Prologue: Verdun

Prologue: Verdun

The 22nd century was to be a golden age, the peak of technological wonders and higher living standarts. No one expected the ice. Instead of prosperity, the new century brought a new ice age, an unstopable white wave that quickly spread from the north and south poles.

Millions were displaced and many nations fell into chaos. the different climate and changing sea levels destroyed global trade and food production. In a few decades some of wealthiest regions of the world had been reduced to lawless frozen wastelands. The only safe havens were in the tropics, and people rushed to get their place before the borders were shut.

Governments did everything they could, from continent sized agricultural projects to new multinational coalitions such as the Pan-Asian Coalition. As they failed to solve the crisis, tensions began to rise, for they were desperate to acquire more resources, enough to look across their borders for it. As a domino effect, wars began to pop throughout the globe over resources and soon conflict broke out between our coalition and the neighboring European Union. Now we're at war; it’s up to us, common soldiers, to wonder this frozen wasteland and its dead cities. Fighting in a final, desperate attempt to survive.

-x-

I fucking hate this weather I thought to myself as I walked through the knee deep snow, my body shook as the chilling wind sucked the heat out of my face. Ah, the frozen wastes of northern France, what used to be part of a center of history, culture and power is now nothing more than snow, ice and ruins. Walking around this place sucks… even more with the possibility of an ambush. Well, what can I expect? This is a warzone, after all. However, that still didn’t ceased my frustrations regarding this place and my lack of fortune. Seriously, from all squads back at the base, I had to go out in this cold? For a full week?

I didn’t even bother to pay attention to the dead trees and occasional ruin sticking out of the snow. The whispering of the wind was our only companion, accompanied by the crouch of our boots. All three of us, the guys chosen to patrol this whole area around the base. Never mind the fact that we were kilometers from the frontlines, in Verdun. Fuck, why couldn't we be assingned to somewhere warmer like Greece or southern Italy? The war in Europe is almost over anyways, I doubt there's any need of having us here. Sure, the Euros are giving a hard time to our comrades in the front, but everyone knows it's only a matter of time before we win this.

Proving that I wasn’t the only one affected by the situation one of my companions, Dima, spoke up. “God, I’m sooo drinking some warm chocolate once we get back”. He was the youngest of our group, joined less than a month ago. He was tall and skinny, with a very white skin, short brown hair and eyes, pretty much your average young adult. “If we keep walking like this, I’ll join the navy…”

“Oh, so you can be stuck in a metal tube for a whole year?” The other member of my unit, Barin, interjected. I laughed at that, he always had a crappy sense of humor. He was very different from Dima, both in appearance and personality. He was from Iran and has been in my squad ever since it was formed, acting as the explosives and AT weapons specialist. He had a light tan skin and a very dark hair, which contrasted with his hazel eyes. Barin, like me, was in his mid-twenties. The two of us were old friend, having met almost a decade ago in the university. However, my two companions were not the only ones who composed my unit. Another three iconic figures didn’t had the pleasure of going out with us. I’m sure they envy us for our chance to walk around this frozen shithole…

There was Akio, a Japanese medic, known for being a guy of few words. He wasn’t very tall, nor particularly strong, but possessed an extensive knowledge on his profession and an extremely calm behavior, even during distressing situations. Another one was Suvorov, a tall and strong veteran (probably the biggest of us), also known for a laconic behavior, except when it came to his family, he loved to speak about them. I don’t really know his exact age, but his face showed a rough and hardworking life. His green eyes, while somewhat cold, also sparkled with experience.

The last one was Ilya, the newest addition to our group, and whom I had yet to get better acquired with. He was an average guy, as far as I knew, in both appearance and personality. He's caucasian and has a short black hair. Lastly, there was me, Sergeant Alexander Benedikt Terenti, the guy charged with leading these people. I’m also pretty average, nothing particularly interesting in my caucasian features, slightly longer brown hair and eyes. My time in the military got me a little stronger and fit, but nothing surprising.

We were finishing our latest assigment at the final hours of the day. A warm bed and a hot meal kept me on a quick pace. I just can't stand this place, even after more than one year dealing with artic weather I still can't get used to it. Every single time I step outside the low temperature reminds me of how far I am from home. If that wasn't bad enough, I also have go around risking my life in this merciless war.

“Ah, the outpost, we’re finally here!” Dima said with joy. In front of us, not very far, was a large complex of buildings composing our current base. This one was part of a series of outpost created to supply PAC troops moving into or from the frontlines, a few kilometers ahead in Verdun. The base was pretty big, and had a large number of supply containers spread out amongst the many structures. However, another huge thing resting inside dwarfed all of that. A metal monstrosity covered by a glowing shield envelope.

A massive Type-2 Titan Airborne Carrier, one of the newest and most terrifying weapons employed by our army. That thing was literally a floating ship, armed with anti-air and ground-facing cannons, carrying an entire fleet of air vehicles. Divided into a higher and lower deck, the massive vessel also had enough room for a large cargo bay, hangar, bridge and living quarters for the crew and company attached to it (on this case, us). The whole vessel was also surrounded by a shield envelope, making it almost untouchable. Acting as mobile bases and support mediums, Titans such as this (called Surena, by the way) are one of the central tools of this conflict.

However, they were also some of the main targets of both sides. These ships can only be destroyed by either using massive firepower, anti-titan missiles or by infiltrating it and sabotaging the central nuclear reactor.

“So, what do you guys want to do?” I asked casually as we approached the entrance of the outpost.

“Eh, I think I’ll check on the engineering guys…” Answered Barin, while Dima just shrugged.

“You want to hang out with those weirdoes?” I teased him.

Pretending to be shocked at my words, Barin placed a hand on his chest. “Wow Alex, some of those guys are nice, you know,” he said to me. “Plus, they always have some nice card games going around”.

“Really, Barin? You know how the military sees gambling, you should be more careful”. Honestly, most people don't really give a shit about this rule and similar ones, even some of the officers. However, I figured I might as well just leave a small warning, just in case.

“You mean like that whiskey bottle, back in Berlin?” He replied, raising an eyebrow. “I’m pretty sure that much alcohol is also not allowed”.

Fuck, that bastard and his quick thinking. “Uh… well… you know what? Fuck it, you want to go, do it, but don’t cry when the commander comes for your head”.

“As you wish, sergeant,” He said sarcastically, wondering of into the base.

Dima and I kept going to the titan, hoping to get away from the snow. Around us, the rest of the soldiers were going through their daily tasks. We were currently on a resupply duty, waiting for the necessary resources and manpower before going back to the frontline. As much as I despise the weather, I would reather stay here doing this than going into the front. Walking around here sucks, but to walk and fight? I had enough of that already...

"Barin, he may be my friend, but sometimes I can’t stand him." I commented, as we headed to the titan.

"I hear you, sir, I seriously can’t take those pranks anymore, shouldn’t he be doing that to Ilya?" said Dima. Ah yes, my old friend never disappoints, it's amazing how much effort he puts into giving a proper "grettings" to new guys in our company.

"Ilya may be the newest in the unit, private, but he's also a veteran, unlike you."

"Crap, I know, but still… it’s fucking annoying."

"Don’t worry about it, once we get in the battlefield he'll stop, he’s just playing with you."

We were now on the cargo bay, a wide room filled with containers and supply boxes. Moving carefully to avoid the people and objects, we made our way to the corridors of the vessel. Within minutes, we reached the armory, where we placed most of our gear. At that point I was in auto-pilot, doing the same thing I had done every day in the last week.

"Hey, you want to go to the living quarters?" Dima asked. "I was thinking we could rest and maybe eat something, you know," That suggestion came at no surprise to me. The first thing I noticed when he first joined my unit was how eager he always was to eat and rest.

"Alright, that sounds good" I answered.

So we headed there. These quarters were not particularly big; most rooms of the titan were, by necessity, kept to the minimum required. The cold metal walls and occasional tight spaces might seem a bit claustrophobic some times, but its enough to us. Going into the room, I felt happy at the prospect of resting until the next day. Wandering this frozen landscape, even when not in combat, is no easy task.

It’s the end of 2140, hard to believe we have been here for over a year. We've been fighting for about a year now, ever since the war began in 2139. Such a short time, and yet so much has happened... memories from what I saw at Minsk and Berlin are still fresh in my mind. Despite all that, I'm glad that things are looking good. Once we're done here in Verdun, there won't be much left to do, hopefully allowing us to go home.

"Do you think the war will end soon?" Dima asked from across our table, snapping me out of my thoughts. Now that's a good question...

I wondered for a few seconds, scraching my chin in deep thought. "Well, that’s hard to say" I answered. "I mean, I heard the Europeans are evacuating to Africa, plus, we were successful at Minsk, Belgrade and Berlin, so I guess things are looking pretty good". To be honest, I have no idea what might happen, I bet no one from the last century thought about an Ice Age going down, and yet here we are.

"Well, I hope it does end soon; there're enough problems as it is."

I suppose none of us truly wants this conflict to keep going, we're doing this out of necessity, not blind hate or ideologies. "We all do, kid."

The next ten minutes we spent chatting and enjoying some snacks we had acquired. It was a good moment, and that's usually not easy to have, for we're in a war, after all. It was simple, but I enjoyed. During this time, my mind kept wandering back to my home. I can't help but to feel anxious about my friends and family back there. I suppose my parents are most likely okay, dad and mom always worked hard and made sure we had everything we needed, even during our darkest times. Joining what they earn with my salary should be enough... I hope. Still, there are many others who might not be so luckly.

"I heard we're heading to the battlefield in a few days" Dima said, with some apprehension in his voice. Typical, the new guys are always afraid, it's understandable. The first time I got into combat was shocking, to say the least, but I suppose he'll grow stronger, eventually.

"Yes, I spoke with the captain about that; don’t worry kid, just keep your head down, follow my orders and you'll be fine," I didn’t really believe that, every day we suffered more and more casualties, but I couldn’t tell him that. He needed hope, something to hold on to. We've been fighting for a while now, and I have seen first hand just how deadly this place can be.

"I know, it’s just th–" He was interrupted by alarms flaring up. In an instant we were up, looking around with wide eyes as lights flashed. I could hear shouting around us, in the other rooms and through my radio. The sound of people running outside brought even more confusion to us.

"What the hell is going on!" I shouted.

Almost as if answering my call, the intercom system of the titan came to life. After a brief moment of static and background noises, a message confirming just what I feared came through.

"All units, be advised, enemy forces have been detected in the outpost!" The voice of the captain said. "All combat personnel, take defensive positions around the titan, non-combat personnel will take shelter inside the vessel!". What? Enemy attack? How's that even possible? We just passed through the outskirts of the base! This can't be true, we're miles away from the battlefield... fucking Europeans...

The two of us immediately went running back to the armory. The place was empty, for most units were already on guard duty, probably fighting the enemy outside. We quickly moved towards our respective lockers, taking our weapons and equippment out. Just as I ended putting my gear and armor on, I spotted two other members of my unit, Akio and Suvorov, grabbing their weapons. There was no time to waste, our minds were wrapped in the pragmatic behaviour of a military unit.

"Everyone with me, hurry up!" I shouted, heading to the corridors. My comrades followed me into the halls of the vassel, eager to aid everyone outside.

My mind was racing and my heart was pounding. I could hear other units on the radio, their desperate calls mixing with the sounds of battle. The situation was bad, from what I could pick up they were outnumbered and under heavy fire. I need to find the rest of the unit, Barin and Ilya. Maybe it was the adrenaline, but as we moved, it almost felt like a dream. I still couldn't believe on what was happening

How the hell did the Europeans got here? We had just patrolled the outer perimeter and this outpost was far away from the battlefield, it should be safe. Maybe they used low-flying transport ships? Stealth devices? I could only guess. I pushed all questions deep into my mind, "what matters is to take them down, everything else is a waste of time" I thought to myself, remenbering the words of our colonel.

"Soldiers, we got enemies inside the cargo bay, they're trying to sabotage our titan!" The captain informed. "Anyone still left inside the vessel is to head there and assist on halting their advance!" Shit, that can't be good, they shouldn't be able to get there this quickly.

That means us. With the new objective in mind, we continued our journey. However, a few steps later, we were forced to stop, as something happened. The floor… not just the floor, everything started shaking. At the same time, the air around us began to… shine, as if it was filled with crystals… somehow. Gradually, as we tried to hold on to something, these events grew stronger, at one point everything was so bright and the ground shook so hard, I lost balance and fell to the floor. I briefly wondered if this was the Titan's core exploding.

Before I could even think on what was happening, there was a bright flash, a loud snap, and then darkness.

Chapter 1: The Fall

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Chapter 1: The Fall

I woke up in pain, spread all over my body. My mind cloudy, requiring huge efforts to make the most basic ideas. They came in the form of questions, about what happened and what was doing pressure on my chest. It was something big and heavy, my arms (as I became aware of them) moved towards it, with my hands grabbing it. A box probably filled with supplies of some sort, which I slowly pushed away from me.

Hearing the noise of the object hitting the floor, I took a deep breath and attempted to stand. As I rose up, my mind organized itself, trying to make sense of things. I felt dizzy and had to be extra careful to keep steady. My eyes could only see darkness, my nose smelt something burning and my ears were still ringing.

Adjusting to the black void around me, my first instinct was to search for my trusty Krylov FA-37 assault rifle. At the same time, small bits of information came back to me. At first, the more generic information such as my own identity, and then the more complex ones. I’m a sergeant of the Pan-Asian Coalition, and it’s the year 2140. There're five soldiers under my command, the young Dima, my friend Barin, Akio, Suvorov and Ilya.

Before I could continue, I felt a hand on my left shoulder. I almost jumped, turning around as quickly as I could while trying to ignore my lack of balance. Despite my lack of perseption, I saw the obvious figure of a soldier standing in front of me.

The figure took a step back, probably surprised by my quick reaction. "Alex, is that you?" I instantly recognized Dima's voice. He sounded worried and his breathing was quick and heavy.

"Yes it is, private" My throat was extremely dry. My eyes refused to focus. "Any idea where the others are?"

"Akio and Suvorov are over there," He replied, pointing towards a spot ahead. "I do not recall anyone else coming with us."

Taking a glance at where he was pointing I spotted two more dark silluetes resting against a metal wall. As I continued to search for my weapon, a final question came up: Where is the rest of my unit? At that moment, my mind began to clear, and I remenbered why I was standing there, in some dark corridor. Memories of dashing through these corridors as alarms blared all around flashed through my mind. We were under attack, that’s why I was there, but something else happened. I remenber everything shaking and a lot of... shining stuff? Shining particles similar to crystals and a sudden wave of energy.

What could it be? A weapon of some sort? The titan is still standing and I’m still alive, so I guess the core is still in one piece and we didn’t get hit by anti-titan weaponry. Artillery barrage? That’s also unlikely, given that the enemy was already inside when it happened. Maybe some sort of new weapon... but still, they wouldn't use it at their own men. They may be losing the war, but are they that desperate? The outpost is also far from any major fault line so an earthquake is also out of question.

"Any guesses to what's going on, sergeant?" Dima asked.

Right before answering, I spotted my rifle. "Well, we're still alive so I don't think the euros got to the reactor, not yet anyways," I said while picking up my weapon, lying not far from where I woke up. "Check your gear; make sure you didn't lose anything."

While Dima was busy I approached the other two, both lying against one of the walls. Akio was speaking to Suvorov, who answered through his helmet's speaker. He was the only one of us wearing a full-face helmet. It was bulkier, but provided more protection, especially against toxic gases. They seemed to be all right, as far as I could tell. None of them sounded to be in pain and I didn't see any blood. Then again, it was very dark with only the occasional flicker of some of the emergency lights to provide a better sight.

"How are you two?" I asked. They both snapped in attention as they noticed me.

"Nothing broken, sir" Akio said in his Japanese accent while he and Suvorov stood back up. Unlike Dima, these two were veterans, there was no trace of fear or doubt in their voices. No shaking or heavy breathing.

Normally, I would preffer to stay there for a moment and get a better picture of what exactly is going on. However, we don't have the luxury of time to wait, not when our Titan is at stake. Our comrades out there still need our help and every second wasted could mean an extra bodybag going home.

There were footsteps behind me. "So, how do we proceed?" Asked Dima as he approached us. "Should we keep going to the cargo bay?"

The obvious thing to do would be to keep going to our previous objective, but things have changed. Our eletronic devices are either shut down or rebooting, that means we could end up in an ambush or under friendly fire. "No, that place is probably a mess, and we don't know how many hostiles or friendlies are in the area. We should go to the hangar and try to find the commander." I didn't know for sure where the captain was, but that was my best guess. Even if we don't find him, it's still a safer place to rally.

With no further words, we moved deeper into the halls of the Titan. The almost constant darkness and the lack of noise gave a claustrophobic feeling to the whole place. All we could hear were distant sounds, muffed by the thick walls of the vessel, and the heavy thuds of our boots. Occasionally, we bumped into something laying on the floor. Whether they were bodies or objects, I did not know.

Eventually we approached our goal; in front of us laid a set of metal doors, separating us from the hangar. That’s the place our captain would most likely be. That room is where most of our preparations for the upcoming action were happening. It’s a wide and tall place, with plenty of space for two aircrafts to land and for necessary supplies or spare parts they might need. In addition, a small section of it is equipped with several control consoles, giving access to the Titan’s weapons.

Reaching the entrance, we began to hear, thankfully, the sound of movement on the other side. This discovery brought a wave of relief on all of us, almost instantly dissipating the tension that we had accumulated along the way. After manually opening those doors (since the power was out), we were greeted with a scene best described as… organized chaos.

There were quite a lot of people inside, mostly crewmembers, but also a few soldiers. The crowd was split in multiple tasks such as clearing objects laying around and checking injures of the less fortunate. What truly got my attention, however, was another group, who were dragging multiple dead bodies to a lonely corner. That sight reminded me of my missing comrades, bringing a feeling of apprehension on the prospect of their possible fates. Despite the sudden wave of fear and doubt, almost as if a hammer had hit me in the chest, I pushed these feelings aside and continued my search.

My eyes scanned the room and I spotted something moving towards us, in the corner of my vision. Turning my attention to it, I saw another person. A white man, wearing PAC uniform and armor, but with a distinguishable green beret resting on top of his blonde short hair, instead of a helmet. The man I was looking at, was Captain Nicolay Nevesky, the commander of the Surena. His blue eyes fully locked into mine as he came closer, bearing an annoyed expression. Yet, despite his facial expression, his behavior still showed the same calm and determined personality I was used to.

"Men, how're you all holding? Any of you wounded?" Nicolay asked. The same pragmatic tone, as you would expect from an officer. I knew he didn't really meant that, my previous experiences under his leadership had proven to me how much he cared about keeping those under his command alive and healthy. However, this's still an army and we're still in some deep shit, so this kind of behavior is a necessity.

Our medic took a step forward. "No sir, just a few bruises here and there" replied Akio. "Do you have any information on the situation, sir?"

The captain shifted his attention to Akio, crossing his arms. "I was actually hoping you could provide me with something new; as you may already have noticed on your way here, most systems are down or rebooting."

"You think the Euros are testing a new toy on us?" Asked Dima. Despite the small joke, he was still pretty anxious. Expected, given this was his first engagement.

Nicolay, on the other hand, was the opposite. He looked surprisingly calm, despite the situation. "That would normally be my first guess but something's not right, why would they use this after the beginning of the attack? Some of them were already inside when this happened..." He answered.

"Maybe they can only use it at close range or something." Dima suggested.

He shook his head. "I don't think so, they would be risking their own men, and it's rather unlikely the Euros would throw away soldiers like that, especially when they're getting their asses kicked by us," That got a few smirks from us. "But whatever this is, we need to find out exactly what's going on, I have already ordered some of the soldiers we got in touch to take defensive positions close to the cargo bay."

"Any hostiles, sir?" Dima asked.

"Negative private, it seems the enemy is just as spooked as we are, another unit just informed me they seem to be pulling out, likely to regroup," Now that is really interesting. Just what in god's name is going on? None of this makes sense.

Deciding to cut this conversation short, I stepped in. "So, what do you need us for, commander?" I asked him. As much as I enjoy speaking with the captain, we still had a job to do. In addition, my mind kept thinking about my missing comrades, urging me to search for them.

Nicolay turned to face me with a determined expression. "Sergeant Terenti, I need you and your soldiers come outside with me, we need to look for any missing units and have a better look at the enemy, understood?" He replied.

"Yes sir" We all answered.

With everything decided we made our way down the front of the vessel. Normally we would go through the cargo bay, on the back, but since this would likely end up with us face-to-face with an unknown number of hostiles, this was the safest way. Climbing down was neither fast nor comfortable, but we made it down fine. my black boots made contact with the snow just as everyone else arrived.

All of us were wearing the standard PAC equipment. Black boots and gloves, grey uniform (similar to a jumpsuit), black gear and armor. Some of the plates bearing the iconic white Lotus flower (the insignia of our coalition). It looked well and professional, but tended to be quite easy to spot in a predominantly white landscape (like modern day Europe).

Reaching the snow-covered concrete ground of the outpost, I scanned the area around me. Moving my head a little, I looked at every building, metal container and pile of boxes nearby, instinctvely searching for anything unusual. As I did so, I felt something was wrong. At first, I became confused, unable to understand the origin of this strange feeling.

However, I began to pick up a few concerning things. The air smelt wrong; instead of the usual dense and slightly dry thing I’m used to, I now felt a crisp and arid air passing through my nostrils. Moreover, the temperature had changed. It was hard to tell at first, since my uniform and gear were designed to isolate the user from outside climate (since we were fighting on extreme environments). Despite that, I was still able to feel something in the parts that were either not covered (like most of my face) or not as thick. The temperature was much higher, very different from the artic conditions we should be facing.

A small sense of panic surged through me and I snapped my eyes to the horizon, looking beyond the outpost. What I saw brought a shiver down my spine. The geography was completely wrong.

Instead of open fields, filled with snow and a few trees, I saw rocky hills surrounding us on all sides. The lack of snow was another disturbing fact; as soon as the outpost ended, it also did, as if there was an invisible border. Outside was not a tundra, as expected, but a cracked brown soil fully devoid of vegetation.

Part of me wanted to panic. I could deal with getting knock out, as a soldier, I was trained to deal with that, not easy, but I could do it. I had faced quite a few distressing situations ever since the war began in 2139. However, getting… teleported… to somewhere else, also during an attack? That was quite a challenge to my skills. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. There must be some sort of explanation for this.

I predicted the rest of my comrades were probably noticing the same things, but none of us spoke a word. We just kept moving, in our way there was nothing more than a few supply boxes and concrete barriers separating different sectors. Maybe we were too stunned or simply in denial of what was happening, but whatever the case, we had a job to do.

After a few minutes, our group reaching the half of the titan, being extra careful in the darkness of the night, we started to hear something. In the distance it appeared to be gunshots, but closer to us there was shouting, a lot of it. All of us tensed up; in a split of second, each of us moved to the nearest cover and kept our heads low.

"Does anyone has his NetBat back up?" Nicolay asked, with all of us shaking our heads and whispering "no" as an answer.

"Any Ideas, sir?" Dima said.

"Well, there is only one thing to do, all of you get ready."

We proceeded to point our weapons to what we believe was the origin of the noise, which was gradually getting closer. I could feel some adrenaline shooting inside me, as I wondered what might be coming. I looked through my scope, waiting for any kind of dark shape or sign of movement. My finger already near the trigger.

"Pan-Asian Coalition, identify yourselves!" Shouted the commander.

For a moment all the noise immediately ahead of us stopped. The answer came in the form of more shouting, gunshots and… laughter, why the fuck are they laughing? Not wasting any time we returned fire to the now hostiles in our front, a distinguishable blue flash leaving the muzzle of my weapon every time I pulled the trigger, the sounds of battle filling my ears as I searched for targets. I fired a few rounds into the general direction of the enemy, accompanied by the rest of the unit. Eventually, I began to make out the shape of our attackers and trace the origin of the gunfire.

One thing I began to notice was that this fight was almost entirely one-sided; whomever we were shooting at clearly lacked military training, maybe some sort of militia? That would be unlikely given where the outpost should be (deep inside our territory), but it was clearly no longer there. Perhaps we somehow landed in North Africa (under E.U control). Our enemy had a poor accuracy and trigger dicipline. They were doing way too much noise, constantly shouting and laughting.

Another interesting fact was that I couldn't understand what they were saying (that is, what I could pick up over the sounds of gunshots). It was definitely not English, the most common among the usually multinational European troops, in fact, it didn’t sound like anything I had heard or known, which would be very difficult given that I was versed in quite a few languages (kind of a personal hobby).

All these factors were adding to the idea that we were not fighting a regular European unit (like the one trying to sabotage our titan), but a militia. Oh, how I wished this were the case…

As the fight intensified, I took notice of my own condition. My body shook, I could feel my teeth grinding and sweat dripping my messy brown hair beneath the helmet. I have been fighting for over a year and I still could not get used to this. My analysis stopped with a shout near me.

"Hostile braking from cover!" Suvorov shouted just as I spotted something moving in the right corner of my vision. I turned a little towards my new target.

Before I could take aim, however, a round of Suvorov’s rifle hit the target. After that, the fighting started to quiet down, and in a few moments, likely less than 2 minutes after it begun, the fighting stopped. Slowly we stood up, most of us trying to find any remaining enemies while Akio quietly asked if we had been hurt, a negative answer coming from all of us. We silently looked around, pointing our weapons to anything that might pose a threat.

After it was clear there were no threats ahead, we began to move forward in order to check the bodies. I made my way to the one Suvorov had taken out.

I had a feeling there something wrong with all this (which added to my previous findings didn’t exactly helped me to calm down). I only saw that hostile for a split of second but there was something wrong with it. The height was wrong, it was way too short to be a grown man, maybe an animal? Alternatively, maybe… god forbids it… a child. That thought send a chill down my spine. My heart was pounding in my chest as I approached the dark form.

What I saw was the opposite of anything I could have expected, it was… how can I describe it? It looked like an animal, bigger than a dog, but the proportions were off; the head was quite big in relation to the body, covered by a red coat and black mane. Not only that, it seem to be wearing some sort of leather jacket with spikes and other metal parts in it, also a few holes in (including the one I guessed Suvorov added). It reminded me of an equine, it had hooves and the way the mane and muzzle looked also gave that idea. A horse or a... pony? What the fuck?

If I was having trouble dealing with this whole thing before, at that moment my training and experience were the only things keeping me from panicking. How the fuck was I supposed to deal with this? What… what did this even mean? Ponies… I can’t even believe I’m saying something like this. This is way too fucked up for me. Was this thing shooting at me? No, that's fucking impossible!

As I started to wander if the Euros had finally lost their minds, using mutated ponies on us, I heard my comrades having an intense argument, probably about the same thing I was seeing. Making my way to them I notice some information popping up in my glasses, looks like my interface is back online. As I came closer, I noticed other bodies of... ponies laying around. However... there were no people, just ponies. Where the fuck are the Europeans?

"How the fuck were this freaks even shooting at us?" One of them said. Around the corpses were guns... or at least something similar to guns.

Gradually, the argument began to escalate. Several of my comrades were speaking at the same time, all of them questioning this sick event. I don't blame them, if we weren't near the front lines I would assume this was some sort of joke or surprise. "T-this one has some sort of gun on its mouth..." I heard another saying.

"You think that's weird, this one has a fucking horn!"

"I'm beginning to miss the Europeans…"

As the argument came to the verge of shouting, another voice broke out. "All right, everyone calm down!" Nicolay said, all soldiers turning to face him, most of them not far from my own state. If the shaky hands were anything to go by, even the commander was having trouble keeping his composure. "Our priorities have changed; we need to find out what the fuck is going on."

"Well, either this is a sick joke or the Euros just went insane" Dima said.

"A joke would not involve casualties and why in gods name would they make something like this?" He replied. "Plus, I doubt they would waste precious resources on this kind of insanity."

"They are desperate, who knows what they are capable of doing?" Countered Suvorov.

"Look, even if they were behind this, they would likely provide better equipment; look at the state of their gear."

He had a point, the things this freaks were using were in varying degrees of decay, most of them also didn't look like anything the Europeans had. however, if the Europeans were not the cause of this, then what is? Different geography, a higher temperature and mutated… pony…. Things. I guess it is clear we are no longer in Europe, but then where exactly.

There's no way that something like these creatures would go unnoticed, the world may be in chaos but we are still in the 22th century with all its technology, there is no place on the planet that would be this isolated, unless… no. Okay, yes, things might be really strange right now, but...

Even if I assume this is a different world or dimension, there's no way the gravity and atmosphere would be so close to Earth that we would not have instantly noticed. The chances of this coincidence are too small, and even if it was true, it still doesn't answer the question on what brought us here.

My shock slowly started to give way to a boiling anger. First an ice age, then a war, and now this? Every day I had to live with the pain of being far from my family, now I get to be literary a fucking universe away. I didn't ask for this, I would give anything for a moment of peace and tranquility back home, I can only imagine how the rest of my comrades are doing.

Look, I didn't hate being in the army, I made the choice to join alone, and I was aware of the possible consequences. I didn't like it (who in his right mind would like a war?), but I was ok with it, I liked my comrades and I was happy to serve my country. However, that didn't make any easier regarding my loved ones, I always looked forward to visit them once I had the chance.

I knew Suvorov had a wife and daughter, he always told us about them during our free time (when he was not being laconic, that is), same goes to Akio, except he's waiting for a son instead, two months from now if I’m not mistaken. Dima and Barin were both young, like me.

"All right, sir, what do you suggest?" Said Dima.

"Do all of you have your systems back online?" All of us nodded "Good, then I'll try to get in touch with the rest of the soldiers, we need to stand down and think our next move. In addition, if the Euros are not the cause of this…" He took a deep breath, "We might have to ask for a truce…" We didn't take that idea very well.

Those Euros where the reason behind much of our problems. We have been at war for almost a year, and they were a constant threat to us even before the conflict got hot. I'm not about to throw my gun just because of some failed experiment or weapon. "You mean surrender, ask for their surrender right, sir?" I told him "They did try to attack us."

"I am well aware of that, sergeant, but we cannot afford to fight before we know what's happening. We need to know exactly what's going on, and we can't do it while killing each other."

"What? I'm sorry sir, but we can't just stand down!" I said. "They have the blood of our unit on their hands!"

His eyes narrowed. "These are my men you're talking about, seargent," I took a step back, "I'm just as mad as you are, but look around you, whatever this is, it's big, and we can't afford to deal with this and the Euros."

Part of me didn't like this, but Nicolay had a point. There's no way we would be able to concentrate on figuring this out while fighting them. In addition, we needed all the help we could get… that is, if those bastards are willing to.

With no further questioning, we resumed our journey to the other side, with Nicolay sending orders and sharing information with other units as we walked. As the sounds of gunshots grew closer, a new obstacle confronted us, bodies, PAC and EU alike, none of them alive (as far as I could tell), with varying degrees of wounds but all equality staining the snow red.

It was obvious the Euros were fighting the same threat as we, since none of the other squads reported contact. That fact only further proved the idea that they were not behind this. Even if they are not guilty of this recent problem, they were still attempting to sabotage our titan before.

Ever since we started engagements around Verdun, we have had multiple cases of EU forces infiltrating and destroying our vessels before they could deliver personnel and supplies into the front. Those actions were the main reason why a small, but resilient, EU force has been holding us back from seizing the rest of the continent.

Getting closer to our objective and with the sounds of battle near, but much less intense, we took cover by a large metal container. To our left was the entrance to the cargo bay and the origin of those sounds, to our front was a small concrete building, likely a garage for repairing vehicles. After checking for any threats, we headed into the building.

Steeping inside I noticed the interior was exactly what I expected, mostly just tools and spare parts for vehicles. The only thing unusual was a body of a P.A.C near one of the walls. I approached it while the rest took cover around. I carefully went to my knees in an effort to take his dog tags, but as I did so, his features started to look familiar. A silent gasp left my lips as I realized who I was looking at.

He was Ilya… A quick look on his dog tags proved that. He's dead... those fuckers killed him! This discovery made me angry, not just at the enemy, but at my own incompetence. I was aware to this possibility, as a sergeant my priorities were always to get the job done, even with the occasional sacrifice of resources and men. Yet I still felt bad whenever this happened, I may be aware of the necessity, but I still desire to save as many soldiers as possible.

He was not the first that died, but that did not make it any easier. Part of me felt badly for not getting to know him better, he was in my unit for more than a month and we barely spoke, maybe this was better, you know, to avoid being attached.

We all knew the risks when we joined, but I guess that even then none of us truly expects to end up with three bullets on the chest. I can only hope Barin is doing better.

I wasted no time braking the news to my comrades, who were just as shocked as I was. Dima was the most affected, for he was the most charismatic of our group, always trying to know everyone better. Before our little commotion could continue, however, Nicolay decided to start the… negotiations with our enemies.

As the commander begun to speak I decided to sit down for a while. I was exhausted; the sheer intensity of everything that happened was starting to affect me, both physically and mentally.

I guess that moment was when the whole situation started to sink in, this was not like getting lost in the woods, taking the wrong road or something. Usually, when you get lost, you always have an idea of where you are, even if you do not know your immediate surroundings. Be it the general region or just the nation, you have a piece of information, something to hold on to. Our case was much worse, we had absolute no idea of what is going on and where we are. We had zero information, nothing to base our actions or to look forward. What options did we have?

"I was actually wandering the same about you, no, we don't know anything about this freaks…"

I could see Dima approaching me; he sat down next to me and lowered his head, taking occasional glances towards Ilya. Dammit, the new ones, like Dima, are always the worst, getting attached and all that. Hopefully after a few weeks he will learn better, I needed capable people in my unit.

"Look, you know there is something big going on; all I am asking is that we stop the fighting for a moment and figure this whole thing out."

I wonder what we are going to do with the bodies; we will likely have to bury them here, wherever here was. This was not rare on the battlefield but still… forcing their families to bury or burn an empty coffin. Well, what can I say, this is a war, and things happen in a war. I can't do much for those who fall, all I can do is keep going.

"We don't have to be friends, but like it or not we are stuck together, we got better chances to make through this cooperating"

The next few minutes were went by with Nicolay trying to work things out with the Euros. Despite the occasional disagreement he was a fair and experienced leader, I do not recall him ever letting those under his command down. There was even a rumor among the troop that he wrote a few works on military history before the war.

My line of thought stopped as I realized the commander had ceased talking.

"I've got movement outside, sir" Said Suvorov, looking out by one of the small windows. "Looks like a European."

"Hold your fire, corporal," answered the commander. "I need you all to calm down; I'm going outside alone to meet him."

Despite protests from us, he went outside. Once he was a few meters from the Euro, they both formally saluted and proceeded to talk, despite clearly tensed at each other’s presence. After about ten minutes, he radio us to go meet him, the other apparently doing the same (I could not tell much since he was wearing a full-face helmet).

We carefully made our way to Nicolay. As we got closer, I noticed some other Euro soldiers on the other side, using a distinguishable combination of winter camouflaged uniforms, black gear and black armor with a few… orange pieces.

Nicolay explained to us the following: The Europeans had agreed on a truce as long as we shared the outpost for the time being until we figured the whole thing out. They would be allowed stay on the outside (I was okay with that), the cargo bay and the medical facilities inside the titan (I was not okay with that).

After he shared the whole data with us and other units, we separated into multiple tasks. Akio went check on the wounded, Suvorov went looking for Barin, Dima and I were tasked with scouting the rest of the outpost, staying as far away as we could from the Euros as we did so.

Just as we completed our assignments, the sun began to rise, bringing with it the light of a new day, and a new assignment.

Footnote:

SPECIAL: Alexander B. Terenti

Strength: 5 [+]

Perception: 7 [+]

Endurance: 6 [+]

Charisma: 4

Intelligence: 7

Agility: 5

Luck: 5

Perk added: PAC Trooper – Your years of combat experience grant you +1 to Perception and Strength as well as 25% accuracy bonus when wielding rifles or semi-automatic pistols.

Trait added: Human – Your dexterous hands give you extra 15 points each to repair and survival, as well as +1 to Endurance. However, you suffer -15% carry weight and -50% movement speed over open ground. Due to your alien appearance, equine characters may flee from you or attack without provocation.

Chapter 2: Terra Incognita

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Chapter 2: Terra Incognita

I didn’t want to do this, not at first. My life back home was good and I would always prefer to help people, instead of fighting them, no matter who they are. I still don’t know exactly what drove me into joining the fight… maybe it was just anger at seeing my country invaded, or perhaps hearing about my friends enlisting. Was it the right choice? Can't say what I did made any significant difference, and none of it will compansate for the horrors I have seen.

The cold war... how did we even end up in this situation? Things are pretty bad, that much is obvious, hunger and migrations have already resulted in several riots and conflicts across the globe and the near future doesn’t look promising. However, to think this could escalate into open warfare... I don’t think anyone could predict that.

High level diplomatic talks were still going on when they first crossed the border. No one expected this, not even the high command. We were unprepared for the assault, thinking that it wouldn't come for at least a few years. We had underestimated how desperate our enemy was to get more resources, and paid a heavy price for being so careless. That doesn’t mean, of course, that we didn’t try to stop them, everyone did what they could to slow them down, fighting all the way from the Baltic sea to the Persian Gulf. Still, it wasn't nearly enough, one by one our cities fell, and within a year our forces had retreated all the way back to France. The continent was lost.

-x-

I looked through the scope of my weapon, staring at the outpost ahead. This is one is bigger than usual. There was a large number of people wandering around, all of them completely unaware of us. I could see the soldiers standing on their posts, easily distinguishable from the rest with their black armor. I allowed my lips to twist into a vague smile. They will never know what hit them.

“Come in Alpha, what’s your status, over?” A voice called from my radio. I knew who it was right away.

“This is Alpha, we’ve reached our location,” I answered, still watching the enemy base. “Ready to go on your mark, over.”

The person I was talking to was Captain Dante. He’s the leader of our company, currently tasked to infiltrate and destroy PAC Titans operating in the region. Not really an easy job, but good enough to buy us some time, while the rest of the army evacuates to Africa. “Alright Alpha, we’ll begin our assault in five minutes, over and out”. This is the third Titan we come across, and while we’re all tired from fighting, I can’t help but to feel some excitement coming up, mixed with adrenaline.

I could hear the cold wind whispering around us. Thankfully, me and most of the company were using full-faced helmets, which were heavier, but provided full isolation from the outside. My armor and equipment felt heavy, restricting my movements quite a bit, but that feeling also brought a small sense of relief, reminding me that I was fully protected from whatever might come.

I grabbed my radio with a free hand. “You heard him people, everyone get ready,” I said to the rest of my squad. “I want units one and three to attack the depot near the entrance; the rest will stay here and provide covering fire until we neutralize their forward defenses.”

I turned away from my scope and looked to my companions. Closer to me was my own unit, made up of one machine gunner and two riflemans. The machine gunner, corporal Elliot, was a nice guy, came from a British family, and would try to be friendly when outside of combat. There was also Private Dias and Medici, both of them quite new but fairly competent soldiers. Further away from me were the other units under my command.

I shifted a little in my spot, preparing for the upcoming battle. Once again, I looked through the scope of my weapon, aiming at a soldiers standing near a truck. “Okay, everyone take aim, we’ll attack on my mark…”

-x-

“We can’t trust them!” I said, trying to keep my voice down.

“What choice do we have?” The captain replied, crossing his arms. Around us, the rest of the company continued to discuss, whispering their opinions and objections as the two of us talked. “You saw what’s going on; we have no idea of what this could mean.”

I looked away for a second, thinking of a good answer. “Do you really think they’re just going to stand down and just forget about everything? We’re at war, for all we know they’ll shoot us the first chance they get!” I wanted to believe they were actually interested in a truce, especially after what happened, but I couldn’t risk it, not when the lives of my companions were at risk.

No one knows what happened. One moment we were fighting our way into the enemy Titan, the next, we’re still on the base, but in a whole different setting. After I recovered from this… “fall”, I was stunned to see a completely different geography, temperature and weather around us. It felt as if something had sent us to North Africa. All of us were shocked and confused, not really sure how to proceed.

However, as we pulled back and attempted to reorganize ourselves, we were confronted by something completely unexpected (after sudden teleportation, that is). At first, we thought they were PAC troops or friendly fire, the reality was… shattering, to say the least. We were attacked by something that wasn't human. They looked like weird horses or ponies, wearing scraps of armor and rudimentary firearms.

I honestly couldn’t believe my eyes. They had big heads, weird snouts and, sometimes, even horns. In addition, the color of their coats and manes went from light purple to deep red, the whole fucking rainbow.

How would any of this be possible? It makes zero sense, and yet the bodies were completely real. This was the kind of situation which leads any normal person to question their sanity.

What this could mean? I don't think even the PAC would do something like this. Plus, they are also calling for a truce, which they would never do unless they were just as confused as we are. The only thing I know for sure, is that all of this joined with our lack of signal for GPS and all types of long range comunications proves we’re a long way from home.

“Look Edward, I know you don’t like this,” Dante said. “None of us really do, but we won’t be able to figure this out if we have to watch our backs for the PAC too.”

I closed my eyes for a second. I couldn't ignore my anger at them. They were the enemy and even in a situation like this I still felt the need to fight them... but I could also see how stupid that idea was. There is something wrong here, something that goes beyond the war, and perhaps it would be for the best if we had the time to catch our breaths. “I suppose that’s true… still, we should keep our guard up.”

He nodded. “We will, lieutenant”.

That was the end of our small argument. Without further issues, we quickly stablished a truce and a few ground rules. It felt wrong to do this, just pretend nothing happened, even as bodies from both sides littered the ground. However, as Dante said, we don’t have much of a choice, and we don't have to like it. Soon, as we finally managed to take care of our dead and wounded, the dawn came and we were assigned to a new task… scouting.

-x-

The landscape isn’t very interesting. It looks like we’re in some sort of canyon, the soil lacks vegetation and is completely dry. Obviously, this place doesn’t see a lot of raining. I suppose we should try to find some landmarks to guide ourselves… since our GPS systems are offline. Where on Earth would we need to be to get away from satellite coverage? I mean, perhaps if we were somewhere in the pacific this might be the case, but this place clearly isn’t.

Maybe we’re in Central Asia? Or China? Both of these places have large deserts and are somewhat isolated… but that still doesn’t explain the freakish ponies. Goddammit… there’s a thousand questions going through my mind and not a single answer, hopefully we can find something around here, anything, that will help. Could this place be... beyond Earth? I really hope not, but I'm running out of explanations.

After we managed to look around the base and have a better understanding of our surroundings, I decided to push on. Eventually, after some walking, we spotted something. Our binoculars revealed some sort of old farm. The sight had brought a wave of hope to all of us, but as we got closer, we began to notice something was off. We sat down on a hill, not very far from the place, and gave a closer look with our scopes and binoculars. What we discovered was a new group of mutated equines. I also took notice on the state of the buildings, all of them looked very old and had a... strange design. They looked like something from the 1950s... with a different touch. In addition, it appeared they were not made for tall people, if the size of doors were anything to go by.

Well, I suppose what truly matters are the people inside, about six identified so far. If what we’re seeing is anything to go by, these creatures are probably from the same group that attacked us a few hours ago, during the night. Funny, I should probably be thankful, without them, it’s very likely the PAC and us would still be killing each other. I don’t really like the idea of having a truce with those fuckers, but I guess this is kind of a special occasion.

The place was similar to a refugee camp, like the ones back home. Ever since the crisis had begun, the growing refugee population gave birth to countless camps around the globe. The city were I spent most of my life, Tunis, was crawling with them. The fact that I was fighting against people in similar condition, makes me feel... guilty, in a way. I had spent over two years of my life dedicated to volunteer work for people in need. Now, here I am about to attack something scarily similar.

We had to do this. Until we have the situation under control we must consider any armed creature as a hostile. These people looked equal to the ones we killed previously, and they are standing too close to the PAC base.

I’m a lucky person, born in a wealthy family already well-established in Africa. During my childhood, I never had to live in one of those camps, or deal with the lack of resources, only seeing people in need while walking through the city at occasion. However, that didn’t stop me from helping the less fortunate, once I became older.

"You sure they're hostiles, son?" Asked Dante, through the radio "Wouldn't want to add civilians to our body count, over."

"It appears so, sir, they're armed and in the same state as the ones we took down, over" I replied.

"Alright, you have permission to neutralize them, be careful and don't take any chances, over."

"Acknowledged, sir, over and out."

It was time for action, this was not going to be simple (it hardly ever is), but we had a job to do. I didn't like it, but it was my duty. Now, there were four major points of interest, the three buildings, arranged around a central square, and a small hill to their right. We were stationed at a higher, but more distant position, facing the front of the farm.

Our group had seven people, four from my own team and three extras . The idea was to send Elliot, and another soldier, Private Dias, to the hill next to the farm, so they could provide covering fire. Meanwhile, the rest of us would split in two teams, the three extras on one, Medici and me on another.

When the time came, all of us would take down anyone wondering outside. The support team (Elliot and Dias) would suppress anyone still left within view, covering the rest of us as we advance towards the farm. Once there, each team would clear one of the side buildings, a shack for us, and a small barn for the others, and then both groups would clear the main house.

"Sir, you sure about this?" Dias asked.

"What do you mean, private?" I said.

"You know... attacking these people without provocation?"

"What we're doing is self-defense."

"Self-defense against people who saw an outpost pop out of nowhere with a bunch of armed aliens, can you blame them?" Elliot countered. "Then again, I guess the option of diplomacy went out of the window during the night…"

"Well, we can't do much about it now, can we? I don't like this either but they're still a threat. Anyway, you have any actual questions about the plan?" They all shook their heads in response. "Okay, let's go."

We split up, as one group went to the hill and the rest of us took cover by some rocks further ahead. I kept my rifle ready, watching the enemy through my scope.

Once the support team was in place, we all started to pick targets. Our Network Battlefield System (NetBat), which connected all our helmets to share information and communicate, allowed us to tag the enemy, and provided crucial information such as friendly tags and objective markers. I kept a tight grip on my SCAR-11 as I took aim at a pony, one of the horned variety (a unicorn?), with a bright yellow coat and white mane, using a spiked armor (all of them seemed to love that), seated against the wall of the shack with a spear on its hooves.

I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins, I did not enjoy killing one bit, but the tension of going into action… it was addictive. Yet a small part of me still felt bad for what we were doing, this is not how a first contact should go. I guessed everyone was having a similar reaction.

"Everyone in position?"

"Support team in position."

"Strike two in position"

"Copy that, get ready. Support team, on your mark."

A few moments later, Elliot and Dias opened fire, followed by the rest of us. The farm was quickly overtaken by a storm of bullets. I fired three shots, one of them missed, the other two hit the pony on the chest, there was no reaction, it simply fell down and stopped moving. In a few seconds, most hostiles were dead or taking cover, the automatic fire from Elliot keeping them at bay. We wasted no time in advancing, going fast and keeping our heads low.

It took us less than two minutes to reach the farm itself.

Reaching our objective, I switched to the under-barrel shotgun my assault rifle was equipped with, better suited to close distance. We carefully proceeded around the shack, avoiding the body of my recent target on the way and pressing ourselves against the old wooden walls, there was an entrance right next to us. I signaled Medici to hold up behind me, took a step closer, and turned into the small shelter.

What greeted me was terrifying, not the normal items like clothes, furniture and blankets, but a large number of… skulls, and other bones, organized along a few shelves, like a twisted home decoration. The bones obviously belonged to other equines, and I couldn't surpress the shudder that went down my spine as I saw all of that.

Why the hell would somebody do that? Now, as I said earlier, I get it they are not living in good conditions, but what I saw there was outright creepy. The kind of stuff you see in horror movies. Part of me is no longer that sorry about fighting them… Yet this also raise a lot of questions. Just who the fuck are we fighting against? Is this some sort of primitive tribal society? A local group of serial killers?

Snapping out of the shock, I told my companion it was all clear, and continued our advance to the backside of the main building. What few windows I saw were boarded up. There were no enemies as we reached the backside and took cover near a closed door.

"This is Strike one; we have reached the backside of the main building, what's your status, bravo?" I asked.

"Bravo here, we have secured the barn, but we got about three hostiles shooting at us from the front" The leader of Bravo said.

"Support team, do you have a visual?"

"Negative, only the floor above them" They replied.

"All right, bravo, keep their attention, we'll infiltrate the building and neutralize them."

"Acknowledge, sir, be careful in there."

This was something I wanted to avoid, these houses, apparently, were made for ponies, and as a result, we had a disadvantage once inside. We would have to duck under every doorway. The original idea was to use grenades once we were close, guess I will have to do it myself, from the inside. We had also considered the possibility of asking them to surrender, but because of the language barrier, and since none of them had drooped their weapons or done anything that could be taken as such, this was also out of question.

"Do you have anything in your heartbeat sensor?" I asked Medici. The device he was carrying did what the name implied, and worked as a small sensor we could use to detect enemies at close range, very usefull when clearing buildings such as this.

"I got five, sir, three close to the front, the other two are on the left side" He answered.

Keeping that information in mind, I slowly opened the door and sneaked inside (not easy when wearing full armor). I was in a small corridor; to my right was the way to a basement, to my left, the entrance to a kitchen. The interior was in a severe state of decay, the floor only had a few pieces of carpet on it, the walls had lost most of their color, and overall this place was no different to a warzone.

What stroke me as weird was the similarity this place had to something back home, I mean, the exterior being similar was one thing, the weather seemed similar, therefore the building would be, but the interior as well? In addition, the fact they had corridors and kitchens was confusing. Why would they divide their space the same way we did?

Anyway, I was not there to discuss interior design. I silently told Medici to go clear the basement, while I took care of the front, bringing one grenade to my hand as I said that. He got the message and proceeded to his task, going down to the basement and leaving my sight, while I peeked inside the next room, the kitchen. No targets inside, I guessed the other two must be on the second floor.

I brought a hand to my radio. "Support team, this is alpha; I believe we got two hostiles on the second floor to the left side, do you have a visual?" I whispered into the radio.

"Negative, all the windows there are blocked" I'm beginning to reconsider if that hill was so important…

Not wasting more time, I took a single step inside the kitchen, and took cover near the entrance to the living room, where the three main targets were. They were firing outside, completly oblivious to me. I didn't dare to take a peek, too afraid of revealing myself. I silently took the pin off, waited for a second, and sent the grenade inside the room, hearing a distinct metalic sound as it hit the floor. At that moment, one of the ponies stopped firing, and shouted something, just as the explosive went off, shrieks off pain accompanying the resulting bang.

There was no time to wait for the dust to settle. I quickly jumped inside the living room, weapon pointed and ready. The smoke cleared revealing the remains of the enemy, their bodies and armor torn by the shrapnel, two of them with those… mouth guns… and one wearing one of those… saddle… things… with rifles mounted…

"All right, enemy neutralized. Bravo, come inside and secure the rest of the first floor, I'm going to the second" I informed everyone.

Slowly I ascended to the next floor, once there I found myself again in a small corridor, to my right there were two doors, and in the end, a third one. I peeked inside the first, seeing nothing of interest, just some old furniture and empty glass bottles, before I pulled my head back, however, I heard the sound of the next door opening.

I had little time to react as something heavy made contact with my chest, throwing me back against the wall and leaving me out of air. My aggressor turned out to be a floating club, with several nails attached to it and a black glow around it. I quickly took notice of a pony behind it, white coat and spiked black mane, no armor on, his horn… also glowing? Was he using some sort of telekinesis? Does that mean I have to call him… a unicorn?

Before I could further think about terminology, I saw the club swinging back up, while the pony shouted something (curses, I guessed). I blocked his next blow (this time aiming for my head), with my assault rifle while pushing forward, getting closer to him; before he could react, I delivered a powerful kick to his chest.

As he went down (and the club stopped floating), I took aim and pulled the trigger, a single shotgun shell ending his life just as he hit the ground.

After taking a breath, I moved on, getting closer to the final door. My heart was pounding as I slowly pushed the door open, being extra careful this time. Despite my early experiences, nothing could have prepared me for what I found inside that room.

Another pony, not like the others, this one chained to the ground, blood covering its blue coat, blood from the stumps where the mane and tail should have been. I could see its ribs showing up on the chest, two big scars where the flank tattoos (which apparently every pony had) should be. The entire body had cuts and wounds, the extension of these injures made it almost impossible to know the real color of the coat. In addition, there was blood coming from between its legs... sexual assault.

Skulls from dead people is one thing, but this level of cruelty was simply sick. Why would anyone do this? More and more I was starting to see these people as hostiles, so far I haven't found a single thing that could indicate otherwise.

I forced myself to take a closer look, it was female, and it had been raped… Just as I was about to inform the rest I notice something, its chest… no… not it, a she… her chest was rising. She was alive, just barely. Almost by instinct, I took off my backpack and searched for a first-aid kit.

I didn't know what to make of all this, or if helping this pony was actually a good idea.

Again, I was thinking of why they would do something like this. Maybe this was some kind of interrogation? No, definitely not that simple, the extent of the damage and cruelty were too big. Whoever did this took plasure from the act. Maybe just a sick lifestyle. Did we got teleported to a world inhabited by psychopaths?

"Guys! I got... a civilian in here?" I didn't know for sure.

"Civilian? You sure about that?" Said Elliot.

"Yea, I'm fucking sure! I need help here, now!"

Just as I finished saying that, I got what I was looking for, and realized just how foolish I was being. The dammed thing was made for smaller wounds, like gunshots, not… not that. We would need a real doctor with whole fucking ambulance to actually do something. There was nothing any of us could do, those injuries were too big, and in that state of malnutrition…

Slowly her breathing slowed down. Part of me considered ending her misery, but I just couldn't bring myself to do so, instead I just stood there. Most of these wounds looked recent, if we had arrived here earlier, things could have been different.

Right before Medici arrived the… mare, spat some blood and died. Not much I could tell him, he was as stunned as I was. Killing someone in a normal fight is one thing, it's horrible, yes, but it is a “kill or be killed” situation. Watching someone die, in front of you, without being able to do anything to help...

After that, the rest of the mission went as usual. We made reports and took pictures with our tablets (every soldier was issued with one), took any items of interest, such as weapons, ammunition (same caliber as ours for some reason) and a few books and magazines (again, very similar to ours). With that concluded, we made our way back to the PAC outpost.

Nobody spoke anything on the way back. As I looked upon the brown and gray landscape (quite boring, frankly) I couldn't help but to wonder what we were doing. This was, by all means, a first contact situation, and how are we representing our kind? By killing over 40 of the inhabitants in the last few hours. I bet Hernan Cortez and his band would be proud.

Once we arrived, we sent our reports to the captain’s net and went rest, for a while. Normally I would take a shower, but the lack of water supplies prevented that, instead, I just took off my helmet and washed my face. I stared at my reflection once I ended, same darkened skin (after years living in north Africa), the familiar small scar on my left cheek from before the war, and my short black hair, cut military style, simple and efficient, just as I liked it.

"Edward, the captain wants to see you" Elliot called from outside.

"All right, thanks."

What the fuck now?

I quickly made my way to our commander’s tag, greeting my friends on the way, and avoiding the PAC people. We may be at truce, but I still get a little tense around them. Soon I was entering another small building, inside were Dante and a PAC officer, who was wearing a green beret… their commander if I am not mistaken.

"You asked to see me, sir?" I said while saluting.

"Yes, lieutenant, we need to discuss the recon reports and figure our next steps" Dante begun.

I nodded. "All right, what do you want to know?"

"I'm already aware of your recent reports, but I would like you to give a more… personal opinion on the matter, what do you believe we are dealing with?"

"Well, I think it's clear we are dealing with an intelligent species, but we haven't found any sort of large settlement like a small village or a town" I explained. "It's still early to say for sure, but all groups we have seen so far are not that large. If there was some sort of nation-state nearby, one with access to firearms, we would be aware of it."

"Good, what about you Captain Nevesky?" He asked the PAC officer.

"My men had similar findings, I have already told the sergeant in charge of scouting to come here," The men said in a Russian accent. "Meanwhile, the titan’s sensor have detected a… unusual amount of radioactive particles in the air."

"It could be natural of the planet’s atmosphere" I said.

"True, but I believe there is something else into it. There might be something else happening, all buildings and objects we found are in a state of decay, and we have the radiation and the lack of vegetation. Join that with the apparen–" Before he could end that, another PAC person entered the room.

He looked young, around his mid-twenties, like me. He tensed up as he spotted us, and then saluted to the officer.

"Ah, Sergeant Terenti, I was just discussing your recent reports" Nevesky said. "Would you kindly share some of your conclusions?"

"A-All right, sir, I think we have a good reason to believe this place was struck by sort of disaster. Everything around here seems to point that."

"Good, have you seen the most recent reports?"

"I was just reading the last one that arrived" In other words, mine.

With all that settled, we proceeded to discuss our main priorities. Right now we had the PAC titan essential crew, plus about a company of men, the majority of them from the EU. We also had a few vehicles, both land and air, but all of them were in need of repairs. With the lack of specialists and proper equipment it would take days, if not weeks, before any of them were in operational capability.

Now, here is where the problems begun, first there was the issue of water, we had enough MREs to last for about a month, even more if we rationed, but water for only about a week. There was also the issue with the wounded, the medical facilities of the “Surena” were only made to stabilize wounded, not fully treat them, as a result we were low on supplies. Lastly, ammunition, while our weapons relied on basic ballistics, meaning we could scavenge ammo from those ponies, the PAC used plasma-based case-less ammo, which we haven't found any, so they would need to conserve as much ammo as they could.

After a few minutes of discussion, we decided our course of action. We would keep this cayon secured and maintain a defensive stance to avoid attracting attention, at least until we had the vehicles and the titan back online. Our primary task was to find a water source, followed by other basic needs such as medical supplies, food and ammunition. Once these were achieved we would go to our bigger goal, find out why we were here and, if possible, establish contact with a more… civilized group of these ponies.

How exactly we were going to do the last one was beyond me. Every single one we approached had been hostile, and there was the language barrier. We could probably use the reading material we had found and the titan’s computers to organize their version of the alphabet, but as long as we didn't got into actual contact, it wouldn't help much.

Before we could put an end to this meeting, however, I was in for a surprise.

"Before you leave, we have an assignment for you two" Dante said.

"What do you mean by “you two”?" The PAC sergeant questioned.

"Despite our defensive stance, we still need to scout the area outside this sector, at least until we can find a proper map," Added Nevesky. "But since we don't want to draw any attention, we decided to send you two on this task."

What? I had to work with that fucker? Don’t get me wrong; I don't hold blind hate against every PAC, despite the war, but still, I'm not about to work side-by-side as if nothing had happened… I suppose I can try to remain professional, I'm a soldier after all; I don't have to liked it. Well, by the looks of it, the other dude was not enjoying this either.

"Are you sure about that, sir?" Said the sergeant.

"Like I said, we need to know what's out there, but we cannot risk drawing attention, that's why we are sending you two. There are very few people available and we can't just send anybody out there. I know this isn't easy, but I expect both of you to let your personal feeling aside."

"In addition, you are to avoid contact at all costs, remember, you're there for scouting, and only that. Both of you will receive active camouflage devices to help with that" Dante finished.

Great, now I just had to do an entire mission with a person that, a few hours ago, would shoot me on sight, piece of cake.

We were both given the rest of the morning to rest, eat and get ready. I wasted no time in doing so.

Around midday (another weird thing, it seems that the day was progressing just like earth), I took my weapon and gear and went meet the PAC dude. He was at the main entrance, this time in full armor. Time for the fun to begin…

Footnote:

SPECIAL: Edward Cooper

Strength: 7 [+]

Perception: 6 [+]

Endurance: 6 [+]

Charisma: 5

Intelligence: 5

Agility: 7

Luck: 4

Perk added: EU Grenadier – Your years of combat experience grant you +1 to Perception and Strength as well as 25% accuracy bonus when wielding rifles or semi-automatic pistols.

Trait added: Human – Your dexterous hands give you extra 15 points each to repair and survival as well as +1 Endurance. However, you suffer -15% carry weight and -50% movement speed over open ground. Due to your alien appearance, equine characters may flee from you or attack without provocation.

Chapter 3: Going For A Walk

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Chapter 3: Going for a walk

I moved through the halls of the Titan. The low thud of my boots was the only thing I noticed, even with all the people around me. The atmosphere is… tense, you can easily tell as the soldiers go on doing their assigned tasks. Their voices are nothing but whispers to me, for I hardly care about what is happening. No, I have a bigger goal in mind, something much more important to me.

After the dust had settled and we finally had the chance to sit down, I was free tackle a single thought that had been nagging my mind ever since this crazy ass event happened. I needed to know what happened to my friend Barin. That bastard wasn’t just another soldier in my squad, he wasn’t a new acquaintance like Dima, that guy is one of my oldest friends and the only link to my home.

To my surprise, Suvorov had also taken this question and did everything he could to find out the truth. With his help, we quickly got information on his location and state. Thankfully, it turned out Barin was alive and out of danger. When the attack began, he was able to sneak back inside the vessel and assist other units located on that area. However, when “The Event” happened, he was wounded and was taken away from combat. Apparently, one of his arms was broken, what a lucky bastard.

Of course, as soon as I found out, I made my way to the medical section of the Titan. This vessel isn’t as well equipped as a real hospital, but it does have a sizable medical bay and infirmary to deal with wounded personnel and keep them stable until they can be taken to a safer location. That, of course, also presents the problem of dealing with a large number of EU and PAC wounded, which we can’t really take anywhere else. We have a dedicated medical team, but we lack the proper equipment and supplies to treat everyone.

"So, how are you holding up?" I said, trying to sound excited as I approached his bed. The infirmary wasn't very big, I had to watch my steps to avoid steping on anything important.

"Alex! Ha, great to see you man!" Barin answered, with a smile on his face. While seeing him alive and well lifted my spirit, it also reminded me of how easliy it could've been different. The image of finding that body inside the garage still burns in my mind. "Suvorov told me you were ok, but it’s nice to see you."

It was hard to keep a happy expression when I knew I had to deliver bad news. "Ah, yes, he was the one who told me where I could find you," And I was sure happy it wasn’t in a body bag, unlike Ilya… "You didn’t answer my question."

"They're treating me alright, still, kind of boring just staying here, waiting for this thing to heal up," He said while taking a glance at his immobilized arm. "About a week, they told me. Well, could be worst I guess."

Yes, you could end up with three bullets in the chest…

"Have you heard any news?"

"Not much, but the occasional Euro passing by tells me a whole lot," His voice taking a more neutral tone as he said that. "Is it true what they are saying? About being in some unknown land… and the… ponies?"

I closed my eyes for a second and let out a sigh. "Yes, to both questions, but look, don’t worry, we are working on things, I’m sure we'll find a way back ok?"

To my surprise, he burst out laughing; so much his whole face got red. Barin… he was always optimistic about everything, ever since I met him in the university all those years ago.

"I’m trying to be serious here" I said with an annoyed look.

"Oh, come on dude!" He answered while trying to contain his laughter. "You got admit, this is fucking rich! I mean, when I first heard about, I thought they were fucking with me, but now, holy shit!"

I rolled my eyes. "I suppose it’s kind of funny…"

"You think? How many people can say they went to war on the frozen north, and then ended up in fuck up ponyland!"

"Ok, look, the point is, we're doing what we can, so just hang in there all right?"

"Jeez, calm down Alex, I’ll be fine and I know you are doing what you can" Barin said with a sigh. "Give me a week and we'll be solving this whole thing together."

Well, guess it’s time to break the bad news. I wished I didn’t have to, but I suppose it’s better this way, he was my friend, he deserved to hear it from me.

"Barin… there is something else… something bad."

I didn't have to say what it was, this isn't the first time one of us has to say this."Who was it?" He asked, his expression becoming serious, his eyes fully locked into mine.

"Ilya" I noticed his eyes widening a bit in surprise.

"Was it quick?"

"I do not know, when we found him he was already dead."

"All right" His eyes casting down as he said that. "Dammit, he was a decent guy, and before you apologize, you couldn't have known, it’s okay."

"Still, he was under my command, I’m supposed to keep them alive."

"You said when you found him he was already dead; there's nothing to feel guilty about. I know you try your hardest, just as you did before the war" He countered. "How is the kid handling?

"Dima? Well, you know how he his, always getting attached, maybe in a few months he'll learn better."

Ok, enough with the problems, there was already too much of it outside.

"So… do need anything? I could bring you a cup of coffee if you want."

"Your coffee sucks Alex; I’m not drinking that crap" He said with a smirk.

"Well, I’m not your mother you asshole, you want better, make it yourself" We both laughed a little at that.

It wasn't much, but in times like this we must enjoy the little moments of peace. I couldn't help but to crack a smile.

-x-

It filled my heart with joy to know Barin was ok, I have known him for almost 8 years. However, I was a little afraid of what could happen, especially now with an unknown future ahead of us.

Right now, the Euro and I were standing in the south exit of the canyon, also the largest one. It seemed the location of our outpost only had two exits, this one, and another narrow way to the northwest (currently guarded by our only combat drone). It took us about 20 minutes to get here on foot.

The two of us were looking on what appeared to be a coastal area, mostly plain. The sea (or at least I think it was, it could very well be a huge lake or a big river like the Amazonas in South America) to the south, and the hills and the valley to the north, behind us. Right below us, downhill, was a small river, about five to six meters wide, heading east.

As I looked upon this alien coast, I couldn’t help but to think of home. Before the war, in the university, Barin me and some other friends, would often head to a bar near the beach. We would talk, drink and play for hours, mostly about silly things like girls or sports. And then, once sunset was close, we would watch the Persian gulf in all it’s beauty. Despite all problems, on those very moments, there was no refugee crisis, no food shortages, only joy, cheers and laughter of friends.

I knew I wasn’t there. What stood in front of me was not the clean sands and the blue waters of my city, but the hard soil of a dead land. What I heard was not the happiness of people, but the cold whispering of the wind. And I was not among dear friends, but at the company of an enemy.

Yet, despite all that, I still felt good. Perhaps once this is all over I'll go back there, and create more good memories with those who I care. Yes… I would like that.

"So, want to head down there and take some samples?"

But no… not now. My task is to scout this whole place with the EU lieutenant. Simple, and yet annoying, but I could see why we were chosen for this. We're the only officers, after the captains, fit for duty; from what I could find, anyone else is either dead or wounded.

Since our top priority was to find a source of water, I agreed to do what the Euro asked. It was also the easier task; all we had to do was get down there. I went to the river; he went to the nearest cover to provide watch.

The device we received, the IT-33 Active Camouflage, provided us with up to 90% transparency. It was very useful, but it had three main flaws, first, it was not 100% transparency, so anyone with a good eye and proper attention could spot something. The second issue was the sound, our devices didn’t alter it, so any hostiles close enough would be able to hear us. Lastly, it only worked for about 20 seconds before having to recharge. Because of all that, we still had to keep our guard up all times.

The river didn't looked very good; there was barely any vegetation close to it (mostly dead). The water also had a… slightly green tone to it. But well… it’s worth a try… right? Be optimistic and all that… Oh, whom am I kidding, I’m not Barin, that river was a gods forsaken sewer. However, it is the closest source of water that we know off, so I might as well check it.

Getting near, I noticed my Geiger counter beeping, just as expected. I took out a small bottle and filled it up, closing tightly and storing it away. We could use our purifier bars to treat the water (every soldier had a few for emergencies and we had some supplies of it at the outpost), but that would only be a temporary solution, since, like everything we had, we only had a limited supply of them. Still, I suppose it’s a good find, it will buy us a little more time.

Before I communicated my success to the Euro, I noticed a road not far from the river, at the other side. It wasn’t in a good state either, mostly just a path of broken rocks, but where there is a road, there might be towns and commerce.

"I got the sample." I stated.

"How is it? Any luck?" He asked. His tone was quite neutral, but I could guess he (like myself) was having a hard time accepting the idea of working with a former enemy.

"No, it doesn’t look good and it has some radiation in it."

"Well, it’s something I guess…"

Not wasting time, I made my way back uphill to meet the lieutenant. I suppose now our only options are to scout east or west. Hopefully without any major problems, we had enough as it was.

"I was thinking we should head east" The European said as I walked up to him. He attempted to sound calm and neutral, but I could feel some tension beneath his mask.

I shrugged a little. "Well, we don’t have any leads to possible points of interest, so I guess any direction is okay."

We set out east, keeping close to the hills. The day was surprisingly calm, after all the shit we had to endure in the last few hours. The sky was mostly clear, with only a few clouds far away in the horizon, and no sounds beyond the wind and our steps.

I was also quite calm; despite everything, we had the situation stabilized and most of the small canyon secured. The only issue was the lack of sleep, I have been up ever since we got here, and I had used the free time before this mission to visit Barin. Well, at least there're no hostiles around.

We spent a long time walking, probably around an hour, without speaking a word. However, soon after that I spotted something big; it was located on our side of the river, downhill. At first, I thought it was just a large rock formation, but as we got closer, it became clear we were staring at a settlement of some sort.

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you seeing that? Two o’ clock?" I asked him, pointing towards the place.

Shifting his head towards where I was pointing he said, "Yes, we should get closer and find some cover."

I looked around, searching for a good place to use as cover. I noticed a group of large rocks, resting close to a cliff which provided a good view of the whole area. "Those rocks up ahead, we can use them."

We made our way to them, keeping low to avoid detection and using our active camouflage at the end. The best part of being close to these hills, besides being on high ground, was the large number of rocks that we could use as cover.

The place we were looking at was unlike anything we had seen so far. There were four building, a big mansion, wide and tall, about three floors high, two smaller buildings right next to it, not as tall but equally wide (probably depots of some sort), and another smaller. What really stroke as different was the group of walls and barricades surrounding the whole complex, plus the large quantity of inhabitants.

They seemed divided into multiple tasks. On the walls, many were patrolling around, wearing armor and carrying weapons. Inside, I could see others walking, mostly either naked or wearing normal clothes (for ponies, that is).

We were both surprised by this find. "Looks like we finally found some evidence of civilization" The European commented.

"Indeed, not the best, but it’s something."

The European shifted a little, looking around a little bit. "Hey! I think I see a village, on the coast, one o’ clock!" He said in an excited tone, pointing ahead.

Turning my binoculars to where the Euro was pointing, I confirmed there was truly some sort of village, far away, at the coast (or a slum, if you are looking for a more aesthetic term). The evidence of greater social organization amongst those ponies could prove very good, maybe we wouldn’t have to shoot our way through this land, after all.

"Do you see those two buildings, near the gate?" The Euro asked. Looking back at the small settlement, I realized he was talking about the two medium sized buildings.

"What, the ones that look like warehouses?" He nodded. "Yes, what about them?"

"They look new," He said calmly.

I rolled my eyes. "What are you implying?"

"I don’t see any farmland around, so it’s not being used to store food, they must be using it to keep other things" He explained. "Since there's a road nearby, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were merchants of some sort."

That was quite an impressive analysis. If that was true, then we have even better chances, we might be just a few steps away from an actual nation-state. I cannot express how excited I was with these finds. There's still the communication barrier, but I'm sure we'll find a way to cross that bridge.

The two of us spent about half an hour watching the place. We did it mostly out of curiosity, hoping we could get anything useful. We even took a few pictures and video recordings. I couldn't hide my excitement. However, our watch was interrupted by something aproaching.

"I think I see a group of ponies coming from the road," I told him, as I spotted the small convoy. "I guess you were right about the whole merchant thing."

There was about 10 of them, most keeping guard, and two of them pulling… a wagon. That was quite ironic. The vehicle was fully covered, as it got closer I began to wonder what they were transporting, most likely merchandize of some sort, or perhaps food.

"Yes, I spot it" The Euro replied. "Let’s see what they're bringing."

As they crossed the bridge and went inside, many of the inhabitants started gathering around. Once everyone was in, some of the caravan guards went to the back of the wagon. I watched with a lot of attention as they started to uncover it, only to reveal a…

…A cage… filled with other ponies, most of them in a bad condition. My mind began racing with ideas, trying to find a reasonably way to explain what my eyes were seeing. Maybe this was a prison of some sort, yes; they could be criminals from somewhere else!

That idea was shattered when I spotted what appeared to be children (or foals, in this case) among those who were inside the cage. No, fuck, this can’t be happening! This was supposed to be a good find! To give us hope, not more enemies to deal with!

Soon, all ponies from the cage were gathered in a line, facing another pony. He was big, deep red coat and brown mane, cut Mohawk style, wearing an impressive set of armor. The apparent leader shouted things to the prisoners, most likely rules, with an aggressive and commanding tone. On his side, another guard brought a bucket filled with metal collars.

Spotting the bucket, he walked towards the crowd of prisoners, stopping in front of two. It was a foal and a mare, who had her forelegs wrapped around the little one in a protective manner. The leader snatched the foal and shoved the mother (I guessed) back in line. The mare desperately tried to reach him, tears streaming down her eyes as two guards beat her back in place. Seeing that scene unfold before me brought unpleasant memories to me.

Rage was taking over me, one of my hands gripped tightly on my assault rifle. Every part of my body wanted to shoot him, just one bullet, he was far but I could do it. Yet, a small part of my mind kept reminding me of how foolish that idea was, there was only two of us, and shooting would only give away our position. I could feel some sweat beginning to form beneath my hair as I kept looking at what was happening, silently debating if I should act or not.

The leader calmly addressed the crowd as he put the collar around the foal’s neck. A guard bearing a spear escorted the little one to the center of the whole event. The leader showed a small metal device with his hoof (how the fuck they did that was beyond me), holding it high so all could see.

I was wondering what he meant, until I saw a button on the device. The mare started screaming again, she was begging.

I begged all deities I knew off to stop that from being what I thought it was. I wasn’t unfamiliar with cruelty, for I grew up in a refugee camp, and those places were filled with it. My hands shook as I forced myself to watch, powerless to stop the display of insanity.

…He pressed the button, the collar exploded and the mother screamed once again. I used all my strength to stop myself from screaming too. Cold rage swept through me, part of my mind urging me to shot him, I tried to calm down, breathing slowly and closing my eyes for a few moments. We stayed there for another five minutes, trying to calm down.

With that foal’s life also went my hopes of a peaceful resolution with these creatures. I knew the Euro was thinking the same, we may be enemies, but we're also soldiers, always trying to follow rules of engagement (not that we always succeeded, but that's beyond the point). We rose from cover, just as the… slaves… were escorted to the two depots… so that's what they stored in there. I could almost feel the cold atmosphere around us as I forced myself to look at him.

"So… you want to do something about that?" The Euro asked; his voice was completely devoid of emotion, with only a hint of determination.

Letting out a sigh, as my rage turned into frustration, I turned my head to him. "I want to, but you know we can’t, there's only two of us" I answered.

"You know they'll become a threat later on."

He had a point, if those psychopaths were willing to do that to their… fellow equines, who knows what they would do to us. Still, this was not the time; we would have to be very careful when taking down that place, for it was a lot more organized and better equipped then what we had seen so far. There was also the issue with the slaves; we would have to find out more about those collars in order to disarm then.

We made our way back west, there was no point in keep heading east, especially with the possibility of slaver patrols nearby. Not a single word spoken on the way back, this time not out of antagonism, but of shock from what we had seen. After some time we passed the entrance to the canyon and kept heading west, with some hope we could end this assignment soon and go back to the outpost.

Yet, as it was proving common ever since we got here, our day was far from over, we were in for even more.

"Hey, do you hear something, nine o’ clock?" As he said that, I realized there was, indeed, some noise down below, quite far away.

"Yes, let’s check it out."

We got close to the river and proceeded to search for the source of the noise. It was a firefight, on the road, a group of ponies was attacking what appeared to be a caravan, who, instead of having a carriage or a wagon, as I was expecting, they had a… two headed… cow. As if this place couldn't get even more fucked up. The ones under attack were clearly out gunned and outnumbered, taking cover behind the body of the cow.

Great, another display of cruelty, well, there isn’t much we can do, plus, I’m not about to go into a fight after seeing what the… organized version of these ponies did.

You know, after all we had been through, I was quite surprised at the Euro. So far, we had been able to keep this whole affair in an educated and professional manner. In addition, we had spent over two hours without killing each other, now that was an achievement. Maybe I was too quick to judge, I suppose we could actually work this whole thing out.

My line of thought was interrupted by the European LT grabbing my shoulder. "All right, we need to get there and help!"

…Or maybe I spoke that too soon… what the fuck was he saying?! To help those psychopaths? After all the shit we had seen so far? Now this is just amazing, looks like I was sided with a god dammed hero.

I narrowed my eyes. "What the fuck are you saying? After all we have seen, you want to help them? Don’t you think that might be a little risky?" I didn't try my disapproval.

My answer only got him more agitated. "That's exactly why we need to do that," He replied, "you want those people to suffer the same fate of the slaves we saw back there?"

"We're outnumbered."

"There's only seven of them and we got the advantage of surprise."

Ten, if the ponies under attack decide to turn their weapons on us.

"That's not part of our mission; we're here for scouting, and only that."

The Euro got even more angry at that. "I’m asking you to help people, why are you being such a dick about it?" He almost shouted.

Well, because people die all the time and we got bigger priorities? Like getting the hell out of here and saving our panic filled, slowly freezing up world? You know, mass hunger, refugee crisis, and the war we should be fighting against each other? These look like excellent reasons for me.

Despite my internal rage, I tried to calm down. It's clear that any attempt to just look the other way won't work with him, I need to give him a good reason. "Look, I get what you're saying, but this isn't the time, we're in no state to go up in a fight against multiple hostiles." I tried to reason with him.

"You remember what the captains said about making first contact, right?" I nodded. "Well, what better way to present ourselves, than to save the locals from imminent danger?"

Fuck, he had a point, still, I’m not about to throw my life in line for that.

I'll admit that for a brief moment I had no idea how to counter that, luckly, I was able to remenber another issue."All right, but after we're done, how are we going to deal with the language barrier?" No answer from him. "Look, I want to help too, but this isn’t the right moment, we need to do that with an actual plan, or else we risk fucking things up even more."

Still no answer, I think he understood what I meant.

He let out a sigh, obviously trying to contain his frustration. "Ok, how do you want to proceed, sergeant?"

"I say we keep going west, if we don’t find anything else for the next half an hour, we go back to the outpost."

Therefore, we did, the sounds of fighting growing silent behind us. I was becoming tired, we've been walking for quite a long time, and we still had to make our way back. I could almost feel the anger of the EU lieutenant towards me, but I did not care, it was better this way, even if he couldn’t admit.

Right before our time was up we spotted another building. It was big, even bigger than the mansion we had seen, about five floors high. The thing was made with bricks and concrete, instead of wood, as everything we had seen so far. However, what really got my attention was what appeared to be solar panels around it (most of them destroyed, but that's beyond the point).

"A power station? With solar panels?" I commented. "Well, it appears they have more technology then we originally thought."

"It looks deserted. Do you think we should head in there?"

"Normally I would be against it, but this is a big find, there might be something useful in there. I say we wait a few minutes, make sure the place is truly abandoned, and then check it."

And so we did.

Footnote: 50% to next level.

Chapter 4: Underworld

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Chapter 4: Underworld

The place was a mess, from the 18 panels only two were reasonably intact. All windows of the main building were broken; there was even a few cracks in the walls and columns. Close to the entrance, we spotted some bones of long dead ponies, further evidence of some sort of disaster. There was also some wreckages of what appeared to be metal carriages and chariots; weird, considering none of them had engines.

Above the main doors was a sign. I did not know what was written, but what caught my attention was the symbol, a shield with a crescent moon. However, I decided to just shrug it off and head inside.

We stepped inside a large hall; to our sides were the remains of what once would have been cushions and sofas for people to wait, to our front was a big desk, probably the reception. It was clear this was a commercial or a public building of some sort.

"So, should we spread out?" I asked.

"We don’t know what the building is like, better avoid being far from each other, I check the left side, you go right" His previous anger was giving way to some curiosity.

There was not much to see in the first ten minutes. It appeared I was right about this being a commercial building (most likely in the field of energy or scientific research), as most rooms were offices and meeting rooms. The only interesting thing was some computers, they were big, heavy and lacked our kind of refinement, so I guessed this people have just gotten into the electronic era.

Another detail was the large quantity of… bottle caps I found, almost every desk or locker had a few, but no bottles. Maybe this was a cultural trait; I could only guess.

After I was done, I went to the back of the building, expecting to find the European. It was a kitchen, not much to say about it, I could see the Euro outside, looking at the tables. After acknowledging each other’s presence, I checked the place for food, we had plenty of MREs at the outpost, but it would be good to know we had other options.

There was some canned food stored, only a few traces of radiation. I picked about five cans of different types and put them in my backpack. Something else that got my attention was a bottle with something very similar to soda inside, luckily, the logo was pretty conserved, and it had a carrot right at the side. Well, that is not exactly a… common flavor, but again, this is a world filled with psychopath ponies.

We also saw a big metal door, likely leading to the underground levels, with a terminal on the side. The door was locked, and we didn’t know the language, so we could not understand what was written on the terminal, our only choice was to keep going upstairs.

It didn’t took long for us to get bored. The next two floors were pretty much the same, nothing but more bottle caps, terminals and bones. The fourth was a little better, it had some sort of jewelry exposed, but for some reason a few of them were glowing; we decided to stay away, for all we knew that shit was radioactive.

As we made our way to the final floor, my mind started drifting back to the outpost. I really want to get some sleep, but maybe I should check on Barin and Dima one more time, and perhaps some food would not be so bad too (except for the taste, it’s usually pretty awful). I wonder what we are going to do next, stranded on a hostile place with no clues of what brought us here, that doesn’t gives many options, but I suppose that will only matter after we find basic supplies. There was also the issue with the ponies, so far, they have only been a minor annoyance, but who knows, better safe than sorry.

My line of thought was cut short as we stepped into the fifth floor.

"What the… Are you seeing that?" The Euro asked, as we pointed our guns into the floating target.

"Hell yes I am! How the fuck… a robot? A freaking floating robot?" I almost shouted.

How did they create something like this? There is no way someone with the same technological level similar to those terminals downstairs would be able to create this… floating… octopus… robot… thing. It was made of metal, it had eight arms connected to its head, equipped with what I assume were sensors of some sort, oh, and it was floating by some propulsion mechanism under it. The metal freak kept saying something in an artificial voice as we pointed our weapons at it.

"All right, I say we do a quick search and get the hell out of here!" The Euro said quickly.

"I agree!"

We went our separate ways. I didn’t bother to open anything as I checked the area, especially after spotting more of those robots. I was not afraid of them, pretty sure a few well-placed rounds could do the job if needed. The real problem is what we didn’t know, if they have these robots, who knows what else we might find here?

It took us less than five minutes (the others took around 20 to 30 each). We wasted no time heading down, but as we made our way to the third floor, we heard something. It appeared to be shouting, coming from the lower levels. The sound sent chills down my spine. We were stuck in a building, far away from base and with no support available, a recipe for disaster...

"Shit! What now…" I commented. "It sounded downstairs."

Both of us took a combat stance, getting ready to face whatever might be down there. "You think it’s those ponies?" The European asked.

"It’s possible, we need to be careful, if you hear anything close, use your active camouflage."

"Good, just keep a low profile and try to sneak our way out."

And them everything went to hell.

Alarms started beeping, red lights began flashing, and there was the sound of shouting and gunshots coming from the lower floors. As a reflex we activated our devices and jumped into cover, each one went to a table in the opposite sides of the room.

A moment later, something else entered the room. It was big, fully encased in metal, moving with a pair of tracks at the bottom of its body, bearing two arms with a set of six… gems… each, arranged in a circular manner, not unlike a Gatling gun. The metal monster kept going down the hall, deeper into the building. Great, another problem to deal with…

"Fuck, no time to do this quietly, not with those robots here" I whispered into the radio.

"How did they even… ah, screw it, better go guns blazing?" He replied.

"I don’t like it, but we need to get out here fast. It appears they are also fighting; we can use that as a distraction."

Just as we moved out of cover, another one of those robots showed up. The thing turned to face me, the gems on its arms started spinning… exactly like a Gatling gun…

"Shit!" I shouted while jumping into the room closer to me.

Right behind me, a barrage of… lasers… struck the wall, setting alight any pieces of the original paint. They have combat robots with laser technology… we are so fucked. I shouted all curses I knew of as I sprinted down the corridors of the building, trying to lose the dammed thing. There wasn’t much of a point on shooting it, obviously the thing was made to withstand small arms fire.

Why didn’t I bring a E.M.P grenade?! No Alex, why bring a E.M.P grenade to a recon mission, it’s not like you'll have to fight your way out of a building filled with robots and psychopaths, right? Ah, fuck me… this place… planet… this fucking shithole I’m stuck in!

Suddenly another one showed up to the front, this one had a grenade launcher in on its left arm. With no way out I did the only thing I could, I jumped behind an overturned table. My mind was racing, trying to find a way out of this. I could use my normal grenades, but I only had two, maybe I could aim for anything that looks like a sensor?

Before I could think further, the new one opened fire. The grenade hit the furniture to my left, the shockwave throwing me off my feet. I landed quite heavily on my back, losing my breath and grunting in pain as dust rose around me. I quickly scrambled back into cover. Before I moved, However, there was a loud snap, not from weapons, but from the floor I was laying, the whole think went down with me at the top. Consequently, I crashed down into the second floor, my back exploding in pain as we made contact.

Slowly and carefully, I tried to stand up, the pain preventing me from doing any harsh moves, this had been quite a fall. I took a heavy breath, trying to stop the dizziness in my head. As I succeeded in my small task, my mind reminded me of the Euro, my eyes widening as I realized I had no idea of what had happened to him. I could barely hear anything from my radio, with all the sounds of battle around; in addition, the signal was not very good.

There was shouting outside of the room I had crashed. I took cover near the door and gave a quick peek outside, spotting two ponies, one looking exactly like all we had seen so far, orange coat and short brown mane wearing one of those saddle rifles. The other one got my attention, white coat and a long blonde mane with a horn; that one was a lot cleaner than the others, the armor and gear looked more like something from an actual army and were in an excellent state of preservation, I could not see any weapons. The orange one was shouting while pointing his rifles at the white one, who was backing away slowly.

Can’t these people kill each other out of my way? I don’t have the time for this shit.

I pointed my rifle at the one armed and pulled the trigger, letting out a small burst of rounds. Most of them hit the target, easily penetrating his armor and knocking him down. I didn’t even bothered checking if he was still alive as I took a step and turned my aim at the white one. The adrenaline was pumping through my veins as we locked eyes, taking heavy breaths as I considered what I should do. My opponent appeared to be stunned, refusing to move a muscle, eyes going wide.

Well, it is not armed and clearly afraid; good, I need to save ammo.

I left without hesitation, going as fast as I could to the stairs. I kept my weapon raised, praying that I did not come across another one of those robots, and cursing for not having any bullets for my under-barrel shotgun, they would be very useful right now. Maybe I could find some with the ponies…

Finally making my way to the first floor, I heard the sound of another metal monster approaching; lucky for me, however, my active camouflage device had recharged. After it was all clear, I continued my advance to the exit, but just as I walked into the hall, three ponies fighting off one of the robots greeted me. I went to the nearest cover and weighted my options. I could try to use the chaos as a distraction, but I could end up being shot; there was also the option to wait for my device to recharge, but I didn’t want to risk staying here any longer.

I decided to try end this fight more quickly. I took one of my grenades and threw it at the hostiles, but as I did so, one of them spotted me and opened fire, just as one of the ponies was turned into dust by the robot. The shot ripped through my left arm, right at the gap between my shoulder and upper arm plates. I cried in pain as I went back into cover, the resulting explosion hiding the sound. My left arm was broken.

Giving a quick look, I confirmed all enemies were down. This was my chance to escape; a quick sprint and I could link back to the Euro and get the hell out of here. I hoped he got out, I needed him alive, and I was in no condition to keep fighting.

However, just as I was about to go, another robot blocked my way. I went the opposite direction, deeper into the building, my heart pounding as I heard the thing chasing me. I was running out of options.

I was back in the restaurant area, now with the body of a pony. I stopped for a moment to figure my next move, taking notice of the now open door to the lower levels. Before I could think something, however… another robot burst in. This one was slightly larger, and was equipped with a fucking rocket launcher in the right arm.

I made a split decision and jumped into the recently open way. Because of my lack of focus (kind of hard when being chased by robots, with a broken arm) and the lack of illumination I did not realized the door led to a stairway, causing me trip and roll down the whole thing. As I tried to control my fall, I heard an explosion behind me, followed by the sound of the entrance collapsing.

After what felt like an eternity, I landed on a plain area. My whole body was in pain, and with the adrenaline losing its effect I was becoming tired. With a lot of effort, I got to my knees and looked around, my eyes adjusting to the slightly darker room as I did so.

This was no basement; this place looked more like a bunker or an underground facility. As I scanned the gray walls and ground, my eyes settled in a single figure that stood out. A white and blonde figure…

This time the pony was armed; a small double-barrel shotgun floating on its side. I am trapped underground with a broken arm and a pony carrying a shotgun... now I’m truly fucked.

Without hesitating, I took out my sidearm and pointed at it. I could barely aim, my hand was shaking and the rest of my body was even worse. My opponent flinched at my reaction, going into a combat stance. I didn’t dare to move my eyes, my mind racing. Should I just shoot it? And what should I do after, how am I going to get out of here? What about the European, did he made it? I do not know how long we stood there, maybe seconds or minutes.

My eyes took every little detail of this creature. I could see the green vest it was wearing, the brown bags at her side (saddle bags?) and the double-barrel shotgun floating besides it. The hair (mane?) looked dirty from dust and rubble and I could see a few cuts on the face and legs. Its breathing was heavy, probably from running to this place.

The pony reacted first (almost making me shoot, in the process), by… lowering its weapon? What? No, this is not possible, not after everything we had seen so far. We should be fighting, killing each other, just as they had done so far, against us… against each other. Just as they did… to that foal…

The pony took a step forward. Just one bullet, that’s all I need. Another step. Just pull the dammed trigger! It’s an enemy, a hostile, this is just a trick, to lower my guard, yes! All I have to do is end this, get out of here, and go back to the outpost, to my city, my home! Our distance is now only half. Images of recent events started flashing in my mind, the crash, the first fight, Ilya… It was their fault! If they hadn’t stood in the way, if we hadn’t crashed in this place, I could have saved him! It was my duty, I should had kept him alive, and because of these fuckers, he was dead!

It stopped, a few feet from me, looking right into my eyes with those big yellow orbs. Is it expecting me to do something? I could not tell much from its face, it didn’t show a lot of emotion, but I could spot some tension. What was it waiting for? Was it… was it expecting me to do the same? No, this isn’t possible… no fucking way. But then what else?

Maybe… this one is different. This one was a lot cleaner, better equipped and healthier (the others were always in various states of malnutrition). There was also the lack of scars, only recent wounds from the fight upstairs. Still… how can I know for sure? My arm is broken, and my body is not doing much better, the moment I lower my weapon the pony can do anything against me. The human body is excellent in combat, but I was in no state for such thing.

I wouldn’t mind just killing it. After everything I have seen, this would just be another body to add. Besides, what does it matter? It’s clear these people give little value to life and so far they have been nothing but a problem. All I want is to go home, and I’ll do whatever it takes to get there. I have already fought my way throughout Europe; I have done things that will haunt me for the rest of my days… I can’t let this all be for nothing, I can’t take any risks.

But then… where does it end? I keep telling myself that all of this is necessary, that this is the price for a better life. Is that really true or am I just trying to justify my actions, trying to give an excuse for my mistakes and the lives I have taken. Maybe it’s all a lie, something to keep me from dealing with the guilt. The past won’t change, but right now I do have a choice. There’s no way I can know for sure if it’s safe to stand down, but maybe… maybe I do need to take a risk. Right now, I’m the one with the weapon pointed, with the power to over life and death. If I want this to stop, I need to be strong enough to stand down and deal with whatever consequences might be.

Every part of me told me to shoot it, for I had little to no reason to do otherwise. All that I had was a strange behavior and a guess, hardly enough to put my life in line. Yet, I lowered my pistol.

Sweating was dripping down my face as I did so, but to my surprise, the pony relaxed (I was waiting for it to jump on my throat). Ok, what now? Is this… first contact? Crap, I don’t know shit about first contact…

"H-hi…?" Oh, look at that, great fucking way to introduce your race to the first sentient alien life form ever found…

The pony looked confused, its head tilted to the side. After a few moments it said something, probably its version of “hi” (the tone was neutral, did not sound like a question or an affirmation). It was a female, or at least it… she sounded like one, and the body was a lot more slander.

Thankfully, our awkward moment was interrupted by my radio. I unconscionably brought my good hand to it, hoping to get in contact with the Euro. I tried to listen for a few moments but all I could hear was static (further evidence of this place being a bunker of some sort). I sent a few calls, just in case, but I did not put a lot of hope into it.

I spent the next few minutes checking my wounds and gear. My arm was broken and I had a few burns and scratches in various places, most of which I treated with my small medical kit. I had five magazines for my rifle and four for my pistol; I also had my last grenade and my active camouflage device.

The pony was doing the same. There was still a lot of tension between us, and the language barrier didn’t help either. I suppose despite the lack of words we were both aware of our current situation, with the entrance blocked, our only choice would be to go deeper into the facility, and hope to find a second exit. Like it or not, we were stuck together… quite ironic, for the second time in less than 24 hours I was having a truce with a former enemy out of necessity.

I snapped out of my thoughts by the mare doing something with her horn. The thing was glowing quite intensely causing me to jump a little, before giving a small flash and stopping. Just above it, was now a small glowing orb, providing better illumination to the area. After that, the white mare looked to me and said something while pointing to one of the doors, at the other side of the room. This place only had three doors available, two of which were closed and looked more like elevator doors.

Since there was no point on waiting, I stood up, switched the small flashlight on my vest on, and made my way to her. I needed to find medical aid soon, for I could not use my assault rifle in this state. As I approached her, she slowly opened the door, the shotgun floating just above her head, and stepped inside. I decided to take my pistol in hand, she probably knew more about this land them me, so if she is being careful, so should I.

We were greeted with a set of stairs heading down, nothing but dust and a few bugs on our way (and big ones at that, some of them were as big as a rabbit or a cat). After making our way down those stairs, and into a long corridor, we found an entrance to a much wider room, filled with electronics (similar to the terminals I had seen earlier, but much bigger and complex) and furniture, reminding me a factory.

Something interesting to note were the motivational posters on the walls, they reminded me of those soviet-era posters back home. Just as I did my observations, the pony went to one of the few still working terminals and attempted to use it. The way she typed and went through the information displayed, proved she had knowledge on how these electronics operated, however, I could only wonder what she was looking for.

Leaving the mare to her work, as she listened to some sort of audio recording (bearing quite a bit of emotion in the speaker) I took a better look at the room. There was a total of four entrances, one on each side of the room, the only one open was the one we had come from; maybe this is what the pony was looking for, a way to open these doors.

After about five minutes, I was proven correct, the doors to our front and left opening, and the mare saying something in a cheerful tone, most likely a celebration. She turned to me saying something in a questioning tone while indicating to both ways, in other words, asking for my opinion on which we should take. I could not help but to be amused at the question and the small smile that had made its way to her lips; had she forgotten about our previous hostilities?

I didn’t really care which way we took, for I had no idea what the facility was like; I wished I had a way to indicate I was looking for the exit… hopefully the mare was also looking for a way out. I did my best to indicate my lack of opinion through body language, which the pony apparently understood. With a sigh and a nod, she made her way to the front way, also the largest.

We came out at an even bigger room, a warehouse, filled with two huge piles of wooden boxes at each side, leaving a small space for us to keep going. After taking a few steps, I noticed some weird things; the place had a large number of insects, many spider webs, some strange green goo laying around and something smelling in the air, something bad.

The mare stopped, her eyes locking in the goo ahead of us, her body instantly becoming tense. Slowly she moved backwards, her ears snapping around as if searching for noise, and her shotgun floating close to her, also pointing around. What the hell was going on? She whispered to me in a rushed tone while indicating with her hoof for us to fall back. Before I could comply, however, I heard something different, something similar to clicks, right above me. As expected, I turned my head up to see whatever was producing that sound.

What I spotted sent a chill down my spine and a new flux of adrenaline through my body. Giant… black… bug things… not like the others I had seen, no, this guys were just as big as a pony and looked a lot more deadly. Just as my reflexes started to kick in, several of them fell down around us. The mare was the first to react, firing two shots at the one closer to her; I wasted no time following by putting three bullets in the head of the one in front of me.

As I emptied my clip at a second target, another bug jumped on me from my right. I did not have time to react, the force of his body colliding sending me off my feet. I fell on my back, my pistol and assault rifle crashing away from me as I desperately tried to halt my opponent with my good arm, his bites slowly coming closer. I had no idea how to get out of this situation, my firearms were too far away, I had a knife on my belt, but my only good arm was busy holding off my attacker. I did not want to admit it, but I was afraid.

To my surprise, my opponent was hit by multiple shots just before he got me. Scrambling away from the body, I looked around, searching for my rescuer, who turned out to be the white mare, my assault rifle floating on her side. I should probably be worried that she got her… hooves on my weapon, but since she used it to save my life and we were still in the middle of a fight, I decided not to give a shit. I picked my pistol off the ground and followed the mare, now running away from this place.

I did not like the idea of being at the mercy of an alien, but liked or not, she was making a better use of my weapon and I didn’t want to get eaten by giant bugs. Hopefully I would be able to get my rifle back without problems… but if my current luck were anything to go by, this would be rather unlikely.

We made our way to the previous room, the bugs closing in on us. Our only way was the left door, and as we got close to it, I took out my final grenade. The door led to another corridor, and at its end, a set of stairs, partially hidden by a half-open metal door. Once we got close, the mare used her telekinesis to force the door open while I turned around and threw the grenade at the opposite side of the corridor, just as our hunters got there.

As I went inside the stairway, I heard the explosion, slightly muffed by the now closed door. I was exhausted, the white mare wasn’t much better, with a few cuts on her coat and some green goo on her blonde mane. We stood there for a few minutes trying to recover our breaths. I used the time to reload my pistol.

Slowly, we made our way down (also the only way). My mind was wondering what terrors we could find deeper inside this facility. Eventually we reached another corridor, similar to the one before, it appeared the layout of was the same for both levels.

Coming out, once again, in a wide room, we looked around and searched for targets, not finding any. This room was different, while the other was filled with machines and electronic equipment, this one had a variety of laboratory things, but for some reason, there was also a lot of… gems, of various types. Gems and electronics, it makes no sense, what was this place researching?

Maybe it had something to do with those weapons I saw upstairs. Indeed those robots had gems attached to their arms, but how would they use it as a weapon? I have absolute no idea on how they could be related, but well, I also have no idea on how this ponies could use telekinesis. Perhaps they are similar, somehow.

For some reason, the white mare became agitated, going to every table and piece of furniture and analyzing those gems, as if expecting some sort of reaction. As she proceeded with her search, I could not help but to be amazed at her telekinetic ability, she was able to lift multiple things at once at a quick speed, all of that while keeping my assault rifle pointed. Whether she had superior skill or if this was a natural ability amongst… unicorns, I do not know, for there was nothing like this back home, and right now we only had a limited knowledge on their abilities (mostly from reports of recent skirmishes).

Another thing worth noticing was the lack of options we had to keep going. From the three other ways this room had, one was blocked, and the other (heading the same way as the warehouse we had been earlier) had some weird yellow gas blocking our view, it didn’t take much to figure that thing was probably toxic (it smelled really bad), and I had no gasmask. We only had one way, at the opposite side of the room, hopefully a way out of this shithole.

After a few minutes the mare stopped, she was looking at a sign, right above the entrance to the gas filled room. I really hope she does not intend to go inside there, we have another way at our disposal, one that seems to be clear, and I might be wrong about the thing being toxic, but I’m not about to risk it.

She gave a quick glance to me, opened her… saddlebags… and from there she took out a gasmask. She pointed at the mask and then at me, as if asking if I had one, which I shook my head as an answer. Letting out a sigh, she pointed a hoof at me and then at the ground, indicating me to wait; I nodded.

"Wait" I said, just before she put her mask on, earning a frown from her.

I pointed at my rifle. Her frown turned into hesitation, but after a moment, she floated it to me and then started to make her way to the room. I blocked her way, her expression turning into confusion, her head, once again, tilting to the side. I proceeded to reload my rifle, having some difficulty at first, because of my wounds, and making sure the mare was able to see it. Once I was done I offered the rifle back, the mare appeared to be slightly surprised at my actions. I decided to offer some extra magazines, for I had no use for it and I did not know what she would find there.

She went inside and I was left alone with my own thoughts, silently guarding the room. What will I do once we get out here? She was in many ways a liability, and despite the recent events, I still could not trust her, at least not fully. Still, she was the best contact I had with the locals, ever since we got here. What were my chances to find something similar? This could be my only chance at diplomacy (if you can call a bunch of awkward gestures diplomacy).

My internal discussion was interrupted by the sound of gunshots, exactly like the one my rifle did. She was fighting something, and the only thing I could do was wait and hope she made it back. Luckily she made it, running… or should I say, galloping fast; right above her, held by her telekinesis, was my rifle, a strange electronic device and… a glowing piece of jewelry? Was she risking her life for loot?

Before I could try to question her actions, she ran past me, followed by the sounds of her chasers coming out of the room. I decided I could leave this to a more appropriate time, turned around, and ran after her, firing a few blind shots behind me, hoping to slow down our new enemies.

After a few minutes, we made it to the next section of the facility, the mare snapping the metal doors behind us shut. I felt dizzy; I didn’t know if it was because of my wounds or exhaustion, maybe it was both, I really need to get out of here. We wasted no time in quickly checking this area; I could see the mare was also in bad shape.

This part of the facility almost looked like a different building altogether. The walls and floor were made of metal plates, not concrete, and the lights were on, yet this place was deserted. We came across a few rooms, none of them particularly interesting, like a kitchen, a small workshop and a few other office rooms. After some time we reached an atrium, with two catwalks above us, and doors on the left and right sides of the room. I decided to sit down; my vision was getting blurry.

The mare said something, but I didn’t quite hear it. Am I that bad? I could notice the corners of my sight beginning to get dark. My head was heavy; I was struggling just to keep looking straight. I heard the sound of hooves galloping away. So that’s it? She’s just going to leave me here to die… can’t say I’m surprised. Maybe if I get some rest I will have the strength to keep going… if I don’t get eaten by something while I’m out.

I always knew this was the most likely outcome. I may have survived Minsk and Berlin, but with so many casualties every day, it's just a matter of time before I joined them… all of those bastards, friends and foes, all those who died by my fault. Funny, I was betting it would be somewhere cold, instead I’m in a underground facility on some fuck up alien world, guess I’m not getting home after all, dead or alive. I know for sure my parents will freak out (as expected when losing a child), but they'll understand, just like they did when I first told of my choice to join the army.

Fuck… I promised Barin I would make it, and I can’t let him down, my family was safe, but I still owned my comrades. It is my job to lead them, to keep them alive. I can’t afford to die until we find a way back, no, I have made it so far, I have a task to complete.

I heard the sound of hooves getting closer. What? No, this isn’t possible, it must be another pony… one of the hostile ponies… yes, it’s definitely them! I snapped my pistol in the direction of the sound, the last drops of adrenaline my body had allowing me to focus for a small moment. My eyes slowly revealed my target… white coat and blonde mane… shit. It was her, she was breathing heavily, eyes wide. Was she worried about me? Man, these ponies were a fucked up bunch.

She began saying things fast in an agitated tone, a bottle filled with purple liquid floating above her. Slowly it floated towards me; I had no idea what it was, but since not drinking it would mean to keep losing consciousness, I didn’t have much to lose. Guess it’s time to take the leap of faith. Droping my pistol, I snatched the bottle and drank the strange substance.

Holy shit, what in god’s name did she gave me? The moment I started drinking it (tasted like grape, quite nice) I felt better, but it wasn’t just a feeling… I could feel the bones in my left arm snapping back together! This was insane, I couldn’t believe on what was happening. When I finished drinking, I felt perfectly fine (ok, maybe I’m exaggerating, I still had a lot of burns and some of my muscles were still hurting).

As my strength came back to me, I began wondering what she gave me. Maybe some sort of methamphetamine. That was possible, but didn’t explain how my left arm got fixed… You know what, fuck it; I’ll think about this when I’m back at the base. I suppose I should wait a few minutes, make sure there are no side effects. With that idea in mind, I opted to take out my helmet and uncover my head, the thing was heavy, and it was good to spend some time without it.

The reaction from the mare was quite amusing. She was drinking another of those bottles when I did that, and so the moment she saw me her eyes widened a bit and she choked a little (earning a smirk from me). I don’t know if I should take that as a complement or an offense, was she impressed to actually see my whole face (since the helmet and uniform only leaved a small portion of my face exposed) or did she think I was ugly? And why exactly do I care what she thinks of me or what her aesthetic tastes are? Alright, maybe this thing does have some side effects.

After the white mare recovered, she took out a small notebook and a pen. I rose a little bit from my position, trying to spot what she was drawing, and quite impressed at her ability to do it with telekinesis. From my analysis, I concluded two things; first, she was attempting to communicate through those drawing, and second, she sucked at drawing.

She turned the notebook to me, revealing two drawings, organized in a way that reminded me of a comic. The first one showed the mare and me, each one of us with a cloud above our heads, like the ones you use to indicate thoughts. The second showed, again, the two of us, but with the mare touching her horn in my head and a single big cloud above us.

It didn’t take much to figure it out what she meant. I was stunned, I was aware of her abilities with that horn, but this… it wasn’t much about what she could do, but what this could mean. Was she seriously expecting me to allow her to connect our minds or some shit? I could not even begin to imagine the number of things that could go wrong with this.

Yet, this is definitely an attempt at communication. If this thing does help us, it would mean progress on solving what was arguably the biggest problem on dealing with the locals. In addition, even if she did tried to use this to have access to more sensible information, it would hardly be enough to put the lives of my comrades at risk.

Then again, why would she do something bad? She had a chance to shoot me for quite a long time, and yet she didn’t; she could had let me to die here twice, and yet she helped me. Like it or not, she did a whole lot to earn my trust, plus, she is still my best chance at a peaceful first contact. I did not liked it, but the choice was clear, so I nodded.

Slowly, she approached me, she was trying to remain calm but I could spot some tension. I wasn’t much better, my heart was going faster at each second, despite my efforts. Time lost meaning as her horn started glowing, nothing around us mattered, and my whole attention was on her, our eyes locked. Just before we made physical contact, she closed her eyes, and so did I.

The moment that horn made contact, everything changed. I could still feel my body, my breathing, my heart, even the smooth surface of the horn in contact with my forehead. Yet I could not control anything, for my mind was not there, it was… how could I even describe it… I guess it was drifting… yes, that is close enough… above my body, not in a physical sense, but it was there, my mind was there. To be somewhere, with no body or sensation, only with consciousness… there is no right way to put it.

I started to panic, there was no way I could be prepared for something like this. I wanted out, I wanted to feel my heart racing again, as it should in moments like this. My struggle ceased when I realized there was another presence here. It was that mare, I just knew, I did not saw her, I could not use any of my senses, but I knew. She wanted me to calm down, she didn’t say it... she just… wanted to, and I didn’t want to comply at first, but then I realized, it was my choice to do this, I may not be prepared, but I choose this, so I complied.

I decided to question her intentions, again not in a physical way, hoping I could get a straight answer (if you can call weird feelings and thoughts a straight answer). She responded by… offering something… I hesitated, but more and more her comforting presence convinced me to accept it; I just knew she was being honest. Before I did so, I tried to have a better understanding of what was this… gift she was offering, and in my analysis, I concluded it was… information, voices, something involving communication. I couldn’t get much more, but I was aware this was supposed to aid on communication, and for me, that was enough, not ideal, but good enough.

Therefore, it came, an intense pressure, not physical, not in my body, but I could feel something coming through. I started to understand, it was… voices… but they held something… they had meaning… it was their language! She was giving me an understanding of their language! The joy of my discovery was the last thing I felt as the transfer ended, and the link fell apart.

Slowly, I opened my eyes, my head was spinning again, and I felt like I was in a hangover. The mare, only a few centimeters from me, was in a similar state. We stood there for what might have been hours, but probably just a few seconds. She moved first, taking a step away from me, she then looked at me once more, and spoke.

"C-c-can you understand m-me?" The… mare said… and I understood…

Well… fuck.

Footnote: Level up!

New Perk: Friend of the Night – Your eyes adapt quickly to low-light conditions.

Chapter 5: First Impressions

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Chapter 5: First impressions

This is it; I can finally understand them. On a single day, I made first contact and eliminated the language barrier. I should be happy, perhaps even celebrate this. Yet I can’t help but to feel fucking annoyed.

I didn’t mind her voice, it was soft and nice. What I did mind, however, was the barrage of questions she was making. This pony is a scholar, I’m sure of it. I had a lot of experience dealing with this kind of people, since the place where I studied, back at the university (I was doing economics), had a research institute next it. Along the years I met quite a lot of people with similar atitude. So yes, they were easy to identify.

I was totally confused, this whole situation was almost silly and I couldn't help but to frown a little, did she forget I almost killed her twice? The mare continued to speak, asking question after question. Despite some hesitation, she didn't mind to keep talking, not even a little concerned about possible threats or my bored expression. "...A-and h-how does this even w-work-".

"Stop" I said, interrupting her.

"Oh…"

Alright, what now? Once again, I don’t know how to proceed. I’m really not good with this first contact thing, I bet Barin and even Dima could do a better job. Guess I should try to remain objective, make a basic introduction and then see if I can convince her to come with me, back to the outpost. If I’m right about her being a scholar or a scientist, I might be able to use her curiosity in my favor, she's the best shot we have at gaining information about this land (aside from keep trying to figure everything ourselves). Yes, I suppose that is the best course of action, I can even provide some non-sensitive information if necessary.

"One question at a time" I said. I still felt quite dizzy from the previous things. Plus, by body is not 100% healed, so I'm not in the best mood.

"W-who… what are you?" Her eyes were filled with curiousity and little bit of fear. Well, I do look pretty alien to her.

"Human" I stated, using a neutral tone. "And you are?"

"A unicorn."

What? Hold on, is this what they truly call themselves or is it just the way I'm translating? Thinking through the information she provided, the word wasn't really unique, it matched the human version precisely. Strange, one would expect something different, but I suppose it doesn't matter, I can wonder about this once I'm back at the outpost.

While part of me urged to just stand up and get the hell out of this place, I decided to get a few more answers. "How… did you do this?" I asked, carefully.

"D-do what?" She replied. Her face was surprisingly expressive and it was easy to notice the confusion.

"The language thing."

"I used a memory spell."

Spell? As in... magic? While I had already seen enough to assume these people used some sort of energy that could be described as magic, to hear that said out loud is still strange.

I narrowed my eyes, afraid of what she might have done. "Elaborate."

"W-well, I used a spell to connect our minds and then I transmitted my knowledge on the language to you."

That explanation was pretty simple, but also raised even more questions. Deciding to not dwell further into that, I asked something else, "What about that substance you made me drink?"

It was her time to raise an eyebrow, as if I had asked a stupid question. "That was a healing potion."

Healing potions and spells… what a load of bullshit. I'll be honest, I'm really close to just saying fuck this and walking away, but I guess this pony could still be useful somewhat. Besides, she has been friendly so far and I do own her for helping me.

"Are you… an alien?" Of course she's going to ask that. Can't she see this isn't the time and place for introductions?

"Well… kind of," I answered, trying to get away from this conversation.

'What do you mean by “kind of”?" Just drop it already, we got bigger problems...

"It’s complicated."

"Can’t you try to explain?" She said with pleading eyes.

Yep, she’s most definitely a scholar.

"I suppose I can" I said, the mare opened her mouth to speak but I quickly added. "After we get out of this place."

"Okay… that makes sense…" She said slowly. "I’m pretty sure there is a set of stairs leading to an exit, that way."

Looking to where she was pointing, I spotted a half-open door with a sign above it. It probably meant “exit” or “stairway”, but I didn’t know their written language yet. I would have to deal with that later.

"Alright, let’s go then" I said, while picking up my helmet.

We made our way out. First, up the stairs, and then through a tunnel, finally getting out after a few minutes. The journey was uneventful. We didn’t spoke on the way, this was still very awkward. Yet I couldn’t help but to be a little excited. Seeing the way out brought a wave of relief to me. I briefly wondered about my comrades and the EU guy... who was probably dead, fucking great.

It was night already, that was the first thing I noticed when we got out. It didn’t surprised me, we had spent a long time in there.

The mare stopped and shifted her hooves a little, refusing to make eye contact. "So… what's your name?" She asked.

Not missing a moment, I answered, "Call me Alex."

"I’m Snowdrop."

Now that's a… Interesting name.

She looked at me once again. "Can you explain now… please?"

Letting out a quiet sigh, I turned my head to her, trying to figure an easy way to explain the insane series of events that got me here."I suppose I can give you a quick version" I started. "Yes, we are not from this land, but we ended up here by accident, or at least we think it was an accident."

She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

I stopped for a moment, trying to find the right words. "It means… we don’t really know what brought us here."

Her eyes widened for second. "Wait, you said “we”, does that mean there is more of you?" She said in joyful tone, this girl is way too excited about this…

Okay, how do I proceed here? Should I bring her to the outpost? I suppose that's a good idea, but I still have to get a few things nailed down. Where did she came from, what was she doing in there, what does she think about slavery (I’m not about to ask help to a slaver) and if she was willing to go with me.

"Yes, there is more of us, but look, I have to ask you a few questions" I told... Snowdrop.

She shifted a little at that, probably not expecting a question so soon. "Alright, just ask."

"Where are you from?"

"Ministry square," She stated. Ministry square… I’ll have to ask about this later. Not only she gave me a name to another settlement, but that name also implies the existance of a goverment, or at least something close. This kind of information could prove very valuable.

"What were you doing in that building?" I continued. However, my question seemed to hit her somehow. She looked away, scratching the dirt below her with a hoof.

"It’s… a long story…" She finally answered in a somewhat sad tone.

"Well, I told you mine, didn’t I?" I pressed on, not really concerned about her unusual reaction.

"Alright, I suppose it’s only fair," Snowdrop begun. "I was travelling with a merchant caravan…" Good, that explains how she got to this area. Wait; did she said 'merchant caravan'? Oh shit, that sounds familiar. "…But raiders ambushed us," Snow continued with a sigh. "They had us pinned down for a long time, but I was able to slip away; I can only guess what happened to the others."

Fucking great, the dammed European was right. We should have gone there and helped, it would have saved us a lot of trouble. Now he’s probably dead.

"Within time, I reached that place; kind of ironic, since getting there was the original plan" Her eyes were looking down and her ears were low. "But the raiders followed me, and I had no weapons or ammunition, forcing me to activate the security system."

So she is the reason why I had to fight my… wait, calm down, Alex. She had no choice and you could've prevented that. I suppose I should go to the final questions.

"That’s enough" I interrupted her. "I have another question.'

"What is it?"

Time for the big question. So far, she doesn't seem to be related to those guys I faced earlier, but I must be sure. "What do you think of slavery?" I asked in a calm tone.

She took a step back, her eyes widening slightly and her eyebrows going up in a shocked and confused expression. Her mouth hang open for a few moments, as if trying to comprehend what I had just said. "What… why are you even asking that?!" Snow almost shouted at me, bearing an angry frown. "Do I look like a bucking raider to you?"

I quickly raised both arms in a defensive gesture. "Calm down! I’m sorry, I just had to be sure…" I apologized.

My sudden words stoped her growing rage. blinking a few times, she said, "Oh… alright… so you have seen slavers before?"

"Yes, right before I got to that building." I answered as a flash of the dead foal passed through my mind.

I think she’s being honest. It wasn’t easy to read her facial expressions, but she was clearly angry at my question. Good, now I can move to the big question. However, she began to talk before I could continue.

"Hey, Alex…"

"What?" I asked, slightly confused.

"Why did you killed those ponies?" She asked, bearing a neutral expression as she stared at me.

I frowned a little. "Because they were a threat. You said it yourself they were raiders."

"But they were attacking me, not you, and how could you have known they were raiders before?"

Because I saw them ambushing your caravan, but instead of helping, I decided to just let you die.

"Would you believe me if I told you that, you are the first person from here that didn’t shoot me on sight?"

"Actually… yes, I can believe that, still… You killed them in cold blood…"

"I didn’t have a choice" I tried to explain. "I couldn’t take any chances, they were a threat."

"Then why didn’t you shoot me? Back in the underground, I had a shotgun pointed at you."

"I almost did."

That answer shut her up. I wasn’t a nice thing to say, she was clearly taken aback by it, but it was the truth. Hopefully I can salvage this and convince her to come with me.

I looked down and shook my head a little. For gods sake, I'm a soldier, not a negotiator. "Look, I know this is far from ideal," I tried to explain. "But what matters is that right now, we can understand each other, and so I have a final question."

"What is it?"

"Would you be willing to follow me to where the rest of my comrades are?"

My question surprised her. I had to wait a few moments before she got an answer out.

"To do what?" Snow asked, with a hint of suspicion.

"We need help" I responded. "To know where we are and discover what brought us here."

"Why me?"

"Because, as I said earlier, you're the only person who hasn’t tried to kill me yet."

"And if I refuse…"

"Then, we'll go our separate ways, and I will try to find someone else."

It took a long time for her to respond. I understand her hesitation, for I was, after all, asking a lot from her. Her conflicting emotions were easy to spot, curiosity and determination fighting fear and hesitation. I wonder if all ponies have such strong personalities.

"Alright… I’ll do it" She said, with some hesitation.

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I’ll radio my comrades about this," I explained. "Then we’ll head there."

The radio call was quite amusing; turns out, they assumed I was probably dead. I was surprised to know the European was, actually, alive (despite heavily wounded).The captain was setting up a search party when I called. After giving a quick explanation of what happened, I told him about Snowdrop. He was skeptical at first (understandable after all reports we had sent him), but eventually he agreed. Knowing this mission was not a complete loss gave me some hope.

With that taken care of, we set out to the outpost. Snowdrop had (thankfully) agreed to give my rifle back. It was very dark, but we were still able to move around without many problems, and continue our journey. I suppose this was a good thing, since this would aid us in remaining undetected to any hostiles nearby. Despite the ugly state of this land, the light of the moon gave this place a nice look. Staring at that huge white orb with all those stars around it almost made me forget my current situation.

"So, do you know what that building was?" I asked, trying to break the awkward silence.

She gave me a small glance, one of her ears shifting a little as she heard me. "It was a pre-war research facility."

Pre-war? Another thing I will have to ask her later, once we get to the outpost. I guess this is the final piece of the puzzle. A war… not surprising, I’m curious to what drove this people into it.

I stopped for a moment. "Wait, you said earlier that your original plan was to go there" The mare nodded. "Why?"

"Well, I was hoping to get my hooves on anything useful, especially pre-war technology."

"Hoping to sell it for a good price?"

"What? No, I was hoping to understand it."

"So you are a scientist of some sort."

"More or less, cracking spells and spell matrixes is my special talent." Snow told me, while taking a glance at her flank.

A tattoo of a purple six-pointed star with a magnifying glass above it. So that is what those tattoos mean, they indicate the job or profession of each individual.

"Do you he-humans have something like a special talent?"

"You mean like, a profession?"

"I… guess…"

Great, how do I explain jobs and educational system of the P.A.C? I’m a soldier, not a fucking teacher.

"Well, that is a very complex question," I began. "To make it simple for you, I’ll have to explain how our jobs, professions and educational systems work…"

And so I explained the whole thing, trying to keep it really simple to avoid confusion.

"Ok, so some jobs require people to have a document proving they have learned the skills necessary to work or research on that?"

"Well, having extra skill and experience is always good, but some things, like medicine or engineering always require a degree, usually from a university or other educational institutions."

"And any human can learn to do those things?"

"If they spend the necessary time and dedication on it, yes, they will probably succeed."

"That’s… complicated…"

"It’s not complicated, it’s efficient."

We spend the rest of the journey discussing how education and professions worked in our respective worlds. Doing our best to explain and understand both systems. It was silly, the two of us making a cultural exchange in a war-torn hostile land, but I enjoyed, and I could tell the mare did too. I guess that silly conversation finally broke the ice. Hopefully we can get to the outpost without any issues, and I can get some good hours of sleep.

"What exactly am I going to do there?" Snow asked.

"Pretty much anything you are willing to," I explained. "We don’t know shit about this place, so anything you can provide could be useful."

"Alright, that’s easy enough."

"Do you have your own food supplies?"

"Why you want to know?"

"It would be best if you ate your own until we can be sure ours won’t harm you."

"If we can breathe the same air, we can probably eat the same things."

"I know, but it’s better to be safe."

After a long time walking, we finally spotted the outpost. The lights of the titan and the surrounding buildings serving as a shining beacon for us, easily noticeable in the darkness of the night. Before we got close, I decided to get a few things clear with Snowdrop.

"Snow, I have to ask you something."

"What now, Alex?"

"When we get inside, I need you to do exactly what I say."

"You said I had a free choice on this," She said, looking confused. "Are you saying I won’t be able to leave, once inside?

"Look, if you didn’t notice yet, we are a military force," – I explained. "That means some places only allow authorized people and

that we have a strict set of rules regarding transit inside and outside the outpost."

"And that means…"

"You can leave if you want, but you need to tell me first so I can get everything right with the rest of comrades."

"Okay, I think I understand now."

"Are you still up to it?"

"Yes."

"Alright, let’s go then."

After warning my comrades of our imminent arrival, we went inside. All soldiers, P.A.C and E.U alike, were staring at us, more specifically, at Snow. I spotted Dima among them, but he didn’t approached me, probably noticing how uncomfortable the mare was. Snow clearly wasn’t enjoying all the stares. Eventually we reached Nevesky and the EU captain, both waiting outside the same building we had previously decided our course of action.

I guess this whole mess is actually paying off, I just hope this lead us to some progress the next time we face the natives. Maybe now we can have a true first contact, something that doesn’t follow the steps of the Aztecs or the Incas. Eh, I’ll worry about that tomorrow, I’m fucking tired.

"Sergeant Terenti, it appears you were telling the truth, after all" Nevesky said, as we approached.

"Yes, sir, I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true."

"So you can speak their language?" The E.U captain asked.

"Yes, and before you ask, I really don’t know how the pony did it."

Meanwhile, Snowdrop looked really out of place, looking around with a confused expression. Expected, for we were speaking in English and she didn't know anything about this place. We continued to talk for about five minutes, were I gave them a quick report on everything that happened so far.

Eventually we decided on what we needed to know from Snow. First the language, then geography (hopefully she could provide us a map) and finally the inhabitants. If she was willing, we could also try to have a better understanding of their technology and… magic…

"Good, it’s decided," Captain Nevesky concluded. "Alexander, I want you to escort our guest to the barracks, I’ll arrange something with the rest of the soldiers to provide more privacy."

"Is there any specific place I should be looking for?"

"Try to place her not far from your unit, in case she requires assistance."

With that decided, I turned my attention to Snowdrop.

"Alright Snow, follow me, I’ll guide you to your quarters," I said, gesturing her to move along with my hand.

However, my words had no reaction from her. I noticed she was starring at the Titan with wide eyes. "Hey, Alex," She asked me. "What is that thing?"

"That’s a Titan."

"It’s really big, what do you use it for?"

"It’s an airborne carrier, we use it as an assault and support vessel."

"That thing flies?"

"Yes."

"Wow, that’s impressive."

We made our way across the outpost. After it was clear she wasn’t a threat, the soldiers were a lot more calm, only giving her an occasional look. We didn’t spoke much on the way, with me providing some tips on what each building was and where she was allowed to go.

"Okay Snow, you can stay here," I told her, as we entered one of the rooms of the barracks. "I’m sorry if it’s not very comfortable."

"Oh, don’t worry, this place is in a better state than much of what I have back home."

"That’s good to know, if you need anything, my unit is staying on the next building, ground floor."

"Alright, good night, Alex."

"Good night."

I went to my quarters. Despite having room for large numbers of people, sharing this outpost with our former enemies forced us to relocate all units. The crew and more sensitive personnel now occupied our previous quarters, inside the titan.

"So you made a new friend?" Dima asked, as I got inside, in a sarcastic tone. "Barin will be proud.

"Not now, Dima."

"Going to sleep, already?"

"I had a rough day, and tomorrow will be a busy one, at least for me."

I didn’t bothered to take my stuff back to the armory, I just let the whole thing near my bed. I’ll take it there tomorrow. I practically collapsed in my bed, closing my eyes and letting sleep take me.

Footnote: 20% to next level.

Chapter 6: Cultural Exchange

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Chapter 6: Cultural Exchange

Figuring out their written language was simple. The structure of this “Equestrian” wasn’t far from English. Sadly, Snowdrop was no expert in grammar or linguistics, but we were still successful in achieving some basic translations. Within time, we could definitely solve this.

I enjoyed solving this puzzle. Learning foreign languages is a personal hobby; I know Russian (from my family), English, Persian (from my home, in Persia) and I intended to study Romanian, before the war.

"So, what can you tell me about this world?" I asked Snow. "It would be better if you began on a larger scale, and then went to specific themes."

"Well, this world has many names, but ponies call it “Equis”…"

It was the morning of a new day. The two of us were in a small interrogation room, discussing the second subject of our meeting, geography. Snowdrop explained everything from the major continents and oceans, to islands and peninsulas. We also spoke about the weather and various types of environment like forests and deserts, finishing it with seasons and the local geography.

From what I understood, this place was a big island, close to the continent of “Equestria”. Our outpost was located in the Southern part of it, and our canyon was but a small part of a much larger region, called “The Golden Valley”. The name came after the river that cut through it, heading east (and the small river I had seen earlier was a stream from it). To the North, beyond this valley, were the “Northern plains” and to the west, a group of mountains. There were also a few smaller islands nearby, but they are not important.

"What's the name of this island?" I asked her.

"There are two names; ponies call it 'Fillylands' and the zebras 'Marevinas'”.

Zebra and pony names? This is a fucked up children cartoon… like a post-apocalyptical fantasy world.

"I can give you a map, if you need" Snow said.

"Oh, that would be excellent" I replied.

Why didn’t I asked for a map earlier? The one she provided it made things a lot easier. It had lots of details, scale and even topographic lines. I made a five minutes pause to analyze the map, easily finding our location and taking a few pictures and notes on it. After sending everything away to further study, we continued to the third subject, the inhabitants.

"You mentioned the existence of zebras," I began. "I assume they're also sentient."

"Yes, they are, despite how some ponies treat them..." I noticed a small hint of anger on those words. Maybe she knew one, and that also indicates the existance of racism between the two kinds. Not surprising, but interesting.

"How many sentient species exist on total?" I felt conflicted at the concept of having multiple sentient species in the same world, but knowing that I only have Earh as an example explains my confusion. Besides, I remenber that humans were not the only race of hominids which inhabited the Earth, during pre-historic times.

"Just the island, or the whole world?" That many?

"Begin with those here, in the island."

"Well, the most common are ponies and zebras, but there is also a large group of gryphons." Great, another mythological creature...

"What about the rest of the planet?"

"Back in Equestria, there is also the buffalos and diamond dogs, I also heard once about some creatures called “changelings”, but I think they're extinct."

Impressive, how is it even possible that so many sentient creatures exist? Eh, I think it’s better if I stop making unnecessary questions. I wouldn’t be surprised if this place had even more things that defy my knowledge on science. I can questions these facts once I get home.

Snow spend a few more minutes explaining what each of them were. Part of me wanted to tell her that we knew what gryphons, buffalos and dogs were, but I figured that would only make her curious about such knowledge.

"Can you tell me about non-sentient creatures? The ones that might pose a threat to us," I continued.

"Like those back at the underground base?"

"Exactly."

"Okay, I’ll make it simple for you, stay the buck away from the underground, for it’s filled with those critters."

Sounds simple enough. Can’t help but to wonder why. Was this place always this deadly, or is this a concequence of the war?

"What about your kind? We've seen ponies with and without horns around here," This is a topic I was very curious about. The two races we had seen where quite different, not just on the... magical abilities, but also on weight and body build.

"Ah, that’s because there are three races of ponies: Earth ponies, Pegasi and Unicorns," Pegasi, seriously? I'm honestly not sure if this shit is real or just an insane acid trip. If I hadn't been here for more than a day I would be trying to wake myself up.

"Well, you call yourself a unicorn, so I assume Earth ponies are the ones without horns, correct?" I assumed.

"Yes, and Pegasi are ponies with wings," You don't say...

"Interesting, we haven’t seen any of them yet."

"They're not very common."

"Is there anything else we should know about your race?" I wouldn't be surprised if they could fire lasers out of their eyes. Maybe they can also resuscitate multiple times and change their limbs for synthetics. Okay, hold on, now I'm just exaggerating.

"Well… there are two other groups called Bat ponies and Alicorns."

"Elaborate."

"The first are like Pegasi, but they have batwings, fangs and cat-like eyes," Snow explained. She didn't seem very sure of her own words, I assume she isn't very familiar with the topic. "Alicorns are big ponies with both wings and horns, they are strong as earth ponies, can fly and manipulate clouds like Pegasi, and use magic".

"Why did you hesitate to mention them?"

"Because Bat ponies are extremely rare, even more than Pegasi and Alicorns are supposedly extinct."

"Supposedly?"

"They should be, but some ponies from mainland Equestria say they have Alicorns there."

"How come?"

"Nopony knows, but apparently they're aggressive, especially against unicorns…" Interesting, a powerful race dissapearing and then coming back two centuries later, maybe they could be usefull to us...

I decided to ask more about recent events, that is, why everything was destroyed. The answer is… complicated, to say the least, but I’ll try to make it simple. Somewhere around 200 years ago, tensions rose over two nations, the Principality of Equestria and the Zebra Empire. Those tensions, over the growing demand of coal, eventually exploded into general war. The conflict lasted for decades, with no side gaining the upper hand (hoof?), and ended at the mutual launch of “Megaspells”, the local version of nukes, destroying the whole planet.

I’ll be honest, there was something very wrong about that story. How did a civilization using coal as an energy source, barely into the industrial era, created modern things like terminals and robots? All that in a few decades? The nuclear war itself was weird, why would they do it over coal? I’m well aware of the tensions between the NATO and the Warsaw Pact after WWII, but even then, nobody ever had the balls to go with it, because we all knew the consequences (sure, we came pretty close, but we still never did it). There is something missing, I’m sure of it. No fucking way they annihilated each other because of an energy source. Yet I must leave my curiosity aside, for I’m still a soldier. I’m not about to go wandering old buildings for missing files and recordings, I must first make sure we get back home, all of us.

The war I was supposed to be fighting was over something much more vital and had our very survival at risk, and there was still no threat of mutual destruction. I suppose that after almost a century without nuclear weapons, there is simply too much political and social pressure against the creation of such weapons.

"So, the Equestrians built these “Stables” to survive?" I asked.

"Yes," Snow answered.

"Did they work?"

"A few did..." A few? That doesn't sound very good. Then again, how can you prepare for a nuclear war? My own world was having enough problems dealing with climate changes (sure, the ice age was a huge change, but small when compared with a MAD situation).

"What about the people here?" She did told me that these Stables were built in Equestria, for Equestrians, and no one else.

"This place was not a major target; we only got hit by a few, plus some chemical weapons," I suppose they could have survived in deep tunnels, subways (If they have any) and other underground instalations. Maybe that facility we saw was part of a local attempt to create something similar to these Stables. It makes sense, that place looked new, despite being there for over two centuries. Nothing but some rust and dust in a few spots.

"So that stuff back at the lab…" I suggested.

"Yep, there are still pockets of that stuff spread all over the island," Snowdrop answered with a nod. "especially on the underground".

"How deadly is it?" By rule, we always try to stay away from any kind of biological or chemical threat, but I suppose it's always good to know.

"Depends on how much and what exactly you take, but usually they all kill you, eventually."

"And people have been living like this ever since the war?"

"Until a few months ago, yes."

"What do you mean?"

"There has been talk about somepony called “The Stable Dweller” and some other ponies changing things in Equestria."

"Some sort of local hero?"

"I think so, they say she was able to open the skies there in something call “Day of Sunshine and Rainbows”..." Open the skies? Oh right, some of them can manipulate the weather… does that mean this “Stable Dweller” is a Pegasus?

We stopped, once again, taking a break to eat something. I kept her company in the small room. Snow seemed to be surprisingly okay with me and the rest of my comrades, even though we had only met a day ago. I wonder if this is some sort of herd mentality, or just a trait of her personality. I decided to make use of that behavior, hence why I stayed with her. If she saw me as a friend, I could have better chances on getting useful information out of her.

During our meal, she questioned me about my world. I provided the best answers I could, while eating my MRE (this one had some bacon in it, quite nice). I kept some things, like the war and the crisis, away. While most of her questions focused on technology, there was also desire to know more about the coalition and our languages.

"So, why are these other po-people dressing differently?" Snowdrop asked.

"Because they are from a different military" I answered casually.

"Another military?" She looked a little confused at my answer, even raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, from another coalition called “European Union”."

Her curiosity became stronger and she asked "How many of those are there, in your world?"

"Well, there is us, the Pan-Asian Coalition, and also the European Union, the North American Defense Treaty, the Union of South American Nations and the African Union" I explained

"Anyone else?"

"Well… there are a few smaller states, who are not part of any coalition, but they are not important."

I would’ve enjoyed to spend some time with my unit, and also to check on Barin, but my current task is a priority. As soon as we finished eating, we were back to questions and answers. I must admit, I’m impressed at her will to keep going.

The local factions were the next topic in line. Three major factions controlled the island. Closer to us, in the higher valley, was “Ministry Square”, a small city-state where Snowdrop was from. The entire northern section of the island (the northern plains, that is) were under the banner of the “Confederacy”, a union of three cities and several smaller settlements. Finally, to the east, at the lower valley, another city-state controlled the ruins of “Phoenix Harbor” (a pre-war naval base).

Separating Ministry Square from the Confederacy was a small group nicknamed “Dust Dwellers” in the small desert area that served as a border between the Golden Valley and the Northern Plains. I desired to learn more about them, but Snow didn’t know much.

"About slavery, how common is it?" This time, I tried to sound less... agressive.

"Well, the ponies you saw at the coast have been there for decades," Snow looked away for a seconds, as if contemplating something. "They have been a problem to all villages nearby ever since..." she said, looking at me once again. Her big golden eyes filled with some sadness and a hint of anger. I can relate to that, the image of the execution I had witnessed was still stuck in my head.

"What about the rest of the region?" I continued. There would be time to deal with them later...

"There are some groups controlling the farms along the Golden River, but they arrived recently."

"Where did they come from?"

"Bucked off from the Northern Plains by the Confederacy when they took over."

"So, I assume that faction is against slavery."

"Correct."

"What about Ministry Square?" I asked, trying to sound neutral.

"We used to be firmly against it, but with slavers controlling those farms, we have to trade with them," Her expression indicated she was clearly against it.

"Why not trade with other factions?" Sure, it probably wasn't easy to change trade routes and negotiate trading agreements in a ruined world, but for me it sounded better than dealing with slavers. I suppose I shouldn't condem her entire home for that. When I was younger, back at the camps, my family and I did our share of illegal acts to survive, mostly to acquire extra food and medication whenever one of us got sick. It wasn't right, by any means, but when faced with death and starvation, people tend not to care about such things.

"Most folks, back home, wants to stay away from the big factions," She explained. "They give a lot of value to our independence."

I felt a little bit confused at that statement. "If those farms are so vital, why don’t you retake them?"

"We tried."

I continued to ask more about the economic and social aspects of each faction. The currency being used is… bottle-caps…, which explains a lot. Snowdrop told me a little about the relations between species, how there’s still some tension between Equestrians and Zebras. Eventually, we reached the final subject, technology and magic. Despite clearly tired of this whole affair, Snow carefully explained both things.

Their kind did not possess electronic devices, as I had originally guessed, but “Arcane” variations. Instead of normal batteries and electronic components, they use “Spark Batteries” and “Talismans” with “Spell Matrixes”. Those gems and talismans could also build “Energy Weapons” like the ones employed by the robots I had encountered earlier.

Snow explained the two devices she acquired, back at the underground facility. One of them being a “Targeting Talisman” (I suppose the name already explains itself) and a “PipBuck” (which she was wearing). That last device got me impressed, it provided a minimap, kept tag on all items carried, monitored the user’s health, detected nearby living beings (and whether or not they were hostiles), could store files and recordings, had a radio receiver and something called S.A.T.S that aided the user’s aim.

Very similar to our “NetBat” devices. Impressive, for a civilization without transistors. But I guess after seeing advanced combat robots this shouldn't be that surprising.

In regards to magic, I’ll be honest, I could barely understand what she told me. To make it simple, there are basic spells, like levitation, which most unicorns can do, and more complex ones, like the “Memory Spell” she previously used, which only trained unicorns can create.

"Forgive me if this sounds offensive, but you are well educated for someone who lives in a wasteland" I told her.

"My family put a lot of emphasis on education."

"Still, how common is it for someone to know this much?"

"Not much, I’m lucky to live in a place that could provide it," She responded, letting out a sigh. "Anywhere else, and I would be too busy struggling for survival."

"So your home has a superior infrastructure?"

"Yes, place is filled with pre-war technology, so we got an edge on that."

"Is there another place that matches that?"

"Well, Phoenix Harbor comes close, and there is Equestrian bay, the capital of the Confederacy."

"Do you know why these places have the upper hand?" My choice of words confused her, but after a moment, she understood. I mentally slapped myself for that.

"I think it has to do with the pre-war history of each" Snow explained. "I know my home was the industrial center of the island, Equestrian bay a trading center and Phoenix harbor a naval base."

Within minutes, there were no more questions to ask. We covered everything, from geography to technology and magic (or “Arcane Arts”, as Snow insisted in calling). After all cruelty I witnessed, her effort to provide information make me rethink my judgment about the natives. I guess they are not so different from us.

"Snowdrop, I have a final request for you" My sudden request surprised her.

"Yes?"

"That memory spell you used on me."

"What about it?"

"Can you do it again, on other humans?"

"Why?" She seemed confused at my question.

"I can’t be the only one capable to understand you and the rest of your kind" I explained.

"Alright, I understand, I guess I could do it again," She answered. "But not several times, it’s a really complicated spell."

"You sure about it?"

"Yes."

After thanking her for the cooperation, I wrote down my final reports and sent them away. I made my way through the outpost, hoping to find Captain Nicolay. The sky was clear, with the sun shining above me as I walked, a few soldiers moving around as well, doing their daily duties. I met Nicolay at the hangar, overseeing the repairs of a gunship. The place was noisy as hell, plus the smell coming from the repairs was quite annoying.

With the interrogation over, there’s a new task for us. It’s time to act, to make a real first contact, and to get rid of certain threats.

"Ah, sergeant Terenti, have you completed your assignment?" The captain greeted me, as I stepped inside the hangar.

"Yes sir, I have already send a full report" I answered, almost shouting, because of all the noise around us.

"Good, did she agree with our proposal?"

"Yes."

"Alright, anything else?"

"Do you have any information on the European lieutenant?" My question surprised him.

"Yes… he’s still on medical, but should be on his feet in a few days," Nicolay answered. "Why do you want to know?"

"I believe there is something else we take care of."

"Something that requires the Europeans getting involved? What is it?"

"The Slavers."

Eventually, we would have to deal with them. While I could give other groups the benefit of doubt, this one had proven itself a threat. As much as I don’t desire to get involved with the locals, I can’t stand idly by at the face of atrocities and slavery. In addition, if what Snow said is true, getting rid of them might put us on the good side of some local factions. Sure, it would be at the cost of making more enemies, but that was a small price to pay.

We dedicated the rest of the day on getting other soldiers into speaking Equestrian, successfully getting the higher ranking people of both coalitions acquired with the language (except Edward, as the European lieutenant was called). The looked on their faces whenever Snow finished the spell was priceless. We set up a meeting, to the next day, to discuss the issue of the slavers. I went to sleep soon after.

By the morning of the next day, after eating breakfast, I decided to check on Barin. Hopefully, we can find more of these healing potions for all those recovering. I suppose our medic teams could learn a thing or two from them. I made my way to the medical area of the Titan, soon finding my old friend in his bed, reading a book.

Taking a deep breath and making sure to look cheerful, I steped inside. "Hey, Barin, how are you feeling?" I greeted him.

"Oh, hey Alex, good to see you!" He replied. "I’m feeling a lot better, actually."

"That’s good to hear."

"So, I heard you made a new friend" What? He knew about that, already?

"More or less, she agreed to help us."

"Yes, I heard that too, you can speak their language now?"

"Yes, and don’t ask me how, I still don’t understand how she did it."

There was a small pause. After a few seconds, with none of us speaking a word, Barin reacted.

"Alright… what's your true reason for coming here?" He said, eyes narrowing a little.

Those sudden words surprised me a little. He always had a good ability to pick these things up. "What? Can’t I just be here to check on a dear friend?" I tried to convince him.

"It’s never that simple with you, Alexander."

"We are going into action."

"Against who?"

"One of the groups we spotted earlier" I explained. "A group of slavers.

"They have slavery here?" He asked a bit surprised.

"Yes, but it seems it’s not very common."

"You got that from the pony?"

"She was clearly offended when I asked if she supported it".

"You always had a talent with the ladies, Alex" He told me with a chuckle.

"Fuck you" I replied. "Point is, we might be gone for a while."

"Okay, sorry for the comment and good luck with your mission."

With that taken care of, I left the room and went to the meeting. My mind filled with determination as I moved, happy to be doing something good, to make that bastard pay for what he did to that foal. Yet a small part of me questioned the whole thing. I felt a sudden epiphany.

Sure, they are slavers and they have committed acts of cruelty, but does that mean that we should take down every single one of them? What about those who are too young or too old? Should we punish those who do normal things, like cooking and cleaning too? Moreover, if we did spare them, how would they survive in this wasteland without those who protected them?

How can we ask people who live in such horrible conditions, for over two centuries, to not turn into these kinds of activities? I know how low people can go when they have to struggle for survival. I spend most of my childhood in a refugee camp, where gangs preying on the weak and corrupted officials were a common thing. Yet I know that most of those people did it because they were desperate, not because they were monsters.

Now that I think about it, how are we going to deal with the slaves? It’s very possible they will get caught in the crossfire, plus, we are low in supplies, so we can’t afford to share food, water and medication. I’ll have to address all these issues in the meeting.

Steeping inside the meeting room, I spotted Snowdrop, Nicolay, the EU captain a PAC sergeant from another squad. Well, I guess now is the time to decide if we are saviors or conquerors. This meeting felt quite awkward, I could notice that on Snowdrop and some of the soldiers. Discussing a military action with former enemies and ponies... now that's something I didn't expect.

"Alright, now that everyone is here, we can begin," Nicolay said, this time speaking in Equestrian. "First, I would like to thank our guest, Ms. Snowdrop, for cooperating."

"Oh, it’s nothing, really," She replied, waving a hoof dismissingly. "And please, just call me Snow,"

"As you wish, Snow. Now, as you all know, we are here to discuss our next step, more specifically, against the slavers nearby…"

The biggest question of the meeting was how to save the slaves and keep civilian casualties to a minimum. Having this discussion in Equestrian was… interesting, to say the least. Snowdrop did her best to explain what she knew about the slavers. Now that I think about it, she has a tendency to do that, almost like a teacher.

"Do you know how to disarm these explosive collars?" The EU captain asked to Snow.

"Nope, I don’t know much about explosives."

"One of my squad mates is a demolition expert" The other PAC sergeant said. "What about your unit, Sergeant Terenti?"

"The only one, who knows something, is wounded" I replied

It took us over an hour and half to figure the first steps of the operation. We decided to split our force in two groups, the distraction team and the infiltration team. The first group, led by the EU captain, would strike the main building from a distance, creating a distraction. The second group, led by myself, with the addition of Snowdrop and the demolitions expert from the other squad, would infiltrate the opposite side of the complex and secure the slaves.

The big problems were the lack of active camouflage devices (we had less than twenty of those) and the explosive collars. Our hopes are that the mechanism isn’t very complex, since the device was created after the war. My greatest concern was to find the pony who murdered the foal, and make him pay. The whole thing sounded very simple, draw their attention, secure the slaves and, if possible, infiltrate the main building.

"So, how are we getting out of there?" I asked. "Last thing we need is someone following us back here."

"One of our transport aircrafts is already operational," Nicolay answered. "Once the area is secured, we’ll send them in."

With everything decided, all of us set out to make preparations. Within time, we organized the men, put our gear on, and explained the mission. By nightfall, we had the plan in motion.

Footnote: 50% to next level.

Chapter 7: Plan In Motion

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Chapter 7- Plan in Motion

After a quick walk, our forces arrived at slaver base. We moved as a single organism, watching each other’s back and keeping an eye out for threats. Doing a quick scout for patrols, we made the final decisions and organized ourselves, splitting in two forces and heading to our respective objectives.

The night was cold and dark, with many clouds blocking any light from the moon and stars. We were already in position, ready to throw ourselves into the fray; all we waited for was one word: attack.

Despite the coming action, the whole area was quiet. We stood there, in the cracked dirt and rocks, for about forty minutes, waiting for all teams to get in position. Nothing but the constant whispering of the wind to make us company. My unit, Snowdrop and the demolitions expert (called Romanov), were just waiting for the signal to advance. There wasn’t much movement at the enemy base, just the occasional sentry on the walls and barricades surrounding the complex. We estimated the number of hostiles to be around thirty to fifty and the slaves being slightly above twenty.

Most of us were carrying standard equipment, with the exception of Suvorov, who opted for a Lambert Carbine, better suited for close range. Luckily for Snow, our previous engagements with raiders provided us a small arsenal of weapons, allowing her to choose freely. Snow decided to bring a small saw-off shotgun and a .357 revolver. We decided, just before we left, to keep explosives like grenades and rifle-rockets, to a minimum. Last thing we need is friendly fire and civilian casualties, so it’s best to prevent collateral damage.

Our European allies were on the high ground, close to the hills, overlooking the slaver base. They have 27 soldiers, a few of them equipped with PAC sniper rifles.

The operation has three parts. First, my team (strike team) will infiltrate the complex and locate the slaves. After that, the EU troops (Echo team) create a distraction by attacking the main building, drawing the enemy’s attention and allowing us to secure the civilians. Finally, we take down any hostiles left and secure the base. This mission reminds me of a counter-terrorist action.

I can’t help but to be excited, and I know my comrades are in a similar state. This is, by all means, a turning point, where we start to get involved with the people and problems of this land. The battle will decide how the inhabitants see us, for better or worse. Assuming everything goes according to plan, our position around the outpost and near the coast will be secure, allowing us to focus on finding resources and investigating the reasons behind our sudden arrival. Hopefully we’ll solve this in a short time, and then go back to our world… back to the war. I suppose it’s quite ironic, fighting to go back to a war, while the world succumbs to panic and ice.

I could spot some anxiety on Dima and Snowdrop. On one, by the way her tail and ears flickered a little, periodically, and on the other by his heavy breathing and tight grip on his weapon. I couldn’t blame then, for Dima was barely more than a recruit, and Snowdrop was not a soldier, by any means. Sadly, I must cease my observations, for it’s time to act.

"Strike team, this is Echo, do you copy?" The EU captain called, breaking the silence.

"Strike team here, yes we hear you loud and clear, what’s yours status, over?" I answered through the radio.

"All units are in position and holding," He informed. "Operation ready to go on your mark, over."

"Acknowledge, we’ll begin phase one immediately, over and out."

With that conversation over, I turned to my comrades.

"Alright people, you heard him," I told them, one time in Russian, and another in Equestrian. "Is everyone ready?"

"What exactly am I supposed to do again?" The soft voice on Snow asked. Despite spending a few days at the base, and having met several people there, she was still a little shy around all of us.

"You are to help us in keeping the slaves calm," I replied. "The will likely freak out when they see us."

Receiving a nod of understanding from her, I continued.

"Here is how we proceed," I explained. "Suvorov and me will head to the wall, using active camouflage, and look for hostiles. Once they are taken care of, I’ll tell you to move in."

A few more seconds of preparations and we were on the move. The two of us moved fast, reaching the wall right before our devices ran out of energy. We did a quick check of our surroundings, looking to both sides of the pile of rusting metal that we called a wall. The lack of organization on the metal plates that composed this structure made me wonder how it remained standing. Well, I guess this slavers surely don’t have a proper engineer amongst them.

"You spotted anything?" I asked Suvorov, while pressing myself against the wall.

"Nope, but I heard something over there, up the wall" He replied, pointing to the right side of the wall.

"Close to us?"

"A little, probably a sentry."

Fuck, I wanted to avoid unecessary contacts, but I guess that's something bound to happen when moving in large groups. "Okay, we’ll move a few meters to the left side, and them we climb up".

Two minutes later, we were climbing. Lucky for us, these walls were made (I guessed) for ponies, so they were not high enough to stop us, and they didn’t had things like barbed-wire on top. I suppose climbing a structure or a rope must be a challenge for creature without hands. Reaching the top, I scanned the area, which was no different from the last time I saw it. The same old mansion, far away from us, and the same two warehouses. There was also a smaller house, near the mansion, probably home to tools or weapons and ammunition, which the European snipers were keeping an eye on.

After Suvorov arrived, I spotted my target. I couldn’t see much, just the dark silhouette of a pony, turned away from me, probably staring outside the wall. As I approached, some details, like its brown coat and light brown mane, became clearer. This earth pony is wearing a black leather jacket, he has a .38 revolver holstered and a water bottle on his saddlebags. Each step made me feel a little guilty, for this pony looked young, very young. The fact these ponies looked innocent and even cute, in a way, didn’t help. However, I pushed those feelings aside, reminding me of who I was dealing with. What stands in front of me is a slaver, a hostile, and nothing else.

Sneaking closer to him, while keeping a tight grip on my combat knife, I noticed my enemy was barely awake, making my job easier. Once I was little more than a step away, I quickly slid my free arm around his neck, causing him to jolt awake. His attempt to scream muffed by my strong grip on his neck. I shifted my body, as he struggled, to pin him down with my weight. I passed my other arm over his head, bringing the knife closer to his neck. His fight to break free increased dramatically, most likely from spotting my knife. For a single moment, I hesitated, reconsidering if this was truly necessary… and then I cut his throat open.

Once again, his cry of pain was muffed by my grip, as he continued to scramble. Slowly, as each second passed, and more of his blood spilled out, his attempts became weaker. Eventually, it resumed to nothing but a weak and slow shift of muscles. After a few more seconds, not even that. I could still feel some breathing, yet no more struggle. Was it weakness that prevented him, or had he accepted his fate?

Well, He’s no longer moving and I can’t feel his breathing, or pulse, so I guess he’s dead. I loosed my grip and allowed the body to slide. Staring at his face revealed a look of terror, eyes wide and a clear stream of tears bellow them. I left the corpse there and went back to Suvorov. He was a bit surprise, seeing me covered in blood and all that. I informed the rest of my team that the area was clear, and soon they all arrived.

"Okay everyone, here is how we proceed," I began, getting their attention. "We got two hostiles patrolling each warehouse, plus two others by the gate. Suvorov and me will take down those on the warehouse closer to us and escort everyone inside. Once there, we’ll radio the Europeans to begin the second part of the operation, hopefully drawing the other patrols away."

"What if that doesn’t work?" Asked Dima.

"Then we’ll have to neutralize them too" I replied. "Any other questions?"

"I have one" Said Snowdrop, lifting a hoof.

"What is it?"

"Do we really have to kill them?" She asked, eyeing the blood in my armor and uniform.

Yes we do, they are nothing more than miserable slavers. By killing them, we are eliminating threats and making this place better. By freeing their captives, we’ll be creating a good image for us. They deserve no mercy.

"Elaborate" I deadpanned.

"Why don’t we just knock them out?" She explained. "We have ropes, so we could tie them up."

"They are slavers," I tried to reason with her. "Plus, this would delay the operation."

Snow narrowed her eyes a little. "You are okay with killing ponies just to save time?" She said. Oh great, I should've predicted that, I really don't know what's wrong with her. Seriously, if what she told me about this wasteland is anything to go by, killing off a few slavers or raiders shouldn't be a big deal.

On the other hand, she did help me. Snowdrop is the only one who provided us with any kind of information and is willing to help. Fuck, I can’t lose her support, but still… why does she care about a few slavers? Well, I suppose her help is worth a few more minutes of work.

"Alright, screw it, we’ll do it your way" I said, earning a vague smile from her.

Suvorov and me went down, towards the nearest building. Easily spotting our targets, we split up and sneaked closer to them. My new enemy was a unicorn mare, golden short mane and brown coat. I got close and raised my rifle above her. I swiftly delivered a strong blow with the butt of my rifle at the back of her head. Her body hit the ground like a rock. Confirming she was indeed unconscious, I searched her for any weapons. She possessed a small dagger, a 10mm pistol, some ammo, water and a detonator. The detonator must be to the slave collars of those inside the warehouse.

I went back to Suvorov, carrying my already tied up target over my left shoulder. Suvorov had also acquired a prisoner, also unconscious and immobilized. With the task completed, I once again called my comrades, and after they arrived, we all went inside the warehouse.

Our entrance was accompanied by a series of gasps and the sound of hooves scrambling away. Inside the badly illuminated room were 18 ponies, all of them either mares or children. All of them seemed to be in a bad state, a few bearing cuts and bruises, and others looking malnourished. Gathered in the opposite side of the room, some of them shook in fear, and all bearing wide eyes.

"Calm down, everyone, we are here to help you." I announced, it didn’t work, they were even more afraid.

I suppose staring at a blood-covered alien, clad in black armor, is not a hopeful sight. Lucky for me, Snow came in and tried to salvage the situation.

"It’s true, everypony, we are here to free you" Snow said, while approaching them.

They eyed all of us suspiciously. "You… you mean for real?" One of them, a young buck, asked. "But what about the guards… and our collars?"

Answering his question, I showed them the detonator I acquired from my prisoner. My action finally convinced them, Allowing Romanov to work on the devices. I placed the two prisoners on a corner of the room and ordered Dima to watch them. The signs of fear and doubt were still very clear in their faces, but they are willing to cooperate. I stayed a few steps away from them, trying to avoid the smell in the air, for this place only had a bucket for a toilet.

"Echo team, this is Strike one, do you copy, over?" I called through the radio.

"This is Echo, we hear you loud and clear, over."

"My team has successfully infiltrated the first objective" I informed them. "You are free to execute the next step of the operation, over."

"Alright, we’ll begin the distraction in a few moments, over and out."

True to his words, a few moments later the thunder of their weapons shattered the silence of the night. The lack of windows prevented me from seeing the fight, but shouts coming from outside were more than enough to indicate the situation. Peeking outside, I saw the gate empty, and after a wider check, I confirmed that there were only two guards, near the other warehouse, guarding the whole area. Another effect of our distraction was a growing agitation amongst the slaves.

"What’s going on?" A foal asked, while a mare wrapped her forelegs around him.

"Don’t worry, this is all part of our plan." I answered calmly.

"What about the other ponies?" The child asked, again.

"You mean the others on the next warehouse?" He nodded. "I’ll be heading there soon."

I turned my attention to Romanov. The sooner he solved this problem, the easier we could deal with the rest of the slavers. So far, things are going well, and we shouldn’t waste such good fortune.

"How is the progress with the collars, corporal?"

"This thing is more complicated than I expected," He replied, while working on a device, worn by a unicorn mare bearing a worried expression. "It has an extra detonator, in case someone tries to cut it off, I’ll have to disarm both to be safe."

"How long do you think it will take?"

"At least ten more minutes, but once I solve this, it’ll go much faster."

I decided to wait a few more minutes before heading into the next objective. I must make sure there are no more hostiles wandering nearby. From what I could hear on the radio, the Europeans were successfully keeping the enemy suppressed, but they were unable to advance. I guess the excessive defenses of this place are paying off, despite the lack of refinement, these walls and barricades were well planned.

I looked around, taking stock of the situation. Snowdrop was near the slaves, probably trying to comfort them, while Romanov kept working on the collars. Meanwhile, Akio and Suvorov were near the door, talking. Lastly, there was Dima, near the prisoners, in a lonely corner of the room. I suppose I’ll only be able to take Suvorov with me, for everyone else was busy. Sure, I could also bring Akio, but he was one of the few medics available, so it’s best to keep him away from combat, if possible.

Finally, after five minutes, I decided to move on. During this wait, Romanov concluded his work on the first device (bringing a clear sight of relief in the mare’s face) and set out to disarm all collars. The two prisoners were still unconscious, despite the constant noise of shouting and gunshots. Alright, time to move out of here.

"Alright people, we need to move into the next warehouse," I announced, getting their attention. "Suvorov and me will go first to secure the area, once Romanov is done with the collars here, he and Snow will go there."

"What about the prisoners, sir?" Dima asked.

"You and Akio will remain here and keep this place safe until all hostiles are neutralized," I explained to him. "Any more questions?"

None of them asked, so I called Suvorov and went outside. Looking around, at the firefight, I could see some bodies near the main building, none of them moving. I could also see some heavy damage to a few barricades, likely from rifle rockets, and a few things burning. The smoke from these fires was already giving a bad smell to the air, while providing a chaotic look to the area. These factors, added to the current battle, almost reminded me of home.

I faced a few night battles while serving in Europe. Most of them were against the EU Brandenburg Line, which had been a tough nut to crack. Only after surrounding the whole area and keeping constant pressure, they agreed to surrender. Despite the previous hostilities, I must admit, these Europeans were competent soldiers. The Brandenburg Line wasn’t the only example of how ferocious their resistance was. Belgrade and, more recently, Verdun also showed us they would fight till death for every inch of European ground, while forcing us to pay dearly for it.

"So, how do we proceed?" Suvorov asked, snapping me back. "Do we take the next patrol as prisoners too?"

"Negative, I won’t delay this mission any longer" I answered. "We take them down quickly and complete the objective."

"Understood, sir."

For the third time, we split up, going for our respective targets. This time, my target was a stallion, green coat and a light blonde mane poking out of his hat. No armor, just a… saddle, with a rifle attached to the right side. He wasn’t facing me, but the firefight ahead of him, completely unaware of my presence. However, just as I crossed half the way to him, I kicked a rock, bouncing a few times ahead of me. The distinctive sound alerted him, causing his ears to shift slightly beneath his hat.

Without hesitating, I dropped my knife and picked my rifle. As the pony turned around, I took aim. His mouth already going for the trigger as I locked my sights. Luckily, once he spotted me, he hesitated, eyes going wide, providing me with precious moments to open fire. The last thing he saw was the blue flash from my rifles as I shot him. Three bullets, hitting him on the head and chest, ending his life instantly.

With the low thud of his body hitting the ground, I moved away, praying that the enemy didn’t hear that. I suppose that with all the fighting around here, three particular shots might be hard to hear. Sprinting back to Suvorov, I spotted him not far from his kill.

"That was quick," He commented in a calm manner, as I approached. "Did something happened, Alex?"

"Yea, I had to shoot mine," I answered, slightly concerned. "Before you ask, I don’t know if anyone heard that, so we better move quick."

We ran to the entrance and kicked the doors open, revealing the current inhabitants. 14 adult stallions, looking surprised at our arrival (but less than the mares and foals on the last one). The two of us scanned the inside, searching for any threats, and found none. We then lowered our weapons and I provided a quick explanation.

"Greetings, I’m sergeant Terenti of the PAC and I’m here to free you," I began, receiving puzzled looks. "Me my comrades are currently taking down the slavers inside this place. Once we are done, we’ll set you all free, but for the moment, I need all of you to remain here until the rest of my team arrives to disarm your collars. Any questions?"

The whole room was silent. The slaves and we kept staring at each other, as we heard the sounds of fighting coming from outside. Great, I fucked up again, I could really use some tips on how to properly introduce myself to aliens without this shit happening. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, one of them raised a hoof.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Can we loot the bodies?" The blue-coated stallion said, in a deep tone.

"Uh… I guess…" I replied. "Anything else?"

With no more questions, Suvorov and me went outside and planned our next move. Staring at the mansion, I saw several bodies around it, showing the Europeans had the upper hand. I could see some ponies on the wall, far away, but none near the space between our position and the mansion. If we wanted to, we could infiltrate the building and take down any resistance. With that in mind, I switched to my under-barrel shotgun and called the EU captain.

"Echo team, this is Strike, do you copy, over?" I called.

"This is Echo," He answered, amidst the gunfire. "What is it, over?"

"We have completed our objectives, what’s your status, over?"

"Most hostiles outside are down, but there’s still resistance inside the building, especially from the second floor, over."

"Do you need aid? I can infiltrate the building if necessary, over."

"That would be welcome, but be careful in there, over."

"Acknowledged, over and out."

With a new objective in mind, I turned to Suvorov. This won’t be easy, for there is only two of us, but we also have the element of surprise. So far, it appears they aren’t aware of my team, hopefully we can make good use of such luck.

"Well, you heard him, time for more action" I said, taking a glance towards the mansion. "I bet that place has a basement, we should start through there."

"How are we dealing with the hostiles?" Suvorov asked.

"Same as always but be careful with your grenades" I replied. "As much as I despise them, we can’t go around killing civilians."

With no further talking, we moved out, quickly reaching the mansion. The sounds of battle were now much louder, and I could hear some shouting coming from the other side of the building. Fortunately, we easily found the way leading to the basement, not far from the main entrance. Once ready, we stood in either side and opened the doors. Greeted by darkness and some dust, we went down, the sounds of fighting gradually being muffed by the structure, leaving only the noise of our steps and breathing.

After reaching the end of the stairway, we turned our flashlights on, revealing a large room. The place was filled with piles of boxes and equipment, from water bottles and canned food, to tools and medication. So this is where they keep supplies? It will definitely be useful, once the battle is over. I calculated this place had enough resources to feed the slavers for at least more than a week. There was also two smaller rooms and a toilet room on the right corner, but they were all empty.

"Looks like we hit a gold mine" I commented.

"Indeed" Agreed Suvorov.

"Let’s move up and get the job done" I said.

We slowly ascended to the next floor, weapons raised and ready for action. Reaching the end, I looked around. The place appeared deserted, nothing but some dust in the decayed interior of the room we reached. The air was slightly tick, with a familiar smell of smoke reminding me of the ongoing fighting. All that added to the constant shouting and crack of firearms made this place look like a warzone.

Once Suvorov arrived, we both went to the only door in the room. Opening and glancing outside revealed an empty corridor, but also the noise of someone near. Silently indicating Suvorov to follow me, we went in the direction of the noise, which appeared to be coming from another room, not far from us. Soon, we arrived at the door separating us from our targets, quickly taking cover on each side.

I moved on hand to my belt and took out a grenade, while pointing to the door with my other hand. Receiving a nod from Suvorov I took the pin out and got ready. Suvorov proceeded to kick the door open, while I threw the explosive inside. The shouts and screams of confusion that followed were obscured by the loud bang of the resulting explosion.

Not wasting a moment, the two of us stormed the small room, finding a gruesome scene. Four bodies occupied the room, two of them by the window, holding rifles and ammunition, and two others in a corner, near the door we came from. All of them severely wounded, bearing a big pool of blood around them. The two near the window were clearly dead, but as I glanced at the other two, something caught my attention. One of them (a mare I guessed) was laying on top of the other, almost in a protective manner. In addition, there were no weapons around them, only medical boxes and some shattered healing potions.

Approaching the two, I kicked the body of the mare, revealing the pony bellow. A male, green coat and dark green mane, apparently unconscious, with a gunshot wound on his right arm, and some shrapnel cuts on his legs. I knew he was alive because of a few coughs he gave when I removed the body from him.

"This one is alive" I informed Suvorov.

"How bad is he?" He asked, coming closer to inspect them.

"A gunshot wound and some cuts, but nothing serious, I think," I answered, analyzing the pony. "But he’s losing some blood."

"So, what do we do with him?" Said Suvorov, in a calm manner.

I should probably shoot him, for he’s of no use to me, only an extra prisoner to watch and feed. In addition, as far as I know, there is no government nearby with a standing legal system where he could be judged for his crimes. Keeping him alive would only create an extra liability for us, something else to worry. Yes, maybe shooting him and ending his misery would be the most practical thing to do. Should I really show mercy to a slaver? Someone who caused suffering to god knows how many, and could do it again if allowed?

On the other hand, he’s unarmed and wounded. By shooting him, I would be violating several treaties on human rights (which also apply to these ponies, since they are not much different from us) and my own military code. He’s a non-combatant right now, who, despite previous crimes, has the right to live and to a fair trial. Moreover, by shooting him, I’m lowering myself to their level, of an individual with no moral code. Yes, by keeping him alive I’m stretching our supplies and creating another liability, but isn’t that worth to uphold our morals and honor as soldiers?

"Stay here and patch his wounds," I ordered Suvorov. "I’ll go upstairs and take care of the rest."

"You sure about this?" He questioned me.

"Yes, like it or not, he’s not a threat," I reasoned. "We are still soldiers."

With no further talking, I made my way to the second floor. The sounds of fighting were a lot more intense on this one. Arriving at the entrance to large living room, I took cover and glanced inside. Before I could take note on how many occupants were there, someone opened fire in my direction.

Throwing my head back, as bulled zipped around me, I held my rifle and waited for the right moment to return fire. As they ceased firing, I pointed my rifle in the general direction of the enemy and fired two shotgun shells. Just as they fired again, I moved away from my spot, trying to find a second entrance to the room. In my quick glance, I had spotted two other ways into the room, and so, after walking around a bit, I found a second way in. Before the enemy could acknowledge my new position, I took aim at one slaver heading to my previous position and fired.

As his body fell down, I managed to count how many hostiles I was dealing with. Four hostiles, plus the one I took down and a few other dead bodies, probably killed by the Europeans.

Just as I began to move back, I saw one pony looking straight at me, both eyes widening. "Kill that freak!" The mare shouted as I went back to cover.

Again, they shoot at me and I waited until they had to reload. However, it appeared the enemy had forgotten about the Europeans, who quickly reminded them of their presence by sending a barrage of bullets through the windows on the side of the room. This moment of confusion, as my enemy went behind the various pieces of furniture in the room, while figuring how to divide their attention, allowed me to act. My sweaty hands switched my rifle to full auto, while I took aim.

Spotting two targets behind an overturned table, I opened fire. The armor-piercing case-less ammo of my assault rifle ripping through the wood and armor, into the flesh of my targets. Grunts of pain and the low thud of bodies hitting the floor confirmed my kill. Meanwhile, the Euros killed another slaver, leaving only one enemy left. My final opponent was the mare who shouted earlier, light gray coat and short brown mane, hiding behind some furniture and desperately trying to return fire. She constantly switched her fire to me and the Euros, firing a few rounds at each with her revolver. There was nowhere to run.

She’s afraid, I could almost feel it. Her lack of aim and the rate of fire proved that. I’m wasn't exactly calm either, my heart was going fast, forcing me to take deep breaths to keep myself focused. In addition, my hands and other parts of my body were dripping with sweat. Still, I’m not on the verge of panic as she is.

Once she ceased firing, I decided to put an end to the fighting. Switching to the shotgun, I took aim and fire every shell that I had, destroying her cover. She fell down beside it, her body filled with cuts and a few deeper wounds, yet she was still alive, probably out of sheer luck. I approached slowly, taking aim at her, as my boots cracked the pieces of wood and glass beneath them. She attempted to crawl away, while trying to fire her revolver, which I now identified as a .38. The series of empty clicks proved that the weapon was out of ammo, and causing her eyes to go wide in terror.

Before she could do anything else, I delivered a strong kick to her muzzle, causing her to drop her weapon. Grabbing the gun and tossing it away, I took stock of the situation. The mare was in no state to fight and I couldn’t hear anyone nearby, so I guess the area is safe. I decided to inform the Euros and the rest of my team of my success, bringing a hand to my radio and attempting to speak.

However, before I could react, I heard a door opening. A moment later, just as I began to turn around, I heard two loud bangs, followed by an immense force hitting my back and throwing me off my feet. My body fell to the ground while I struggled to catch my breath. I concluded that what I heard were shotgun shots, and the force I felt were the shells hitting my back. Luckily, my backpack and armor plates absorbed most of the impact.

I quickly rolled to my back and searched for my new opponent. When I spotted him, I froze. It’s him, the same big red pony with the Mohawk mane, wearing the same heavy armor and carrying a double-barrel shotgun. The bastard who commanded this place… the monster who murdered that foal in cold blood, in front of his mother.

At that moment, rage and anger took over me. I no longer felt pain in my back and the smaller injures on my body, I no longer felt tense or tired, I could only feel anger. Adrenaline pumped through my blood as my eyes narrowed and I prepared to act. Time to deliver some payback.

As he attempted to reload his weapon, I snapped my rifle at him and pulled the trigger. I fired several shots at him, hitting his chest plates. Sadly, his armor withstood against my rounds who only earned a grunt of annoyance from him. Instead of reloading, he dropped his gun and charged at me; hitting me square at the chest and making me drop my rifle. Not wasting a moment, he began to strike me with his front legs, aiming to my head and chest as I tried to block his punches with my arms. Thankfully, my armor did it’s job in protecting my body against his attack.

"What the buck are you?!" He shouted. "You think you can come to mah territory, and mess with mah property?!"

In my panic to get him off me, I delivered a punch to his jaw, buying me a few moments of confusion to act. I then kicked him off me and stood back up, taking my combat knife at hand and locking my eyes into his.

"To answer your questions" I said, while spitting some blood. "I’m the last thing you’ll see in your final moments of unbearable pain!"

We crashed again, but this time I was prepared. He was strong, and his armor tick, but because of his nature, he wasn’t as flexible as me, plus, I could grab things. I’ll admit this wasn’t an easy fight, he got some good hits on me, but I guess that was expected, since I wasn’t trained to fight equines. Still, I managed to slash a few cuts on his face and limbs, but not on his throat, where I was aiming.

At some point, we broke apart again. Instead of attacking me again, he grabbed a pistol laying on the floor and took aim. However, before he fired, there was a crack in the distance, and a bullet ripped through his left leg. Using this moment to my advantage, I grabbed my pistol and aimed. Before he could react, I unloaded the whole magazine on him. Again, most bullets hit harmlessly on his chest armor, but a few got on his left leg and shoulder, making him drop the weapon and trip a little.

Not wasting a moment, I stood up, took my knife once again, and charged him. I quickly forced him down and stabbed his throat multiple times. I don’t know how many, or how long it took, but by the end he was dead and I was covered in his blood.

My body shook, my teeth were set and I was breathing heavily. Nothing broken, but his hits and other previous injures still hurt a lot though. Just as I thought this fight was finally over, the gray mare reminded me of her presence, by shooting me on my right leg. The bullet hit the back of it, where there was no armor protecting, but not very deeply. I shouted in pain and turned my attention to the mare, who was also shaking, but not from adrenaline, but out of fear.

"You Bitch!" I shouted while ignoring the pain and moving towards her.

Once again, I kicked her in the muzzle, this time with enough force to keep her down. Before I could proceed to beat the crap out her, I heard steps coming from outside the room, causing me to turn quickly. Thankfully, it was just Suvorov.

"Alex, you okay?!" He asked, with some concern on his voice.

"Yea, don’t worry," I replied. "Nothing serious, just a scratch here and there."

"What happened?" He asked, looking around the scene.

"What do you think happened?" I answered, gesturing to the slaughter around me. "Why aren’t you watching the prisoner?"

"The EU guys are already downstairs" He said. "They are securing the rest of the base."

"What about the slaves and our comrades?"

"Already taken care off."

Letting out a sigh of relief, I took a moment to decide my next course of action. After a few seconds, I turned to Suvorov.

"Alright, I want you to escort this one here downstairs" I said, pointing to the gray mare.

"What about you?"

"I’ll go back to our team," I replied. "I need to see Akio."

By the next hour, things began to settle down. The EU team easily secured the rest of the slaver base and proceeded to take notes on everything this place had to offer. I stayed outside, sitting down on the ground and allowing Akio to look at my wounds, which he proceeded to wrap some bandages around and apply some disinfectants. I stood there with most of my team, simply enjoying the night breeze and recovering from the previous action.

Ahead of us, were the ex-slaves, gathered in front of one of the warehouses, waiting, while Snowdrop and Romanov stood nearby. On the opposite side, stood six prisoners (the four we captured, plus two others who had surrendered to the EU), guarded by three EU soldiers. The calm atmosphere was a nice break from the previous battle, it's nice to have some time to sit down, rest and have a little chat with my friends.

"So, thinking on bringing a souvenir?" Dima asked to Suvorov, who was eyeing a small pony figurine. It was an amusing sight, a tall and strong old man wearing military gear staring at a toy.

"Well, why not?" Suvorov replied. "Plus, I could always give it to my daughter". Ah yes, Suvorov, always thinking about his family.

"Ha, I’m sure you could" Dima said, jokingly.

I shook my head and turned my attention to Akio, who was finishing wrapping my leg.

"Are you done there, Akio?" I asked him.

"Yes, this is the last one," He replied. "And if I might say, going there by yourself was a bad idea."

"Yeah, I guess you are right," I said. "Next time I’ll be more careful."

Once he was done, I made my way to the EU captain, Dante. He was addressing the former slaves, probably gathering data. Before I could reach him, however, the familiar voice of the gray mare reached my ears. I turned around and looked at her, the mare stood defiantly amongst the other prisioners. A small pony trying to look intimidating, how cute.

"Where is my brother?" She said, almost shouting, with anger dripping on every word. Her eyes were locked on me.

"What does he look like?" I said, stopping and turning my attention to her.

"Young, Brown coat and mane" She said. "What did you do to him you freaks?!"

At that instant, a flash of a young pony struggling as I cut his neck open went through my mind.

"The ponies you see here are the only ones alive" I informed her, earning a look of shock and disbelief.

"Wha… y-you… you monsters!" She shouted with rage. "You killed my brother!"

"You are slavers, what were you expecting?" I countered.

"This was his first watch!" She said, her voice cracking a little. "He never did anything!"

Well, as far as I know, neither did the former slaves to deserve this. I’ll be honest, part of me felt bad for this, especially when the mare began to cry, but there is nothing I can do. I did what I could, and I can’t be held responsible for this kind of tragedy. Yes, I killed him, but this was a battle, he was armed and possibly dangerous, and my mission and comrades come first.

Leaving the mare to her misery, I walked to the EU captain.

"Sergeant Terenti, I was just going to speak with you." He greeted me.

"Likewise, captain," I replied. "So, what’s the situation?"

"Well, we got five wounded, four minor and one with a broken rib," He began. "We also got the six prisoners over there, the former slaves, and a pile of weapons and supplies."

"What are we going to do with the prisoners?"

"I honestly don’t know, we can’t just shoot them, but we can’t afford to keep them arrested for long."

"Well, with all the supplies this place has, it’ll at least buy us a few weeks."

"I don’t think so, most of it will have to go with the ex-slaves."

"What? Why?" I asked, confused. We fought and bleed for these resources, there are people in critical condition back at the base.

"Those people have nothing; it’s only fair we share some of it." He answered, calmly. Okay, I can understand that, but this is a wasteland, by definition there aren't enough supplies for everyone. What chances do we have to find another place like this? I really don't want to play with our fortune.

"We already freed them, why should we provide even more?" I countered. "We need to think about our own."

"By throwing them out there with no supplies or weapons, we are sentencing them to death," He replied. "This isn’t just about us, but to also create a good opinion of us on the eyes of the locals."

I guess he does have a point. Fucking great, all this effort only to cut down our gains.

"I suppose you have a point" I concluded.

"Don’t worry sergeant, there’ll still be enough left to aid us, especially the wounded."

"Still doesn’t answer the prisoner problem, though."

"Any ideas?"

Well, like he said, we couldn’t shoot them, but we couldn’t keep them arrested for long. Thinking about the situation, I reminded of what Snow said about the major factions of the island. Perhaps one of them has a prison where they could pay for their crimes. It’s not ideal, but I suppose that’s the best alternative. If nobody is willing to take them… I guess we’ll just have to let them go…

"I say we keep them arrested for a week, while searching for someone willing to judge them for their crimes" I said.

"What if we don’t find anyone?" Dante asked.

"Then I guess we’ll just have to free them."

He glanced towards the prisioners. "Five of them, not all six."

"What do you mean?"

"The wounded guy" He said, taking a glance at his direction.

"What about him?"

"Some of the ex-slaves accused him of abuse."

"Well, I guess that’s settled them" I concluded.

With all that taken care of, we called the transport ship. Ten minutes later, it arrived, causing an amusing reaction from the ponies. After it landed, we loaded a few supplies, and went inside. My team, one of the EU wounded, and Snowdrop (who hesitated a little). The rest of the EU team would remain there and see if we could use the complex as an extra base. As sun began to rise, we went back to the outpost.

Footnote: Level Up!

Guns: 60

Sneak: 40

Melee Weapons: 40

New Perk: Quick Draw - Makes weapon equipping and holstering 50% faster.

Chapter 8: First Steps

View Online

Chapter 8: First Steps

I suppose this isn’t a dream, after all. After passing out as soon as I reached the outpost, part of me was sure I was going to wake up back in my quarters, behind our lines, outside Verdun. I guess the blood loss was already making me delusional. Well, I still have a job to do.

The ambush inside that solar energy facility, during my scouting with the PAC sergeant, had been a surprising and bloody affair. After we were separated, I managed to fight my way down to the ground floor, but ended up pinned down by the robots and ponies before I could leave. Half an hour of intense shooting later, I was about to run out of ammo. My only choice was to attack, and so I did. My memory gets slightly hazy on that point, probably because of the adrenaline, but the few clear images that I have are good enough to understand what happened. I got away, but I paid a heavy price for that, in the form of four bullet wounds, cuts and burns spread all over me.

Eventually, I went back to the PAC base. As I said, I passed out as soon as I arrived, and only woke up now. From what the medic told me, it has been about two days, and a lot of shit has been going down. Fucking great, something exciting happens and I slept through it. Well, at least I can go back to action.

Right now, it’s almost midday and I’m in a meeting room. No, it’s not the same as before, this one is larger, because of the superior number of people this time. Instead of four, there were eleven people inside, five PAC and six EU. Pretty much all officers and more experienced soldiers. The objective of this meeting is to decide our next move.

To be honest, I’m surprised at what the PAC sergeant had done. He had previously refused to help or attempt communication with these ponies, and now he was best friends with one and personally suggesting military action against slavers. I had yet to be acquired with the pony in question, since she was not here. I’m already informed on everything that happened during my absence.

Continuing our discussion, and snapping me out of my thoughts, the PAC captain spoke “So, we have the surrounding areas scouted, and the only threat nearby eliminated, what should our next step be?”

“Well, the supplies we found on that base are enough to extend our survival for about a week,” Dante replied, while looking at some reports “Plus, we also have enough medical supplies and… healing potions… to treat most of our wounded”.

“I… must object to that, sir” another EU soldier replied, with a distinguishable British accent. I’m not quite familiar with him, but I think he’s from the medical group. Yes, Corporal Thomas, that’s his name!

“And why is that, Corporal?” Captain Dante inquired, shifting his attention to the soldier.

“We still don’t know exactly what that substance does and what kinds of side effects it could have” Thomas slowly explained.

The PAC captain frowned at that. “And what exactly do you suggest?” he countered, “We have people on critical condition, and this outpost doesn’t have neither the proper supplies nor equipment to take care of them”.

“I’m well aware of our current situation, and I’m not saying we shouldn’t use them” The doctor replied, “I just think we should be extra careful with them”. Thomas then let out a sigh, locked eyes with the PAC captain and said, “Allow me to do some tests, and take things slowly. All I ask is to have some assurance”.

“I… suppose you have a point,” Nicolay answered, in a more calm tone.

“Back to the point,” Dante said, interrupting the discussion, “We need to decide what we are going to do next and how we should operate”.

“Well, I think it’s pretty obvious what our priorities should be” The PAC sergeant, Alex, said. “We need supplies and information,” he stated.

“Do you have any leads on where we could start looking?” Dante asked.

“Snowdrop told me her home is one of the major settlements in the island,” he explained, “I say we go there and see what we can find”.

He had a point. Where there is more people, there should be more supplies. In addition, the faster we began to look for the source of our arrival, the better. Each extra day we spend here brings more uncertainty to our future. However, we shouldn’t just rush into whatever place we believe to have something.

“Maybe we shouldn’t rush into that,” I said, bringing everyone’s attention to me, “We should make sure this area is truly under our control”.

“But why? This will only delay our search,” Alex countered.

“We don’t know how long this might take,” I explained, “We need to ensure this zone remains secure and that there is no attrition with the locals”.

“How do you suggest we do that, lieutenant?” asked Dante.

Well, now that’s a good question. I knew from my last mission that there was at least one village in the area, but it was quite far from here. Well, I know the captains were considering the possibility of using the slaver base as an extra base of operations; maybe we could use it to keep a close watch in the region. Yes, depending on the extent of the damages and our arsenal, we could keep a small garrison there and patrol the area periodically.

“How good are we on weapons and ammunition?” I asked.

Everyone in the room appeared confused at my question. Soon, however, the PAC captain answered, “Well… we have enough ammunition for about two weeks of full combat operations, plus enough weapons and armor to keep everyone outfitted for an equal amount of time”.

“What about heavy weapons and vehicles?” I inquired further.

“We have one APC, two MBTs, one Battlewalker, the Titan, two transport ships and one gunship on operational condition,” He replied, “We also have an extra gunship that can fly and use the cannon, but unable to use rockets or missiles”. The PAC captain took a deep breath, and kept going, “On heavy weapons, we have three anti-tank missile launchers and two anti-air. We also have three mortars and two anti-armor rifles. But why do you want to know that?” He concluded.

“I say we expand our presence to the slaver base we captured, from there we can keep the whole area secure and stay in touch with the local civilians,” I explained.

There were some murmurs of approval in the room. “That does sound like a good idea…” one EU soldier, commented.

“I think I have a plan,” Alex said, shifting all attention towards him, “How about I go with my unit to the settlement, while the lieutenant keeps a strong garrison in the slaver base?”

“Wouldn’t that be risky?” Dante questioned.

“If the lieutenant keeps the area secure, I could easily fall back there, in case something goes wrong,” The PAC sergeant explained, “He could also provide support if necessary”.

With no objections from the room’s occupants, Dante said, “Well, I guess it’s settled then, we set up these two task forces and proceed with the plan.”

“We should also think about diplomacy,” added Nicolay.

“What do you mean?” Dante asked.

“If that place is truly big, there’s bound to be one or more factions operating there,” He explained.

“Any suggestions?” Dante replied.

“I say we play weak, at least for the time being,” Nicolay answered, “Nobody would ever attack someone they think is strong, by appearing weak we should discover their true opinions and intentions towards us”.

With that, the meeting ended. After eating a good meal, I set out to prepare for my new assignment. I picked up the same equipment as before, my armor, sidearm, knife, grenades, assault rifle and a few EMP grenades (we would probably have to take care of those robots eventually). Finding my squad mates didn’t took long, within an hour, everyone was ready. Same people as before, Dias, Medici, and Elliot.

The sky was cloudy, and it seemed the weather could get worst. Despite the ugly sight, the temperature was quite pleasing, much better than the constant blizzards and snowfall from Europe. However, I still felt a little bit homesick, because despite the extreme conditions, that place was still my home.

Just before we left, I saw the PAC sergeant with his own unit and the pony, probably leaving for their own mission. With all set and ready, my squad mates and me walked out of the outpost and set out for the slaver base. Nothing but the vast and lifeless landscape of this island ahead of us. Soon we became bored, for this whole area was strangely quiet, with only the wind and the occasional insect breaking the silence.

There were a few small talks during our journey, but nothing worth mentioning. Most of them were centered on our worries regarding this place, our homes and our “allies”. No matter how hard we looked, the future was still uncertain, bringing even more apprehension to us. Despite all of that, at least I still have my team, people who I can trust. I can’t even imagine what would be like to end up here alone.

After about an hour of walking, we arrived at the slaver base. A few soldiers, who remained there after the operation, greeted us. There was some clear damage from the attack, but nothing too serious. A few broken windows, doors and a wall or two, but all building were still standing. We could easily repair all that and put this place to good use.

Before I could continue my observations, a few voices caught my attention. Looking to my left, I spotted a soldier near one of the warehouses having a… argument with one of the former slaves. Most of the ponies had already left, but seven of them decided to stay until the next day. These ponies in question appeared to be offering a large bag to the soldier, who shook his head and right arm in a gesture of denial.

Telling the others to stop, I gestured Elliot to follow me (since he was the only who knew how to speak their language) and went see what this was about. Our approach halted the ongoing argument, with both sides turning to look at us.

“What’s going on, soldier?” I asked him.

“Lieutenant sir, these people are trying to… give back some of the supplies we gave them…” he replied, looking at the bag held by the pony, “They keep saying it’s only fair for helping them out”.

Trying to comprehend the situation, I said to Elliot, “Well, could you tell them we don’t really need anything?” That wasn’t true, we did need more supplies, but these people were even worse than us. I can’t help but to be rather surprised at this action.

After a brief conversation with them, the corporal turned to me and said, “They still insist we should have something”.

“Alright, sigh… tell them that if they truly want to help us, they should go back to their homes and spread a good word about us,” I replied, hoping to end this little issue quickly. Thankfully, they seemed to understand, giving a nod to the corporal and making their way to the gate.

“Thanks for the help, sir,” the soldier told me, after the former slaves left.

Elliot and I went back to the rest of our team. I briefly explained what that was about and then turned back to our former task. We spread out and gave an extra look to the whole place. Those who took part in the attack had already analyzed this place previously, but I still wanted to give a second look. The bodies of the dead and most of the blood were gone, yet the signs of fighting were still obvious.

These defenses were well thought out, despite the lack of proper design and clear flaws on the structure. They definitely had someone with experience to think and build this. In addition, the operation had shown us the weak and strong points of this place. It’s only a matter of planning and organization to make this place even safer.

Once we secure this place, keeping an eye in the area will be much easier. From there, we could try to stablish some communication with the village near the coast. That wouldn’t be too hard, since most of the former captive ponies are from there. After an hour of looking around, everyone gathered back in the center.

“So, what do you guys think?” I asked.

“I think this place is pretty good” Elliot replied, while looking around. “The defenses are good enough and we got plenty of room for a garrison,” he added, receiving nods of agreement from the rest of us. “A few machineguns, some extra cover and equipment, and this place will be safe,” he concluded.

With no one speaking up for or against his review, I decided to add, “Yea, and we could always get a mortar here, just to be sure”. If our next opponents kept following the same pattern as the ones so far, we wouldn’t need such firepower. Most of them were badly equipped, with little to no armor and rusting firearms, none of them with heavier firepower, like explosives or RPGs. Still, better safe than sorry.

Before we could continue our discussion, the same soldier as before, now up on the wall above the main gate, called. “Sir, there’s someone approaching,” he said, while another guy next to him took aim. “Looks like a pony, armed and alone”.

Thinking quickly how to answer that, I said, “Ask him who he is and what his intentions are”. That wasn’t much, but it was the best I could think of right away. Without question, the man did what I asked.

After some talking, he turned to me once again, and said, “He says his name is Bronze Mirage and that he wishes to talk”. I can’t help but to feel there’s something wrong with this. Coming here to talk, that’s it, no problem with the heavily armed aliens around? Well, I could be wrong, and we have enough people in here in case of a fight.

“Alright, tell him to come in, and keep an eye out for trouble,” I answered. Soon, as expected, the pony walked through the half-open gate. True to his name, his coat was bronze color and his mane a yellowish tone, almost like sand; slightly long and covered by a hat (like those cowboy hats from Wild West movies). A duster covered his body, leaving only hooves and part of his chest (which was protected by a plate carrier vest) exposed. On his back was a pair of saddlebags, with the butt of a rifle showing on one and the tip of a sidearm on the other. Lastly, as he approached, I spotted a horn sticking out of his mane, making him a unicorn.

He seemed rather calm, despite all the soldiers around him. He paid almost no attention to them, only a small twitch of his ears when one of them gave a few steps. He bore a neutral and almost bored expression, his eyes looking at us, but not locking in any individual. His behavior made me a little uncomfortable.

“Ask him what he wants to tell us,” I ordered Elliot, once Bronze was a few steps from us. My teammate proceeded to do as told, shifting the pony’s attention toward him. Soon after, the pony gave a small nod of understanding and answered. Equal to his behavior, his voice was calm and strong, almost fully devoid of emotion. It took him about a minute to say everything, after that he remained silent, sitting in his rump and waiting for an answer.

As they talked, I noticed something in his right hoof. At first, I thought it was a piece of armor, fully covering his hoof. However, I spotted some nails and wires in it, leading me to believe it might be a device or weapon of some sort.

“He’s asking for our help,” Elliot said. “He says a group of mercenaries went inside a cave, west of here, about two days ago and haven’t come out yet”.

“Why did they go there and why is he asking us for help?” I asked. Once again, Elliot asked, and the pony answered.

“They were hired by a nearby village to take care of a… insect nest inside,” He replied. “He heard about us from the ex-slaves at the village near the coast… called ‘Green Waters’, he says”.

Interesting, so the ponies we freed were already spreading a good word about us. Well, I suppose we could help, but not right now. First I need to make sure this area is truly safe, only then I can go on random quests. Our job here is almost done, the next task is to go back to the solar energy facility and see what we can do about the robots. Hopefully we can work this out quickly and help them.

“Alright… tell him that we are willing to go there, but we can’t do it right now,” I said. Right before Elliot spoke, I quickly added, “We’ll go there if we can, but I can’t do any promises”.

Elliot told everything to our guest. The pony raised his eyebrows slightly, before nodding and replying. Once he was done, he turned around and went for the exit. “He says he understands,” my teammate said, as the pony left. Well, this was a… interesting encounter, time to finish things and move out.

“Alright, back to our current objective,” I said, shifting everyone’s attention back to me. “Is there anything else you guys want to say?” I asked, receiving no answer. After a few more moments waiting, it became clear there was nothing else to do, and so I changed the subject. “I guess this means we should move to the next task. Did you guys bring those EMP grenades I asked?”

There was a chorus of “Yes” and “Yeah”. I proceeded to explain why we needed them. I’m pretty sure they already had read what information we had on those robots, but I decided it would be better to provide a more personal opinion. They were quite interested in these new hostiles, maintaining full attention on every word I said. It’s no wonder, I guess, when I first saw those metal monstrosities I was equally impressed, if not a little terrified.

“Shouldn’t we bring some heavy weapons?” asked Elliot, clearly a little hesitant in regards to our next task. “I mean, what if those EMPs are not enough? I don’t want to end up trapped there like you and that PAC sergeant”. He does raise a good point, but this isn’t really an issue.

“I know that, Elliot,” I replied, raising my hands a little to calm him down. “If they don’t work, we’ll back off and go back to base”. Sure, securing that place was important, especially if what the PAC sergeant said about an underground bunker is true, but right now, we have plenty of time to think this through, no need to rush there. We can do this in a safe and efficient way.

“Well, if that’s the case, then I’m ok with it.”

“Good, let’s get moving then.”

With no further issues, we moved out, leaving our new base and its garrison behind. To our front, nothing but the sand and dirt with a few rocks and dead vegetation spread out in the area. As always, we stayed on the high ground, close to the hills, giving us a good field of vision to most of the surrounding landscape. Besides the hills directly to our right, I could also see another group, a lot taller, far away to the west, probably where that pony wants us to go. There was also the river and the sea to our left, adding some variety and tranquility to the surrounding landscape.

Within the first half an hour of walking, all of us became bored. There was nothing to do but to make short small talks about random subjects as we kicked stones and sticks standing in our way. However, this changed as the sounds of thunders announced the beginning of a light rain. As much as it was refreshing (both because of the high temperature and because of the rarity of this event in frozen Europe), I don’t think any of us desired to get soaked up for the rest of this mission.

Eventually, I spotted our goal, not far from us. It didn’t look much different, the same big but largely damaged building, and the many solar panels around it. The sight encouraged us to speed up, in hopes to get away from this rain.

“Keep an eye out for hostiles, I don’t know if this area is safe,” I told my companions as we approached the ruins. Reaching the main doors, we slowed down, taking cover by either side as I decided how to act. I still had much of the layout of this building stored in my head, but still struggled to make an effective plan. We shouldn’t spread out, last time I was here, this almost cost my life. Perhaps the best way to do this is to wait in an easily defensive area and test our EMP grenades. If things go south, we’ll be in a better position to deal with these robots. “Alright people, here’s what we’re going to do: everyone will follow me inside while keeping a low profile, and we are going to find somewhere easy to defend, hunker down and wait until a hostile stumble on us. With some luck, our EMP grenades will do a quick job of it; if not, we’ll just shoot it down and get the hell out of here”.

“But what if we make contact before we reach a good place?” Medici asked. This is a real problem, but there isn’t much we can do.

“I guess we’ll just have to throw a grenade and hope for the best…”

I went inside, with my companions following close behind. The place was no different from before, the same large hall with ruined furniture, decayed painting and cracked floor and walls. The red lights were still blinking on the ceiling, indicating the defense system was still active. What did caught my attention, however, was the smoking robot surrounded by dead bodies and ash. I was familiar with the sight, but what truly got my attention was the bad smell coming from the bodies, which were already in an advanced state of decay.

Ignoring the horrible sight, I continued my advance towards the internal corridors of the building. I figure the best place to stay was the restaurant, for it was a wide room with plenty of objects to use as cover. I pressed myself against a wall, right before the entrance to the way leading to the room. I looked around and took stock of my surroundings, trying to make sure the path was clear, the illumination was bad, but I could see enough to know there wasn’t anything ahead.

Before I could tell everyone to keep moving, I heard something. At first, it was just a distant and unrecognizable sound, but as it grew louder, and closer, I became aware of it’s origin. One of the robots, and a big one at that, after what happened last time, I know exactly what this low, but rough and strong rumble is. As my body reacted to the imminent threat, by shooting adrenaline in my bloodstream and causing me to sweat beneath my uniform, I got ready. My right hand snapped into one of my pockets, easily withdrawing the EMP grenade inside.

Everyone was tense, none of us dared to make a sound. Our enemy was coming from our front, probably from the room we previously hoped to use as a kill zone. I kept looking at the dark corridor, the sounds getting closer and my heartbeats faster; across from me, on the other wall, was Elliot, keeping a tight grip on his LMG and not daring to move a muscle. A moment later, I saw a large black silhouette of the robot entering the corridor ahead.

Snapping my head back, I prepared myself. Luckily, the path ahead wasn’t very wide, barely enough for our metal enemy to fit through, making it an easy target. Once it was close enough, I took the pin out and threw the grenade towards it. For a moment, the sounds of its tracks stopped, probably detecting the movement ahead. A few seconds later, there was a crack, followed by a powerful blue flash and a loud sound of electricity, almost like a small lightning. A moment later it all stopped, leaving only the sound of something burning, aided by a characteristic smell of smoke. I gave a quick look outside, spotting my target unmoving and smoking. Our EMP grenades work.

Moving out of cover, I slowly approached the target, weapon raised and ready. However, it soon became clear the robot was no longer active. I took a moment to analyze the smoking pile of metal, as the rest of my unit came behind me. Well, this surely makes things a lot easier.

“That’s one big son of a bitch,” Elliot said. We remained silent for a few seconds, just contemplating our target. This thing is quite impressive.

“Yeah,” Dias agreed. “Makes you wonder why they didn’t bother to provide some EMP protection”. That’s an interesting thought, it doesn’t make sense to create these big things (which are probably expensive) and allow such a huge flaw. Well, from what I understood, their entire technological progress was weird, spending almost 1000 years with little to no changes, only to jump into late 20th century technology in a few decades, while maintaining a highly aristocratic society and government. I suppose it doesn’t matter, and I’m thankful they didn’t notice or care about this particular flaw.

“Alright people, guess this makes things easier,” I said, turning back to face them. “We’ll split in two teams. Dias and me on one, Elliot and Medici on other”. All of them nodded in understanding, with Dias braking off from the rest to stand beside me. The other two turned around and began to walk away, heading to the other side of the building. “Hey, you two be careful, there could be more threats laying around. We’ll meet back in the hallway once we clear all floors,” I shouted at them, with Elliot looking over his shoulder to me and giving a thumb up.

The two of us kept going to the restaurant, finding nothing but an extra body. The only thing worth noticing was the now open way to the basement, leading to an underground facility, from what the PAC sergeant informed.

“Should we head down there?” Dias asked, staring into the dark path.

“Nah that way leads to some underground facility filled with hostiles, we’ll just clear this building for now,” I replied, not bothering to give him the full details. “We’ll secure it once we have more man and firepower”.

With nothing else to do, we went to the second floor. As we moved upstairs, we heard the distant sound of another EMP grenade going off, with Elliot soon reporting another kill. A lonely body caught my attention, a pony with a green coat and white mane with a few streaks of blue, behind a table. I remember him, one of the raiders from before who stood in my way. Not far from him was the machete he attempted to use as a weapon, right before the pool of dried blood from the multiple shots I had fired on his chest.

Moments after my observation, the distinguishable sound of tracks approaching reached my ears. Once again, the two of us took cover and waited for the target to approach. When it arrived, Dias threw the grenade, and a moment later, it activated. The results were the same as before, our new target becoming a new pile of smoking metal and wires. “Nice kill,” I congratulated him, before we moved out. Soon, Elliot and Medici arrived; we took out the next target, and proceeded up the next floor.

The third floor was nothing out of the ordinary. The same dust-filled offices filled with rubble and a few bodies and skeletons. It took us a while longer to find and deal with the targets, but eventually we succeeded. We then moved to the fourth floor and split up once again. Within time, Dias and I spotted a familiar room, with what I now knew to be talismans exposed. The three glowing jewelry stood there, emanating a characteristic deep blue light, illuminating the room and contrasting with the red lights outside.

Dias slowly approached the three objects, with a vivid curiosity in his eyes. “So this are the talismans we were told about,” he commented, standing a few feet away from them. “What do you think they are for?”

I looked at him and said, “Well, I don’t know, but we should take them back to base. From what I know, depending on what they do, these things could be precious”. Doing as instructed, Dias kneeled down and picked all of them with his left hand (each one was about as big as his palm) and placed them inside his bag.For the sake of being efficient, I’ll just say we found the two robots patrolling this area and took them out, with zero problems. One of them was able to fire a few shots from his energy weapon before the grenade went on, but it didn’t hit any of us.

The final floor was slightly more challenging, for it also had those floating octopus robots, armed with electrical saws and small flamethrowers. However, they were not designed for combat, evident by their complete lack of armor. Our weapons had no trouble punching through them, with most of them going down way before they could get close. Doing a quick sweep of the floor, and after finding the real threat (easily taking care of them with our final set of EMP grenades), we found more talismans. Five smaller ones, glowing white, probably indicating a different function. Once again, Dias placed them inside his bag. With this place secure, I radioed Elliot and Medici to meet me back at the entrance of the building.

Soon we all arrived there, taking a moment to rest, drinking some water and eating some snacks while preparing to our next move. Clearing this place was a lot easier then what I had initially predicted; we now had a lot of free time in our hands. I guess this means we should go to that cave. I bet the place is filled with poison gas and mutant insects, if the reports from the PAC sergeant are anything to go by, another good reason for us to help.

As if reading my mind, Elliot spoke “So I guess we are going to those caves next?”

“Yes we are,” I replied, standing back up. It’s clear we are all a little bit tired from all of this, but I’m not about to let whoever these people are to their fates, not when we can help. “Let’s go people; we have some ponies to save!” I said jokingly, earning a few laughs. Everyone stood up, packed their things, and set out west.

It was no longer raining, but the sky was still covered by clouds. We went on a faster pace, for we didn’t had many hours of sunlight left. Passing by the old road, near the river, I spotted a billboard partially destroyed, with a long faded wallpaper, in its place was a large number of graffiti drawings, most of them… obscene. For an instant, I wondered how this place must have been before.

“Did the pony say anything about how many friendlies or hostiles we should be expecting?” I asked Elliot as we crossed the road.

He briefly looked at me, but waited a few seconds to answer, probably trying to remember something, “Nope, nothing at all, he just said where they were and that they needed help”. Great, we are going in without any piece of information; hopefully it won’t be anything too difficult. The next forty minutes of walking went by quietly, that is, until we spotted the cave entrance and something else not far from it.

Just as the pony had told us, there was a small village, right next to the cave. The place was surrounded by barricades in a circular fashion, not nearly as impressive as the slaver base though. Inside of it were about a dozen small houses, closely packed together. These buildings were better preserved than compared to the ruined homes and slums we had seen before. It still looked like an old town; very far from something normal, but it did indicated a superior wealth and living conditions.

We sneaked closer to the cave entrance, keeping away from the village. We didn’t know what their reaction to us would be, so I decided it was best to keep away. Once we reached our objective, I thought about how we should proceed. Well, there is a high chance this place has pockets of poison gas inside, so it’s best to keep Dias out, for he’s the only one not wearing a full-face helmet. The rest of us should stay close, we don’t know the layout of this place or what types of threats it might contain.

“What do we do now, sir?” Dias asked.

“Alright people,” I began, getting everyone’s attention. “This place probably has pockets of poison gas, so I want Dias to stay outside and guard the entrance,” the soldier in question nodded. “For the rest of us, Medici will take the left side, I take the right. Elliot, you got the big gun, you go straight in the middle. Any questions?”

Elliot shook his head and said, “hehe… that’s what she said!” earning a chuckle from Medici.

Dismissing his little joke, I gestured them to move up. We couldn’t see shit beyond the entrance, forcing us to activate our flashlights. Our path went down and deeper into these hills. The tunnel was surprisingly wide and relatively round, almost like a metro tunnel. The place was deadly quiet, except for the sound of water drops and air currents. The scene reminded me of some horror movies I had seen before.

Not wasting time, we went forward, deeper into the darkness. Luckily, the rocks we stood upon acted almost like a natural stairway, not very hard to use. Our progress was slow, given our lack of knowledge and proper equipment to this place. We only had our flashlights and a couple of glowing sticks, hardly enough to go in an unexplored cave. None of us bothered to say anything, causing a small tension to grow. Once we no longer could see the light of the entrance, we placed our two glowing sticks in a rock, serving as a glowing beacon indicating the way out.

Reaching the bottom of the first tunnel, I saw two smaller ways to our left, and a larger one going forward. As much as I’m curious on what might be inside the smaller ones, we can’t afford to take random turns, we should try to keep our path as simple as possible. I’m no expert, but I know that getting lost inside a big cave is quite easy, there is also the risk of accidents and in this case, giant insects and poison gas. “Alright people, let’s keep going,” I said, hoping to end this quickly.

Five minutes later, with the last section far behind us, we found a body. We raised our weapons, looking around in search of any surprises. The smell of blood reached my nose as we approached it. Laying in a pool of his own blood was a gryphon, wearing steel plate armor and with a shotgun still in his talons. His body filled with deep cuts, the one in his neck almost cutting the head out. It was a terrifying sight, proving the existence of hostiles in the area. I had hoped this wouldn’t be the case, just an accident or someone getting stuck, guess I’m not that lucky.

“Did that pony said anything about gryphons?” Medici asked, just as confused as the rest of us.

“Actually, he only said the word ‘mercenaries’…” Elliot answered, while analyzing the corpse.

“Well, I don’t care what mythological creature we are looking after, we still got a job to do,” I stated. “Medici, you got anything in your heartbeat sensor?”

“There’s something far ahead, but I can’t get a clear reading” he replied.

“Alright, hopefully that will lead us to our objective, let’s go!”

Moving at a faster pace, we arrived at a slightly larger section of the tunnel, where we began to hear something ahead. It sounded like a series of clicks, getting louder as we approached. Our progress was cut short by a cloud of yellow smoke, probably some chemical weapon, coming from a smaller tunnel to our right.

“Sir, I got multiple contacts heading towards us,” Medici said hurriedly, making all of us snap into combat stance. “A few from the main tunnel, and a lot more coming from the other one!”

Great, we’re outnumbered. I briefly scanned the area around me for something to take cover, spotting three larger rocks a few steps behind us. “Take cover by those rocks!” I shouted, while pointing to them. “Elliot, you take the ones from the main tunnel, Medici and I will take the others”.

Jumping into cover and keeping ourselves low, we waited for our enemy. Each second, the clicks and the sounds of movement became louder. Suddenly, multiple beings came from the wall of smoke. “Open fire!” I shouted, pulling the trigger and sending a barrage of bullets into the nearest target. We were facing something best described as giant ants, as big as a dog or even one of these ponies. Our ammunition did an easy job of them, but they were hard to hit.

The once quiet cave now sounded like a warzone. The constant fire of Elliot’s LMG created a constant ringing in our ears, becoming even worse with the aid of our assault rifles. After killing about twenty of this first variety, two other types showed up. The first was like the ants, but with a larger head, equipped with a pair of sharp looking mandibles. The second type came from above, drawing my attention. These ones looked like giant wasps, two of them quickly approaching.

I pointed my SCAR11, switched to the under-barrel shotgun, and open fire. I spend every single round I had, making sure to take them down. Their bodies were able to withstand against some of my shots, but their wings were not so lucky and were ripped apart, causing them to drop midway. Soon, after killing a few more dozens of them, the fighting stopped, with a pile of corpses around us.

“Holy shit…” Elliot said, drawing some deep breaths. “That was a crap load of them”.

“Do you really think these people are still alive?” Medici asked.

“I honestly don’t know, but I still think we should try to find them,” I replied.

“Where do we go them?”

“Well, most hostiles came from the right tunnel, and we won’t be able to properly search this place while being hunted, so we must first take all of them down” I said, looking into the smoke-filled way. “We’ll head down there, take out whatever hostiles we find, and then keep searching”.

The yellow smoke around us became denser as we went lower. The path was narrow, compared to the main tunnel, but still big enough for us to fit through. Soon, after a few minutes of walking, we found the exit. The small tunnel gave way to a huge circular room, filled with green goo and giant insect pods. Luckily, the gas almost dissipated there, giving us an excellent view. This scene, added by the sound of more insects, send a chill down my spine. All of us tensed up; ready to fire at anything that might approach us.

I heard something loud, straight ahead of me, the sound repeated itself a few more times, following a strange rhythm. Focusing ahead, I notice something on the ground, about ten meters from me. The light from my flashlight revealed that thing to be another gryphon body, wearing the same type of armor, gasmask, and carrying a flamethrower. “Get ready for action, people,” I said to my companions.

Our enemy revealed itself; a giant creature, clad in thick red chitin, easily bigger than a bus, with a powerful set of blades in its mouth and front legs. Needless to say, we fired at it with everything we had, however, our bullets were barely able to penetrate that thing. Thankfully, it seemed our constant barrage got it by surprise, halting its advance. However, I knew this wouldn’t last long, we had to strike it with something else.

“Elliot, keep firing on that thing!” I shouted over the sounds of battle. I began to search for my explosive grenades, shoving my hands inside the many pouches of my belt and vest. “Medici, grab your grenades!” he ceased firing and did as I commanded. Giving a quick glance to our target, I notice it was now approaching, using its arms to cover the head and chest.

My frenetic search ended, with a familiar shape of the explosive in my right hand. Seeing Medici had also found his own grenades, I pointed towards the target, pulled the pin out and threw the grenade at the enemy. The sound of two grenades hitting the rock floor echoed through the room. “Everyone get down!” I shouted, pressing myself against a wall. The explosions that followed shook the ground, amplified by the flamethrower.

My ears were ringing; I waited a few moments for everything to calm down. Standing back up, I spotted Elliot and Medici doing the same. I turned my attention to the big room, trying to see beyond the dust now floating around. What I saw, amidst the rubble, fire and body parts from the gryphon and our previous enemy, was terrifying. Dozens of larvae were crawling from the dead remains of the red queen (as I decided to call it), while many full-grown insects were braking free from their pods.

Without hesitating, I took out another grenade and threw it inside, followed by two others from Elliot and Medici. Once again, they went off, destroying anything nearby and putting an end to the fighting. Waiting a few moments to see if any had survived, I heard Elliot saying, “Well, I guess that takes care of the insect problem”.

“Hell yeah it does,” I replied, getting ready to move. “Let’s get back to the main tunnel, we’ll find those people and get the fuck out here”. We quickly arrived back to our original path, moving further inside and hoping to end this soon. The explosions had attracted a few more hostile from other areas of the cave, but after everything we had seen, they were easy targets. We continued to move, cutting down any opposition and discovering new sections of the cave.

About half an hour later, the sight of bodies, but not of gryphons this time, greeted us. Most of them were toasted, probably by a flamethrower. As I began to wonder if we had hit the right place, I notice something moving in the corner of my vision. I turned around, spotting a wasp flying towards me, I instantly pointed my rifle at it, but before I pulled the trigger, a spear pierced through the things thorax. Initially, I became confused, but in a moment, I realized what was happening. The three of us snapped our weapons towards the source of the javelin.

Three sets of golden eyes were staring of us. Our flashlights revealed two of them belonging to a pair of gryphons, living ones this time. The last one caught my attention. It looked like a pony, but with concerning details. At its sides were a pair of wings, not like birds, but leathery and thick. I notice the iris was different from the other two; these ones were similar to a cat. Taking a better look at the rest of the body, I saw a dark gray coat, covered by leather armor and a black jacket. The weird pony also had burgundy mane and tail.

All of them were in combat stance, the two gryphons pointing pistols at us. We stayed there for a few seconds, none of us daring to move a muscle. Despite the intimidating looks, I could see some fear in the eyes of these people. All of them were wounded, bearing many cuts and bruises. They all seemed exhausted, clearly in no condition to fight. Soon, they began to whisper to one another. At that, I became aware of their genders. The two gryphons were males, and the pony a female (I also notice she possessed a pair of fangs).

“What do we do now, sir?” Elliot asked, clearly uncomfortable with the current situation.

“Tell them to lower their weapons,” I replied. He did as asked, his words cutting the ongoing conversation short. It didn’t work, they became angry at that, raising their voice tones as they answered to Elliot. Before Elliot could say the obvious, I said, “Lower your weapons, guys”.

“What? You’re serious, sir?” Medici asked.

“Yes, I am,” I replied, lowering my own rifle. “Do it now”.

My two companions did as asked, earning a good reaction from the three survivors. They seemed confused at our actions, but also calmer. They lowered their pistols a little, still ready for action, but definitely an improvement.

“Elliot, tell them we mean no harm and explain why we’re here,” I said to him. Once again, he spoke, taking about a minute to translate everything. After he was finished, the larger of the gryphons replied, using a sceptic tone, clearly not believing.

“He doesn’t believe us,” Elliot stated.

“I noticed,” I replied. Honestly, I’m getting real tired of this, we spend hours walking and fighting to save these people, and yet they can’t trust us in the slightest. Fuck, I really need a good shower. “Tell him he can believe whatever he wants, the area is safe and they can leave now”.

Once Elliot ended, I turned around and walked away, soon followed by the other two, leaving the trio of mercenaries behind. Making our way back to the first section of the tunnel, I stopped near the pair of glowing sticks we had left and turned my radio on.

“Dias, do you copy, over?” I called. At first, all I got was static, but soon, he answered.

“Oh, yes sir, I hear you loud and clear, over.”

“Good, call back to the HQ, tell them our mission is complete, over.”

Footnote: Level Up!

Guns: 60

Speech: 55

New Perk: Entomologist - You do an additional 50% damage every time you attack a mutated insect.

Chapter 9: Business

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Chapter 9: Business

Dreams… I don’t have them very often. Most times, my sleep is either a complete dark void or split in many parts due to some disturbance (like artillery or uncomfortable beds). Occasionally, however, my mind is filled with images. Sometimes I’m back at the camps, struggling to survive with what little my family could gather. There are times where I come across a cheerful memory of my university years, going to a party or sitting at a bar with good friends and living the good life. Sadly, it’s really hard to dream something when you’re resting in the hard soil filled with rocks and without a blanket…

“Come on Alex, wake up!” The voice of someone pierced through my skull. God dammit, I just can’t get some rest, can I? “Seriously, it’s late already, get up”.

I grunted a little in annoyance, my mind slowly composed itself as I began to shift in my spot. I twisted my neck a little and then my limbs, feeling my sore muscles as the result of sleeping in such a crappy condition. Finally getting into a sitting position, I opened my eyes, fighting the sudden brightness that hit them. In front of me were five individuals, arranged in a circular manner. Four of them were a mix of black and grey, the other had some distinguishable white and blonde details.

“Calm down man, he’s been through a lot,” Another voice spoke, this one much calmer. I recognized it as belonging to Dima. “It’s not even that late either”. My eye focused as he said that, allowing me to notice more details and to comprehend what was ahead of me.

The fucker who awoke me was Barin… typical. “I know, I’m just screwing with him,” He said in that same sarcastic tone he always uses. Uh, sometimes I really don’t know how we get along so well. “You’re no longer green so I need a new person to annoy”.

I’m in a small crater, in front of me are all my squad mates and Snowdrop, who looked rather isolated. This was the only place we found along the road to rest, once the sun was down. Our mission is to reach the settlement Snowdrop had come from and see what we can find. The reason why Barin was back with us is that we had acquired many medical supplies from the slaver base, allowing us to heal up most of the wounded, such as him. While I’m glad to have my dear friend back with us, I really wish he could be less annoying…

“Or maybe you could try not to be an asshole,” I said, rubbing my eyes. “That would be a nice change…”

“Ha, but where’s the fun in that?” He replied.

Looking around, I noticed they were all in the process of eating their breakfasts, while Suvorov kept watch (knowing him, he probably woke up first and had already ate his meal). Feeling the emptiness of my stomach, I turned to my left and grabbed by bag. I began to shift through my stuff, trying to find my MREs. I should try to be more organized with my stuff…

“So, what’s the plan, sergeant?” My friend asked, as everyone went back to their meals. “Unless we’re really lucky, I don’t think going there and searching randomly is going to work”. He had a point, exploring a ruined city with less than a dozen people is not really an efficient way to get something as specific as we were looking for. However, we don’t really have many options, what else can we do? Sit down and wait for rescue?

Finally, my hands grabbed what I wanted. Taking it out, I recognized the familiar square shape of the MRE package. This success brought some joy to me, as I proceeded to prepare my meal. “Yea, I’m aware of that, but right now, that’s everything we got,” I argued with him.

“Still, I wished we had more than the word of a pony to go along with,” He replied, taking a quick glance to the pony in question. “Not that I have a problem with her, but we don’t even know where to begin”. Snowdrop was to my right, eating her own meal, completely oblivious to our conversation (since we were speaking in Russian).

Eh, he does raise some good points; I wonder what Snow thinks about all this. “Hey, Snow,” I called, causing her to look at me in confusion. She must’ve been in deep thought.

“Uh? What is it?” She asked, looking at me with those huge golden orbs.

“Do you have any idea where we should start looking, once we get to your home?” I said, while taking the first bites of my meal. She looked away, brows furrowed as she thought.

After a few moments, she looked back at me. “Well, I was hoping to get in touch with some of my family and friends”.

“Why is that?” I inquired, raising an eyebrow. She didn’t really spoke much about the people she knew, back at her home. Perhaps she’s more resourceful than she looks? Well, certainly not enough to get proper security, I guess.

“My family is part of one of the gangs there,” I almost spit my meal right there. What the fuck? She lives with a bunch of thugs? What about all that whinnying in regards to killing? “They have a huge library filled with pre-war documents”.

“Explain this gang stuff better,” I said slowly. I realize that I shouldn’t have high expectations to what kind factions rule that place, but that still makes me concerned. “It would be nice to have an idea of what we’re jumping into”.

She nodded while drinking some water. “Well, to do that I need to tell you how Ministry Square works,” She began. “The place is the central square of the city, and as the name tells, where the pre-war ministries once stood. There are six buildings in total, each one belonging to one of the three major factions. The whole place is surrounded by walls and barricates, with only two gates for access. Outside, in the pre-war residential and industrial district, is where most of the inhabitants of the city live”.

“And why is that?” I asked.

“The city used to be a center of industry of the island, and the square was the source of much of it,” She explained. “The place is a goldmine of pre-war equipment and data. Because of that, there’s a lot of ponies interested in going there, and not always with the best intentions, so only those who work, have enough money or own property can go inside”.

“So that’s why you think we can find something there?”

“Exactly,” She concluded with a vague smile. “Is there anything else you would like to know?”

I placed my free hand in my chin, thinking what else might be useful. “Who are these factions?”

“Well, there’s three of them,” She answered. “There’s the White Coat Society, where I’m from…” Can’t help but to think that’s quite amusing. “… The Lunar Caravans and the Black Watch Mercenaries”. Mercenaries, eh? I guess that was expected.

We kept eating our breakfast for a few more minutes. There wasn’t much to do really, except complain about the heat. There aren’t many clouds in the sky, not after the light rain yesterday, and so we have to endure the sun in all its glory. It’s nice to have some change from the freezing conditions back home, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy being fried by sunlight.

-x-

Soon, we were back on the road, moving to our objective. It must be an interesting sight, five PAC troopers, fully equipped, accompanying a pony. This wasn’t an easy walk, especially since we’re carrying extra ammo and supplies. In addition, we had switched our standard PAC assault rifles for a mix of Lambert Carbines and Baur H-ARs (heavy assault rifle). These were they only weapons in our arsenal that didn’t use plasma-based case-less ammo, and they were quite heavier when compared to our usual Krylov FA-37s.

The landscape from the coast was now giving way to a much wider area, the “Golden Valley” if I’m not mistaken. From our position, I could see the large plains that composed this region, so vast that I could barely see the hills on the other side. I could also see some ruins up ahead, similar to what you would find in archeological excavation, nothing but the base of countless structures, which had vanished in the sands of time.

I looked forward, trying to distract myself from boredom, a common problem during long walks or patrols. The area was quiet, with a constant breeze coming our way, moving some of the sand and rocks around us. I suppose this place has a strange… beauty to it, looking calm and peaceful, even though we know of the struggle and bloodshed going around.

“You know, I wonder what we’re going to do, once we get back home,” Dima commented, obviously trying to break the silence. Most of us shrugged as a response.

“I guess we’ll head back into action,” Said Barin. “There’s still a war going, after all…”

“Who knows, maybe they've got Europe taken care off already”.

“Well, we’ll only know for sure once we’re back,” I stated.

Eventually, we approached a new area, a village of some sort. It looked simple, and had no walls or barricades defending it. I gestured my comrades to halt, thinking what we could do. Snow had told me about a small market area, such as this, being on our way. This was likely the place where she had joined the merchant caravan that was ambushed.

“Snowdrop, is this the place you told me about?” I asked, as we stood there, analyzing the surrounding area.

She approached me, stopping on my right side and looking at the place. “Yes it is,” She answered. “You want to go there?”

Honestly, I don’t know. On one hand, that place could have some useful stuff. We had acquired a lot of bottle-caps and equipment from the recent hostilities, so we could probably trade for things like food and clean water. On the other, I had no idea how these people might react to us, they could attack, and I can’t afford to go into unnecessary conflict. Well, I suppose it’s worth a shot, if all goes to hell we can just back off and go around it.

I turned towards my teammates who were staring at me, waiting for an answer. “Alright, we’ll go there, but I need you to pay attention,” I said. “We don’t know how they might react to us, so be ready to act”. Receiving nods of confirmation, I turned around and began to walk towards the village.

We carefully approached it, making sure to keep our eyes open to any threats. As we moved closer, I heard the distinctive sound of movement and voices. My mind wondered the many possible ways this could go. There’s almost no cover around, if this go down into combat, we’ll have a hard time. Well, we do have a pony with us, one that was here before, and if the ex-slaves are anything to go by, there’s a chance we won’t cause too much commotion.

My thought were interrupted by the distinguishable metal clicks of weapons. “Who goes there?” a raspy voice asked. Looking for the source, as all of us tensed up, I spotted a mustard pony staring at us from the second floor of a house. He appeared old, bearing a big mustache and wearing a Stetson. On his side was the barrel of a rifle. “Ah asked, who goes there, freaks!”

Fucking great, so much for doing this peacefully. Looking around, I began to notice other ponies pointing weapons at us from the surrounding buildings. My heart beat faster as I thought of an answer. “We’re here for trade!” I shouted towards him. The pony seemed taken aback by that, I guess he wasn’t really expecting me to attempt negotiation, or even to speak his language. “We’re not looking for a fight,” I added, trying to sound calm and fighting the urge to pick my rifle.

“And how do I know I can trust that?” He answered, trying to sound intimidating. What he got was a roll of my eyes; no matter how I looked at them, I just couldn’t take a bunch of colorful ponies seriously. “Besides, we don’t want anything you may offer”. I’m half inclined to just get the fuck away from here, I don’t need to deal with this bullshit.

I opened my mouth to reply, but Snowdrop beat me to it. “Stop that, Mint Strings!” She said while moving to stand beside me, in clear view. Her presence seemed to confuse our opponents, who shifted a little in their spots, trying to get a better view of her. The one she called, the old pony, had a deeper reaction. His mouth hang slightly open and he even lowered his rifle a little.

“Snowdrop? What’re you doing here?” He said, clearly confused. “Everypony thought you were dead!”

Getting a little more confident, Snow took a step forward, getting closer to him. “These ‘freaks’ over here saved me from raiders,” She stated. Well, that’s actually only half true, I dare to say it was the other way around. “They’re speaking the truth”. I guess working with her is finally paying off. She stood there for a while, glaring at the ponies ahead of us.

“B-but what about the slavers? H-how?”

“Like I said, they helped me, and they also took down Skull Smasher’s group”. So that's how that child-murderer bastard was called?

The old pony’s eyes widened a little at that, but he quickly returned to the same hard glare from before. “Alright Snow, if what you say is true then ah suppose I can give them a chance…” He lowered his rifle and gestured the other ponies to do the same. “Come inside, I’m sure Sandy Star will be glad to see ya”.

I let out a sigh of relief, glad to do this without unnecessary fighting. My comrades had similar reactions, all of them taking a calmer stance. That was way too close for comfort. “Okay, I suppose we should go inside then?” I asked the white mare.

“You said you needed supplies, correct?” She replied, looking over her shoulder. I nodded. “Then we should see Sandy, she’s the one who controls most of the caravans around this part”.

-x-

We went inside, under the careful watch of the “guards”. Taking a closer look at them, I doubted they could even be called that. Most of them were wearing leather armor and jackets while carrying simple hunting rifles, very little to actually make an effective fighting force. The place itself was pretty small, a few old houses with some market stalls here and there selling all kinds of supplies. I spotted a few places selling weapons and ammunition, drawing my attention.

Perhaps it would be useful to see if they had the same caliber as our weapons. I know for sure they exist in this world, but if these merchants have them, we could try to arrange some deal to trade for them. This could prove to be the solution to at least one of our problems, for a while.

Every single one of the ponies here was paying attention to us. Their talking would cease as soon as we got into sight. Some of them outright backed off from where they were to get away from us. This does makes me feel slightly uncomfortable, even a little suspicious, but honestly, I don’t really give a shit. Let them hate us, as long as they fear us.

We approached a larger house, a lot better conserved and with a dark crescent moon painted above the main door. This must be the symbol of those “Lunar Caravans” Snow had spoken about. She halted by the door, looking up at me for confirmation.

“Alright guys, I want you all to remain here while Snow and me go inside,” I said to my comrades. They all nodded in acknowledgement. “Keep your eyes open and pay attention”.

I turned around and began to make my way to Snow. “Alex!” I heard Barin calling. I turned around in confusion and looked at him. “Try not to get ripped off!” That got some smirks from the other guys. That fucker…

Snowdrop and I entered the building. We arrived at a wide room, with two more ponies guarding the door we came from. Across from us were two office tables on each side, and a third larger one on the end of the room, opposite to us. The place looked well kept, with almost no dust and very well organized. Obviously, this place was used for administration and paperwork. On the larger table was a unicorn mare, with a very light green coat (I almost mistaken it for white) and light brown hair. She wore a pair of glasses and an old suit, making me assume she was the one in charge.

Upon noticing us, her eyes widened in surprise. “Snowdrop dear, you’re alive!” She said, walking away from her table, towards Snow. “And… I see you made some friends…” She added, taking a glance at me. My alien appearance and serious expression got her a little tense.

“Yes, to both questions,” Snow replied in a happy tone. She took a few steps forward and greeted the mare with a hug. “How’s everyone at home?”

“Oh dear, they’re worried sick about you, a little filly like you shouldn’t go out in dangerous journeys like this,” The mare replied. Alright, they know each other, which could prove useful. “What about the rest of the caravan? We got a few ponies who ran away from the slavers, but none of them knew something”.

Snow gave her a sad expression, her eyes going low. “I don’t think any of them made it… at least not that I know of”. The other mare’s look hardened somewhat, sad but not really shocked with it, if her apparent age is anything to go by, she’s probably used to this kind of thing. “I was lucky to bump into this guy,” she continued, pointing a hoof at me.

The older mare looked away for a second, letting out a sigh. “Well, what matters is that you’re okay,” She said. After a moment of silence, she turned her head towards me. “But enough with that, who’s this fellow I own for saving you?”

Before Snow could say anything, I answered. “Call me Alex,” I tried to sound normal, but it’s hard to cause a good first impression when wearing full combat gear and carrrying a heavy assault rifle on my hands. The mare seemed a little surprised at my sudden words. This is becoming quite annoying. “And you are?”

“I’m Sandy Star, pleasure to meet you!” She said with a smile, raising one of her hoofs, which I gently shook. There were a few more minutes of small talk between the two mares. Occasionally, I added a few things, in regards of what Snow was doing in the last few days. It’s amazing how this ponies can break the ice.

“Alright, I get it why Snow decided to come here, but what about you and those other folk?” Sandy asked.

“Well, as I already said, we arrived here by accident,” I replied. “Snow told us about her home, and so we were hoping to go there and see if we can find something related to our arrival”.

“Ah, yes, that place is the best when it comes to information, particularly pre-war documents”.

“Yes, however, that isn’t the only reason behind our journey here,” Sandy raised an eyebrow at that, slightly confused. “We’re also looking for supplies-“ The mare opened her mouth to speak, but I quickly added, “-And we’re willing to trade for them”.

The mare looked away for a second. “Well, I suppose that’s more than okay, I would be happy to give you a few things we can spare, plus a nice discount in anything else”. Goddamn, I’m sure glad I helped Snowdrop now. I mean, not that I didn’t enjoy helping her in the first place, but this is definitely more than I was expecting. “Although you’ll have to take everything here, can’t risk sending another caravan to the coast”.

“That won’t be a problem,” I replied. “We have taken out most of the slaver and raider groups in the area”.

“Well, that’s very nice of you, they've been quite a torment for a while now,” She said. “Why did you do it?”

There were many reasons, those groups were an imminent threat to us and they had attacked us before. There was also the moral reason; we can’t stand idly by while they practice something as bad as slavery, not when we can do something about it. “Do I need a reason?” I said. “We strongly oppose this type of practice”.

The mare nodded in understanding. “I see, in that case I’m willing to send one more caravan. There are villages over there that would surely be interested in merchandize. Is there anything you would like to prioritize?”

Well, ammunition was necessary, but we still had a good supply of them, at least for a few weeks. I could try to ask for medical supplies, but I doubt the mare would have a lot of it. We had some of it stocked, but not enough to be safe, if we're faced with a large number of casualties, we could easily run out. “Well, food and clean water are the main issues right now”.

She nodded. “Alright, I can do that, I’ll make sure to add some extra bags with those items,” The mare floated a pen and notebook in front of her, quickly writing down the information. “Is there anything else, dear?”

“What about medical supplies?” I asked. “They aren’t a priority, but it would be nice to know if you have any,”

The smile vanished from Sandy’s face. “Oh, that’s actually a problem…”

“What is it?” Snowdrop asked. If she’s asking, it must be something recent, I presume.

“Most of our medical supplies came from a pre-war clinic, not far from here,” Sandy Star explained. “However, a few days ago a group of ponies from the north came and took over”.

I raised an eyebrow at that. “Raiders?”

The mare shook her head. “We don’t rightfully know,” she said. “From what we understood, they looked more like refugees from the conflict up north”. Refugees? This place is beginning to look like home.

“So… what can we do about it?” I asked.

Sandy thought for a while, brows furrowed. “Well, you could always try to speak with them”.

“Then why didn’t you?”

“We did, but they are charging a high price for those supplies, and they aren’t willing to negotiate,” The mare replied, still in deep thought. “Alternatively… you could kick them out”.

Ah yes, this was too sweet to be true. No matter how pleasant this place looks, it’s still a wasteland. It appears that everybody on this place has blood on their hands, one way or another, and I guess it would be naive of me to expect otherwise. Now I'm faced with a unpleasant oportunity, the chance to acquire vital supplies at the cost of people I don't even know. Can't help but to feel like a thief for even considering this...

I don't have the full picture of this, for all I know I could be dealing with a local gang or a bunch of helpless people who were driven to desperation. Should I ignore this? I could be putting the lives of my comrades at risk and have no idea if a similar oportunity will come again. However, even if I do agree with this, that still raises the question on how we should proceed. We can try to negotiate; we’ve managed to do so here, why not over there? Sandy did say they attacked without provocation… and if they are not willing to negotiate with their fellow equines, what chances do we have?

What if they are truly refugees? That could explain why they attacked, and I'm not about to attack a bunch of desperate people. Still... I can't ignore the chance of getting more supplies.

“I’ll think about,” I answered.

Sandy nodded, bearing a vague smile. “Well, just know that if you’re willing to take the place back, I’ll be happy to reward you”. After some more small talk, Snow and I bid farewell to the mare and went outside. My comrades were exactly where I left them, watching the area as the ponies around moved on with their daily routines (while trying to avoid them).

Of course, Barin was the first to notice us. “Oh, Alex! How much de we owe this place now?” His expression changed when he noticed my mood.

“Shut up Barin, we got a new job,” I said, bringing everyone’s attention. Noticing my serious expression, he complied. He may be a jerk sometimes, but he knows when to stop. I proceeded to explain everything we had discussed inside the building. At first, they didn't seem to care much, but as gave them a bigger picture their expressions changed. I kept every detail, and my comrades were equally surprise with what the mare had suggested. We have all done our share of sins, but that still doesn't make it any better. It was wrong, but I suppose it’s expected in a place like this. Can I truly ask these people to uphold an extensive moral code when they have to fight every day for survival?

“So, what do you think about this?” I asked them, after I finished explaining.

“Well, we can’t go around attacking people without provocation,” Said Dima. “No matter how desperate we are”.

Everyone nodded in agreement. “Yea, I think that’s pretty obvious,” Added Barin. “Besides, we’re not that bad in medical supplies”.

“Alright, I guess it’s settled then,” I concluded. “I still want to check that place though, see if we can get something. if they refuse, we’ll back off”.

This is not ideal, but at the very least, we have some of the problems taken care off, for the moment. It’s good to know that there are people willing to talk to us, and even better, to trade and negotiate with us. Still, we know very little about this place, as long as we don’t get a full picture of everything and everyone that might pose a threat, we won’t be safe to operate. I’m also a little hesitant with the idea of depending on these people for supplies. Not because of the quality, the canned food I had found at the research facility proved to be edible without any problems (except for small bits of radiation, but then again, pretty much everything here is irradiated to some degree). It's never good to depend on an outside group for something as essential as food and water.

We kept speaking for a few more minutes, discussing our next steps. However, we were interrupted by a new voice speaking up. “Excuse me,” The voice said. I turned around in confusion, who the hell would be interested in speaking with us? At first I didn't see anything, until I noticed the voice was coming from below. “I heard you were going to the clinic nearby,” The voice belonged to a unicorn, with a bronze coat and slightly long yellowish mane, who was sitting right in front of me. He wore a long duster and a cowboy hat, obscuring part of his face, as well as a bag (saddle bags?). I could also see a plate carrier vest beneath his long coat.

I stole a quick glance to Snowdrop, who seemed equally confused. “Why do you want to know?” I said. For some reason, his face was strangely calm, as if he were speaking to another pony. After what happened earlier, I wouldn’t expect a pony to just casually approach us like that.

“I happen to be going there too,” The pony said in the same calm tone as before. Do I look like a bodyguard for hire or something? Hasn't this guy noticed the combat gear and all the weapons?

I don’t like where this is going. “So? What does that have to do with us?” I replied, raising an eyebrow. I crossed my arms while trying to show him that I wasn't interested. My squad acted in a similar way, remaining silent while staring at the him. However, our natural attempts at making him unconfortable didn't work... or at least he was doing a good job at not showing it.

“Well, I figure we could work together,” The pony took a step forward. “Besides, I’ve been there before-”.

I interrupted him. "We don't need a guide," He raised a hoof and tried to speak, "And we are also very busy". He narrowed his eyes at that. What? I had bigger priorities than dealing with some creepy dude.

He struggled a little bit to reply. "I-listen... uh-" He stopped and took a deep breath. "Will you just hear me out for a bit?" Honestly? I would rather not, but I guess I could spare a few seconds.

"Why should I?"

"Because this could be beneficial to both of us?"

"Go on..."

"Right now, I happen to be looking for some data inside that clinic but haven't been able to get it because... you know, all those ponies taking over and all that. However, I did manage to scout the whole area around it in the last two days so I know more or less how many they are and what we could expect. If you let me help you we could solve this whole ordeal much more smoothly."

I looked at my comrades for advice, receiving only their confused and somewhat suspicious expressions. Fucking great… what should I do now? On one hand, that guy could prove useful and he did approach us with no problems, however, he fucking creeps me out for that same reason. Well, we outnumber him, and even if he had some friends waiting in the bushes, we’re all heavily armed and ready to deal with such things.

“Alright, you can tag along,” I said. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Bronze Mirage,” The pony said with a vague and even creepier smile.

-x-

“This ain’t gonna work, you know…”

“You’re the one who wanted to come”.

“I thought you were going to do something appropriate, not go there and ask nicely”.

This place keeps surprising me. After the brief conversation with Mirage, I told most of my comrades to stay there and radio the HQ about the most recent developments. After that, Barin, Bronze Mirage and I went out, to the clinic. However, as soon as I spoke my plans of trying to negotiate our way in, the pony began to argue with me, urging me to take a more… aggressive stance. Fuck him; I’m not about to jump into combat over supplies or whatever the hell he wants from that place.

“Look, if you have a problem with my plan, you’re free to go on your own,” I replied to him, not even bothering to face him as we walked down the streets towards the place. The scenery changed quite drastically after the small market, with more houses and other buildings standing around. These structures were somewhat better preserved, making this place look like an old warzone, as opposed to ancient ruins. It was surreal to walk in these vast empty streets, and it reminded me a little of some abandoned small towns I had patrolled back in Europe. “We are attempting diplomacy here, whether you like it or not”.

“We don't know if these ponies are the friendly type,” The pony said, stepping closer to me. “All you’ll get is a firefight!” His previous calm behavior was slightly altered, giving way to some agitation. Meanwhile, my friend Barin walked a few steps behind us. Briefly looking over my shoulder, I confirmed he was equally bored by the ongoing argument. “What’s the problem with just going there and shooting a few-“.

I halted and turned to face. “What the fuck do you want me to do?” I said in a serious tone. “Go there and attack a bunch of people over a few supplies? Are their lives really that cheap to you?” I narrowed my eyes as I said that.

Bronze took a step back, but still maintained his expression. “We don’t have to make a massacre, just scare then a little and they’ll back off,” He said, “We could also try to infiltrate the place, in case that’s still not enough for you”.

Yes, I suppose we could try to scare them or infiltrate the place, however, that would probably delay our mission and there was always the possibility of failure. Sure, maybe diplomacy would also fail, but since the ponies in question were probably refugees and holding inside the building, we could just back away in case something happened. I’ll admit I am a little worried… but so far, this is the best shot we have.

“Look, Bronze…” I said, letting out a sigh. “This isn’t my main priority right now, and I’m not about to take unnecessary risks”.

The pony looked away for a second. “Alright, suit yourself; let’s see how your strategy plays out”. With that, the conversation ended. The three of us kept walking for a while, eventually getting close to our objective.

“Alex!” My friend called. “I think I see the place,” he said, pointing at something down the road. Staring at where he was pointing, I spotted some sort of barricade, not very well built. I guess these ponies must be desperate to defend their new home. “Maybe we should hold up and see what exactly we’re dealing with”.

I nodded to him and then turned my head to Bronze. “Is that the place?” I asked, and he nodded. Well, better find a good spot to scout the area. I scanned the area around me, looking at the ruined structures around us. To my right, I saw what appeared to be a ruined bar, two floors high and reasonably conserved, with only a part of the second floor partially destroyed. Because of the state of decay here, this building is likely our best option, and it does have a good field of view. “Alright, inside that building, we’ll go to the second floor and give a look around”.

Passing through the long shattered glass of the front, we went inside. The interior was just as I expected, a rotted and decayed room, with dust and garbage laying around. I brought my rifle up, just in case. Spotting the stairs, on the other side of the room, I slowly made my way towards it. My two companions were right behind me. However, just before I reached the place, I saw a wooden box right next to the first step. Normally that wouldn’t be an issue, but the object just felt… out of place.

I did a duple take, trying to spot any wires. I didn’t see any, so I moved closer. Standing close to it, I gave it a kick, not very strong, only enough to turn the box over and reveal what might be under it. I then spotted a… yellow metal disk with a red button, blinking?

BEEP! BEEP!

“Get down!” I shouted, kicking the proximity mine away and throwing myself at the ground. Luckily, in my panic I sent the explosive into the next room, shielding us from the explosion. It wasn’t a very loud bang, but it still threw a lot of dust up and caused the floor to shake a little. Fucking great, now I have to worry about traps laying around…

Barin was the first to recover. “Fuck…” I heard him cursing. “I bet the ponies at the clinic heard that”. Shit, he had a point; we have to get out of here.

Coughing a little, I stood back up. I spotted Barin and the pony already on their feet (and hooves), looking around in confusion. “Are you alright?” I asked, my voice carrying a little more anxiety than I expected.

“Yea,” Said the pony. “Come on, we've got to leave now”. He began to make his way back out.

“I agree with him, come on, Alex,” My friend added.

I nodded in agreement, but before I could comply, however, someone shot at us from the outside. In an instant, the thunder of weapons filled the air, as bullets began to zip around us. “Shit!” I cursed, once again throwing myself into the wooden floor. Adrenaline surged through me as I tried to figure what was going on. There’s no fucking way the people from that clinic are already on us!

We all went to the nearest cover available. Barin and I took shelter by a small pile of furniture, while the pony pressed himself to the bar stand. “What the fuck do we do now, Alex!” My friend shouted. Fuck, what were we supposed to do? The answer seems obvious, but still… god dammit; this day was going well till now…

“Screw this, open fire!” I shouted, lifting my rifle above my head. I let out a short burst of blind fire into the general direction of the enemy. Barin did the same, his Carbine spraying the streets with bullets. Across from my position, I could see the pony floating a… Winchester above his cover. Our counterattack served to suppress the enemy a little, allowing me to give a quick glance outside, hoping to identify our opponents. Across the street, I spotted five ponies, carrying a variety of weapons and taking cover in the buildings and rubble.

They didn’t look like raiders or slavers. “Who the hell are these guys!” I shouted to Bronze.

“I don’t know!” He answered. “Might be a patrol from the clinic!” Now you tell me they might have patrols around? Honestly… I hadn't even considered the possibility, but still… well, nothing I can do now.

I pulled my heavy assault rifle and shot a few rounds towards a pony taking cover near the remains of a vehicle. Lucky for us, these ponies had to keep most of their bodies exposed while firing. Unless we were forced against a group of unicorns, we had a natural advantage. They returned fire and I snapped back into cover. “Alright, you two stay here and keep their attention, I’m going to the second floor!”

Barin rose from his cover and began shooting at another target. “Understood!” He said. I slowly moved to the stairway. Around me, bullets zipped around, hitting the walls and furniture. However, the combined fire from Barin and Bronze Mirage successfully kept the enemy at bay. Finally reaching the stairs, I turned around and unloaded the rest of my magazine into the enemy. Because of the higher caliber, my rifle had a smaller magazine.

With the enemy temporarily suppressed, I moved up, to the second floor, keeping an eye out for more traps. I reloaded my weapon while moving up. Thankfully, there were none, and soon I got to the windows facing the street. Looking outside, I spotted a blue pony firing some sort of SMG. I pointed my rifle I fire two shots, they both hit the pony square in the chest. My target fell down like a rock. Meanwhile, another pony was hit by a burst of rounds, probably from Barin.

The remaining targets were inside a building across ours. The place was little more than a few piles of rubble surrounded by some walls. Upon noticing me, one of them, a unicorn with a shotgun, fire a round in my direction, forcing me back into cover. I cursed once again, pushing myself up and aiming at the pony. I saw his face twist into terror as I fired a round into his neck. At the same time, another pony went down. The final hostile attempted to flee, running deeper into the ruins, but his escape was cut short by a bullet piercing his back.

Just like that, the fighting stopped. I let out a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I looked outside, trying to spot any new targets, all that I saw were the bodies of our recent enemies, slowly bleeding out and painting the dirt and sand red. Fuck, so much for not starting a fight… why did they even attacked us in the first place? Well, screw it, they attacked and I defended myself.

I went to the first floor, finding my two companions. The pony stood in his corner, analyzing his weapon; he briefly gazed at me, his eyes bearing the unspoken “I told you so”. At least he was wise enough to keep his mouth shut. My friend Barin was in a similar state to myself, I could see the anxiety and apprehension in his face. I felt like saying something… trying to justify our actions... but I just couldn’t. I know that deep down, there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with what we just did but… this still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

“Come on...” I told them. “Let’s go, before more of them show up”. They both nodded and followed me outside. The wind whispered around me as I looked at the bodies. How the hell am I even going to explain this to the rest of my comrades?

Before I could think of something, there was a crack in the distance and a bullet hit the dirt right next to me. “Fuck! Get to cover!” I shouted. The three of us jumped behind a decayed vehicle, with the body of one of our recent victims resting against it. Looking down the street, I spotted more ponies coming against us, from the barricade. “Return fire!”

Once again, we were fighting for our lives. There weren’t many more hostiles, only about seven of them. After our previous fight, this felt almost like a dream. The adrenaline inside me turned me blind to any kind of uncomfortable feeling. All I did was pull the trigger, first at a yellow pony near a pile of rubble and then at another taking cover by some garbage cans. Without thinking, I put my own rage and frustration into these actions, taking target after target.

Meanwhile, Barin and Bronze Mirage also took out another three ponies. I noticed how effective Bronze was with his rifle; he probably had a lot of experience with it. The two remaining targets also tried to flee. With a grunt of annoyance, I stood up from cover and walked towards them, shooting rounds in their direction. I didn’t even registered my friend shouting at me as I moved. One of the ponies went down; the second took a few more steps before one of my rounds got him.

“Alexander, stop!” I halted. My hands shook, my heart raced in my chest, I could feel sweat dripping all over my body. “Hold on for a second, you got hit!” What? I scanned my body, trying to spot something. Indeed, there was some blood coming from my left arm, near the middle. Crap, I didn’t even noticed that. Thankfully, it wasn’t anything serious.

“Oh… right, it’s nothing serious…” I replied. The area was now quiet. The barricade appeared deserted (it was quite far away, so I didn’t know for sure). “Fuck it, let’s end this”. I gestured both of them to follow me. Shit already happened anyway, I might as well make sure there are no more threats.

Slowly we approached the barricade. Looking around, I confirmed it was indeed empty. The three of us climbed the barrier, revealing an equally empty camp, in front of the clinic. This camp was made up of many small tends packed together, with multiple objects laying around. Guess the rest must’ve ran off… Great…

I turned to Barin. “Call the rest of the squad…”

-x-

Well… at least we got the supplies. I sat on top of the barricade, looking at the clinic. My friend Barin was beside me, as the rest of our squad gathered a few boxes of medical supplies. They didn’t spoke much, not even a comment about what happened, but I could see the unspoken doubt in their eyes. Can I blame them? I left saying we were just going to give a look around, only to call them and explain how that turned out into a massacre.

Barin noticed my mood. “Look, Alex…” he began, placing a hand on my shoulder. “I won’t say there was nothing wrong with what happened, but you know we didn’t had much of choice”.

“I know that…” I replied. “But still, this is far from ideal”. Snowdrop was the worst; she couldn’t even look me in the eyes. The look of sadness on her face when she saw the bodies was… concerning, to say the least. Well, my only choice right now is to keep going. Hopefully we’ll get something out of this journey.

As I continued to wonder, Dima approached us. “Sir, we’ve got everything we can carry sorted out”.

“Alright, that’s good,” I said. “What about Bronze?” The pony had slipped inside the building right after we confirmed the area was safe.

“He’s looking into some of the terminals inside”.

I stood back up. “Okay, that’ll be all,” I said to him. “Come on; let’s get this whole thing back on the road”. The three of us got off the barricade, moving towards the rest of the squad, close to the medical boxes. The small pile of objects was a little more than I previously expected. Turns out this place had a small warehouse in the basement.

“What’s the plan now, Alex?” Barin said.

“I want Dima, Suvorov and Akio to grab these supplies and head back to the outpost,” I said. Splitting the unit like this might not be wisest thing to do, but we do need to get these supplies back to the HQ. In addition, I’m not about to call a transport ship this far out here, in the middle of the day. “Barin, Snowdrop and I will keep heading to Ministry Square”.

“You sure about this, sir?” Questioned Dima.

“Yes,” I replied. “I… also want you guys to go back to the market and grab the reward for clearing this place…” Obviously, they were taken aback by that. “I know what you’re all thinking… and I don’t like this either, but well… we need everything we can get”.

As I said that, I spotted Bronze Mirage leaving the clinic. “So… are you heading to Ministry Square?” He asked.

“Yes, we are,” I replied. “Let me guess, you want to tag along?”

“Yep, that place is also my next stop”.

With all decided, we split up. The now four of us quickly got back on the road, hoping to reach the outskirts of the city before nightfall. Barin and I also took some extra equipment to help in any upcoming events. He got a heartbeat sensor (to avoid being stuck in the same situation as before) and I opted for a sniper rifle. The thing was quite heavy (which added to my assault rifle made things pretty hard for me) but it would come in handy to avoid close engagements.

Footnote: 60% to next level

Chapter 10: Dark Path

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Chapter 10: Dark Path

Honestly, wondering this place is becoming a torture. There hasn’t been a single day where I didn’t get involved in a fight of some sort. Now that I think of it, this place isn’t that different from Europe. The lack of snow and heavy weapons are the only things that separate them. It’s hard to imagine these people have been living here, like this, for two centuries. If what Snowdrop told me is anything to go by, it used to be worse.

By nightfall, the four of us had reached the suburbs of the city. The houses and shops now gave way to bigger structures, most of them at least three floors high. The quantity of rubble, skeletons and old vehicles also increased dramatically. Join all that with the darkness of the night, and we get a very unsettling picture.

Right now, we’re inside the third floor of the least damaged building we found. The interior, as expected, was in ruins. I’m looking outside a window, enjoying the cool breeze and watching for any movement. So far, the night has been quiet, with nothing but the sounds of my comrades coming from the other rooms, deeper in the building.

“Hey Alex, how’s the watch going?” I heard Barin say, snapping me out of my task. I looked over my shoulder, spotting him entering the room. “You bored, yet?” I also spotted an MRE in his hands, which reminded me of my own hunger. I should probably eat something.

“Eh, not much, actually,” I replied. I shifted a little, turning around to face him. “I enjoy having some quiet time alone,” Honestly, after what happened earlier, it’s hard to stand alone with my own thought. Ever since I set a foot in this room, about an hour ago, I’ve been constantly questioning myself about what I did. “How are you holding up?”

“Oh, I’m doing fine; it’s nice to be back in action”.

“What about the ponies?”

“They took two other rooms, near the stairs”

As Barin began to eat his meal, I decided to do the same. I left my assault rifle near the window and grabbed my own package. We didn’t spoke while eating, but it was nice to have some company. I can’t help but to wonder how things will go once we reach our objective. Hopefully, it won’t turn out into a massacre.

“Funny,” I heard Barin saying. “This kind of reminds me of that time we were in Dubai”.

I raised my eyebrow at that. “Really? What part of it?” I asked.

“Don’t you remember?” He replied, between bites. “When we met that Egyptian guy?” Just like that, I remembered what he was talking. I broke a small grin; that was quite a good memory.

“Ah, I remember now,” I said. That was quite a night. To summarize the whole thing, the three of us had gotten really drunk and ended up sleeping inside an old and abandoned house. “Well, I did told you we should’ve stayed at the hotel”.

He chuckled at that. “Oh, admit it, you enjoyed it,” He countered. “Besides, what’s the point of travelling around if we don’t do anything worth remembering?”

“Yea, sure…” I replied. At that moment, for some reason, I thought about the weird bottle I had acquired at the research facility. I moved to my bag and began to search inside, finding the apparently carrot flavored drink.

“Wow, what’s that you got there?” My friend asked.

“Just a bottle I got in an old research facility,” I said, lifting the bottle a little and staring at the strange liquid. “I’m thinking about trying it”.

“You sure?”

“Well, this doesn’t have a lot of radiation in it, and we know their diet is pretty close to ours, so why not?”

“Well, better than nothing, I guess…” With that, I tried to open it. It was slightly harder than I expected, probably because of it being closed for so long, but eventually I managed to take the bottle cap out. I sniffed the liquid a little; as expected, it smelled like carrots. With some courage, I brought the drink to my lips and took a sip. Holy shit, this is actually pretty good. “So? What do you think?”

“Huh, this is actually very tasty” I replied, taking another sip. While I’m not a big fan of this type of flavor, this thing is pretty good.

“Really? Well, let me try a little then…”

-x-

After about an hour of talking, we decided to sleep. I took the first watch, staying near the window and appreciating the view, while my friend slept on the opposite side of the room. I quickly became bored, trying to keep my mind away from the massacre. Had we done the right thing? It was supposed to be a quiet mission, just head there, see if we had any chance at diplomacy and then fall back. Instead, we ended up murdering what was probably a bunch of refugees. I know we did it for self-defense, but still… I should’ve predicted that, I should’ve avoided getting too close to the clinic.

Crack!

What the hell? I heard something, in the distance. Who would be wondering outside, at this time? I kept looking out, trying to find the source of the noise. Soon, there was a series of cracks, similar to the one before. I’m pretty sure I spotted something, a few blocks ahead, but buildings opposite to me blocked my view. There’s definitely something going on.

I stood up from my spot and moved towards Barin. I proceeded to shake him a little, trying to wake him. I wasn’t very gentle, but a situation like this doesn’t leave room for such things. Almost immediately, his eyes snapped open. “What the hell, man!” He said, obviously annoyed. He rubbed his eyes a little, looking around in confusion. “Why did you woke me up?”

“There’s something going on,” I replied, my voice completely devoid of emotion. As soon as he understood that, his expression became serious. “I don’t know what exactly, but I think I heard some shots, not far from here”.

Barin nodded in understanding. “Alright, what do we do, then?” He asked. “Moving out at this time will probably be difficult”.

“I know that,” I answered. “I want you to stay here while I go outside and see what this is about”. This isn’t an ideal plan, but it’s the best I have at the moment.

“You sure about that?” He questioned. I nodded, moving back to my spot and picking my rifle and helmet. “Okay then, be careful and keep your radio on”.

With all decided, I left, quickly making my way out. For a moment, I thought about waking Snowdrop and Bronze, but I pushed that idea away. No point in disturbing them unless I have a confirmed threat. Within seconds, I found myself out in the street. From here, I could easily hear the cracks of gunshots. Well, I suppose the best thing I can do is try to find somewhere high. There aren’t many options, most buildings are about the same high, and many are not in a safe state for me to go inside.

I decided to keep following the street, hopefully finding somewhere to climb up. The night was cloudy and somewhat cold, with a cool breeze sweeping through the city. I feel tense, with a little bit of adrenaline making it’s way through me. My mind keeps conjuring images from my recent actions. The massacre, the young pony… the foal. I can’t allow those mistake to happen again.

Eventually, I spotted a big building, probably an office of some sort. The place was about four floors high, with the main structure pretty much intact. I went inside, with my rifle raised and keeping an eye out for tripwires and other types of traps that could be laying around. There wasn’t much in the way, as I rose to the upper floors, passing through the dusty and decayed furniture with occasional bones or skeletons around.

Reaching the last floor, I decided it was high enough to see what was going on. I moved near one of the broken windows, scanning the horizon in an attempt to spot something. I saw movement, about a block away in what appeared to be an old park. Amongst the dead trees, I noticed the distinct silhouettes of ponies running, with an occasional flash of firearms being used. I activated the night vision of my scope and looked through it. The scope wasn’t very powerful, but I managed to gather more details.

I counted about three of them, running from a larger group of… five. One thing that caught my attention was that the larger group seemed to be better equipped. They were all wearing desert camo uniforms, and similar gear. In addition, they all had military grade weapons like assault rifles and sub-machineguns. There was even one carrying what appeared to be a grenade launcher. These guys are still a long way from us, but they were clearly in an upper spot of the local food-chain.

The whole fight was pretty far from us. However, the path this chase was heading brought them closer to us, not much, but enough to be worrisome. “Hey, Barin, do you copy, over?” I called on the radio.

“Yep, I hear you loud and clear, what’s going on, over?” He replied.

“I found the source of those noises,” I said. “There’s some sort of firefight going on, not far from here, over”.

“Really? Fucking great, how do we proceed, over?”

I thought for a while. “They probably won’t head into our location, but I don’t want to take any chances,” I replied. “I want you to wake the ponies and wait for me; we’re moving out, over”.

“Roger that, Alex, I’ll wait for you on the ground floor, over”.

“Acknowledged, over and out”. With that taken care of, I went back, quickly making my way down, back outside. After arriving at the streets, once again, I sprinted towards my goal. I made sure not to cause much noise, hoping that there weren’t any hostiles nearby. However, it appears I’m not that lucky, for I spotted two ponies patrolling the area, directly in front of me.

I hid myself behind an overturned vehicle. The sound of their hooves grew louder, and I began to pick up their voices. I couldn’t really understand much, since they were pretty far away, but they sounded calm. As they took a direction away from me, I glanced outside my cover. Once again, the same uniform and equipment as the other group. Whoever these guys are, it’s clear they’re part of a unique (and probably well organized) faction. I’m pretty damn sure we should stay the fuck away from them.

After five more minutes of walking, I arrived back at our current shelter. I easily spotted my friend Barin and the two ponies, all of them ready to go. I didn’t bothered with courtesy. “We have to move, is everyone ready?” I said, using a cold and pragmatic tone to emphasize the seriousness of the situation. Snowdrop seemed a little bit concerned with that, while Bronze and my friend were not even slightly affected. “There isn’t much time left,” I kept insisting, moving towards my bag, which Barin had placed near him, on an old chair.

“What’s going on?” Snow asked. I picked up my bag and my recently acquired sniper rifle. I unconsciously did a mental checklist of all my stuff. I have seven magazines for my assault rifle, three for the sniper rifle, three for my sidearm, and a few shotgun shells. I’m also carrying two frag grenades and one EMP. Beyond that, I have the non-combat stuff like electronics, extra batteries, tools, an extra set of clothes and some food and water. Obviously, this entire set was heavy, and reduced my movements in a few ways, but I suppose that’s the price to be prepared. Hopefully, once we reach the town, we can leave most of this stuff safe somewhere.

“There’s a large numbers of heavily armed ponies wondering this area,” I replied to her. “We need to get away from here and find another route”.

Her expression became one of worry. “But… this is the safest and quickest way there!” She said. Well, there’s nothing I can do, unless she wants us to get into another firefight.

“Well, not anymore,” I stated. “Now, unless you have further questions, I suggest we get going”.

To my surprise, Bronze Mirage had one. “These ponies, what do they look like?” He asked, using the same calm and… slightly creepy tone. His face showed some clear curiosity, but also something else. That look… it reminded me on Nicolay, as if he was making a battle plan or something. That was the look of a strategist.

It took me a moment to answer. This guy is definitely smarter than he looks. “They’re all wearing some sort of desert camo uniforms and they have military grade weaponry,” I told him. “I couldn’t get a good look on the other group”.

His brows furrowed. “Interesting, that kind of reminds me of confederacy troops,” He said.

Snowdrop raised an eyebrow at that. “But that’s not possible,” She told him. “There’s no way Blackwatch would allow them to come this south of the border”.

“Well, they are in the middle of a food crisis, maybe they struck a deal to get some supplies from the confederacy”. Snowdrop did told me about rising tensions between her home and that faction, especially after they lost some farms along the river to raiders and slavers.

However, as much as I would like to know more about local problems we might have to deal with, we still have to move. “Look people, we can talk about this later on,” I interrupted them. “Let’s get moving”. With that, I turned around and headed outside.

-x-

We spend a long time walking, going all the way around our original path. Luckily, we didn’t bump into anyone, and if the sound is anything to go by, we were pretty far away from the groups I had spotted. However, this would soon change.

The silence around us was quite unsettling. “So, how long until we reach the other way?” I asked Snow, who was walking a few steps ahead of me.

“Not long, we’re heading towards a train station,” She replied, not even bothering to face me. She’s obviously tired, and the rest of us are not much better. We spend less than two hours resting before moving out, and I used all that time to keep watch. The lack of proper rest was already affecting me, especially my mood. “We should be there in a few moments”.

The four of us continued to move, paying close attention to our surroundings. “Alex, I’m picking up two contacts in my heartbeat sensor!” I heard my friend Barin say. I immediately stopped and turned to face him. “Not far, they should be crossing the next street ahead of us in a few moments”. Great, just what I need, all this effort go unnoticed…

I looked around, searching for anything useful. This part of the city was almost completely devastated; all buildings were little more than a shell of their former selves. None of them was safe for us, and there was zero cover out here in the streets. “Alright… let’s get over to that house over there, hopefully they won’t notice us”.

Without a word, we all pressed ourselves against the building. Nobody spoke a word; I could already feel some anxiety building up. Eventually, we heard the ponies approaching, their hooves easily noticeable in this silence. To my horror, they began to approach our location. My mind raced with ideas, from negotiation to a quick takedown. “Fuck, they’re coming this way, what do we do?” I heard Bronze Mirage whispering.

I don’t have a clue, we can either attempt diplomacy or use the element of surprise. There’s no way we can know for sure if any of them would work, however, after what happened previously I must try to avoid another fight. “If they come this way, we’ll try to talk…” I didn’t sound very sure of that.

“What? How do we even know if that’ll work?” The stallion questioned.

“We don’t, but we must try,” I replied.

Soon, I saw two shapes entering the street. I prayed for them to stay away. All of us tensed up, keeping a tight grip in our weapons. Time seemed to slow down as the two figures moved. They were both mares, wearing the same outfit as the others (making them confederacy soldiers, if what Bronze said is true). Upon closer inspection, their equipment looked new, but very primitive, obviously made by hand (or hoof, I suppose), or at least without much in terms of heavy machinery. However, it’s still very impressive, in comparison to what I’ve seen so far.

My analysis was interrupted when they turned to us. Fuck… in an instant, we snapped our weapons in their direction. They were both taken by surprise, stumbling back as they became aware of us. “Don’t take another step!” I said, using a strong tone in an attempt to scare them into submission.

However, that didn’t work. Once the two mares looked at us, they quickly snapped their own weapons. I almost shot them right there; I could feel my heart going faster. Despite the darkness of the night, I could see the fear on their faces. “We’re not looking for a fight,” I added, hoping to ease the tension. “Back off!”

“What the buck are you?” One of them shouted, her voice carrying some fear and cracking a little. However, her attitude seemed to lift their spirits a little, braking the initial surprise. “Identify yourselves!”

“None of your dammed business!” I replied. “If you keep this up, we will defend ourselves!”

The other one took a step forward. “You’ll drop your weapons right now!” she said. “We’re Confederacy rangers, we’re the authority here!” I looked at my companions for help. None of them seemed to have any idea of what to do. Snowdrop, in particular, was clearly worried.

“No fucking way!” I replied. For the love of god, don’t screw this up. Each second felt like an eternity, as we remained there pointing our guns at each other.

One of the mares went for the trigger…

BANG!

-x-

We ran away, before anyone else could arrive. I killed both of them. Nobody had spoken since then, but I could feel the tension in the air. “T-The station should be right ahead,” I heard Snowdrop saying. True to her words, we soon arrived at the place. Decayed machines stood all around us, consumed by two centuries of rust. The buildings had collapsed under their own weigh.

I halted, looking around in confusion. “Well, what do we do now?” I asked Snow.

She pointed a hoof to one of the tracks. “We follow those tracks, they’ll lead us to the city,” I looked towards Bronze and my friend. They both looked fine. Alright, time to leave this place for good. “Keep your eyes open, there might be raiders on the way”. Giving her a small nod, I moved forward, soon followed by the rest of the group. My eyes felt heavy, how long have we been moving? Despite everything I have seen, I’m pretty sure there were only a few moments were I was forced to do this type of effort.

After a few minutes, I saw the tracks making a sudden turn to the left. Without questioning, we approached the spot and turned, but as we did that, there was a crack in a distance ahead of us. Pain exploded in my right leg. “Sniper!” I cursed under my breath; I was hit right above my knee. As I fell to the ground, my comrades returned fire.

“Fuck, I’m hit!” I shouted, grabbing my leg with one hand and attempting to move away from the tracks. There’s no cover in here, we’re easy targets. I saw Snowdrop firing her revolver, trying to suppress our opponent. “Snowdrop, stop firing and get to cover!” I ordered her. Thankfully, she complied.

Barin came to my aid, grabbing my arm and torso in an attempt to lift me up. “Come on Alex, we have to get out of here!” He said. My body protested against these sudden movements, but as the adrenaline began to flow, the pain faded away. Finally on my feet, we both moved to a ruin nearby, out of sight from the sniper.

“By Celestia, a bucking sniper?!” Shouted Bronze Mirage. I could see some anger in his face. I can’t blame him, this whole situation is fucked up. “Did we get cursed or something?”

“It certainly looks like it,” Snowdrop said. She approached me, lifting a healing potion from her saddlebags, which I quickly snatched from her magical grasp. Drinking the strange substance, I instantly felt my wounds closing up. “How in Tartarus are we supposed to keep going?”

I set the empty bottle aside. “Isn’t there any other way?” I asked her. She shook her head. Fucking great… this night is going from bad to worse. “Well, we can’t go back and we can’t stay either…” How the fuck can we figure this out? The streets are crawling with patrols and the buildings are not safe. I really wish we had some air support.

I looked around, in a hopeless attempt to think of something. I spotted what appeared to be the entrance to a metro system. Going through the underground… that doesn’t sound too bad, and we are out of choices. Maybe we can do this, just as the people of Moscow did with Napoleon. “What about that way?” I said, pointing towards the metro. “Does this city have any tunnels leading to Ministry Square?”

A look of worry came to Snow and Bronze. “That… that might not be a good idea…” For the first time, Bronze was actually reluctant to act. “These tunnels are not safe”.

“Yes, I agree with Bronze,” Added Snowdrop. “Don’t you remember what I told you about the underground?”

“Well, what choice do we have? Would you rather face that sniper and the Confederacy patrols?” I argued. Honestly, I don’t like the idea of fighting mutated abominations and facing pockets of poisoned gas either, but there isn’t much we can do.“You know we can’t stay here”.

Snowdrop shifted uncomfortably. “I… I suppose we could, but we need to be really careful” Her voice took a serious tone. “If we go there, you need to keep your guard up all times and listen to everything we say,” She bared an angry frown, emphasizing the seriousness of her words.

“Don’t worry about it,” I replied. “Lead the way”.

-x-

Every place we have seen has always been in a state of decay. However, this subway is even worse. The place was filled with skeletons, covering almost the entire floor. I guess they must’ve been the original inhabitants of the city. They probably came here seeking shelter when the bombs fell. It’s a sad, and somewhat terrifying scene.

All of us scanned the underground station with our flashlights. “Alright people, stick together and check your corners,” I said. “So, any of you have a clue of where we should go?”

Snowdrop took a step forward. “We have to go deeper,” She said, looking around. “There’s a line that goes north, that’s the path we’re looking for”.

Snow led us downstairs, towards the tracks. The station is deadly quiet. Sometimes we would hear the sound of water drops or radroaches. However, these distractions did little to ease the claustrophobic feeling this place gave.

We soon reached the train tracks. Once again, Snow guided us further into the tunnels. Despite a few differences, this place is very similar to subway systems back home. Occasionally, we would bump into an old train, but beyond that, there wasn’t anything exciting to see. Not that I’m complaining, though. After the patrols and the sniper, I’m glad to have a quiet walk.

A while later, we were confronted by another obstacle. The main tunnel had collapsed, blocking our way. However, I spotted two doors on the right side, with a weak red light flashing above them.

“Well, I guess that way is blocked,” I commented. “Maybe those doors can lead to an alternative route?” We just can’t get a straight path, can we?

“Perhaps, I’m not really familiar with these tunnels,” Snow replied. “But it’s not like we have much of a choice, anyway”.

The first door appeared to be automatic. Snow walked closer and inspected a sign above it. “Alright, this one leads to the maintenance tunnels; we can keep going from there”. She pressed a green button on its side, receiving no answer. Frowning at the lack of response, she gave the metal door a few kicks, again, with zero reaction. “Great, I think the door is out of power”.

“What? But the lights are still working,” I said, pointing to the red light.

“Maybe they’re connected to separate source,” She suggested.

“Can’t we try to force it open, somehow?”

My friend Barin stepped closer. “Well, we don’t have any explosives and even if we did, I wouldn’t risk this section of the tunnel also collapsing,” He said, looking at the pile of rubble blocking our way.

Bronze Mirage interrupted our discussion. “Guys, we have a problem…” He said. All of us turned to face him. He stood near the rubble, his flashlight revealing a body. This time, it wasn’t another skeleton, but a recently killed pony. The corpse had a variety of deep wounds, something you would normally expect from a bear or a lion. The bloody thing was also missing one of its legs. The brutality of those wounds send a chill down my spine.

“What could possibly have done that?” I asked. I guess this must be what Snowdrop had warned us about, oh well…

“Probably Nosalises,” Bronze answered. Upon seeing my confused expression he added, “Big mutated moles who inhabit these tunnels”. Great, another type of mutant, what’s next, zombies? “This is exactly what I wanted to avoid, these critters make nasty opponents”.

“Well, then I guess we better keep going,” I said. “Any idea how we can get that door open?”

Snowdrop approached me. “I think the other door leads to a generator room; we could go there and see if we can reconnect the power to the main door”. Well, it’s not like we have much of a choice. However, I’m not really sure how we should proceed. Should we all go, or should we split up, a few staying here and the rest going? While It’s usually a bad idea to slip up, we could end up surrounded and cut off from this area, if we happen to be caught up in a fight.

I turned to face Barin. “Alright, I want you and Snowdrop to stay here and keep this area secure, while Bronze and I go check the other way”.

“You sure about that?” He questioned. Snow also seemed a little bit unsure about that idea.

“Yes, it’s better this way,” I took off my bag and sniper rifle, placing them on the ground. “We’ll leave anything unnecessary here and try to get this done quickly,” I said, looking at Bronze to get the message across, he nodded and did the same. “Leave your heartbeat sensor on, I’ll call you if anything happens”.

“Alright Alex, be careful in there,” He replied. I nodded as me and Bronze approached the door.

We went in, steeping into a narrow corridor with almost no light. The air was thick and with an awful smell. There were several bones and skeletons spread along the way. Paying no mind to the dark atmosphere, the two of us kept heading further inside. We spend about five minutes moving, this place is strangely quiet.

Eventually we came out in a larger room. The place had an equal atmosphere; however, there was also a distinguishable sound of machinery. That must be the generator; hopefully we can end this without any problems. I looked around, spotting a stairway heading down, towards the source of the noise. “That must be the way to the generators,” I heard Bronze saying. “Come on, lets get this over with”.

Downstairs, we discovered a couple of things. First, this was indeed where the generators were located, two, there were even more bodies in here. The floor was covered in blood; we both stood there for a moment, staring at the scene. Braking off the initial shock, I said, “Shit, we better do this quickly”. We walked towards the only still working generator. “You have any idea what might be wrong?”

Bronze spend a few seconds analyzing the machine. “Well, it looks like this thing provides power to this whole section, so I guess there must be a severed wire or something that goes to the door”. He went closer and began to take a closer inspection in it. “I’ll try to find out what’s wrong”.

I stood there and kept watch, as the pony worked. Part of me held a small glint of hope that we wouldn’t have to fight. However, that idea was shattered when I heard an ungodly howl. My eyes snapped to the air ducts above us. “What the hell was that?” I asked, turning around and looking at Bronze. He bared a serious expression, lifting his pistol out of his saddlebag.

“What do you think it was?” He replied. “Nosalises…”

Fucking great… “Alright, you stay there and keep working; I’ll try to buy us some time”.

As he turned back to the generator, I began to hear something. It was the thunder of bodies moving through the ducts. I raised my rifle, switching to full auto. My heart pounding in my chest as the sounds got lauder.

Something broke from the ceiling. The thing was big, larger than a pony and almost as high as I was. Its body was mostly just pale skin, with a few sections having a dark fur. The thing stood in a way similar to apes and monkeys. Its face was ugly, bearing a big set of jaws and its arms ended in strong claws. It wasn’t as big as me, but the freak appeared to have very strong muscles.

I instantly snapped my rifles and fired three rounds at its center of mass. The thing let out a howl of pain, staggering a bit, before charging in my direction. Surprised by that, I fired three more rounds, one of them hitting its head, killing the damn freak. “Hurry up over there!” I shouted over my shoulder as more of them approached.

Another two came down. I turned and fired a long burst. The first fell quickly, but the second was able to get close to me, giving a quick swap with its claws, aiming for head. I ducked and attempted the back off. However, the thing kicked me in my chest with its legs, pushing the air out of my lungs and sending me to the ground. Before I could get back up, the creature jumped at me.

I blocked him with my rifle. The thing tried to bite me, its jaws snapping shut in my weapon. Before I could react, one of its claws went for my arm, digging deep into my flesh. I cried in pain, the adrenaline being the only thing preventing me from dropping my weapon. If I drop my rifle, I’m dead. Trying desperately to get away, I kicked the creature between its legs, hoping it possessed some kind of genitals. Luckily for me, I was right, and the thing lost some strength, I used that to push the thing away.

Noticing my struggle, Bronze Mirage fired a few shots at the Nosalis. His action distracted the thing long enough for me to point my rifle and shoot. The thing went down like a stone. “Are you okay, over there?” Bronze asked. I looked at my lower right arm, the cuts were pretty deep, but they hadn’t reached the bone or muscles, it did hurt a lot, though. I should probably be careful with an infection.

“I think so… we should probably hurry, though,” I answered. I could hear the sound of more Nosalises, further away.

“Give me another minute, I think I got this,” The pony replied. I used the small moment of peace to treat my wounds. I took out a few bandages from my medical kit and warped around my arm. It wasn’t much, but it would hold for now. True to his word, a minute later he backed off from the machine. “Alright, I think I got it now”.

Hoping to confirm that, I called Barin on my radio. “Barin, it’s Alex, do you copy, over?” I waited a few moments, only hearing static.

“Oh, I hear you loud and clear, what’s going on, over?”

“I think we managed to get the door working, can you check it?”

“Alright, I will,” After that, there were a few moments of silence. “Yep, it’s working now, over”.

I let out a sigh of relief. “Good, is everything okay over there, over?”

“We were attacked by a few hostiles, but we’re holding, over”.

“Okay, I’ll be back soon, be ready to move out, over and out”.

Bronze and I ran back to the main tunnel. The sounds of more mutants was gradually increasing. Eventually, we spotted the exit and began to hear gunshots coming from the other side. I kicked the door open, spotting Snow and Barin in the middle of a fight. My friend was taking down a Nosalis with his carbine, while Snowdrop blasted another with her shotgun.

As their respective targets went down, they noticed us. “Hey, you made it!” My friend said. “Are you two alright?”

“Yes, just a few scratches here and there,” I replied. “You two ready to move?” They both nodded. “Okay then, get over to the door”.

As they complied, Bronze and I rushed to our gear. We quickly grabbed everything and went to the now open way. Right as we entered a new narrow corridor, Snowdrop’s horn lit up and the door behind us snapped shut. I took a moment to catch my breath.

“Alex, there’re more hostiles coming our way,” Barin said, looking at his heartbeat sensor.

“Great… Snowdrop, you have any ideas of where we should go?” I asked. This journey is getting worse by the minute; we really need to find a way out.

After a moment, the mare replied. “We need to get back to the main tunnels; they’re our best way out”.

“Well, lead the way”.

All of us moved at a faster pace. Thankfully, we didn’t bump into any hostiles on the way. Within minutes, we arrived back at our original path. However, just as we stepped inside, the sound of Nosalises became much louder. Time to run…

“Fuck, we’re out of time…” I said. “Pick up the pace, people!”

We dashed forward. All around us, mutants began to jump from the ceiling and other holes in the walls. The four of us proceeded to fire blindly while moving, in an attempt to keep the enemy suppressed. I tried to keep my mind focused, but it was clear we were beginning to panic.

After what felt like an eternity, I saw a huge set of metal doors, a gate of some sort, slightly open. Clearly, that must be the next station. We moved like mad animals, hoping to save ourselves. However, as I was a few steps away, I saw one of the mutants jumping at Snowdrop. The impact caused her to lose balance and fall.

Without thinking, I pointed my rifle at the creature, switching to my under-barrel shotgun. I pulled the trigger twice. The rounds hit the target square in the chest, killing him instantly. I moved forward and helped Snow back at her hooves. “Come on, Hurry up!” I shouted. The two of us went to the gate. We both had to squeeze ourselves to get through. As we succeeded, I stumbled to the other side and fell to my knees. There was a loud bang of the metal gate shutting close, and then silence.

I looked around. Everyone is exhausted; we’ve been running for a long time. In addition, all of us have received multiple small wounds across our bodies. “Okay… I think this is the place,” Snow said. “If we go up we should be able to see Ministry Square”.

I nodded, getting back to my feet and gesturing my comrades to follow me. Everyone complied without a word. We moved around the station, which was no different from the previous one. It didn’t took long before we found the exit. I let out a sigh of relief as I spotted the light of the moon, receiving the cool breeze coming from outside as a blessing. After waiting a second for my eyes to adjust, I once again saw the ruined city around me.

We were at a riverbank. At the other side, north of us, I saw a huge wall of propaganda signs and scrap metal. The thing looked like an ancient castle. However, what truly got my attention were a few dim spots of light coming from the buildings inside. This must be Ministry Square, we’re finally here.

Footnote: Level Up!

New Perk: Hunter - In combat, you do 75% more critical damage against animals and mutated animals.

Chapter 11: When In Rome

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Chapter 11: When in Rome…

2138

This is it, there’s no other way. After everything I did, all my hard work and sweat, I still couldn’t escape from this. I guess it was inevitable, there’s just no way to just ignore what we’re going through and try to have a normal life. I looked ahead, locking eyes with my old friend. His expression was of cold surprise, still not able to comprehend my actions. I felt shame and frustration, mixing in a strange sense of exhaustion. I small part of me almost wished to just give up.

He attempted to speak, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly. “Are you… are you sure about this?” He said. He kept a tight grip at the piece of paper I had given him, reading those words over and over. “Alexander, you can’t be serious!”

I looked away, unable to face him. “I wish I was…” I replied, letting out a sigh. “You know this is the only way”. I didn’t like this, not one bit.

“No!” He said, almost shouting. His face twisted in anger, his fists closed. “What about the other job offers?” Barin argued. “You’ve to at least try!”

“I have been without a job for almost a year now!” I replied. “I already went into countless interviews, this week alone, and they all refused!” It felt wrong to be having this argument with my friend, but he had to understand. I knew what it would mean to join the military, especially with the rising tensions with the EU, but I didn’t have a choice. "You know my parents depend on me, I can't keep going without an income!"

I had spent the last two years trying to have a normal life. However, my efforts were useless, no matter how hard I tried, the economy was simply too chaotic for me to secure a stable job. I can’t remain like this forever, I need to have some sort of income, not just for me, but also for the rest of my family. My only choice is the military, the only place where I can be sure to have a long-term job. “You know very well how hard things are,” I kept saying, “Have you had any luck?”

His lack of response was enough to answer me. Barin took a deep breath; he placed his hands on his face in an attempt to calm down. “You’re right…” He began, “I’m also with no luck, have been for almost six months now”. We remained silent for a few moments, contemplating our lack of fortune. Finally, after a few minutes, he rose his head, locking eyes with me. “I’m going with you”.

“…What?” I moved back, my eyes widening in confusion. “N-no, you don’t have to do this!” I said. My words had zero effect on him; his face was now showing clear determination. “Look, this is my choice; I don’t want to drag you into this”.

“It’s better this way…” He replied. “I already said I’m doing just as bad as you are, at least there I could watch your back”.

“I can take care of myself!” I argued. “We don’t even know if a war is really-“

“Of course it’s going to happen, Alex!” He shouted, making me jump a little on my spot. “You saw the news, you know what’s happening along the border, it’s only a matter of time”. I couldn’t argue with that, for months now our forces have been in a tense stand-off with the EU along the Egyptian border, everything pointed to war. At first, it didn't look serious, at least not in comparison to everything else we're facing. For years we have seen riots and small scale conflicts popping up all over the globe, so a small surge of tension with the EU wasn't really anything new. However, this time things got bigger; speeches from both sides became more and more extreme, while all attempts of negotiation broke down. The reality of a war has turned very real, and I suppose it might be only a matter of time before it turns hot.

I looked away. I couldn't say no to him, for I knew, deep down, that he had a point. In addition, I could see in his eyes he was fully determinated to do this. “Alright… you have a point,” I said, “If you want to come with me, I won’t stop you, we’ll get through this together”.

He nodded. “Good, let’s go then.”

-x-

Ministry Square. The place looked pretty big from here, and very well protected. The inside was composed of six buildings, all of them standing taller than everything else in the city. From what Snowdrop had told me, each one was a pre-war ministry, now taken over by the three major factions of that place. Despite the state of despair, the settlement still looked impressive.

After we managed to escape the subway, the four of us decided to rest for a few minutes. We sat down by the doors of the old station, staring at the river (which looked a lot better than the stream near the outpost) and the city beyond. “Fuck, that was way too close…” I heard my friend Barin saying. “I really wish we could just use one of the transport ships”.

At his words, Snowdrop’s ears stood up in attention. She turned her head and regarded him with a cold gaze. “Buck no, I’m not going into those metal freaks again…” Oh dear, what have you done….

Barin turned towards her with a big grin in his face. “Oh, look at that, you mean the little pony here can’t handle heights?” Her eyes narrowed at that.

She looked away for a second, focusing on wrapping her wounds with some bandages. “I’m not a pegasus, I prefer to stay on the ground…” My friend let out a chuckle at that, which Snow didn’t like one bit. I shook my head at that, turning once again to the city beyond and bringing a water bottle to my lips. It felt good to see my goal so close, hopefully this’ll mean a new step in our search for answers.

From the corner of my vision, I noticed Bronze approaching me. I gave him a little nod, which he nodded back. He sat down next to me, bringing his own drink to his lips (It looked vaguely like a whisky bottle). “So, guess we’re finally here,” He nodded, “What’re you doing once we get there?”

He thought for a while, staring at the city. “Ah have some deliveries to make, after that I’ll keep heading north, back home”.

I raised an eyebrow “Are you a courier or something?”

“On occasion, yes,” He replied. “It pays well if you know who to work for”.

We remained there for a few more minutes, resting, patching wounds and checking our stuff. Eventually, we had everything done. All of us stood up, ready to move on into the city. The first step would be to cross the river; luckily, the exit we had arrived from was right next to a big bridge, looking well preserved and safe to cross. With all set and ready, I turned towards my comrades.

“Alright, what’s the next step?” I asked Snowdrop.

She took a moment to answer. “Well, we need to get across the river and the suburbs”.

Bronze Mirage looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “What about the militia?” He asked, to which Snow looked away with a worried expression.

“Uh… I don’t really know, I could probably get across since I’m from the Square, but they…”

Bronze rolled his eyes. “Bucking great…”

I decided to step in, lifting one of my hands in a gesture to hold on. “Wait, what are you guys talking about? Who’s this militia?”

Snowdrop shifted a little. “It’s… it’s complicated,” She began, “You see, the there’s a large community that lives in the suburbs around Ministry Square, and the place is currently ruled by a self-proclaimed popular militia”.

My face twisted in confusion. “Alright… then what’s the problem?” I questioned. “Are they aggressive?”

“Kind off,” Snow replied with a shrug. Great… we just can’t have it easy, can we? God… There has to be a way around this…

“Who are these guys exactly?” Maybe if I have more information I would be able to think of something.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Snow looked at me and began to explain. “A few months ago, this whole area was under control of the Blackwatch Company. These guys are a griffin mercenary company that controls part of the Square. However, they also provided security to the suburbs and most of the surrounding regions, in exchange of a small tax, almost like a police force. The problem is that when the Confederacy expanded, many of their enemies ran away south, towards here. This sudden surge of refugees, slavers and armed groups caught Blackwatch by surprised, and they ended up suffering huge casualties while trying to hold their territory. The defeat forced them to pull all of their forces back inside Ministry Square, leaving all those outside unprotected…”

“And so this militia came up to fill the gap?” I suggested.

“Exactly,” The mare said with a nod. So this place is facing a local power struggle? Interesting, this could prove useful to us in the future. However, right now that’ll only delay our mission, and also risk our safety. The question now is how we’re going to get through…

I lowered my head a little, thinking about the situation. However, no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t think of a safe way to do this. “Anyone has an idea how we’re going to solve this?” I asked, looking around. Nobody had an answer.

After a few minutes in silence, Bronze spoke up. “I… I might be able to convince them to let you through…” I raised an eyebrow at that.

“You sure of it?” I asked. I can’t help but to feel a little skeptical about this, but well, from what I could gather, this guy is probably smarter than he looks. “I don’t think any of us is in the mood to get into a fight again.”

He rolled his eyes. “I know that, but it’s not like we have much of a choice,” He replied. “You want to try sneaking inside?”

I shifted a little. “Well… of course not, but still…” I would give my kingdom for a clear path…

“Then I guess it’s the only way.”

I didn’t like this. I looked towards Snow and Barin for help, but they both shrugged, unable to disagree. Oh well, I guess there isn’t another way… if we get into another fight I’m going to kick his ass…

“Alright then, lead the way,” I said, gesturing with my arm. Without further discussion, we moved forward, getting closer to the old, and quite big, metal bridge crossing the river. There were multiple destroyed vehicles abandoned there. Despite the sight, the calm sound of the river passing bellow us gave me a sudden surge of relief. How I wished I could just sit down and rest…

Halfway across, the other side became clearer. I could now distinguish the multiple ruined buildings, which varied from residential and commercial to industrial. It also became easy to notice details on them, like a few recently built paths and bridges between the structures. Once we were close to the other side, Barin and me stopped, letting Snow and Bronze go on alone to… negotiate with this militia.

“You know, Snow has been quite useful to us,” My friend commented, turning to look at me as we waited behind an overturned chariot. I gave him a small glance.

“Yea, hard to think that she agreed to help us right away…” throughout these last few days, she had become somewhat of an acquaintance to me. I decided to keep some company to her, it was the least I could do after what we went through. “I just wish she wouldn’t make so many questions…”

Every time we would sit down to rest or eat, she would come with questions about Earth or Humanity. I did enjoy the occasional cultural exchange, but honestly, this could get really annoying sometimes. Eh, what can I expect, the girl is some sort of scholar/scientist after all. Well, I’m sure glad for that, or else we would still be stuck on the language barrier.

Barin raised an eyebrow. “Wait, what about Christine? She was also a scientist.”

That question brought old memories up. I had met her a few years ago, a little before I got my degree on economy. She was one of my first serious relationships (most of what I had before were just a few intense but meaningless affairs). Indeed, she was a scientist, working on the field of biology, specifically on genetics of certain plants. We dated for about two years, until the pressure from everything going on, and my own frustrations finally shattered our relationship. A sad, but not unusual end for something like that.

“Well yes, you’re right,” I replied to him. “However, Christine usually didn’t speak about her job every minute of the day, Snow on the other hand…”

“Really? Well, you do act almost naturally with her, almost as if she wasn’t a pony.”

I shrugged. “She’s a nice person, I guess, perhaps after we get this whole thing figured we could keep in touch.”

My friend nodded. “Yeah, that would be pretty cool.”

The two of us remained there for a few more minutes, silently contemplating the ruins around us. I thought a little bit about Snow, despite a few annoyances, I guess I could look at her as a friend. That would surely be an interesting tale to bring home. “Hey people, remember that time I became BFF with a fucking unicorn?” I couldn’t help but to crack a smile at that.

Our waiting was interrupted by Bronze. “Hey, you two,” He announced, approaching us. “We managed to convince them to let you through.”

We both raised an eyebrow at that. “Really? No problem with two big and heavily armed aliens?” My friend questioned. I’ve to admit, that was… easier than I expected; Better not question good fortune.

I pushed myself up to my feet. “Alright then, you sure they won’t shoot?”

His expression turned slightly into worry. “I... I think not,” He said, looking away for a second. “Just don’t make any sudden moves… and maybe you should stay close to cover… just in case.”

Barin rolled his eyes. “I knew it couldn’t be that good.”

Bronze was not amused by that answer. “Well, it’s either that or crawling through the underground”. I shrouded at the mere thought of having to face nasalizes or other abominations again.

“Alright, I get it; let’s get this over quickly…”

The three of us moved towards the other side of the bridge. Barin and me stood a little bit behind Bronze, paying close attention to the buildings across the river and keeping close to any vehicles or piles of rubble we passed by. As we approached the other side, I began to notice some sort of barricade… a checkpoint I suppose, blocking the entrance to the outskirts of the settlement. On that post were about five ponies, four standing close to the defenses, pointing their weapons in our way, and another deeper inside, looking at Snowdrop.

The ones guarding the barricade seemed to jump a little when they spotted us. Their grip on their guns also shifted a little, becoming tense, accompanying every single step we took. Once we were close enough, I took notice of their expression, one of surprise mixed with worry. I couldn’t help but to feel uncomfortable, with my hands subconsciously resting in my assault rifle. I suppose nobody would enjoy being at gunpoint.

The ponies were wearing a mix of military and civilian clothes, while bearing a variety of weapons. Two were pointing pistols; one had a shotgun and the last an assault rifle. The only equal trait they had were green armbands with a white star. A few steps away from the checkpoint, the other pony, the one closer to Snow, shouted.

“Alright, that’s close enough!” He said. His voice was steady and carried some authority with it. Unlike the other guards, this pony didn’t look slightly affected by our presence. I guess he must be the one in charge. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at us. “I guess the news are true, after all.”

He turned to Snowdrop. “And I guess you were also speaking the truth”. The mare shifted a little on her spot.

The pony then locked eyes with us. “State your intentions.”

“We are trying to get inside the settlement ahead,” I explained. “We’re not looking for trouble; our mission is to investigate this place for information”. I attempted to sound neutral, avoiding unnecessary attrition. There was also no point in keeping our mission and objective a secret, after all, as far as we know these people have nothing to do with it.

The “commander”, as I choose to nickname him, narrowed his eyes and regarded us with a skeptical look. “What kind of information?” He asked.

“Anything regarding our arrival in this place.”

We stood there, in silence, as the commander made his judgment. “How do I know you’re not going to do something, once inside?”

I rolled my eyes at that. This whole interrogation is starting to annoy me, not just because of the uncomfortable position we’re in, but also by the fact that this guy is clearly toying with us. “If we were hoping to attack this place, the two of us wouldn’t be having this conversation,” I replied. “Besides,” I added, “I would surely come with more people and we wouldn’t be knocking in your front door.”

Finally, the pony let out a sigh, looking away and dropping the skeptical behavior. “Alright, that sounds good enough to me”. Before we could move forward, he quickly added, “However…” he said, “I want you to pay a small tax”. What? That fucker…

Snow and Bronze were clearly taken aback by that. I looked at Barin; beneath the helmet, I could notice his expression was the same as mine, of hidden anger. I searched my mind for some sort of solution. I was too dammed proud to just allow this guy to blackmail us like that. However, the more I looked, nothing would come up, and there was no other way to get a straight and quiet way there.

“How much…” I asked, fighting to contain my internal rage.

The bastard thought for a second. “How about… 100 caps,” he said, “…per head.”

“Alright…” I said, grinding my teeth as I searched my pouches for the caps. My hand shook as I retrieved the small bag where I kept the currency. After a quick check, I gave him the caps and he allowed us through.

-x-

How can I describe this place? The area around Ministry Square wasn’t a slum, like the other settlements we had seen in our journey, but more of a… city under siege? That’s the best way I can describe it, a place that, while clearly having some infrastructure and organization, is also in dire need of help. The air smelled like shit, indicating the lack of access to proper sanitation. The old buildings, both residential and industrial, appeared to be occupied, despite the precarious state of them (I had to wonder how some of them were still standing). Overall, this place definitely wasn’t on a very high spot in HDI.

As the four of us silently walked through this place, a small but significant sense of worry began to rise inside me. The atmosphere of this place was already negative, and the looks we were receiving by the locals sent a chill down my spine. I wasn’t afraid of them (who the fuck would be afraid of a bunch of colorful ponies glaring at you), but given the fact that we were outnumbered and in plain sight, I couldn’t help but to worry.

Unlike the previous encounters we’ve had, this time, there was no fear or surprise in the face of the ponies around us, but a silent and cold glare. The street was also strangely quiet, as if these people wanted to show us we weren’t welcome. All of us quickly acknowledged that and moved with haste. They were all somewhat dirty and malnourished, not as much as the “raiders”, but enough to show just how bad the current situation is.

Soon, however, my analysis was put aside as I spotted something else. If that’s what I think it is, I guess Snowdrop wasn’t exaggerating when she said her home was well defended. About two hundred meters ahead of us was a massive wall, almost as big as a castle wall, like the ones in Istanbul and Jerusalem. It looked new, and very well built, with multiple small towers and defensive positions spread along. Behind it, I could see the massive buildings that made up Ministry Square, each one with a particular design.

“So that’s the place?” I heard my friend asking.

Snowdrop, who was walking ahead of us, gave a quick glance in our direction, her ears standing up in attention. “Oh… yes it is, we just need to get across the gate”.

“Should we do the same thing as before?” I asked.

The mare pondered for a moment. “Probably, the Blackwatch may be better trained, but I still wouldn’t risk it”.

Once again, we stopped by the nearest cover and waited. Barin and I stood there, in a small dark alley, carefully watching the locals and hoping that Snow could get us a green light soon enough. Some of the ponies wondering the streets would occasionally give a glance in our direction, sometimes they would look surprised, but for the most part, they just moved quickly and tried to stay away from us.

I can’t help but to be a little doubtful, about our chances of figuring this whole thing out. The truth is, we have almost no clues of what might be behind all this, hell, we don’t even know enough about this “magic” to properly analyze evidence we come across. I know I shouldn’t be pessimist, but still… what if there’s nothing here for us? What if there simply isn’t any sort of information?

Well, it doesn’t matter, I must keep going. We’ve been through much, even before our arrival, and I’m not about to give up. It’s my job to get my comrades home, whatever the cost. I have no idea how difficult this might be, but I know for sure there must be something behind this, people don’t just pop up in different worlds out of nowhere.

A few minutes later Snow and Bronze came back to us, telling us we were allowed to go inside. For the second time, Barin and I walked towards a checkpoint, praying that we wouldn’t be shot in the way. However, this time things went much smoother.

These Blackwatch were much different from what we had seen previously. They were all wearing black, a few also with gasmasks covering their faces. Most of them had plate-carrier vests and lamellar armor protecting their bodies. Their weapons were all military grade, as well as a few heavier things like rocket launchers and flamethrowers. Everything looked either brand new or very well maintained. In addition to all that, their behavior was unusually calm; they had zero issues with us. It’s clear these guys are a professional group.

However, what really got my attention was what they were. A few of them were ponies, but the majority were fucking griffins… or would it be gryphons? I don’t fucking know. They were big, probably because of their feline side. They didn’t look as big as the lions from home, but they still made an imposing sight. I can guess they’re likely heavier than us and also a little bit taller (if they stood on their hind legs).

Before I could continue my observations, Snow nudged me forward with a hoof. “Come on, lets get inside”. I nodded and began walking, quickly catching up with the others. The metal gate in front of us opened slightly, only enough to allow us through, and with that, we stepped into Ministry Square. I’ve to admit, what I saw on the other side was the first good surprise I had on this place.

-x-

An actual city… that’s the first thing that came to me as I saw the place for the first time. Streets well maintained and more or less clean, with lots of people wondering about. In the buildings surrounding me, I could also see working lights illuminating some of the floors and the surrounding areas of each, indicating a large surplus of electricity. At the center of the square I could see what looked like a market, similar to the trade post we had seen our way here, but much bigger.

On another note, as soon as we stepped inside, everyone walking close to us stopped, staring at us with wide eyes. All conversations around us went silent and each second we stood, seemed to draw more attention. As it was proving common, these reactions brought some worry, but I pushed those feelings aside.

“Well, this is quite a sight,” I commented.

“Indeed,” Snow replied, standing besides me. “Never cease to impress me”.

I looked up, trying to figure just how tall these ministries were. “It kind of reminds me of home”.

Those words sparkled some attention from her. “You never really told me about it...”

I rolled my eyes and let out a small chuckle. “I’ll tell you about it once we get some free time”. Just as Snow was about to answer, we were interrupted by Bronze.

“Alright, I guess this is where we part ways”.

I raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?” He nodded, “Well, goodbye then, hopefully we can meet up again in a calmer time”.

He didn’t say a word, he just tipped his hat to us and walked away. I didn’t really mind losing his company, for he wasn’t really a very interesting person, but I suppose I wouldn’t mind seeing him again in the future. Not desiring to draw more attention to us, (I even saw some ponies looking at us from the windows of the buildings closer to us) the three of us moved on.

Later I would learn Snowdrops’ home was actually in the “Ministry of Arcane Science”. It turns out her family controlled both that one and the “Ministry of Peace”. The first one looked like a normal office building, with a classic style of architecture. The second, on the other hand, looked more like something out of the renaissance, with bright colors (slightly faded from the time), lots of details and even a small garden around it. Each one had a particular insignia on the entrance.

Quickly passing through the center of the square, we approached the entrance to the MoAS. There was a single guard at the set of doors and another in a large balcony, a few meters above. They both grabbed their weapons as we approached, but they didn’t aim at us. Just as we got near, I could see the eyes of the first widening in recognition.

“S-Snow?” He said in a uneasy tone. The pony was wearing lamellar metal armor, similar to those gryphons, but not as bulky. He had a white coat, similar to Snow (I guess that could explain the name of her gang) but a sky blue and slightly long mane with a few streaks of white.

“Blizzard!” The mare said with a squeal, rushing towards the Unicorn. She wrapped her front legs around his neck, pulling him in a tight embrace. Barin and I stood behind her, awkwardly waiting.

The so-called Blizzard kept looking surprised, with wide eyes, even as he returned the hug. “You… you’re back!” He said, “But… I thought… everyone thought you were dead!” He slowly pushed her away and locked eyes with her. “Snow, you have to tell me, what happened and…” He gave a quick glance towards us, “Who are these people?”

Getting a little bit calmer, the mare replied. “Oh, don’t worry, I’ll answer everything. To make it quick, the caravan got ambushed but these guys saved me and helped me get back here”.

The earth pony nodded. “Alright, that’s good…”

“I’ll tell you all the details later, but right now I need to see dad”.

That final word made me think a little. Was he a part of her family? They seemed rather close, their coats and names follow a similar pattern but I guess I can’t really know for sure. It’s not like I’m an expert in pony genetics. However, the sight still brought a wave of happiness to me, it’s nice to know that, even after the mistake I did, she’s still able to come here, back to her home.

“He’s… he’s inside,” Blizzard said. “I’ll bring you to him”. With that, he took out a small radio. “Hey, Far Sight, I need you to cover my post for a few minutes, it’s urgent”. Without wasting a moment, all of us went inside. We came to a large hall, fairly well cleaned and maintained, with multiple stairways and elevator doors. In the left side was a reception table with two ponies, both mares. There were about half a dozen other people in here, all of them slowed down and watched us with a mix of curiosity and worry.

“Is… is that Snowdrop?” I heard one them say. “What’s she doing here?”

“Who are these creatures?”

“Are they aliens?”

I paid no mind to those whispers. My sense of duty and eagerness to find answers suppressed any feeling I might have towards the attention we were drawing. Just as we passed the table, Blizzard said to one of the mares “Hey, I’m bringing these guys to Frost”. The mare nodded, eyeing Snow and us. We went upstairs; to the third floor, this building seemed to have about twenty or so. We arrived in what appeared to be an office of some sort, with many tables spread around, each one with a variety of books, electronic devices and blueprints on them.

At the end of the room, standing alone near one of the tables was a unicorn. He looked somewhat older than Snow (it was hard to tell with all that fur), light gray mane, with a white coat… now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure most, if not all the ponies I’ve seen inside this place had white coats. His ears stood in attention as he heard us. He turned around, and as he saw us, or more specifically, Snow, his eyes went wide.

The Unicorn rushed towards her. They both met in a tight hug. “Snowdrop! By Celestia, I thought I had lost you!” He sounded both surprise and sad at the same time. “Tell me what happened and…” He looked at us, “…Who are these creatures?”

Snow loosened her grip on him. “Oh, these are the people who saved me!” She said in an excited tone. “This one is Alex and that one is…”

“Barin,” My friend answered, making the ponies (except for Snow) jump a little. I couldn’t help but to roll my eyes.

“You…” Frost began, “Are you aliens or something?”

I let out a small chuckle. Despite everything, this is an amusing situation. Who could guess I would find myself as an alien ambassador to a bunch of sapient ponies. “More or less,” I replied.

“And did you help my daughter like she said?”

“Well… yes,” I said, “But she has also helped us just as much.”

Frost looked down at Snow with a vague smile. “In that case, you have my thanks, if there’s anything I can do to repay, just ask”.

“Actually, you can begin by answering some questions we have…”

Footnote: 50% to next level

Chapter 12: Diplomacy

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Chapter 12: Diplomacy

“So, how did you arrive here?” The stallion asked. I shifted a little in my seat, trying to find a more comfortable position. The chairs they had provided us were not designed for humans, joining that with all the stuff I’m currently carrying and it becomes quite difficult to simply sit down and talk.

“We don’t really know,” I answered. After some quick greetings, we decided to begin talking right away, not wanting to waste a second of such a unique and precious moment, for both parties. “One moment we were in our world and the next there was a bright flash, tremors and we got thrown here”.

Frost's eyebrows furrowed in deep thought. “Interesting, are you sure it wasn’t something from your world, maybe some sort of accident?” I shook my head in reply.

“No, as far as I know nobody back home has anything that might cause this. Not only that, our base was far from any sort of research facility, military or otherwise”. To be honest, we had previously considered this idea, but we quickly scratched that. Right now, all of us were in a smaller room deeper into the building (probably Frost's personal office, by the looks of it) having more or less of an interview. The stallion had insisted in hearing more about our situation. “The only possibility is something from here”.

Frost let out a sigh. “Well, I’ll be honest with you, this is probably the strangest tale I’ve heard in years. However, I’ll try to see if there’s anything that might answer your questions”.

Those words got me a little uncomfortable (even more than I already am). “Look… sir, can you tell me if you’re aware of anything that might be behind this?” I didn’t want to sound demanding, but after everything we’ve been through I’m just too eager to get some sort of reward.

“Well, the only thing I know for sure that could do something like that is a megaspell. Do you know what these are, son?”

I gave a quick glance towards Snow, who was standing near Blizzard. “Yes, Snow told us the basic about them. They are sort of a combination of multiple spells in order to magnify the effects of them, right?”

“Yep, that’s a good way to summarize them,” Frost calmly said with a nod, “Now, I don’t really know for sure, but it could be some sort of teleportation megaspell”. Before I could make a question, he rose a hoof. “This is only a theory, I don’t even know if something like that even exists”.

“Alright… that sounds reasonable,” And what I mean by that is as reasonable as magic stuff in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world with unicorns and shit can possibly be. It isn’t much, but at least we there might be something out there. Still, I’ll have to look up for more information about these things. “Is there anything else you would like to ask?”

“Actually, I would really appreciate if you told me more about your world; it’s not every day we get visited by aliens.”

At that moment, Snowdrop practically jumped in front me. “Oh, dad, I did managed to write a few notes on them, I got a few details on their biology and culture,” So this is why she did all those questions? Doesn’t really surprise me.

Blizzard rolled his eyes. “Nevers stops being an egghead…” Snow ears flattened as she blushed in embarrassment.

Meanwhile, Frost had a vague smile in his lips. “Of course you did that, sweetheart, I’ll make sure to read them later,” He looked at me, “But before that, why don’t you begin?”

I nodded, while thinking of a good way to start this. Explaining this kind of thing isn’t really my field of expertize, I’m not a teacher. I decided to give a more generic idea, without focusing on any specific theme. I told him a few extra things regarding our biology, such as our omnivorous nature, while Barin explained a few bits on our technology. The ponies were impressed at some things like GPS, the internet and space exploration. Their technology isn’t very far (from what I’ve seen until now), but it’s still dwarfed by some of our things.

After that came the more political and social topics like our nations and governments. To my surprise, they actually have a good understanding of democracy, despite their pre-war world being always ruled by an absolutist diarchy. It makes me wonder about how exactly their political philosophy developed, but that’s something for another day. They were also intrigued by our coalition…, which was a pain in the ass to explain. I suppose the whole concept of uniting many vastly different nations into a single coalition does sound impressive.

I also spoke a bit about recent events, however, I let the ice age and the war out, there’s no point in telling them that. At some moments, I would also ask about their world, just so I could have something to compare. The contrast between us is… strange, almost insane at some points. At the same time this place reminds me of a fucked up fairytale I also see things surprisingly similar to us. Any other day this would question my sanity, it’s just too much to take in.

We kept talking for a while longer, until they eventually ran out of questions. I felt somewhat tired, it’s not everyday someone asks me to explain almost every aspect of humanity. At the end of our small chat there was a small book of notes on the table at the center of the room.

“Alright, I have a final question,” said Frost, just as we stood up. “Do you have any other intentions, beyond searching information?”

I raised an eyebrow. “You mean to this city?” he nodded, “I can assure you we’re not planning to do anything to this place or its inhabitants. Right now we’re merely defending ourselves against anything that tries to threaten us, such as raiders or slavers.”

The stallion nodded. “That’s good to know, sorry if I sounded offensive,” he told us, “Now, since I know you’ll probably be here for a while, I’ll provide you with a room where you can stay for the time being, as well as food and water, if you need any.”

I raised a hand. “Look, you don’t really have to, we’re both carrying some caps and we can pay for our stay.”

“Nonsense, consider it a gift for getting Snow back here.”

-x-

After a few minutes of waiting, Snow guided Barin and I towards a room Frost had kindly provided. We didn’t spoke on the way there, but that was no issue, it felt great to be actually getting new information that might help us figuring this out. Hopefully we can find out more, without any further issues.

“Alright, this is the place,” Snow said as we reached a particular door in a long corridor. She opened it and stepped aside, allowing us to have a better view of the inside. “Enjoy your stay… I guess.”

It’s not the most impressive room I have seen, and it clearly lacked the clean and refined aesthetic of our world, but comfortable nonetheless. It’s somewhat large, with a beautiful and well preserved furniture, the white and light yellow colors of the walls also gave a warm and calm atmosphere to it. I can definitely enjoy spending a few days here.

“Well, this place looks good!” Said Barin, going inside the room and placing his stuff in one of the beds. “Almost reminds me of a hotel”.

“Yes it does,” I replied. “So, what should we do next?”

He shrugged. “I think I’ll begin organizing our stuff here, then I’ll rest for a while, it has been one hell of a journey”.

I nodded. “Indeed, I guess I’ll walk around for a bit and get used to this place, then… I don’t know, maybe I’ll eat something,” I walked out of the room, “I’ll come back later on, so we can begin searching for more intel”.

Without further discussion, I left, with Snow following me down the hall. As I moved, I let out a long sigh, calming myself and thinking about our next step. I honestly don’t know where to begin, if what Frost said is true, maybe I should look up anything regarding these megaspells. I’ll also have to know more about their pre-war government and military in order to get a better idea of what we’re dealing with. Perhaps I could also look for a map of military installations, somewhere where they could keep these weapons.

Wait… but where would they do this? For all I know, these spells could be kept in a suitcase or a pen. Do they need some sort of trigger? Or a command center? Furthermore, even if they do, what would it be like? Fuck… I really need to know more about this “magic”, there’s no way I can get an accurate answer if I don’t have a precise idea of what I’m dealing with.

“Alex?”

Okay, maybe I shouldn’t be so pessimistic. From what we were told this place is filled with pre-war documents. It might be only a matter of searching…

“Alex!”

“Wha- What?” I looked around, my eyes quickly settling on Snowdrop. “What is it?”

She looked slightly concerned. “Sorry, you kind of just… stood there, staring blankly ahead”.

I shook my head, bringing one of my hands to it and letting out a sigh. “Oh, I think I just zoomed out a bit…”

“So, where do you want to go first?”

“I don’t know, maybe somewhere quiet so I can eat.”

“Well, there are a few balconies in the upper floors that should be deserted, want to head there?”

“Sure.”

So we headed there. The few ponies we saw along the way tried to stay as far away from us as possible, while giving me a suspicious look. Others also kept a close hoof to their weapons. This wasn’t by any means a friendly atmosphere, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. It’s not like I’m planning on staying here for long.

Eventually, we reached our destination. As she told me, the small balcony was deserted, and offered a good view of the city. Without wasting time, I sat down and began to search my bag for a little snack. As I did so, I couldn’t help but to look a little at the city ahead, it’s still an impressive sight. The two of us spend a few minutes in silence, as I ate.

“So, Snowdrop,” I spoke, no longer enjoying the silence. “How exactly does this place works?”

Her ears stood in attention as she heard me. “Oh, what do you mean?”

“Well, there are some things I’m curious about,” I explained. “Like for instance, where does the power for these buildings and street lights come from?”

Her expression changed from confusion to understanding at that. “Ah, yes, that’s actually a simple answer; the power comes from each of these ministries”.

I raised an eyebrow. “Okay, what do you mean by that?”

“Each one of these buildings were made to be more or less self-sufficient, they are all equipped with generators and other things that allow this place to function”.

Well, that’s impressive and I can’t help but to wonder why they would put so much effort in that. Snow did told me previously just how important these ministries were for the pre-war world, but still… this level of efforts raises a lot of questions in regards to just how powerful they were.

“Hold up,” I said, raising a hand. “Can you explain these ministries a little?”

“Well… that’s kind of a complex question…”

“I have time”.

“Alright… did I tell you what the Elements of Harmony were?”

“I… don’t think you did”.

“In order to understand what the ministries were you must know what the Elements were, so listen…”

And so Snow began a long explanation about these… artefacts. They were sort of a set of magical things that encompassed the best of Equestrian moral values (that is, magic, kindness, laughter, generosity, loyalty and honestly). Each one of them had a personal bearer who best represented his or her Element. It sounded… lame, and if the state of the world is anything to go by, these people did a shitty job.

Now here’s where things get difficult. Apparently, when the war broke out between Equestria and the… zebras (god, no matter how many times I say it, it still sounds fucked up), the bearers were chosen to help organize the war effort, and each created a personal ministry to do so. Now that’s just great, putting a bunch of civilians who encompassed peaceful ideas to lead a war effort… there’s just no way that could go wrong…

“I guess I understand now…” I said, as Snow finished her explanation. “Is there anything you want to ask?” I figure it’s only fair, after everything she told me I might as well answer some of her questions.

Snow brought a hoof to her chin, contemplating my offer. “Well… you never really told me about your home”.

“That’s not true, I told you a few things back at the outpost and during our journey”. Plus, I just gave her a small history class a few minutes ago.

“Yes, but they were mostly… generic things, about your race and planet, not really about you”. What? I'm honestly... surprised by that. Why would she want to know about my home? I mean, I did noticed she see me more or less as a friend, but so far she hadn't done anything like this.

I closed my eyes for a second. “I guess you have a point, alright, I’ll give you a short version…”

I proceeded to tell her how I was born in Russia, near the Caspian Sea, and how despite that I spend most of my life in Southern Iran. I spoke a little about my family and close relatives, and what I did before I ended up here. However, as I talked about how I had also lived a while in Tehran, I realized she looked slightly confused. At that moment I had a small epiphany. She knows little to nothing about Earth and probably has no idea what the places I just told her about are. Way to go, Alex…

“And you’re probably not understanding half of what I’m saying…” I placed a hand in my face, mentally kicking myself for that mistake.

Noticing how I was, Snow waved a hoof dismissingly. “Oh, don’t worry about it, I think I understood most of it”.

Despite her assurance, I took out my personal tablet and turned it on. “Still, I might as well show you a map and a few pictures I have here”. At the sound of that she nudged closer, staring at the screen of the device. I quickly opened a map. “Alright, this here is map of the Middle East and this area over here is where I live,” I told her, pointing at the picture. The mare simply nodded, completely focused on the screen. “But like I said, I wasn’t born here, my family and I came from Russia, which is up north and-“

I was interrupted by a shout behind us. “Finally! There you are!” The two of us turned quickly in surprise, finding a tired looking Blizzard standing near the doorway.

“For Celestia’s sake Blizzard, don’t scare us like that!” Snow said in an annoyed tone.

The young stallion rolled his eyes. “Yeah, whatever, I’ve been looking for you two for almost half an hour now,” He pointed a hoof at me, “more specifically, for you”.

I raised an eyebrow. “Really? Why is that?”

“Somepony wants to see you.”

“Who?”

“The Confederacy and the Blackwatch,” he said. “And I suggest you hurry up to meet them…”

What he said took me by surprise. I suppose I should expect that reaction from the locals, but not so… soon. My mind began racing with ideas of how to deal with this. Before we left the outpost, Nicolay had told me a few advices on how to deal with diplomacy. Basically, we are supposed to avoid any kind of confrontation as well as avoid saying much about our capabilities. While I understand what he want, I don’t really have much experience with negotiations… but I suppose it’s not like we have an actual diplomat available.

“Alright, I understand… who should I see first?”

“There’s a Confederacy officer downstairs already.”

I raised an eyebrow at that and then turned to Snowdrop. “Snow, could you please tell Barin to begin searching for intel without me?” She nodded.

“I’ll bring you to the officer,” Blizzard said. I nodded and followed him inside.

-x-

Blizzard led me through the halls of the ministry. As we walked in this quiet journey, my mind struggled to create a plan. I’ve absolute no clue of what they might want. Do they know about the rangers I killed? God, I hope not, that’ll will only make things harder. Once again, I suppose I should be thankful to Snow for telling me a little about them. If I remember correctly, these people are a powerful faction, another good reason to avoid confrontation. Hopefully I can reason with them.

Eventually we reached a larger room, with a big table at the center, probably some sort of meeting room. Already sitting down on one of the chairs was an earth pony. He had a dark brown coat, a golden mane and was wearing a military uniform. Behind him were two other ponies, both wearing camo. I assumed the one sitting was the officer and the two others were his guards. They all looked at me with a hint of surprise as I entered the room.

“So it’s true…” He whispered, barely loud enough for me to hear it.

“You’re the one who called me?” I tried to sound casual, avoiding unnecessary tension. My words, however, had little effect, the three ponies kept their behavior. “Who are you?”

“I’m Major Stronghoof, Second Ranger Battalion of the Confederacy,” he replied. A ranger too? I wonder if those two mares were under his command. “I’m here to confirm the rumors we’ve been hearing about aliens”.

I raised an eyebrow. “Well… is my presence confirmation enough?”

“I suppose it is, and so I also have a few questions to ask”. His tone was mostly emotionless, but I couldn't help but to notice something else lurking beneath the mask of pragmatism.

I nodded and sat down in a chair in front of him. “Alright, ask away”.

We began with basic introductions. I told him my name, rank and other basic things. He then asked me about what army and nation I was, what was the name of my species and more of the same questions I had already told Snow and her family. I got bored quickly; the only thing I had to worry so far was to avoid revealing sensitive information. Eventually, as the basic questions ended, we shifted towards the real matters.

“Why are you here?” Stronghoof asked. His tone changed a little, becoming more authoritarian.

“It was… an accident,” I said, looking away for a second. “We didn’t intend to come here”.

It was his turn to raise an eyebrow. “Well, I’m sorry to sound skeptical, but it doesn’t look like you are unprepared for this place”.

“We are a military unit; we are supposed to be prepared for combat, survival or anything similar, that doesn’t make our arrival intentional”.

He shook his head. “Whatever the case, I need to know what you’re planning to do and if it effects the Confederacy in any way”.

“I can assure you, our intentions are peaceful,” I answered. “We only desire to find out what’s behind our arrival and as soon we figure that out we’ll leave”. He didn’t look convinced, and I searched my mind for a few more words, just something to calm him down a little. “The only actions we took were against those who posed a threat to us and whom we weren’t able to negotiate with, such as raiders and slavers.”

His face twisted into a more serious expression. “Really now, is that why you killed two of my rangers less than a day ago?” Fuck! He knew about that… great, how am I supposed to explain that? I’m sorry buddy, your rangers kind of panicked when they spotted us so I shot them both, no hard feelings! I'm really not the right person for this job...

A sense of guilt mixed with worry surged through me. This is not how this negotiation should go. The last thing we need is to get on the bad side of a possibly powerful faction. I struggled to keep a serious expression and eye contact. My mind rushed with possible explanations and excuses I could use, but in the end, I realized there was no way to avoid the truth. Well, that’s what I get for my actions, the only thing I can do now is try to salvage the situation.

I let out a long sigh. “So you already know…” Stronghoof nodded, “Look, I don’t know what version you have, but they tried to attack us, what I did was an act of self-defense”.

He gave me a skeptical look. “So you admit killing them and still have the guts to tell me it’s their fault?” Great, now I managed to get him even angrier…

I raised both my hands in a placate gesture. “I’m sorry, but what do you want me to say? please forgive me for killing them? I already told you it was self-defense, if there’s something I can do to make up for it, I will”.

He crossed his front legs. “Can you guarantee that this won’t happen again?”

“Perhaps… we can reach some sort of agreement”.

“I’m listening…” To be honest, I don’t really know how we can solve this, but I don’t have a choice. There has to be a way to avoid this sort of thing…

“Well… I already know you guys came from the northern section of the island, where exactly are you based?”

“We took over an old fort near the border with the dusty plains…” He answered hesitantly.

“How about we stablish a border at the golden river?” I suggested, “You keep your operations on the northern side and we’ll keep ours on the southern side.”

His expression became less serious at that. “But what about Ministry square and the surrounding settlements?”

I rushed to think of an answer. “We could have them as neutral zones”.

“How do I know I can trust you with this?”

“If you see any of us wandering on your zone, you are free to engage them,” That’s probably a little bit extreme, but at this point I’ll give anything to avoid open conflict. That’s the last thing we need.

“I guess that is… acceptable,” I calmed down at that, until he pointed a hoof at me and whispered, “But make no mistake, any other act of aggression will be met with retaliation, don’t think we are afraid of you, alien!”

This wasn’t by any means an ideal agreement, but it’s the best I can get in a situation like this. It’s obvious these ponies feel threatened by us and what we might do, so it’s only natural they’ll act defensively, especially after that little incident with the two rangers. However, that makes things worse for us, now we have to watch out for anything suspicious from them. Perhaps we can avoid further tensions and maybe create a more stable relationship, in time. Still… I have no illusions, we need to be very careful and Stronghoof’s behavior doesn’t make things promising…

This is far from over…

-x-

With the end of our discussion, I left. This whole thing had left a sour taste in my mouth, but I have bigger concerns, plus I still need to see these Blackwatch people. Hopefully that meeting will go smother. For god’s sake, I’m really not the right person for this job… I’m supposed to be working with banks and financial stuff, not this. I mean, seriously, I can even adapt to being a soldier and all, but honestly, negotiating and manipulating people is not my thing.

Blizzard and I headed downstairs, where we met Snowdrop. “So… how did that went?” Oh, don’t worry about it, I just discovered they know about the rangers I killed so we almost started a war…

“It was… productive,” I said, hesitantly, “We came to more or less of an agreement”.

Snow frowned at that, she could probably see my discomfort. “You sure everything is fine?” I should probably tell her about the two rangers. It would be unwise to keep her in the dark about this.

“Do you remember those two rangers?” Her eyes widened, “They know…”

Blizzard looked confused. “What are you talking about?”

“Nothing…” I quickly replied.

I looked at Snow. “Alright, I need to go meet this… Blackwatch company, do you know where they are?”

“Y-yes, just go to the first building on the left side of the square”. I nodded and walked out. Well, maybe this meeting will go better, after all, as far as I know I don't have the blood of any of these mercenaries in my hands.

At my first step outside, I was confronted with a change, there was a larger number of guards standing here. Instead of just two, as before, there were now five, all them heavily armed and well protected. I guess these people must be worried with the attention we’re probably drawing.

Once again, my presence caused a variety of reactions from the ponies closer to me. For a second I even considered going back and asking Barin to come with me, but I shove that idea aside. He’s probably too busy searching for more intel and I’m pretty sure I can defend myself, if necessary. Not wanting to draw more attention, I quickly walked towards the building Snow had told me to go.

The sun had reached its zenith and the central market (as I choose to call it) was beginning to fill with ponies and a few griffins. I stayed away, hoping to avoid unnecessary attention. This time I took a better look at the ministries, noticing that each one was vastly different from one another. Almost as if they were decades apart in terms of architecture. I felt a small sense of curiosity, asking me to take a few seconds to have a better look at them, a sense that I quickly ignored. There’s no time for that.

My brief journey ended as I approached my goal. This Ministry, in particular, reminded me more of a factory, it had a mostly square shape with little to no details in it. One thing I took notice was a large propaganda poster depicting a group of ponies clad in heavy armor. It looked like something out the Middle Ages… with the addition of rocket launchers and miniguns. They seemed to be charging down a bunch of… zebras. On top of the building was a big black banner, on the center of this flag was a white winged pony skull with a dagger stabbing it from above. It must be the symbol of this mercenary group.

Confirming my guess, I saw several griffins and ponies standing by the door, all of them wearing similar gear to those guards at by the gate. They were chatting while smoking and drinking, probably having some sort of brake, I guess. I walked closer, hoping they wouldn’t shoot me on sight.

Now, I know I’ve already faced a similar situation quite a few times, but it’s still my life on the line here. The simple fact that most people here are spooked by my appearance and that they’re often armed, means that I am, to certain extend, risking myself whenever I need to make contact. In addition, my own mind plots against me by giving me a small paranoia. Was there a sniper or some observer who might have the wrong idea about me? What about these guys in front of me, are they trigger happy?

It’s one thing to walk in an open area where you have a pretty good idea of what’s around you, but inside an urban environment you can never be too sure. Most times, it’s simply not possible to keep an eye on every single spot where someone might be hiding. Snow had told me this place was safe, and so far I hadn’t seen anything to prove otherwise, but I can never be too sure.

I kept moving closer until I was within a hearing distance. Some of them got a little tense, moving hoofs and claws to their guns, but remained peaceful. “Is this the Blackwatch Company HQ?” I asked, receiving multiple reactions. Some of them raised their eyebrows… or whatever these ponies and gryphons have, others looked at me as if I was an idiot and one pony seemed to be almost laughing.

“Are you blind or something, alien?” One of the griffins (Gryphons? I really don’t know), with a deep voice, gray feathers and fur, replied. “Yes, this is the place, why are you here?”

His tone was filled with annoyance, that guy clearly didn’t like me. “I was informed someone here wanted to see me,” Part of me wanted to give him a more… uneducated answer, but I figure there’s no point in starting a fight.

The mercenary rolled his eyes. “Well, then go inside already, and make sure to leave your weapons in the reception”.

I complied, heading in and leaving those people behind. The interior, similar to the outside, had a Spartan design with little to no details. The furniture was equally simple, made with efficiency in mind, not beauty. As expected, most people inside went quiet as they spotted me. I ignored them, walking towards what I guessed was the reception. The stallion sitting behind it locked eyes with me. He looked somewhat young (it was hard to tell with these ponies), dark gray coat and black mane, wearing a military vest with the same symbol I had seen outside, on the banner.

“What do you want?” He asked, leaning back on his chair ever so slightly.

“I was informed someone here wanted to see me”.

“I see…” He moved towards the terminal on his right, typing a few times and looking through whatever was on the screen. He kept giving me occasional suspicious glances, while the general atmosphere of the room remained tense. “Alright… our boss, Shortbeak, wants to see you; his room stays on the second floor by the end of the hall”.

Before I could move he added, “And you’ll have to leave your weapons here, they will be returned on your way out”.

I don’t like this one bit. Being unarmed is never a good thing, especially in a place like this. On the other hand, if they wanted to capture or kill me, they could’ve done so the moment I entered this city. Well, I don’t think I can convince them otherwise and even if I did kept my weapons, my chances of fighting my way out in case things go bad are slim.

I placed all my weapons on the table and moved towards my goal. As I had speculated outside, part of the building was indeed a factory. Looking through one of the windows, I saw a wide room with what looked like production lines, each one being used to make different types of metalwork like armor, tools and what appeared to be gun parts. The first floor also had a large number of workshops.

Eventually I reached the room, guarded by two heavily equipped gryphons. Without the need to ask, one of them gestured me to go inside, and so I did. As expected, the so-called Shortbeak was inside. He was an imposing figure, not just in size but also because of his dark brown coat and black feathers. His dull gray eyes locked on me the moment I gave a single step in. He appeared to be smoking some sort of cigar. If there was any surprise or reaction from my presence, he wasn’t showing. That was both refreshing and… slightly disturbing.

Before I could open my mouth, he spoke. “Sit” A single words, voiced in a powerful tone, which reminded me a little bit of Nicolay. His free claw pointed towards a chair facing him. I quickly decided not to question that, I just want to get this over as soon as possible. I approached him and sat down, while trying to avoid showing any kind of fear or hesitation.

He reclined back on his own sit for a few seconds, silently examining me with those deep eagle eyes. His behavior was completely natural, as if there was nothing out of the ordinary going on. “Huh… I expected something different”.

That took me by surprise. “W-what?”

He rolled his eyes. “When I first heard the rumors of aliens, I expected something… taller and perhaps a little bit more imposing,” Was he fucking with me? “But I suppose it doesn’t matter now…”

“Why did you call me here?” I asked. I’m honestly not in the mood for long talks and shit like that, I’ve got a mission to accomplish.

He raised an eyebrow at that, while his beak twisted in a vague smile (How the fuck could he do that?) “Well, straight to the point then?” He placed his cigar on an ashtray, “Alright, I’ll cut this short, I called you here because, as you may already know, it’s our job to ensure the security of this city, and so I need to know if you pose any threat”. This shit again? Fuck… it’s the third time already, this day alone.

“Okay, that seems reasonable…”

He nodded. “Good, now start talking”.

There wasn’t anything new to this so I’ll make this short. Once again, I spoke about who we are and how we arrived here. I told him a few bits about humanity and what’s my current objective. This whole explanation calmed him down a little bit and he seemed to understand our situation. After a while, I finished my explanation.

Once again, he dropped his body in his big (and probably very comfortable) chair, with a calm expression in his face. “Well, that sure is an interesting tale…”

“Does it answer your questions?”

He crossed his arms. “For the most part yes,” He replied, “But there’s one more thing I need to know”.

I raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“Three of my people came back from a mission, not long ago, claiming they were helped by aliens”. Well, now that’s interesting, I don’t recall meeting anyone who looked like them, definitely didn’t help anyone like that either. “Were you the one behind that?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m pretty sure I didn’t saw anyone like that on my way here,” His brows furrowed, pondering what I had told him, “However, like I already told you, I’m not alone, so they might’ve come across another unit”.

“I suppose that’s possible...”

“Were they, by any chance, going south? Near the coast?”

That seemed to get his attention. “Actually, yes they were”.

“Well, in that case it’s very likely they meet someone else, we do have a few units on that area”.

“Alright, that’s good enough,” He said. He tone was much calmer, less authoritarian. I should probably thank the guy who helped those mercenaries. “And so I suppose I should offer a something in return”.

I raised my hand and opened my mouth to protest, but Shortbeak didn’t allowed that. “First of all, you and the other alien will be allowed to come and go from the city, and I’ll have passports issued to both of you”. Passports? This city is clearly more organized than I had originally thought, when Snow told me gangs ruled this place, I assume it much more chaotic. Well, I suppose I shouldn’t be too quick to judge, after all, I’ve been wrong too many times already in regards to this place and the locals. “You also told me you needed information, so if you have any questions, just ask”.

“Okay…” What should I ask? I doubt he knows much about megaspells and pre-war things. I should probably focus on other things that might be useful, such as details of local factions and ongoing conflicts. Despite what I had already discovered, I still don’t know enough to properly deal with whomever we come across in this place, so far, the best we have is a uneasy deal with the Confederacy. “On my way here I saw some sort of firefight between a group of ponies and a few Confederacy troopers, do you know anything about it.”

He brought a claw to his beak. “Well, it could be something from the Militia; they’re always looking to disturb whatever the Confederacy does”.

“Why?”

“Because they don’t like the Confederacy, or anyone who might pose a threat to them,” His tone became slightly tense, making me guess he didn’t like this Militia. That wouldn’t surprise me, this faction is taking a place normally occupied by the Blackwatch. “These people think themselves as the representatives of popular will and the only ones with legitimacy to lead them”.

I raised an eyebrow. “And are they correct?”

To my surprise, he gave a small laugh at that. “Sure, as they care a lot about you… as long as you don’t question their actions,” His voice was dripping with sarcasm, “They’ll protect you… whether you want it or not”.

“Well, that sounds pretty bad…”

“You think? Don’t get me started on their involvement with drug traffic and constant blackmail of those living in their territory”. If everything he said is true, we should be careful with these people. The memory of the officer we meet on the bridge is still fresh in my memory, but I had assumed he might be just an exception, I guess I’m wrong. “Look, I’ll admit we aren’t exactly virtuous, but at least we try to keep standards”.

“Alright, tell me more about this city.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“If I’m going to stay here for a while, I should probably know how this place works”.

He nodded. “Okay, that sounds reasonable,” He spend a few seconds thinking, “The basic thing you have to know is that this place is divided by three gangs, the Blackwatch, the White Coat Society and the Lunar Caravans. Each one of us provides a different kind of service, the Lunar Caravans are merchants, we provide mercenary contracts and the Society provides skilled things like healthcare, arcane knowledge, engineering and etc.”

“You don’t produce anything?” I asked.

“Well, yes, each faction also makes some products to sell in the market, but most of our income is from services”.

I nodded. “I guess this answer my question; however, I need to ask one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“Is there any sort of laws I should be aware of?”

“Don’t steal, no heavy drugs and avoid getting into fights,” He answered. “Basically, try not to be a dick.”

-x-

I went back, hoping to meet Barin and see if he made any progress. This meeting went a lot better than I expected. Shortbeak doesn’t seem to feel scared or threatened by us, or at least he’s not showing it. Still, is it because he actually believe in my story or because he thinks Blackwatch is powerful enough to defend itself? I don’t know for sure, but at least it seems unlikely they’ll turn hostile, at least for now. Well, I already have the Confederacy to worry about, last thing I need is another heavily armed group having a bad opinion of us.

This time I decided to walk at a slower pace, hoping to memorize more about this place. I looked at some sort of weapon store, near the market. The place had a variety of guns exposed. Ever since I arrived here I keep wondering how these ponies use guns, it just seems so difficult to do so without hands. From what I understand, there’s about four ways they counter that deficiency. They use battle-saddles to carry heavy weapons like machine guns and high caliber rifles. When it comes to smaller weapons like assault rifles, shotguns and submachineguns, I’ve seen ponies leaving them hanging on their necks and using triggers adapted to hooves (these are usually preferred by unicorns). Lastly, they also have mouth grips for pistols and revolvers, as well as modified versions strapped to their hooves.

However, what really got my attention was another set of guns. On a small corner were a few rifles and pistols almost identical to ours, the only difference was a slightly bigger and ticker trigger. I guessed these weapons must be designed for gryphons, good, if for some reason I end up losing my weapons there’ll still be other options available.

Eventually, I reached the MoAS. I spotted Blizzard guarding the entrance, he gave me a small nod when he saw me, and I nodded back as I moved inside. Just as stepped in the main hall, Snowdrop showed up. She looked… happy, more than usual. I raised an eyebrow, wondering about that.

“Hey Alex!” She said in an equally cheerful tone.

“Hey Snow,” Her behavior has always been strangely happy… for someone living in a wasteland, but this time it just seems different. “You look happy.”

She nodded. “Yes, I’ve finally managed to activate this pip-buck!” Snow waved her hoof in front of me, displaying the device.

“Well, that’s good to know,” I remember her telling me about the many functions of these things. I couldn’t help but to be impressed at them, sure, we have things more advanced, but these're still powerful devices. “Have you already tested the… spells?”

Her ears stood up. “Actually, no, not yet,” She looked at her pip-buck, pressing a few buttons, “I’m still trying to get used to the interface, let me see if I can get the EFS on…” I waited there for a few moments. What is this “EFS” thing? I remember her telling me about it before… something to do with a mini-map or something.

The pip-buck gave a small beep. “Okay, I think I got it now!” She began to look around, as if searching for something, “Ah yes, here it is, I got the health status, compass… and the map!” That got her even more excited. I gave a short smile, seeing Snow like that is just… cute, in a way. These ponies… it’s just so strange, they look so simple and harmless and yet they live in a blasted wasteland dealing with constant death and destruction. This kind of thing just doesn’t match, little colorful ponies is the least thing anyone would expect in a place like this.

“Hold up… there’s something wrong…” Snow said, cutting my line of thought. “What’s wrong with this?”

I looked at her, confused. “What is it?” I asked.

She looked at her pip-buck, reading something with an expression of confusion and strangeness. “The mini-map, the tags are wrong…” Snow pressed a few more buttons, “It’s just… the EFS is supposed to provide a local map with tags on every living thing inside…”

“And it isn’t doing that?” I guessed.

Snow shook her head. “It is doing that just fine, but your tag is wrong.”

Okay, now I’m really lost here. “What do you mean?”

“The EFS is supposed to tag each living being based on their stance towards you,” Snow explained, “It shows green for friendly and red for hostile.”

“Okay, what exactly is wrong with mine?”

Her tone had become frustrated. “It keeps switching between the two, as if it can’t decide…” Well… that doesn’t really surprise me, after all, how could this device predict if someone was friendly or not towards you?

“Do you think it might’ve something to do with me being an alien?”

“Well, maybe… is there any kind of magic or spell in your equipment?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Not that I know of, we don’t really have any magic in our world.”

Her face twisted in confusion, her eyes widened. “W- What? No magic?” huh, sounds like I just told her she’s in a virtual reality or something…

“Well, yes, what’s the problem?” I honestly have no idea what’s wrong.

“But that’s impossible!” She said, “Every living being has magic inside him, it’s a fundamental part of life!” Okay, she beginning to scare me, right now she sounds like an inquisitor or something… “Do you mind if I do a quick scan for spells?”

“Is there any side effects?”

“No, you shouldn’t even feel it.”

“Alright then, do it,” Her horn glowed for a few seconds and I felt a vague sensation of something around me. My whole body was incased by her magic, it felt… strange, as if I was inside a pool or something. In a few moments, it ended.

She opened her eyes and her face had an expression of… fear. She took a small step back and looked away, mumbling something to herself. We stood for a few more seconds in silence. “You… you’re right, there’s just latent magic inside you…”

I let out a long sigh. Girl has to remenber I don't know anything about magic. “Could you please explain?”

“Every living being has some sort of active magic inside them,” She told me, while still trying to calm down, “However, you only have magic accumulated from the environment and nothing else…”

“Is this a problem to me?”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, normally this would mean you’re dead, but this is obviously not the case”. She placed a hoof on her chin, eyes furrowing in deep thought, “This would probably make you somewhat resistant to spells and curses… now that I think of it, this surely explains the EFS and why you need a whole healing potion to fix even the smallest wounds.”

Alright, this does bring some interesting things to consider, however, I should probably leave this for later. Barin is probably waiting for me. “That’s all good to know, but I should probably go see Barin now.”

“Okay, I understand, would you mind if I did a few tests later on, just to have a better look at this?”

“Meh, I suppose that’s all right…” Just hope it doesn't involve cutting me open.

After asking for directions, I went to meet Barin. It took me a while to get there, since the library was located in the upper floors of the building. The place itself was huge, with countless shelves filled with documents. Most of them were blueprints and archives, recovered by the White Coat Society in an attempt to recreate some of the technology lost in the apocalypse. There were also a few tables, one of which was used by Barin.

My friend had left most of his stuff in our room. Instead of full battle armor, he only had his uniform, vest and sidearm. On his table were piles of documents, some maps and a few blueprints. Looks like he did a hell of a search. I approached him calmly, to avoid spooking him. My footsteps made his head snap towards me. Upon realizing whom I was, his face twisted in a short smile and he gestured me to get closer.

“Hey, Alex!” He greeted me as I walked, “Glad to see you’re back already; got any good news?” That question made me frown, I really wanted to avoid speaking about this… but he must know, even if the truth isn’t very pleasant. God, how am I going to explain this to Nicolay?

“Well, more or less…” I replied. “The Blackwatch was mostly okay, I don’t think they have much of a problem with us,” Well, here comes the bad news, “But the Confederacy, on the other hand…”

His expression turned neutral. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “What about them?”

“They know about the rangers I killed…” There’s no point on being smooth about this. His face changed to an expression of worry, he opened his mouth a few times but wasn’t able to form a response.

I waited in silence until he was able to speak. “Then how… Alex, tell me what happened.”

“Sigh… They know about it and they feel threatened by us,”

“Do you think they might try something?”

I shook my head. “No, if they wanted to they wouldn’t come here for a little chat,” Honestly, I’ve zero clues of what they might be up to, “I think they’ll probably wait for now, see if they can get more intel about us,” It would be stupid to attack a group you know almost nothing about.

“How did the meeting ended?”

“We settled down in some sort of non-aggression pact, they keep their people north of the river, we stay south and the towns are neutral zones,” If this deal lasts more than a week, I’ll be surprised… “But enough with that did you find something while I was out?”

His face brightened up a little at that. “Actually, yes, I found a whole bunch of things,” He began to shuffle through the papers, “Turns out Snowdrop wasn’t kidding when she told us their people didn’t know much about war, just look at these projects!” He began to show me a few blueprints. I’ve to agree, most of them were either insane or impractical. They attempted to create types of mutated beasts specifically for combat, super-heavy power armor, giant robots… almost like a futuristic movie from the cold war period.

All these things did pointed to a lack of knowledge of warfare. In a war, the best weapons are usually the more reliable and cheap to produce, not the heavier or with greater firepower. Instead of investing millions of rubles in a single super soldier, you might as well train hundreds of normal ones. Dozens of normal tanks can usually do a better job than one super-heavy version. However, another thing this outlines is a lack of certain ethical and moral laws regarding prisoners of war and experimental subjects. Some of these documents mention the use of living test subjects, in many cases zebras, with little to no regards to their well-being. Little ponies acting like Nazi doctors… I don’t know if I should be laughing or worried.

“Now, I did managed to also get some things on these megaspells,” Barin continued, snapping me out of my thoughts. “It looks like they can be made with all sorts of intentions; they had types of healing megaspells, gravity alteration, explosive (which was the most common) and a whole lot of other things.”

“So… does that mean there could be something related to us?” I asked.

“It certainly looks like it, from what it tells here they can modify just about any kind of spell into a megaspell version, and that includes teleportation.”

That discovery brought a small wave of relief to me. It isn’t much, but it looks like there might be something out there. Hopefully it’ll be only a matter of time before we’re back home. Still, that also raises a question… could someone be behind this? I doubt it; so far, the only factions with enough power and knowledge to do something like this seem to be too busy killing each other. On the other hand, the idea of some sort of malfunction being the cause of all this also sounds unlikely.

“You got any leads to where we should be looking?”

Barin moved to another pile of files. “Well, from what I learned, these megaspells were activated in special command bases, either by magic or being launched in the warhead of an ICBM, depending on the specific type,” He opened a big map of the island, “These bases were spread out across the nation… including this island.”

“Huh, so it could definitely be a megaspell…”

“Indeed,” He agreed, “Now, these places were top-secret, so there wasn’t any information on their precise location, however, it looks like they were under control of the ‘Equestrian Strategic Command’, and they just so happen to have an office in this very city, not far from here.”

“So if we want to find out more about these megaspells…” I began.

“Then that’s where we need to go look,” He finished.

Well, I guess we got a new objective in mind…

Note: Level Up!

New Perk: Comprehension - You gain one additional skill point for reading books and double the skill points for reading magazines.

Reputation Changed:

Ministry Square – Cordial
Confederacy – Suspicious

Chapter 13: The Dead City - Part 1

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Chapter 13: The Dead City - Part 1

It’s the morning of a new day, the sky is cloudy and the temperature slightly cooler. The Equestrian Strategic Command, that’s our goal, a place not very far from the square. However, it appears it’s also a dangerous place, if what Snow and Frost told us is true. The area around the office was supposedly hit pretty hard in the apocalypse, altering the terrain and giving birth to a number of irradiated zones. These places, naturally, attract large numbers of mutants and something called… ghouls. They’re some sort of zombie, ponies who received high amounts of radiation but somehow didn’t really died, instead, they became half-dead abominations who wander the area. They also told us a few of them might still be sane so we’ll have to keep our eyes open.

So, my good folks, as you all have heard by now, it appears there’s some rumors about aliens wondering our little place in the wasteland. Imagine the surprise of your dear radio pony when I discovered these rumors were true… and in our city no less. Now, I still haven’t had the chance to actually meet or see one, but I have spoken with a few ponies and gryphons who saw them. It appears they are tall, biped and use impressive sets of armor very similar to Steel Rangers and Enclave ponies from the mainland; they also seem to lack tails and have claws.

Now, I know you all must be thinking this might all just be some good hoax made by a bunch of ponies. That’s what I thought too at first, so I went to ask the leader of the Blackwatch, Shortbeak, about all this, since he’s the one in charge of knowing who and what comes in and out of the city. The old griffin was kind enough to give me a few minutes and guess what folks… he confirmed everything is true! Not only that, he also said he personally met one of them for a little chat. As you all expect, I begged him for some information and he agreed to give me some details.

It looks like these aliens, or humans, as they call themselves, came to the wasteland by accident. They claim not to have any kind of ill intentions towards us and that they’re only looking for the source of their unfortunate crash. It also appears they stand against raiders and slavers, to the point of actually fighting them.

To be honest with you, this all sounds mighty suspicious. If anypony told me something similar I would have my gun out in an instant. I mean, they come with all those weapons and hardware and say there's nothing to be worried about? Smells like Brahmin shit to me. However, if the Blackwatch is willing to tolerate them, we should also give them a chance. So, in case you come across one them, keep a hoof close to your gun but also give them a chance to talk. In other news, it looks like the conflict up north is still going strong…

I stopped paying attention to the radio after that. It looks like it won’t be long before the whole island is aware of us. It’s no surprise that our presence would draw some attention from the local media, in this case a mare. I wonder where she’s transmitting her broadcast from, I don’t remember seeing any radio towers when I was at the square. In any way, what matters now is to get to our objective and see if we can find more about the local military.

This time it’s only Barin and I, no other squad members or locals. Strange, it feels weird going out without any ponies with us, after a few days walking with Snowdrop and Bronze I just got used to it. I suppose it’s better this way, I wouldn’t want to put Snow’s life at risk more than I already have, she’s not a soldier and shouldn’t have to face these kinds of threats. In addition, if this place is as dangerous as the ponies claim it is, it’s best to come in a small group.

The two of us are walking through the ruins of the city, heading west. This area of the city is much more destroyed, there isn’t a single building standing and the ground itself has massive cracks cutting through it. This kind of destruction is what one would expect from a massive earthquake… or a really powerful nuke. I can hear some sounds in a distance, probably from some firefight, far away from here. No matter how many times I walk here, the feeling of loneliness and desolation always gets me, as if it was printed in these dead ruins, shadows of an old world and a standing memory of those who died two centuries ago.

I gripped my sniper rifle tightly as we moved. This weapon would do a better job here, since we’re hoping to stay away from any threats we encounter. Just what kinds of things might be living here? I can understand the… zombies, but what else? Could it be something worse than those nosalises we saw, or the giant bugs? I have no idea, and to be honest, I don’t want to find out.

“So, what are you thinking about?” Barin asked, snapping me back to reality. He must’ve noticed my lack of attention.

I looked at him. “Oh, just some things about this place,” I replied calmly, “You know, despite everything we have seen, this place is quite unsettling…”

Barin nodded. “Yea, I know what you mean; I think it has something to do with the story behind it.”

“What do you mean?”

“The fact that we know this place was destroyed by an apocalypse, killing countless innocents in an instant,” I raised an eyebrow at that. He has a point, we have both seen many warzones before, but to see a place where all life was burned in the fires of mutual destruction… it’s just horrible. I guess part of our minds just can’t help but to feel for the suffering and despair these people must’ve gone through in the final moments.

“Yes, I guess you’re right, while Minsk and Berlin were just as bad, at least we had the comfort of knowing most civilians had been evacuated…”

Barin nodded. “Indeed, wasn’t the case of Moscow though…” I winced as he mentioned that particular memory. That’s something I would like to keep away. “Hopefully we can end this quickly.”

“Yeah, I hope so,” At least this place is quiet, for now. “But knowing our luck, we’ll probably end up in a cannibal village or some shit…”

“Stop being so pessimistic, Alex…” Barin said while rolling his eyes, “Things are looking good for us.”

“Sigh… I know, maybe that’s exactly why I’m so suspicious, can’t help but to wonder if there’s something bad behind this surge of good fortune.”

The two of us kept moving on, going deeper into the ruins. The number of skeletons and wreckages became overwhelming. The streets were filled with them, leading me to believe this was one of the first points to be attacked, before anyone could attempt to leave. Closer to us, there was barely any sound, just the whispering of the wind, our boots hitting the ground and the occasional bug wondering.

After a few minutes, we both became used to our surroundings. However, our little walk came to a halt, as we discovered our path was blocked. Whatever fell on this place caused an entire section of the ground ahead of us to elevate almost ten meters up. Not only that, several structures near it had fallen, creating a natural wall on our way. We both stood there, looking at our blocked path.

“Fucking great…” I muttered, “I swear, sometimes it feels like the whole universe is trying to fuck me…”

“Well, that surely makes things difficult,” My friend said. He took a step closer and began to analyze the wall of rubble and dirt. “Maybe we can climb it somewhere.”

Hearing his idea, I looked around for anything we might use. Most of the buildings are destroyed and the barrier itself lacks anything we could use to climb it. I really don’t want to search for another way… maybe there’s something around we could use. You know, now that I think of it, I should probably get some equipment to deal with these situations, my standard equipment alone is hardly enough to deal with things like this. That, of course, is no surprise, back home we could always call for a transport ship or an engineer unit to help us out.

The voice of my friend broke my line of thought. “That shop over there!” He said, pointing to my left, “If we can get to the roof we could jump to the other side.”

The shop he spoke about was right next to the barrier. Just like most of the buildings of this place, it didn’t look very well preserved and had a few holes in it. “You sure that thing is safe?” I asked.

“Well, the main floor is mostly intact and I don’t see any major damage to the columns,” I’m no engineer, but I could see his point, “As long as we keep near the main structure, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Alright, let’s do this…”

Moving inside the interior wasn’t exactly easy. Something that I personally hate is the high of the celling and doorways, they’re always a little bit short for us. Well, I suppose I shouldn’t expect something different. Apart from some lonely skeletons, there really isn’t anything interesting about this place. Baring and I reached the top quickly, which was slightly higher than the barrier, allowing us to get across. The distance between the two sides isn’t big, only about three meters.

I looked at Barin. “You want me to go first?”

He shrugged. “Sure, go ahead.”

I took a few steps back. Like I said, it isn’t very far but with all the stuff I’m carrying it’s best to be careful. Setting a straight path, I rushed forward and gained speed, once I was near the end I jumped to the other side. I landed with a low thud, bending my knees a little to dissipate the impact, once I regained balance, I moved away from the cliff and looked at Barin.

I cracked a short grin. “Okay, your turn now.”

He nodded to me and proceeded to do the same. He rushed forward and jumped, landing in the same spot as me. I offered him a hand, which he took, and pulled him away from the cliff. With that solved, I turned around and looked beyond. All structures near us had fallen, allowing us to have a better field of view. There doesn’t seem to be much ahead, except for a large avenue with small square. However, I can also see some taller buildings far away, one of them must be our objective.

I gestured with my hand for us to move on. Because of the state of destruction in this area, we were forced to switch between walking out in the street and through the ruins, whenever one of them was blocked. There was also a few pockets of radiation on our way, so we needed to change our directions quite frequently.

As we walked inside an old bar, my friend stopped. “Hey, you hear anything?”

I raised my eyebrows in confusion. “I don’t think so…” I concentrated for a while, trying to pick up something. After a brief moment, I noticed some sort of rustling, coming from another room. “Actually, now that you mention, yes, I hear something… what’s the problem?”

“There’s nothing showing up in my heartbeat sensor…” Strange, I had assume it might be just some roach or a particularly big insect (which are somewhat common in this wasteland). However, if it isn’t… what else could it be?

I put my sniper rifle away and grabbed my pistol. “Well, there’s definitely something here, keep your eyes open.”

We slowly walked forward. The sound grew louder as we approached the source. My mind rushed with ideas, just what kind of living thing wouldn’t show in our sensors? Maybe a robot? No, this is just a residential area, which makes no sense. Eventually I began to hear other noises nearby, making me take a sudden halt.

I looked at my friend. His expression was equal to mine and we didn’t need words to understand what the other thought. Whatever this is, it can’t be good. To avoid revealing our location, I gestured him to be quiet and then pointed towards a doorway ahead. He understood and moved closer to me. I took a few steps towards the closed door, keeping a tight grip on my weapon.

Once I was close enough, I placed my hand on the doorknob and prepared to open. From what I can guess, whatever is making that sound should be in the next room. For the last time, I turned my head and locked eyes with my friend. Getting in a combat stance, he nodded. I nodded back and opened the door.

I did so as quiet as possible, swinging the door fast but without applying much force. My eyes scanned this new room as it was revealed to me. Barin took a step forward and covered our left, while I turned right. Dust filled the floors and furniture of this old office. Most of it looked ransacked, with overturned tables and scattered papers. My aim finally settled in a small toilet room besides the door.

What I saw inside, however… was completely unexpected. Of course, I’m not talking about the sink or other common objects, but of the source of what I had heard. It was a creature… or at least it should be, if it wasn’t in such a state of despair. The flesh looked pale and dead, with a few deep cuts in certain places. The smell was absolutely horrible, which is no surprise, given the looks of this thing. The face… if you can call it a face, was mostly just exposed muscle and in a few parts, pure bone. The top of its skull had a missing part, allowing me to see the brain…, which was also rotting.

I had to react quickly to stop my body from getting rid of my breakfast. I’ve seen dead bodies and gore before… but that doesn’t make it any easier. However, I was in for another surprise.

The head moved, more specifically, the right eye (which is the only one left). What the fuck? Is that thing alive? No, that’s fucking impossible, that corpse is missing part of its brain, it can’t be alive! Could this be one of those ghouls Snow and her family warned me a-

The freak let out an unholy scream and jumped at me. That took me completely by surprise and in my panic I pulled the trigger.

BANG

The bullet hit the thing at the chest. However, there was no reaction from the abomination, as it still attacked me without hesitating. The impact send me to the ground and I struggled to keep the thing away. I punched and kicked it as much as possible, as it tried to bite me. However, none of that worked… there’s just no way to explain how something half-dead was so strong.

Thankfully, Barin came to my aid. He gave a swift kick to its face, throwing the creature back to the toilet room. I scrambled away as he pointed his carbine and let out a small burst of rounds. The head practically exploded when the rounds hit. The creature stopped moving, but we waited a few more seconds, just to be sure.

“What the fuck was that?!” I shouted. If this thing is a ghoul than Snowdrop was really serious when she called them walking corpses…

Barin looks just as surprised as I am. His eyes were wide and he struggled to reply as he stared at the dead body. “I-I think it must be one of those ghouls they told us about…”

“For the love of god, they weren’t exaggerating when they said they looked like zombies,” I got back on my feet, while cleaning my body from any bits of dirt and blood that might have fallen on me during the fight. “Not only that, I shot that thing right in chest and it just shrugged it off as if it was nothing!” Just what in the world could possibly create these abominations… I mean, I know we’re in a fucked up magical land and shit, but still, I thought there would be a limit of just how crazy this might get… once again I’m wrong.

“I know, and there might be more of these things out here…” His tone was dripping with worry, “Guess you might be right about our lack of fortune.”

I nodded. “Well, this certainly changes things, we need to be really quiet from now on,” The two of us did expect some minor engagements to break out against whatever creatures wonder this place, but if they’re as strong as these freaks, it’s better to just keep away. “Come on, let’s keep moving.”

We pushed on, deeper into the ruins. Upon a quick check, I discovered the large avenue near us had a few more of those ghouls wondering. They acted like soulless husks… which they probably are, just walking aimless while occasionally howling. The sound they did sent a chill down my body, it just sounded wrong and terrifying. Their presence outside forced us to keep close to the buildings and more narrow streets, where we could hide better. That, of course, also slowed down our progress considerably.

As we moved, Barin let out a silent laugh, to which I looked at him in confusion. “Hell, never thought I would be wondering an irradiated ruin inhabited by zombie ponies.”

“True, not the highest point of our careers, isn’t it?”

Finally, we managed to get away from the ghouls. We went inside a large building, some sort of mall, moving to the upper floors to have a better view of the area. I quickly decided to have a look inside the stores in hopes to find anything useful. A place as dangerous as this probably doesn’t see a lot of people coming for loot, so there might be still something left.

Some of the restaurants had some canned food and another had a small medical box with some bandages. It isn’t much, but it might be useful later on. I also saw a small safe connected to a terminal, but with my lack of knowledge on how to operate their tech and pick locks, I was forced to leave it alone. After I had checked a good portion of the stores, I went towards Barin.

“So, found anything interesting?” He asked as I approached him.

I shrugged. “Eh, some canned food and bandages, not really much,” I stood beside him and looked outside through a shattered window, “We should be getting close to our goal soon.”

“I guess; you see anything yet?”

I took my sniper rifle and looked through the scope towards some of the buildings far ahead. Amongst the tall structures that dominated the area, I could see one in particular still reasonably intact and with a large, slightly faded, symbol of a shield at the center. That is our goal, the local office of the Equestrian Strategic Command. It isn’t very far, probably about five hundred to six hundred meter.

Using the opportunity, I decided to check the streets closer to us for any blockades or hostiles. The area around this mall was clear, so I looked towards the avenue. As I scanned the area, something cough my eye, I saw something moving, not the slow wondering of ghouls, something faster, running.

“Barin, I think I see some ponies running on the other side of the avenue,” I kept my aim at them, trying to pick up some details, “Looks like it’s two of them, currently engaging some ghouls.”

My friend turned to the window and looked through the scope of his carbine. “You sure?” Just as he said that, there was a series of loud cracks, “Shit, looks like they’re in trouble…”

I nodded. “Indeed…” The two ponies, a green unicorn mare and a light blue stallion wearing leather armor, were forced into a small house by a large group of ghouls. The fired a few times from the windows, killing a few, but not enough to win the battle. “I can see green armbands with stars on them.”

“Militia people?” I nodded, “What would they be doing here?”

“I don’t know, maybe these two got lost or something, not like there’s anything valuable in here.”

The situation for the two ponies was getting worst. They were unable to keep the horde of undead at bay, who were slowly pushing forward, forcing the couple deeper into the ruined house. What the hell should we do? The obvious answer would be to help… but still, what if they turn hostile? My previous experience with these people and what I was told by Shortbeak didn’t put much hope for diplomacy. However, even if that’s true, letting those people die is still not right.

“Should we help them?”

“I don’t know, there’s a huge number of ghouls and we don’t know how the ponies will react to us.”

“Still, it wouldn’t be right to just leave them to their fates…” Barin clearly didn’t like this. To be honest, me neither, this reminds me too much of the caravan I saw with the EU lieutenant. Perhaps these ponies could prove useful to us like Snowdrop did. “We could at least take down a few from here, so we wouldn’t need to risk ourselves.”

I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Well, that’s actually a good idea,” I lowered myself a little and positioned the rifle at the window, “Watch my back while I do this.”

He did as asked and I looked again through the scope. The two militia ponies were cornered inside the house, but the structure also slowed down the ghoul’s advance considerably. Right now I could see eight enemies, all of them grouped together near the main door. I aimed at the larger one, slowly following his movements and adjusting my grip. At this distance, less than three hundred meters, I won’t have to worry much about the wind or bullet drop. With a deep breath, I pulled the trigger.

BANG

The round hit the ghoul at the base of the neck, probably shattering the spine. As the first went down, I switched my aim to another punching the door. With everything set, I fired again.

BANG

The target fell down with a hole in the back of his head. The rounds of my rifle did a nasty job. Normally I would aim at the center of mass, but with heads so big, these ponies make easy targets. Once again, I aimed at another undead pony. This one was moving a little so I had to wait until I could get a good shot. After a few seconds, I took a deep breath and fired.

BANG

Another bullet went flying and another target went down. Without waiting, I switched to another target and pulled the trigger again.

BANG

With four ghouls down, the militia ponies should have better chances. I saw them looking outside with confused expressions, before changing to determination as they proceeded to fire at the remaining enemies. Happy with the results, I stood up. It's not much, but at least I'm actually helping somebody.

“Alright, I killed enough of them, let’s go,” I said to Barin.

“You sure?” He asked.

“Yes, they shouldn’t have a problem dealing with the rest.”

“Good, let’s keep going, then.”

-x-

For a while, our journey went well. Although we took some time to advance by the destroyed area, we still made substantial progress. Occasionally, we would bump into ghouls, mostly just one or two. They were put down without any problems, except for the high number of rounds we had to use. Seeing walking corpses acting in such a way made us question just what kind of thing could create them.

As we walked, Barin and I tried to find an answer. We quickly discarded any knowledge from earth, since none of it was useful. It’s pretty obvious there’s something else beyond simple biology here. The best theory was, not surprisingly, magic, more specifically, the magical radiation balefire bombs created. Luckily for us, if that’s true than we don’t need to worry about becoming ghouls… just about suffering the effects of normal radiation… which I suppose is not that good.

However, our journey was put on halt as we faced yet another obstacle. In our front stood a huge open area separating us from the office buildings where our objective lied. The ground was carved up by huge cracks, similar to what an earthquake might cause, like a miniature cayon. Most of these cuts along the soil were too wide to jump across… and a long fall as well, as they seem to vary between 8 to 15 meters deep. We immediately began to search for ways to get across.

“Crap, just what we needed…” I said, using a tone equal to my frustration. “Well, at least we’re getting closer.”

“We may be able to get across this first section by that rusted… chariot thing over there,” Barin said, while looking around at some of things scatered around the place. “It does look pretty stable.”

He pointed towards the vehicle, laying exactly between our side and the first island. The old thing acted precisely as a bridge, almost as if it was meant to be. Well, we shouldn’t waste that, however… how are we going to get across the whole way? I doubted there would be natural bridges and paths on every part of this zone, so we’ll need to figure something. Well, might as well get started.

“It’s something, I guess,” I replied to him. “Come on, let’s get across.”

We carefully approached the cliff. The gap between the two sides almost reminded me of a giant trench… filled with wreckages and radiation pits, if my Geiger counter was anything to go by. We began to cross, going one at a time and being careful to distribute our weight. Just because this thing endured for two centuries doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be careful, I could see a lot of rust and damaged parts. As I walked on it, the thing moved a little and I could hear the sound of twisting metal, which obvious sent a quick shot of fear through me. However, the metal structure held and I got to the other side.

This was only the first part. Crossing the whole area took over an hour. We had to plan precisely which sections we could go without becoming isolated. The lack of any kind of vantage point or basic map made this a very slow activity, and when we reached the center it almost felt as if we were inside a maze. However, we still made progress. As we came closer to our goal, I became more excited. Enough time wondering this place, I just want to get the job done and get the hell out of here.

“Alright, it looks like this is the last crossing,” I said, looking at the other side, “Can’t see any other cracks on that side.”

My friend let out a deep sigh. “Finally, getting across this place was a pain in the ass.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, maybe we can do something nicer once we get back...”

“We should see if these ponies have chocolate!” Barin added, “I mean, everything from this place is strangely earth-like, I bet we could even find some beer.”

“Ha, I wouldn’t be surprised by that, now let’s get across… we can use that container over there.”

We walked to the old metal container hanging between the two sides. It looked reasonably stable and well preserved. However, this gap was also deeper, so if for some reason one of us fell, there was a high chance of breaking bones. We can’t afford that here. Barin and I spend a few seconds analyzing everything.

“So, which one of us should go first?” Barin asked.

“You go, I’ll watch out for any threats,” I replied. My friend nodded and then climbed up the container, he moved slowly, trying to see if the metal object could take his weigh. I had my sniper rifle in hand, carefully watching the horizon.

The relative silence of the area was broken by the sound of something screaming from my left. I instantly snapped my rifle in the general direction of the noise. As my eyes scanned the area, I spotted three flying targets heading our way. I looked through the scope to get more details. What I saw were mutated birds, they were big and ugly, with sharp beaks and claws. The three of them were raising in altitude as they approached, preparing to swoop down and attack us. Snowdrop had told me about these creatures, I think they were called… Bloodwings or something.

“Barin! There’s three airborne hostiles incoming!” I shouted.

He stopped in the middle of the crossing. “Yeah, I saw them, what do we do?”

“You get across as fast as you can, I’ll distract them!”

He complied and ran across as I took aim in the first target. The birds were keeping a straight path towards us, making my job easier. I fired at one, hitting the chest; the creature let out a shout and changed direction, braking away from formation, but continue to advance. Fuck! how can that thing withstand a sniper round?! I switched to another, the bigger of all three. As adrenaline began to fill my veins, I pulled the trigger again, and to my surprise, I hit the target right at the head, killing it.

Before I could take out the other, Barin, who was already on the other side, let out a burst of rounds from his carbine. The mutated bird changed direction at that, trying to evade the shots. “Come on Alex, get across while I cover you!”

Without hesitating, I approached the container and climbed up. The adrenaline made the task unnaturally easy, even with everything I’m carrying. I sprinted across the way, as my friend fired once again at one of them. I reached the middle, not bothering to look around, knowing that even slowing down would be a death sentence. There was sweat all over my face and I was so focused on getting across that I didn't even hear my friend shouting something at me.

However, before I could reach the other side, I spotted something coming towards me from the corner of my right eye. I turned my head and saw a Bloodwing less than ten meters from me, going full speed. I didn’t had time to react as the thing crashed with me, while trying to grab and bite. By instinct I threw a punch at the head but his superior mass threw me away from the metal container and into the gap. With all oxygen being squeezed out of me, I didn’t even get to scream or shout as I fell.

My quick journey towards the bottom ended almost as soon as it began. Too much happened at once, I could still hear the noise of the mutants and Barin fighting and I could feel every inch of my body exploding in pain as I made contact with the dirt and irradiated waters of a small crater. I had no idea of just how much damage my body suffered, and I blacked out before I could even think about it.

-x-

Passing out is nothing like sleeping. It is as if someone turned a switch off and your body just restarted. Basically, your mind just shut down. That, of course, doesn’t mean you can’t have a few lonely flashes of memories and other things as you recover. It usually happens at random and with a very poor focus, just a stream of information flying inside your head while you try to figure out what the hell is going on.

This time, I also saw something. Multiple images flashed for mere seconds, I couldn't make sense of them, but figured they must be memories of some sort… hell, I’m not even sure how long they lasted, it could’ve been seconds or hours, not like I could tell in my confused state. Buildings, people, mountains, snow, ice… these were the things I managed to identify. I heard the voices of my friends and others I knew, every single one of them, including the dead ones, little whispers from the past. However, from everything that passed through my eyes, a single moment felt much more important. It was something a had almost forgotten... and hoped I would never have to think about again.

At that very moment, I was back to February, 2139.

The wasteland was gone... or pehaps I should say it had changed. I was no longer inside a radioactive crater, but standing on a frozen sidewalk of a familiar place. A city which had been almost completely destroyed by the advancing ice... Moscow.

At first, I wasn't surprised to be deployed here, it seemed logical that we would be taken to a harsh enviroment for better training, and that's exactly what we did during the first few weeks, making the usual exercises and having the same classes as before. Despite the frozen landscape and the constant stream of desperate people being evacuated, everything went as usual for about two months.

What none of us expected was the sudden wave riots that ripped the whole region apart. A result of the complete failure by local authorities to deal with the evacuation. It was even more surprising when our whole company was called to into the city when order finally broke down.

The first week was marked by violent protests over food and fuel rationing, which were quickly craked down by the local police. The brutality employed by goverment forces only served to raise tensions, and soon led to more open violence. By the end of the month, martial law had been declared and most of the city had been taken over by armed rebels. It became open warfare, and the death toll exploded. That is when the goverment decided to call the armed forces.

It was time for the military to step in and retake the city. Our company, along with the rest of the battalion, were choosen as the spearhead. I have no idea why they decided to place a fresh unit at the front. Maybe they wanted to spare the veteran companies and divisions to the future war against the European Union.

Combat was brutal and short. Even with stolen guns from police and national guard headquarters, most of these people were simple civilians, driven to blind hate by the chaos and cruelty of the world around them.

Those who didn't pick a side were often killed by the crossfire. Those people had nothing to hope for, just the endeless road ahead of them as they tried to escape. Others who refused to leave ended up freezing inside their homes or starving to death. It was common to search homes and appartments and find cuples or even entire families dead, sometimes on their beds and other times at a couch.

But the worst was yet to came. It happened during the morning, as we were ordered to advance against what we believed to be a rebel stronghold.

We were terribly wrong.

Bodies, piles of them, scatered across the whole area. Some more or less intact, others missing limbs or completely burned. The smell is sickening, and I know for sure I will never forget it. Sweat is dripping from my forehead and my hands are gripping my assault rifle. I can’t take any of this, it’s too much. Not even the comforting hand of Barin on my left shoulder is enough to calm down.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. I mean... we all knew this was a residential area but... why would anyone still live here?! Why didn't they ran away at the sounds of battle?

My boots are covered in frozen blood from walking around this place. There is even some it a- oh god... the wheels of our vehicles. We should've stopped as soon as we realized something was wrong. Maybe we could have used a scout team or something. Shit... how the fuck did we not noticed? It was obvious most of these people weren't firing at us, they don't even look like the rebels we were chasing...

I honestly don't know what's worse, the unatural anger that I felt towards the rebels for putting us in this position or the sheer emptiness at what I have done. We were supposed to know about this, we have all been trained as to how we should act during insurgency, how to deal with the civilian population and avoid collateral damage.

Why… god, why did we do this…

My mind is locked in an internal battle. Shame and guilt are both overwhelming and I can't stop shaking. One part of me claims we just followed orders, the other reminds me that this argument didn’t work for the Nazis and will surely not work for us. We didn’t know these people were here when we attacked, how could we? It’s almost impossible to distinguish between a fighter and a civilian when engaging the rebels. However, that doesn’t change the facts.

I can see my comrades are also having a hard time dealing with this. Most of them are just standing idly by, pretending to be watching for enemies or something. Others are fully focused on their tasks, trying to keep distracted from the carnage around them. From everyone here, only one figure seems to be acting normal, the sergeant. I can see him near one of our APCs, talking to the radio, his tall and strong frame standing out from other soldiers. He always had a pragmatic behavior, but to see him acting without a bit consideration for these dead people… it’s infuriating.

“Hey Alexander, are you... you okay?” Barin asked. He knew the answer, but I guess he just wanted to distract me a little.

I looked at him. “What do you think Barin? We just killed a whole bunch of unarmed civilians…” God, it felt even worse saying it aloud. “Is this what we signed up for?” I gestured to scene around us.

He couldn’t look me in the eyes. His expression was a mix of sadness and guilt. “You’re right…" This was supposed to be a simple mission. Our battalion was send here to help end the riots that have been going on for a few weeks now. In the first days we did just that, enforcing the law and helping maintain order. However, as the days went by the situation just grew worse and the whole thing looked more and more like open conflict. Now, in our effort to push the rebels back, we end up hitting a civilian neighborhood and the consequences lay all around us. “I’m feeling as guilty as you are, but-“

“But what, Barin?” I cut him, “This isn’t war, this is murder…”

I can feel rage boiling inside me. I want to be mad, at myself and all others… a few years ago I could be one of these poor bastards. The memories from my time at the camps are still very fresh, and I can’t help but to sympathize with their struggle. When faced with such daring circumstances it’s only natural people will get violent, to the point of rebellion. If only those idiots in the parliament could give a little bit more support, this might’ve been different. It’s not like this is some small village, we’re in Moscow, the greatest city in Russia.

Barin struggled to answer, his mouth opened but no words came out. Deep down I know he's just trying to help... as he always has, but I just can't ignore the rage inside of me. Our conversation stooped as the sergeant approached us, still no sign of being affected by this at all. “What’s going on people?” His tone authoritarian as always, he wasn't loud or rude but still carried a huge weight to his words.

I immediately turned to face him and saluted. “Sorry sir, just a little bit… shaken by what happened.”

He nodded in understanding. “I see, don’t worry, that’s common when getting into combat for the first time,” His eyes passed by every soldier, carefully analyzing them, “I must remind you that these people are not civilians, they were aiding the rebels, which invalidates their status as non-combatants.”

What he said was utter bullshit. We have no idea what these people were doing here. Yes, maybe some of them were aiding the rebels, but it’s most likely the majority simply lived here, even if they were somehow connected to the insurgency it might had been out of pressure and death threats. I wanted to protest... and a small part of me told me to do so in the form of a punch to his ugly face. However, I didn’t, “Yes… sir.”

“Well, with that settled, we’ve received new orders; we are to keep moving until we can link up with another battalion near Red Square.”

After informing the whole company and recieving a chorus of “Yes sir!”, we all packed our things and moved on. Our journey through this hellhole won’t last much longer, in a few days Moscow will be back on our hands. However, instead of going home, a new threat will arise as our country goes to war; we will have to march into another frozen hell, Western Europe.

-x-

My eyes feel heavy. I can barely breathe; pain is pulsing through my body with each beat of my heart. The simple contractions of my lungs are enough to send spikes of pain. Slowly, I attempt to understand more of my current state. It’s almost impossible to ignore all these feelings. Things become slightly better as I concentrate. Everything hurts, but I can’t feel anything bleeding... at least not on the outside.

Suddenly, my recent memories come to surface, reminding me of where I am and what is going on. I whisper some curses, just how the fuck could I let this shit happen… now I must find a way back. I attempt to shift to a sitting position, but as I do so, I feel a sudden surge of pain in my chest. Probably a broken rib, fucking great.

With some effort, I manage to move a little and sit. I open my eyes, revealing the interior of the gap I was trying to get across. This place is dark, wet and slightly radioactive, the opposite of what I like. Goddammit, what about Barin? I can’t hear any fighting, so either he won, ran away or…

I move one of my hands to my radio. My fingers feel numb, so it takes time for me to get the damn thing working. I struggle a little to remember what frequency he was in. “Barin, do you copy?”

After some random static, he answered, “Alex! Goddammit, I thought you might’ve been killed! What’s your status?” He sounded quite worried, which is expected. To be honest, I’m also relieved of hearing his voice, he’s one of my best friends after all.

“I’m inside the crack between the two sides; somehow I didn’t break anything important when I fell… my whole body still hurts a lot though,” As I speak, I can hear my Geiger counter beeping, I better get out here. “What about you?”

“Well, I managed to get away from the hostiles, but they’re still flying around so I can’t go to you.”

Fuck, that’s not good. “Can you move at all, or are you stuck there?”

“I suppose I could keep going through these ruins, but anywhere open would be suicide.”

Great, what can we do now? I can’t reach Barin, and even if I could I don’t think I’m in a good condition to fight against those birds. I can’t stay here, not with this radiation, but where can I go? “Alright, hold up for a second, I’ll think of something,” Maybe I can find a way out or something.

Being really careful, I stood up and began to walk. This place looks like a labyrinth; every part I go looks almost the same. Aside from occasional vehicles, metal parts and lonely skeletons, every corner is the same dark, wet and irradiated shithole. I change direction a few times, with no success in finding an exit. I go back to where I began and take another route, hoping to find anything useful. No matter how much I walk, it all seems fruitless. I kept going, though; can't just give up and stay here.

After almost an hour of wandering this place, I had lost almost all hope of finding a way out. Yet, just like that, I stumbled upon a hole in a wall. This dark path isn’t a simple hole, the concrete around the edges and the rusted remains of train tracks lead me to believe this is part of the subway system… the very same I went through in order to get to Ministry Square. I shouldn’t go inside, for all I know this place could be also inhabited by nosalises, mutated bugs or other creatures bend on giving me a hard time. However… what choice do I have? We’ve come too far to just give up.

“Barin… I think I might have a solution to our problems…”

“Really? What is it?”

“You’re not going to like it…”

“Oh… well, just tell me, it can’t get any worse.”

I took a deep breath. “I think I found a metro tunnel…”

It took a few moments for him to answer. “You mean like…”

“Like the one before, correct.”

“Alex, what are you suggesting… oh, don’t tell me you’re actually considering going in!”

“Well, what other choice do we have? Aside from you going back all the way to the outpost just so the rest of the guys can pick me up, this is our only alternative,” And I'm pretty sure I won't last that long, especially with all this radiation.

“Couldn’t you just, you know… look around for a bit longer?”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ve been walking through this hole for a full hour, if there was some hidden stairway, I would know.”

“Okay, but you don’t even know what might be inside or where it leads!”

“I’ll just look for a way up; you know I won’t put myself in unnecessary risk.”

“I know, but still… this is far from ideal.”

I laughed at that. “Ha! Tell me about it…”

“So, how do we do this?” I could feel through his voice that he still didn’t like this one bit. I don't like this either... this is the price we pay to get more answers.

“I want you to keep moving to our goal, once you get there, wait for me to get into radio contact.”

“Alright, I’ll do that… be careful in there, Alex.”

“Always; until later, Barin.”

I looked at the dark path ahead. I can’t hear a single sound coming from there, which only adds to my feelings of doubt. Fucking great… guess it’s time to man the fuck up and do this. I grip my pistol tightly, hoping that whatever might be in there doesn’t require more firepower. I turn my flashlight on and walk forward, leaving those dead ruins and walking into the darkness of this unknown tunnel.

The light from the outside quickly faded. I could hear my steps echoing through the tunnel as I moved. Looking around, I noticed the state of this place isn’t very good. Some of the walls have already collapsed and all others have multiple cracks in them. There’s a real chance of this place collapsing on my head. Hopefully I can get to a station before this happens…

I don’t know for sure how long it took for me to reach the station. However, my hopes of getting out were crushed as I looked around. The whole area was destroyed, including the stairways, the piles of rubble preventing me from reaching the upper floors. My only choice is to go even deeper in these tunnels… and I don’t like this one bit. In addition, which one of them should I take? There were three other tunnels connecting this station, after the one I came. The only thing I can do is pick one that stays more or less in the same direction as before.

The following minutes were made up of more walking and more darkness. If it wasn’t for the creepy atmosphere of this place, I would be bored by now. The lack of anyone to talk to also doesn’t help. The constant silence puts me on the edge, I keep looking around, searching for things stalking me in the shadows. Part of me even wishes for something to jump in front of me, just to end the feeling of being watched.

At that moment, as I arrive in a wider tunnel, that very wish is granted to me. I hear sounds of things moving nearby. I know precisely what it is, nosalises. Fucking awesome, me and my big mouth… you got to be kidding me, those things show up right when I’m alone and unequipped to fight them? You know, I’m starting to think I’ve been cursed by some sadistic god who must laughing his ass right now!

In a second, my pistol is aiming forward and I move towards the nearest cover. The sounds come closer and closer. I can hear some of them passing nearby… however, they don’t seem to be interested in me, they kept going on, to another section of the tunnels. Strange, maybe they’re just moving around or hunting something else. I stay pressed against my cover, praying they don’t notice me.

I see two figures moving on the opposite side of the tunnel. With my flashlight on, I’m a shining beacon for them. I hear one of them howling and they both come running in my direction. I stand up and aim my pistol, as the light of my flashlight reveals two nosalises. It takes almost a full clip to put the first down. I quickly turn to my second target and fire my remaining rounds. The creature doesn’t die, but a lucky shot hit his right leg and he falls to the ground. I reload my pistol and finish the job with a single round to his forehead.

I’m pretty sure everything nearby heard that, I better get moving…

Just as I turn around, I spot even more enemies coming my way. There’s too many of them, my only choice is to run. Can I outrun these mutants? I don’t know, but I’ll sure as hell try. I throw caution away as I break into full speed. I enter a new section of the tunnel, one with multiple tracks and different ways to go. I pick a random path and move on. My heart is racing as I try to get away from my pursuers. I can also feel adrenaline being pumped in my bloodstream.

I hear a nosalis getting closer, too much for comfort. I turn around for a second and fire my whole magazine at him. Not even bothering to confirm the kill I turn around and run. I can see another station far ahead. Maybe I’ll be able to lose these creatures in there, even find a way out. Those thoughts help me push myself harder.

However, just as I’m about the go inside, another enemy tackles me. Pain explodes in my chest as I fall down. I do my best to ignore it, delivering a swift punch to his face and rolling to the side. Having a broken rib severely reduces my ability to fight properly. I face this new nosalis and bring my pistol up. A few shots to his face is enough to kill him, however, I still have to worry about the rest of my opponents.

Despite the protests of my body, I stand up and face the three nosalises. I fired a few times at each to buy me some time. As they stagger for a few moments, I move into the new station. I need to find something or somewhere that could give me a better chance. Maybe a chokepoint or a barricade. Using grenades is out of question, not with the risk of everything collapsing.

One of them gets too close and takes a quick swipe at my legs. My armor plates protect me from his claws, but the strength of his attack still throws me out of balance. I struggle to keep myself up, if I fall one more time it’ll be the end of me. I tried to shoot him with my final round, but I miss. Great, what can I do now? Surrounded by three murdering beasts and no time to reload…

Another tries to attack me, once he’s close enough I kick him in the face. I can feel the pain in my chest increasing; I can’t keep doing this for long. A pull back a little bit and search for a way out. My eyes spot an open doorway and I sprint towards it. I go inside and discover the place to be some sort of toilet room. It’s not much, but the narrow doorway will only allow one at a time, giving me better odds.

I bring my knife out as the first one comes. Before he gets the chance to attack me I grab him with one hand and stab his neck a few times. With lots of blood flowing freely, I throw him to the side, blood loss will finish the job. The second put up a better fight; giving me some deep cuts in both arms and a strong kick to the chest, (I wouldn’t be surprised if I break yet another rib). Eventually, however, he also falls, leaving only one target to kill.

I tired, wounded and pissed off, and so I charge in without thinking, attacking the creature with all my might. The nosalis gets a few lucky hits, but I don’t care, I just keep slashing and kicking him until he dies. When fight finally ends, I walk out of the bloody toilet room and sit down for a few seconds. This whole thing took a lot from me. Sweat and blood is dripping from my whole body; I'll need to patch these wounds soon.

Once my breathing goes back to normal I stand up and prepare to keep going. However, just as I do that, I hear something crashing a few meters ahead. Instinctively, I grab my pistol and reload. Pointing my weapon forward, I take a few steps. For fucks sake, what could it be now? As I come closer, I realize these are the sounds of something fighting. I get even closer, and I hear something howling in pain, followed by flesh being pierced. Probably another nosalis coming.

I spot something in the shadows ahead. My flashlight isn’t strong enough to reveal the target, but I don’t care, I just pull the trigger. With a loud bang, the shot goes, but it doesn’t hit the target, passing a few inches from the center of mass. The unknown creature recoils a bit before lashing out and throwing something in my direction. I jump to the side and dodge it, was that a fucking spear? Who the fuck would use a spear?

My small distraction allows my opponent to charge me. In a surge of panic a fire another round, but miss again. The thing is just too damn fast. I wasn't able to see what was illuminated by my flashlight before it collided with me, sending both of us to the ground. I struggle with the attacker, my punches and kicks hit something with furry limbs and a leather chest. I feel something heavy and metallic trying to stab me in the chest (thankfully stopped by my armor), either a knife or a short sword. Being aware of this weapon makes me fight harder to get away; it’s only a matter of time before it goes to my neck or other exposed parts of my body.

In a lucky hit, my opponent is kicked away from me, allowing me to roll away and stand up. I take my pistol and combat knife in hands, readying myself for another strike. I can hear my opponent moving around fast, I hear the sound of… wings, my enemy can fly. What gets my attention, however, is the string of… cursing coming from it.

Hold up for a moment, the way it attacked me, the spear, the sword… am I fighting a pony? Focusing on what it says, I recognize this as equestrian. It’s a mare, probably a pegasus, currently trying to find an opening to strike. Great… this is what I get for shooting first.

“You bucker!” The mare shouts in anger, “Think you could just sneak up on me? I’m going to teach you a lesson, freak!”

Before I get a chance to speak, the mare strikes again. However, this time I was ready, and so I dodge her blow, using the momentum to counterattack with my knife. As she passes near me, I get a better look at her. She’s not a pegasus, no, her wings have no feathers, they are similar to bat wings. Her coat is a very dark shade of gray, almost black, which contrast with her deep red (probably burgundy) mane and tail. I can also see her narrowed golden cat-like eyes, looking at me with anger and determination.

I stand back a little as the mare recovers. “Wait! Stop fighting!” I suppose that isn’t the best thing to say, but in my state I don’t really have much energy to think up something more complex. “Hold up, this was a mistake, I’m not looking for a fight.”

The mare snarls. “Bullshit! If didn’t want this you shouldn’t have shot me, filthy alien!” She hovers a little, trying to get away from my flashlight, “I’m going to rip your hooves out and beat you to death with them!”

The mare attacks, swinging her sword (looks a lot like a roman gladius) and dashing forward. Seeing no choice, I pull the trigger and fire a round in her direction, forcing her to break away. Once again, she begins to circle me.

“I thought you were a nosalis, for fucks sake!” I’m really pissed off right now… why can’t I get things to go my away for a full day? “I’m being honest with you, I don’t want to fight.”

The mare halts for a moment. “Bucking prove it, then!” That takes me by surprise.

I really didn’t want to be at her mercy, but in my current state I won’t be able to fight long. I need to end this before she gets a lucky hit. “Alright, I’ll put my weapons away, please don’t attack me,” Slowly, I put my weapons away, lifting my arms a little in a sign of surrender (not that these ponies would recognize it, I figure). This isn't ideal, but I figure I can still reach my pistol and knife if things become worse.

To my surprise, the… bat-pony takes a step in the light. She’s wearing leather armor with a few metal plates reinforcing key places, like the shoulders and hooves. Obviously, she favors mobility over protection. She’s still carrying the sword in her hooves, pointing it at me. The blade itself looks really well made and expensive.

Her voice breaks my analysis. “Alright, alien, start talking!”

Note: 50% to next level!

Chapter 14: The Dead City - Part 2

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Chapter 14: The Dead City – Part 2

“So you came to this place without a clue of what you might find and where to go and then ended up separated in this infested hole?” The mare said. “Bucking pathetic, I thought aliens were supposed to be smart…”

I rolled my eyes. “Well, it doesn’t look like you got any better at your end,” Just as she asked, I told her how and why I was wondering this place. My mood quickly descended as she began to throw these teases whenever I mentioned something going wrong. Seriously, who the fuck she thinks she is? “Anyway, as I was saying, I thought I could find a way up at some station around here, so far I had no such luck.”

The pony flew around a bit, hiding in the shadows. “Why should I believe you?” Because I didn’t blew your brains out… yet. I suppose that isn’t good enough, to be honest, the main reason why is simply because I’m stuck in this shitty situation, any other time I wouldn’t hesitate to fight. Not only that, it would be best if I don’t kill too many of the natives and risk creating a bad image for me and my comrades. “A minute ago you tried to kill me!”

I shook my head. “I told you already, I thought you were a Nosalis! I don’t want to fight.”

This little chat allowed me to have a good look at her. There were a few details, beyond the batwings, which made her different from the rest of the ponies, like the fluffy ears and what looked like fangs. I think Snowdrop told me something about this type of pony… I think they were called bat-ponies or something, quite fitting, I guess. Well, no matter what she is, I’m still stuck in this gods-forsaken shithole.

“Going inside this place just to find a way up? You would have better chances trying to climb up the crater you fell in!” She then pointed her hoof at me, “And don’t try to put me in the same ship, I’ve come here a few times already and I always come prepared!”

I raised an eyebrow. “Then how do you explain your current situation?”

She crossed her hooves and huffed. “I did come prepared, but the idiots I brought with me got themselves killed,” I’m starting to despise this mare, her ego is almost leaving the atmosphere…

“What exactly were you doing here?”

“I’m a Blackwatch, I came here to deal with the nosalises,” Interesting, she doesn’t look like one. The guys I saw usually carry heavier equipment. “Not that I can do much by myself… damn those idiots,” The mare shook her head a little.

Well, what can I do now? If she’s being honest, I won’t have to worry about her, however, that means I’m still stuck in this place. Maybe she can point me the way out? No,… she doesn’t look like the type of person who would do something out of pure goodness. She did say she has been here before, but how can I get her to help me? I didn’t brought any caps with me and the things I scavenged at the mall are not very precious…

Perhaps I could offer to help her? It isn’t much and I have no idea what we might face, but right now I’m running out of options. “Hey, you said you can’t do much by yourself, right?”

The mare looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “Well, yeah, you deaf or something?”

I let the little comment slide. “Well, I need to find a way out and get back on track, so how about we help each other? I’ll aid you in taking out these nosalises and you show me the way out.”

“As if you could be of much help…” She replied, rolling her eyes, “Although I suppose I don’t have much of a choice". She turned to face me, while attempting to put an intimidating expression. "Why should I let you help me, for all I know you could simply stab me from behind or leave me to the wolves when things get tense."

I crossed my arms. She does have a point, there's no reason for her to trust me, especially after what happened. "True, but if I wanted to kill you we wouldn't be having this conversation. Plus, as I already told you, I need to find a way out, and right now you're the only one who can help me on that."

She didn't seemed fully convinced, but nevertheless she still accepted what I said.

Hopefully I’m not getting myself into something too big. I spend a few minutes wrapping my wounds, while the mare checked her equipment. Taking a few glances, I made a mental list of what she’s carrying. A short sword, pistol, dagger, spear and what looked like a type of blade attached to the hoof (hoof-blade?).

She pointed a hoof at me. “If you want to help me, make sure you don’t get in the way,” You know, I always thought my armor and weapon implied I knew a thing or two about fighting, “We need to take out the alpha and that’s no easy task.”

The alpha? Interesting, that does says a lot about how these nosalises live, and I guess it makes this simpler. Better take care of one, probably big mutant, than a whole pack. However, if my luck is anything to go by, it won’t be anywhere as simple as it appears. I need to get back to my primary objective as soon as possible. Each minute wasted down here could compromise our success; we cannot lose whatever intel might be in there.

As I stood back up, ready to move on, the mare brought a big saddlebag to me. “Take this,” she said.

“What is it?”

“Explosives,” She replied plainly.

I raised an eyebrow. “Why do you have explosives?” A lot of it, if the weigh is anything to go by.

“Big mothers are usually very hard to kill; it’s easier to just blow up their nests.”

“Okay… so how exactly are we doing this?” I asked, “Do we just go inside, guns blazing?”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course not, we need to keep a low profile and stay away from large groups; once we identify the main nest, we’ll dump some charges around and hit the trigger.”

“Do you know how to get there?”

“More or less, I was investigating a few tunnels before I ended up here, I think they might lead towards the alpha.”

At least she isn’t an idiot. Her plan, as basic as it is, does carry some thought into it. Still, only god knows what kind of shit I’ll have to deal with. Without further conversation, we set out into the metro tunnels. Interestingly, the mare didn’t have any flashlights with her. Are her eyes adapted to low-light conditions? Or does she use echolocation, like actual bats?

I noticed the overall quality of her barding was a lot superior to previous leather jackets I had seen along the way. Her version was designed with a more military look, providing good protection to her center of mass and rear. Some of the joints and shoulder blades had small metal plates attached. In addition, the armor also had pouches in a few places. All in all, this looked a lot more professional and effective.

The mood between us didn’t change as we walked. It was easy to notice none of us was comfortable with each other. She was pissed off and I was annoyed. However, I did enjoy the silence somewhat, a lot better than hearing her remarks about my current predicament. Well, I don’t have to like this, as long as she holds her end of our little bargain, I can tolerate her behavior.

Eventually, we arrived in a large hole going through one of the walls. The gap was big, I could easily move inside without any restrictions. I could also see other smaller tunnels nearby. Where could they lead? Hopefully not to somewhere irradiated or filled with poison gas.

“So, is this the place?” I asked, as the mare checked her weapons one more time.

She glanced towards me. “Yea, I think so,” she seemed to settle for her… hoof-blade thing and spear, “There might be Nosalises nearby, so keep your guard up.”

We walked inside. I discovered this tunnel wasn’t really long. After about five minutes we reached some sort of bunker… or maybe a control station of the metro, I couldn’t really tell. There was a lot of dust, no illumination and the smell of something rotting. This must be their nest or something.

“Hey, can you turn the flashlight off?” The mare asked, “That thing will make you a glowing target.”

She has a point; however, I don’t really have anything else I could use instead. “True, but without it, I’ll be practically blind in this darkness.”

“You don’t have anything else you could use?” I shook my head. “Ugh, that’s just great… at least tone it down as much as you can.”

I did as she asked. I could barely see anything beyond three meters, just the general shape of things. While the lack of details could be a problem, I suppose I could shoot anything that moves, it’s not like I expect to find anything friendly down here.

“Okay, so what are we looking for?” I asked her.

The mare pondered for a moment. “Well, usually they need a pretty big room to setup a nest, both wide and tall,” She looked around at bit. As I observed her, I couldn’t help but to notice her eyes seemed to… glow a bit. “We need to find a map or something to know if there’s anywhere around here that could fit that.”

“And if we don’t?” I asked, with a raised eyebrow.

The mare shrugged. “I suppose we could just look around for a place like that.

The two of us proceeded to look for a map or anything that could guide us through this place. True to my early assumptions, it appeared this place was indeed some sort of control center for the metro system.

-x-

“Okay, so I guess we need to go one floor down…” I said while analyzing the map we had found in one of the walls.

“That’s what it looks like,” The mare agreed. “Come on, let’s end this.”

Without waiting for a reply, the bat-pony moved towards the stairway outside. After shoving the small map inside one of my pouches, I followed. This place is awfully quiet, the silence makes me uneasy. Well, at least I’m not alone, even if it’s not the best company. We moved down the stairs, into the next level.

As we walked, the mare slipped on something, almost falling. Her quick movements brought a small cloud of dust up on her face. She sneezed once while giving a step back and shaking her head to get the dust out of her red mane. It would be an amusing sight, if it wasn’t for our current situation. The mare gave a quick glance towards me, probably to see if I was laughing at her, and then pushed on.

The next floor was no different, the same old concrete walls devoid of colors and the dust-covered floor. There were also a few skeletons laying around. The two of us kept going, deeper into a corridor, leading towards a depot where we assumed the Nosalises had made their nest. Unlike the previous floor, this time we could hear things far away.

I looked at the mare; her ears were up and turning around, searching for these noises. “Nosalises?” I asked. She just nodded. Her expression was cold and determined. We advanced more carefully, watching for anything suspicious. Further ahead, our path split into two. Before we could reach it, however, we heard something crashing nearby.

“Lights off!” The mare whispered to me. I complied immediately. My eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, providing some help, but not much. We both stayed there, in combat stance, waiting. I could hear it walking, getting closer to us. That’s definitely a Nosalis.

The sounds of something moving our way became louder. I gripped my pistol tightly and pointed at the end of the hall. Just as I did so, a dark shape appeared there. I aimed at it and prepared to fire, hopefully I can get a headshot.

However, before I could squeeze the trigger, the mare besides me snapped her wings open and rushed forward like a bullet. She collided with the Nosalis, extended hoof first, the one equipped with blades. There was a light crush as the she pierced his chest, probably destroying his heart and other vital parts in the process. The creature fell dead without any reaction. That’s… impressive.

I lowered my pistol as she looked at me. “Come on, let’s keep going.”

“Alright…”

The two of us sneaked deeper into the darkness. With the threat of mutants nearby, we couldn’t afford having a flashlight on. It was annoying to walk with little to no eyesight, but the mare did a good job guiding me. Whenever there was something laying on the ground, she would tell me.

“We should be coming close,” I commented. “What are we going to do once we reach the nest?”

The mare paused and looked at me with those big yellow eyes. “Good question, I figure we should try to plant the charges undetected and then leave.”

I raised an eyebrow. “And if that fails?”

The mare shrugged. “We plant the charges faster.”

Not exactly a genius plan, but I suppose I shouldn’t expect a pony version of Austerlitz from her. After all, we are just two people who barely know each other trying to take down a whole nest filled with an unknown number of bloodthirsty and deadly mutants…

Fuck, now that I think about it, we have some shitty odds on our side. Well, it’s either this or keep wondering this underground deathtrap. I’m pretty sure my chances of surviving that are even worse. Okay, maybe I should stop thinking about this. Focus on the mission; I can debate whether this was a good idea or not once I’m out of here.

Finally, we reached the doors separating us from the nest. We silently stared at each other, as we prepared for what might come ahead. I checked my pistol and the charges (the bag contained four blocks of what appeared to be C-4, and a detonator), while the mare drew her spear. I still don’t know why she has such weapons.

“You ready?” She asked.

“Yeah, let’s do this.” I replied.

The mare took a step forward and pushed the doors open. They revealed a large storeroom filled with glowing mushrooms. They might be radioactive, but at least they provided a small source of light. I could hear the sound of Nosalises nearby. The two of us sneaked inside. The room was almost devoid of objects, I could see a few lonely boxes and some piles of rubble, but beyond that, not much else. In the far corner, I spotted a large shape surrounded by other smaller and moving ones. I guess the large one must be the alpha, and the others are the youngsters.

“Okay, here’s what we do,” The mare said, interrupting my analysis. “You go plant the charges in the main supports and I’ll watch out for threats.”

“Alright, can you point me where the nearest one is?” The mare did as asked, and we went towards our first goal. We reached the concrete pillar without any issues. I put the bag down and took out a single charge. I’m not an expert on this, but the pillar doesn’t look very tick, a single block should be enough. I placed the explosive on the base and turned it on.

We did the same in the next two pillars (there were four main pillars). I half expected us to alert the Nosalises at some point, but so far our luck has been holding. That’s not to say we didn’t had some close calls. More than once, we had to change directions or hold for a few moments to avoid drawing attention. It appears the mare does have some sort of night vision; she had zero issues guiding me around and keeping an eye out for hostiles.

The two of us were almost reaching the final pillar. My heart was beating slightly faster, because of my eagerness to end this and go back to my original objective. However, at that moment our good fortune ran out. Something moved on my left side, the two of us froze in place. Turning my head towards it, I spotted a single Nosalis getting up and sniffing the air. Oh god… please don’t notice us.

It did, and the thing let out a loud bark before moving in our direction. “Oh, god-fucking-dammit!” I shouted, as I pointed my pistol and fired. Three rounds hit the beast on its upper chest and neck. The wounds were enough to put it down, but it didn’t matter, for now every single creature inside this place was aware of us. I could hear the others shouting and howling.

“Hey, alien!” The mare shouted. “You get the last charge in place; I’ll try to distract them!”

Without wasting time, I did as told and sprinted towards the pillar. A nearby mutant tried to jump on me, before being pierced by a spear. If I had time, I would probably stop and wonder a little bit about that, this girl is pretty strong. Nevertheless, I don’t have such luxury. In a few seconds, I was already on the ground planting the explosive. I blocked out all sounds around me as I worked. This isn’t the time to get anxious, just focus on getting this job done.

A quick glance behind me assured me I didn’t have to worry about my temporary companion. With a skillful use of her sword and hoof-blade, the mare had already killed two mutants, and was now taking down the third. She flew around it, occasionally snapping her wings and delivering quick blow to it. The mare denied any chance of recovery or counter-attack.

After what felt like an eternity, the charge was ready. Now is the time to get the fuck out of here and blow this place. I stood up and was about to shout to the mare, however, before I could, she was knocked to the ground by a slow, but very big creature… the alpha. The thing was ugly, more than usual. Worse of all, it looked strong and tick, the mare wasn’t kidding when she said they were hard to kill.

The thing was about to deliver a killing blow to the pony, who was too stunned by the previous attack. Fuck, what can I do? I won’t leave the mare here, but I doubt my pistol would do much damage… however, maybe my sniper rifle would work. Using such weapons in close quarters is never a good idea, and I’ll only have one chance before the thing kill her. Well, not like I have much of a choice.

As quickly as I could, I picked up my sniper rifle and aimed. At this distance I don't even need to use the scope. Without thinking, I pulled the trigger. The bullet zipped through the air and found its mark at the alpha's chest, easily punching in. The creature gave a step back, obviously in pain. Using this moment, I dashed towards the fallen mare. A few steps away from her, I shouted.

"Come on, get up!" I said, receiving no answer. "We have to get out of here!"

The mare moved, having a lot of trouble getting back to her hooves. My heart was pounding inside my chest, each second brought us closer to our death. I could see the alpha approaching again. However, the mare was finally able to run towards me. Without second thoughts, I turned around and went to the exit, with the mare following me closely. As we passed through the old doors, I grabbed the detonator a pressed the trigger. The resulting explosion threw both of us on the floor.

The adrenaline in my bloodstream kept me alert. Despite the ringing in my ears and the pain in multiple parts of my body, I looked around and attempted to analyze the situation. A quick glance behind me confirmed that the nest was gone; without the main pillars, the whole room collapsed. To my right was the bat-pony, who was awake and trying to get up. I tried to do the same.

"Hey, you alright?" My voice sounded like a whisper, muffed by the ringing which still hadn't subsided. The mare shook her head a few times and nodded. A new sound came... nosalises, they must've heard the explosion and are coming back to investigate. "Can you walk?"

"I had worse," the mare replied, "Still, I could really use a healing potion..."

"Well, I don’t have any, but I do have some bandages. "

She frowned at that. "Not ideal, but it'll have to do," I gave her the bandages and she quickly wrapped her wounds. The nosalises reached us soon after, and we found ourselves fighting for our lives. She skillfully cut down several mutants, as I used my pistol to keep them away. However, we weren't making progress to the exit; soon, we'll run out of energy and ammunition.

"Shit, I'm running out of ammo!" Another Nosalis tried to jump on me as I said that. He was met with strong kick to the jaw. “We need to find another way!"

"I know that already!" The mare replied. She was pissed off and really busy, doing everything she could to keep the nosalises away. "For Celestia's sake, where did they came from?"

The two of us were almost surrounded. We have little to no room for manouver and more mutants swarm the area with each second. There's only one thing we can do, run as fast as we can to the exit. Despite the chaotic situation, I couldn’t help but to admire her ability with melee weapons. For someone with hooves, she can deliver some serious beating. Thank God she's on my side.

"Come on, let's move!" I shouted. We had force our way into unknown areas, hoping to find a different path. This was a risky strategy, but it was our only choice. Thankfully, I still had the map of the local area, so we didn't get lost. Nevertheless, we still faced some issues like collapsed sections and locked doors on our way. At some point we managed to lose some of our enemies, or perhaps they were simply too disorganised by the loss of their nest. While we still had to worry about a few, this allowed us more freedom to manouver.

After a while, we made it back to the main tunnels. I was forced to use my grenades to stop our hunters. This whole thing is taking a lot of effort. I don't know how long we ran, trying to get away, probably around twenty minutes. At the end, both of us were sweating and panting, while we rested inside an old train. I looked at the mare, she appeard to be just as exhausted as myself. I suppose this scene would be somewhat amusing, a fully equipped soldier and a pony resting inside an old train. We remained in silence for a little while, trying to breathe normally.

"Fuck... that was close," I said. "You think we lost them?"

The mare shook her head. "No idea, probably yes, we still should keep going further, just to make sure."

While part of me was inclined to just agree and move on, most of my mind kept reminding me of my mission. I did my part in this little adventure, the nest is destroyed and now I need her to do her end of our deal. I need to get back on track, to find my friend and discover whatever secrets might be hidden in the Equestrian Strategic Command.

"Look, before we go, I need to ask you something," I stood up and faced the mare, who looked at me with a frown. Her face twisted in confusion. "The main reason I'm following you is because of our deal, I helped you destroy the nest and now I need you to hold your end."

I expected her to throw an angry comment or something, but to my surprise, she just closed her eyes for a second and let out a long breath. "You want me to guide you out of here?" I nodded. "Alright then, you did help me so I guess it's only fair... even if I did most of the work..." I rolled my eyes. Ugh, I just can't stand this girl...

-x-

Despite her general behavior, she did as asked. The two of us spend almost a full hour walking through more tunnels, but eventually we found a way out. The mere sight of an exit brought a wave of comfort to me. I felt glad and slightly excited, now is the time to end this. Hopefully I can find Barin nearby, he’ll probably be waiting inside a tall building where he can keep an eye on his surroundings.

The air around us was filled with dust, highlighted by the sunlight coming from the exit. None of us spoke a word as we took the final steps out. Still, it feels wrong to just walk away like this, I might as well say a few words. There’s still a few questions in my mind. I halted and faced the pony, who also stopped.

“Well, you wanted a way out, here it is,” She said, waving a hoof at the open way. “Is there anything else?”

“I have a few questions,” I replied. My words took the mare by surprise.

She frowned a little. “What is it?”

“Why did you listened? Most ponies I’ve come across usually shoot before asking.”

“Well, I did tried to kill you at first… but I decided to give you a chance.”

“Why?”

“Because you aren’t the first alien I stumbled upon,” It was my time to be surprised. How? Was there any more humans on this place? Maybe from other sectors of Verdun? No, if that was the case we would probably be able to get in contact with them.

From what I remember, the Blackwatch guy I met did mentioned a small group of his people being aided by someone down the coast. This mare was probably part of those people. Strange, guess I should be thankful for that. Still, I’ll ask about this once I get back to the outpost, perhaps we can gain something from helping these people.

“Since those freaks helped us, I figured I should at least keep an ear up for you,” The mare added. I can’t help but to feel slightly angry at her choice of words. “Anything else?”

“I haven’t seen anything like you before, are you some sort of… bat-pony?” Her face twisted in anger. What the fuck did I do wrong?

“We’re called Thestrals… not bat-ponies you little idiot…” Great, I just said the pony version of nigger…

I raised both arms in a placate gesture. “Hold on, I didn’t know that, sorry.”

“Whatever,” She replied, rolling her eyes. “Is there anything else?”

“Actually… there is, what’s your name?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Why do you care?”

“Just curious.”

While she appeared to be suspicious of what I said, she complied. “It’s Starry Night…”

Jesus, I’ll never get used to these names. “Well, I’m Alex.”

“I don’t give a shit, now, if you excuse me, I need to go back,” Without waiting for a replied, she turned around and went back inside, leaving me alone once more. Guess it’s time to get back on track, can’t believe I can finally leave this hole. I walked forward, into the light. After the initial blindness, my eyes adjusted and I took stock of my surroundings.

Again in the torn and dead city. The area is mostly quiet and I can see my objective is near, probably less than one kilometer. After giving a last glance to the metro, I set on to find Barin. Traversing the streets isn’t easy with all this rubble laying around. Luckily, there weren’t any hostiles in my path, which obviously speeds my progress.

Eventually I reached an open area separating me from the Equestrian Strategic Command. The building was tall and mostly intact, with the exception of a few destroyed walls and collapsed areas. Separating me from it was a large parking lot filled with wrecked vehicles. My first instinct was to go straight up to the objective, but I decided to be more cautious.

Looking around, I spotted a small shop where I could stay for a moment and figure something. I went inside, finding nothing but dust and bones. I settled down for the top floor, where I had a nice view of the area. After moving some of the furniture to cover any holes and placing my sniper rifle near the window, I sat down and turned my radio on.

I don’t know for sure if my friend will get this, or even if it’s safe to break radio silence in here, but it’s not like I have much of a choice. “Hello, this is Sergeant Alexander of the PAC, does anyone copy?” I said in Russian. I waited a minute, receiving nothing but static. “Come on Barin, are you there?” I couldn’t help but to feel a light tug on my heart, please tell me he’s okay. “Barin, come on, it’s Alex here, answer me!”

After a few torturous seconds, to my relief, there was an answer. “W- Hello!” There was still a substantial amount of static, but at least I could understand something. “A- Alex, I hear yo-!”

“Hold on! There’s too much interference, try to get somewhere higher,” At this point, I was rushing upstairs towards the roof. Once I reached the top, the signal became clearer. “Alright, say again, do you copy?”

“Yes! I hear you loud and clear!” I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “For god’s sake Alex, why the fuck did you took so long?” It was easy to notice the worry in his voice.

“Sorry, I ran into some trouble, but I’m okay, how’re you doing on your end?”

“Well, I managed to lose those birds, got real close to our objective but haven’t been able to get inside.”

I frowned. “Really? Why is that?”

“I spotted a few armed ponies inside, and I have no idea how they might react to us.”

What? Ugh, for fucks sakes, we just can’t have it easy, can we? “Well, that sucks… where are you right now?”

“I’m inside some sort of market, facing the right side of the main building, what about you?” Shit, he’s probably on the other side of the area, not very close.

“I’m also inside a building, but I don’t think it’s near, perhaps I could move closer…” With the threat of hostiles around, I’ll have to be extra careful when moving, this could prove difficult. “But I don’t know how long that might take.”

“Great, that makes things even better for us… can you at least try to get somewhere high? Maybe you could spot me.”

“I suppose I can try, not really a lot of things standing around here, but there might be something, I’ll see what I can find,” I can see some ruins up ahead, maybe one of them is good enough. “Try keeping radio contact, over and out.”

How long have we been out here? It feels like an eternity. This little journey has taken a lot more than expected, and it doesn’t look like it’s getting any easier. Home… I haven’t thought much about it in these last few days, I’ve been too worried about my friends and comrades, constantly searching for answers and information that might give us a better chance to survive. However, right now the memories of better times keep showing up. Maybe I’m just in a sad mood, or perhaps I’m more eager than I realize about what we could find in there.

I should probably stop, there’s no point to keep worrying about that until I can get a real chance to get the fuck out of here. Focus on the mission, anything else is a waste of time and energy. I need to find a tall building, somewhere where I can spot Barin and finish this.

It took me quite a while to find a good place. On the other hand, perhaps I’m just too eager to go on, probably that. I found some sort of water tower near a big house; the thing was rusted but still steady enough to be safe. I moved up through a stairway, which went around it. Once I reached the top, I confirmed this place had indeed a good view of the area. From here, I could easily see my target, as well as much of the surrounding area.

“Hey, Barin, I managed to find a higher position, where are you?” I asked through the radio.

“Really? Well, I’m inside some sort of market, facing the right side of the main building; this place has a big propaganda sign on top.”

Looking through the scope of my sniper rifle, I searched for him. After a few seconds, I spotted the sign. “Alright, I think I see the market, can you reach one of the windows?”

“Okay, I think I can, hold on,” A few moments after that, I saw something moving. It was him, his PAC armor was easy to recognize.

“I can see you now.”

He nodded. “Good, now we need to decide what we’re going to do about the ponies up ahead.”

I frowned. “Where are they exactly?”

“They’re near the entrance of the main building, searching through the wreckages.”

“Do you think they’ll leave after a while?”

“That’s hard to say…” He paused for a second. “I saw one of them setting up a few tents, so I don’t know…”

I let out a sigh. “Fucking great… what the hell should we do?”

“You want to try talking to them?”

I’m really inclined to, but still have some doubts. While we did have some small success a few times before, I can’t risk it. There’s nobody else here to help us and we’re too far from the HQ to call for help, if something goes wrong we’ll have to deal with it. Not only that, I’m low on ammunition, I don’t have enough to go into any sort of prolonged firefight. We should also take into consideration that none of us is at 100%, I'm pretty sure I have a broken rib and several other minor wounds. I'm tired and without a clue of a good way to approach this. I do remenber the radio transmittion from before, but for all I know these people might not have heard it or simply not care. Like it or not, there really isn't much room for diplomacy, or at least not enough to deal with the consequences.

At the same time… the idea of killing people who have nothing to do with us is troubling, to say the least. “Are they raiders or some shit?”

“Doesn’t look like it…” Shit, just what I need, more stuff to add towards a guilty consciousness.

I shifted from my position and looked towards where the ponies were. I spotted four, two guarding the front, and to others searching around and setting up tents. They looked normal, three males and one female. They seemed to be chatting, with an occasional laugh coming from someone. However, they were also well armed, carrying revolvers, shotguns and even a submachinegun. Depending on how experienced they are, we could end up in deep shit.

“We can’t talk to them, it’s too risky,” I stated.

“What? Then what do you suggest?” Good question, I suppose we could attempt to sneak by, but we don’t really know how many of them could be in there, plus this would severely cripple our freedom to search the inside of the building.

God, the more I think about it, less options I see. “Perhaps… we will need to fight them.”

Doesn’t feel right saying this, but I don’t see other options. These people stand right in front the most solid lead we have, and I can’t just turn around and leave. We need to go inside and find out more. At the same time… just because they picked the wrong spot to stay is hardly enough to earn a death sentence. For all I know these are just random scavengers, a small band of local civilians. As a soldier, I also have a few rules to uphold (even if many ignore them) which includes the protection of non-combatants.

“What? Are you insane, Alex?” His sudden voice broke my thoughts. “Are you really suggesting we attack these people?” He was angry, as expected. “For fucks sakes Alexander, are you sure you didn’t suffer any head trauma on the way here?!”

“These people are standing in our way and it’s too dangerous to try diplomacy!” My crappy mood and general exhaustion from everything I went through is beginning to show in my voice. “Our job is to go in there and find out more about pre-war facilities, and we can’t do it with these people on our way!”

“That doesn’t mean we can just gun them down like animals, for god’s sakes!” At this point, he was practically welling in his radio. I guess we were simply too frustrated to deal with this in a more civil matter. “Did you even consider sneaking inside or waiting until nightfall to try something?”

“I… But what if they find us? We’ll be stuck in a hopeless firefight against a large number of hostiles, you know that’s too dangerous!”

“And I would rather suffer the risks than just throw my morals out of the window!” I held myself from answering as I heard him letting out a sigh. “Look Alex, I know you’re eager to find out more, I am too, but we can’t just kill a group of innocent people to do so.”

I closed my eyes for a second. My body hurt, my head was pounding and I could feel sweat dripping through my clothes. Part of me is screaming to end this nightmare, to go there and get closer to our home. The other points out how pathetic I’m being for even considering doing this. He has a point… we can’t just kill them because of this. Sometimes we all end up in the wrong place without knowing, and we can’t be guilty for something we aren’t aware.

“Alright… you win,” I opened my eyes again. “So, I guess we’ll have to sneak around...”

-x-

We waited until the sun was setting to go in; depending on how this goes, we might have to wait until nightfall. In the time we waited, I was able to gather some good information on these people, which could prove useful. It looks like it’s only four and they are indeed scavengers. The two gatekeepers, as I decided to call them, were the biggest threat. It looks like they have body armor, and are carrying the heavier weapons. The two others, were almost the opposite, not looking strong or well equipped.

The perimeter around the entrance was mostly clear, with the exception of a few wrecked vehicles and ruble. The wall that surrounded the area had a few holes in it, allowing easy access. Of course, we would have to keep our eyes open for traps and any other sort of dangers. Hopefully this won’t turn bad, last thing we need is another fight.

I moved closer to the perimeter, doing my best to stay silent. It isn’t easy to do this with my whole set of armor plates. This task would be much easier if we had active camouflage devices. My heart was faster than normal, reacting to my fears towards what might come. This is heavy gamble; we need to be extra careful to make sure this works.

I pressed myself against a small pile of rocks, a few meters away from the small camp they had set up. I looked around, searching for any ponies. It didn’t appear to be any, but I had to be sure. A few more minutes waiting and nothing came, I still had doubts, but this is as much assurance as I will probably get. I stood up and moved quicker, towards the wall. Once I arrived, I went to my radio.

“Hey Barin, you there?” I called.

“Yes, I hear you loud and clear, what is it?” He replied.

“How is everything at your end?”

“So far pretty quiet, I think they’re taking up watch closer to their tents,” strange, that would leave most of the perimeter unguarded. These people are not rookies, that much is clear, so I doubt they would commit this type of mistake. “They must either be looking out from somewhere higher or have some other card in their sleeves.”

I thought for a few moments. “Well, if there was indeed someone above us, we would already been seem, which isn’t the case,” But then what else? The two of us spent a long time watching them, and we didn’t saw anyone else or any sort of equipment which could help with that. “Maybe they have a few tripwires around…”

“I guess that’s possible, I’ll keep an eye out for it.”

With everything ready, I moved forward. The two of us had decided to meet up in the ground floor inside, after we had passed the ponies. It took a few minutes to find an opening in the perimeter. The hole was just about large enough to allow passage. Before taking a single step, I searched for any kind of wire or unnatural signs in the ground. To my surprise, I spot a barely visible wire, about thirty centimeters above the ground; just high enough for someone to trip in it, activating whatever is behind this wall.

Carefully, I moved to see what laid behind. I found a small metal tube sticking on the ground besides the hole, probably some sort of IED. Slowly, I stepped inside the perimeter, making sure to stay away from the wire. I decided to analyze the explosive, which appeared to be handcrafted… or I suppose it would be hoof-crafted? The metal itself didn’t look very thick, and the wire went through a small gap near the base. Overall, this was very well crafted.

I’m no expert, but I still managed to deactivate the thing, leaving it exactly where it stood. If one of the ponies came by, they would need to be very close to notice the lack of a wire besides it. Ahead of me, I could see a small light coming from the camp. Gradually, I made my way around. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were other traps, forcing me to move slowly. Eventually, I reached an overturned vehicle; I stayed down and searched for any ponies around.

That’s when I heard her…

There was movement, very close to me. One of the main disadvantages these ponies have are their hooves, because while they don’t need to wear shoes they make a lot more noise than humans. I briefly wondered how these ponies would be stealthy when their hooves do so much noise. I stayed as low and still as possible, praying she wouldn’t see me. A dark shape appeared in the corner of my vision, as I slowly turned my head, I saw a dark blue coat and light gray mane. She wasn’t wearing body armor, just a long shirt and a vest with a few pouches. Her mane was tied back, allowing me to see her whole face.

“Hey, Silver! You in here?” Shit, she must’ve heard me… this will turn real bad. “Strange…”

I grip my pistol and combat knife, if she turns around I’m screwed. What should I do? She looks harmless and isn’t carrying any weapons, but the only thing she needs to do is scream. The mare moves towards the wall, I can’t see her expression, but I bet she’s going to check on the tripwires. I can’t allow that, one wrong move and I could end up killed.

Slowly, I leave my bag and sniper rifle on the ground. I begin to move towards her, without the extra weight, I can sneak much better. However, this isn’t my main skill, there’s a good chance she’ll hear me once I come near. Sweat drips down my hair as I get closer and closer, she still hasn’t noticed me. Come on… it’s now or never, I have to take her down.

I take a wrong step and kick a small metal can…

Hear ears stand up and she freezes…

Without thinking, I charge in and tackle her. She attempts to scream but I shove her head in the dirt. Her body twists, she tries her best to break free. I also struggle, my body hurts all over and my broken rib keeps poking my lungs. This is taking too long and someone might notice us. With my pistol, I hit her head a few times to disorient her. It works, the mare loses focus and I’m able to pin her down while keeping her muzzle shut with one hand.

“Keep fighting and I’ll slit your throat!” I whisper, my voice sounds scarier than I intended. The mare freezes once more and shakes a little. She’s very afraid me and is aware of what I can do. Okay, now what?

What the fuck should I do? Gods, I didn’t prepared myself for something like this, I don’t have a rope or anything to tie her up. I can’t just kill her, but if she warns her buddies I’m dead. God fucking dammit, why does everything needs to be so hard?

My mind rushes as I pin the mare down. Do I take her as a hostage? Maybe I can call Barin and tell him help me out… nope, that won’t work, it’s two people against three, possibly well-armed opponents. The more that I think about it, less options I see. I don’t want to kill her, she has nothing to do with us and is unarmed, but what other options are available?

I look at the mare, her breathing is unsteady, and I can feel her heart pounding and her eyes are wide in terror. She’s not a soldier…

There’s only one option left. I don’t like it and this might put my life on risk, but it’s the only acceptable way. I have to let her go, somehow without revealing us to her comrades. This isn’t good, I’m not a diplomat or negotiator, my skills on this are limited. I’ll need a very convincing act to stop her from compromising us.

I notice she has closed her eyes. “Stop, open your eyes…” I whisper, the mare doesn’t comply. “I said, look at me!” This time she does as I say, I can see her expression turning to surprise as she sees what I am. I feel her muscles tensing up and her legs moving. I apply a little more force on my pistol, pressing it to her head. She stops moving once more. “Look… I’m not going to hurt you…” My words feel empty, saying that isn’t enough when I just attacked her. “My name is Alex, I have no interest in you or your friends, I’m only here to find some pre-war information inside this building.”

I doubt this little explanation is enough, but the mare seems to be slightly calmer. I really hope this isn’t just the adrenaline going down. “Uh… look, I’m only doing this because I can’t trust on how you ponies would react to me, I am not looking for a fight, do you understand?”

I can’t really say if she’s convinced or not, and she isn’t giving me an answer. “Just nod or shake your head…” She nods, very slightly. “Alright, I’ll let you go now; you will go back to your companions and you won’t say anything about this!” Slowly, I lose my grip on her and allow the mare to slip away. She stands in front of me, probably unsure how to react. “Don’t make me regret this,” With those words, she leaves.

Making sure she’s far enough, I continue my journey. It doesn’t take long for me to reach the lobby, where I sit and wait. Each second feels like an eternity. What will come for me? A friend or an enemy? I keep my pistol pointed, ready to fire in case the mare didn’t do as asked. I see a shape approaching, and for a moment, my grip tightens… only to stop once I notice it’s Barin.

I lowered my weapon and stand up. Barin recognizes me and approaches; he looks mostly fine, with an exception of a few scratches and a bandaged hand. I motion for him to follow me into a more secluded room. We both take a stock of this place while we move. Analyzing the place as the darkness quickly increases. We only have a few more minutes of sunlight.

“Did something happened on the way here?” No time for greetings. Both of us are too tired for such pleasantries.

He shook his head. “No, wasn’t easy, but I managed to sneak by without being noticed,” Guess he’s luckier than me. “I did came across a few tripwires, though.”

“Yeah, I know about it…” Time to break the bad news. “However, I had a small problem on my end…” He raised his eyebrow. “One of them crossed my path and I had to attack.”

Barin crossed his arms. “Did you…” He trailed off.

I instantly raised a hand. “I didn’t kill her; I pinned her down and told her I wasn’t looking for a fight.”

“Do you think she believed you?”

“No idea, I did my best to assure her we had no interest in her little group, but I can’t be sure. We better search this place as quickly as possible.”

“Alright, let’s stop wasting time.”

Making this a quick search wasn’t easy, as we soon found out. We already knew just how massive this place was, but the sheer number of offices, meeting rooms, archives and terminals spread around was still stunning. If anything like this was planned back home, people would instantly be suspicious, this whole place just smells of corruption. Wouldn’t be surprised if this was overpriced, just to fill the pockets of some high ranking noble.

Anyway, reading random files and documents was fruitless, so we decided to keep our search to where the more important people stayed (which was easy to find, given the difference in luxury and aesthetic). We also looked into whatever archives were on the way. I honestly don’t know how long it took. It was already night and we were still there, reading things with our flashlights.

I guess the mare must’ve believed on what I said… or maybe she was just too scared, doesn’t matter.

However, our efforts paid off. Not only we found a lot of intel concerning their military technology and strategy. We also found a top-secret list informing how many megaspell facilities there were in the island. It said there was a total of five places, three of them with standard warheads (whatever they were) and two with “Prototypes”. The document didn’t say what these special warheads contained, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were somehow connected to our arrival.

This is a great find. We need to go back to the outpost, tell them what we discovered and plan our next steps.

Footnote: Level Up!

Survival: 55
Guns: 78

New Perk: Toughness- +3 DT permanently.

Chapter 15: Rising Tensions

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Chapter 15: Rising Tensions

Fabruary 2140, Serbia

There are five of us in a bunker; nothing will get us out of here. The cold outside is unbearable, you can only stay there for a few minutes before it becomes too dangerous. Even if we could somehow survive the cold, we would still have to deal with artillery and enemy snipers from the hills ahead of us. There’s nothing we can do, nowhere to escape.

We have been stuck here for several weeks, trying to slow down the enemy advance into Serbia so that everyone else can be evacuated. It hasn’t been enough, most of the Balkans has already fallen and it’s only a matter of time before the enemy breaks through our lines and reach Belgrade. Every soldiers knows this, yet we continue to resist in hopes of a miracle, that somehow we might be able to change the tide, or at the very least get everyone out safely.

For now, we remain inside this concrete coffin. We take turns watching the outside for enemy movement, while a few others take care of our communications and supplies. There’s only one working radio, and its signal only covers a few miles, just enough to reach the HQ. Not that it helps anyway, the only calls we get are to inform us that they can’t get any reinforcements or supplies to our location, it’s been three days since our last supply delivery and we're already rationing our food.

Being the more experienced soldiers, Elliot and I do what we can to keep everything working, but the constant shelling and prolonged confinement are taking their toll, especially on the three recruits that are with us. Those boys only received the most basic training before being sent here, they are just too young and inexperienced, and are almost as much trouble as they are worth. We do our best to keep them in control, but they still shake in fear whenever a shell lands too close, their eyes carrying a primal fear. The claustrophobia also affects us to some extent, but we’re used to it.

“Hey, you had any luck out there?” I saw Elliot coming inside, his body covered in snow. He had gone outside to see if he could find more food for us, which was obviously dangerous, but we didn’t have a choice.

He shook his head. “I managed to reach a few bunkers down the line, but they're just as fucked as we are…” After the heavy steel door was closed, he went towards me while shaking off all the snow that had accumulated on his helmet and shoulders. “There were some casualties yesterday, they said.”

I gestured him to the seat next to me, by the radio. “How bad?”

“A machinegun crew suffered a direct hit, no survivors.”

I looked away for a moment and nodded. “Could be worse I guess…”

“Yes,” He looked around in silence, noting the two recruits chatting next to the window, as they watched the outside, and the lonely figure on top of a bed hugging his knees.

I saw how he frowned at the sight. “They’ll get used to it, eventually.”

“I hope so.”

A shell landed too close, and the entire structure shook with the blast. The two guys chatting froze in place, while the third on the bed stared at the ceiling in fear, eyes wide and body shaking.

Elliot and I quietly watched them, just in case they tried to do something stupid. The fear of being buried alive can easily drive people mad, and there were many stories of soldiers charging outside to get away, acting on instinct. As expected, the one on the bed stood up shaking and began to pace back and forth while rubbing his head. Both of us stood up and went talk to him, trying to calm him down, to which eventually he nodded and went back to bed.

It was hard to keep ourselves distracted as the day passed. I tried to get in touch with the captain and see what was happening throughout the line, while occasionally chatting or playing some cards with the rest of the guys. We ate half meals as the sun went down, and eventually we all went to sleep.

Elliot and I only pretended to do so; we had to keep watching the recruits to make sure they wouldn’t seize the opportunity to do something. The guy who had already spend most of the day on his bed couldn’t sleep either, he tossed and turned beneath his sheets. I was ready to stop him if he tried to run away.

It turned out to be an even better idea to stay awake, because at some point during the night we suffered a new bombardment, much more intense than before. Shells began to land at a much higher rate, to the point where individual explosions joined into a single, constant thunder. I could also hear a faint sound of gunships and fighter jets flying outside.

All five of us jumped out of bed by instinct. This wasn’t a normal barrage, this was a prelude to an assault.

Elliot and I were quick to grab our stuff, while the three recruits stood still. “Get ready lads, come on!” Elliot shouted, breaking their shock. They began to act, although much slower than we had.

Within a minute, I was fully dressed and had my rifle in hands. “You three!” I shouted at the recruits, “Watch for movement outside, fire at will!” I turned to Elliot as the recruits scrambled, “Elliot, stay on the radio and try to get in contact with the rest of the regiment, we need to know exactly what’s going on!” I could barely hear my own voice over the sounds of battle.

I ran towards the front of the bunker and pointed my rifle through the narrow opening. The constant flashes of explosions blinded me for a second, as I tried to see what was going on. It was total chaos, there were flares floating above the fields, anti-aircraft fire shooting upwards and clouds of dirt and snow rising from the explosions. I couldn’t see any aircrafts, but I could hear the sound as they passed by, accompanied by the whistle of bombs falling.

The men beside me were visibly shaking with adrenaline and couldn’t aim straight. Ahead of us, I could see dark shapes moving downhill towards us, followed by much larger things. It was a mechanized unit, enemy infantry supported by APCs and god knows what else. They quickly reached the area illuminated by flares, less than half a kilometer from us.

“Focus on the infantry!” I ordered to them. I turned around and looked at Elliot, “Call the captain and tell him we got enemy APCs on our sector!”

Soon, the whole area was filled with traces as both sides exchanged fire. Our previous surprise and adrenaline gave way to pure anger, an opportunity to make the enemy pay for the hardships we’ve been put through.

The APCs tried to suppress our line, providing covering fire to the advancing infantry. The three recruits and I were forced to duck as shells impacted on our bunker, one of them crawled towards our supplies and grabbed a crate of ammunition. Pieces of concrete and dust fell on top of us.

As the enemy approached, I ordered Elliot to abandon the radio and join us; we needed everyone available to keep them at bay. The fighting turned vicious; we continued to fire and throw grenades at them as they neared our position, trying to prevent them from doing the same. A single enemy grenade would easily kill us all.

We fought for what felt like hours, as bombs rained from the skies and APCs blew up into fiery wreckages. Soon, bodies began to accumulate on the fields ahead of us, especially on the craters of artillery shells. Four of us kept firing while a single recruit passed ammunition and grenades. The entire line was in chaos, as our entire regiment fought to survive and hold on.

-x-

I shifted on the bed, trying to get more comfortable. This is much better than sleeping on the ground, but still not ideal. At least I don't have to wear my boots. Man, what I would give for a good mattress. Well, I suppose there isn't much point in complaining. The temperature in the room didn't help, it was hotter than I enjoyed. At the very least, it's quiet, no sound to disturb me.

KNOCK KNOCK

Oh, for fucks sakes! Can't I even get a few hours off!? "What is it?" I shouted. Please let it be something simple.

The door opened slightly and a soldier's head popped in. "Sir, we got a situation going," What now? Could it be more raiders or something? No, after we took this base there shouldn't be any of them left.

"Is it a priority?" I asked in a tired tone.

The guy seemed to notice my state. "Sorry, but I think it is."

Fucking great, just what I needed. What time is it, anyway? Probably very early. "Alright then, just give me a few minutes."

"Okay, sir," And with that he left, leaving me alone in this dark room.

Grumbling a little, I got off the bed and stood up. Rubbing my eyes while yawning, I started my everyday routine of getting dressed and cleaned. Putting my boots and uniform came first, after that there was my body armor and pouches. Washing my face and picking my backpack and rifle came last. God, how I hate waking up early.

Making sure everything was in place, I opened the door and exited to a small corridor. Right now, I'm inside the main building of what used to be a slaver base, the ones we took down. This place has been refitted to be used as a foward base of operations. In a few days we've managed to take down the old perimeter and build new and more effective defenses, as well as make a few changes in the interior of this house and the other two warehouses. I've got to admit, we did one hell of a job in a short period of time. A few trenches, well placed foxholes and shelters made this place a lot safer.

Looking outside through a window confirmed my suspicions, it's not even dawn yet. I moved towards the living room, where we had set up a command room. Didn't see a lot of people on the way, which is expected at this time, just a lonely soldier drinking some water. Most of our men have been relocated here, in order to lower any tensions with the PAC. Not a problem, given the size of this place, and I suppose it's better this way. Our previous frustration of being in a hostile land so far from home seemed to have faded... for the moment. Moral isn't exactly full, but the men are more or less calm.

Entering the small room, I saw the same guy who woke me up. “Alright, tell me what’s going on,” I said, hoping to deal with this as fast as possible. Perhaps I’ll be able to get some more sleep after this.

He nodded. “Well, a few hours ago one of those PAC drones spotted some movement west of here, not very far,” That doesn’t sound very bad, please let it be something simple. “Naturally, I sent a call to a patrol nearby, and they decided to investigate it…” Oh boy, I don’t like where this is going. “After a while I thought they might be into something but… well…”

I narrowed my eyes. “What happened, soldier?”

“I haven’t been able to contact them, no matter how hard I tried.”

“You sure about that? Have you tried all squad members?”

The soldier nodded, raising my fears. “Yes, I also considered they might have slipped outside our reach, but they wouldn’t be out this long, there’s definitely something up.”

I looked away and scratched my head in deep thought. He’s right, something happened out there. Shit, this is pretty serious, there might be lives at risk here. However, I need to be careful, we have zero clues of what might be out there (assuming there was a fight of some sort). Maybe another gang of natives? It’s unlikely they would have the discipline or the weaponry to take a few of our soldiers head on and neutralize them before they could call for help. A swarm of mutants or something might have attacked them; those things are pretty deadly…

Ah, no point on wondering, the only way I’ll find out for sure is going out there and discovering myself. I faced the soldier once more. “Alright, I’ll go find my unit and find out what happened, you stay here and keep listening in case something comes up.”

I left and went wake up my companions. I quickly explained to them what the situation is. They dressed themselves and picked their weapons, all of them aware that time was a priority. Each second wasted could mean the death of one of those soldiers. We need to find that patrol as soon as possible. I hope that they’re just out of reach or lost.

Once everyone was ready to go, we set out from the base, into the open plains. The sun was beginning to rise as we did so. A beautiful sight, if only we were in different circumstances. We walked in a fast pace, eager to get to their last location. My mind was rushing with thoughts of just what we might find. So much for an easy morning...

Out here, everything is quiet. The silence makes it easy to look around and appreciate the weird beauty of this land. There isn’t a single soul in sight, not even animals. It’s unlikely we’ll find anyone here, except perhaps for a trading caravan, like one we had spotted about two days ago. They seemed spooked when they spotted us, but otherwise remained passive. After some quick questioning, they said the news about our presence had already reached outside this region.

Is it possible someone from the outside attacked the patrol? Maybe a small group decided we might be an easy gamble for weapons and supplies, depending on how detailed the information on us is. However, this could also be from one of the villages nearby.

There were two of them, one by the coast and another further away, closer to the mountains. The first, being the home of most of the former slaves, didn’t have a problem with us and didn’t mind our presence. The other, on the contrary, didn’t allow us to even approach the settlement, often by shooting in our general direction. I suppose they could be responsible, but it’s unlikely, for they don’t seem like the offensive type, rarely leaving their homes. The few soldiers we sent out always carry maps and notes with all the information they need, so those guys wouldn’t stumble upon that place by mistake.

The more that I think about it, more questions pop up. The lack of news also creates a bad feeling in my gut; there must be something terrible going wrong. Most of our men are veteran soldiers; they wouldn’t turn their radios off for no reason. The only things that could stop them from calling us would be an EMP strike, some sort of interference or death… I really hope it isn’t the later.

However, I doubt these creatures have access to EMP equipment or radio jammers. I also doubt these men would go inside somewhere too deep without leaving at least one person outside to keep radio contact, unless they were forced to. This only leaves one dark option, which I don’t like one bit.

Shit, there’s probably either dead or trapped soldiers out there and I have to figure it out. Wouldn’t be surprised if there was a small army besieging them while mutants crawl around to add a little more adrenaline. Fucking great, as if we didn’t have enough in our hands, can this day get any worse? Better not ask, my luck hasn’t been going well ever since this fucking war started. Oh well, I’m already going through hell anyway, no point on keep complaining. Just take a deep breath, count to five and move forward, I can wonder about this place later on, I’ve got a little mystery to solve.

-x-

“Okay, so how are we supposed to find these guys?” Dias asked, while we walked. “They could’ve gone anywhere by now and we only got five people actively searching,” He made a good point, but it would be unwise to compromise the whole company into this before we get a better idea of what’s going on. “Do we even know what to look for?”

I shrugged. “Well, the best thing we can do right now is head to their last known location and see if we can find any clues,” Not really a master plan, but it’s the only we have. “If we’re lucky, we might even detect their helmets with our sensors, if their NetBat systems are still active.”

Elliot, who was walking by my side, decided to give his two cents. “I don’t like this shit, bet we’re going to end up in some fucked up situation sooner or later…”

I rolled my eyes and felt some anger rising up. “Look, you can go back to base if you want, but someone has to go out here and bring those soldiers back,” Perhaps I let way too much frustration into those words.

He raised both hands in placate, while taking a step away. “Calm down, Edward, I’m just saying I have a bad feeling about this,” Shit, he’s right, bet not get too worried over this. “Dammit, just wish we had more help, like drones or some air cover, that would really make this easier, why aren’t we getting any of that from those PAC fuckers?”

“Because they only got two drones in operational capability and limited fuel for their aircraft,” Or so they say. The PAC have a lot of firepower on their hands, from APCs to Battlewalkers on the ground, and a fucking Titan carrier fully active, more than enough to lay waste to any sort of threat we might encounter. However, they don’t have the supplies to keep them going for a long period of time and given the unknown time we might spend on this place, it makes sense they refused to use any kind of precious hardware unless absolutely necessary. “Not only that, we don’t want to draw unnecessary attention to ourselves.”

That got a small laugh from Dias. “Well, that kind of went out of the window when we took down that gang.”

Like it or not, the guy had a point, we have basically shot a big flare in the sky to everyone see. However, I suppose we couldn’t really stand idly by, those people were a clear threat to us. “I suppose that’s true, and we might be dealing with the consequences of that right now.”

The four of us continued to move forward. We quickly got across the plains separating us from our goal. Less than two hours ahead, we made it to the last location of the missing patrol. The place had a small hill at the center, and I could see some ruined houses far away, probably some old gas station, if there’s even something like that around here. What kind of fuel do these ponies used anyway? I think it has something to do with coal and gems.

I held my right fist up, signaling everyone to halt. “All of you spread out a little, see if there’s any signs of them.”

Some dirt, grass and rocks, this is what I saw as I exanimated the area. I moved around, scanning the ground for footprints, spent bullet cases or any other detail that might point out where they went or what happened. A few minutes of careful searching were fruitless, so I began to look further away. Going on top of the small hill, I thought about where those soldiers might’ve went. Assuming they were indeed attacked by something, where would they run? They would certainly not stay out here in the open, perhaps they went to those old houses far away? It makes sense, it’s the nearest shelter.

Elliot interrupted my line of thought. “Hey guys, I found some footprints!” Great, at least we aren’t clueless about what’s going on. I walked towards him in a quick pace, eager to see what he found. The rest of my companions did the same, gathering in a small circle around a patch of land. When I got close, I could see the footprint clearly, which was somewhat recent and matched our boots. “Guess they did pass through here.”

“Well, these steps seem to be a little far from each other, so I guess whoever did this was in a hurry,” I commented, analyzing the marks on the ground. There were three sets of footprints here, all of them indicating the soldiers were running for some reason. Strange, there aren’t any signs of fighting, so why would they be on the run? Maybe they heard gunshots and ran to it? The soldier back at the base did say they went to investigate something, so I’m assuming their change of pace is probably related to this. “Not only that, these footprints are pointing towards those ruins up ahead, so that’s where we are headed next.”

Without any arguments, we did just that, setting out towards those houses up ahead, about a mile or so away. “I don’t like this, hope we don’t stumble upon an ambush or something,” Elliot said. I guess we all shared his sentiment. While day had already arrived, the light from the sun was blocked by a sea of clouds in the sky, it gave a somewhat bleak look to our surroundings. At least the temperature was more comfortable. As we came closer to the houses, I began to notice a few details, like a billboard in on the ground next to the biggest house. I could also see a fairly large road with a lot of old vehicles on the left, it went down into a small passage besides a rocky cliff.

Perhaps this was a post of some sort, for people on the road who wanted to stop and rest. Funny, this place is both vastly different and at the same time strangely similar to our homeland. "This place just gets weirder and weirder, doesn't it?" Said Meddici, as if voicing my thoughts.

Elliot, who was besides me, shrugged. "I suppose, remenber when we discovered bottlecaps are used as money?" Now that was quite a surprise. It made sense to have some sort of currency, but none of us expected it to be that. In addition, if what we discovered is true, how come there aren't other types of currency floating around? How and why are bottlecaps standard currency everywhere? This shouldn't be possible, each community should've came up with different ways of trading, unless somehow they were able to keep in touch with everyone else. "Hell, I can't even believe we have a pile of those back at the base, like some strange hooby."

It turned out that the former owners of our base were doing quite well, financially speaking. If the prices those merchants gave to us were normal, we probably had enough caps stored to last for a little while. Even if they’re not enough, we discovered those gems we took from the research facility were actually… “Talismans”. Basically, they were the local equivalent of electronic components, being used for a variety of devices. Overall, that means we won’t have to worry about having spare cash, in case we need to buy something from the locals.

“Okay, I think it’s better if we split in groups of two, Elliot will come with me inside while you two take a look around and keep an eye out for trouble,” The place was deadly quiet. The old vehicles piled in the road besides these houses and the low whisper of the wind made a creepy picture of our surroundings. I turned to face Elliot and said “Come on, let’s head inside.”

The windows were boarded up, so the interior was badly illuminated. The front door was broken, so we had no problem going in. As we stepped in the old, dust-covered floor, I began to look for signs of recent activity. “Come on; see if you can find something,” At first glance, it didn’t seem like there was anything worth noticing, just a bunch of furniture scattered around. It looks like this was a convenience store of some sort, if the shelfs and vitrines were to go by. “Shit, this place is a mess.”

Elliot took a closer look on the floor. “Interesting, looks like some of this stuff was moved recently,” My heart sped up when I heard that. I walked towards him and looked at what he was pointing, a spot besides a lonely chair. “See how this part of the floor has much less dust accumulated? I bet this chair was here before someone moved it.”

I was a little skeptical. “It could’ve been days ago…”

“True, but what are the chances of a coincidence like this?” Elliot replied. He's right.

As we searched the room, we quickly found more evidence of recent activity. It seemed whoever had passed was in a hurry, not caring about bumping in the furniture and other objects on the floor. “I don’t like the look of this…” I commented. Could this be from the missing soldiers? What were they running from? On the other hand, perhaps they were chasing something, I don’t know.

We continued to investigate, and I decided to head upstairs. When I approached the stairway, however, something that I stepped over let out a small cloud of dust which rose in front of me, causing me to halt. “Shit!” I cursed, waving a hand in front of me to clear the dust, “Fucking dust…”

I heard a single chuckle from Elliot as I continued to walk. However, before I could take a single step, he shouted, “Edward stop!”

I stood still, not daring to move a muscle.

“Holy shit, look at the floor, right below your foot!” He said, pointing towards it. I looked down, and my heart almost stopped. Right bellow me, almost unnoticeable, was a thin wire. I took a deep breath and followed the little thing to see where it went. The answer was right above my head, in a bouquet of metal balls… grenades.

“God dammit, those grenades would have killed me!” I said, carefully stepping away. “Well, these change things; we need to be extra careful with these buggy traps.”

Elliot approached and took a closer look. “Interesting, this is a very clever trap, whomever did this clearly didn’t want anyone going inside.”

“Or wanted to make sure his target was dead…” I added. “Well, let’s get the hell out of here, there’s probably more surprised around.”

Before we take our leave, Dias spoke through the radio. “Guys! You got to come out here, we found something!”

Without hesitating, we both rushed outside. We saw Dias and Medici standing near another house, looking at a wall. At first, I was confused by that, but as I got close, I spotted several bullet holes on the wall. The two also showed me a few bullet cases they found on the ground, clear evidence of a recent fight. This made all of us agitated; for all we know the missing patrol could be dead.

“Guess our guys are in deep trouble, after all, we better pick up the pace!”

“But where? They could’ve gone anywhere.”

“I don’t think so, there’s only one clear path, the road besides that ridge over there. We should go there and see what we can find.”

“What if we also end up in a fight? That road heads away from the HQ, likely outside radio contact.”

“We’ll send them a call explaining what we found and where we’re going, so they know where to find us in case we take too long, now come on, let’s go!”

-x-

The wind picked up speed as we advanced, creating occasional dust clouds around us. We walked in a long line, in case there were any other IEDs around. Our weapons were raised and I could almost feel the tension in the air. Something’s going to happen, I just know it. This road was filled with wrecked trucks, buses and all kinds of vehicles. They looked quite distinct from what I’m familiar with, which I suppose would be expected. The sheer number of them blocked our sight and freedom of movement, it would be no surprise if this is where the enemy is waiting, it’s perfect for an ambush.

“Come on, keep your eyes open for any movement!” I whispered. “There could be anything out here.”

There were also skeletons all over this place, inside the vehicles and along the road. How did they die? Were they trying to escape the apocalypse? God, just thinking about this gives me the creeps. Well, better not think about this too much.

“Just how the fuck are we going to find them in this place? It’s a fucking maze!” Elliot said as we passed a particular narrow path. Should we split up? We could potentially cover more ground, but that would also make us easier targets. At the same time, it will take ages to search every corner of this place. The best solution would be to bring more men and some air recon, but that’s out of question. “If shit hits the fan we’ll be in some serious trouble…”

We continued to move forward, through the narrow gaps, twists and turns. While we had been walking for around half an hour, we hadn’t made that much progress, since we couldn’t move in a straight line. However, we all stopped when we heard voices ahead of us. “Shit, there’s someone up ahead, did any of you picked any words?” Our vision was blocked, we couldn’t know if it was one of us or a native.

Dias spoke up. “I didn’t understand shit; we will have to take a closer look,” True, but we need to be careful.

There was a number of different paths could take towards the source of this voice, and I began to form a basic plan. “Alright, here’s what we’re going to do,” I pointed towards Dias, “I want you to see if you can get around and check if there’s anything else we need to be aware of, climb on top of a truck you have to,” He nodded and so I looked at the rest of my companions. “The rest of you will come with me straight towards the contact; we should try to keep a low profile but if something attacks don’t hesitate to fight back.”

We split up and went on, toward this voice. We began to hear more as we approached, and the words became easier to distinguish. I held a fist up and everyone halted. “Shit, that isn’t English…”

“I think it’s one of the natives, I can understand some of the words.”

I looked towards Elliot. “You sure?” He nodded. “Fuck, that can’t be good, let’s keep moving.”

A few moments later, we were right next to the source. A large rusty metal container was the only thing separating us. To make matters worse, I could now hear other voices, probably one or two more people. The wind was becoming intense and I prayed it wouldn’t create a sandstorm or something, that’s the last thing we need. How do we proceed? Are these people hostile? It’s possible they could be involved with the missing patrol but maybe they’re just in the wrong place at wrong time. What options do I have?

Dias voice cracked from the radio. “Hey Edward, you hear me?”

“What is it?” I replied.

“I got a visual on the locals, I can see three of them, they are well armed and equipped,” Well, that only make the situation worse.

“Alright, keep an eye on them, I’ll see what we can do from our end.”

I had a short mental debate on how to approach the situation. On one hand, these people could possibly turn hostile on us, and if they are well equipped that would really suck. On the other, I have absolute no idea of who they are, and I can’t simply judge them without any evidence. That only leaves one choice, trying to talk.

“Elliot, you come with me so we can try to speak with these people, Medici will stay here and be ready to provide support in case things turn ugly.”

None of them questioned and so we got into action. The ponies were chatting in an open area surrounded by destroyed buses, two of them on the ground and one on top of a truck. I intended to speak first, take them by surprise, but the moment we stepped in the open, they saw us. I heard shouts of surprise and they pointed their weapons at us. I raised a hand in a placate gesture (they probably didn’t understood).

Elliot, the only one of us who understood the language, spoke up, probably telling them not to shoot. In my spared time, I had tried to study some of it, but a few days are hardly enough to learn an entire language. I could only pick some random words as the ponies replied. They were tense and using a somewhat angry tone, not good. Whatever attempt at talking Elliot tried would be cut short by the ponies, who looked more and more agitated.

“Elliot, what’s going on?” I asked, keeping a calm tone.

“I’m… I’m trying to tell them we aren’t looking for a fight but…” One of them pointed his weapon towards us and we took a step back by instinct. “They don’t believe me and I think they’re calling us freaks and… murderers.”

I stared at him confused. “What?” What the fuck is going on?

There was a crack in the distance, a gunshot. Everyone froze and I saw their ears standing in attention. As in a sick domino effect, one of them decided to open fire. We both moved behind the nearest cover as the rest of the ponies also opened up on us. The situation had officially gone to shit.

“God dammit! Return fire!” I sent a few blind shots towards the enemy, while Elliot tried to do the same. The rest of us, Dias and Medici, soon joined the fray by attacking from their respective positions.

Our enemy, not expecting the incoming fire from the rest of us, were taken by surprise. One was hit twice in the side, he fell and didn’t move. Another took a hit in the shoulder and went behind cover, while firing blindly with a submachinegun. We kept exchanging fire for a few more seconds. I saw something flying towards me in the corner of my vision, a quick glance revealed it to be some sort of Molotov cocktail. I hid myself behind cover as the thing exploded next to me.

I have to end this now. “Elliot, lay down suppressing fire!” With a quick nod, he did as ordered and began to spray the area with rounds. I stood up from my cover and dashed forwards, trying to flank our opponents. One of them tried to stop me, but missed. I managed to get close enough to throw a grenade, which is exactly what I did. The grenade landed near the enemy, one tried to run but was killed as soon as he stepped out of cover and the other was already wounded and was unable to get away. There was a loud snap of the explosion and them nothing. “Come on people, rally on me.”

While our brief fight had ended, we could still hear gunshots somewhat further ahead. “Shit, you think that’s the patrol out there?” One asked. Does it matter? We’re already in deep shit, might as well go ahead and figure this out.

“Probably,” I said. “Who else could be fighting around here?” Okay, no time to sit around, we have to keep going. “We need to get going, follow me.”

We followed the sounds of battle, not much further ahead. It got lauder when we came near a destroyed building (it was so devastated I couldn’t really know it might have been). There was shouts and voices all around it. Most likely four or five people, we couldn’t know for sure. This time, we didn’t split up, but went as a single unit, emerging in a somewhat open area around this place. There was a group of three ponies and one gryphon firing against something on the second floor. They didn’t spot us right away giving us precious seconds to position ourselves and pick targets. Quickly reaching the nearest cover, I pointed my rifle and pulled the trigger.

BANG

I fired a single bullet at the gryphon, figuring he was the biggest threat, given his size and ability to fly. Two of the remaining enemies shifted their attention towards us while the other continued to attack whatever was inside. The fight was quick and simple; our superior firepower combined with accuracy and experience gave us an edge against the enemy. They were cut down in a matter of minutes.

All of us approached the ruin with careful, eyes open for any more hostiles. The whole area seemed quiet, despite of the constant wind picking up speed. I looked towards friends, “Alright, we have to know what’s inside, it could be one of our guys,” Instead of just breaching the front door, I decided to take a safer approach and just shout something in English to where the ponies and gryphon were firing. “European Army here, anyone inside?”

At first, there was nothing. “H-help! Somebody help!” That was in clear English. We didn’t even bother to act carefully, as soon as we heard that we rushed inside to find him. We found him near a pile of rubble, probably for cover. It was a soldier, one of the missing patrol. He was still clenching to his rifle when we came, I could see some blood besides him.

“Shit! He’s wounded!” I shouted. “Medici, get some bandages, I can see one bullet hole and a lot of scratches!” The soldier didn’t look good, his face was slightly pale and much of his uniform and armor was covered in dirt and blood, no idea if it was his or not. I kneeled down beside him and began to search for more injures. He was breathing heavily, probably from the adrenaline. “Who are you and what happened to you soldier?”

The man took a moment to find words. “S-sir I’m Private John Abbey, w-we were making a patrol but there was a fight and we were ambushed,” Just as I had assumed.

Alright, there seems to be only one gunshot wound and it look like it hit anything vital. “What about the rest of your unit? Do you know where they are?”

He shook his head. “N-no, I was cut off from them when they attacked, I tried to fall back and call for aid but those things cornered me here…” He sounded guilty.

“Okay, don’t beat yourself soldier, just stay calm and we will try to find your teammates, understood?”

“Yes s-sir.”

I turned to Medici, who was busy taking care of John’s wounds. “Medici, you stay here and keep him stable, the rest of us will move forward and see if we can find the rest of them,” With that, the three of us stood up and walked away from the Private and Medici. “Check your weapons and keep your eyes open, there’ll be more hostiles on the way.

-x-

The path ahead brought a number of surprises. The signs of fighting became more pronounced, this had been an intense combat. Further down, we also found some blood and… glowing ash? What the hell?

Even after the little explanation I got from the private, I still had many questions. Just who exactly attacked them? He did mentioned there was a fight and then an ambush, as in two separate events. Therefore, would that mean there are two different armed groups around here? Or maybe the first was just a bait to drag them into this place?

Eventually we came into a section filled with dead bodies. “Guess this is where the main event happened,” I whispered. “Spread out and look for our guys.”

I took some time to analyze our enemies. These ponies didn’t look similar to the ones we had previously encountered, they were far better equipped. These people we have engaged today here have body armor, explosives and a variety of items that seemed quite expensive and well maintained. They carried assault rifles, machineguns and even a grenade launcher. The lack of uniforms was the only thing that separated them from a professional force.

“Ah shit!” I heard Dias shouting nearby.

“What is it, man?” I asked.

He came out from where he was and looked me straight in the eyes. “I found our guys… they’re dead.”

“What?! Fuck, that can’t be!” I rushed passed him to see if it was true, even though I already knew the answer. Behind him, laying on the ground, were two bodies. It was they; the two soldiers were dead with multiple shots spread along their heads and torso. I looked away, unable to face the reality. Shit! I was supposed to bring them back alive!

I felt anger at myself for my failure and at whoever was responsible. I tried to calm myself, looking at the ground and letting out a long sigh. “Damn, guess we fucked this up…”

Dias was right besides me. “I guess we did… what do we do now?”

While part of me just wanted to get the hell out of here, I couldn’t do it before I had more answers. I need to know who did this. “I want you to keep searching these bodies, see if you can find anything useful,” This wasn’t some random fight, these people are too well armed and equipped for that, they did not just stumble here by accident.

Our efforts didn’t achieve much. There were no documents or written orders that we might use just more guns, ammo and caps. The only one who could give us any more answers was John, but only if he made out alive. He didn’t seem to be in a critical state, but I’m no medic, if he loses consciousness or suffers any other type of symptom, there’ll be little we can do out here. Even those healing potions we discovered wouldn’t be useful, they can heal cuts and broken bones pretty well, but are not as effective with deeper wounds and do nothing against blood loss. Well, Medici hasn’t called us so I guess everything is fine.

“Hey Edward, I think you might want to see this,” I heard Elliot call. “I found something really strange.”

I went towards him. Hopefully it’s better than dead comrades. When I spotted him, Elliot was staring at a lonely body, which made me confused. “What’s strange about that dead pony?” I thought to myself. However, when I got a better look at it, I understood why. This wasn’t like any of the others, vastly different from everything we had encountered. For a moment I just stood there, trying to understand just what the hell was that.

It was a dead pony, yes, but it was wearing an impressive suit armor, covering almost the entire body. In addition, it had fucking wings, making it a… Pegasus? The armor covered the entire body with an intricate set of metal plates. On the head was a full-face helmet, with two bug like visors for the eyes. The tail, weirdly, was akin of a scorpion and even had a sting at the end. Was it poisonous? I don’t want to find out…

Looking around, I also noticed a few more piles of glowing ash, were they related to this pony somehow? Could it be from sort of weapon? The armor seemed to be equipped with a long barrel gun, some sort of rifle, but with no noticeable magazine. There was also a few strange grenades and some sort of pistol with a square barrel. Shit, these weapons are just as strange as the armor.

It’s obvious this isn’t from any nearby communities, because none of them would be capable of producing something like this. This here is the work of a very advance and powerful society. Furthermore, this equipment seems to share a single logo that I almost mistook by the former European Union flag. It was a set of twelve stars arranged in a circle with a big letter (the native equivalent of “E”, I believe) on the center and a pair of wings on the corners. This pony is from a professional force, a true military organization.

“So, any guesses on what the fuck is that?”

What could this mean? More factions wondering the area, whom were involved with the death of two of our guys. This makes the situation even more complicated. One group of well armed paramilitary forces and an army with advanced combat armor, a recipe for disaster. “Not a clue, but whatever this is, we’ll get to the bottom of it…” I guess we have some new players to worry about.

Footnote: Level Up!

New Perk: Alertness- +2 Perception when crouched and still.

Guns - 70
Medicine - 40
Explosives - 22

Chapter 16: A House Divided

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Chapter 16: A House Divided

It was sunset. Dim light shone through the old windows of the room. The orange sky looked quite beautiful, especially with the clouds passing by, providing a nice contrast. This would be an excellent time to take a walk or maybe have some tea, appreciating the small wonders of the world.

However, there’s no time for that. “Come on, pack your things,” There are more pressing matters to be dealt with. “We need to get back as soon as possible.”

Barin and I were back in Ministry Square, where we analyzed all information we had gathered about megaspells and pre-war military facilities. The things we found provided a good picture on how exactly the armed forces were structured and what kind of mentality they had. It wasn’t a very positive one, not from what was written about POW treatment and ethical research. While some of their creations like power armors and energy weapons were indeed very impressive, it was very little to hide the growing repression and militarism of the government, which seemed to focus exclusively on the war effort.

The sections regarding megaspells and other types of WMDs wasn’t very detailed, but it had enough to point us in a new direction. The document had the locations of several military installations on this island, we only need to check them and see if any has what we’re looking for. It sounds easy on the surface, but given the shit he and I needed to go through in order to get these papers, we will probably need more people and resources to ensure success.

“Okay, I already got everything set here; do you remember where I left my helmet?” For that same reason, the two of us are going back to the outpost, to inform Nicolay of all this and discuss our next move. We are currently preparing for the journey back and hopefully we’ll be out of the city before the night sets in.

I shook my head at Barin’s question “Nope, can’t say I have, why don’t you check the closets or something?” I could tell both of us were happy and excited over this accomplishment, enough to ignore the exhaustion from all the energy it took. “It’s amazing how you lose your stuff.”

“Hey! It’s not like we had a lot of time to organize everything, as soon as we arrived you made me dump everything so we could read all this shit we found,” Barin replied, while pointing to the pile of documents on a table. I suppose he’s kinda right, but I still think it was for a good cause. “By the way, how’s your chest doing?”

I felt a light sting of pain, just as he said that. Fighting through the old subway system and falling on a hole had taken a toll on me. Pretty sure I broke a rib, not to count all the other minor wounds on my chest and legs. Wouldn’t be surprised if Akio told me to take a day off, as if I even could.

I brought a hand to my chest. “It hurts a bit, but I can manage, as long as we don’t go around jumping obstacles and fighting dragons or something.”

He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “With our luck, do you honestly believe we won’t?”

“Not really…”

Snowdrop and her family had made a few questions when we came back. They were very interested in some of the things we recovered, but understood we needed to keep them. They had also helped with some of the details we couldn’t figure, providing extra information whenever we got confused. Overall, these people were very helpful and it’s nice to know we have someone to rely on. This city might prove itself a useful position to from which we can continue our search.

However, we must also take into account the current situation of the valley. This place is a warzone, with countless armed groups roaming the land. Not to mention the confederacy breathing down on our necks. We cannot afford to get pull down into a long and bloody fight over this land. The sooner we find a way home, the better.

It didn’t took long for us to pack everything. Shame, I’m going to miss having a nice and comfortable room to stay. We left and made our way downstairs. Getting out of the city might prove itself difficult; the memory of what we went through to get inside is still fresh. God, I refuse to go underground again, even if I have to fight my way across an army of raiders.

As we were reaching the main hall, I saw Snowdrop’s father, Frost. The old unicorn walked towards us a quick pace, and I briefly wondered what he wanted, “Excuse me; I know you two are in a hurry, but would you mind to have a word in private?” He asked.

Time was in the essence, but after giving us shelter and access to all those pre-war documents, it's only fair we comply. I shrugged. “I suppose it’s alright, we can spare a few moments,” I looked at Barin, “Go wait for me in the hallway; I’ll see what this is about.”

My friend nodded. “Alright then...” He turned around and left.

With that, I followed Frost. “What's this about?” I asked, “You know we have a long road ahead.”

The two of us walked through the halls of the Ministry of Arcane Sciences. He looked at me and spoke, “Do you know the head of the Blackwatch?” The gryphon?

“Shortbeak? Yes, I spoke with him the day I arrived here, why?” I answered, slightly confused.

Frost took a moment to find the right words. “Well, you see, he and I have been discussing a few things, including your presence...” Oh boy, I really don't like where this is going. “As you know, our situation is quite delicade, so he and I were wondering if we could make a few propositions.”

Alright, that doesn't sound particulary bad, but it could mean a lot of things. He's probably being intentionally crypict, hoping to stall me long enough

We went to his office, where I was surprised to see Shortbeak himself sitting on a chair, accompanied by two of his guards. I really hope it isn’t something bad. Without a word, I sat down on another chair and waited. As soon as Frost got to his place, he began speaking.

They both had neutral expressions. I tried to see something else, figure what might be lurking beneath the surface, but it's hard read the faces of two different species. “Okay, so you’re probably wondering why the two of us wanted to talk…”

I nodded. “Yes, especially at this time.”

“Well, the reason why is because we have a proposition for you,” I already know that, and it still doesn’t sound harmful, but I should probably be careful with what I get into.

“What kind of proposal?” I replied, crossing my arms. “You know that I’m very thankful for your hospitality, but keep in mind what I told you about the current state of my comrades back at the headquarters,“ They were both taken aback by that, especially Frost.

Perhaps I was a little too harsh on those words, but it’s the truth, like I’ve already said we can’t afford to jump into unnecessary fights. But I’m getting ahead of myself, I haven’t even heard what they’re proposing, for all I know it could be something harmless.

The gryphon seemed to get annoyed at my words, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. “Look, I’ll just open the game with you; we were hoping to get some mutual cooperation.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What kind of cooperation?”

“Simple, you help us keep the square safe and we will let you have full access to the city and its infrastructure,” I tried to speak out, but Shortbeak didn’t let me. “We know what you said about the state of your people, and that’s why we are offering you this. Each of the ministries is equipped with something you could use like a medical center, a radio tower, water purifiers, workshops and much more,“ That sounds way too good to be true. "Sounds good enough for you?"

“And I'm supposed to believe that?“ I argued. “You're telling me that you would simply open the city for us, no questions asked?“ Part of me liked this idea, and urged me to dismiss my worries. However, it pays to be cautious, even when things look promissing.

"Yes."

"But why? You made it clear of how strict the access to the city is, so I can't help but to doubt that."

"You saw the situation outside, the whole region is tearing itself apart and this city is in the center of it. Like it or not, we need more people to keep this place safe."

"I suppose that makes sense, but how can I even know for sure that you would be willing to do that?"

Shortbeak threw his arms (Talons? Forelegs?) up. “Oh, for Celestia's sake, we let you inside, didn't we? If we had a problem about allowing the rest of your alien friends in we would have put a bullet in your head the moment you came into view!“ Now the guy was pissed off, Frost tried to calm him, but he kept going. “Look, just think for a moment what we're offering, this is the biggest city nearby, anywhere else is at least a week of travel away and I'm offering you the key to it, are you really going to throw that away?“

Shit, he’s right, we could really use all of that. While I doubt they have some of the more technological advanced stuff, we could still use the medical supplies and perhaps even get some spare parts for our weapons and vehicles. Like it or not, the tools inside this place would come handy on the long run. Still, it will come at a price that I don’t know if we can pay.

I looked away. “Alright, but why us? We barely know each other.”

“Why? Because right now we are too deep in a shithole to care about it,” He explained, “We are trapped inside the square, surrounded by hostile gangs while the confederacy slowly advances. There isn’t enough time to be picky, and right now you are the safest bet.”

I let out a sigh and brought a hand to my head. “I… I guess I understand, but even if we do agree, what kind of job are we talking? How exactly are we supposed to secure this region?”

This time, Frost decided to step in. “It doesn’t have to be a full-scale war, if that’s what you’re worried about,” He assured me, “If you can help to keep some of the raider bands in check or simply help defend the less protected areas of the city, it would be enough.”

“...Although we would appreciate if you could help us deal with this Militia and retake some of our farms…” The gryphon added.

Well, none of that sound too difficult and I suppose we could spare a few soldiers. It all depends on how things are going back at the base and if we can keep a steady flow of supplies. This will also require more intel about the region and the people in it. We need to know precisely how powerful our enemies can get and what useful terrain features this region has. All of this must be taken into account.

“I suppose this might be an interesting deal, but I still need to bring this to my superiors since they are the ones who decide,” The pony and the gryphon looked pleased with that. “Depending on how everything go, I think we might be able to help.”

I stood up from the chair. “Now, if there is nothing else, I need to get going.”

Shortbeak nodded. “Yes, that’s all; keep in mind what you can gain from this partnership.”

I left the room and made my way back. This was a lot to think about and part of me was inclined to accept. However, this isn’t my decision to make alone and while these people have been friendly so far, we must always keep an eye open for hidden interests. Well, if they do keep their end of the deal, most of our current problems would solved. The reward could indeed be very good.

I kept thinking about this as I made my way through the corridors of the ministry. Despite the decay of over two centuries, the marble on the floor and wallpaper was still impressive. This must’ve been a rich city before all went down.

Eventually I came out in the main hall, which was mostly empty. However, one of the few people there happened to be Snowdrop. Her long golden mane was easy to spot, even in this large room. She also saw me, and came to closer to talk. Meh, I can spare a few more minutes to say goodbye to her.

“Hey Snow, how are you?” I said. The girl seemed uncomfortable for some reason.

“I’m fine, thanks…” She shuffled a little with her hooves. “So I heard you’re going back?” Now that I think about it, I forgot to tell her about this.

“Yes, I need to inform the rest of the guys about what we discovered,” I could feel she wasn’t very comfortable with this. It’s amazing how close she has gotten ever since I met her. I haven’t seen her talking with a lot of people around here, so maybe she lacks friends. Or maybe it’s all just the result of everything we went through. It’s only natural people get closer after going through this kind of journey. “It shouldn’t take long; I’ll probably be back in a few days.”

She looked away for a moment. “You sure you don’t need any help? I can always go with you.”

I shook my head. “Don’t worry about it; I’ve put you through a lot already.”

Snow raised an eyebrow and seemed to be a little concern about what I said. “Look Alex, don’t worry about what happened, I chose to help you and I knew the risks,” Perhaps I didn’t choose the right words.

“I know that,” I replied. “But still, we can make our way back just fine, there’s no need for you to come.”

“Alright then, if you insist…” Snow clearly wants to come, it’s pretty obvious. These ponies have very expressive faces. Their big eyes and brows are constantly moving, as their mood shifts. There’s also the ears, I’ve begun to notice how they also stand up or go flat depending on how the pony feels. I remember hearing somewhere that horses from earth also did that, wonder if it’s true. I never really had much time to deal with animals before the war.

The tone she used spiked some guilt, but I can’t allow this. Having to worry about Barin and my other comrades is bad enough, I don’t want to add Snowdrop into that. However, I suppose I should try to be a little more polite. “Hey, I’m serious, don’t worry about this…” Come on, I need to salvage this, “I promise I’ll visit you when I’m back.”

She seemed a little better with that. “Okay… thanks Alex.”

“No problem, but now I need to go, there’s a long journey ahead, goodbye,” She nodded, and so we parted ways. She’s a sweet person, and I suppose it’s nice to have her as a friend. I wonder how this might go when we find a way back, would we be able to keep contact? I hope so, it would surely be interesting.

-x-

Have I already told you how the outside of Ministry Square sucks? Well, let me remind you, this place is a shithole. There’s diseases everywhere, due to the complete lack of sanitation. Most people seem to live in the ruins of pre-war buildings, none of them in a safe condition; the rest live in poor slums made up of scrap. Every street we turn has gangs of thieves and junkies watching, just waiting for the next victim. Luckily for Barin and I, our weapons, armor and I suspect our sheer size was enough to stop them from messing with us.

Still, it’s also a sad sight. This reminds me too much of the years I spend in a refugee camp, during my childhood. Just how many people might be dying from the lack of infrastructure? How is it like to raise a child in a place like this? Hell, if what we know is correct, most people here might be suffering from radiation poisoning, since they probably don’t have access to clean water and food supplies.

It’s no wonder why the Militia and other armed groups around here are aggressive and corrupt. That is what a place like this generates . I’ve seen plenty of examples back home; whenever things get difficult there’s always a group that turns into savagery. However, I suppose there’s also those who do their best to help each other and improve the situation. Snowdrop and her family, as well as the Blackwatch to a certain degree are not bad people, as far as I know.

Well, the sooner we are out of here, the better. I don’t want to stay a second more than I have. The two of us continued to move on, further away from the center. We tended to avoid the more crowded areas, hoping to draw less attention. That’s not to say we didn’t have an occasional watcher. However, most of the people we came across quickly hid themselves from us. Understandable, if I lived in a place like this I would also be weary of an unknown figure almost twice your size.

I decided to break the silence. “So, do you think we should accept the deal?” I asked Barin. After I rejoined him, I told everything about what happened.

He wondered for a few moments. “Well, these people do seem very resourceful, so it could be helpful to us…”

“Still, there’s a lot to take into account, like how the local armed groups and the confederacy would react,” I questioned.

Barin nodded. “True, last thing we need is to get dragged off in another war,” Does the possible gains outweigh the losses? I guess it would depend on how much we decide to get involved, maybe if we use a small force and only engage smaller threats we can avoid tensions. “Do we even have the men to spare? We still have to search the whole fucking island for those megaspell chambers, not to mention keeping the outpost secure.”

He’s right, this could be a risky endeavor and we still have to search for the megaspells. But I suppose we can have a better idea once we speak with Captain Nicolay, he will know what to do. There’s a reason we he’s the one leading us, after all.

Eventually we made it out of the populated areas, into the uninhabited ruins of the city. Luckily, we didn’t stumble upon any Militia patrols or anything that could delay our journey. We soon found ourselves once again enjoying a quiet dinner inside an abandoned house. This time, we made sure to check for anyone else nearby.

It was a quiet meal, not much to talk beyond what we’ve already discussed. I enjoyed it nonetheless, quiet company is still better than nothing at all. Before we left the square, Barin and I had decided it might be better to travel at night, to lower the chances of contact and to cover more ground. It might not be safe, but I doubt these ponies have night vision equipment just laying around. Hopefully we can get across without having to kill more confederacy rangers. Once we had finished dinner, we continued our journey.

About an hour later after our brief stop, we found ourselves wondering a narrow street. It looked like a residential area, with little beyond small houses. The sky was clear and the moon was shining over our heads, illuminating the landscape. Now that I think about it, it's always full moon, I don't remenber seeing any different cycles. The moon is also a lot bigger than Earth, it's beautiful. Bet this is what the sky in the desert must look like. I wonder what we would find if we had a telescope, what's this solar system like? Are there other planets? What about the galaxy? God, so many questions...

The night was mostly quiet. Sometimes we heard things far away, but never close enough to bother. As always, there were also a few animals and bugs nearby that we often mistook then for possible threats, which got annoying fast. But other than that, things were going well and we made substantial progress. Sadly, our good fortune eventually came to an end. As we walked further into the ruins, we stumbled upon a new threat.

There was gunshot from somewhere. It hit the dirt besides me, breaking me from my thoughts and making me jump back by instinct. Just as we both stopped, confused of what happened, more bullets were fired on our direction. Our training and experience kicked in as soon as we understood what was happening. “Shit! Get to cover!” I shouted, before being hit in the right shoulder by another bullet. It wasn’t a heavy caliber, so it didn’t got through the armor, probably from a small pistol. Something was shooting at us, and we ran away from the road, towards the ruins.

What began as a quiet walk quickly became a gunfight. As each second passed, the number of gunshots rose.

Just like that, in a few seconds we found ourselves under heavy fire, probably from multiple enemies. “Who the fuck is shooting at us?!” I screamed. Barin and I jumped inside one of the houses. It lacked a roof and was partially destroyed but it was the nearest cover. The darkness of the night allowed us some breathing room, as the enemy had a harder time keeping aim at us. I gave a quick glance outside, spotting nothing but a few muzzle flashes. The walls around us were the only thing separating us from a quick death.

Barin was already returning fire. He let out a whole magazine in full auto to suppress the enemy and buy us some time. “Come on Alex, we have to get out of here!” There was no time to think or to make out a plan; we were fighting for our lives against an unknown number of enemies. I saw something moving in the corner of my vision, I pointed my rifle and shot a few times. I didn't bother to see if I hit or not, there was no time. We couldn't stay there, or else we might get pinned down and surrounded. The only option is to run and search for a safer place.

The two of us dashed through the ruins while bullets passed way too close for comfort. Our pursuers gave chase, restricting our movement. We spotted more figures coming at us, shooting all around. To each muzzle flash, we tried to fire back. Barin and I climbed through the rubble, moving from building to building. The state of destruction came to our advantage, providing plenty of cover. The enemy had a harder time climbing through obstacles, since they didn't have hands, allowing us to put some distance between us.

I saw something rushing towards me from a pile of bricks, right besides me. I didn't have much time to react as the pony attacked me, hitting me in chest with all his might. The old wall behind me was the only thing preventing me from falling to the ground. With the air pushed out of my lungs, I struggled to raise my weapon and fire. I pulled the trigger once and by sheer luck the bullet found its mark, hitting the pony somewher along the neck. As my enemy fell screaming (or at least trying to, his blood was getting in the way), Barin helped me up and we continued to run for our lives.

We eventually came out at some sort of supermarket or maybe a shopping mall, a big squared structure. Without thinking, we rushed through the parking lot. There was no other choice but to go inside. Passing through piles of old metal carriages and other vehicles, we went in through a collapsed wall. The interior was dark, dusty and silent. There were several stores along the multiple levels of the building, with a single large open area at the center.

“Fuck, any idea of what’s going on?” My friend asked, as we took cover inside a store. “Who are these people?”

I shook my head, drawing deep breaths as I tried to compose myself. “Not a clue, but I think it’s pretty clear they aren’t looking for some tea…” My body still hasn’t recovered from what happened yesterday. I can feel my chest burning and my muscles strained under the sheer effort I’m putting them through. “They probably outnumber us and I doubt we’ll be able to outrun them.”

Barin didn’t look much better, he had also pushed himself to the limit but at least he didn’t suffer any major wounds. “Then what can we do? If we stand and fight we might end up cornered somewhere with no way out,” But it’s not like we have many options, do we? What else could we do this far from our HQ with no support available? Maybe we could try to slow them down or distract them, make them think we’re heading somewhere else.

“We’re also running low on ammo,” He added. “There’s only two frags left and those EMP grenades, as well as about four mags for each of us.”

I let out a long sigh. “Dammit… there’s nothing we can do, we have to find a way to slow them down…”

He locked eyes with me. “What do you propose, then?” I looked away. It’s amazing how things can turn to shit this quickly. This is not how the night should’ve turned out.

To be honest, I didn’t know what to do. My mind was rushing with thoughts, trying to come up with a basic strategy. Simply taking cover and waiting is out of question, we could be overwhelmed and surrounded. There’s not enough ammo for a prolonged fight so this has to be dealt with as quickly as possible. Well, if we can’t use sheer numbers or firepower to our advantage then maybe we should focus on the battlefield. This place is filled with places we can take cover. There’s old furniture, piles of rubble and the stores themselves. An environment with this many corridors, halls and stores could confuse the enemy. They would need to keep an eye out on virtually all directions.

Maybe that’s the best idea, use this place to distract the enemy. Make them confused and then strike hard. But that also means we need to split up, attack them from different directions. I wouldn’t be surprised if the enemy didn’t know exactly how many people are in here and we can use that against them. Yes, one of us could distract them, make them think the two of us are right up front while the other goes around and flank them. If we put our frag grenades to good use, we might have a chance. It isn't much, just a simple ambush tactic, but it could do the trick.

After some more thoughts, I made my decision. “Alright, I have an idea!”

“Well, spill it out, we don’t have long.”

“Okay, the plan is to create a diversion and distract them while one of us flanks the enemy and hit them with grenades. We know they probably outnumber and outgun us, so holding down in some random spot is suicide, our best shot is to hit them hard in one shocking blow, breaking their morale. We need to cause panic and make them confused.”

Barin nodded. “Well, that doesn’t sound too bad, but how exactly are we doing this?”

“Simple, I’ll take cover above this floor and keep an eye on the hole we used to come inside while you take our grenades and hide somewhere on the sides. Once the enemy arrives I’ll draw their attention and give up the ground slowly, make them think they’re winning. Once all of them are here you will go around and hit them in the rear with those frags.”

He didn’t look very impressed, but he accepted nonetheless. “Not the best plan, but I guess we don’t have much of a choice…”

“Yea, now come on, we don’t have long,” We split up; I went to the upper floor while he hid somewhere. I found a hall filled with obstacles that overlooked the entrance. Perfect, from here I could go from to cover to cover as the enemy pushes forward. I gave a last check, making sure my weapons were ready. As expected, our enemy came inside; I could hear them talking as the entered the building.

Instead of firing right away, I decided to wait and see who they were. As they came into view, it became clear they weren’t confederacy troops (as I had been afraid), but just wastelanders. It made me wonder for a second why they were attacking us. Maybe they thought we were raiders or something. No, that doesn’t make much sense, they probably had a chance to see us before firing. Still, no matter what their reasons are, right now talking is out of question, unless I want to risk giving away my position.

While lacking a military level of organization, I’ll admit these people knew what they were doing. Each of the four ponies watched a different place and they tried to stick near cover. They had their weapons at ready and move cautiously. Figuring this was the right time, I took aim at a unicorn wielding a machinegun.

BANG

My first bullet found his chest, penetrating his armor. As he fell, I let out a long burst of rounds, scattering his friends as they tried to take cover. They immediately returned fire at my general direction. Not very accurate, so I guessed they didn’t know for sure where I was. To my surprise, as I aimed once again, I saw one of them dragging the wounded unicorn behind cover. The other two ponies saw me and provided covering fire before I could shoot.

Alright, time to move. With my position compromised, there’s no point in staying here. Keeping my head low, I ran towards a store to my left. The inside was destroyed, and had plenty of cover. Before my enemy could zero my new location, I took aimed and fired. It was hard to keep track of all targets and I did my best to split my shots between each of them.

There was a click, and I noticed my magazine was empty, forcing me to stand down and reload. The enemy pushed forward and I could hear even more of them coming inside. I fired some more blind shots to keep them distracted. They were closer, I could hear them almost clearly now.

I decided to fall back some more. It won’t be long before Barin does his part of our plan and If I expect him to succeed, I need to keep the enemy focused on me. Bullets zipped all around me, punching holes through doors and furniture. I stood up and fired an entire magazine to suppress the enemy, it was barely enough to allow me to move. I only had two mags left and I was beginning to be overwhelmed, a little more and I won’t have anywhere else to fall back.

At this point, my pursuers were almost on my floor; soon I would lose the advantage of high ground. Even with all this fighting, I still wasn’t sure on the exact number of people coming at me. I guessed to be about five, plus the one I injured. How many will I have to kill this time? No matter what we do, it appears the universe is bend on getting more blood on our hands. To be honest, part of me no longer minds that much, not after what we have been through in Europe. Still, I wish I could better avoid situations like this, I feel nothing but disgust at myself for doing this.

Just as I reached my next cover, something on the battle changed. There was a loud bang, followed by a cloud of dust right behind the enemy. That must be Barin. As the second grenade went off, our enemy was utterly confused and disorganized. I could see them through my scope as they tried to reorganize and engage the new threat.

This is the time to press on and brake them. I began to fire quick bursts at them, keeping them suppressed. Barin did the same, and the will of our enemy began to falter. Now the game had changed, we had the upper hand and they were cornered. However, I made a quick decision and decided to just keep them supressed, instead of seeking fatal shots. Yes, they did attacked us, but something inside me wanted to spare them, I just couldn’t take more deaths.

Finally, their morale broke and they fell back. Barin and I kept firing at them as they got into the open. A few shots found their mark, but my targets were wearing body armor so they weren’t fully effective. One of them was hit on the forelegs, and was dragged away by a unicorn. Eventually, they were out of sight and we were left alone once again in the darkness of the night. I almost collapsed to the floor right there, the adrenaline from the battle still cursed trough my veins and my hands shook. I felt exhausted but fully alert. Some of my muscles hurt, not from wound but from sheer effort.

While this whole affair must’ve lasted less than half an hour, it feels like a whole day. But leaving that aside, we still need to go. As much as I would love to stay here and rest for a little while, those people might come back and we haven’t left the city yet.

“Barin, you still there?” I shouted. My answer came in the form of steps coming my way.

He soon came into view. “Yes, I’m here, you okay there?” I did a quick scan for wounds, finding none. With the exception of some dirt, Barin looked normal.

I shook my head. “I’m tired as fuck, but other than that I’m fine…” I rose to my feet and looked around, “Did we get any of them?”

“Well, I didn’t see any bodies so it’s hard to say,” He replied. “There was a lot of blood, so we probably killed something.”

Not ideal, but there’s nothing we can do now. “Alright, we need get out of here fast, I don’t want to wait and see if they’ll come back, let’s go.”

While we might have won this battle, we are now in a precarious situation. Both of us used a lot of ammunition, plus all of our grenades, leaving us unfit for future engagements. If we stumble upon any other threats or if our previous enemies decide to hunt us down, our only choice will be to run. To make matters worse, there isn’t much we can do about it. Most trade caravans would probably shot first before negotiating and going back to Ministry Square will only delay our journey even more.

I kept thinking on a way to solve this as traveled across the lonely road. The night dragged on and as the hours passed, Barin and I were left with a creepy silence around the ruins of the city. At least we weren’t attacked, and so we managed to reach the end of the city, where we settled for the night. We took cover in an old shop and cycled between sleeping and keeping watch. It wasn’t comfortable, but it was safer. Either our enemy didn’t follow us, or they’re also too tired to do something. In any case, at least we can have a moment of peace. The sun was rising as my final watch ended, Barin assumed from there and allowed me to sleep a few hours. I eagerly laid down and closed my eyes. I had no dreams, I just slipped into utter darkness.

-x-

“So, what do you think that was all about?” Barin asked, as we walked through the open plains.

There were few clouds in the sky. Around us was nothing but dirt and vegetation, and while this place was still mostly empty, there was more life than usual. There were patches of grass in a few places and some trees spread around. This gave the area a warmer atmosphere, not nearly as depressive as the city. It reminds me somewhat of home, much better than the dead road we took when we came.

I shook my head. “No idea, maybe they mistook us for raiders… or perhaps they were some gang who thought we might make an easy prey, could be anything,” Barin and I had be wandering over the last few hours the reasons behind the attack last night. “People around here don’t really need a lot of reasons to shoot each other.”

It was a hot day. I don’t mind, it was nice to feel this once in a while. “Or maybe this was a revenge attack of some sort? They could be part of those refugees we drove away at the clinic, when we first arrived,” It was unlikely, but who knows.

Barin didn’t seem convinced. “What if someone payed them to take us out?”

I raised an eyebrow. “You mean who? The confederacy?” He nodded, “Nah, they might feel threatened by us, but trying to attack us like this would be stupid…”

“You think so?”

I nodded. “They know almost nothing about us, to do something like this would be like kicking a bee hive,” I looked ahead, appreciating the landscape. “Nobody would be stupid enough to attack something without proper knowledge.”

My friend Barin just shrugged. “I guess when you put it that way it doesn’t seem likely, I just hope it doesn’t happen again.”

“Yes, we better keep our eyes open,” I agreed with him. As far as we could tell, our attackers had fled and were not following us, but that still didn’t mean we were safe. There’s also the issue of getting more ammo, we can’t keep walking out in the open like this. If we end up without ammo, we will be easy targets. I'm also carrying the sniper rifle, but it will only be useful if we spot the enemy from afar.

We kept walking for hours without issues. Along the way we passed by rusted vehicles and lonely ruins. There was even a skeleton or two on occasion. Not a single soul in sight. You would think that we might eventually stumble upon a farm or a small village besides the road, especially in a land clearly more fertile. However, I suppose the sheer violence in the region has scared any potential settlers.

To be honest, this is kind of boring. Barin and I didn’t really spoke during this time, so there wasn’t much to do. I wonder how everything is going back home, did anyone noticed our disappearance? Maybe they’re searching for us at this very moment, or perhaps the high command just listed everyone as MIA and moved on. I really hope it isn’t the later, last thing I need is my parents thinking I’m dead or something.

Shit... I hope they're okay, I care about them deeply. My biggest concern is with money, they are both getting old and my father has already retired. In these difficult times people need to be really careful with whatever capital they possess, especially with such a chaotic market and growing inflation. You never know when you might lose your job or when another country will dissolve into anarchy (usually making international stock go into further decline). There's the risk of riots braking out, as well as epidemics and shortages. Little by little, society is braking apart and becoming more similar with this forsaken wasteland.

Well, who knows, maybe the situation isn’t that bad. Maybe things will improve. Even when things look bleak and hopeless, there’s always a chance of everything going back to normal. Still, do I even know what normal is? Most of my life was spend running away from this crisis and trying to survive. Even during the more stable parts, like on my early years back in Russia or the more recent time in Iran were still a far cry from a happy and peaceful life.

Fuck, I shouldn’t be this negative. While there were indeed many dark moments during my life, I still have good memories. I was raised by two loving parents, I have good friends and I was able to study and reach many of my goals. Many people don’t have the same opportunity. Yes, it wasn’t all bad, and I can still dream of getting somewhere better. Once we get back to our world and finish this dammed war, I will keep working and build a better life.

“Hey, did you hear something?” Barin asked, interrupting my thoughts.

Confused by that, I turned to face him. “What do you mean?” I don’t remember hearing anything unusual.

“I don’t know…” He said, narrowing his eyes a little. “I just think I heard something unusual right ahead."

In front of us, the ground was higher, so we couldn’t see what was on the other side. “You sure it wasn’t some animal?”

He thought for a while. “Nope, at least not the critters we have seen so far,” Well, that’s hardly helpful, “I think it’s best if we get off the road for a while, see if there’s anything lurking around…”

I still didn’t believe him, for all I knew it’s probably nothing, but after what happened last night I guessed it would be better to be careful. “Alright, let’s do this, we’ll get somewhere higher and check the area.”

We both scanned our surroundings and moved towards the high ground. I tried to hear unusual noises, which is harder to do so when using a bulky combat helmet (not that I mind, the protection it provides is well worth the setbacks). Because of the denser vegetation, our dark uniforms and body armors stood out easier in this predominantly green environment. Naturally, this means Barin and I need to be extra careful.

Step by step we ascended the hill nearest to us. I began to hear the distinct sound of movement, the dull thuds of feet hitting the ground and foliage. Our position gradually allowed us a longer line of sight that we used to try finding the source of the noise. My heart accelerates, and I grip my weapon tightly, hoping that we don’t end up in another fight. Finally, the two of us reach the top, where we lower ourselves to avoid being spotted.

“Okay, I think we’re dealing with multiple contacts, walking in a slow pace,” I suggested, furrowing my brows as I looked around. “I can’t hear any talking…” There weren’t any clear roads to keep an eye on, and not a single building in sight. They could be anywhere around here. “They wouldn’t be walking on open field, probably sticking to well protected areas…” I kept mumbling.

Meanwhile, Barin was looking to the southwest, to a lower area besides a ridge. He pointed towards a particular spot, “I think I can see something around there,” His words caught my attention and my eyes snapped towards where he was pointing. It was an area covered with rocks, blocked on one side by a ridge and hard to spot.

Something was moving there, several shapes walking in line. I quickly realized those were probably ponies. Lifting my rifle, I looked through the scope to gather more information. It appeared to be a column of about… twenty people or so, with a few wagons in the middle. There was nothing unusual about them, they could be settlers or merchants. I pointed my scope through the crowd, analyzing them.

Ahead of the main group were a few well-armed bodyguards, I could also see others moving along the flanks and rear. In the main body, near the wagons, didn’t have as many guards and most of the them weren’t carrying heavy weapons, just the occasional pistol and machete. The wagons themselves were covered, so I couldn’t see what was inside. For a brief moment, the memory of what I saw on that slaver base passed through my eyes, but I ignored it.

“Well, looks like we got ourselves a small caravan,” I said. Some of them were chatting and laughing. They are probably heading towards Ministry Square or somewhere around there. Would they be safe? What if they encounter the same group that attacked us? There were a lot of hostile and they were well organized. However… these people are numerous and have many bodyguards. They are also armed; they probably know how to handle themselves in fight… Yes, I suppose even if they find trouble, it won’t be much of an issue.

“Hey, Alex…” Barin called, making me stop my observations.

I lowered my rifle and looked at him. “What is it?” He was also looking at the caravan, with an expression of deep thought.

“What if we…” He struggled to find the right words, “Should we try to buy some ammunition from them?” Well fuck, that’s not something I had thought about. On one hand, we are really low on ammo, and who knows what kind of threats we could encounter on the rest of the way? As I said earlier, the last thing we need is to be pinned down somewhere.

“I mean, they’re right over there and they don’t look like raiders or something…” Barin argued.

He has a point, but that doesn’t mean its safe. Even if they are just normal people, our appearance can still cause issues. It wouldn’t be the first time, and I want to avoid such problems. If things go bad it could escalate to a firefight, I can’t allow this to happen. In addition, we don’t even know if they have the proper ammo for our guns. If they do, it certainly won’t be our standard tungsten core, armor piercing bullets. From what I have learned, these people still used lead for most of their weapons; stuff similar to ours was rare and expensive.

I shook my head. “Nah, I don’t think it’s a good idea, for all we know these people could open fire as soon as they saw us,” Of course, Barin didn’t look very convinced. “We can’t take the risk, you know this.”

“Really? And you would have us keep going until we stumble upon a real fight?” He argued, crossing his arms. “You heard those radio stations, the news on our presence have already spread.”

“That doesn’t mean they trust us; even if they know about us doesn’t mean they will welcome us with open arms.”

This isn’t easy, but I don’t want to cause another incident. We are already out of the city and it shouldn’t take long before we reach a safer territory. If we can just avoid combat for at least a day, everything will be good. Yes, I can see this isn’t ideal, but I think it’s for the best. Besides, it’s not like we’re starving to death or something.

“Come on, you know this isn’t a good idea,” Barin insisted. “You really sure about this?”

Not much, but I think it’s better this way. “Yes, we aren’t that far from our goal, we can make it.”

“Alright then, if that’s what you think…”

-x-

The two of us went past the caravan, continuing our journey. Things were calm throughout the day, which lifted our spirits. We also made a lot of progress and the land became more familiar. We were getting close to the safe zone. Walking all this time was exhausting, we only stopped for a short time to eat and rest. However, being eager to reach the outpost helped us to ignore the discomfort.

The night was beginning to fall now and the last rays of sunlight got lower and lower behind the mountains far away in the west. There wasn’t much to speak and our walk was quiet. There were a few houses in the area, probably abandoned farms. Perhaps we can take shelter for the night inside one of them.

Can’t help but to think about my friends back at our base. It has been days since I last saw them and while Barin’s company was nice, I still miss them. Well, at least they’re alright; nothing to worry about. Funny… back at Europe we could never be too sure, not with the constant threats of artillery or airstrikes, not to mention surprise attacks and ambushes. Sometimes it amazes me how we’ve managed to make it this far… even if not all of us did.

“Maybe we should stop for a while? We’ve been walking for a long time now,” Barin proposed. I suppose there’s no problem, we haven’t seen any movement around so it should be safe.

I searched the ruins around us for something suitable. “Alright, guess we could settle in one of these houses,” I agreed. “Maybe a Barn… somewhere safe.”

My friend pointed to a house about a hundred meters away. It had two floors and an overall large size, it would do for now. “What do you think about that place?”

I shrugged. “Eh, no need to be picky, let’s head there,” and so we did, walking at a lazy pace while casually watching the landscape.

We made it just before night came. The inside wasn’t as bad as I had assumed. While the place clearly hasn’t been habituated for a long time, most things seemed to be in the right place. There was dust and rotten food, but otherwise it was a normal home. Barin and I split up and did a quick search, finding nothing out of the ordinary.

The place had three rooms, a living room, kitchen and a main hall. The two of us decided to stay at the hall, where we had easy access to all rooms and could leave quickly if necessary. We placed our stuff on the ground and laid down, figuring it was time for some well-earned rest. I stared at long faded pictures and paintings on the walls, silently wondering how this place had been during better times. It’s a good home and was probably a wonderful place to live at some point.

I looked away, figuring this might be a good time to have a little snack. “How about we eat something?” I suggested. Barin nodded, and so I searched my bag for food. During our time at Ministry Square, I made sure to take a note at the natives's eating habits. To my surprise, the ponies were not strictly herbivores; most of them don’t mind adding meat to their diets when necessary (the gryphons, as expected, had a meat based diet). I asked Snowdrop once about it and she told me her kind originally didn’t do that, but due to the apocalypse and the consequential lack of farmable land, they began to eat just about anything to survive (even other ponies in some cases).

“Hey Alex, what do you think about these ponies?”

I was caught off guard by the question. “What do you mean?” I stared at him with a raised eyebrow.

“You know, you think they’re good? How do you see them after all that has happened?” For a second, I wondered why he was asking me this. Guess I never really had the time to discuss this with him.

“I don’t know…” I said, unsure how to respond. “Some of them certainly aren’t the nicest people I’ve met and there’s a whole lot of things I still don’t understand…” Well, Snow and her family were okay, and I suppose I could tolerate Bronze Mirage and that bat pony girl. However, I also remember the raiders I’ve fought and that Militia guy who stopped us at the bridge when we arrived. “I guess they aren’t that different from us, in some ways.”

Barin nodded, while he took another bite from his own food. “True, it’s amazing how strangely similar they are,” He moved a little and crossed his legs. “Tell me… how did you got the blonde one... Snowdrop, to help us?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Why do you wanna know?” I questioned.

He shrugged. “Just curious, these people have a tendency to shot first and ask questions later.”

“Well, it’s quite of a long story,” I began, figuring there was no harm in telling him. “Remember when I had to go out with that EU guy for scouting?” He nodded, “Well, as you probably know, we got into a fight inside an old research facility. At some point, in the chaos, we got separated and I had fight alone to escape. The place was filled with raiders and some sort of security robots killing each other. I was wounded and forced to flee into an underground level, that’s when I met her…”

My friend seemed somewhat intrigued by that. I hadn’t been able to tell him this whole story in detail before. “What was she doing there?” He asked.

I scratched my chin. “Well, she told me she was accompanying a merchant caravan that was ambushed by those same raiders. She ran away but ended up cornered inside that very place we were investigating. Having no weapons, she somehow managed to activate a defense system that unleashed those robots unto us. Before you ask, yes, that was a big problem for us but the girl probably didn’t have a choice…”

I took a deep breath, calmly recalling those memories. “For some reason, when we were facing each other, she decided to drop the gun she had acquired and stand down. I still don’t know why… maybe she figured that fighting wouldn't work and it was better to stand down, or maybe she’s just good natured.”

“To make this short, we ventured through the underground and eventually found a way out. She was able to do that memory spell stuff which thought me their language and I convinced her to come with me, you know the rest.”

His eyebrows were raised. “Shit, that’s a… interesting story, to say the least,” He placed his meal on the floor, “What do you think about her now?”

I crossed my arms at that. “What’s this about?” Barin just shrugged. I thought a little bit about this. Snowdrop was… I friend I guess? Despite some annoying moments, she’s a nice company and I genuinely enjoy talking to her once in a while. Sure, it’s still weird as hell to think about this. I mean, I never had much contact with animals, like dogs or horses, so it’s kind of strange to be friends with something non-human. However, as she has proven repeatedly, aside from her body Snow isn’t any different from normal people. There’s no need to feel awkward about this. “What can I say? We probably would still be hiding in the outpost if it wasn’t for her.”

“I think of Snowdrop as a friend, she has proven herself to be reliable and trustworthy.”

Barin said nothing; he just nodded while finishing the rest of his food. That reminded me of my own meal. On my lap, I noticed I had barely ate the top of the MRE. Already feeling the hunger inside me, I continued to where I stopped. The taste wasn’t very pleasant, but this would keep me alive and healthy. Or at least I hoped, the quality of these things tends to vary.

I decided to break the ongoing silence. “What about you? What do you think about all this?”

Barin gave me a quick glance and smirked. “Heh, a small part of me still thinks this might be just a sick acid trip,” We both chuckled at that, “This whole place is just strange, it kind of reminds me when we arrived in Russia, right before the war…”

I nodded, remembering the first days of service on the motherland. Even though I was born there, after so many years it felt almost alien. I remember being both amazed and slightly scared at seeing the massive glaciers that swallowed entire cities. The blizzards were brutal, we couldn’t stand outside for more than a few seconds before something began to freeze. It felt like being on another planet.

This place… I can see the similarities. The climate is also different from what we’re used to and the land is filled with unique dangers and wonders. In addition, all of us are seen as foreigners at best. At least In Russia we were still inside our coalition. Shit, can’t help but to be homesick when thinking about this. Doesn’t matter, we will make through this.

“I just don’t know, with all this we have seen and all the bullshit we went through… at least in Europe we were certain the fight was over. Here, on the other hand, we don’t even know if we can go back.”

I noticed how his voice took a darker tone at that. “I know how you feel, but we’ll make through, I’m sure of it.”

“What are we doing when we get to the outpost?” Guess he wants to change subject.

“We'll just tell them what we discovered and see what they think about the proposal we got,” I let out a quiet yawn, already feeling tired.

Barin noticed that. “Alright, I’ll get the first watch, try to get some sleep.”

Not going to complain about that. As he picked his rifle, I began to get settled on my temporary bed, which consisted of an old couch. They were made for ponies, not humans, so I didn’t quite fit there. The state of decay added even more to my discomfort. However, it’s still better than sleeping on the ground, so I don’t really care. Hopefully tomorrow things will go smoothly and we can jump into the next objective. God, how I miss my home…

-x-

Sleeping wasn’t easy, not as my mind wondered with so many questions. Throughout the night, I found almost impossible to relax. I felt… conflicted, not really sure on how to proceed. This whole trip was made with the objective of discovering more about what happened to us and if there was any way to revert this; we succeeded to an extent, but it’s clear we’ve barely screeched the surface of whatever is responsible for all this. Just how long will this take? For all I know we could be stranded in here for months… or perhaps even years.

We have been lucky so far, having access to resources and getting in touch with neutral parties willing to help us. There hasn’t been a single death on us, but the more we stay here the higher are the chances. Who knows what else might be stored for us on the long road. At least we aren’t in the dark, we’ve gathered plenty of intel about this place so I suppose we could handle whatever it decides to throw at us.

Anyway, I did managed to get somewhat rested when the sun came, despite my internal debate. Morning went as usual, as we ate a quiet meal and packed our stuff. Within an hour, Barin and I were back outside, continuing our long walk. Shame we have to leave such a good shelter, but I guess that’s life. The cool breeze from these early hours was pleasing, even though I couldn’t feel much beneath all my clothes and armor.

At this point, it would only take a few hours walking to reach friendly territory. Both of us were eager to do so and we rushed through the valley. Step by step, with the sun burning above us and the wind blowing east, we quickly arrived at more familiar land. There was little to no chatting, just the desire to get back and finish our mission.

The valley gave way to the coastal area I had first scouted less than a week ago, a few hours after our arrival. From the high ground, it was already possible to spot the open sea, which made me happy, both for indicating we were close to the outpost and from older memories it brought back. I almost wished I could stop for a second and just admire the scenery, but I knew there was no time for that. Maybe I can spend some time here when we're done, who knows…

Well, the first thing on the list is to tell Nicolay everything we found about megaspells and their possible connection with our arrival. Next, we need to debate whether we should help Ministry Square or not. I’ll probably need to tell him about the Confederacy and the little incidents I caused there… not really looking up for that part. He won’t like this, but he’ll know what to do.

If I do get back on the field I should be more careful in bringing supplies, avoid ending up in the same situation Barin and I found ourselves when we left the city. It would also be better if I relied less on local help and instead tried to bring some of our own soldiers with me. Not just for a matter of trust, but because I don’t wish to put someone like Snowdrop through the kind of dangers we often face.

Guess dismissing most of my unit at the clinic wasn’t a smart idea… I should bring them with me next time, plus whatever troops we can spare. Maybe we can set up a small base somewhere hidden in the city and launch operations from there. It would surely be useful to have a safe house up in that area. That would also allow us to stockpile supplies and equipment, making us better prepared to a wider variety of situations.

That isn’t a bad idea, especially considering I will probably need to spend a long time investigating the city. Having to go back and forth to bring stuff consumes people and precious time we don’t have to spare. The more efficient we can operate, the better.

I continued to think about these issues as we approached the outpost. Little had changed on our absence, with the exception of a few extra defenses around the perimeter and a now working shield envelope around the Titan. I guess the guys at engineering must’ve figured how to turn the power back on. It would be wonderful if I could take a hot shower and watch a movie…

Never thought I would be happy to see this place. I felt my heart tighten as we finally walked inside. This isn’t home, but it’s the closest I got. Memories from the rest of my friends flashed through my mind, and a small part of me wished to go see them right away, but I knew that wasn’t possible. The mission comes first, it’s a priority.

Barin and I quickly made our way through the base. A few familiar faces greeted us on the way, which was nice. The two of us entered the Titan and preceded to search for the captain. Nicolay would probably be overseeing things from the command bridge, as usual, so we headed there. The interior of the ship had been cleaned; looking just like it was before our arrival. Still, I can’t really forget what it was like to wonder this place through darkness and destruction. God that was a shitty day, wasn’t it?

The sounds of idle chatting and the low thud of boots overtook most of the hallways we passed. There was always a lot of movement inside the vessel. After taking a few turns and walking down a few corridors, we arrived at our destination. The doors opened automatically, revealing a crowded room filled with monitors and computers. On the far end, was a single big window showing what was ahead of the Titan.

In the middle of all this, I spotted Nicolay. He looked normal, if not a little bit tired, probably from spending too much time making sure everything is going fine. As if sensing our presence, he turn towards us. His eyes widened a little bit in recognition, before his face became calmer and happier. I could even spot a light smirk tugging his lips.

He motioned us to come forward. We approached him and saluted, which he reciprocated. He then sat down at his chair and waited for us to begin debriefing. Guess it’s the time for some good and bad news. Without any more waiting, we began to speak.

-x-

“So you believe these megaspells might be connected with this whole madness?” The first things we told him were about the more relevant information regarding possible answers to our arrival. In other words, we told him about what we had found regarding megaspells and the pre-war military. Of course, Nicolay was skeptical at first, as it is expected when confronted with something as strange as this. It's not everyday you are told a bunch of magical ponies creating a nuke are the answer behind your problems. Eventually, however, as we gave a more detailed explanation and showed some pieces of evidence, he came around.

“Well, to be honest, there’s still a lot we need to look into to confirm this, but right now it’s the most likely answer,” I told him. The captain had reclined on his chair, in deep thought.

He narrowed his eyes. “Do you think someone could be behind all this? That maybe this wasn’t just bad luck?” I was taken aback by this suggestion. While it did passed through my mind, it’s hard to think any of the groups we saw could operate something as complicated as a reality-bending megaspell. "What if someone intentionally activated this device and caused all this mess?"

I opened my mouth but no words came, it took me a moment to formulate an answer. “I-I don’t think so, no, most people around here barely have enough resources to survive, very few would have the knowledge, technical skills or the sheer manpower needed to do this…” Barin didn’t seem so skeptical of that, it was his turn to stare ahead in deep thought.

“I don’t know, those people at Ministry Square seemed well off, and we must also take into account other factions that we know little about,” True, but we haven’t found a single piece of evidence supporting that. “Who knows, maybe some of them just stumbled upon some hidden silo and were somehow able to activate that."

I gave him a flat look. “What are the chances of something like that happening?”

“About the same of being teleported into another planet all the sudden?”

Okay, I suppose he has a point. “You’re not wrong, but…” He gave me a wide grin.

As we were teasing each other, Nicolay let out a sigh and stepped in. “All right, let’s just change topic, we can speculate about this when we find out something more accurate.”

Our talk shifted towards Ministry Square, the Confederacy and other big factions nearby. We spoke about their organization, infrastructure, numbers and just about anything that could be relevant to us. There was also a brief debate if any of them could pose a threat to us, so I spoke about how our brief stay went. That also meant I had tell him about the “incidents” we had with the refugees and the rangers.

Needless to say, the captain was pretty mad about it. He didn’t scream at us (he rarely loses control of his emotions) or anything, he just crossed his arms and stared at us with an expression of utter disappointment. Barin and I were both uncomfortable with that, and I attempted to salvage the situation somewhat. Still, it was clear he didn’t like one bit of how things had turned out. I just hope my mistakes don’t bring any severe consequences.

Nicolay rubbed his eyes “Fucking great… that’s not how things should’ve gone…” I shifted a little in my seat, looking around in an attempt to avoid facing him. “You have been under my command for a while now, Alexander, so I know you didn’t do this on purpose. However, that changes things, this could easily turn into armed resistance to our presence here.”

I let out a long breath and closed my eyes. “I know I screwed up, but I didn’t had much of a choice…” Did I? No matter how much I think about it, I can never reach a conclusion. “Still, I did my best to make up for that and I believe we may have a chance of stablishing a solid relation with Ministry Square,” Of course, I was talking about the deal Shortbeak and Snow’s father had proposed. There was still much to discuss, but it did open the possibility of mutual aid.

“What are you talking about?” He asked, with a raised eyebrow.

I proceeded to tell him everything about the deal. I mentioned how it would be useful to have access to the ministries and how we can use that to expand our search. Nicolay agreed, suggesting how we could trade protection of the city for supplies and raw materials. The conversation got deeper and intense, as the three of us became excited about this. I’ll admit having been somewhat skeptical of the whole thing before this meeting, but the captain pointed out a great deal of benefits this could get us.

There were still a few glaring issues, such as how we were supposed to transport people and supplies back and forth (we couldn’t really raise the whole fucking Titan to do that). How were we supposed to secure the area on a clean and efficient way? This will be hard to do when dealing with those Militia thugs or any other armed factions running around.

“Accepting this could be very beneficial to us, but we must be careful to avoid getting stuck in a long fight,” I said. During this time, the three of us had begun to sketch some plans, trying to come with an acceptable way to do this. “We should also avoid bringing unnecessary attention towards us, it would be best if we only used the minimum of manpower we require to accomplish whatever tasks they need us to do.”

Nicolay and Barin nodded. “True, maybe we could have your own squad plus a few more men? Would ten or twelve people be enough?”

I thought for a while. “Maybe… with a good arsenal and supplies it should be enough,” However, how were we supposed to transport all that? Going on foot would be a waste of time. “Are there any ground vehicles available? Maybe a jeep or a truck?”

The commander shrugged. “Well, given our isolation, I would normally avoid using any of our assets, but given the possibilities here I think we can make an exception.”

“Great, this will make everything much easier,” I said with a smile. Frost and Shortbeak had assured me that they wouldn't ask for anything too complex, so I guessed this should be enough.

“Yes, but I will ask you to be extra careful, we cannot afford to lose vehicles and we also don’t want to draw attention to ourselves.”

Barin crossed his arms. “With the way things are going on this place, sooner or later we’ll have to pick a side…”

“I’m aware of that, but I still want to avoid that for as long as possible,” The captain turned to face Barin, “Yesterday we lost another crewmen to severe wounds sustained during our arrival, last thing I need is more casualties,” His face took a darker look as he said that. Fucking great, another person who won't be coming back home...

Those words reminded me of Ilya and other comrades I had lost during the war. He’s right, if we want to get everyone home we can’t afford to get too involved with this place. As much as it sucks to see people living in these conditions, we have a greater mission back home. Getting back and finishing this war is our top priority.

-x-

With everything decided, the conversation ended and each of us went our separate ways. Nicolay went organize our new plan, while Barin and I decided to have a well deserve nap. None of my comrades were in the barracks when I got there, which made me slightly lonely, but I that was little to drift me away from my desire to rest for a while. I felt calm, knowing that my job was done, for the moment.

I stayed in my bed for a long time, simply trying to sleep. I succeeded to an extent, no dreams or nightmares, just the usual empty blackness. I don’t know how long I remained there, probably a few hours. When I finally became rested it was already night, and I decided to get up and see how everything was going.

As I rose from my bed, I realized there was almost no movement outside. There was still the constant sound of machinery and I could see a few soldiers wondering, but it was clear this had been a quiet day. Stifling a yawn, I rubbed my eyes and walked to the door. I silently debated whether I should go eat something or search for my friends.

Just as I was about to reach the door, it opened. The familiar face of Dima appeared on the other side. “Hey sergeant!” He greeted me, with a surprised expression. “Didn’t think I would find you here.”

“Hey rookie…” I replied. It was nice to see him; there wasn’t a trace of the insecurity and sadness he had gained after Ilya’s death. I guess these last few days must have been enough to get things right. “Why are you surprised? Didn’t know me and Barin were back?”

He shrugged. “I knew that already, I just thought you would be up and working with the captain or something.”

“Well, we all get tired at some point, even I have a limit.”

Dima nodded. “Guess that’s true… what are you planning on doing for the night?” Good question, I still don’t know for sure.

I scratched my chin in deep thought. Maybe I should give a quick check on the captain, make sure everything is going smoothly, then I’ll just turn in for the night and enjoy whatever free time I have left. “I was thinking about speaking with captain Nicolay and then maybe watch a movie or something… I’ll come find you if I decide to do so.”

“Alright, see you then I guess,” I nodded and moved past him, outside the barracks. I gave a quick glance around and decided to head inside the Titan once more. I decided it was better to check on Nicolay just to make sure everything is going fine. This time, there were much less people inside, and the interior was mostly quiet. I walked straight to the bridge, knowing I would find Nicolay there.

To my surprise, the captain wasn’t there. I asked around to some of the crewmembers and soldiers inside the room. Apparently, he had received a call from our… temporally allies, and was at his personal quarters. I found that strange, it must’ve been something serious. Just hope the Europeans are not wasting our time…

I had never been there personally, but I knew where his quarters were and made my way there. I tried not to think too hard about what this could be. I’m sure it won’t be something bad, probably some extra negotiations on our little agreement. If there was something big going on, I’m sure all of us would be aware of it. I quickly arrived at his door.

“Uh… sir! It’s sergeant Terenti here, do you have a moment?” I called.

It was all quiet for a few moment. “Alexander? Sure, you are just the person I need, come inside.”

I frowned at that answer, but decided not to question it. The door opened, revealing a slightly bigger room. The military doesn’t care much for luxuries, even for officers, but it’s still interesting to notice how Nicolay didn’t received better accommodation than the rest of us. There were a few personal objects scattered throughout the room and some equipment, all of which didn't draw my attention. The man himself was sitting behind a table, which had a computer, some papers and a pen on it. I could hear words being spoken from the computer.

These voices got my attention. They were in English, not Russian. Was he speaking with the EU? As far as I know, everyone in our company knew Russian. “Sergeant, I hate to tell you this, but we have a problem…” Shit.

“What is it?” I asked in confusion. His face was serious, more than usual.

“Come here and sit beside me, we need to have a word with the EU commander,” He replied, while pointing to a chair. I complied, and as I came around the table, I realized he was indeed speaking with the EU commander and a few other officers (including the Lieutenant, if I’m not mistaken) through a video conference. “Captain, would you please tell the story to the sergeant here?”

On the other side of the screen, the European officer nodded. “A few hours ago we came into hostile contact with what appears to be two separate armed groups,” That information didn’t sound too important, “This happened during the early hours of the day, when one of our patrols went to investigate some movement to the west. However, we lost contact with them and had no word for several hours.”

“This forced the lieutenant here," he continued, while pointing to the man in question, "to lead a search party towards their last known location. After some time, they found the patrol… along with several well-armed and equipped hostiles," Could they be confederacy soldiers? This far from Ministry Square? "Unlike other engagements we’ve had, this time the enemy seemed to be experienced and organized, and while Lieutenant Copper and his unit were able to deal with the enemy, they discovered that most of the patrol had been killed in action…”

When he said that, I realized why this was a serious occasion. For the first time, we have lost soldiers on this soil. My mind began to race with thoughts and questions. It couldn't be the confederacy, but I wasn't aware of any other group that could be considered well armed and trained. There was only the Blackwatch company, but they are stuck inside the city and have asked for our help. They must be something new, a group we haven't heard about.

“Only one soldier survived, and he suffered substantial wounds. After a quick investigation, we found out that the people we fought were originally attacking another group of… power-armored pegasi.”

What the fuck? Now I’m really lost here. I tried to come up with something from what Snowdrop told me, regarding pegasi. As far as I remenber, at no point she mentioned a faction with access to power armor.

“We recovered two bodies of them, both wearing advanced power armor and heavy weapons. In addition, they were both wearing uniforms underneath with similar insignias.”

The man paused for a while, allowing me the process the information. “That’s… quite a lot to take in…” I said. This changes things, whoever these new people are, they are an obvious threat to us. If it wasn’t enough to have this confederacy around, now we got two new factions to worry about. Shit, this means we must be extra careful and make sure our positions are well defended. We should avoid going on the offensive… but then how are we going to carry out our plans?

I suppose a small force, such as the one I plan to use, should be able to keep a low profile. Furthermore, as far as I know there aren’t any of them near Ministry Square, so the area should be safe. Yes, maybe I can still proceed with our plan, as long as I make proper changes. “What exactly is the point of this? You could have just sent a message telling us what happened.”

The man shifted a little and looked away. “Yes… I could have, but I’m not here just to tell you what happened,” He looked me straight in the eyes, “I’m here to see how we are going to strike back.”

I moved away from the screen, to a straight posture. Strike back? But that’s precisely what we don’t want to do. We should, by all means, stay low and wait until we figure out what we are dealing with. Ever since we arrived there was a concensus amongs me, Nicolay and the rest of the PAC officers that we should take a careful and secure aproach to the outside world.

I faced Nicolay with an expression of disbelief. His face showed he also disagreed with the EU captain. What that man was suggesting would put a halt on our plans and make it harder to keep searching for the truth behind our arrival. I tried to form a coherent response, but the rational part of me kept getting blocked by the stream of emotions cursing through me. After all the shit I went through, this guy just throws all progress back to zero…

Right now we have a chance to get a useful ally and an open door to a whole city. Attacking powerful factions such as these would shift our entire effort and would draw too much attention to ourselves. Depending on how costly this becomes, it would make impossible to either continue my investigation or sealing the deal with Ministry Square. I cannot let this happens.

Alright, hold on, maybe I’m being unfair here. As much as I hate this, they didn’t start this mess, they were simply swept inside without choice. We may be enemies, but I can understand that losing some of your soldiers like this is never easy and I wouldn’t be surprised if there were people advocating something even more extreme. Looking from their point of view, I can see why they would want to deal with this as quickly as possible, because they were the ones affected by it. Losing several men in a single day has probably made them spooked.

Still, I can’t allow them to just throw us into this hurricane. “Nicolay, what do you think about this?” I asked him in Russian. Hopefully none of the Euros know our language.

He shrugged. “I’m honestly just as lost as you, this goes against much of what we were planning,” He placed a hand on his face and let out a deep breath, “And I also weary of going out to fight like this… I know we need to act against such a obvious threat, but not this quick."

“Yes… I can understand why they want this, but attacking without at least gathering more intelligence is probably a bad idea.”

I decided to try giving a proper reply to our temporary allies. “This is indeed a… very complex situation, but are you sure about striking back like this? Do you even know exactly what we might be getting into?” I tried to sound as friendly as possible, hoping to avoid giving the wrong impression.

They seemed to take it well, and for the first time since this conversation begun, the lieutenant spoke. “We understand this might be somewhat… rushed, but right now we are facing a threat of a much bigger scale,” There was a slight edge in his voice, “We are talking about a band of heavily armed people and an unknown number of power-armored soldiers.”

“Who knows what they might be up to? I agree it would be better to take this more carefully, but you know we can’t allow something like this to go unchecked.”

He… wasn’t wrong, but I was still unconvinced. “Look, I understand what you mean, but what you are suggesting is still very risky…” Shit, how can I figure this? “While it’s true that it might be useful to strike before the enemy does something else, we don’t even know how many could be out there.”

“Sigh… I don’t know if you guys know this already, but I recently managed to make contact with a large city-state not far from here, I also found some information that might be connected to our arrival,” Those words seemed to gather their attention.

The EU captain raised an eyebrow. “What does that has to do with our situation?”

“What I’m saying is that I have a pretty solid mission going and I don’t know if it would be a good idea to throw that away in this effort to counter-attack whomever these people are," I explained. Like it or not, we don't have the resources to do both. Yes, we could have multiple small teams doing separate tasks, but we don't have the manpower to multiple large scale operations such as this. "It could be better if we first tried to discover more about them and gather some local allies."

“Do you agree with him?” The lieutenant asked Nicolay.

“I agree that we should give attention to this new development, but I think it would be best if we focused our efforts on what my sergeant is doing, we don’t have the resources to do both.”

For a brief moment, the lieutenant lost his calm. “What if it were your soldiers out there, getting killed by these people?” His tone was stronger, on the verge of shouting, “Are you saying we should just stand by while our men get attacked?”

I tried to reason with him. “I- No! I’m just saying that we should first take a defensive posture, find out more about our enemy and only then we should act!” Can’t he see reason? I’m trying to cooperate with him, but if he keeps pushing for a reckless attack, there’s no way I can agree. “Our priority needs to be on gathering more resources and finding a way back, not to get dragged down into another war.”

He disagreed with me. “There is no time for that! If we don’t make sure this region is safe we won’t be able to search for answers! We need to do this while we have the power to do so, who knows what might happen later?”

This argument continued for another hour and it got increasingly heated. Nicolay and I stood by our point, saying that it wouldn’t be right to throw ourselves into battle like this. We attempted to show them how beneficial it could be if we managed to get aid from Ministry Square, but the Euros were having none of it. No matter how much we tried, they didn’t backed down, they wanted to act and avenge their fallen comrades. A noble, but very stupid idea.

By the end of this, Captain Nicolay told them that they were free to do what they wanted, but shouldn’t count on PAC support. This led to a cold and tense moment, right before the meeting ended and the video feed was cut. Part of me began to worry about what this could mean to all of us. Hopefully this won’t sour our relations too much. I supposed it was only a matter of time before we diverged on something.

“That lieutenant is sure hotheaded…” The captain commented.

I nodded in agreement. “Yes… and it will probably get him killed at some point.”

“Let’s go, we need to finish the preparations for your next assignment.”

Footnote: 50% to next level

Interlude 1: Hard Choices

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Interlude 1: Hard Choices

Water? About 40 liters per day, more or less…

Ammunition is relative, depends on how things go, but let’s just assume we will end up in more fights than expected…

There is also food, some spare parts, fuel and medical supplies. These are the important items and will occupy most space…

Extra radio, batteries, tools... Is there anything else on the list?

We were gathering things to our next trip. The list of items just went on and on, mentioning every single thing we could possibly need. Captain Nicolay was making sure we were well prepared for this next assignment, and allowed us to pick up just about anything we wanted. The result was a big pile of supplies, enough to keep us alive for over a week. Thank god we aren’t doing this on foot.

Our vehicle of choice was an armored jeep, almost as big as a truck. The thing had plenty of room for this pile and all the personnel involved, which consisted of my whole squad and five extra soldiers. Ten people in total. The jeep itself could withstand small arms fire and grenades. It also had a HMG on top to provide some protection. On a wasteland like this, where many can’t even afford a firearm, it would provide us a quick and safe transport.

The main problem we were facing, however, is deciding how we should store all of this. It’s obvious we can’t keep carrying this all the time, so we need to find a place that is safe, isolated but still close enough to the city. Sure, after spending a few days out there, I already have a vague idea of which places are better, but there’s still a lot to decide. Stablishing ourselves in a good position within the city will make everyone’s lives easier.

Once we manage to settle down, I will speak with Shortbeak about what he need us to do. Meanwhile, I also plan to investigate every single military facility within the area.

Our last adventure gave us a list of research stations and army bases throughout the island, most of them located around Ministry Square. It didn’t say which of them were related to the megaspells, meaning we will have to search through all of them until we get a more precise information. Perhaps I could go to the library inside the Ministry of Arcane Sciences for more intel. Who knows, maybe Snowdrop and her family could help us.

Barin was on the other side of the room, checking our explosives. The bastard loved those dammed things. He had assembled a large inventory of grenades, demolition charges, anti-personnel mines, tripwires, rifle rockets and even a rocket launcher. I tried to argue with him about it, but he convinced me that it would be better to have more than we probably needed at our disposal.

Akio and Suvorov were organizing the food and medical supplies. I could see Dima and the rest of the soldiers loading the supplies into the jeep, while Nicolay stared silently. After noticing me staring, he walked closer and sat down beside me. He appeared calm, bearing the same sharp expression he carried when leading us.

“So… how are you holding up, sergeant?” He spoke, trying to start a conversation.

I looked up for a second and then shrugged. “Fine I guess, it’s nice to see some progress in our search and I’m convinced we are getting into something solid,” I still don’t know for sure, but there is no harm in being positive. “Hopefully we can get to the bottom of this before something bad happens.”

“You thinking about those dead soldiers?” He asked with a raised eyebrow, referring to the dead Europeans from yesterday.

“More or less… can’t help but to feel this might be the beginning of something bad.”

Nicolay gave me a tap on the back. “Don’t worry too much about it, even if the EU does something stupid we still have superior firepower on our hands.”

“I know that, and I’m not worried about a frontal assault or something,” I explained to him, “The problem is that by dividing our efforts like this we run the risk of spending too much of our resources, not to mention the lack of manpower available.”

He nodded. “That’s true, but what other choice do we have? Should we join them in that mad chase for whomever killed their men? I don’t like this situation either, but I’m not about to charge blindly into the fray.”

“But what about the Europeans? We will probably need their help eventually,” I argued. “What if something bad happens to them? We would be losing almost a whole company of well-trained and equipped soldiers…”

Like the captain, I believe we should stick to a defensive posture. If someone wants to mess with us, let them come. The time I spend around Ministry Square was more than enough to understand just how dangerous and demanding this wasteland can be, last thing we need is to expose more of our people to it. Right now, we are in a position of strength and by searching for some unknown threat, we could be kicking a hornets nest.

“I know that,” Nicolay replied, “And I suppose that if something really bad happen we won’t have a choice but to do something about it. However, we both know this is very unlikely, I don’t think the EU are stubborn enough to place themselves in a bad position.”

Our conversation ended there. All of us continued with the preparations, listing off items and loading supply boxes. I decided to follow Nicolay’s advice and stop worrying about what happened yesterday. The only thing that matters now is to make sure we are prepared for whatever difficulties we come across.

I looked around, seeing each of my comrades. Be positive, I thought to myself. Just focus on the mission at hand and we might be home soon. No matter what happens, I will do what is necessary to get us back, whatever the cost.

Everyone would continue to work for several hours, until everything was ready. Going back to the city will only take a few hours, as opposed to almost two days. The extra time will help us speed up our work. Shortbeak told me he wouldn’t give us difficult tasks to do, and even though I still don’t trust him as a person I’m confident that he doesn’t wish to antagonize a group of people as well-armed as us. Hopefully there will be plenty of free time to continue my investigation.

-x-

Fighting alone… just like in Belgrade.

The refusal to help us was unexpected. After a week of mutual aid, most of us had become more trustful of the PAC and were counting on their vehicles and extra manpower. While I knew that it wouldn’t be easy to convince them, I still couldn’t understand why they would rather stand aside and watch as some sort of death squad stalked the land. I get it that our resources are limited, but we are also well stocked and have superior firepower; I doubt there’s anything on this blasted wasteland that could match us.

What the fuck are they afraid? The only reason why we lost those soldiers is because they were heavily outnumbered and didn’t had any support available. If we secure this whole area and begin to use heavier equipment, nothing will stand against us. There is no reason to stand idly by and the sooner they can figure that out, the better.

However, our lack of support isn’t the only problem we are facing. There was something that had been an issue for some time now. I had hoped this could've been sattled once we had made contact with outside factions, but it appears that we still don't have a good solution for this situation.

Of course, what I'm talking about are the prisoners we made when the slaver base was taken (and eventually converted into our headquarters). During this time we have kept them locked away in the basement, trying to follow basic POW protocols. I had hoped that we might be able to transfer them to somewhere else where they would be properly tried and sentenced, but it appears that this won't be possible.

If what we have discovered in these last few days is any indication, nobody around here has any sort of legal system. They only follow basic codes, similar to the ten commandments. The way they deal with crimes is equal to the hammurabi code, an eye for an eye. People found guilty of major crimes are usually executed. That, of course, also goes to slavery.

The issue here is that even though I hate those prisoners for what they've done, I cannot allow them to be killed like that. Yes, I realize we are in the middle of a gods-forsaken wasteland but I still have morals. I believe, just as the government I serve, that the right to life is universal and because of that I can’t allow someone that has ended up under my care to die like this. Their actions may be abominable, but they still deserve a fair trial. I suppose hoping to find an acceptable prison might have been too much.

I can’t give them away… but I can't keep them here either. by doing so, I would need to provide food and water every day, as well as keep someone watching them at all times. These people are a liability, doing nothing beyond consuming our resources. Now, with this new threat looming over us and the lack of PAC support, we have even less soldiers and supplies to spare. There's only two choices available, and I don't like either of them.

Right now, I’m at the basement interrogating one of them. There were six in total, four stallions and two mares. I didn’t know much about them, since they had refused to cooperate with any our attempts to talk. Most of what we knew came from the former slaves, and the picture they described wasn’t a very positive one. The extent of abuse and humiliation these people forced the captives to endure was shocking, to say the least.

Physical and verbal aggression were constant throughout the day, with varying degrees depending on whom ended up watching over them. Sexual abuse was a common form of punishment for just about any sort of behavior deemed unacceptable and sometimes was even used “just for fun”. We also heard stories about all sorts of nasty execution methods (This part wasn’t much of a surprise after I witnessed a child being murdered earlier this week).

A few years back, before the war happened, I had done some volunteer work at refugee camps and war-torned areas throughout Europe and North Africa. Those placed were filled with all sorts of violence, mostly from drug traffic and corruption. I couldn't help but to draw some parallels between what I saw back home and what I'm dealing with right now.

However, from what we understood, some of the slavers tended to be more cruel than others and a few were mostly indifferent to the whole situation. That is precisely what I’m trying to find out. If I can discover which ones are… less repulsive, it will be easier to decide what to do with them. Despite their eagerness to provide information, the former slaves only knew what was possible within their confinement, so there was still a lot to figure out.

“Okay… I’m going to ask you one more time,” I said to the pony in front of me, “When did you join this gang?”

It was a mare; she had a gray coat and brown mane. There were no scars along her body and she sounded young. It was easy to notice the profound hate on her eyes as she stared at me. “And I will tell you once again to go buck yourself…” Staring a conversation with her has been impossible; she refused any type of questions and wouldn’t even look at me most of the time. This interrogation had been going for over an hour I was still unable to get anything out of her.

I decided to attempt a little bit of coercion. “Keep refusing and I’ll make sure you stay locked away through the rest of the day,” My tone was deep and slow, “You are not the only prisoner here and I bet the others would be more willing to give me answers.”

She smiled at me, the opposite reaction I was looking for. “Do you think I give a shit? After everything you have done to us there is nothing more pleasant than to make your life harder.”

That little bitch. “You are a fucking slaver, remember that when you try to speak about the actions of others.”

"You don't know shit about me..."

"I have seen enough to know you earned everything that happened here."

This time, the mare looked at me with narrowed eyes. Her body left its lazy state as she stood up, and I noticed how her muscles were stiffening. “Don’t try to judge me you alien freak! You are nothing but an outsider who decided to play hero and attack us without provocation.”

“But you were attacking others, weren’t you? We attacked you because of the captives you held, because we knew of the cruelty you imposed on those who live on this side of the island,” As much as I wanted to avoid it, the anger inside me was slowly advancing, “Fuck, I saw your boss killing a child right in front of his mother!”

“Ah yes, as if all of us enjoyed that… we did was necessary to survive in this shithole of a wasteland!”

“What I saw wasn’t survival, it was plain insanity and you know it!” I replied while jabbing a finger at her. The frustration of everything I had been dealing with was too much. I wasn't in the mood to deal with this bullshit. "There is nothing that would justify abusing and killing people like that."

“Really now, do you serious believe that? Tell me, just how much do you know about this place huh?”

I decided to remain silent at that question.

“Do you have any idea of how many foals are getting killed or raped at this very moment?” Her previous anger had been replaced by a tone of disgust, “You keep talking as if ponies have the choice of living a happy and quiet life, as if nobody is forced to something they regret…”

“You want to know the truth? We did this because it was either that or starving to death! Most ponies who worked here had families living somewhere; they had foals of their own who won’t be getting their meals because you decided to gun them down. I joined because I had a little brother to take care and it was either doing this or selling myself at some brothel!”

"What about the rape and torture? There were a lot people here who enjoyed that kind of shit." I shot back.

“Yes, our boss was a huge dick, as well as some of the older guys; they enjoyed seeing others suffer, but the rest of us…” As the mare calmed down, she took a deep breath, “Most of us would have dropped our weapons if given a choice, but instead of doing that you decided you knew enough to pick who should live or die...”

"Bullshit! You would have killed us the moment you spotted us, there was no other choice."

"If that's what you believe, why don't you try explaining that to all those families who won't be getting their family menbers because of you?"

Once she stopped, I realized I had nothing to say, the anger and frustration inside was too much. I tried to come up with something, but couldn’t. Instead, I simply stood up and left the basement, trying to calm down my boiling anger. I slowly walked upstairs until I reached the exit. At the door, waiting for me, was Elliot. He probably heard some of the shouting downstairs.

“So…” He began, “You made any progress?”

“It’s going to be a long day…” I answered.

Chapter 17: Lost Contact

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Chapter 17: Lost Contact

“Power Armor? Why were the equestrians so focused on that?” I thought as I read a series of files concerning wartime military R&D. I couldn’t help but to be curious about these weapons and equipment, even if they were not what I was currently looking for. No, I’m supposed to find out more about megaspell facilities, both their location and respective payloads.

Still, this is stuff is somewhat interesting… How could anyone believe they would be able to develop a perfect suit of armor? It says here that the origin of this project was an effort to stop all casualties, and while this is a noble idea, it is also a huge waste of resources. As much as I hate to know this, a soldier’s life is hardly worth that much, especially when the benefits are very low. A guy wearing a rocket launcher and a heavy machinegun will do just about the same damage as a small group of soldiers. Sure, maybe it could provide some advantages in urban combat, but they would still need to deal with a logistical nightmare to keep those suits up and running at all times.

The pegasus prototype, on the other hand, was much more interesting and efficient. It had lighter armor and weapons but still provided significant protection and firepower to the user, all the while being much simpler and easy to produce. I guess they must have learnt something after seeing how these “Steel Rangers” performed in battle.

Now that I think of it, I wonder if those pegasi the europeans found were wearing this type of armor. I never really got the chance to examine them or their equipment. Not that it matters, I doubt there are many of these still in use after over 200 years.

As I continued to read all these papers, I decided to check on Barin, who was exploring a different part of the building. I brought a hand to my radio. “Barin, how’s everything going up there? You got the door open yet?” I asked. Before I had decided to read all these files, my squad and I had came across a heavy steel door guarding the main administration room, so we figured it must have something important behind it and that we should check it out. However, after almost an hour of examination, we were still unable to crack the dammed thing open.

It took a few seconds for him to answer. “Negative, this thing has some sort of extra lock on the other side, plus a thick metal plate , I’ll have to blow it up with some charges.”

“Understood, just try not to collapse the whole building on top of us,” I joked.

“Your lack of trust on my demolition skills wounds me Alex…” With that comment, his side whent quiet, and I switched to another frequency.

Since I already checked on one group, I might as well see how everyone is doing. Our unit was currently split in three groups, with Barin, Dima and Akio trying to open that door, Suvorov keeping guard at the rooftop and myself down here. “Suvorov, you see anything interesting from the roof?”

The man quickly replied in a bored tone. “If you count a bunch of birds as interesting than I suppose it’s more or less exciting… other than that, no, there is nothing going on around us.”

“Alright, keep on watching and don’t worry, we are almost done here.”

My squad and I are inside a military facility deep within the ruins of the city. This trip is the first of many we will probably be doing in the next few days in order to discover more about the megaspells. Things are going well so far, our entire journey from the outpost has been peaceful and without any sort of inconveniences. Once we are done with this place, I will have to go into Ministry Square to see what Shortbeak wants us to do. With my full squad and all resources we brought with us, I doubt there is anything too difficult to do.

Since we are all but done here, I might as well check with our recently stablished HQ. I switched to another frequency, “This is Sergeant Alexander calling for the HQ, do you copy, over?”

“We hear you loud and clear sir, what do want to know, over?”

“Give me a quick status and tell me how the drone patrol is going, over,” A yes, the drone, another toy we were allowed to bring with us. Nicolay has placed a lot of faith on my unit.

The people I was speaking to were the five extra soldiers assigned to me. They were the ones supposed to keep our little HQ in the city safe, while also providing support with the drone and sending messages back to the outpost. Those five were basically our lifeline between us and Captain Nicolay. While I didn't know them personally, so far they have acted in an efficient and professional way.

“We have already patrolled most of the area and haven’t seen anything beyond a single caravan about a kilometer from you; the rest of the guys just finished assembling the base and are keeping an eye out for any movement around the area, over.”

Nice job, I guess. “Understood, my squad is almost done with this place, so we should be coming back soon enough; see you guys in a few minutes, over and out.”

Just as I ended the call, there was a muffed bang somewhere above me. It wasn’t very strong, but enough that the floor shook in a noticeable way, lifting some dust. This must be Barin detonating the locked door to the main office, where we hoped to find more important documents.

I quickly ascended there, eager to know how things were going. Unlike previous areas of the city, this place had an odd absence of bodies or skeletons, making it less creepy. The only thing worth noticing as I moved were the propaganda posters on the walls, somehow still well preserved after two centuries. I couldn’t help but to raise an eyebrow at the use of socialist realism on the art style (wonder how the ponies call it), just another thing I’ll have to add to my list of strange similarities between Earth and this place. There was also a strange pink pony on many of the posters, bearing a wide... and quite creepy smile, can't help but to feel a little bit tense by that look.

As expected, Barin, Akio and Dima were already inside the now open room (the metal door had a noticeable dent near the lock), searching the whole place. Despite the decay, it was obvious whomever worked here was very wealthy. The furniture and decorations inside were beautiful and expensive. Behind the main table, still sitting on a chair, was a lonely pony skeleton. A unicorn, it appears, given the horn jutting out of his or hers skull.

I took a step closer and noticed two things: there was a rusty revolver on the table and the dead unicorn had a distinctive hole in the middle the head. Had he killed himself? Why? I couldn't help but to be a little curious about this pony, but I figured that there was no point on trying to discover more about it, unless it had something to do with our mission.

“Hey guys, you found something yet?” I said, shifting my attention from the skeleton.

Dima and Akio shook their heads, so I turned to the last person in the room. “I think I got something…” Barin said, while showing some papers with his left hand. I moved closer to him and looked at what he had. At first, it didn’t seem any different from the stuff I had been reading downstairs.

“And what exactly it is?” I asked.

Barin walked to the table and laid down the documents. “I found these hidden behind a bookcase and inside a wall safe, seemed to be important…” I noticed a few blueprints between the pages. “From what I understood, these seem to be a series of construction contracts.”

I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms. “Why do you think they could be useful?”

“Because I think they are supposed to be missile silos,” That got my attention, and I took a closer look. “I’m no expert, but these blueprints are very similar to it, and look at the specifications here!” Barin pointed to a series of numbers besides the drawings. “Each one of these facilities are supposed to carry 2 units of something.”

“Let me guess, it does not specify what those units are supposed to be?”

“No, they are marked as classified, but we can probably assume they are talking about WMDs or some other sort of top secret project.”

A quick read through some of the pages reinforced Barin’s argument. They were indeed talking about “High Priority” military facilities that were supposed to be unknown to the general public and extremely well protected. The locations of each were always far away from pre-war settlements and very close to mountains. The blueprints always had some sort of “Main Chamber” connected to a “Control Station”. These chambers always had an opening to the sky, suggesting they were supposed to launch something upwards. Sadly, a large portion of the files had been destroyed by time, so we couldn't really get the full picture. In addition, there was zero information on what exactly was supposed to be stored inside of them.

“Alright, this looks good enough, we’ll analyze them more back at our hideout,” I concluded. “Let’s do a quick search and get the hell out of here, we still have more things to do.”

-x-

Even during the day, it was hard to distinguish our temporary headquarters from the rest of the ruins around it. Only a very careful eye would be able to notice the barrel of a machinegun sticking out of a broken window or the motion sensors at the walls facing the street. It wasn’t a big place, but had enough space at the ground floor to keep our transport out of sight. I couldn’t really determine what this place used to be, since most of the interior was in a very bad state, most likely an office or a small store.

This area of the city was mostly quiet, in the time it took us to settle everything down we hadn’t had any sort of contact. Despite that, we weren’t very far from Ministry Square, and the ministry towers were easily visible from here. Hopefully this will prove to be a good spot for the next few days.

To be frank, while I enjoy the peace, I could really use some change in scenery. Everything I looked at was either grey or brown, and after so many days it became quite boring. Why couldn’t we land at a tropical paradise or some sort of fantasy world? It just had to be a fucking wasteland, as if I hadn’t seen enough of it back home. After a whole year of staring at white blankets of snow and ice I get to look at brown dirt and grey ruins... lucky me.

“Come on guys, try to get some rest now, we still have things to do later,” I told everyone as we reached the second floor. Just as we arrived, the “extras” (as I chose to nickname the five new additions to our unit until I got all of their names right), stood up and saluted. To be honest, I was never really comfortable with being in a position of authority, however small it was. Maybe it's just the fear of being responsible for the lives of others or even my lack of experience. “You know the drill; leave the stuff we found on that table over there so we can take a closer look.”

As everyone settled, I approached the guy in charge of the drone. He was almost as young as Dima, but clearly had some extra years of service under his belt. I think his name was Andrei or something, and while I hadn’t gotten to know him yet, the few times we spoke when we were driving here were pleasant. “Got anything new to report, private?”

He shook his head while giving a quick glance to the controllers. “No sir, same stuff as before, just a few small groups passing around, too far to worry about," He had a calm but noticeably tired look on his eyes.

“Alright, that’s good,” I nodded. “As you probably know, I’ll be heading to the city to help some of the locals, do you think you can provide some overwatch?”

“Absolutely, there’s still plenty of battery left.”

“Excellent, I’ll get in touch with you once I find out what I need to do,” With that finished, I turned around and walked to my “quarters”, which consisted of nothing more than a bedroll and a few bags of equipment and personal things near a corner. “And make sure to stop for a while and eat something, you have been doing patrols all morning already,” I called over my shoulder.

I arrived at my spot and sat down. All of us have been up since dawn and I can’t help but to feel a little bit tired. However, I want to speak with Shortbeak as soon as possible, so a nap is out of question. I stayed there in silence for a while, just resting, until Barin and Dima approached me. Both looked fine.

“So… we are heading to the square now?” Barin said, while scratching the back of his head.

I nodded. “Yep, I want to get our work started as soon as possible. The sooner we can get some supplies down to the outpost, the better.”

“Do you want to bring everyone inside with you, or should we wait outside?” I raised an eyebrow at that. Bringing everyone inside will draw even more attention towards us, and the area around the square is quite dangerous. Aside from those we already know, most ponies avoid us when they see us and are far from friendly, if we are not careful with our presence, it might cause even more problems to us.

I stared at my friend for a while, contemplating an answer. “I don’t know… while I understand why letting everyone in might be a problem, splitting our group is never a good idea,” There was no perfect solution, but if we are going to build a stable relationship with these people we need to get across this bridge. Sooner or later they need to get used to our presence. “But I guess at some point we will have to bring larger numbers inside, so we might as well get on with it…”

Barin crossed his arms. “You sure about that?”

“Well, I think Alex does have a point there,” Dima replied, before I could get my own words out, "It's not like we are doing first contact here, and after what happened to that european patrol it would be better to stick together."

My friend nodded at that, “I suppose… guess we better get ready to leave then.”

I hadn't rested much, but I might as well get going. I stood up from my bed. “Yeah, we better get going, see if you can find Akio and Suvorov.”

With that said, each of us went a separate way. It didn’t take long for all of us to assemble at the front doors. There wasn’t much to explain, I just told them we were going to the square to speak with some of the higher ups from there and see what exactly they needed help with. Everyone was calm as we left, stepping into the harsh sun once more.

Unlike last time I was here, the five of us were fully equipped and ready for whatever this place could throw at us. We had double the ammo we would bring to a normal mission and as much equipment as we could carry. That meant our bags were heavy and our mobility wasn’t the best, but we had decided that a safer journey would be well worth the price. While most were carrying standard assault rifles, Suvorov had opted for a LMG and I had few shotgun shells inside my pockets. Barin was bringing a wide variety of explosives and a few EMP grenades in case we came across robots.

As long as we didn’t face a armored unit or a Titan, we had enough firepower to deal with just about anything.

Throughout this week, I have been walking a lot, more than I did back home. While it can be somewhat boring and tiring, it’s also strangely calming. There is something special about silently contemplating the things around you in such a slow pace. It helps to clear my mind, especially in a clear day like this.

There isn’t a single cloud in the area, just a bright blue sky and the sun on top of us. The only thing bothering me is the heat, and the stuff I’m currently wearing doesn’t help. We made our way through the empty ruins without any issues, easily reaching the river which cuts the city. From there, we headed west towards the bridge Barin and I had used on our first trip here.

Looking at the river, I noticed how the water didn’t seemed to be polluted. This thing is big (over 20 meter from one side to the other) and fast, so I guess it must have diluted any sort of waste from nearby communities or radiation from the bombs. I didn’t know for sure if the river was totally clean, but since I haven’t seen any alternative sources of water, this must be where the locals get their supplies from.

“Man, wish I could take a swim on that river,” Barin commented as he also gazed at the water, “This damn sun is killing me…”

I looked at him with a smile. “Yeah, shame we can’t do it without getting shot or freaking out the civilians.”

“I suppose that’s a normal reaction when you see a bunch of armed aliens taking a swim next to your house.”

I laughed at that. “True, guess we’ll just have to wait until we get back to base.”

Eventually, we saw the rusty bridge that connected our side of the city to the outskirts of Ministry Square. It was the same lonely atmosphere it had been since we began to walk. Part of me wondered if we might have any trouble with the Militia, but I figure they won’t try to mess with this many armed people, especially when we have direct relations with the Blackwatch mercenaries. Sometimes diplomacy does get you some perks.

Meanwhile, the rest of the guys were chatting. "You know Dima, you never really told us where your family is originally from..." Barin spoke, "We know you live near Mumbai but you said you were born in Ukraine," Now that he asked that, I did feel some curiosity towards the kid. He was one of the most extroverts of our unit, and yet I can't remenber him ever telling us much about his origins.

The young man shrugged. “There really isn’t much to say, I was born in Kiev and lived a few years in Mariupol before the ice came…” Can't help but to cringe a little at that, we all know what comes next when the ice hits... and it brings my own memories of leaving Russia, but it’s not like Barin is doing this on purpose, he’s just curious. “… My family tried crossing into Europe in hopes of getting across the Mediterranean, but we got arrested near Greece and were dragged into a camp for about a year and a half.”

Barin shook his head. "No surprise there, we all heard about what the EU was doing along the border, can't help but see the irony on that. They always bragged about human rights and all that shit, but when it came their turn to help they just closed off their borders..." Perhaps there was a little bit of PAC propaganda in that, but it's also kind of accurate.

To my surprise, Dima actually disagreed with that statement. “The EU was hit just as bad as we were by the ice, they already had to deal with their own evacuation and have much less territory than we do” He said with a frown, “I know it wasn't right what they did but... they barely have enough food to feed their own people, much less a bunch of foreingners.”

Barin rolled his eyes. “Maybe, but they still should treat you and all those people with some respect, it’s not like you were doing this for fun. It's either leave or die out there and these people have to face all kinds of attrocities just to get away from critical zones” He looked away for a moment, “But enough of that, what happened next?”

“Well, it took a long time for them to figure out what to do with us. For a while, we were afraid of being sent back to Ukraine, but at some point they must’ve realized that would mean a death sentence, so instead they deported us to India which was inside the PAC but outside the frozen areas, where most of my family is currently living,” He smiled a little at that, but it quickly vanished. "We were lucky... only a fraction of the people there were able to leave."

Before they could talk any longer, I noticed we had just arrived at the bridge, so I had to end our little chat. “Okay, enough talking, it’s time to go inside and see what our next mission will be.”

After receiving a few nods, I led my unit across the bridge and into the town.

-x-

I was right to assume that my whole squad would draw too much attention. If the presence of Barin and I was enough to gather attention from everybody we came across, now people were outright backing away when they spotted all five of us. On one hand, this made me feel much safer, knowing that most people were too afraid to try anything… although a small part of me was also unsettled by the idea of invoking such fear on those people.

The militia kept their eyes on us the whole way until the gates of the square. They had people watching us on many corners of the street and even a few people at the rooftops. Once we reached the gates, the Blackwatch also glanced at us a moment longer than normal, but allowed us to go inside without question.

Our quick journey ended at the Blackwatch headquarters (also known as the ministry of wartime technology). My squad stayed outside while I went to meet with Shortbeak. There were no questions asked as I made my way through the building.

“Well, well… can’t say I’m that surprised by what you got here, but I suppose you must have a few tricks under your sleeves.”

“I did told you we didn’t have a whole army hanging around, but I’m pretty sure I got enough firepower to get the job done.”

“Yeah, I guess you did warned me… but that doesn’t matter,” The black gryphon grabbed a glass of… whisky I think, and took a long sip, “I can judge whether asking for your help was a good idea after you get to the field.” He carried the same calm but authoritarian vibe from last time, casually looking through files as if he was just some random office guy, as opposed to the leader of a powerful mercenary company. I stood in front of him in silence for a few minutes, waiting for him to say something else.

After it was clear he wasn’t going to push things forward, I broke the silence. “Do you mind if we cut the chase? What exactly do you need me to do?”

He rose an eyebrow and slowly lowered the papers he was reading. “Guess you aren’t that interested in simple pleasantries…” He sighed and looked me in the eyes, “If you are that eager to know more then let’s get on with it.”

“How can I put this in a simple way… well... if you haven’t noticed already, the city is in the gutter,” Shortbeak paused for a second, “That is, more than usual, you must’ve seen just how chaotic the streets are.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I had to fight my way through the area on multiple occasions.”

“Exactly, we got gangsters and raiders all over the region, mostly coming from the north. They are the reason why we lost control over the outskirts of Ministry Square and the farmlands along the river. Not only that, we also got a bunch of refugees running around the crossfire.”

“I keep hearing about this conflict happening on that part of the island, what exactly is it all about?”

My words made Shortbeak think for a moment, tapping his beak in deep thought. “Well, it has to do with the confederacy; they have been trying to expand their territory over the last few months.”

“Why?”

“Besides the obvious reasons? I not sure, they keep talking about how they plan to unite everybody and rebuild society, but most of that shit is just propaganda. It doesn’t matter, really. All we need to keep in mind is that their little conquests are the source of much of the shit this city is going through.”

“Alright, but do we take care of the situation without attacking the confederacy or something?”

The black gryphon laughed at that. “That is a good question indeed. Right now the best we can do is try to stabilize the situation, get us a small breathing room so we can think things through,” Another gulp of his drink went down. “To achieve that I decided to focus on two main points…”

“Which would be…”

“Gather supplies and gather intelligence.”

I frowned at that. “That seems… simple enough.”

Shortbeak shrugged. “What? We have to start at the basics, don’t we? As much as I appreciate your extra help we will need to get the whole city back on tracks if we hope to actually improve the situation,” He was right, this isn’t a master plan but it’s probably the most effective thing we can do. Even if I somehow could get my whole company here it still wouldn’t be easy to keep the whole city secure.

I couldn’t help but to look away for a moment. “Well, I do hope this whole thing is worthy, my resources are limited as they are so you better be wise on how you want me to spend them.”

“I know that, and don’t worry about payment, despite what some people think being dishonest isn’t good for business. As long as you get the job done we can provide a big pile of food, ammo, spare parts and all sorts of merchandize. This town is a trade hub for a very good reason.”

“Good to know,” I replied, “Now where were you getting at?”

“Right, as I was saying, I need to make sure my people have the rights tools and that they are using them on the right places. You will be helping me to acquire that.”

“How?”

“First, I’ll be sending you to retrieve a few supply cashes around the city, and after that you will need to get in touch with some of smugglers and merchants of the weapons market.”

“Then… why exactly did you asked for extra firepower? Are you saving that for latter?”

“Oh, don’t think I’m sending you on a simple retrieve mission, I have already sent some of my guys to take care of non-critical assets. I’m talking about the special stuff, the things we kept locked inside hidden posts and such.”

“If they are so important, how did you lose track of them?”

The gryphon threw his arms open. “Good question, maybe somebody decided to screw with me, or maybe someone at the communications department needs to get fired. Either way, I lost contact with one of the best teams I had, who were equipped with some of the best toys you can find on this rock, and I need you to find them.”

I nodded. This could be prove to be interesting, but not that difficult. “Alright then, how do you want me to do this? Are you going to just point me in the right direction?”

“Not that simple, I’m afraid, the place where you will be going was well hidden and well protected. If something bad has happened to the team… it most probably did… you will need more than a simple map location to get through.”

“What exactly are you saying?”

“You will need a guide.”

“…Okay then, who is it? Are they one of your people?” Shortbeak was now giving me a sly grin. I didn’t like it one bit. What is this bird planning?

“Kind of, she’s part of a stealth unit and has been working around here for a few years now,” A woman with stealth skill and a few years of experience? Okay, I can work with that, but why is he still giving me that smile? “However, she does have a reputation of being particularly hard to deal with…”

He paused for a second. “But you probably already know about that…”

I frowned at that, deeply confused. “What the fuck are yo-…”

I heard the sound of hooves outside the room we were in. I turned around just as the door swung open and a new person entered the room. My eyes quickly settled on a very familiar face…

“Speaking of the devil, that’s her.”

I couldn’t believe it. Standing right in front of me, with a black coat and red mane, was the pony that gave me such a hard time in my last… “adventure” through the city. One of my brows twitched a little as I realized who I would have to deal with, for a second fucking time.

The pony was equally impressed. “you…” she whispered with an angry face.

It was Starry Night, the bat-pony I had found inside the metro when Barin and I were going to the Equestrian Strategic Command. Really? Are you fucking kidding me? From all the possible candidates I have to be stuck with this bitch for another day? Come on…

I turned to Shortbeak, who looked like he knew exactly just how much I didn’t like this… and was enjoying every moment of it. “Really?”

“What? You need a guide.”

Footnote: 60% to next level.

Chapter 18: Too Late

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Chapter 18: Too Late

To say I wasn’t exactly pleased with our “guide” would be an obvious statement, but I suppose it’s safer than having to explore the wasteland by ourselves. The last time Barin and I tried to do it (and the same day I met Starry Night) proved just how dangerous and complicated the city could be. A maze of ruins, radiation pits and deadly creatures . Luckily, being stuck in a large group of heavily armed soldiers instead of just myself seemed to stop any unsavory comments from her part.

The reaction from my squadmates to Starry Night was the only positive aspect of this arrangement. They couldn’t take their eyes off her wings, and if the girl was uncomfortable with the attention she did a good job at hiding it. Being on a magical wasteland inhabited by ponies and all sorts of crazy shit is already unbelievable, and when you think it can’t surprise you anymore you see a pony with batwings and cat eyes. I can totally understand their reaction.

We left Ministry Square and headed towards the hideout Shortbeak wanted us to investigate. I couldn't understand why he would give us such a simple task, maybe he wanted to test our skills with something easy before sending us to a more dangerous assignment. Whatever his reasons may be, I only hope he keeps his word. I was never particularly good at judging people, even when they were not a different species, so I couldn't say if he could be trusted or not. Only time would tell.

The… thestral (as she told me was the correct way to address her race) explained to me that the hideout was at a factory outside the city, a few hours away. It was an isolated place, surrounded by radiation pools and raider-controlled ruins. There were few safe paths there, with the destroyed buildings and infrastructure blocking most streets and forcing us to take several detours. The bunker itself also had pre-war defenses installed, such as turrets and a few robots, but Starry assured me that she knew the passwords to disable them in case they were active.

All in all, I had a feeling this wasn’t going to be an easy journey, but I trusted we had enough firepower and equipment to deal with any obstacles.

-x-

It didn't take long for us to reach our first problem. I didn't like Starry and didn't trust on her abilities, I wanted to know exactly how we were getting there, which didn't sit well with her. She didn't like my series of questions and would only give me vague answers, which in turn made me frustrated. It was no surprise that I couldn't help but to question her even more when we had to change our direction for the first time.

"This is the only way?"

"Yes"

“There is no other alternative?”

“Unless you want to walk for several hours or fight your way through raiders, no, this is the best place.”

“Wouldn’t be as bad as falling to our deaths when we step on the wrong place…”

That comment was the last stroke to Starry Night, as I saw her eyes narrowing. “Look, I have done this trip several times already with a lot more ponies with me, if I didn’t know how to do this I wouldn’t be stuck with you!” She emphasized the last words by pointing her hoof to me, the one with two blades attached. Her wings snapped a bit, as if trying to make her look bigger.

Bad comment, better try to cool down. “I’m not saying you're not good at your job,” even though I totally think that and wish I could do this with anyone but you, “Just saying I don’t feel comfortable with walking on a 200 year old overpass that hasn't been repaired since the bombs fell.” My little attempt at diplomacy didn’t do shit. Her glare intensified and she took a long breath, as if trying to stop herself from doing something stupid.

Not being sure how to react, I took a step back and lifted my hands in a placate gesture (even though I still didn’t know if she would understand the gesture). “If you think this is the right way I won’t argue, but how long does this thing go? And what are we going to do if one of the sections has collapsed?” I don’t even know why equestrian pre-war society would need an overpass that could easily take hundreds of vehicles per minute (especially on a fairly small city inside a remote island) and I’m not interested in testing out how competent the engineers of this thing were.

She considered my words for a few seconds and seemed to calm down. “If there was a safer way wouldn’t bring you here, that thing only goes for about a mile and after that we go through land, it may not be 100% safe but it’s the best you can get around here.”

I didn't want to argue anymore, if this was the best way than I guess we better just keep going. “Sigh, fine, we’ll do it your way, let’s go.”

We headed back to where my comrades were waiting. Apparently, we had to follow the overpass and then go through a tunnel inside a residential block. The only possible enemies were ghouls and, if we were out of luck, some raiders.

Starry was wearing something different from last time. She had a grey combat vest with some armor plates on the front and back, a couple of saddlebags, a scarf and some googles. It covered her body well enough and didn’t seemed that heavy (the only issue was her red mane, which stood out a lot). When it came to weapons, she didn’t have a spear this time, but a set of blades on one hoof, a pistol and a short sword hanging by her side (which looked like something straight out of the middle ages), as well as some grenades.

I stayed close to her as we gathered everyone and headed to the overpass. We walked on top of huge piles of rubble that stretched hundreds of meters around us; you couldn’t make out where the streets were supposed to be, it was all like a sea of concrete and occasional steel beam sticking out. This entire block had been reduced to rubble, and the only standing buildings were a few hollow skyscrapers far away from us.

Everyone was quiet as we slowly made our way up the access ramp. As we reached the top, I noticed how it provided a nice view of our surroundings, almost breathtaking in a strange way. I could see the broken skyscrapers of Ministry Square behind us, and a sea of destruction and hollow buildings ahead of us. What few structures hadn't collapsed dotted the landscape like a grey archipelago.

I’m always amazed at how desolate this place can be, imagining how terrible it would be to get lost and remain alone.

Along our path there wasn't much to see, just a few bits of paper, stones and rusty metal parts, as well as a few old vehicles. I decided to break the silence and try to anwser some of my questions. “Just how important is this arsenal?” I said, her ears twitched and she glanced up at me for a second before replying.

“It’s supposed to be… a backup,” she struggle a bit to find the right words; “Place is filled with extra weapons, ammunition, caps, that sort of thing. It's a hideout for emergencies.”

“Sounds like a goldmine for scavengers, how did you manage to keep it hidden?”

“Whatever fell on the city during the war did a nasty job on the local geography, the closer you get to ground zero the more difficult it can be to keep going, the area is filled with ridges and craters that can hide entire streets from sight". A few days ago, Barin and myself had been forced to cross a parking lot turned into a miniature canyon, if the blast was strong enough to create those ditches along the ground, I wouldn’t be surprise if the entire factory was inside a single crater. “To get there you need to know what you are looking for”.

Although she gave me a decent answer, it made me wonder about this whole mission. If this place was as difficult to find it seems, than it must have taken a very powerful force to take over it. The Militia was, as far as I knew, too disorganized to do something like that, so it only left the Confederacy. However, there were no cases of them actively fighting against the Blackwatch or Ministry Square as a whole, and there is also the problem of knowing about the location of the bunker in the first place, unless the intel had leaked somehow.

I frowned, thinking about the implications of all that. “Who do you think is behind this? Doesn’t sound like anybody around here would be able to do this.”

She kept looking forward. "Not a fucking clue, but I doubt its just a band of raiders."

I was beginning to get worried. If an entire squad of Blackwatch troops protecting a hidden bunker full of weapons and ammo couldn't do shit, what chances did we have? Advanced weapons and armor can only get us so far, and we had zero clues about who or how many enemies we were facing.

Starry must have noticed my doubts, because instead of an awkward silence she gave me a sly grin. “You having some doubts up there?”

“Of course, I wouldn’t be a squad leader if I wasn't extra careful” I did my best to sound confident and calm, “For all I know we might be walking into our graves."

She just rolled her eyes. “Somebody ever told you you’re kind of a pessimist?” I narrowed my eyes. Here we go again... “Although considering the state I found you when we first met, maybe you're just a magnet for bad company..."

"Does that include you?"

Her eyes widened for a second. It was my time to smile "You little bastard..."

"What? don't like the taste of your own words?"

Starry didn't reply.

Oh boy, this is going to be a wonderful trip…

-x-

We made it to the end of the overpass without a problem. Starry Night guided us through a series of different streets until we eventually arrived at a small residencial block. There was nothing special about it, just another set of generic apartments gathered around a small square. The girl told me we should make sure the area was safe before proceeding, so I told my squad to spread out and search the appartments, while Starry herself flew up to the roof of the building, probably to scout the neighborhood.

As I walked through each floor, looking for any evidence of recent activity, it quickly became clear to me that this place hadn't been used for a long time, which calmed me a bit. One less thing to worry about. Within a few minutes I had already searched the majority the apartments nearby, so I figured it was about time to gather everbody and move on.

I went upstairs and found Barin checking another apartment, just above mine. The sound of his boots against the wooden floor guiding me there. He was in the kitchen, looking at some old photographs along a wall, I was too far away to see exactly what they showed. As I aproached, he continued to stare at those photos, making me frown. Was he thinking about something? “Everything okay here?”

He glanced at me and blinked, as if spooked by my voice. “Yeah, nothing interesting here…” His usual relaxed tone was gone, and it became apparent to me that something was bothering him, but I thought nothing of it. “You know, when you first told me about that pony, I couldn't believe what you said.”

I chuckled. “This place gets crazier by the minute, doesn’t it?” I approached him and looked outside, seeing the depressing sight of the wasteland.

“It does…” He turned himself to face me, but was unable to maintain eye contact. “Alex, can I ask you something?”

Once more, his voice lacked the strong and happy attitude I was familiar with. Barin knew when to become serious, but this was very different, this was not stoic concentration, but a strong sense of doubt and despair. The change was so radical that it made me pause for a second and stare at him, searching for any hints of his sudden mood swing.

“Sure, what is it?” I tried to sound calm, but beneath those words I felt uneasy.

“Do you really believe we can find a way out of this place?” My worry became pure confusion, I couldn't understand why he would ask me something like that. I struggled to find words and could barely hold a straight face. The answer appeared obvious to me, of course we would find a way out! Where the hell would this question even come from? At no point during our journey Barin ever questioned what we were doing, usually he was the one to give me the moral support to keep going.

“Why are you asking this?” I couldn’t hide my surprise anymore, “What’s going on man?”

I could see fear in his eyes, a deep existential dread. “I-I don’t know how to explain... maybe it’s just homesickness or something,” He paced around the kitchen back and forth. "I'm just afraid, you know? Every day that passes I feel like I'm getting further and further away from home..."

“I know what you mean,” He wasn’t the only one having occasional doubts, it was only natural. However, that still didn’t explain his sudden behavior. All of us were worried to some extend, but Barin was near hopeless. “I don’t think any of us could imagine this whole thing even if we wanted to, but I still don't understand what's going on with you. Yes, things are difficult, but we've been doing everything we could possibly do to change that."

It's not like we are chasing ghosts, we have done amazing progress since we came to this world. We managed to make friends with some of the people here and found clear information as to what could be behind our arrival. Despite a few holes in the picture, we already knew what places to look, it was only a matter of time. Or at least that's what I hoped...

I did my best to sound hopeful.“You found some evidence yourself, remember? All those files about megaspell silos you uncovered this morning, plus all the stuff we found on our other trip.” I wasn't expecting his reaction.

He punched the wall, breaking one of the picture frames and making me jump.“I know that!” I took a step back, I could see the fear and frustration in his eyes clear as day. How hadn't I noticed that before? Did he became like this today, or was it something gradual from our very first day on the wasteland?

Barin was on the verge of shouting. “Even after all of this you know we barely scratched the surface of this thing, and we almost got killed several times while trying! Who the fuck knows what might come next!” Shit, This was getting out of hand. Luckily, he seemed to realise the volume of his voice, his eyes widdened a bit and he stopped for second, took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “I know it might sound stupid but… I miss my family, ever since we were dragged off to Europe. There isn’t a day that goes by without me thinking about them, hoping that I can make it out alive from this nightmare and see their faces again."

I looked away. This was my fault, it had been my decision to join the military and I ended up dragging him with me. He had always assured me that he also needed to join, because of the lack of jobs and growing problems around the country. Despite what he said, throughout our training I couldn't shake the feeling of guilt for coming up with the idea in the first place, and part of me felt responsible for him ever since. Being promoted to sergeant made things even worse, because now I had the lives of four comrades depending on my skills, knowning that a single bad decision from my part could put any of them inside a body bag. The very thought of being responsible for any of their deaths terrified me to my very soul.

“I keep wondering, you know? What if one day I take the wrong step and hit a landmine or a tripwire? What if I come face to face with an enemy and react a few seconds too late?” He was calming down, but I still didn't know exactly what to say, “The truth is that I don’t see an end to this journey, at least not yet, and that scares me more than I thought it would. I just can't handle it...”

His rant was over, and it allow an awkward silence to take place. I stood there for a few seconds, processing what he said and trying to come up with a decent answer. “You are right, we still have much to uncover about what brought us here, but what’s the alternative? Just wait until our supplies run out? As bad as the situation may be, our only choice is to keep searching, no matter how difficult it might get.”

I took a step forward. “You know I miss my family as well Barin, all of us do, I can't even imagine what it must be like for Suvorov and Akio. Verdun was supposed to be the end of this, our ticked back home, and instead it became our exile. This is exactly why we can't stop, there's too much at stake, either we find an exit or we lose everything.”

I aproached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry that you feel this way man, but you're not alone, we'll do this together and we will find a way out of this shithole."

He nodded. “Yes, I know… and I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be wasting our time like this and I bet you already have enough problems to deal with” I wasn't convinced, I could see in his eyes that he was still worried, but that's something I'll have to adress later.

“It’s okay… this isn’t easy for any of us, what matters is that we stay together and take care of each other. Now let's get the hell out of here, we still have a job to do."

With our discussion over, we set out to gather everyone else. Dima, Akio and Suvorov were easy to find, and Starry was already waiting for us at the main hall, with a bored expression. She led us downstairs, into the basement.

I raised an eyebrow at that, keeping in mind all the bad experiences I had underground. What we found at the bottom was… interesting, to say the least.

“A fucking bunker?” Dima exclaimed as we saw a thick metal door in front of us. Why would a residential building have something like this?

I voiced his words to Starry, “We heading underground again?”

“Afraid of getting lost?” She replied with a smirk. I promptly ignored her commentary. “Seriously though, this is only a short trip, the tunnel will connect us to a factory a couple of blocks ahead.”

“Why would this place have a tunnel to a factory?” Not the type of thing I would look for when searching for a nice apartment.

The mare shrugged, “No idea, pre-war ponies tended to build all sorts of weird stuff.”

I found that slightly concerning, but figured it’s just another unusual thing about this world. I turned to my squadmates “Alright, let’s get this door open, come on”.

Suvorov and I took cover on the left side, while the rest stood in front with their weapons pointed (even Starry was keeping her muzzle near her sword). The door itself was like an emergency exit, with a similar handle (probably easier for ponies to open it this way). I took a moment to see if everyone was ready and after a few nods, I quickly opened the door and shoved it away.

The light from our weapons revealed grey concrete walls and a rusty metal staircase, but no enemies. After a collective sigh of relief, we lowered our weapons and stood for a moment in silence.

And then the smell hit us…

All at once, we gagged and took several steps back while covering our noses. There was a series of muffed curses.

“W-What the fuck?!”

“Holy shit, did we just opened a fucking sewer door?”

I wasn’t really used to the smell. One of the few advantages of fighting in a frozen continent is that we didn’t had to deal with rotten bodies, since they just froze like a bunch of popsicles. However, you wouldn’t need to be an expert to say that whatever was down there must’ve been dead for at least a while.

“You sure there’s nothing dangerous down there?” I asked Starry.

She was equally surprised by the smell, with one hoof trying to cover her nose and both her ears pressed against her skull. “It shouldn’t have…” She said while taking several steps back.

“Fucking great,” I muttered under my breath, “Alright guys, I want Barin and Dima up front and the rest of you behind me, we are going to move downstairs slowly and carefully, come on.”

After translating everything to Starry, we made our way down. There was no rush, we all preferred to waste time for extra safety. The tunnel was all quiet and we could hear the echoes of our footsteps. Being in the middle of our formation, my eyes kept switching between the two people on the front and Starry at our back.

It felt like an eternity going down those dark stairs, with the source of the smell getting ever closer. Almost by instinct, we maintained a healthy distance between us, allowing space to move and react in case something happened. At the bottom, we found ourselves inside a narrow tunnel, barely wide enough for three people to stand next to each other.

In front of us, we saw over a dozen dead bodies. All of them gryphons clad in dark armor bearing the Blackwatch insignia. This was the team Shortbeak had sent before us. They had never made it to their destination.

I turned back in a flash.“Dima! Go upstairs and keep the entrance secured!” The boy was caught by surprise, but quickly processed my words and ran back up. I pointed to Akio and Suvorov, “You two go forward and make sure there are no hostiles at the exit, go!” Being more experienced, both acted without hesitating.

As the three of them scattered to secure our location, I approached the bodies while Barin and Starry followed close behind. A closer look didn’t revealed much at first, they were no different from the guards I had seen back in Ministry Square. I was no detective, I wasn't sure how to proceed.

“Barin, help me search the bodies.”

I kneeled next to one of them and began a quick analysis. The first thing I noticed was the lack of weapons and ammo, making me think this might have been a raider ambush, or perhaps a large group of scavengers. His or her bags (it’s hard to tell with gryphons) didn’t reveal much.

Maybe Starry was doing better, she’s probably more experienced. “You found anything interesting?” I asked in equestrian.

Her ears stood up and she looked at me. Her golden eyes seemed to glow in the dark. “Not much, they got no weapons and ammo… but they have caps,” She said while lifting a small bag and shaking it a little, with the unmistakable sound of bottlecaps coming from it.

I frowned. “What’s the matter with that?”

“If whomever attacked them bothered to check the bodies for weapons, why not also take the caps?”

That only made me more confused. “Maybe they didn’t need any?” She openly laughed at that.

“Bullshit! Anypony with enough caps wouldn’t be out here in the first place.”

Starry had a point, why would they be out here setting up an ambush like this? Maybe they were another mercenary group of some sort, payed to kill these people and loot the hideout. No, that wouldn’t make much sense, unless Shortbeak had a bunch of spies under his… beak.

I searched again the body and, unsurprising, also found a bag full of caps.

“Does your body have any bottlecaps?” I asked Barin.

His only answer was to lift a bag of caps…

This whole thing was becoming even weirder. What exactly killed these people? I turned the body over and searched for wounds, finding a few massive burns on his left side and near his neck. The wounds themselves were nasty and seemed to go deep under his skin, reaching his bones. It was as if somebody had pressed a blowtorch on the spot for a long time. A black hole.

What kind of weapon would do this? A flamethrower or a Molotov wouldn’t be so precise, they would envelop his whole body and wouldn’t go nearly as deep. This thing reached his bones and organs with ease.

I looked down, and noticed a distinct absence of blood, almost nothing. The sheer number of bodies should leave a big pool all over the place, especially in a narrow tunnel. I also found many bullet cases, likely from their weapons. They had tried to defend themselves.

Looking over a few more corpses revealed the same situation. No weapons, lots of caps and deep burns.

Moving away for a second, I decided to look for bullet holes at the walls, hoping it would reveal from which directions they were attacked. A closer inspection on the staircase showed a bunch of wild holes spread all over, probably shot without aiming or proper stance. Ahead of the bodies, closer to Akio and Suvorov, I found more holes.

This team was attacked from both sides. Whoever did this had been monitoring them for some time and knew exactly when and where to strike. This wasn’t good at all…

“Starry… do you know what kind of weapons could cause these wounds?” It was a long shot, but maybe the pony knew something.

“Energy weapons,” She said without missing a beat. “Probably laser weapons, by the looks of it.”

I frowned, slightly confused by her answer, until I remembered my little trip with that EU lieutenant. There had been robots with laser miniguns defending the facility we were scouting. However, there wasn’t a trace of them here and I doubt this team would be taken by surprise by those noisy metal monstrosities.

“How common are they?”

“Extremely rare, most ponies only get their hooves on one by going to Equestria.”

Yet somebody was able to get enough firepower to arm a whole squad by the looks of it. “So I assume you have no clue as to who might be behind this?”

To my surprise, instead of shaking her head and saying no, Starry looked confused. She remained in silence for a moment, thinking about something.

“There could be somepony…” She stood up and approached me. “But it probably isn’t right, it can’t be.”

Spit it out, woman. “Tell me.”

“It could be… the Enclave.”

For some reason, the word itself seemed to send chills down her spine. “What the fuck is this Enclave?”

“They are… shit, how can I explain it?” She brought a hoof to her chin. “They are what’s left of the pegasi military, ever since the apocalypse.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You mean from the war your people fought two centuries ago?”

She nodded. “That’s right; they survived in utter isolation since the day the megaspells fell.”

“What exactly is so bad about them?” Besides the fact that they are a real military force.

Her face twisted in anger. “They're a bunch of assholes, that's what! They only come out of hiding to kidnap ponies or kill whomever they see as a threat to their little perfect society. A few months ago they even tried invade the wasteland back in Equestria… until they got their flanks kicked.”

This conversation is only making me more confused and worried. “Okay, let me get this straight, you’re saying we might be dealing with some sort of old military force made up of pegasi? How strong are they?”

“For Celestia’s sake, how the fuck would I even know that? I know about the same as anypony else, they got lots of power-armored ponies and a bunch of raptors.”

I tried to calm her down. “Okay, I get it, I just had to ask!” She still looked pissed, but didn't say anything else.

“…But what exactly are raptors?” I doubted she was talking about dinosaurs.

She looked utterly annoyed by my constant questions. “Some sort of flying armored ship, that’s all I know.”

Flying armored ship…

Did these fuckers had Titans? No, that ain't possible, maybe she's talking about a normal aircraft, like a cargo plane or something, no fucking way these people were able to build something similar to a Titan without our level of technology. However, there are a lot of things around that shouldn't be possible. I saw fully functioning combat robots, pipbucks (which are kind of impressive in their own way) and all sorts of unexplainable shit. Still, to even come close to a Titan they would need more than that, like anti-gravity technology and special types of metal alloys. I haven't seen any indication of those things throughout my research.

Maybe she isn't talking about a Titan. I have to keep in mind that this world has been in ruins for about two centuries, and most people have no idea of how advanced their past society used to be, how much technology they actually had. Starry might be talking about normal airplanes, like jet fighters and bombers, which would not be that difficult to create. Still, this leaves a lot of new questions, and it means I have more things to reasearch. As soon as I this mission is over, I must go back to Ministry Square and search for more information about the Enclave.

Jesus Christ, Why does everything has to be so complicated on this blasted rock?

"Let's... let's just get the hell out of here."

-x-

After we left the tunnel and entered a new part of the city, it didn’t take long to reach the area outside the factory. From a vantage point inside an old five-store shop, it was easy to scout ahead. The factory had a large ground floor about as big as a supermarket and eight extra floors roughly a quarter the size. The landscape around it was a mix of vehicle wreckages and half-destroyed buildings, Which piled up on the surrounding parking lot and almost blocked our view.

The six of us, five humans and one pony, remained inside the store for almost an hour, waiting ever so patiently for any sign of activity. It wasn’t an exciting task to look around through our binoculars, but we could not afford to be careless. For the first time since we arrived here, we had the chance of fighting against a real military force, an enemy that might be just as well armed and prepared as we were.

As much as I don’t want to admit it, up to that point we had always held a small advantage over our enemies, because even when outnumbered and confused we still had advanced weapons and armor that were virtually unmatched by the majority of the people living here. I have lost count of how many times I had been shot in possible fatal places, had I not been wearing PAC body armor. All of us had scored multiple kills through the accuracy of our brand new weapons, which fired plasma-based armor-piercing rounds. It’s no wander I had been able to survive so many difficult occasions.

Now, things were different. What little information I had gathered about enclave power-armor sent alarms all over my head. Our opponents could fly and were probably carrying energy weapons that our body armor was not designed to deal with. Yes, they were supposed to deal with a variety of situations, including extreme temperatures, but there was no clue as to how they might react to a concentrated beam of heat. Maybe the material would slowly give away after constant hits or maybe it would melt instantly and allow the beam to burn right through our bodies.

A small part of me was wondering if it was even worth to continue this mission, but at the same time I knew how bad it would look if we failed our very first task. Why would Shortbeak even bother to help us if we couldn't do something as simple as taking back a small supply depot. Nevertheless, none of it mattered, because just as I was thinking about these issues, a large group of armored pegasi arrived.

There were eight of them, coming from the sky directly above the factory. They appeared from behind a cloud. I followed them with my binoculars as half landed on the rooftop and the others landed at the parking lot.

“Guys, get your asses here ASAP!” I said without even bothering to look back. Everyone gathered at the windows.

“So these are the people we are looking for?” Dima asked.

“They certainly match the description…” I muttered.

The enclave ponies began to look around, as if they were searching for somthing. I found that strange, they acted as if this was their first time here, walking in formation and keeping their weapons raised. They slowly approached the entrance, it looked as if they expected something to jump at them.

There was a brief pause… and then the enclave soldiers were attacked. Not by us, but by someone inside the factory. The whole area was suddenly illuminated by red laser beams.

A volley of laser fire coming from the windows struck the four ponies standing at the parking lot. They scrambled for cover, jumping behind motorwagons and piles of rubble, the enemy fire left a trail of scorched marks as it tried to persue them. The others at the rooftop weren’t much luckier, something attacked them from the staircase access, lighting the whole area with a long burst of laser fire. Half of them spread their wings and took off the ground, flying away from the enemy's line of sight, while the rest sought cover behind some machinery.

The whole action was almost too quick to follow, the constant flashes of laser beams made it harder to concentrate. The attack was quick and intense, and it had obviously surprised those pegasi. The people inside knew those ponies were coming, as the precise nature of the ambush showed.

One thing that surprised me was the lack of casualties. All ponies, even after receiving several hits, were still active and didn’t show any signs of being wounded. It made me wonder just how good those suits were. I wasn’t that sure if my own armor would be able to protect me that well.

Starry Night was also watching, looking through her own binocular, which she held with both hooves while standing in a strangely human manner. “Who in Tartarus is firing at them?”

That was a good question, and I quickly shifted my view to where the shots were coming from. It was hard to see, since most of the windows were blocked in some way, and there was the fire coming from the inside. It took me a few seconds, but I was able to take quick glimpses of who was inside. The shape was clearly pony-like, but I couldn't see the usual bright coat and mane. A few flashes later revealed a intricate metal armor.

It was… more enclave soldiers. The armor they were wearing was identical to the pegasi outside. The same type of power-armor.

I frowned, deeply confused. “Hey, are you seeing who is firing at them? It looks like the same people from the outside.”

A few seconds later, Barin spoke up. “You’re right, same armor and everything… what the fuck is going on?”

From my point of view, it was impossible to distinguish the two groups apart.

What the hell are we supposed to do now? Do we attack them both? Wait until they finish killing each other?

We continued to observe them for a good ten minutes. As the fight went on, the attackers gained the upper hand, and slowly advanced. The defenders were obviously outnumbered, as the volume of fire showed. I calculated there must've been around four ponies defending. However, there could be more of them deeper within the building, out of view, doing something else.

As they managed to suppress the defenders, the enclave ponies attacking (both on the ground and on the roof) reached their respective entrances and invaded the factory. They slipped out of our sight, leaving us with the muffed sounds of combat coming from inside.

Everyone continued to stare in silence.

There were only three options, wait here, head back or attack. None of them were interesting, and it quickly became clear to me that there was only one way of ending this mission. We had to find out exactly what was going on, there was no way around it. Our mission is to retake the hideout and that's exactly what we are going to do.

I stopped looking outside. “Barin, Dima, I need both of you to get ready for action.”

Barin looked at me with concern. “What are you planning, Alex?”

“We need to move inside that place right now, there won’t be a better opportunity,” I stood up and began dropping anything that wouldn’t be useful. My backpack came first, followed by non-essential things like my flashlight and extra batteries. “Leave anything you won’t be using in here, come on.”

I could see on their faces that neither of them were sure if this was a good idea, but they complied nonetheless. This might be a risky move, but I'm not leaving this place empty handed, we already came too far.

“What about us?” Suvorov asked.

“I need you and Akio to stay here and keep the area secured, last thing we need is someone cutting our only escape route. Besides, your machinegun won’t be useful in close quarters and we need Akio alive in case one of us gets wounded.”

I didn’t know what to do about Starry Night. I knew she was a capable fighter, but I also had no idea how she would stand against those enclave soldiers. The girl was confused, being unable to understand what we were saying, but despite the language barrier, I was sure she could guess the general idea of what we were about to do.

To be honest, I was half inclined to leave her behind and just go with Barin and Dima. I had never been fond of dealing with wild cards, and that’s exactly what Starry was.

“What the fuck you people doing?” The thestral finally said. I turned to face her.

“Are you going to attack those ponies?” She added.

“What does it look like?” I replied. “This is the best chance we have to get inside without being noticed.”

She tapped her hoof on the floor. “And what exactly am I supposed to?”

“What do you think you can do against those pegasi? Are you going to stab their power-armor?” I gave a nod to her sword. "I don't think you are well equipped to help us."

Her eyes narrowed. She didn’t like the comment at all. “I have a few grenades and the sword is a lot more powerful than it looks…” Still not enough to be useful in my opinion.

I crossed my arms. “Alright then, what do you suggest?” If this girl thinks she can be useful I won't stop her, but I would prefer to do this with people I'm familiar with.

“I could try to sneak around and see if I can get inside the factory unoticed, maybe even toss a few grenades to distract them. It might make it easier for you to get inside."

She was good at sneaking and had excelent night vision, I was aware of that, but I wasn’t inclined to just sent her all by herself behind enemy lines. “You will be all by yourself until we can get there, you sure this is a good idea?” I tried to sound neutral, because while I might have a few problems with her attitude, this was a serious situation we were dealing with.

She smiled. “I’m used to it, I can take care of myself.”

“Alright then, if you're completely sure about it, go ahead, we'll try to link up with you as soon as possible.” She was only a guide, and while her death would be another thing I would have to explain to Shortbeak, getting to the botton of what's happening was a lot more important.

Without giving a word, she checked her weapons, walked towards a broken window and jumped off, leaving us momentarily stunned, before we saw her spreading her wings and flying towards the factory.

“That pony is kinda reckless…” Barin said, as all of us stared at her shrinking form.

I nodded. “Yes she is, and I hope I don’t regret this later.”

When the three of us were ready, we made our way to the factory, across a sea of rubble. We moved from cover to cover, around piles of concrete and metal. Each step brought us closer to the ongoing battle, and it increased my heartbeats as the adrenaline began to flow. Once we reached the parking lot, I could feel sweat dripping down my face. We could hear the strange sound of those laser weapons firing, as well as the occasional voice coming from inside the factory.

The same motorwagon the enclave ponies had used for cover was where we took cover to assess the situation. We scanned each window, while trying to figure out which floors the fighting was taking place. It seemed to us that most of it was going on the upper area, near the rooftop. The ground level seemed quiet, but the factory was large so we couldn't be too sure.

Our situation reminded me of previous memories from the battle of Berlin, back in Europe. I had fought in many urban skirmishes during that particular time and couldn’t help but to draw a few parallels. Using what we had gathered so far, and my previous experiences, I began to conjure a basic plan of action. We were obviously outnumbered and had no idea where our enemies were concentrated, but we still held the element of surprise. I doubted those ponies were expecting a bunch of heavily armed aliens to attack them, and I intended to exploit that single advantage as much as I could.

The enclave ponies were fighting across multiple floors, which meant we wouldn’t be facing their full force as we ascended, it could allow us to eliminate each pocket of resistance, one by one, without actually being at a big numerical disadvantage. Our best strategy would be to clear out each floor individually as quickly as possible, before the enemy was able to respond. Keep the enemy isolated and strike hard, those were the rules of the day.

“Barin, are you carrying any extra grenades?”

He nodded. “Yes, I got two EMPs and two extra frags.”

“Good, give me one of the EMPs, they might be useful against those suits.”

As he handed me the extra grenade, he frowned. “What's the plan, Alex?”

I gestured Dima to get closer, so he could also hear me. “I won't lie to you, the odds are not exactly on our favor here, this is a big place and we're outnumbered, so keep your eyes open and hold your fire and don’t engage unless fired upon."

“The worst part will be the staircase, that kind of cramped space could be a death trap to us. Once we reach the enemy, spread out but don’t get out of sight, we don’t have the interior layout so getting lost and isolated is big possibility. We're going to clear each floor as we move up, checking every room and every corner, no matter how long it takes," I pointed towards the upper floors, "It looks like they're fighting across two or three floors, so we won't be facing a big number of them at once. Instead, we're going to eliminate each pocket of resistance individually, before they can gather into a larger force."

After I was done talking, we entered the facility. The ground floor was divided between a main hall and the production line itself. The first was a small open area with a few tables and a cosy cafe, the second was a larger space filled with big old machines, broken tools and some wooden crates. All of it was abandoned and covered in dust. The elevators were obviously not working, so we had to use the stairs.

We found an emergency staircase on the back side and began to move up, keeping our speed low as we tried to avoid alerting any hostiles that might be wandering nearby. If a single one of them saw us, we would be caught in a narrow tunnel without cover, it would be the end of us.

There were voices coming from above, mixed with the gunfire (laserfire?). Each step brought us closer, until we reached the fourth floor. We could hear the battle behind the door, so we took cover on both sides and gripped our weapons tightly. I almost didn't realized until my hands began to hurt.

I kept my voice low. “We're going in, once the door opens I’ll go left and both of you go right. Keep an eye out of Starry, she must be somewhere around.”

They both nodded and took their places. I pushed the door open, bombarded immediately by the constant thunder of weapons firing, mixed with small grenade explosions and the voices of enemy soldiers. I dashed inside with my weapon raised, entering a small grey corridor with a few office tables and broken terminals scattered around. Dima and Barin quickly took cover behind me, a few meters away. There was fighting all around us, I could see red laser beams crossing the open office area ahead of me, illuminating the whole place with a red glow.

As I continued to hold my aim down the corridor, something black suddenly turned around the corner in front of me. A winged pony wearing a dark suit of power-armor, covering most of its body, save for the muzzle and mane. It was an Enclave trooper, and I didn't think twice before acting.

BANG BANG BANG

Three bullets left the barrel of my assault rifle and found their mark on the pony's armored chest. There was a quick, feminine shout, and the pony scrambled back to cover. I heard more shots behind me, from Barin and Dima. This corridor didn't had any cover, we couldn't stay here.

“Spread out and find cover!” I screamed. I stood up and ran as fast as I could while keeping my head down, heading towards the first open door I had spotted. It was a small dusty office with a broken table and other pieces of furniture. After a quick glance to make sure it was empty, I took cover by the door and aimed my rifle outside. There was no sight of Barin or Dima, so I assumed they must have found shelter somewhere else.

I focused my attention on pony I had just shot. She didn’t exposed herself as I had hoped, and instead only showed the barrel of her laser weapon and fired blindly into the hall, littering the place with laser beams. I quickly pulled back and waited until she stopped firing.

After she was done, I aimed outside again. The pony dared to take a small peek, exposing herself just a tiny bit, which was a grave mistake.

BANG

Once again, she took cover, barely missing my shot. If my finger had been a fraction of a second quicker, she would’ve been dead.

There was an open area ahead. Looking around, I saw a bunch of tables piled up near the center, a few steps closer to the enemy. Figuring that she wouldn’t be risking herself so soon, I crossed the corridor and crouched behind those tables. They had the perfect height to protect my body but still allow me to shoot. I aimed, for a few seconds, waiting for an oportunity that, sadly, didn't present itself.

Better to make sure those two are doing okay. With one hand keeping my rifle steady, I used the other to grab my radio “Barin, what’s your status?”

It was hard to hear his voice through the radio, as it was muffed by shots and explosions on the background. “Alex! Dima and I made contact with two hostiles!" There were more gunshots, "We're pinned down inside some sort of cafeteria, just down the hall we came from."

Before I could reply, the pony appeared again. I let go of the radio and took aim, quickly pulling the trigger and letting out a long burst of rounds. There was a distinct metalic sound as my rounds made contact with her breastplate and this time the pony wasn’t quick enough, my bullets penetrated her armor. She went down and remained still.

With that taken care of, I lowered my rifle grabbed the radio once again. “Understood, I’m also under fire but I think I got the situation under control, can you hold?”

There was a quick succession of gunshot from his side of the call. “These guys are keeping us busy, but we're holding,” I sighed in relief, “Alex, try to go around the area and see if you can flank them, I can see a couple of doors right next to their cover."

“Roger that, I’m on my way.”

I stood up from my protective spot and began searching for an alternative route. Walking through the area wasn’t that easy, because of all the turned tables, broken doors and bulky terminals on the floor. I also had to duck under most doorways and go around a few places that were blocked by rubble. The sounds of fighting were enough to guide me towards my comrades, and after taking a few corridors and crossing a few rooms, I came to a stop in front of a set of closed doors, I could see red flashes beneath them, so I assumed the enemy must have been behind them.

I pressed myself against a wall and tried to think my next action. I needed to kill them both in a single strike, before they could turn their attention towards me, so I decided to use a frag grenade. If the explosion didn’t kill them, it would at the very least stun them long enough to take them out.

Slowly, my hand went to my vest and grabbed the grenade. I gave a few steps back and stood almost in front of the doors. It was now or never, so I took a deep breath, pulled the pin, and kicked the doors open.

The moment I threw the grenade, a storm of laser fire filled my vision. Something hit my chest, and it suddently became unbearably hot, I felt my skin and clothes burning beneath the armor plates. I didn't even had time to see what was happening before my instincts took over.

I jumped back to cover, just as another series of shots came out, barely missing me. My hands were on my chest immediately, in a futile attempt to tear my armor away, as it slowly burned my chest.

I heard the windows shattering… and then the loud bang of the grenade going off, followed by a cloud of dust entering the room.

“Shit, shit, shit!” I cursed while trying to get rid of my chest plate. My panicked fumbling managed to loose my vest just enough to stop any direct contact with my clothing and skin. I could still feel some pain, probably some minor burns. I continued to hold the armor plate away for a few seconds until it got cool enough.

With the immediate danger of severe burns gone, I took a closer and more careful look at my chest. The armor itself had withstood several shots, and none of them were able to penetrate. The heat had left some ugly marks as part of the material had melted, but no permanent damage. My clothes were also mostly okay.

Those energy weapons pack a big punch, can’t imagine what would happen if I wasn’t wearing all of this.

I stood up and looked around. There were no more enemies inside this floor, but there was still some intense fighting above me. Before I could think anything else, Barin and Dima appeared from the room I had threw the grenade. None of them were injured and I was glad to see them.

Barin was the first to speak. “You okay Alex? We saw them shooting at you before the explosion, they hit anything?”

I pointed to the marks on my chest. “Nothing that my body armor couldn’t handle…” I didn’t saw any bodies behind them, “And where the fuck are they?”

“Oh…” He gave a quick glance behind, “I think they jumped out of the window before the grenade went off.”

Fucking great. I brought a hand to my radio, “Suvorov, Alex here, do you copy?”

There were a few moments of static, before his voice came through. “Yeah, I hear loud and clear, what’s going on in there?”

“We are currently engaging the enemy, but two of them were able to slip away, do you see anyone flying around the building?”

“Negative, there is nothing out there, but we can hear the fighting going.”

“Understood, keep an eye out for any flying targets, unless they look like the pony who was accompanying us, over and out.”

Speaking about the devil, where the hell is she? "Hey, did any of you seen Starry around here?" Both of them shook their heads. She must be somewhere else, probably above us. "Okay, I think we're done here, let's move up."

We went back to the staircase and ascended to the next floor. Once again, we moved slowly and kept our weapons ready. Nothing happened, and we soon found ourselves once again staring at a closed door. However, this time there were no sounds coming from the other side, no indication of enemy activity.

I took cover on the left side. “Alright, same plan as last time, we kick the door open and go to the nearest cover, you guys ready?” They both nodded. I waited a few seconds and then opened the door, quickly rushing inside while scanning the area with my assault rifle.

The three of us took cover at a low wall, which separated the main office area from the hallway we had entered. There were some old papers laying around and a lot of furniture covered in dust, but no enemies what-so-ever. Still, I decided it would be better to make sure, and so we spend the next five minutes checking every room, even the restrooms, for any signs of hostiles. We came back empty handed.

Without saying a word, we left and proceeded up to the next level.

This time, it was different, not only we could hear people somewhere inside, but they were very close to our position, probably right next to the doorway. All of us were completely silent, doing our best not to cause a single sound.

I stood right next to Barin and whispered to his ear. “I think I’m going to throw a EMP grenade inside.”

“You sure about that?” He replied, using the same tone.

“Yes, it should cause some confus-“ Something called out from the other side.

All of us froze. “Padlock? Are you and the guys here already?” Said the muffled female voice coming from the other side, in equestrian.

Carefully, the three of us took a step back and pointed our weapons at the closed door. I couldn’t decide if we should wait for her to open the door, or if I should just grab a grenade and toss it inside.

How the fuck did she notice us? It’s the second time this happens. How did the other two pegasi notice me back down there, when I threw the frag grenade? There's no way they heard me coming, and little chance this other pony also heard us.

We just stood there, without saying a word, waiting for the enemy, and it felt like an eternity.

However, just as I decided to open the door and attack whomever was at the other side, there was a sudden bang as something crashed into the enclave pony. We began to hear a frantic struggle, a series of grunts and muffed words. The pony was fighting with someone else, and it was the perfect moment to act.

“Follow me,” I said, while getting in front of the door and kicking it open. Barin and I kept our weapons raised, covering the area ahead of us and ready to take down the enemy.

What greeted us on the other side, less than ten feet away, were a dead Enclave trooper and Starry Night.

She was standing above the body, pining it down with a bloody set of hoof blades. Her red mane seemed to be a little burnt and dirty, while her armor also sported a few hits from energy weapons. She looked both exausted and pissed.

Her breathing was heavy. “About time you fuckers showed up…” She managed to let out between breaths. “Could’ve come a little sooner, though.”

The three of us were surprised. “Are you… alright?” I asked, even though it was a stupid question.

It looked like she was too tired to give an angry comment, and instead settled for a neutral answer. “I’ll manage, this isn’t the worst thing that happened to me.”

The three of us entered the room and looked around, making sure the area was secured. “Do you know if there are any more enemies inside this place?” I said while scanning the surroundings.

“Don’t think so, I got two ponies in another room and this little bitch here, but nothing else.”

“Two others?” I wondered out loud without noticing. Could they be the ones who ran away?

“Yeah, they came through the windows inside that room,” Starry replied, while pointing to the end of the hall. “Luckily, it was right next to where I was hiding, so I manage to jump on them easily enough.”

I raised an eyebrow at the series of marks that covered her body. “Those burns don’t look like an easy fight…” I couldn’t help myself.

She frowned, obviously not happy with my comment. “I’m not in the mood to deal with your bullshit.”

Better to change subject. “What about the weapons cache, you already went there?” I had almost forgotten about it, the hideout was supposed to be on the underground levels.

“Yes, it was the first place I checked, there was nothing inside, just the caps," I winced.

Shortbeak isn’t going to like this. Fucking great, first task we were given turned out into a complete failure. I suppose the only thing left now is to take down those pegasi and try to figure out what the fuck is going on. So far we have eliminated four out of probably a dozen of them. They are still fighting amongst themselves, so there should be even less people left.

“Do you know anything else that might be useful?”

“Well, I think most of them are concentrated on the level above us. I couldn’t even approach it because of all the laser beams going out of the windows.”

Good, this should make it easier to take them out. Hopefully there won’t be any extra reinforcements coming here any time soon. If it does happen, however, I’m pretty sure we will have to pull out, or else we might end up surrounded. I just hope Akio and Suvorov can keep the outside secured long enough for us to slip away. “I think it’s better if we just head upstairs and take them down, are you coming with us or will you go by yourself again?” I said.

Starry thought for a while, looking unsure. “I don’t know… I wouldn’t be very useful going with you, but that place is too risky to try flying inside. Maybe you could draw their attention somehow?”

I shook my head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, these guys are well armed and if they decide to focus their fire on us, I don’t think we could handle it. There is only three of us, after all.”

“What am I supposed to do then?”

“How about you scout around for a bit and make sure there are no reinforcements coming? Once my comrades and I are done eliminate some of them, it should be easier for you to sneak around.”

It was far from being a decent plan, but since this pony is so insistent about fighting, it’s our best choice. I had been skeptical about her, but seeing that she took down three ponies without getting herself killed is enough proof to give her a chance.

The mare shrugged. “Not ideal, but you can go ahead, I’ll keep my ears up for any more fuckers that might come here.”

For the last time, we ascended to the next level. It had the same layout as the others, same scene of old dusty offices and cubicles. It had been divided in two by the opposing forces, and the constant barrages of laser shots came from both side.

It was a fucking mess. My friends and I managed to slip inside, into the same corridor we had already entered so many times already. The enemy was right next to us, taking cover inside rooms or behind overturned desks, constantly firing and shouting orders. The continuous flashes and all the noise was almost sickening, it felt more and more like a perverted nightclub or some shit.

I dared to look at the ongoing battle, hoping to spot some enemies. As soon as I began to raise my head, several shots went over me, hitting the wall behind me and the cealing. “Holy fuck!” I cursed while pressing myself against my cover and staying as low as possible.

“What the hell do we do now, sir?!” Barin shouted next to me. He and Dima were both on a similar predicament.

“I’m going to throw an EMP grenade, hold on!” I snatched the device from my vest, pressed the button on top, and threw it overhead towards the enemy.

I heard someone shouting “Take cover!” in equestrian, before the grenade went off. In a split second, the whole area was hit by a electromagnetic wave that fried any unprotected electronic devices.

My helmet’s display immediately began to flicker, and my riflescope no longer had a red dot at the center.

The fighting continued, but no longer close to us. I could only hear shots coming from the other side of the building. The ponies closer to us were either too confused or simply unable to fire.

Taking this as a chance to finish off the enemy and take a better position, the three of us stood at once and moved forward, searching for enemy combatants. “Spread out, find out where those fuckers are hiding.” I said. Each one of went at a different direction, seeking better cover while searching for the enemy. Barin and Dima took the left and right sides respectively, while I kept moving forward at the center.

As I walked around the many cubicles and smashed forniture that filled the room, I saw someone going inside an adjacent room, a few meters ahead. I crouched behind a table and took aim. “I got something in front of us, inside that room!” I decided to fire a few rounds to keep the enemy pinned.

BANG BANG

I couldn’t see any more hostiles, but I heard the distinctive sound of hooves clattering. My shots must have scared it.

“Watch the right!” Dima shouted. I snapped my head to the right, and was almost blinded by the sudden red light, as another enemy opened fire on Dima. He quickly ducked behind cover, and once the enemy stopped firing he stood up and let out a long burst from his assault rifle. “Got another enemy behind that table!”

I continued to aim at my primary target, waiting for an opportunity. Meanwhile, Barin was checking another corridor which led deeper into the building, alone and somewhat exposed. I was a little worried about his safety, but I knew it might be better to make sure no enemies would flank us from that place. He could take care of himself, so I remained quiet.

I heard a window shattering somewhere nearby, and I saw a pegasus passing outside the windows in front of me, at the other side of the room. It was the enclave trooper I had shot previously. Fucker was trying to fly away.

BANG BANG BANG

My shots were useless; the pony was too fast for me to keep a steady aim.

Since I could no longer engage that bastard, I decided to help Dima. “Keep that guy suppressed, I’m moving up!” I shouted to him. Dima nodded and continued to exchange shots with the enemy. As his rounds smashed against the overturned table the pegasus was using as cover, I sprinted around the left side, in an effort to flank him. I went towards a small area where the upper floor had collapsed, creating a pile of rubble large enough to provide decent cover.

As I pressed myself against broken pieces of concrete, the pony fired at me. None of his shots reached me. Bits of concrete went flying around me, as some of the large pieces were shattered. I closed my eyes and mouth for a second to avoid the dust. Once it had settled, I returned fire.

At this angle, the pony wasn’t fully protected by the table, and so his armor was the only thing stopping me from killing him.

Having his attention split between the two of us was a death sentence. He was too slow to avoid both of us, and so we quickly cut him down with our combine firepower. Once he was killed, Dima and I searched the rest of the area to make sure it was safe, finding no more enemies hiding.

Barin came back soon after. “Barin, you alright?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I managed to follow one of them into a restroom nearby.”

“Did you kill him?”

“Don’t think so, I managed to put a few rounds into him but wasn’t able to confirm the kill, bastard slipped away through a collapsed wall,” One more hostile to worry about, fucking great. “He might be bleeding out, but I can’t be sure.”

“Well, at least we won’t be dealing with him for a while.”

There was still ongoing fighting, somewhere on the other half of this floor. Probably not many enemies left to take care.

I turned around, towards Dima. “Hey kid, come here,” I said, waving him over, “Barin said there might still be one guy left somewhere around, so I need you to stay here and keep an eye out for him, can you do that?”

“Sure, I’ll guard the area.”

“Good, Barin and I will keep going forward until we clear out the rest of this place. There shouldn’t be many people left.”

With Dima staying behind, the two of us went straight towards the gunfire. We passed through a series of corridors, before arriving at a half destroyed meeting room. A large central table had been broken into three separate pieces, with the surrounding chairs scattered around it. One of the walls had collapsed, giving us an open view of a small kitchen and mess hall.

The first thing I noticed were the two dead enclave ponies at the center, the second was the ongoing battle. There were two ponies stuck on one side, hiding behind the kitchen counter, while three others were firing at them from the mess hall, behind overturned tables.

I grabbed Barin by his arm. “Stop, let’s find some cover,” I said. He nodded, following me to a wall right next to the collapsed section, which led towards the enemy. “This is going to be a tricky fight…”

As I turned to analyze the situation, one of the ponies spotted me and raised his weapon towards me. “Oh, fuck!” I scramble back to cover, before he had a chance to turn my head into ashes. A bright laser beam passed in front of me, a few centimeters from my face.

“Guess the element of surprise is gone,” Barin commented. “We don’t have a lot of options available…”

“I know that!” I shot back. Being in such a bad position was frustrating, and I was having a hard time figuring out what to do.

I looked around, thinking about my options. Just as I did so, I saw something moving towards us from the path we had just taken. By instinct, I raised my rifle towards it. “Stop!” I shouted, even though it probably wouldn’t matter.

A familiar voice answered back. “It's me, you idiots!” I looked closer, spotting a red mane and yellow eyes. It was Starry Night, with her familiar coat and mane.

I frowned while lowering my rifle. “Goddammit, get your ass here, come on!” She complied, despite also giving me a scorn. “Where the hell were you?”

“What do you think?” She answered. “I was flying around, searching for a safe way inside.”

Good, maybe she knows something useful. “You saw anything worth noticing on your way here?”

“Yeah, I think a few of them are leaving.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

She rolled her eyes. “What do you think I mean? I saw two of them taking off from the roof and flying away as fast as they could, not like they were just regrouping or something,” those were good news… assuming she was correct. At the very least, we wouldn’t have to worry about those two for a while.

“Well, that’s good to know, at least we can focus on those guys behind this wall,” Just as I said that, I heard a loud scream, one less to worry. There wasn’t much room to maneuver, and I couldn’t see any other alternative routes to flank the enemy, our only option would be to attack them straight on. “Barin, how many grenades you got?”

He kept watching our left, in case one of them decided to sneak up on us. “I still got one frag and one EMP, why?”

Shit, I only have one frag left, three grenades in total; we would need to be very careful of how we use them.

I searched my vest for it, and then handed the grenade to Barin. It was clear we wouldn’t be getting an easy way out of this, so I decided the best plan of action would be to draw the enemy’s attention elsewhere, so that one of us could toss those grenades around.

As he grabbed the grenade, I looked at him. “I want you to stay here and wait until they stop firing at you, I’ll try to keep them busy and draw their attention.”

He looked unsure. “That doesn’t sound like a good plan.”

I shook my head. “No, it really isn’t, but unless you want to stay here for god knows how long until they either kill each other or get reinforcements, this is the only option we got.”

He nodded. “Alright then, how do we do this?”

“I guess I’ll just get behind some cover and fire blindly until they notice me,” I tried to sound calm, but I could feel sweat running down my neck. Those energy weapons were powerful and I didn’t want to test how many my armor could take, one time had been enough. However, we couldn't just stay here, stuck behind this wall.

Barin still looked unsure, but didn’t object to my idea. “Alright, I’ll try to provide some covering fire while you move up.” I nodded.

“Starry, you think there's anything you could do to help?” It was only polite to ask her.

Instead of a snarky comeback, as I had expected, the girl actually took a second to think and come up with an honest answer. “I don’t know, it’s a small room and there isn’t a lot of cover, there's no way I could get close enough to kill them,” She stared at her hoof blades, melee weapons aren’t that useful when the enemy has the entire area covered. “Best I can do is wait until there is some sort of opening, maybe after one or two get killed...”

It was a fair answer. “If that’s the case, just stay here for a while, I’ll see what I can do.”

With everything settled, it was time to go. I gripped my rifle, pressed myself against the wall, and gave a quick peek at the other side (while making sure not to expose myself too much). The only good cover I spotted was a pile of broken furniture, next to a collapsed wall. It was only a few steps away.

I turned around and faced Barin. “I’m moving up, cover me,” I whispered. He nodded and readied himself. “On my mark.”

Ever so slowly, I brought my rifle forward and began to turn around. The two groups continue to fire non-stop, making it almost impossible to concentrate, as the room was filled with the red glow of laser fire. How much ammo do these people have? It’s not like laser weapons have unlimited supply, right?

Once again, I spotted the small kitchen counter where two enemies were hiding behind. This time, none of them were aiming at me. I couldn’t risk myself to look for the opposite group, since there was a lot more fire coming from them, but I figured they would be too focused on their current targets to do something about me.

The two ponies in front of me were well protected, but I could see a yellow set of ears poking out, so I took aim and fired.

BANG BANG BANG

As I opened up, one of the ears vanished as my rounds made contact. There was a small red burst from the ear being teared off, and I took the oportunity to run as fast as I could, while trying to keep my head low. There was also a loud shriek, most likely from the pony now missing her ear.

Just as I began to make my way to the next cover, Barin emptied his magazine all over the area. Between the laser fire and my friend providing suppression, none of them tried taking a shot at me. However, my heart was still pounding all the way, even as I reached cover.

I stayed low, making sure I didn’t suffer a similar fate to the pony I had just wounded.

The pegasi probably figured out I was up for something, so they began to take a few shots at me, keeping me from doing much. All around me, there were smoky scorch marks from laser fire. This was the perfect opportunity I had to keep their attention, while giving Barin an opening to toss some grenades.

Despite flinching a few times whenever a laser beam would pass too close, I carefully lifted my rifle above my head and fired some blind shots on full auto. It was the best way to engage the enemy without risking myself. I wasn’t looking for more kills, I just needed to keep their eyes on me.

I could hear the two pegasi to the right shouting. It was difficult to understand amid the ongoing fight.

After firing several times, I heard a familiar click indicating I was out of ammo. I quickly lowered my weapon and snatched a new magazine from my vest. As soon as I finished reloading, I once again brought my rifle up and fired a few more rounds at the general direction of the enemy. I kept switching between the two groups and this continued for some time.

It wouldn't take long before Barin acted. A small part of me was worried, because a small room like this meant that the blast wave would hit me right away. I stayed crouched, ready to lay down when the time came.

I didn’t have to wait for long. With more and more enemies focusing their attention on me, Barin was free to look around and pick his target.

“Frag out!” He shouted in russian.

I practically threw myself at the floor, pressing myself against the concrete. The ground shook as the explosive detonated. The sudden blast sent a thick cloud of dust up in the air around me. The resulting wave felt like being punched at the chest, with my breath almost being squeezed out of my lungs. My ears were ringing, I felt extremely dizzy.

“Shit…” I cursed, while trying to move. I quickly managed to get into a sitting position. There was too much dust, I could barely see and each breath made me cough a little. Looking down, I was glad to see my rifle still on my hands.

Everything was quiet, the fighting had ceased. I carefully stood up and looked around for any movement. As the dust settled, I could make out the shapes around me, of broken tables and terminals.

Just as I thought everything was okay, I spotted something small flying across the room, from where Barin was hiding. It was another grenade.

My eyes widened and I jumped back behind cover. “Goddammit, not again!” There was no time to lay down.

However, to my surprise, there was no blast. I heard a snap, and then my HUD was shut down. My minimap (which was already offline, due to the lack of GPS satellites) and ammo count began to flicker and disappear.

He had thrown an EMP grenade.

While the information flicking all around my glasses made things a bit confusing, it didn’t stop me from standing back up and scanning the area for enemies.

At this point, most of the dust had settled, and I was able to see what was left of the three ponies who were hiding further away, at the opposite side of the room. None of them were moving, and I could see a poll of blood growing around them. They were the main target for Barin. Only two hostiles left.

I turned right, while raising my rifle. I couldn’t see if the ponies behind the kitchen counter were still alive. They weren’t that far from me, and their cover was much better, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they were still active. The explosion probably didn't affect them much.

I gave a single step towards them… just as Starry Night came flying like a fucking bullet. She zipped past me faster than I thought possible for her.

Startled, I stopped and couldn’t react in time as she jumped behind the counter and attacked the only survivor.

After I figured out what was happening, I moved up and pointed my rifle at the Enclave ponies. The scene I saw was… bad.

One of them, the pony with the yellow ears, was dead. There were many wounds all over her torso. The second pony, a pegasi with a blood red coat and mane, was completely unable to do anything as Starry punched and kicked. She was on the verge of passing out, almost unable to move and try to defend herself against the thestral.

Her power armor was probably the only thing keeping her from being beaten to death. Starry showed no mercy, she continued to attack the pony even as it stopped moving. I just stood there, unsure if I should do anything. A few steps behind me indicated Barin had made his way towards us, he stood besides me.

After a few quick moments of deliberation, I decided I couldn't let the enclave pony die, she was our only way to discover what the fuck was going on.

Just as Starry began to lift her blades, I stepped forward and raised a hand. "Stop it, we need her alive!"

Her eyes widened for a second, as if she had just realized I was there, and it was quickly replaced by a frown. "Why would you care about this bitch?"

"She's the best chance we have to know more about this, we need to interrogate her."

"Bullshit! keeping her around would only bring more of enclave troopers on your heads, it's too dangerous!" We already killed several ponies here, these people have plenty of reasons to attack us and I doubt a single prisoner would change much.

I gestured to the scene around us. "It's already too late, look around you!" Starry didn't replied right away, I think she understood I wasn't going to let her kill the enclave pony. We were stuck in a risky situation the moment we decided to come here, what's a little more? I wasn't about to leave that place empty handed, not after all the trouble we went through, I needed answers.

She looked away and lowered her blades. "Fine, take the bastard with you, but don't come crying if a small army comes after you," She stepped away from the pegasus (who was still breathing).

Once I was sure Starry wasn't going to attack the pony, I turned to Barin, who had watched the whole argument in silence. "Tell Akio and Suvorov to come here, we need to regroup, gather what we can and get the hell out of here," He just nodded at me, "I'll go find Dima..."

More and more questions to answer. The deeper we venture through this wasteland, the more problems we stumble upon. Dealing with the Militia and the Confederacy is difficult enough, last thing I need is one more heavily armed faction to worry about. Even with the help coming from Ministry Square I doubt we will have an easy time.

Taking a prisoner is a big gamble, but perhaps we can get some useful information out of this. It's not like we have any other way to understand what's happening.

-x-

Footnote: Level Up!

Explosives: 70

New Perk: Splash Damage - Explosives have a 25% larger area of effect.

Chapter 19: An Old Shadow

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Chapter 19: An Old Shadow

I was beginning to familiarize myself with the city. The ruined buildings and unorganized slums that surrounded me could be very confusing at times, but I had already memorized some of the main paths around Ministry Square and the surrounding areas. As long as I could see some of the more iconic skyscrapers, such as the ministry buildings themselves or a few other well preserved sky-scrappers, I could guide myself through this urban nightmare.

It was difficult to remain calm as a walked along those dirty streets filled garbage, while doing my best to avoid the ponies around. I had weapons and armor, but I was only one person, a single alien moving through the heart of a starving community. The ponies were still very much spooked by my presence, and stared at me with a mix of fear and distrust. There were many eyes watching me from small windows and dark alleys, keeping me worried and constantly looking over my shoulder to make sure nobody made a bad move.

The heavy rain didn’t help either. The ground had become muddy, and my boots were covered in it. The rain limited my vision quite significantly and I could feel some of the radioactive water dripping inside my clothes. Most ponies remained frozen in place as I walked, the only sounds I could hear were the rain itself and my boots stepping on the mud.

My thoughts were dominated by the Enclave pegasus we had taken prisoner during our last adventure. It had been a risky decision, and something I could easily regret depending on how things developed. I still didn't know anything about this Enclave, only that they had access to advanced weapons and armor, which made me afraid of what they could do to us if they figured out our location. A small part of me questioned if it was the right choice, suggesting that I should've allowed Starry to finish the job, a voice that only grew as I thought about the many implications that prisoner could mean.

However, as much as I hated putting myself in such a difficult situation, I knew that she would be a valuabe source of information about the Enclave (if I somehow manage to make her say something). The first step in dealing with the Enclave would be to understand them and figure out how big of a threat they were. It was fundamental to determine their motivations behind these attacks so we could prevent new ones.

Obviously, I had to start working on this as soon as possible, and that's why I found myself walking through this disgusting place. I needed to reach Ministry Square and speak with Snowdrop.

The girl and her family were still the best place to look for answers, they had access to an entire library of pre-war documents, including top secret things, so I wouldn't be surprised if it had some intel on the pegasi military. While it might not contain any updated information (because nuclear apocalypse tends to make data gathering a bit difficult), it could still give me a rough idea on what to expect, based on the pre-war state of pegasi forces. It would, at the very least, give me a good idea on what type of weapons and vehicles they could be using.

There was a second reason, however, as to why I needed to talk with her, something that I had found with the Enclave pegasus that only she would be able to crack open: a personal pipbuck.

If what Snowdrop told me about these devices was true, we could find entire mission logs and reports inside of it. While it doesn’t compare to our own technology, it still had enough capacity to hold an entire library of vital data that would be priceless to us. I had no idea how it worked, or how to access it, but I was confident that it would have safety features to protect its contents from unwanted eyes.

Our prisoner had still not awaken the moment I left. She had been passed out throughout the entire way back to our base, which made me a bit worried she might have had some serious internal wounds, after the brutal beating she had endured from Starry Night, but Akio didn't find any indication of that after a quick examination. We placed the mare inside a small room with no windows, and stored her armor and gear away.

The power armor she had been wearing was very impresive when analysed from up close, and the drawings we had found earlier did little justice to it. The suit protected her body really well, hugging her torso, barrel and wings in a protective, but still very flexible way, allowing plenty of movement while still keeping her vital parts safe. The armor plates were light, but had managed to keep laser fire and shrapnel away, as the black spots and small scratches along the surface had showed.

Overall, we had gotten our hands on some very interesting equipment, a new prisoner, and no answers. It was frustrating in many ways, but I couldn’t help but to feel a bit excited. This Enclave could be the group behind all of this, the only ones I have seen that possess the technical capacity and manpower to pull something like this.

Could this be the Holy Grail we were looking for? I sure as hell hope so, there is nothing I desire more than a quick way out of this shithole. Maybe I could finally go back home and put my life back in place.

However… I would also be leaving Snowdrop behind…

That sudden thought made me pause for a moment, as I considered her situation. While I didn't consider her to be that much of a friend (when compared to my squadmates), I didn't wish to dissapoint her. Ever since we arrived, we have been doing all sorts of dangerous stuff, while also killing several people and messing with the local balance of power, all of it with the single goal of finding out what brought us here and how to get back home. As much as I hate to admit it, we had been doing these things with little concern as to what consequences it would have on the people living here.

What would happen to her if I just leave? The girl had risked a lot to help me, and dedicated herself to search for something that had nothing to do with her. To run away without warning would be terrible for her and Ministry Square as a whole, people who were counting on our help.

But… I still have a home back on Earth, I have family and friends that care for me and need help. I can't risk losing them, because they are the only reason I have to keep moving forward, the ones that motivate me to keep fighting even in the face of adversity. I have to go back, there's no way around it and as much as I hate to be in a situation like this, the answer is obvious, my family comes first.

Still, despite the strong desire to go home and forget about all of this, thinking about the situation gave me... perspective, for all it mattered.

These thoughts continued throughout the rest of my little journey, until I finally arrived at the gates of Ministry Square. As I already expected, it was guarded by a large number of gryphons. Unlike the people living outside, the Blackwatch mercenaries were not bothered by my presence, or at least were very good at hiding it. The guy in charge of checking people going inside only gave me a brief look and nodded, continuing his duty as if I was just another pony.

After crossing the gates, the atmosphere became much better, no more filthy slums and terrible smell. The ponies were still staring at me, but wasn’t the same aggressive sight from before, they seemed only curious. I quickly made my way through the crowds of ponies out in the streets, until I reached the Ministry of Arcane Sciences.

-x-

The moment I took my first step inside the ministry building, every single pony around stopped what they were doing to stare at me. The first time I had entered this hall felt like an eternity ago, but the reactions I got were still the same. A few moments passed and the ponies continued to stare in silence, to which I rolled my eyes. This was getting really awkward.

Just as I began to think about finding Snowdrop, the white unicorn crossed the large hall, completely oblivious to my presence as she levitated a large number of papers in front of her, until she noticed the general silence in the room. Her brows furrowed and she looked around, spotting me almost instantly. Her expression was quickly replaced by surprise, her ears stood up and her eyes widened. A moment later she opened a big smile, and quickly came towards me. I almost snorted at her sight, she could be really cute at times.

Before she could say anything, I told her I needed to speak to her in private, which made her a bit confused. The girl nodded and led me to a private room, a few floors above. It was a small apartment; very similar to the place Barin and I had stayed when we first arrived. The two of us entered a small living room, with a kitchen space to the right and an open door leading to a bedroom on the left side. The decoration was simple, but held a generally happy and colorful theme, with bright colors and a few motivational posters (all of which sported a lavander unicorn wearing a lab coat and glasses). If I had to guess, I would say this was probably Snowdrop’s room, and it fitted her really well.

We both sat on a large couch at the center, and the girl wasted no time to open her mouth and speak. "Alex! I'm so happy to see you!" she said in a quick and excited tone, "I didn't think you would come back so soon!" Holy jesus, she's almost bouncing on the damn couch...

I raised an eyebrow as her blonde tail began to swing left and right, before nodding and putting down my rifle and helmet on the floor. “It’s good to see you as well, how’s everything going?” It’s better to start with something simple, before jumping into what really matters.

The girl shrugged. “Nothing new, mostly just studying my pipbuck and doing a few works here and there. Ever since I came back, my father has been somewhat protective so I hadn’t had a chance to do something outside.”

I nodded. “ It’s only natural he would do that.”

“Yeah, I know, but what about you? What're you doing around here?” It was nice to see her happy, but I couln't help but to feel a bit overwhelmed. Her tone felt different somewhat, but I couldn't point out what exactly. “Were you just passing by and decided to visit me?” She added with a hint of irony and made me raise an eyebrow.

“Not exactly… I’m here because I need your help with something.”

Both of her ears stood up at that, and her curiosity was replaced by intrige. “Really? Is it something more about megaspells?” Her horn began to glow and she levitated a few papers from a nearby table, “I did a quick research after you left so…”

I raised a hand to stop her, before she went into a long exposition. “No, it’s not that,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s a bit more complicated.”

Snowdrop frowned in confusion. “What is it?”

How can I explain it to her? “Tell me, have you ever heard of a group of ponies called the Enclave?”

Her eyes widened and her joy evaporated immediately, replaced instead by deep concern. “Wha- what in Celestia’s name are you talking about about, Alex?!” She took a step way from me, "You mean the Grand Pegasus Enclave? How would you even know about them?!"

I looked away for a moment and scratched the back of my head. Clearly, this wasn't the best way to approach the subject. “Well… let’s just say I might have had an encounter with those people.”

Snow took a deep breath and closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down. “Alex, please tell me what’s going on, what do you mean by an encounter?”

“Okay, remember that deal I made with your father and Shortbeak before I left?” She nodded, “Yesterday he asked for our help to find a hidden cache of weapons and bottlecaps he had stored away for emergencies, outside the city. We managed to find the place fairly easily, but it turned out it had some new occupants…”

“You found Enclave pegasi there?”

I nodded. “Correct, they had killed the previous team Shortbeak had sent and stole most of the things stored inside,” She cringed at that, “However, we managed to drive them out, and now I’m here.”

Snow took a while to respond. She stared at me with calculating eyes. “What exactly do you need my help with?”

I quickly searched my pockets for the pipbuck. “I need you to help me extract some information from a pipbuck I found…” I grabbed the pipbuck and showed it to her.

“A pipbuck…” She muttered, “You want me to get whatever data is stored in there?” I nodded and offered the device, which she enveloped with her magic and approached to her eyes. “How did you get your hooves on this?”

Time to let out the big bomb. “Well, we did kill most of the ponies inside the hideout, but one them passed out during the fighting, so we decided to take her as a prisoner.”

She sounded a bit worried again. “Did you make sure her armor was turned off? Those things have tracking devices.”

“Yes, we checked for any signals coming from it.”

Snowdrop continued to examine the pipbuck, but I could see she wasn’t entirely focused on it, most likely wandering about what I just told her. Her worry made me question for a second time if keeping the pegasus was a good idea, but no matter how much I tried to deny it, she would still be very useful to us, even if she refused to cooperate.

Finally, after a few minutes, Snow lowered the pipbuck and turned to face me, “ I can help you with this, but you need to be more careful about the Enclave, they are not something you want to mess with,” She floated the pipbuck to the nearby table and moved to sit beside me, much closer than before. Her ears were down and her face was dominated with concern.

I felt uncomfortable with her proximity, but kept a neutral face. “Yeah, don’t worry about it,” I tried to sound honest, but that only seemed to make her more worried. “I won’t risk everything over this, you know that, right?”

Her voice took a serious tone. “Can you promise me that?”

I raised an eyebrow at that, but thought nothing of it. “Yes, sure, I promise.”

She was not convinced. “Alex…” The way she spoke those words was almost as if she had known me for a long time.

I took a deep breath. “Look, I’ll say it again, I will be extremely careful with this, I’m not about to risk myself and my comrades over this, alright?” She held her eyes for a few more moments, but eventually nodded.

“Alright, I trust you on that.”

I turned away from her. “Great… but how long do you think it will take to get everything out of that thing?”

“I don’t know for sure, about two days I think.”

“Two days?”

“Yes, I need to be very careful, since this is a military version; They are usually equipped with multiple barriers to keep the files safe.”

I relaxed myself on the couch and closed my eyes for a second. “Meh, I suppose I’ll have to stick around for longer, if that’s the case,” It’s not like I have anything big planned for the next few days.

For a moment, Snow was concerned.“Oh, is that too much of a problem? I could always try to go a little faster…” She began to say.

I quickly brought a hand up to stop her. “No, that won’t be an issue, this whole thing with the Enclave has put my plans on hold. Besides, I could always use the opportunity to research more stuff on the library, there’s still plenty of things I have to learn about this place.”

Snow appeared to calm down, and I was glad for that, “Okay then, I’ll speak with my father to see a room where you can stay.”

“Thanks…” I replied.

With those final words, the conversation stopped. There wasn’t much else to say about the pipbuck or the current situation. The two of us remained quiet for a while, just sitting on the couch, until eventually Snow decided to break the silence.

She glanced at me. “So… you hungry?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Sure? You want to eat something?”

The girl shrugged. “Well... yes, I was thinking we could go to that balcony we ate last time, what do you think?” She gave me a vague smile, in a attempt to convince me.

Throughout this conversation her behavior had been unusual, as if she wasn't sure how to act around me, but I thought nothing of it. “Sure, lead the way…”

We both left her room and headed upstairs, as the place she wanted to go was a couple stores above us. We both remained quiet on our way there and I used the silence to look around and appreciate the old arquitecture while trying to distract myself. There were, as always, a few ponies along the corridors who would stand back and stare at us whenever their eyes noticed me, a constant reminder of being an outsider. I just looked away from them, focusing on Snowdrop instead, who was walking ahead of me.

Seeing her tail flickering and her ears moving around were little details that enphasized how different she was, and yet still possessed a very friendly and human personality. All of it felt strange, because even after all this time I still couldn't accept that I was living on an alien world.

-x-

The view from the balcony was just as pleasant as before. The ministries rose up in front of us, each one with a unique style, and beyond them I could see the walls and the rest of the city. The sky was mostly clear and the sun felt warm, but not unpleasant, it was kept in check by a nice breeze. I enjoyed the atmosphere and could understand why Snowdrop would want to come here.

I became so distracted by the moment that I almost jumped when Snow spoke to me. “Alex, can I ask you a question?”

I stopped looking out and turned to look at her. “Sure, what is it?” I replied, while eating some more from my MRE.

Snow, on the other hand, was eating a sandwish. “Why did you become a soldier?”

The question made me pause for a moment. It was not something I expected from her and it wasn’t something I had much of an answer for. “Why do you want to know?” I didn't know what kind of answer to give her. This wasn’t really something I thought about, even when I was fighting in Europe. It had been a matter of necessity and lack of choice, a honest job with a nice income to help my family.

She paused for a second and try to clerify her question. “It’s just that… you told me your world wasn’t destroyed like Equestria, so why would you choose something like that? Ponies on the wasteland learn how to fight because they have to, it's a matter of survival. You on the other hoof… why didn’t you choose something else?”

I knew this conversation would come sooner or later. I hadn't told her about the cold war mainly because I didn't think it was necessary, all she needed to be aware was that we didn't know how we came here and that we needed help. However, I suppose a small part of me also wished to preserve her innocence. For the short time I have known her, Snowdrop has always been very optmistic, and held this permanent sense of hope inside of her, especially when asking me about my world. I came to the conclusion that it wasn't just curiosity, she wanted to hear about a world that wasn't destroyed by war, where people didn't have to fight everyday just to survive.

There was no easy way to talk about this, and it worried me how Snowdrop might take it. “Things are not as simple as that…” I began, looking around a bit to avoid eye contact. “Just because my world isn’t a wasteland doesn’t mean everything is perfect, we still have people fighting, just not as widespread as here.”

She nodded. “But you don’t have to deal with mutants, raiders or starvation, right?” Oh, if only she had the full picture. What would she think if I showed her entire cities swallowed by the ice, or refugee camps with millions of people displaced by wars and climate change.

It wasn't just raiders or mutants, but also war. “Not nearly as much as here, but there are still dangerous people back home, that’s why soldiers like myself exist,” I still remember going out on patrol back in Russia, searching for bandits hiding in the snow, people who were desperate enough to attack supply convoys along the roads to steal food and medicine. It was a sight to see, those half-starved and half-frozen bastards left behind by the government, they threw themselves against machinegun fire without a care in the world, too far gone into madness and desperation to think rationally. How were they any different from the raiders we had seen on the equestrian wasteland?

There had even been rumors about small cannibal bands who stalked the smaller roads and ambushed patrols, but most of us just thought of it as nothing more than made up stories to keep people awake during the night. “People still fight each other occasionally.”

Her brows furrowed and one of her ears flickered, she paused for a second and processed what I had said. “But why?” She finally asked, “I get it that there would still be some bad people around, but it shouldn’t come even close to the wasteland, right?”

I leaned back on my chair and placed my MRE down. “Snow, my world isn’t as bad as the wasteland, but there’s something I need to tell you about,” It wouldn’t be good to keep hiding the war from her, it’s better if I just tell her about it now, “Things… are not very good back home, we’re having a big crisis actually…”

She was silent. Her blue eyes kept staring at me, not knowing what to expect. “Alex…” She almost whispered, before braking eye contact and looking away. Her ears flickered and moved around, showing her confusion, before standing forward once again.

It was now or never. I took a deep breath and inclined forward, it wasn’t going to be easy, but maybe it would help her understand why it was so important for me to go home. “Snow, do you remember what you told me about the pegasi? How they control the weather and all of that?”

She nodded. “Yes, I remember that.”

I tried to keep my tone calm. “My world doesn’t work like that, the weather and global climate are mostly controlled by the seasons and local geography,” I gestured with my hands a bit, while trying to find the right words to explain. “Every year is divided by the same seasons, which define the weather tendencies…”

She raised a hoof. “Wait, you’re telling me that you have zero control? Not even with all the technology you have?”

I stared at her confused face for a few seconds. “Well… not exactly,” Explaining something as complex as the global climate and how all of it culminated into the ice age was obviously not that simple. This was far from my area of expertise, and I had to avoid going into detail. “My race does have some influence, we have enough knowledge to alter things, but not nearly as precise as what you told me about the pegasi. Some of our activities can influence global temperature, rain cycles and a bunch of other things, but we don’t have full artificial control over the skies, we can’t push clouds around from one spot to another when we need extra rain or something.”

She tilted her head and pressed her lips. “Alright, I think I get it, but why is that so important?”

“Because a lot of things depend on that, especially agriculture,” I stroked my chin with a hand while looking up. “You see, being unable to properly control the weather means that we don’t always get what we want, things might go on the wrong direction and there’s little to be done about it.”

“A few years ago something went wrong, we don’t know if it was natural or something we created, but for some reason the temperature began to drop, every year that passed was colder than the last,” I was not even alive when it happened, more than 40 years ago. “Nobody expected the ice, and it turned much of the planet uninhabitable,” Snow bit her lip “This has caused a lot of problems, food production has collapsed across the world and millions of people have been displaced by the ice, famine and wars.”

I stopped for a minute to let all of it sink in. Snowdrop stared ahead of me in silence, thinking about what I had told her. “Snow… this is why I need to go home, every day that goes by things could be getting worse,” I massaged my temples a bit. “The worst part is that I’m not even done yet, there’s another reason why I became a soldier and happened to be on the outpost when it was transported here.”

“By Celestia…” Snowdrop looked away while stroking her hair with a hoof. “I just don’t get it, you showed me all those things and yet… your world is doing just as bad as Equestria?”

“No, things are not nearly as bad, we haven’t blew ourselves up yet,” Those words came out harsher than I intended, Snow’s jaw clenched and her eyebrows lowered. “Look, this isn’t the point I’m trying to make, there’s something else you need to know. The reason why I was at the very spot where this whole mess started is because my country is at war,” Her eyes widened once again. “The outpost where I came from was a frontline supply depot, and we were in the middle of a battle when the teleportation happened.”

“But why?” She interrupted me. “Why in Tartarus would you go to war in the middle of a disaster? Wouldn’t it make more sense to help each other?” It does make perfect sense, but the world isn’t that simple. Even when faced with imminent danger people can still turn against each other and act selfishly, like the tragedy of the commons. “You have people starving, and yet still go out to kill each other? That doesn’t make any sense!” She slammed a hoof on the table between us, making me jump in surprise.

I lifted both my hands in a placate gesture, hoping to calm her down. “Look… people were desperate, and nobody knew what to do!” I looked around and took a deep breath. “You have to understand, we lost a lot of land to the advancing ice, fertile land, and we just don’t have enough resources to keep everyone alive, it was either go to war or watch as most of our people died!”

“But… but why?” Snow lowered her head and slumped.

I looked away, feeling bad for her. “Look, Snowdrop…” I stood up from my chair and approached her, placing a single hand on her shoulder. She glanced at my hand and then up, locking eyes with me. “I’m sorry for not telling you this earlier but… now you know why I can’t keep waiting, why I need to go home as soon as possible.”

She nodded. “Yes, I get it…”

“Will you help me?”

“Yes, I will…”

-x-

Was it the ideal way of explaining my situation to her? No, not at all. As much as I try to keep my emotions under control, I still can't help but to feel for Snowdrop, one of the few helpful souls I can trust. She's just an inocent girl. Even when surrounded by bloodshed and violence she still has a friendly personality, and that's something few people can do. Ever since I had met her, Snowdrop had always looked up in pure wonder at human technology and the things I told her about my home, she hoped for a safer world, where people didn't have to fight every day just to stay alive. I felt bad for destroying her little utopia, but it had to be done at some point. She needed to realize the true urgency of my situation, why I had to go home.

Home... it had been so long. After more than a year, I had almost forgotten what was like to be there, not having to fight every day to survive. I was tired of feeling like an outsider, I wanted to go somewhere safe and quiet, somewhere familiar. The road ahead of me was still long, and I didn't see much of an end to it. Even if we somehow got back to Europe, we would still have a war to fight, and that idea terrified me. How many of us would be alive by the end?

After our conversation was over, Snow went to find her father and see if I could get a room to stay. The rest of the day went by without anything unusual, with Snow continuing her work on the pipbuck and I being settled on my room.

As expected, Snow didn’t make much progress on those first hours, she only managed to discover some personal information. The name of the prisoner was Lt. Red Dawn (I’ll never get used to these pony names) and she was part of a "recon wing". I did not know if the Enclave military ranks followed the same pattern as our, but if it did, than we had a valuable prisoner on our hands. Having a lieutenant was both a blessing and a curse. She could be a great source of information, but the Enclave would be searching this whole island for her.

The last thing I did before sleeping was to call my comrades back at our hideout. I explained to them that I would be staying here for the next two days, and that they should get in contact the moment the Enclave pony woke up.

-x-

Time passed quickly, and Snowdrop began to make a lot a progress, just as she promised. I spend most of my free time searching for more information on the library, anything that could help me against the Enclave. Most of what I found was related to the pegasi pre-war military. It said that the pegasi had been, for most of their history, fiercely independent, and that spirit was reflected on the pre-war military. Their branch of the armed forced often operated on its own, and had a different structure.

As I advanced on the subject, the word “Enclave” began to appear on a few news articles. It seemed to be an expression used to describe the financial elite and military high command of pegasi society, which had been gaining more and more influence over the local government. However, none of it referred to them as a real organization, just a nickname for a group of powerful ponies. The real Enclave must have come into being after the apocalypse. It wouldn’t be that hard to predict that as the equestrian government collapsed, the Enclave would step in to fill the power vacuum.

It felt like looking at a fossil, a pre-war organization that held itself together for 200 years. This was clearly a very militarized and authoritarian state, and it worried me about what kind of measures they would be willing to take against us.

By nightfall of the second day, Snowdrop had managed to break inside the pipbuck, and I was about to get a lot more information than I expected. I was just finishing reading when she came behind me. I had been so concentrated on my task that I hadn’t noticed the loud clip-clop of her hooves against the marble floor. I almost jumped off my chair when she called me.

She spoke loudly with excitement. “Alex! I did it!” I turned around and saw a big smile on her face and the pipbuck floating above her with her magic.

At first, I was a bit angry at her for spooking me, but then I processed her words. “Wha- You mean it’s finally done? You managed to open the dammed thing?”

She continued to levitate the pipbuck above her head like a trophy. “Yes, I did it! I thought about looking through the logs, but I figured you would want to see it first,” She placed the device on my table, “Go on, I already selected the file with the most information”

I took the pipbuck and looked at the screen. It reminded me of an early computer, from the cold war era. There was a series of files which appeared to be daily reports, which progressed for over two months. The first one was already selected, so I pressed the button to open it and a large text came into being.

I began reading the content. The file began with a list of names, including Red Dawn herself, followed by a list of equippment and weapons. Those other names were probably her squadmates. I skipped those two and looked at the main text near the botton. What I found was a mission log. Red Dawn and her squad (or her "wing", as it was written) were supposed to investigate several places around the island in search of supplies and shelter, clear out any resistance and report back to base.

I raised an eyebrow. This is why we had found her inside that building.

I continued to read, finding a few more details about her mission. However, what really interested me was a list of places and coordinates near at the botton. Most of the names were unfamiliar, but I did spot the location I had found her amongst them. I scanned each name for something else that might've been useful.

As I made progress, my breath was suddently caught in my throat. I leaned back on my seat and stared at the pipbuck screen. The three final names on the list were megaspell silos, the same I was hoping to investigate.

I stopped reading when I saw that. Could this be what I was looking for? Was it the Enclave who brought us here?

I placed the device back on the table and looked at Snowdrop. “Snow… these people were searching for pre-war facilities, including the same megaspell silos I was hoping to go.”

Her ears stood up and her brows furrowed. “What? Why would they be doing that?”

“Well, it seemed they were looking for supplies and shelter, nothing too strange about that, but I can’t help but to think this might have something to do with my arrival here.”

“You sure about that?”

I nodded. “This is too much of a coincidence…” I tried to think of anything that could contradict this hypothesis, “Tell me Snow, do you think these megaspell bunkers could still be operational after 200 years?”

“It’s possible,” She replied, bringing a hoof to her chin and looking up. “These places were meant to carry out their mission even after a zebra attack, so I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them were still working. However, it still depends on many factors.”

I continued reading. After I was done with the main mission log, I went to the daily reports. The first ones had nothing special, just a few random commentaries about the day as Red Dawn and her squad travelled the wasteland. It gave me a few insights on her personality though, for all that it mattered. Eventually, I got to the part where they arrived at the first megaspell bunker, and that is when things got interesting.

The bunker was far away, to the north, hidden inside a rock formation. At first, their mission went smoothly; the enclave pony added a small description about each section of the bunker, talking about the structural integrity and layout. Things took a strange turn when they arrived at the main chamber, where they began to pick up signs that someone else (or somepony, as these people love to say) had been there recently. Too afraid of keep going and falling into an ambush, they looked around quickly for anything else that might’ve been useful and left the facility.

What interested me about this section is that Red Dawns writes multiple times that she feared they might stumble upon a “loyalist patrol”. What could that mean? Who were these loyalists? Were they the Enclave ponies she was fighting the other day?

The word “Loyalist” and the fact that she had been fighting Enclave troopers when we captured her, makes me think that I might be dealing with an internal conflict here. Two factions within the same organization fighting for supremacy, a civil war.

I felt angry at being forced to deal with such a complicated issue. There were enough problems already and I didn't want to add another clusterfuck of things to solve before finding a way home. Why couldn't things be a bit simpler?

The rest of the daily logs went mostly the same. They flew somewhere, searched the whole place, and occasionally had to fight mutants and raiders. Other places also had signs of “loyalist activity”, as the mare described it. The two megaspell facilities they visited, in particular, both had been visited by someone else before Red Dawn and her squad arrived. That took my attention.

On both bunkers, the enclave pony was never able to see if the facilities were still fully operational, since she had decided to leave before actually searching the whole place, but she did noted some of the illumination and terminals were still working. It didn't really told me if the whole place was good, but it raised a lot of possibilities.

Even if Red Dawn had nothing to do with us, the loyalists might be behind this. Maybe they were the ones who activated the megaspell that brought me here, and Red Dawn came a few days later to find an empty and powerless bunker.

I had to speak with this pony; I had to get answers about her mission and these “Loyalists”, and see if there was anything else she might know. I needed to learn more about the loyalists and their capabilities. However, the real question is how I would be able to convince her to give me that sort of information.

After I was done reading, I turned to Snowdrop, “Snow… I think I need you to come with me”. Snowdrop had been sitting beside me this whole time, reading the files with me. I think she understood just how important these files had been. “I need you to help me convince the Enclave prisoner to tell me more about this.”

She frowned at me. “How exactly am I supposed to help? I’m not a trained interrogator.”

I rolled my eyes. “I know that, but I think it would be easier to convince her to tell me something if there’s at least one familiar face in there, much better than being interrogated by a bunch of aliens.”

Still, how exactly would I even approach her? I have probably killed some of her comrades and I can’t just say it was all a big misunderstanding. “This civil war they're having… I need to find out more about these loyalists and see if they were the ones who caused my arrival. Do you think they could’ve activated a megaspell to bring me here?” I asked.

Snow shook her head. “Not sure, it depends on a lot of factors, but they're probably the best candidates to do something like this,” she looked around for a bit, "Still, why would they even do something like that? It doesn't make any sense..."

I shrugged. "No idea, maybe this was all one big mistake, who the fuck knows."

There is also the whole incident with those Blackwatch mercenaries. I need to know how much of a threat the Enclave posed to Ministry Square. This city, for all its limitations, was our best source of basic supplies and ammunition. We cannot lose their help or allow something bad to happen to them.

I stood up from my chair. There was a lot more work to be done, and I might as well get started. “When can you be ready to leave?” I asked Snowdrop.

“Just give me an hour.”

-x-

The sun was about to set when Snowdrop and I finally left the ministry building. She was wearing the same outfit from the first time I had found her, which felt like an eternity ago. We made our way out of the city quickly, hoping to avoid any gangs that might be stalking the streets and alleys at this time.

The road was quiet like usual, a lazy wind whispered around us. It would only take an hour or two to reach the hidden base where the rest of my comrades were waiting. During the morning, they had informed me that Red Dawn was awake, but refused to say a word. It didn’t surprised me, and I knew it would take a lot of talking to convince her to give up any information. Maybe she wouldn’t say anything at all, and leaves us with yet another useless prisoner to feed and take care.

What was even the point? What exactly was I supposed to do about the situation?

Even if I do get a bit more information about this Enclave, I wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. There just isn’t enough supplies to do any serious operation here, nothing beyond small raids (like we did on the slaver base) or small scouting missions. Assuming Shortbeak and Ministry Square as a whole were willing to help, I still doubt we would have enough manpower and supplies for a full scale military operation against a professional force, depending on how powerful they truly are.

My best chance right now is to hope these people are too busy killing each other. Neither side should be willing to open a second front, so I don’t think we will be facing any major attacks any time soon. However, that could change very quickly, depending on the state of the civil war. One side might become too bold or too desperate and see Ministry Square as a viable target.

What else am I supposed to do with Red Dawn? Even if she does tell me something, there's still the problem of what to do with her. I can't keep her around, it's too risky and expensive. Should I just let her go? What would happen if I did?

There's too much at stake here, more than I can handle. For now, I must do what I can with the resources at hand, and just hope that it doesn't come to bite me in the future.

-x-

We arrived at the base quickly, just as the night decended.

“Over there,” I said to Snow while pointing at the old building, “That’s where we’re staying.”

She narrowed her eyes a bit and looked around, searching for any clear signs of our presence. “Really? You certainly made a good job hiding everything from sight.”

I nodded. “Yeah, don’t want any travelers or local gangs stumbling upon our little hideout.”

The two of us went inside and met with the squad. Most of them were resting at this time, with two of the new people watching the surrounding area from the top floor. While our reception was normal, the new guys could barely hide their curiosity when Snowdrop walked in. None of them had been this close to a pony before, only watching them from afar or from a drone camera. Snowdrop, for her part, didn’t seemed bothered by their stares, but still avoided eye contact. It was amusing to see this, but I didn’t have the time to appreciate. I wanted to speak with Red Dawn as soon as possible.

I approached Suvorov, whom was in charge of watching over the pegasus, and was sitting next to the improvised cell we had made. “How’s the prisoner doing?”

He gave a quick glance behind him, towards the door. “Not much to say, she hasn’t done anything since waking up, other than trying to jump on me the first time I found her awake…”

I raised an eyebrow. “Really?” he nodded, “What the fuck happened?”

He looked calm and was still standing, so I guessed it wasn’t anything serious. “Dima told me he heard some movement inside, so we decided to see if she was awake, as soon as I opened the door she jumped on my side and tried to disarmed me, but I managed to push her away.”

I knew it was an obvious question, but I felt like asking it anyway. “Are you alright?”

He chuckled. “That pony is strong, and almost managed to throw me off balance, but nothing else.”

“Good…” I nodded, “I need to go inside with Snowdrop and see if I can get some answers from her.”

“Alright, I’ll unlock the door,” As the big man moved away, I looked at Snowdrop to see if she was still up to this, she nodded, and we both went inside.

The first thing I noticed as I walked into the dimly lit room was the bright red of her coat, followed by her angry eyes and defensive posture. Her jaw was set and her wings were half open. Her body was slightly inclined forward, like a cat waiting to jump on a prey.

I kept one hand near my sidearm, just as a precaution. A few extra steps forward allowed Snowdrop to slip inside and stand beside me. There were some clear differences, beyond the color of their manes and coats, between Snowdrop and Red Dawn, with the pegasus being a bit taller and a lot stronger. Red Dawn wasn’t huge by any means, but clearly more fit than Snowdrop. Her wings, in particular, were quite impressive, something I hadn’t been able to appreciate when they were covered by her power armor.

The atmosphere felt heavy, and I couldn't help but to feel unconfortable by her angry stare. She reminded me of a caged animal, I could see how her body was stiff and ready to attack.

Would I even be able to reason with her? I doubt she would be willing to speak with those who probably murdered some of her comrades, but I had to try. I felt like taking a deep breath and looking away for a moment, but I also didn't want to lose our little contest. I kept staring at her, while trying to figure out how to start a conversation. After a few moments, I decided it would be best to just go on from the beggining.

"So... your name is Red Dawn, correct?"

-x-

Footnote: 25% to next level

Chapter 20: Honesty

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Author's Notes:

First, I would like to apologize for the year long hiatus. last year was particulary difficult for me, so I was unable to write much. In addition to that, as the months went by I became more and more dissatisfied with the original version of this chapter. Consequentially, once January came I decided to rewrite the whole thing, which is what I did for the last two months.

Despite the lack of updates, I got my hands on several important novels throughout 2018 that hopefully improved my writing skills. As a direct consequence, this chapter was written with a bigger focus on conversations and character interactions. If possible, I would ask that you comment on any issues or improvements you come across.

Finally, I have decided to write shorter chaperts focusing on a few scenes in order to speed up updates. While I think this semester won't be as difficult, I would like to increase updates to both keep you guys satisfied and also to bring more attention to this story.

As always, thank you for reading and please write a comment.

Chapter 20: Honesty

I don’t consider myself to be a charismatic person. A part of me always placed cold pragmatism above emotions, trying to supress them whenever they appeared. It didn’t stop me from having friends, mind you – Barin being an obvious proof of that – but it did make me a terrible speaker.

This behavior was, I think, the result of my early life. Back when the crisis started, my family was forced to leave our home in Russia and go through a brutal journey across the Caucasus, trying to find a better place somewhere south. Me, being just a young boy, could barely understand what was happening. After days travelling, we were halted inside Azerbaijan, along with thousands of others, as local authorities couldn’t decide whether we should be allowed to proceed or not. Instead, they forced us into huge refugee camps near the Caspian sea, where I would spend most of my childhood.My time there was brutal, there was never enough food or water, while soap and toilet paper were almost luxuries. As I'm sure you can imagine, this sort of place didn't stimulate a friendly nature, and it has clearly affected my character.

When faced with a daily struggle fulfill your most basic needs, you must be capable of shielding your emotions and do whatever is necessary survive. Be it through fair trade or petty stealing, one must be capable of doing just about anything, and I was no exception. The memories of what I saw, and what I was forced to do, have left many mental scars inside of me.

-x-

For once, it seemed my early life was punishing me for neglecting my personal charisma. Despite all the different jobs one could get inside the military, most of which require zero social skills, I somehow managed to find myself at one of those few exceptions. It was my job to interrogate Red Dawn, the Enclave pegasus we had captured..

Of course, it’s not like I can just call HQ and ask for a diplomat or some professional negotiator. I also can’t hope for a random mercenary pony to just knock on the front door and solve all my problems. There’s only me and Snowdrop here, and we need to figure out a way to make that big crimson pegasus talk.

Still, it didn’t look like she was in any mood to have a nice chat. Red Dawn continued to stare at us from her defensive posture. Her heavy breathing was the only sound braking the awkward silence between us.

I crossed my arms and continued to wait for an answer. I gave a quick glance to my right, noticing how Snow was standing a bit behind me, almost using me as a shield. Fucking great…

As my patiance ended, I decided to throw a small threat, which I pratically spat at the pegasus. “Do I have to keep you a few more days in here for you to open your mouth?” From the corner of my eye, I saw Snowdrop shift at my words. I hadn’t intended come out as harsh as I did, but I didn't want to waste more time.

My words did, however, get a small reaction from Red Dawn. She frowned at me, and even gave a single step back, as if considering my words.

I decided to keep going, maybe this was my chance. “There was a lot of information inside your pipbuck…” Another look, dominated by a wave of shock across her features, “Took me a couple of days to crack it open. Still, wasn’t expecting to find so much intel in one place, all those maps and reports will certainly be very useful”. She opened her mouth a bit, I stopped my ramblings with the small hope that she would actually say something. However, she just huffed at me and kept her mouth shut. Fine, guess I’ll keep going, but perhaps I should try to be more direct.

I took a step forward. “You’re probably wondering who we are and why we captured you. The truth is, I only learned about your little Enclave a few days ago, not long before we crossed paths.”

“Before you…” It came out almost like a whisper. Those were the first words I heard from her. The difference between her voice and Snowdrop was very strong. While Snow’s tone was generally acute and feminine, Red Dawn had a much deeper and commanding voice.

Shaking away the small digression, I decided to insist on my point, hoping to get more words out of her. “Before I what?” I replied with a raised eyebrow.

Her body became stiff, and a deep scorn siezed her face. “Before you attacked us!” she shouted, spatting the words at me.

Not the direction I wanted to go, but also not surprising. It was obvious she was going to say that at some point, but it didn’t make it any easier to deal with. How was I supposed to talk with someone after I had tried to kill them? Hell, I hadn’t gone that far with Snowdrop when I first met her and it was still awkward as fuck when we were finally able to speak with one another.

I waved her away dismissively. “Yes, not the best introduction I suppose.”

“Fuck you…” I managed to get her talking, but not the way I wanted.

I frowned at her and crossed my arms. “I’m not here to trade insults, and they won’t get you anywhere,” I get it that she's upset by what happened, but that was largely her own fault. "If you didn't want a fight you shouldn't have attacked a Blackwatch hideout. The only reason why we were there was because you-"

The sudden bang of one of her hooves against the concrete floor made me take a step back. “What are you here for? Are you just going to keep throwing accusations around until I get bored? Is that your actual strategy?”

Jesus, I’m starting to wish she would get back to being quiet. This wasn't what I wanted to talk about, I had to find a way to steer the conversation towards the right track. “Not quite, I was hoping to learn a bit more about the Enclave.”

As expected, she simply rolled her eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. “Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I ain’t talking shit! I’m not a fucking traitor!”

I crossed my arms. “I’m sure you aren’t, but I'm not trying to get any sensitive information from you,” I already had enough from her pipbuck, "I just want to understand why the Enclave bothered to come her at all, if there's any official reason for all of this" I tried to sound sincere, while also lifting my hands in a 'calm down' gesture.

That seemed to make her pause for a moment. “Wha- Why?”

I took a deep breath and prepared myself to give a long explanation. “Do you know who we are? Or better yet, do you know why we were at that hideout we captured you?”

She raised an eyebrow at my question. “You are the aliens everyone has been talking about,” Good to know how fast the news travel around the wasteland, is there anyone who doesn't know about us? "And you said you were there because it was a Blackwatch hideout so... they must've hired you or something?"

I nodded. "You're correct about all of that, but it's not really the answer I was seeking," My words only served to confuse her even more, "Do you know the reason why we came to this planet?"

She was taken aback by my question and remained a bit hesitant. "How in tartarus would I know that?"

"It's okay if you don't, because there isn't one."

Her head dropped a bit to the left, and she stared at me as if I was insane. “What do you mean?”

“We never wanted to come here, we arrived by accident.”

Our little talk seemed to be taking its toll. Red Dawn was no longer in a defensive posture, her wings were tucked by her sides, and her body stood was no longer rigid. Her tone was also not as harsh as before, but her face still bore some suspicion.

The pegasus remained quiet for a few seconds, before giving me a reply. “But what in Tartarus does this has to do with the Enclave?” she said, while lifting a single hoof to enphasize her question.

“Let me try to give you the whole story...” I took a deep breath, knowing this was going to be a long explanation. "My comrades and I arrived on this world a few weeks ago. We don't know how or why, one moment we were just minding our own busisness, the next we were thrown into this land. We pretty much just popped from one place to the other, out of fucking nowhere. Obviously, this was quite shocking and left us wandering what exactly happened.

As far as we are aware, noboby back home knew about this world or had the means to do something like this. There just wasn't any kind of technology that could come even close to something like this, not even experimental. Consequentially, we believe it might've been something from this side of the universe that brought us here, probably some sort of megaspell, and so I've been investigating the area in hopes of finding out more. At the same time, we're also working for Ministry Square in exchange for supplies and information. That's the reason why we fought you at the hideout, because it was part of the deal we have with Shortbeak and the other leaders of Ministry Square."

After taking a few seconds to breathe, I kept going. “However, we can’t continue our investigation in the middle of an active warzone, so we’re trying our best to keep a list of any potential threats to the local stability. The Enclave is, at the moment, one of the bigger threats.”

With that, I concluded my little speech. “So, now that I gave you this whole explanation, could you please answer some of my questions?”

She gave me a small huff and sat down. “Doesn’t matter, anything that you ask me will probably be too sensitive for me to answer. Besides, didn’t you get enough from my pipbuck anyways?”

I did my best to hide my frustration. This was getting nowhere and I was running out of options. Every second wasted on this failed interrogation could’ve been used on something more productive. Perhaps I should've let Starry kill her when she had the chance. Still, I suppose we would have to deal with the Enclave eventually, so maybe having an uncooperative prisoner was better than nothing.

“Not enough to explain why you guys are fighting each other.”

“You want to know more about the loyalists?”

I nodded. “Yes, I do. They were the ones who attacked you as well, back at the hideout, correct?”

“Yes, but why do you care?”

“Because, like I said, I want to know how much of problem to Enclave might pose to my investigation. If there’s civil war going on, it means you are less likely to bother everyone else. Although, I suppose it didn’t stopped you from attacking the Blackwatch Company.”

“We needed the supplies, you know that.”

“Yes, I read your reports. You have been searching just about every pre-war facility on this island, though it seems the loyalists also found some of them first. It makes me wonder why you choose that hideout. Were you were running out of options?”

She glanced away from me. “Pretty much, the fight against the loyalists is taking a heavy toll on us.”

“So you decided to make yet another enemy? That makes no sense,” I brought a hand to my chin as thought about it. Why not just trade with someone? Were they also out of caps to use? Did the Enclave even use caps as a currency? “Were there no other options available, like trading or something?”

Red Dawn just rolled her eyes at that. “For Celestia’s sake, you really don’t know anything about the wasteland, do you?”

I was confused. “What do you mean?”

“Look… ponies on the surface don’t really like pegasi. Most of them would shoot us on sight, especially if they notice we’re part of the Enclave.”

I turned to Snowdrop, who had remained quiet throughout this whole exchange. “Is this true?”

Her ears flickered and she looked up at me. “Well… yes, but that’s mostly just a precaution…”

Her answer only made me even more confused. I was aware there was some tension between the wastelanders and the Enclave – based on what Starry Night had told me – but I didn’t really know the extent of it. Were they constantly fighting each other? Did something happened that I wasn’t aware of?

I gestured her to keep going. “Care to elaborate?”

Snowdrop rubbed her hooves a bit, clearly unconfortable with the subject. “Uh, you see, it’s a bit complicated…”

I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow. “How so?” Stop dodging the question.

“Look... the few times the Enclave shows itself on the wasteland it usually means trouble. It’s sorta like what I told you about the Steel Rangers, remember?” I nodded, “Most times they just come to search for a piece of technology or somepony they’re interested in, and they kill anypony who stands between them and their goals.”

Red Dawn gave a step forward and pointed a hoof at Snow. “Ah yes, make it sound like we’re a bunch of selfish bastards. You do know most of those ponies we kill are raiders, right?”

I gave a step forward to stand between the two of them. “Ladies…”

Snowdrop narrowed her eyes. “Oh, come on, how do you explain what happened in Equestria then?” For the first time since I had met her, Snowdrop seemed slightly pissed. "You going to tell me the invasion was just a necessary evil?"

The last thing that I needed was two ponies fighting.

To my surprise, the pegasus actually seemed a bit ashamed. “The invasion was… wrong, I’ll admit that. But a lot of us turned against it once we discovered what was actually happening! In fact, that’s the main reason why my section decided to leave.”

I paused at that. Is that the reason why the Enclave is fighting itself? Maybe I’ll actually get something useful out of this conversation. “Hold on, is this why those loyalists are chasing you?”

Red Dawn nodded. “Pretty much, yes. The loyalists are the ones who are still following orders from the Enclave High Command. Me and the others from my section are just trying to get away from the war.”

“Okay, so you’re telling me that the reason why you guys are fighting is because you no longer follow the Enclave leadership?” She nodded, “And you decided to raid the Blackwatch hideout because you can’t trade with the wastelanders?”

“Yep, that’s pretty much it.”

I felt a nudge on my leg, I looked down and saw Snowdrop poking my leg with a hoof. “Alex, you can’t just accept what she’s saying, she could be-“

I waved my hand dismissively. “She could be laying, I know that. But I still want to hear her side of the story, we can decide on her honesty later.”

I locked eyes with the pegasus once more. “It seems to me we’re standing on a common ground.”

She raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

“Neither of us is interested in a fight. I’m too busy with my investigation and your people are too busy with the loyalists.”

“Well… yes, but that ship has sailed. Like it or not we’re already enemies.”

True, things had already escalated to a dangerous level. It would take a lot of effort to tone things down. However, I already had to deal with the usual danger of raiders, slavers and petty gangs that inhabited the area. Plus, there was also the constant threat of the Confederacy up north, who would probably turn hostile the moment we posed any risks to their hegemony. Consequentially, while it might be difficult, it would be best to try finding a more diplomatic solution with the Enclave.

But how could I achieve that? It’s not like I can just walk up to them and ask to talk. Yes, I could let Red Dawn go as a sign of goodwill, but that doesn’t mean she would carry my word to the rest of her people. Nevertheless, what else could I do? There’s no reason for me to trust her, yet she was the only one capable of putting a good word for us. I should’ve thought through this before I took her prisoner.

“You don’t think there’s any way we can stop this?” I asked her. Not the best thing to say, but I figured some honesty might go a long way.

Her ears lowered a bit and she frowned. “Not really… at least not from this cell.”

It was a quiet suggestion, but still very obvious. “If I were to let you go…” her ears stood up, “would you be willing to help me with that?”

“Depends on what you ask.”

“Just helping to avoid further bloodshed, that’s all. I don’t wish to have the Enclave as an enemy, and I don’t think your people are in any state to open new fronts either.”

She just shrugged and looked away. “I don’t know, you’re asking a lot, especially after everything you have done” A flash of anger crossed her features. Of course she wouldn’t forget about that after a small talk.

“Look… what happened at that hideout was unfortunate, but I’m willing to look past that. As long as your people don’t take any more hostile actions towards Ministry Square we won’t have a problem.”

She shook her head at my suggestion. “You know I can’t promise something like that. We don’t have a lot of options for supplies.”

Her reluctance was frustrating on many levels, but at least we were making progress. I figured that eventually I could open her mind a little, but for now, there wasn’t much else to do. It might be better to give her some time to think about it.

There was also the question on how to deal with Ministry Square. If the wastelanders were as suspicious of the Enclave as Snowdrop claims, then I would have a hard time explaining the situation to them. I wouldn’t be surprised if Shortbeak wanted revenge for what the Enclave had done. It was crucial that I found some way talk them out of any act of aggression against the Enclave, or else my plans for Red Dawn would be useless.

“Look, I’m sure we can up with a plan. I’ll leave you alone to think about it, alright?”

“Sure, not like a have any choice.”

I can almost feel her lack of enthusiasm. Hopefully this will change with time.

I gestured towards the door. “Come on, Snow.”

-x-

My chat with Red Dawn had taken less than an hour. Yet, it had been incredibly taxing. Just thinking about the whole Enclave problem had given me a small headache. Therefore, with some free time at hand, I decided to have a little snack, in hopes of getting better. Thankfully, our little base had plenty supplies – a small luxury our captain had gifted us as a reward for previous missions – including some coffee and a few chocolate bars.

I guided Snowdrop to our “common room”, which occupied most of the second floor of the building. It might had been a store at some point, before we had converted half of it to a small kitchen. A big pile of supplies occupied one side of the room, while a kitchen space covered the opposite wall. At the center, was a small 200-year-old metal table, along with four chairs, that were somehow preserved after all this time. Don’t ask me how, I was just glad I didn’t have to eat on the floor.

The other half of the second floor, which had a radio station and a workshop for weapon maintenance, was thankfully devoid of people. I assumed my comrades were trying to rest while we didn’t had and operations going. It made things easier for Snow, not having to deal with the attention she drew from the new guys.

“You hungry?” I asked her, as I went to the big pile of stacked cardboard boxes. After of quick search, I found a 24h meal pack. It’s getting late, so I might as well make some dinner.

She waved and hoof dismissively. “Yeah but don’t worry, I have my own food…”

“You sure? I have enough for both of us in here,” I said, while tapping the plastic container. “These things are pretty easy to make, so it wouldn’t be any trouble.”

Snowdrop glanced away. I could see she was tired. After all the work she had gone through to give me access to Red Dawn’s pipbuck, it was only fair I did something nice in return, even if it was just preparing a simple meal. Finally, after considering my words for a few seconds, she shrugged and said, “Sure, as long as it’s not too much trouble…”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Just as I told her, these meals were easy to make. Most of them could be cooked inside their own metal cans. It took little over half an hour to get everything done. The final result was a meal of canned tuna with beans, meat balls with tomato sauce, a vegetable soup and the two cups of coffee I so desired.

I was eager to eat those meatballs – my favorite option amongst the many different kinds of rations in the military – and quickly began to pick them up with my fork. Snowdrop, for her part, was a bit more cautious with her first human meal. She was familiar with the ingredients (another item in my long list of insane similarities between our worlds), but had never actually eaten many of them. The radioactive wastelands of this world were not fit to grow most kinds of fruits and vegetables, which meant that she didn’t know how they really tasted. However, my eagerness in devouring my own meal slowly encouraged her to eat.

After taking another meatball, I looked up to see her reaction. Her ears had stood up and her eyes were bit wide. “You liked that?” I asked, even though the answer was obvious.

Snowdrop levitated the plastic spoon back inside the can. “I…” a few more vegetables went to her mouth. “Wasn’t expecting canned food to be this tasty!” She quickened her pace, bringing more and more spoons up. I couldn’t help but to find it cute. “By Luna, those pre-war ponies were so lucky.”

I decided to offer some of my own. “Want to try this?” my fork held a single ball covered in sauce. Snow glanced at it and, without even bothering me with an answer, took my offer in a single bite. She hummed with satisfaction.

“What sauce is this?”

“Tomato sauce,” I couldn’t help but to chuckle at her reaction, “Guess you really liked it, didn’t you?”

She nodded enthusiastically. “I loved it!”

After her initial reaction, we continued to eat. The two of us remained mostly quiet, with the exception of a few questions from Snowdrop. She was quite amazed with the quality of the food – which brought a raised eyebrow from me, given that this was a simple military ration – and wanted to know more about my diet back on Earth. I tried to explain the best I could. Snow was surprised with the variety of food we had, especially when it came to fruits and vegetables. She then proceeded to tell me how difficult it was to grow anything on the wasteland. Very few lands were safe from radiation or toxic substances, and acquiring good seeds, irrigation systems and fertilizers was both expensive and time consuming. In short, even something as basic as a military meal was almost a luxury to most wastelanders.

As much as I enjoyed making small talk with Snowdrop, my mind would constantly go back to Red Dawn and the current situation. Her interrogation was only one task out of many I had yet to complete. I still had to contact Nicolay to give a report on our current progress, and there was also the matter of investigating the Megaspell silos around the island. Furthermore, I could bet Shortbeak probably had more jobs waiting for us at Ministry Square. Too many things to do and not nearly enough time.

As I finished my meal, I decided to change the subject. “Do you think the pegasus will cooperate?” I asked Snow.

She froze for a second. A spoon full of tuna and beans floated in front of her. “I’m… not exactly the best pony to ask that.”

I nodded. “True, I’m just a bit worried about this whole Enclave thing, you know?”

“Why?” She set the spoon down on the table after eating its contents and focused her attention on me. “You seemed pretty excited when we left Ministry Square.”

“Yeah, I suppose what we found on her pipbuck got my spirits up. However, the more I think about the Enclave the more I worry. We have enough trouble dealing with raiders around here. How are we supposed to fight the Enclave on top of that?”

She glanced away for a moment, before looking at me again. “Well, you know they’re too busy killing each other right now, so maybe we shouldn’t worry too much. Plus, you read the same reports I did on Red Dawns pipbuck; you know they don’t have the resources to attack us even if they wanted to.”

“Still… I just wish this whole thing was over.”

“What do you plan to do after you’re done with her?”

“I haven’t decided yet. I could either go back to Ministry Square or go looking for those Megaspell facilities. There’s one just west of the city, actually.”

“Really?” She raised an eyebrow, “How far away?”

I shrugged. “Less than a day. One of Red’s reports said it seemed empty, so I figured it would be a safe bet to start with.”

“It must be somewhere near the mountains, very few ponies go there.”

“So no raiders to deal with?”

“Probably not, they usually stay near the main roads where most traders and travelers go through.”

“Makes sense…” Perhaps our next trip will be easier. Still, that was all in the future, right now I had to deal with Red Dawn and oh boy was I not excited to do that. However, as much as I didn’t like playing an interrogator, I knew I would have to speak with her soon. I told her I would give her a few hours to think about it, and that time had passed. All I could hope now is that her decent treatment under our care – with full meals and a complete lack of torture – and my words had been enough to convince her we didn’t want a fight.

I stood up from my seat and grabbed the empty metal cans and plastic containers I had used. “We should probably go see her, I think it has been enough time for her to consider my words” A few steps away was a box we were using as a temporary garbage can. After placing all my items inside, I went back to the table and quickly drank my cup of coffee.

Without a word, Snowdrop copied my actions, eating up the remains of her vegetables and canned tuna and then floating her items to the garbage. To my surprise, she was able to manipulate all items independently, including the box, carefully opening it and placing her cans inside. Snow’s ability with magic brought a raised eyebrow from me, making me wonder if all unicorns were this capable. Another thing I would have to ask her at some point.

She was a bit hesitant to drink her coffee, however. “Never had coffee?” I asked.

“I had it once… about a year ago,” She replied. “Didn’t really liked it, though. It was very strong.”

“Try adding some sugar,” I grabbed a small sugar pack from the MRE kit and passed to her. “If it’s still too strong, you might want to try adding some milk as well.”

Personally, I preferred my coffee pure. Being overworked and tired is a common condition for a soldier. Thus, I developed a taste for a strong cup of coffee whenever possible. The military, of course, also gave us energy bars and pills, but they were often tasteless and boring. A nice cup of coffee was one of the few quiet pleasures I could enjoy.

Snowdrop followed my advice and, unsurprisingly, found her drink a lot more tolerable. With that problem out of the way, she quickly gulped down her coffee, allowing us to finish our little dinner.

“So, you ready to go see her again?”

“Not really… but I guess we might as well get on with it already, right?”

“Exactly.”

-x-

It was very late when we entered her cell. Judging by the sudden snap of movement I heard while opining the door, I figured Red Dawn was trying to sleep. Unsurprisingly, she stood on a familiar defensive posture. Funny, I thought we had gotten past that.

“So, did you thought over what I told you?”

The pegasus shrugged at me. “Well, yes I did but… what exactly are you expecting of me?”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Look, I’m just a lieutenant, even if I do what you’re asking me to there’s no guarantee that my commanders will listen.”

“True… but it’s better than just keep fighting. Besides, why wouldn’t they listen? Don’t you guys have enough problems already?”

She looked away. “It’s not just that, there’s also the rest of the wasteland to worry about. Do you think Ministry Square would be willing to just forget about everything?”

That gave me a pause. She was right, I hadn’t thought much about how Ministry Square might react – despite spending the whole day with Snowdrop – and I could bet Shortbeak wouldn’t be happy about it. Still, they weren’t in a favorable position themselves – otherwise I doubt they would be willing to help me – so maybe it wouldn’t be impossible to convince them to try a more diplomatic approach. From a pragmatic point of view, it would be on their best interests to avoid a war with the Enclave.

I turned to Snowdrop who remained, once again, quiet throughout this exchange. “What do you think about this?”

She rubbed her left shoulder with a hoof. “Well… I suppose my father might be willing to consider it. Not sure about Shortbeak though.”

I locked eyes with Red once more. “I can’t make any promises when it comes to Ministry Square, but they are in no position to attack you. As long as the Enclave refrain from operating within the city we won’t have a problem.”

“Still, that’s not enough… what about the pre-war facilities around the island?”

I crossed my arms. “What about them?”

“You said that something from this island brought you here, correct?” I nodded, “Well, then I bet you're probably looking for pre-war military bases, research facilities and shit like that, right?”

It took me a second to understand what she was implying. “You’re afraid we might clash again over those facilities?”

It was her turn to nod. “Yes! You saw my reports, so you know we’re also looking for them. What happens if we arrive at the same place as you?”

“The only thing I care about is finding out what exactly brought me here, not the facilities themselves. You can have them for all I care.”

“But what if my commanders decide they don’t want you snooping around them?”

“Why? You think your commanders want to travel to a frozen warzone and get trapped in a crossfire between the most powerful nations of my world?”

I had intended it as a partial joke, but my words seemed to shock her. Her eyes widened and her body leaned back. “By Celestia, what are you talking about?”

Fucking great. I rolled my eyes and tried to explain. “Did our weapons and armor not serve as a good hint to what we are? My comrades and I are soldiers, and before we arrived on this world we were fighting a war. A real war, mind you, not the small skirmishes you get on the wasteland.”

I rubbed my eyes a little and tried to calm down. “What I’m trying to say is that I have no reason to stop you from using those places and the Enclave has no reason to stop me from investigating them as well.”

Finally, my words began to convince her. “Okay, I suppose you do have point, but even if I do what you’re asking…”

“Jesus, are your commanders that stubborn?”

“Shut up! It’s not that I don’t trust them, but I doubt they would listen to some random lieutenant talking about negotiating with aliens while we’re also fighting the loyalists!”

I raised both hands in a placate gesture. “Alright, calm down, I get it.”

Her next words came out as a whisper. “No, you don’t…” She sat down and took a long breath, letting her frustration take over. With both ears hanging down and a tired look on her face, the red pegasus tried to elaborate further. “Maybe what you’re telling me is all true, but words alone are simply not enough. What you’re asking of me would take a lot of effort and sheer luck to achieve.”

“What about letting you go?” I questioned with crossed arms. “How many wastelanders would be willing to let you go back on a simple promise of carrying words to your superiors?”

Red Dawn cringed at that. “Yes, I guess not many would do that…”

“Precisely, but enough about this. Do you accept my proposal or not?”

She tipped her head a bit. “What will happen if I say no?”

I shrugged. “I’ll keep you here until I come up with a different idea.”

She rolled her eyes. “Alright, if you let me go I’ll try to talk with my commanders… but no promises.”

“I didn’t expect you to promise me,” I looked down at Snowdrop to see her reaction to all of this. She continued to stand slightly behind me, as if to keep a barrier between herself and the Enclave pony. A small shrug was all she gave me, enough to show her distrust towards Red Dawn and my proposal. Her simplistic demeanor made me think twice about my decision, even if I couldn’t find a better solution. Out of all people I knew on the wasteland – which were admittedly few, but still – Snowdrop was the one I trusted the most. Thus, it came as no surprise that her lack of a positive answer brought an uneasy feeling to my gut. Nevertheless, this was probably the best choice out of the terrible options I had been given. “If you agree to try helping me with this, then I’ll make sure you get release as soon as possible.”

I waited a few moments for an answer. Instead, Red Dawn gave me a small nod. Simple, but more than enough.

“If there’s nothing else, I think we’ve done enough for tonight” I turned around, while gesturing Snowdrop to follow me. “I’ll come back to talk to you by the morning”

The two of us left her cell and closed the metal door behind us. Without uttering a word, we made our way to the “sleeping area” – which consisted of a few spare rooms with sleeping bags – while trying our best not to wake the rest of my comrades. After making sure to inform one of the new guys to go for his night watch, I eagerly got rid of my armor and boots, before entering my sleeping bag. It wasn’t as comfortable as a real bed, but being able to sleep without my boots was enough to compensate for that.

As always, a small part of me continued to worry about the future, but my mind also echoed what Snowdrop had told me. The Enclave was in no position to fight us, and maybe, just maybe, we might be able to prevent this from escalating into an open war.There wasn't, of course, any solid guarrantees of that, but at the same time I knew we were getting closer to finding our way home. Perhaps we wouldn't have to deal with this at all, maybe we would only have to work for a few more days before we got our long deserved ticket home.

Those were conforting thoughts that helped to put my mind at ease. In a rare occasion, I managed to find myself calmly drifting into sleep.

Fallout: Equestria - Conquistadors

by Redemption

Prologue: Verdun

Chapter 1: The Fall

Chapter 2: Terra Incognita

Chapter 3: Going For A Walk

Chapter 4: Underworld

Chapter 5: First Impressions

Chapter 6: Cultural Exchange

Chapter 7: Plan In Motion

Chapter 8: First Steps

Chapter 9: Business

Chapter 10: Dark Path

Chapter 11: When In Rome

Chapter 12: Diplomacy

Chapter 13: The Dead City - Part 1

Chapter 14: The Dead City - Part 2

Chapter 15: Rising Tensions

Chapter 16: A House Divided

Interlude 1: Hard Choices

Chapter 17: Lost Contact

Chapter 18: Too Late

Chapter 19: An Old Shadow

Chapter 20: Honesty