black bandanna, patches of it oddly dark under the gashes where his throat split open from collapsing in on itself. Terrified, I scrambled away, making far more noise than I could ever be comfortable with. This pony was dead, propped up in a fucking house like he lived there. He wasn’t a War pony either, not a skeleton but a whole flesh and blood corpse. Who the fuck was he?

I gave the chair a wide berth, not taking my eyes of the body that sat in it. I scooted backward, looking where I was going from the corner of my eye. Moving slowly, I backed my way to the doorway to the next room, then turned away.

He moved.

I looked back, staring straight at the corpse. It looked the same as always. Same as when I’d seen it first. Corpses didn’t move. I left the room. Wasn’t going back there.

Turning around again, I found myself in the kitchen. Kitchens meant supplies. Grab the two-hundred-year-old food, then get out. That was worth it, that would make coming in here worth it all. I trotted over to the counter, and dug through the drawers and cupboards. Nothing worthwhile, just old spoons and some dented cans. Somepony’d cleared the place out, but the fridge might have something. I pulled out of the cupboard, and looked over to-

Why were there three bucks sitting at that table? More corpses, more not-skeletons... Two earth ponies sat on either side, with a unicorn against the wall. All stared blankly at grimy plates piled with trash. Blood poured from wounds on each corpse. One had been trampled, another had a huge dent in his skull... The third had a mangled leg sticking out from under the table, with several bruises over his head.

“Lookie what we ‘ave ‘ere boys,” one whispered in a ghastly voice. None of their mouths moved.

Just ignore them. I was just hearing things. They’re dead, and not talking. Check the fridge. Then get out. That’s all.

I locked a hoof around the edge of the fridge door, and slowly pried it open. I slammed it shut again. Closing my eyes, I tried to think of anything but the chunks of shredded, chewed meat that sat inside. Tried to not think of the wires wrapped all through them. Tried to not think about each piece still pulsing with the beat of hearts that weren’t there. Or how there were dozens of chunks in different colors. Or each being covered in a mix of rot and drying blood. Not worth it. Definitely not worth it. I never wanted to see a severed mare’s head or breathe in that thick coppery stench again.

I backed out of the kitchen, taking special care to avoid the pony in the chair. But he wasn’t there anymore. The chair was empty. There wasn’t even a bloodstain left. There’s no way a body could disappear without a trace. The claws dug into my brain again, taunting me, asking me where the corpse might be hiding. Okay. Get to the door. Walk out. Find Lost Art. Never come back. I looked over to the door, ready to leave.

There was a pegasus, in the door. Wedged into the doorframe, caught in the door. Why was there a pegasus in the door?! I ran over and tried to force it open. If I could ignore the body. And just get out. I’d be fine. Why wouldn’t the door budge?! Panic set in as I struggled with the handle. Let me out! I looked up at the pegasus, his silver eyes still open and in sharp focus. He looked almost apologetic. If it weren’t for the hole in his chest, I might consider him a friend.

What was I thinking?

I turned and ran up the stairs. Why were there corpses everywhere? Why did it feel like I knew them? They were too familiar, too... that feeling was there again, claws scratching at the back of my brain, telling me this wasn’t right. Shut up brain. I was fine. I’d just go upstairs. And find another way out. There had to be a window or something. I headed up the stairs, the dry wood creaking uneasily beneath each hoofstep. A warm droplet of something hit me right on the nose. There was a drip. Why was there- I crossed my eyes to look at it. Something red. Don’t look up.

Please don’t look up.

I looked up.

Two zebra stallions hung limply from the ceiling. Both were headless. Blood dripped down from the gore that remained of their necks and pooled on the stairs before me. Those two. Definitely familiar. Where... Where had I seen them before? Had I done this to them? Why did everypony I saw here make me feel like I knew what had happened. I’d never seen them before!

I ran up the stairs as fast as I could, ignoring the bodies hanging above me. Something... someone stood at the top. A ruddy earth pony body teetered precariously on the edge of the top step. I knew him. That was Sweet. He never spoke... He... The corpse started rolling down the stairs. Each step he gained size. From a husk to a pony, and bigger. Rolling over the blood that lay on the steps made him larger. Why...

Because bloodwings, my brain screamed at me. Somehow the body of Sweet rolled past me. I didn’t move, or jump or anything. It just... went right through me. The feeling left me shaken, shivering. The idea of a corpse passing through me, touching me like that, made my skin crawl.

That was it, I needed out! I ran up the remainder of the stairs and into the first door I could find.

The bathroom. I slammed the door shut with a hoof, kicking it hard enough to put a crack in the door. Nothing could get me in here. I just needed a minute to breathe. A mirror. Look at the reflection. Take a deep breath. Calm down. I stepped in front of it.

And screamed.

My head floated completely separate from my body. Why was my head not attached?! I reached up, and saw a trembling brown hoof in the mirror. Another scream erupted from vocal chords I couldn’t see and shouldn’t have. “Why is this happening to me!” The only thing there was a stump. Muscle and bone stuck out at sickly angles, hanging over one side of the flesh. They were charred and stiff, stuck in the position the bullet left them in for eternity. Just... A severed head. that’s all that was left of me.

With strength I thought I couldn’t have, I shattered the mirror. It exploded into a thousand tiny shards. A buck later, the door splintered, and I ran again. Into the next room. Away from the horror. It didn’t feel strangely familiar now. I knew exactly where I was. Had... had I died? I couldn’t remember. Maybe this was where bad ponies went when they died.

Grabbing the nearest door frame with a hoof, I spun around it and into the room.

“M-Mom?” I squeaked.

There she was. Hanging from vines of poison joke. Blood and gore coated her entire lower body, staining her green coat black. Vines held her by her forehooves, trailing down her legs and wrapping intricately through the holes in her chest and stomach. Her eyes were closed, her rust colored hair hung over most of her face, bunched up around her horn. Mom...

“Hidden...” She opened her eyes, lifting her head, and stared at me. “My little treasure... you finally came back.” The vines twitched, and more erupted from her sides. They lanced through the air, and wrapped around me. The vines dragged me across the floor, closer and closer to my mother, her hooves outstretched.

“Come, give mommy a hug.”

~ ~ ~

“Hey wake up!” shouted a voice far too loud for whatever hour it was.

“Shh! If you wake everypony up, we’ll get in trouble!” yelled a second voice. There was some shuffling of hooves, and I heard the door open and close. Just go away, whoever you are...

Finally I opened my eyes and saw the two foals again. Raspberry stood on the bed, just past my hooves. Custard was there too, his ear against the door. I guessed he was supposed to be the watch pony?

“I’m trying to sleep, what do you two want?” I groaned at them, trying to roll away from the lights peeking in under the door. Did they ever turn those things off? At least it distracted me from the nagging feeling of something I couldn’t quite remember. I could taste it on the tip of my tongue, something that kept me from falling right back to sleep.

“Your sister told us to come bother you,” the filly said in a chipper tone. “She’s locked herself in the Armory.” Wait, weren’t we told... How was she awake this late at night? When I was a foal I always went to bed when the sun went down. With mom the-

Mom!

I shot up in the bed, suddenly feeling deathly cold. The filly atop me squeaked loudly and fell to the floor. Across the room, Custard let out a loud ‘shhh’ and returned to his guard duty.

The nightmare was too vivid. I remembered every single detail. Was... Was mom really waiting for me? Was she mad that we’d run and never gone back? My hoof shot to my neck. Still there. Good. But mom... I couldn’t go back, not after what happened. She was dead, how could she be mad? What if she survived? Had she died instantly like we thought? I tried to remember, but all I could think about was Lost’s scream. What if she’d died slowly, never able to say goodbye to her children...?

We’d just... abandoned her.

I lowered my head to my hooves, trying to hold back the tears. The filly climbed her way back on the bed and put a hoof on my shoulder. “You okay there?” she asked in a surprisingly understanding voice.

“What if we could’ve saved her?” I managed with a squeak. It was hard to talk. My throat clenched, making it hard to breathe.

“Look, whatever your on about. It’s done. No sense crying about it now,” said the colt. “So calm yourself and talk to us for a while or we’ll go get yer sister.” Despite his age, he sounded like the most adult pony I’d met in this Stable, aside from the Elder.

“But then we’ll get in trouble for being up late, Custard! I don’t wanna have to clean everypony’s armor again...” Raspberry scolded. She sulked down behind a stray pillow that I’d tossed onto the bed in my freakout.

I wiped away the tears from my cheeks and lowered my hooves, trying my best to look like nothing had happened. “So... what do you two want?” This wasn’t what I needed at all. I needed a good cry and a sister to cling to. The mere idea that mom had lay there slowly bleeding out while we ran away shook me to my core. I slammed myself back onto the bed with a ‘fwump.’ The springs squeaked in protest.

“That’s how dad died, isn’t it?” I said to myself. “That’s what she always said.” I stared at the riveted steel ceiling. It didn’t seem oppressive anymore, it felt like home. I never wanted to leave again.

“I’m assuming the foals are making you think about your little ones then?” The voice came from a stallion standing in the doorway. For a moment, I confused him with Crème Brûlée in the dark, but the voice was too deep to be hers. He spoke to me, but stared at the prone Custard. He must be really good at sneaking...

“What! No. I-I don’t think I’d be any good with my own foals,” I stammered, “And how does saying dad make you think I have little ones?” I brought my hooves up in front of me, tapping them together a bit. “I meant my dad...”

“Orphans eh? Sorry! I didn’t mean...” he said, trailing off awkwardly. Stepping from the door, he pointed a hoof into the lit hallway. “Okay you two! Back to bed, or I tell the Elder. If you make it to bed before I finish talking to this nice mare here, I might forget by morning.” He wore a smile as he ordered them out, but I doubted the foals saw with how frantically they ran from the room.

“Bye!” called one.

“G’night!” yelled the other. Both disappeared into the light, their hooffall echoes slowly disappearing.

“Sorry about that, they’re a bit too curious for their own good,” the stallion said, stepping inside and taking a seat on my sister’s bed. “I’m Chocolate. Everypony calls me Éclair though, so I’m not confused with my brother. You okay? What’s this about your dad?”

“Nothing,” I answered. I just kept staring at the ceiling. This wasn’t my home, as familiar as it was deep down, in ways I doubted I’d ever understand.

There was a strange stallion in the room. Alone with me. The clawing burrowed its way back into my mind. Stallion. Alone. Room... I looked over to him, trying my best to not move my head at all. If I stayed still, and only moved my eyes. Hopefully he wouldn’t catch on what I was thinking...

“Are you sure? We can talk if you want. I’m not so distant like Lamington or as silly as Praline. I can be a good listener,” he said, with a wide smile. I didn’t trust it one bit. For a moment he hesitated, then leaned over and put a hoof on my shoulder, almost identical to how the filly had a few moments ago.

I hit him.

I hit him hard. Hard enough that I heard a crack. Hard enough that he toppled over to his side, sprawled out on the floor. The claws in my mind slid away, their job done. I hadn’t even thought about it. It just... happened. One minute I was lying there, the next my hoof was out where his face had been.

Did I really let that nightmare get to me so much?...

I pulled my hoof back, sheepishly. I muttered something that was probably a ‘sorry.’ I didn’t remember what it was, exactly. All I could do was hide. I didn’t have anywhere to run. I really hope I hadn’t killed him. Without another word, I pulled the covers over my head and hid.

Several minutes passed, before I heard the scuffling of hooves on the steel floor. My breath came up short, as I waited to see what he would do.

“Okay, so,” he said, his voice breaking slightly. “No touchy the mare. Got it.” He walked out, I guessed. Judging by the sound of hooves on steel, then no sound at all, that was the only thing it could’ve been. I was too scared to look.

What the fuck was wrong with me?

* * *

Whatever classified as ‘morning’ underground arrived. Alarms went off, and ponies rushed from place to place outside my room. Lost still hadn’t returned, but there weren’t any unending klaxons that sounded like radiation warnings going off. I rolled over in the bed, pulling the pillow over my ears in an attempt to ignore them. Tossing and turning in the bed wasn’t doing any good, though, even after the alarms died. Whatever it was, it woke me up and-

That smell was divine.

Could Celestia be back? Was she cooking? Did Luna decide to make an appearance and bring us a meal? I felt like I could practically float to the atrium on wisps of delicious smells. I didn’t, but I did rouse myself out of bed, and made for the big table in the atrium, following the scent for the promise of something delicious.

Inside the atrium sat my sister, Rough, and our zebra friend, and a pony or two I hadn’t seen yet. All looked just as clean as I did now, which showed how much of a stark contrast there was between here and the Wasteland we’d be heading back into.

Over in the kitchen, through a serving window in the far wall, a couple of ponies cooked up the food. One was Marshmallow, and the other was a stallion with a black eye. A wave of guilt washed over me, and all I could do was stare at the floor. First chance I got, Lost and I had to talk about that nightmare. I needed help... I slunk over to the table and crawled up onto a seat next to L.A. Without a word, I slumped down and leaned hard against her.

“You okay?” she asked, wrapping a hoof up around my neck. After a pause, she placed the hoof on my forehead. “You feel fine. What’s wrong?”

I grunted a response, and buried my face against her. “Talk... later,” I muttered into her coat.

“Alright... Are you sure? We can talk right now,” she said, sounding worried. With a shrug of her shoulder, she pushed me away and grabbed me with her hooves. “They won’t mind if we go talk. They'll understand.”

I shook my head. Not now. I’d slept in fits and starts since I’d woken from my nightmare. Everything was still too fresh. If we’d just... I pushed the claws away, shaking my head furiously. I opened my mouth to say something, but got interrupted.

“Breakfast is served!” called a new stallion, one I hadn’t met yet.

Saved by food, phew.

Lost gave me a worried frown, but turned to help set the table. Being one of the only two unicorns present, she used her magic to levitate full plates of delicious smelling food from place to place. Rough Night did his part as well, and despite the scowl he wore, he seemed to be doing better after a night’s rest. Seeing him in a better mood, no matter how minor, I couldn’t help but smile.

The majority of the mealtime consisted of quiet eating or mildly uninteresting conversation. The Elder made sure to eat with us, constantly prodding for us four Wasteland survivors to eat more. She was extremely sweet, but I didn’t trust her, not after our dealings with Elder Scifresh up top. Even if I tried to keep it from my mind after last night’s nightmares, I couldn’t help but think of mom’s rule about groups of ponies. For once, I was going to be the one using them. Get back up there, use them as a distraction, and get our stuff back. Then we’d run.

“So I took the guns we found, and salvaged what wasn’t destroyed by age and radiation. We’ve only got a few that are usable,” Lost explained after the meal. “Sadly, neither of us has much experience with any of them. Almost all of them were just pistols, like the one the Forepony had. I cannibalized parts from her gun too...”

I’d had my fill, and rested with my chin on the table, staring into space and idly listening. “What about the barding?” I asked, rolling my head to look at her.

“It’ll do. I’m not really good with that sort of thing, you know that. I’ve fixed enough guns, but we’ve never run across anything with armor that we could actually use before,” she said with a shrug. “I did what I could.”

“Is this something you will be sharing, pony?” Xeno asked, pushing her plate away. “Were there enough of the armored barding to be used for all of us?”

“Well, there were only enough for-” L.A. said, before being interrupted.

“You don’t need to worry about all of us, power armor is environmentally sealed,” Elder Drop Scone said to us. “There are enough sets for each member of the family. Even the Berliners will get some for this mission.” She pushed Xeno’s plate back to her. “Finish up dear, there’s some left.”

“None for us though... you’ll just let us go out without any real protection. Just like those bastards that had me in the mine,” Rough snapped, glaring at the Elder. He slammed his hooves on the table, and smashed his plate away to the floor. “Just like the ponies who killed my Sweet Dreams. You, you use and abuse with your little cliques and big guns. Same armor, same tactics. I’m actually surprised I woke up!”

Not good. I thought he’d gotten better, but I should’ve known that it wouldn’t be something he could get over after a single night. I tried to tune out some of his ranting by placing my hooves over my head.

“... and then take me from my Queen! We weren’t here to cause trouble! And Spade is stuck there still! All my friends and family, my gang members. They’re trapped. And what did I get for being patient and working?! I lost the only pony who ever loved me!” he screamed, pointing a hoof accusingly. I’d no idea who he pointed it at though.

“How were we to know what was going on up there? Nopony has left the stable in two centuries,” said the Star Paladin. That answered where Rough was pointing. He sounded only slightly miffed, the static over his voice masking if he was actually showing emotion.

“Son, he’s in pain. Let him yell,” Elder Drop Scone said, placing a hoof on her son’s armor. The rest of us sat in silence, not wanting to get involved in the argument.

“It doesn’t matter! They stuck me with these three... These, idiot mares. Who seem to think that there’s a way to win,” he said, waving his hoof to point at my sister and I. “They got Sweet killed and just ran off like it was nothing!”

Lost looked at the ground, staring in the opposite direction. She hadn’t even stopped when he fell, and I knew she felt guilty for it. But when she got like that, there was no stopping her. I just wish I could have explained it to the stallion in a way that he could understand. Plus he called her an idiot, I was the only idiot out of the two of us.

“Hey! I might be an idiot mare, but my sister isn’t,” I snapped, finally sitting back up. “And I’m sorry... but, look, if we’d stopped we’d have all died.”

“We could have taken him with us!” he screamed back. He surged to his hooves, his horn flickering to life. Oh dear.

I looked to the Steel Rangers, worried that guns might be coming out. Lamington and Drop Scone sat quietly. The look on the Elder’s face was serious, but it was obvious even to me that she expected this to end before force was necessary to end it.

“Are you serious, Rough? Look at us... We’re the smallest four adult ponies in...” I said, catching a glare from Xeno. Clearing my throat, I corrected myself, “smallest three adult ponies and smallest zebra. We’re the only ones that could fit, do you think we could carry a pony on our backs away from all those bloodwings and still get away?” I tapped my hoof on the table, for emphasis.

“What’s a bloodwing?” Custard asked, raising his hoof and waving it frantically. His twin sister whinnied a laugh.

“It’s a mutated bat,” Lost whispered to the colt, who appeared fascinated by the ranting unicorn.

“If you’d ever lost somepony like I have, you’d understand!” he screamed at me, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

Lost stared at him, opening her mouth to say something with rage in her eyes. Her horn began to glow as well, but I silenced her with a hoof.

“When I was a foal, before even getting my cutie mark. I watched my father die. Years later, my sister and I got our mother killed. It was our fault,” I said, staring back at him without so much as blinking. I didn’t want to look over to Lost, not now. This was the first time I’d ever admitted any guilt over what happened, for either of us. But after last night, it was time I took some Goddesses-damned responsibility for my actions. “I killed Xeno’s brothers too. I know what it’s like to lose somepony, from both sides.” I finally blinked, taking a deep breath and holding back the wave of emotions. “And in the past three days, I’ve nearly lost my sister, and nearly died at least twice. I know all too well what it’s like to lose somepony, and I know the fear of leaving somepony behind with that loss.”

I didn’t want to let him see that I could be weak. Not because I couldn’t let myself be, I’d cried for months on end about mom. The thought of it shut me down sometimes, but it wasn’t about me right now. It was about him, and it was his time to feel pain.

He seemed baffled by my response and took a several seconds to come up with something to say. I felt a flicker of grim amusement as he opened and closed his mouth wordlessly a few times before finally snapping at me, “That doesn’t make it hurt any less!” His horn flared bright red, the same way it had when he cast the fireballs last night.

This wasn’t good, he was pissed and taking it out on me. I was guilty of what he said, but I knew that I was justified. Did he really want to die so much to stay with his special somepony? There was a blue glow to my side, but I ignored it and closed my eyes, ready to take the punishment for my arrogance.

“If you do anything to her...!”

My eyes shot open to see Lost holding one of the knifes from the table in the air with her telekinesis.

“ENOUGH!” Lamington yelled through static. It was the first time he’d raised his voice so far. The Star Paladin stood up and leveled the gigantic missile launcher attached to his power armor at Lost and Rough, a little over-prepared for the confrontation. “I will not have guests fighting over my breakfast table! This is an-”

“Star Paladin Lamington, please sit down and let us finish breakfast. And put that thing away now,” said Elder Drop Scone, her motherly voice replaced with the iron tone of command. Instantly, Lamington's weapon was away and he was seated. Just like the rest of the siblings. He sat with his head down, facing his plate in silence. “And you two,” she said, and turned to Rough Night and Lost Art. “That. Is. Enough.”

Rough sat down without another word, the glow dying from his horn.

Lost sheepishly set the knife down and sunk into her seat next to me.

Whoever this Elder was, I was never ever getting on her bad side. With a hoof-full of words, she could command that much respect? I didn’t know whether to be jealous or terrified.

* * *

All nine of the Stable Sixty Steel Rangers trotted out before us in their power armor. It was a sight to behold. Unlike Jazz’s, each of theirs was in perfect condition, and detailed to the extreme. The group seemed a bit somber, standing in front of the closed Stable door. Even Praline was calm and hadn’t bounced off any walls recently. Lost, Xeno, Night, and I all wore radiation suits, having been refused the nice radiation-free, medicine-giving power armor because we weren’t Steel Rangers by blood. That didn’t stop them from loading us up with RadAway and RadSafe though. Since they didn’t need it, they’d offered it to us, and we graciously accepted. Having gone without anything to stave off the Wasteland’s deadly grip for so long, every little bit helped. If only they had healing potions or Buck to spare...

Personally, I thought that it was a load of shit that we couldn’t use the armor. It would help us survive. If it was about training, well, we’d already spent an entire night there. What was another hour being taught how to use armor that would make us nigh indestructible? But they’d treated us as guests and shown us exceptional hospitality, so I wasn’t going to complain. A RadSafe later, we headed through the tunnels again, this time with me in the lead with the PipBuck.

The long walk through the tunnels was uneventful, the mutated bats had all cleared out or were ignoring us. The power armored ponies walked in rank and file, one behind the other without a word. Lamington led, with the Elder behind him, followed by the rest per their ranks. I had a chance to look at the weapons they all carried attached to their armor, and I was far more than a little envious. If I had that kind of firepower, the Wirepony would’ve been dead in an instant. I just wanted my old battle saddle back.

I really hadn’t planned ahead, and that fact was starting to catch up with me. What if a fight started between these nice Rangers and Scifresh’s chapter? These ponies were a lot different than Scifresh’s chapter, almost the complete opposite. The fact that there might be a fight wasn’t something that I’d wanted to consider. If only there were a peaceful solution. I didn’t want to have another nightmare like last night’s. Dealing with another pony’s life resting on my shoulders wasn’t something I thought I could handle. Especially these ponies. So far they’d been so polite, so innocent. Especially the Berliners and Praline. A bubbly pony like her wouldn’t survive in the Wasteland, and the foals didn’t need to be raised like we did. Leaving them in that Stable to slowly die out and leave an empty tomb might have been for the better. At least they had food and stability there. In the choice between a long boring life and a short painful one?

I knew which I’d pick.

The clicking of the PipBuck’s radiation counter brought me from my thoughts. It had sped up something fierce, even worse than when we hadn’t had the radiation suits or the RadSafe. We were at another fork in the tunnels, having tried to find tunnel three where there was supposed to be an exit. One of these was three, one was four, but just as before there wasn’t a single marker to show which might be which. Whoever built this mine had been crazy. How could they not put up a sign or something to show which tunnel was which?

“Radiation’s getting bad here,” I said to the group, trying to give them a gentle push toward deciding on a direction.

“Go this way,” Rough said, turning to face down the left tunnel. “So far the map has been right, it should be this way.” He heaved a heavy sigh and he stepped forward. Everypony, and zebra, fell in line and followed him.

L.A. slowed down in the line and stepped up next to me. She gave me a look through the visor and asked, “Did you want to talk?” Just like my sister, always trying to look out for me.

“I had another nightmare,” I started, looking over at her. “About mom.”

There was a pregnant pause before she finally asked, “Did you still want to talk about it?”

It took me several minutes to decide how I should answer. We kept up with the others, if by a distance of several yards. I didn’t know if I wanted to talk about it, especially if anypony else was anywhere near being in hearing distance. I needed to, about other nightmares. I opened my mouth to answer, finally.

A horrifically loud boom cut me off before I could get a word out. Several more followed, all apparently from the side of the Star Paladin’s armor. A cloud of thick smoke filled the tunnel, as the explosive missiles hit whatever their target was and reduced it to a pile of bloody chunks.

“The fuck was that?!” I yelled over the ringing in my ears. A few gems were shook from their place in the ceiling by the blasts. If the roof caved in... I really wasn’t feeling safe down here...

“Yao Guai,” replied Xeno. Given my blank expression at her answer, she politely elaborated. “It is a bear, they are very deadly. Not something a pony such as you should be messing with. Today, we were in luck. There was an armored pony with a much bigger gun.” She was yelling through the visor of her suit, just barely audible over the ringing. But, she had a large smile plastered across her face. “Iam liking the luck we have today.” With that she turned, stepped forward, and promptly fell flat on her face.

I’d never understand zebras, particularly Xeno and her obsession with luck. If they were all like that, I never wanted to meet another.

When the smoke from the missiles cleared, I found that we were at the entrance to the cave. As the report had said last night, there was a sign affixed to the wall with information about using the other entrance instead. I checked the bloody giblets left over from Lamington’s overwhelming display of firepower, but there wasn’t even enough left to make a decent meal. Waste not, want not, I was taught, but these scattered scraps were useless.

“So, this is the outside!” Praline said, bouncing around in her armor. How did she even do that? For several minutes she examined everything, the rotten dead trees, rocks, the cloud cover. “Ooo! What’s this?” she squealed, pointing a hoof at a tree. Without waiting for an answer she moved to the next shiny object, “Hey! A rock, right? What’s it do? Rocks do things, right?” Even the dirt seemed fascinating to her. “Lookie!” she said, stomping up a dust cloud.

Crème seemed interested as well, but only so much as she could use it as an excuse to stay away from Lamington. The stallion was giving orders to his siblings, while the Elder looked on. I could only tell it was her because the power armor she wore looked like it hadn’t had regular maintenance in a while. While the other ponies’ armor looked new, hers still showed signs of use, with wear and tear around the joints. They were all circled about listening to the Star Paladin, who had given up very quickly on trying to get either Praline or Crème Brûlée to listen to anything.

Once we settled on a plan, I lead everyone in the group toward the factory. With the E.F.S. as a guide, I knew it wouldn’t take long to get back. The four of us without power armor changed into the armored barding we’d found, and hid our guns carefully, just in case. We had the Steel Rangers from Stable Sixty if things went bad, but I didn’t want to be in a position where we couldn’t throw everything we had at them. There was no way they were going to take us all again.

I just hoped it would be enough to deal with Scifresh’s crew if things got ugly...

* * *

The guards spotted us long before we could do any reconnaissance. They collected us, and brought our group to Star Paladin Jazz on the factory floor immediately. The off-white mare seemed pleased to see that we’d survived, though I had a feeling it was only because it meant less time spent finding gullible ponies to march down into her slave pit of a mine.

“Thank you, soldiers. I’ll handle this myself,” she ordered, waving a hoof to dismiss her subordinates. “I don’t understand why it took eleven of you to bring me four pint-sized Wasteland savages though.” The two escorting Steel Rangers left, leaving just the Stable Sixty ponies and the four of us.

The Star Paladin placed a hoof to her forehead, rubbing it between her eyes a few times. “I. Said. Go.”

“I don’t take orders from a different chapter. We are not your soldiers,” Lamington said through a burst of static, his voice calm and steady.

Jazz just raised an eyebrow, and looked from pony to pony. She trailed her eyes over the four of us from the mine, to the nine power armored ponies, her eyes moving rapidly to take in each detail of their armor. After several minutes of examination, she opened her mouth, “So you aren’t. Who are you.” Given the tone in her voice, it wasn’t a question. “And tell me where you got that PipBuck. I ordered Trifle to take everything you had.”

I moved my legs so the PipBuck was hidden from her view, but Lamington answering her took some of the heat from me.

“We are the remaining Steel Rangers of Stable Sixty. We were told you have been searching for our home. Elder Drop Scone and I wish to learn more about your chapter and their activities. If we are of the same goals, I propose we work together,” said the Star Paladin. Each of the ponies behind him expressed their agreement. All except Praline, whose helmet was turned elsewhere, too busy staring at the rusted walls and ruined equipment.

“Very well,” Jazz said hesitantly. “Let me take you to the mine. That’s the best place to start.” She placed her helmet back on and locked it into position, then led us through the same hallways as before.

As we walked, I took careful glances at the PipBuck, trying to orient myself well enough to find our gear. Jazz was explaining some things while we walked, pointing out bits of their operation in terms of the strategic benefits of having an ancient factory for use as their base. I didn’t care about that, I just wanted my gun back. By the time we made it to the elevator out back, she’d finished the basics and was getting into the nitty gritty about their conscription program.

“And here is the entrance to the mine,” Jazz said. “I’d take you down there, but I’m sure you already know what it’s like. I suggest we go to see Elder Scifresh to finish up. The savages down there aren’t worth your time anyway, that’s why we hired griffons to handle it. They’re no better.” She audibly hissed through her teeth.

“Why do you keep calling them savages?” asked Praline.

“That’s what they are,” snapped Jazz curtly. “They are the same type of ponies that created this Wasteland, raiders and gangers and degenerates. They are nothing more than filthy savages.” The Star Paladin stomped her hoof for emphasis, cracking the ground beneath. “Take these four for example. A zebra? Those are the enemy! Even now, she is conspiring against us, I can tell. Those two have proven to be nothing more than liars and cheats. I specifically ordered that confiscated, yet they still have it!”

“Iam not your enemy,” muttered ‘the enemy’ under her breath, refusing to make eye contact with the armored bitch.

“Let me get this straight. You care more about the centuries-old hunk of metal that’s wrapped around her leg, than you do about helping her?” asked Elder Drop Scone, looking down at the PipBuck. Even with the masking effect of her armor, the disbelief was thick in her voice. She turned to Star Paladin Jazz. “We need to speak to the Elder here.”

Several other Steel Rangers had gathered around, either watching from the factory doorway, or staying distant and surrounding the group from Stable Sixty. I tried counting, but I kept getting distracted by the tension between Lamington, his mother, and Jazz and her crew. I knew that Lamington and his Rangers would be able to hold their own if something happened, but the three of us and Rough would be woefully unprepared and unprotected if such a fight broke out. The armor they had would stop anything I could dish out with the few pistols we’d been able to completely salvage. Even with the armored barding we’d found, there was no way we’d last in a fight. Please Celestia, let this not turn into a firefight...

“I am under no obligation to take orders from an Elder of another chapter. We will get there in... due time. The fact that you so brazenly think that you can order me around, after the hospitality I’ve shown you, is unacceptable!” she said, before turning to one of the other soldiers. “You! Get down here.”

The Steel Ranger she’d ordered trotted down and stopped beside her. “Orders ma’am?” he asked with a salute.

“Take these four back down to the mine. Make them show the rest where the Stable is,” Jazz ordered.

“I’m sorry, those four are with us. Now, if you would. Please, take all of us to the Elder. Including them,” Lamington said through more static. He held his hoof out in between me and the other soldier.

The whirrs of battle saddle weaponry dropping into ready positions and the pops and snaps of cocked and readied firearms filled the room. The power armored ponies leveled weapons at each other. I shrunk down, fairly sure the other non-Rangers were doing the same. I glanced at Lost, motioning for her to get ready. This was escalating faster than I’d wanted, because Jazz seemed to be taking their request as a personal affront. Was she really so callous?

“No. I’m going to ship them down to the mine,” Jazz said. “They are going to show my team where the Stable you all are from is, and fuck whether or not you say it’s okay. We’re going to strip the place bare and restock whatever we need from it, without a fuck given to any pony, bloodwing, griffon, dragon, or whatever the fuck else might be down there.”

“The griffon mercenaries?” Lost asked. “Did you just say-”

“Fuck them, fuck the slaves, and fuck you,” Jazz spat. “You’re all expendable, and if you, or they, or anyone gets in my fucking way, they are going to get a bullet in the head.” She glared at the Stable Sixty rangers. “And you, you are all going to get the fuck out of my factory before I fill your faces so full of lasers that we could use you as Hearth’s Warming Eve decorations.” Her voice was raising, either being amplified by the speakers in the power armor, or maybe she was just pissed off. Finishing her rant, she turned to the Knights and others that were behind her. “Why aren’t you fucking doing what I told you to!?” she screamed at the soldier next to her.

“Cause the stallion’s got a missile launcher pointed at me...” said the soldier next to her.

I looked over at Lamington, who, to his credit, had his missile launcher pointed directly at the mare who was next to Jazz. I understood that he’d grown up in a Stable, and might not have any real world combat experience, but even I knew not to point an explosive weapon at somepony in point blank range.

“I told you. Those ponies are with us. You will not touch them,” he said, unwavering. I was really beginning to like this stallion.

Jazz’s response was to kick the release on her battle saddle. Her gatling laser popped out from her armor, and everything went sour. Either she had become far more unstable over night, or this was the true face of the Steel Rangers.

A loud clang rent the air. Seconds later, the bang of a massive gun expoded from the roof of the factory. A gunshot from somepony I hadn’t even seen. But... I was still okay. I looked over to L.A. She was fine, and neither Xeno nor Rough had a hole in them either. That meant...

Chocolate Éclair groaned, followed by a crash as he collapsed in a pile of steel armor. It happened faster than I could process. Was he...? A gigantic hole gaped in Éclair’s chest, with twisted steel and draining blood. The sniper had shot him through the back with something powerful, and torn straight through his spine. I could actually see out the other side.

We all stared in complete shock. Last night he’d tried to comfort me, and my only reaction was to hit him as hard as I could. I didn’t even get to apologize, never told him why I had freaked out. And now he was dead.

Then everything turned to shit.

* * *

I had no idea where Rough ran off to. The echoing of gunfire and the B-KEWs of magical energy weapons surrounded us. The minute they started firing, we ran. The Steel Rangers could hold their own against other Steel Rangers; we couldn’t. Xeno and Lost followed behind me, as I used the PipBuck to try and navigate to... something. Somewhere. Anywhere. I couldn’t read any of it. This factory was too big, too sprawling. Every time I thought I’d get us somewhere, there would be a dead end or a collapsed wall.

“Hidden, give me the PipBuck,” L.A. yelled behind me, trying to make her voice heard over the sounds of the firefight. We galloped down another hallway identical to the last five we’d tried.

“No, I can do this...” I called back. I wasn’t so sure of that.

“Sis, I remember the layout. Let me lead for a while,” she said, which was just enough to convince me.

I skidded to a stop and tried to pry the thing off. We seemed safe for the moment, as all the local Rangers were either on guard duty, or they were fighting down in the yard above the mines. I really hoped Lamington and the others were okay.

Fuck. I never got to apologize. I fumbled with the lock again, why’d Lost make the PipBuck’s latch impossible to open without cheater magic? Giving up, I smashed my hoof against the wall a few times, hoping that might knock the little bugger off. We needed to get a gun, and needed to get out there to help. I didn’t have time for guilt and I didn’t have time to fight with this Goddesses-damned thing!

A blue glow enveloped the latch, and it popped off in an instant. Normally I’d scream at her for using cheater magic, but there wasn’t any time. With the device off my leg, I started running again. Lost called out, but there wasn’t anything that could stop me.

Except a big pony in unmarked steel armor who stepped out in front of me.

The pony seemed as surprised as I did, letting out a girlishly surprised ‘eep’ when I slammed into her chest and forelegs.

“What in the-” She never finished the sentence. A bullet pierced the visor of her armor, smashing the glass and getting embedded inside of it. “Arg!” she screamed, faltering back a few steps.

Lost ran past, a pistol levitated before her and the PipBuck already on and shining that bright amber that I hated. Was she really that fast? Did it matter? The three of us ran around the stunned Ranger. Down another hall and into a room we scurried.

“Do you happen to know where we are going, pony?” Xeno asked calmly.

“We just watched a pony get shot right through... Nearly got thrown back into the slavery of the mine... And all you ask about is where we’re going?” I asked, flabbergasted. “We killed your brothers... Why haven’t you threatened to kill us or run away?” After all we’d done. We killed her family, we exiled her from her sanctuary, we led the Wirepony right to her, and then got her thrown into the mine with us. I didn’t understand how she could have such patience.

“I do not know,” she responded, matter-of-factly.

“Do you two have to argue?” Lost said, looking over the map on the PipBuck. “Okay I know where we are. We can go.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?” I screamed, throwing my hooves up. “How can you be so utterly unfazed by everything?”

“It is probably all of the drugs that I make for myself,” she said, tilting her head slightly. “A cigarette would be nice though. I haven’t been able to find any of those in quite a while. It is just my luck.”

That broke my brain. Really. Okay, whatever. I swore I never wanted to meet another zebra, because if they were all as crazy as this mare, I would put a bullet in my head personally.

“Come on!” L.A. yelled, pushing the door open and bolting down the hallway. Without any reason to argue with her, we both followed.

We ran down hallways, through rooms, up and down stairs, in directions that made my head spin. There was smoke beginning to fill the air, which smelled of gunpowder and blood. I could only imagine what was going on near the mine, but it didn’t matter. I just had to keep up with my sister and not get lost. Keep going behind her, keep away from the distant gunfire. Pray to Celestia. Pray to Luna. Please let the Stable Sixty Rangers be safe.

We turned down another hallway, running past several possible turn offs and doorways before Lost skidded to a stop in front of one in particular. “Here!” she yelled, tapping the rotten wood. “Kick it down.”

I didn’t need any prompting. Without even stopping, I spun on my forehooves and bucked the door in half. There was a loud crunch as it splintered, and we ran in.

A smorgasbord of fun sat before me. Guns of every shape and size. Most were damaged beyond repair, but there were so many to choose from. If I had all the time in the Wasteland, I’d never run out. First things first though, I needed my baby. With some of Xeno’s mythical luck, she was sitting out front still. Either they hadn’t bothered to move her, or just didn’t care. I had Lost help put the battle saddle on, and got everything into position. She removed the varmint rifle, since there were plenty of bigger guns that would be better suited to getting out of this situation alive.

Xeno meanwhile began digging through the desk, looking for whatever might’ve been stolen from her. Trifle said they didn’t, but that was more than likely a lie. I didn’t care. I had a gun to search for.

Lost took a new plasma pistol and filled it up with a spark cell, which she then used to guard the door.

I dug through the rifles. It didn’t matter if I found ‘my’ guns, just that I found something good. There were dozens, probably hundreds, of weapons to choose from, and as long as I had the time I was going to get the best one. Several were completely ruined, not worth the parts to carry the extra weight, a few were usable, but in such pisspoor condition that others easily outshone them. I went through several, not finding the perfect gun. I didn’t have time, but if I was persistent.

There.

Carefully hidden behind several particularly terrible rifles was something special. The guns were the worst of the worst, with bent barrels and rotten wood. They hid something marvelous though. This was on purpose, Trifle or whoever else had been here must have wanted this one for themselves. To take such careful care to pile up every bad gun there... This was a special gun.

I pushed the broken wastes of material away, sending them clattering to the floor. The sound of gunfire outside didn’t matter. This beautiful gun could take every one of them and then some. She was in perfect condition, with shining wood, a gleamingly perfect barrel, and an Old Equestrian flag tied around the stock.

I grabbed it without a word. First things first, I checked if it was loaded. Sure as shootin’, it had a whole seven bullets in the magazine, far more than I’d ever seen in a hunting rifle before. Running my hoof over the barrel, I attached it to the battle saddle with the help of my sister. With a click, it slid in, fitting absolutely perfectly. Whoever had made this gun had taken special care of her, and it was only by the luck of the Goddesses, or a jinxed zebra, that I found her. Now I just needed ammo.

We ransacked the rest of the room. I scored myself a sniper rifle as well, but it wasn’t as nice as the hunting rifle. As an afterthought, I grabbed as many small caliber weapons I could fit, and replaced my old single-shot shotgun with a double barreled one. After I took watch, Lost took several laser pistols and even found something she told me was called a recharger rifle. None of it made sense to me, magical energy weapons always went over my head. She seemed happy though, so there wasn’t any reason for me to argue. She even found the pipe she’d used to kill those three ponies so long ago.

Surprisingly, Xeno didn’t want any weapons to use. Maybe her crazy luck would protect her? She had, however, secreted away whatever Trifle took back into her sack.

With all our new loot stashed in our saddlebags, and every last spark cell, bullet, magazine, and explosive taken from the desks and cabinets, we left. The grenades in particular had given my sister and I quite a grin.

“Where to now?” I asked as we ran down another identically rusted hallway.

“We go!” L.A. called back.

“Where are we going then, ponies?” asked Xeno from behind.

“Anywhere but here. Away from these sociopaths!” Lost yelled back, turning the corner. She still had the plasma pistol out, though it was now full of a brand new supercharged spark cell.

The sounds of gunfire still echoed throughout the building, though the smoke had been clearing. I wanted to know what was going on, but I couldn’t spare the time. We needed to get out. Whatever was going on could wait. They’d survive without us. Maybe Rough had run down to the mine and gotten the ponies out. With the things that Jazz had said, he might even even convince the griffons to lend a wing and a claw? Didn’t matter.

Finally, we made it back down to the main floor. Several corpses lay on the ground near the door out the back. None looked like the ponies from Stable Sixty though, thankfully. I really hoped they could make it out of this without any more casualties... Poor Chocolate Éclair... I pushed the thought away, I couldn’t get locked in that thought loop again.

Looking away from the corpses, we ran down the hallway. This one looked familiar, one side a series of glass windows, with offices opposite. I couldn’t help but look over to the factory floor as we ran past. Just yesterday, I’d thought these were good ponies. They’d saved me, and now? Now there was only the din of gunfire and the smell of death. Wasteland... Why?

Something moved on the factory floor.

Whatever it was, it wasn’t a Steel Ranger. I skidded to a stop to look at it. “Lost?...”

A piece of armor toppled over, falling behind the conveyer belt it was on. I watched in horror. It couldn’t be.

A wire shot up from behind it. Fuck! It was.

The mass of steely wires crawled itself up, the fallen piece of armor already merging with the pieces that were left from when Jazz and her Steel Rangers had shredded him. He ran, he couldn’t come back. They had guards everywhere.

The wires were vaguely pony-shaped, with only a few pieces of the original armor left encasing him around the back and sides. The jaw was still there though, teeth exposed and glinting at the edges. I’d come so close to those, even this far away I gave a shudder. Without the entire suit, there were visible masses of rotting flesh sloughing around inside the bundles of wire. They pulsated wildly, spasming like a pony gasping for breath. I didn’t want to watch, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

The pony-shaped mass stood on what must have been its legs, though only one leg still looked like one, thanks to the shattered armor that still clung to it. The ‘head’ section looked around, jaw whirring loudly even through the glass and above the sounds of battle. Several wires shot out from the back and neck, undulating through the air before latching onto different chunks of armor strewn about the factory floor.

“Please don’t,” I whispered under my breath. “Don’t do that, Wirepony.”

There was nothing to stop it. I couldn’t move, my legs were locked in horror. He’d nearly killed me just yesterday, and now... The claws came back, reminding me how it felt to have those wires wrapped around my throat... Please... Celestia? Luna? Just one favor...

Finding purchase on whatever it deemed suitable replacement parts, it snapped the armor pieces back, one at a time. Each piece slammed with a horrific clang to the previous piece, forming a makeshift shell around it. They seemed to snap into place, merging with what was already there, repairing from whatever old world magic kept it alive all this time. It felt like hours, but was probably only seconds. The different pieces merged together, all taking on the same matte steel sheen. Even the pieces that were rusted and falling apart looked like new once the repairs on them were complete.

In under a minute, he had snapped on a new chest and helmet, and moved on to the legs. My breathing went shallow, as one more wire reached out, searching slowly.

“Don’t find what I think you’re looking for.”

“Please. Don’t. Find. A. Gun.”

The wire didn’t stop searching though. I looked back at the armor. It was almost complete. The legs were finally repaired, even the emblem on his flanks was back to the same as before. A second wire shot out from an opening on its back, going in the same direction as the previous one.

If I could just... My legs wouldn’t move. I couldn’t bite my battle saddle’s bit. Why did this terrify me so? If I ended him now, he couldn’t get me again. So why couldn’t I move?

The two wires pulled back, slamming something onto its back. It was a new grenade launcher, but, oh Goddesses there was more. On the other side was a flamer, almost identical to the one Seethe had used before.

“No...” said Lost beside me. I looked over, and saw she had the same terrified look I must’ve. This was bad. Even Xeno watched with wide eyes and shaking legs.

Finished with his resurrection, the Wirepony moved its head, the new headlamp and visor both flickered with an eerie blue glow. Then it looked across the floor, and up the window.

It stared directly at us, opened its mouth, and let out a horrible static roar.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Footnote: Level Up!

Hidden Fortune:
New Perk: Adrenaline Rush – You have a fear of death that allows you to fight harder when you are wounded. When your HP drops below 75% of your maximum, you gain +2 Strength.

Lost Art:
New Perk: Precision Repair Pony – You can improve the general condition of weapons and armor, giving them +2 to damage or damage reduction by combining them with another of the same item.

“How am I carrying all this ammo, anyway? Seriously, we have enough for an army here.”
“Well, it doesn’t actually weigh anything. You can carry as much as you want.”
“But... It still falls when I drop it? The casings still hit the ground when I fire...”
“Okay well. A UNICORN DID IT!”
“....... CHEATER MAGIC!”

Author's Note:

(A massive thank you to Kkat for creating, and everyone else who has helped to flesh out the universe of Fallout Equestria. And to everyone who has/will help with with editing and making this more palatable... Big hearts to Dimestream, Sabsy, Heartshine, Wirepony, and everypony else who helped with ideas, editing, and brushies. And of course everything is copyright their respective owners. ~Hnetu)

Comments

[Hnetu]

I appreciate the comments hun. I'm not ever going to profess to be the best writer, and I know just how much Hell I've put my characters through and kept a watchful eye on them. I can't say what'll happen in the future, because that'll be spoilers.

All I can really say is to please be patient, things will hit a plateau sooner or later, and it'll make sense. A lot of this first arc is build up, and the following story arc will go from following to leading, so to speak. Like I said, I can't say what'll happen because it takes the fun out of reading it! A lot of it will make more sense during the bigger picture further along. I have a lot of world building done, and a lot of plans that don't come to fruition til much later.

On the other hoof, I'm still trying to be a better writer, and I understand that there are a lot of areas I'm still weak in. The ability to string sentences together doesn't somehow make someone an amazing writer. If there's no story behind the words, then... Yeah...

I'm still working forward. Chapter seven is nearing completion as I type this, and though I've been sick the past few days and on hiatus from working on chapter eight, I'm feeling better and will be working on the story again very soon.

Thanks for being a great reader and keeping up with the story.

[PistolWhip]

Well, well, well. My favorite chapter so far. That was fucking awesome, to put it bluntly.

[Turtledude]

When talking about the cigarette, Xeno said "haven't"

I KNEW SHE WAS LEADING THEM ON!

I also kinda want to know where the wirepony inspiration came from. It seems like the few fics that have them are always really awesome.

[RevelRomp]

I heard this quote a night or two ago out of context because the chapter was playing when I first woke up. Considering I fell asleep listening to a chapter whith the lead characters being enslaved, my mental image was putting it in entirely a different light.
"Okay you two! Back to bed, or I tell the Elder. If you make it to bed before I finish talking to this nice mare here, I might forget by morning.” He wore a smile as he ordered them out, but I doubted the foals saw with how frantically they ran from the room." - Treasure Hunting Chapter 6.

Neat.

[S3rb4n]

That wirepony is a serious nuisance, eh? Very nice chapter, you've got me hooked!

[Need More Gore]

Got to love how ignorant stable ponies are of how the wasteland works. They basically walked themselves into a trap.

[Doctor Ham]

...Well okay then!  A Stable of Steel Rangers!  I'll take armed and armored naive Stable ponies over squishy naive Stable ponies.  The shooting was still inevitable, but at least there's a chance some of them make it out.  I have this sinking dread that the Ranger Lost shot through the visor was one of Scone's.  EFS would have given the answer, sure, but the shootout was probably making things way too chaotic, and there would be red and green blips everywhere.

I'm starting to get more of a picture of Xeno.  She's still a very strange mare, but her philosophy about trying not to dwell on death is something Hidden and Lost could learn from.  They probably shouldn't learn the drug abuse though.  And Xeno should learn how contractions actually work at some point.

I'm a little confused about the foals telling Hidden that Lost had locked herself in the armory.  Was that them fibbing to get Hidden to move?  I probably missed something, but I can't put this one together.

Hidden's time for herself to meander the Stable was a nice breather for her, and as I think about it, I'm sorta glad that all she did was busy herself with nothing of importance.  While it was some emotional distress that drove her away (and she really needs to have a talk with Lost), somehow I don't think she was ready for quiet introspection yet.  Just giving herself a moment with creature comforts and a terminal, time alone, that felt right.  I also really enjoyed Hidden and Lost's argument outside the Stable door.  It was a well-written sibling spat, and we were probably due for a healthy argument between them.  Hidden's reaction to physical contact with Éclair was perfectly understandable.  A bit extreme, maybe, but an understandable extreme.  She had just woken up from another lovely dream, after all.

And poor Éclair.  Who shot him though?  I presume it was one of the Asshole Rangers or a griffin, but I didn't think they'd have snipers set up to guard a meeting with other Steel Rangers.  I suppose it certainly doesn't matter to L.A. and Hidden, and Hidden doesn't know any more than I do about the situation.  Shooting bad, get stuff, get outta dodge.

It looks like the story of the Rangers and the Wirepony (oh god he's back) is about to speed towards a bloody conclusion, though I think we haven't seen the last of Rough Night, Spade, and their Queen.  I just hope that some of the Stable 60 ponies live through this.