• Published 23rd May 2016
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Fallout Equestria: The Light Within - FireOfTheNorth



When Doc awakens in Stable 85 he has no memories. Soon he is thrust into the North Equestrian Wasteland, where danger waits to devour him at every turn. Can he find a path of light through the darkness, even when he learns the truth of his past?

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Chapter 41: Bitter Lake

Chapter Forty-One: Bitter Lake

The Crimson Tide did a thorough job of cleaning out the Vanhoover Spire. As in the battle with the Black Skulls, some managed to flee, but that was inevitable. Their numbers here were still significantly reduced, and their leader was dead as well. Deciphering Mr. Bucke’s records led me to believe there were only three other leaders who really held the NLC together. LORD, which I was certain referred to Lord Lamplight, and BARON and PALADIN, one of which likely referred to Clear Rivers, the pony who’d tried to entice Railyard into joining the Northern Lights Coalition. One of them might come to lead the conglomeration of raiders, slavers, and mercenaries in Vanhoover, but finding them would be about as easy as finding Mr. Bucke. We were more likely to run into them by chance than if we actively searched. That didn’t mean we weren’t going to search, though. First, however, we had another matter to attend to.

Rare Sparks and Roaring Thunder rejoined Ache and I after the battle, bringing some of my gear with them. I realized there was a lot of stuff I carried around everywhere we went, and maybe I should cut back, but I knew it was a thought I would never fully act on. The rest of my stuff was back at The Strip, so we returned with the members of the Crimson Tide who weren’t sticking around the Spire to pack up the supplies the NLC had left. Violet Night came with us, having retrieved the rest of her confiscated gear from the room at the top of the Spire.

The sharpshooter from Manehattan (and that’s all I knew about her at the moment) was looking for a place to stay and get her bearings in Vanhoover. After stopping off at The Strip, she asked if she could come with us to Burnside. We had rooms there where she could stay until she was back on her hooves. It was as good a place as any to figure things out. After all, Burnside was where Roaring Thunder had sent me.

“You know, you still haven’t told us why you came to Vanhoover,” I pointed out as we trotted through the city.

“Yes, I suppose I do owe you for saving me from those raiders—NLC, you call them?—and should tell you what’s brought me here,” Violet Night admitted, “Not that I really need to keep it a secret. The leaders of Tenpony Tower sent me here after DJ Pon3 died.”

“DJ Pon3? That’s impossible,” Rare Sparks said, “Why, you could tune to Radio Free Wasteland right now and hear him broadcasting.”

“Perhaps I should’ve been more specific,” Violet Night replied, “Our DJ Pon3 in Manehattan is dead. Yours here in the north is still very much alive, and I’m trying to find him. I want to convince him to come back to Manehattan with me.”

“Multiple DJ Pon3’s,” Rare said to herself, “That seems hard to believe.”

“It’s absolutely true,” Roaring Thunder spoke up, “Since the end of the War, there have been many ponies calling themselves DJ Pon3 broadcasting throughout Equestria and beyond. They’ve become fewer and fewer over the years, and most of Equestria tunes into the broadcast from Manehattan now. Somehow the one there is able to broadcast to the entire country, though—like most DJ Pon3’s—he respects the others and doesn’t overlap his broadcast area with theirs.”

“He never told us anything about the others, either,” Violet Night said, “After he died, we put his broadcasts on a loop, but we can’t keep that up forever. It’s only by sheer luck that we heard about a DJ Pon3 still broadcasting on new events in the north. I need to find him and bring him back to where he can broadcast to all of Equestria.”

“You know, you might want to head back to The Strip and talk to Sage. She was able to get in contact with him,” I said, realizing that I’d never found out from her just how she’d contacted DJ Pon3 to get the message to us.

“I already did,” Violet Night said, surprising me, “She left a letter at the DJ Shrine, but that was the first thing I did when I arrived in Vanhoover, and usually he doesn’t respond; he just reads them. I’m not sure how DJ Pon3 would contact me to reply, anyway. Given how secretive he is, I doubt he’d want to broadcast his location to all of northern Equestria over the radio.”

“That is true,” I admitted. Broadcasting that I needed to go to The Strip was not exactly the same as inviting somepony to whatever hideout he holed himself up in.

I was almost too late in noticing a patrol of Steel Rangers up ahead, only realizing they were there when they popped up on EFS. I motioned everyone back and down a side street. They hadn’t seen us, being more preoccupied with tromping off away from us, but all it would take was for somepony to look our direction or notice us on their EFS’s and we’d be in trouble. Even though our little band was extremely fierce and capable in a fight, I didn’t know how well we’d do against an entire squad of highly trained, power-armored ponies.

“I see the Steel Rangers here are just like back home,” Violet Night commented as we safely got around them and looked to Rare, “Not that I’m not pleased you’re on our side, but why aren’t you with them?”

“I used to be,” Rare said, “Back before the Elder who took me in died and they went back to their bad old ways. There are still good ponies in the Vanhoover Contingent. I hope they can make a difference.”

“I’ve always found the Steel Rangers to be a group of selfish, tech-obsessed ponies who think they’re knights on a crusade, but you don’t seem so bad,” Violet Night said, “Maybe if there are more like you, then there’s a chance. Your DJ Pon3 has been expressing a similar sentiment, and while he may not be the one I grew up listening to, I still trust him.”

“Well, I hope you find him someday,” I said, trying to steer the conversation back to DJ Pon3 and away from the condition of the Steel Rangers.

“Then the entirety of the Equestrian Wasteland can hear the tales of the Wasteland Doctor and his companions,” Rare joked.

“Can I take back my sentiment?” I asked.

***

When we arrived at Burnside, repairs to the town’s barricades were underway. The militia members who weren’t busy with the rebuilding stood guard, watching for any possible attack. There were far more standing guard than usual, the settlement on edge after the recent attack. I suppose it was a good thing that they were taking the threat seriously, but it was also unfortunate that such measures were necessary. Some of the militia greeted us as we passed, and they gave curious looks to Roaring Thunder. They trusted him after his help in the previous attack—he wouldn’t have to go through the same gradual process Rare had—but he was still a pegasus in a Wasteland where all the pegasi stayed above the clouds.

“Do you just wait around at the gate for me to return?” I asked as Spruce intercepted us again upon entering Burnside.

“Not normally, but I’ll admit that this time I did,” Spruce said, “The Regulators have an offer to make to you.”

“Or a request of me,” I said, knowing how this usually worked.

“Well, yes,” Spruce admitted, “We want you to help us open up trade negotiations with another settlement, like you did with the Republic of Rose.”

“Because that turned out so well,” I scoffed.

“Yes, the destruction of the Republic of Rose was tragic, but before that we had the beginning of a productive and mutually beneficial relationship. Since the Republic of Rose’s demise, we’ve been looking for a new partner.”

“Why us?” Rare asked, “Isn’t this a job for a Regulator?”

“Normally, yes, but there are some complications,” Spruce said, “Bitter Lake is a new settlement on the ocean’s shore, a long way to send a Regulator. It’s also within territory previously considered under the control of the Black Skulls, now claimed by the Steel Rangers, who are rooting out the last remaining Black Skull settlements. We’re not accustomed to sending Regulators into warzones.”

“Whereas we practically sprint toward them,” Ache commented.

“You’re also well-known to anypony who listens to Radio Free Wasteland,” Spruce went on, “That’ll be a huge help in gaining the Bitter Lakers’ trust.”

“Okay, we’ll do it,” I decided, “We’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning.”

Violet Night gave me a curious look, as if to ask why I’d choose to go on this quest for Burnside’s Regulators instead of sticking with my main goal of fighting the Northern Lights Coalition. We’d just struck a major blow against the NLC, though, so we could afford to pursue something else. Besides, if I got my way, this quest wouldn’t end up being entirely unrelated to fighting the NLC.

“Good to hear it,” Spruce said happily, “Here, let me mark Bitter Lake’s location on your map.”

***

“You’ve got some other plan, right? About Bitter Lake?” Violet Night asked later, when we were in the rooms we’d purchased in Burnside.

Our permanent dwelling in Burnside, like most of the habitations here, had been repurposed from prison cells. Just Rare, Ache, and I had been here when we’d purchased it, but the Regulators had foreseen that I’d probably end up picking up more companions and had given us enough living space for four ponies. Violet Night made five, so for the moment we were actually short a bed, but Ache offered to use the couch in the common room, since she didn’t need much sleep anyway. It was good having a permanent home, a place that hopefully we’d be able to stay someday. I had the feeling it would be a long time before we stopped jaunting around the Wasteland, though.

“What do you mean?” I asked Violet Night, pulling my thoughts away from how we could decorate this space.

“I mean, you must have some other reason for going to Bitter Lake instead of continuing to hunt down NLC leaders and locations,” the sharpshooter replied.

“You severely underestimate how easily he gets distracted from his main objectives to go after something else,” Roaring Thunder said.

The pegasus was working on adjusting the magical energy weapons in his suit. He’d been shot out of the sky sometime during the battle for the Vanhoover Spire, and the impact had jarred them out of sync. Nearby, Rare nodded as she worked on my own magical energy rifle, trying to make more improvements to it than she already had. My rifle wouldn’t be the only improved piece of gear I’d be leaving Burnside with tomorrow, either. I’d taken my Stable jumpsuit and doctor’s coat to Price Slasher for her to fix and improve.

“First of all, even if it is totally true, ouch,” I said in reply to Roaring Thunder’s comment, “Second of all, this time I actually do have an ulterior motive related to stopping the NLC. The Republic of Rose didn’t just want a trading relationship with Burnside, they also wanted a defense pact, so that either settlement would help the other if they were attacked. Burnside agreed to it then, and if I can get Bitter Lake to make an offer that includes it, I bet they’ll agree to it now. To stand against the Northern Lights Coalition, or the Ponies Republic of Stalliongrad, or the Steel Rangers for that matter, the settlements of the Wasteland must be united and fight together.”

“You know, Mr. Bucke expressed a similar sentiment about why the NLC was necessary,” Ache pointed out.

“I know that, but he, and presumably Lord Lamplight, insist that raiders and slavers have to be part of that alliance too,” I responded, “That’s not something I can accept. Raiders and slavers are a threat to the settlements as well, they just aren’t united enough to do damage that’ll force settlements to unite or die … yet.”

“You yourself also said that there are many more bad ponies out there than good,” Ache parroted back my speech to her in the Vanhoover Spire, “Won’t just the settlements alone be outnumbered and overwhelmed?”

“Maybe, but I have to believe they’ll be able to be victorious. If not, then at least they can fight to the bitter end,” I said, “I know it doesn’t seem like an attractive ultimatum, but lying down and giving up may just be worse, because then we’d never know if we could be victorious or not.”

“I see,” Violet Night said, “It’s a noble thing you’re attempting, but I just don’t know if it’ll work. If the settlements here are anything like in Manehattan, they only care about their own safety and won’t stick out their necks for others. To help another settlement, you have to make your own vulnerable, and that just isn’t something anypony is willing to do in the Wasteland, even facing a foe as large as the Northern Lights Coalition.”

I’d seen plenty of evidence to back up her position, settlements that cared only for their own wellbeing. Sometimes it was justified, like the Railyard’s completely rational fear that the PRS would crush them. Other times it wasn’t, like Burnside caring only about trade. Even settlements that were preoccupied with their own concerns could do good for others, though, like Neon and their offer of supplies for those displaced ponies they’d locked outside their gates. The settlements of the northern Equestrian Wasteland would need to be pushed together, and I hoped fear of the NLC and respect for the Wasteland Doctor would be enough to do it.

“Is that the last of Shining Armor’s memory orbs?” Ache asked.

During my thoughts about how to save the Wasteland, I’d absentmindedly removed the case from my saddlebags and cracked it open. I knew what was on the data-tape and in each of the memory orbs except one. It beckoned me, the star engraved on its surface sparkling under the prison lights.

“Yeah, I guess this is the end,” I said as I carefully removed the orb from its case without using magic.

“Shining Armor? Who’s Shining Armor?” Violet Night asked, looking around but her gaze always brought back to the collection of memory orbs.

“He was a general during the War,” I said, for that’s how I’d first seen him, though so much more was contained in his recordings and memories than just his time as a general, “Maybe I’ll leave them here, so you can hear and experience his life for yourself.”

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to leave Shining Armor’s memories behind here instead of carrying them across the Wasteland. I wasn’t sure exactly how fragile memory orbs were, but they looked like they were made of glass, and they always showed up with protective cases for some reason. I had plenty of others in my saddlebags, and I didn’t need to tempt fate by carrying so many with me.

“What’s so important about him?” Violet Night asked, “I’ve never heard of him.”

“He and his family were the royalty of the Crystal Empire,” Rare explained, and Roaring Thunder listened, even though he usually didn’t when we got around to discussing history he’d been alive for.

“Crystal … Empire?” Violet Night asked.

“Oh, right, it was wiped from ponies’ memories and all records of it were destroyed except the ones that Shining Armor kept for himself,” Rare said.

“Wait, back up, you’ve lost me,” Violet Night said.

As Rare and Ache tried to explain the history of Shining Armor to the Manehattanite, with Roaring Thunder listening intently, I reached out with my magic to touch the last memory orb.

<-=======ooO Ooo=======->

I was back in the now-familiar body of Shining Armor. It almost made me shudder when I realized how strange that thought was, but I couldn’t do anything to control my host’s body. He was striding purposefully down a pedestrian-only street, and ponies stepped aside to get out of his way. It took me a moment to realize that my host was in Canterlot. It looked so different from the Canterlot he’d trotted through with his family to see the last Hearth’s Warming Eve pageant. Military checkpoints were set up here and there, and police in riot control gear patrolled the streets. Posters for every Ministry adorned the walls of buildings, placed precisely and officially, as well as some entreating ponies to join the military or report suspected zebra sympathizers.

The key hallmarks that Shining Armor was in Canterlot were the spires of Canterlot Castle, recognizable from anywhere in the city, though now they were mostly obscured by office high-rises. As he turned onto another street, the castle came into view in all its magnificence. It was a shame that it wasn’t the most jaw-dropping thing I noticed. The road continued up to a towering obelisk just in front of the castle topped with wings and a horn. Three towering buildings were on either side of the street, each of them representing one of the six Ministries. It was easy enough to guess which based on their appearance and the gigantic symbols that called them out. Shining Armor passed by a sign without stopping that read:

NOW ENTERING MINISTRY ROW

Keep your security pass on you at all times.

Soldiers outside the Ministries and trotting around the reflecting pools, some wearing Ministry insignia, attentively watched Shining Armor, but didn’t stop or question him. Either they recognized him, or they recognized his uniform. Fewer ponies moved out of his way here as he pressed on, but he didn’t let that slow him down. He trotted all the way past the obelisk and up to the entrance of Canterlot Castle. The main door to the castle was magnificent and large, up a flight of stairs, but Shining Armor didn’t enter that way. A set of smaller doors that looked like they’d been added under the stairs later let him in.

Security checkpoints were set up inside, and he slowed down only long enough for another unicorn to scan him with her magic, then he was off again. Most ponies here were wearing military uniforms, and the signage on the walls seemed to indicate that this was the headquarters of the Equestrian Army. These halls, which were more like tunnels, seemed jarringly different from the style of the castle above, obviously built in the last few decades to accommodate the Equestrian military’s growth during the War. A large open cavern was up ahead, where several tunnels met, and my host put on an added burst of speed.

“Marshal Silverfin!” Shining Armor called out angrily, and a grizzled pegasus surrounded by several aides stopped amidst the bustle to allow my host to reach him and levitate a piece of paper up to him, “What is the meaning of this?

“You are ordered to shut down Strategic Arcane Solutions immediately and dismantle the simulation you’ve constructed there,” Silverfin said dismissively, “I would think that would be obvious.”

“I know what it says!” Shining Armor fumed, “What gives you the right to shut down my project!”

“When the military gave you leave to begin your ‘project,’ it was with the goal of creating a training simulation to allow troops to prepare for battle,” Silverfin said as if he were trying to explain something to a foal, “Instead, you seem to be trying to recreate the Flankorage campaign in excruciating detail, including things that are classified or just plain unwise to reveal. The reports on what you’ve put into this simulation are most disturbing. A zebra sorceress? Personal conversations with Ministry Mares? A sequence in which the pony within the simulator is near-mortally wounded no matter what actions they take? Why would you think that any of this is a good idea?”

“I don’t want ponies to forget about what happened at Flankorage,” my host simmered.

“But they will, and they should,” Silverfin said, “Flankorage should never have been lost to the zebras in the first place and required a reclamation. This war will be over soon, and when it is, the history books must remember our victories, not our defeats.”

“So, that’s what it’s come to, then,” Shining Armor said, “You’re willing to rewrite history and cover up the truth for your reputation, for some imagined sense of superiority.”

“It is not imagined,” Silverfin said, his voice still level, but the veins on his neck standing out, “The zebras are an inferior people, and that is why they have lost. Even so, Equestria may have lost anyway were it not for the overwhelming sacrifice of pegasi to the cause. Everypony has always acknowledged that to control the sky is to control the battlefield, but why then are pegasi not given their due? Things will change after the war, I assure you.”

“I’ve heard the speech about this ‘Grand Pegasus Enclave’ before, and I don’t like the idea now anymore than I did then,” Shining Armor said, “What scares me is not that there is a segment of the Equestrian military that believes the rhetoric you’ve just spewed, but that even outside of that circle there are those who would agree with your condemnation of my attempt to spread the truth. Well, enough is enough, and I won’t be part of this anymore. This Equestria is not the Equestria I grew up in, and it is not the Equestria I want to live in any longer. As of this moment, I resign my commission.”

My host turned on his hooves and trotted away before Marshal Silverfin could say anything. Even though memory orbs didn’t store thoughts and feelings, I could imagine what was running through Shining Armor’s mind as he made his way back through the tunnels beneath Canterlot Castle. He’d finally be able to return home, but not in the way he’d wanted. The memory faded away as he neared the doors to exit the castle.

***

I pulled the Clinic to a stop as we neared Bitter Lake and everypony prepared to make the final approach on hoof (except for Roaring Thunder). Despite the fact that I’d told Spruce we’d leave first thing in the morning, it didn’t work out that way. Before we drove the Clinic to Bitter Lake, Rare insisted on making it more offensively capable. The armored sides of the trailer would still protect us from attack, but there were now added gun emplacements and hatches that we could shoot out of. It would be helpful in a fight, but also made it nearly impossible for us to try to disguise the Clinic as just another rusting piece of wreckage.

Rare was adamant about making the upgrades before we went through Steel Ranger territory. I knew she would prefer it if we didn’t have to fight the ponies she’d once called friends and family, but they might not give us a choice. If we were captured by them, they’d surely take her armor back, and they’d go to town on Roaring Thunder’s equipment (and maybe the pony himself). We needed to avoid fighting the Steel Rangers, but if we had to fight, then we couldn’t afford to lose. Thankfully, we didn’t have to put the upgrades to the test against the power-armored ponies. DJ Pon3 on Radio Free Wasteland continued to talk about their enforcement of control over all of South Vanhoover, but we didn’t see any of them out and about before reaching Bitter Lake.

SALT PIER

Property of the Equestrian Bureau of Lighthouses and Coast Guards

So read the rusted sign in plain letters outside the settlement. The lighthouse we could see, towering over the walls of Bitter Lake. The glass at the top was gone and its candy-striped paint had faded, but it was still standing tall and strong, looking out over the ocean. We couldn’t see any sign of the pier, for it was obscured by the walls of scrap around Bitter Lake. Here and there between the scrap, I could see the stone and iron rails of the wall that had stood during the War to keep ponies out. It had been reinforced with this scrap later, but not by the residents of Bitter Lake. Symbols of the Blacks Skulls were imprinted on the walls; this had been a base of theirs before they’d abandoned it to join the NLC. Well, Spruce had said that this settlement was new.

“It’s really you!” a guard atop the wall exclaimed as we came within shouting distance, “The Wasteland Doctor and his companions! Come in! Come in!”

As the gate creaked open, I wondered what would happen if I ever lost my yellow doctor’s coat. Would ponies recognize me as the Wasteland Doctor without it? Rare would probably try to pressure me into finding another doctor’s coat in a hospital if that happened. It might not be such a bad idea, either. DJ Pon3 had coined this title, and it wasn’t a bad one (even if it made it seem like I knew how to be an actual doctor), so I should try to keep it. If I lost the doctor’s coat, he’d probably just give me a new title anyway.

“I can’t believe it’s really you,” the guard said excitedly as we entered Bitter Lake, “Oh, everything is going to be alright now.”

“Why? Is there a problem?” I asked.

“Is there a problem?” an orange-brown stallion wearing a cowpony hat asked incredulously as he approached, a pale blue unicorn in tow, “What kind of question is that? We’re in newly claimed Steel Ranger territory, but we don’t serve the Steel Rangers. Of course we have a problem.”

“Have the Steel Rangers attacked you?” Rare Sparks asked.

“Attacked? No, we wouldn’t be standing here having this conversation if that had happened,” the cowpony said, “Threatened? Pressured? Sure, that’s why we all came here. Bitter Lake has ponies from all over South Vanhoover who decided it would be better to band together against the Steel Rangers than to let them proclaim themselves our overlords.”

“I don’t doubt the seriousness of your situation, but I find it hard to believe that the Regulators of Burnside would send us here to open up negotiations with your town if it were in immediate danger of being destroyed,” I pointed out.

“They did, did they?” the cowpony asked curiously, “Well, then they have even less of an idea of what’s going on out here than they think. Our days are numbered unless we can get something to help us fight off the Steel Rangers when they attack.”

“You didn’t get anything from the Black Skulls when you took this place?” I asked.

“They’d already stripped and abandoned it before we arrived here,” the unicorn behind the cowpony answered, “Also, since the sheriff tends to forget his manners, this here is Sheriff Pumpernickel, leader of Bitter Lake, and I’m his deputy, Breaker.”

“That’s nice and all, but our names aren’t really gonna help them if we’re killed by Steel Rangers,” the sheriff said, “I wish we had some Black Skull equipment to defend ourselves with. Maybe then we could talk about negotiations with other settlements, but for now we need to focus on our own defense. If only there were some way to get the gear they got at their headquarters . . .”

“How many Black Skulls are still at their headquarters?” I sighed, seeing where this was going.

“Only a score or so,” Pumpernickel replied with a wry grin, “It shouldn’t be a problem for you, but I’ll send Breaker along with you anyways.”

“Sir?” the unicorn asked.

“Our new friends could use a guide,” the sheriff said, “As well as some help bringing back whatever the Black Skulls have stockpiled.”

***

The Black Skulls’ headquarters was an old Equestrian Army base to the southeast. With most of the Black Skulls either scattered throughout Stalliongrad or dead, I was surprised that the Steel Rangers hadn’t taken this place. At first I was worried that they had, and we’d be facing an army of Steel Rangers instead of an army of mercenaries. I preferred the latter, since I knew some of the Steel Rangers and because the Black Skulls didn’t all have power armor. Nevertheless, one of the patrolling guards I watched through my binoculars was in power armor.

“What’s the plan?” Breaker asked as she levitated her hunting rifle.

“It looks like they’ve blocked off every entrance except one,” I replied, “We could try storming that, but considering we’re already outnumbered, that seems a poor strategy. I think instead we should come at them from the opposite side of the base and have Roaring Thunder lift us over the wall. Except for Rare, of course. It’s dangerous since we’ll be trapped inside their base, but we’ll be able to take them by surprise and hopefully cut down their numbers before they manage to consolidate their forces.”

“What am I doing during this?” Rare Sparks asked.

“Hit them whenever and wherever you can from out here,” I said, “Try to make them think they’re being attacked from multiple directions. Roaring Thunder, once we’re over the wall, you can bounce back and forth between us and Rare, wherever you’re needed.”

“Got it,” Roaring Thunder replied, “We’d better hurry if we don’t want to wait for the next window in the patrol.”

“Right,” I said, taking another look at the patrols, “Rare, wait for my signal before you start shooting.”

Rare nodded her understanding, and she pulled her helmet on as the rest of us trotted around the base. Once we were on the opposite side, Roaring Thunder began lifting us over the wall while the rest of us watched for patrolling guards. First Ache was carried over, then me, and finally Breaker. The base consisted of a main building, an armory off to the side, and lots and lots of barracks. We hid ourselves behind one of the barracks, and Roaring Thunder joined us.

“All right, Rare, light them up,” I broadcasted using the radio plug-in Rare had created for my PipBuck.

Explosions and shouts came from the front of the base. A siren went off, and the red marks on my EFS in the barracks shifted. One of the mercenaries emerged near us, and she fumbled to get her firing bit in place. I fired my combat shotgun at her, killing her before she had a chance to fire. In addition to neglecting to get her firing bit in place, she’d also failed to close her visor over her face, and my shotgun blast tore right through her unprotected flesh.

As she fell, her body holding the door to the barracks open, a metal apple came sailing out at us. Using SATS to accelerate my actions, I caught it in my magic and lobbed it back through. I didn’t hit the Black Skull within, but I did rattle him. Breaker fired her hunting rifle, catching the mercenary in the flank. As he awkwardly sat down, his leg giving out, she finished him off with a shot to the head.

Two more Black Skulls emerged from another barrack, and Roaring Thunder took to the air, firing his magical energy weapons at them. He took out one of them as he swooped over the base, headed toward Rare to lend her a hoof. The one that survived fired her assault rifle back at us and took shelter behind some barrels. I threw a metal apple after her, and she rolled out of cover to get away from us, still firing her rifle. We sought cover now, except for Ache, who’d been working to flank the mercenary. The Black Skull swung her weapon around, but Ache struck it from her magical grip, bending the rifle into a 45-degree angle in the process. Her next strike went straight for the Black Skull’s throat and collapsed her windpipe.

More Black Skulls had left the barracks while we were mopping up there, convinced the real attack was at the front gate. A few, however, stayed behind to fire at us, and they did a pretty good job of keeping us pinned down as we tried to make it to the main building. A sniper on its roof also made things difficult.

“Where’s your pegasus friend?” Breaker asked in between hails of bullets.

I spotted Roaring Thunder up in the sky, a place I hadn’t thought to look since he’d left. He was zipping and darting around with two griffins firing at him. They were trying to corner him, but he kept slipping out of their traps. With all his maneuvering, though, he was finding it hard to fire back at them.

“He knows what he’s doing,” I told Breaker, “He’s got a better shot against the griffins than any of us grounded ponies. Once they’re dealt with, he’ll return.”

Breaker managed to peg one of the Black Skulls attacking us, and I readied my sniper rifle. With SATS, I lined up a shot on the sniper on the roof. I was forced to duck back down as he fired back at me, but quickly got back up and fired at him just before the spell wore off. The bullet tore through his skull and he flopped over, his sniper rifle falling to the balcony below and startling another Black Skull.

Ache charged a pair of Black Skulls and threw one into another, opening an avenue forward for us. We galloped toward the main building, then all jumped aside as a missile streaked toward us. A pony in power armor was advancing on us from the direction of the armory, firing the weapons mounted on the armor’s back. If they had more of those in store, then we’d better take the armory before moving on to the main building.

First, however, we had to get past this pony. Minigun fire tore through the barracks, forcing us away from each other. It was time to use one of the metal pears I’d taken from the Vanhoover Spire. I lobbed the high-powered explosive at the Black Skull, but he shot it out of the air with his minigun. I tossed one to Ache with the stem still attached, and we both threw a metal pear at the power-armored pony at the same time. He aimed for my metal pear, and shot it out of the air again, but wasn’t quick enough to turn on Ache’s. His head was vaporized as the explosive went off, and the suit of armor froze in place.

Ache covered us with her SMG as Breaker and I galloped toward the armory. A Black Skull was rushing toward it, reaching with his magic for a shotgun, but Breaker shot him with her rifle before he could reach it. There was a red mark on EFS within the armory, and I darted past the piled weapons outside and into the building.

As I’d feared, it was a mare trying to get into another suit of power armor. As she saw me, she jumped out of the armor and threw a wrench at me. It sailed past my head, but I caught it in my magic and threw it back at her. She managed to dodge it and tackled me, knocking me to the ground. I struck at her with my armored forelegs as I tried to grab a proper weapon, but she pummeled me right back. I’d almost gotten my ripper out from under me when the mare’s brains exploded out the side of her head, escaping through the hole made by Breaker’s rifle.

Pushing the lifeless corpse off, I got up and made my way back to the armory’s entrance. I could see the base’s front gate from here, and things were not looking good for Rare. She hadn’t been able to retreat and now had three Black Skulls in power armor trying to surround her. The only weapons I had guaranteed to stop power-armored ponies were the metal pears, and I would need to be much closer to use those.

Looking around, I spotted a rocket launcher leaning against the wall of the armory that didn’t need a battle saddle. It had been designed with unicorns in mind, to be propped against a pony’s chest and levitated there. I picked it up in my magic and found it much lighter than a conventional rocket launcher, which I should’ve expected, given that it was little more than a tube and a trigger. The rockets were more similar in size to metal apples than the missiles Steel Rangers fired from their armor, and I attached one to the end of the launcher.

It streaked away in a more-or-less straight line as I depressed the trigger and struck one of the Black Skulls attacking Rare. Hurriedly, I loaded another rocket and fired again, finishing off the first Black Skull. As Rare tore apart another with her weapons, I fired on the other Black Skull with my new rocket launcher, managing to take her out with a single rocket (after three misses). It wasn’t perfect, but it was easy to use and perfect for me, so I held on to the rocket launcher, slinging it over my back with the rest of my weapons.

According to EFS, there was only one enemy left, within the main building. She showed herself as she trotted out onto the balcony surrounding the building. I could tell that she knew she’d lost, but she was still going to fight to the bitter end. A magical energy minigun had been mounted on the balcony, and she fired down at us. We scattered, both to avoid the shots and to try to keep her from destroying the armory (which was why we’d come, after all). Her shots followed me, nipping at the ends of my doctor’s coat and my tail as I tried to outrun them.

I jumped aside as a griffin’s body landed near me with a crash from her armor and a splat from the flesh within being crushed on impact. Roaring Thunder swopped in and gunned down the last Black Skull. I staggered to a halt, as I was no longer pursued by magical energy blasts, and put out the small fire on my tail. The armory was intact, and I knew there was at least one suit of power armor there. Hopefully that and whatever other weapons were stored there would be enough to protect Bitter Lake from the Steel Rangers. Our work here at the base was done, but we still had some negotiations to conduct with Sheriff Pumpernickel before this was truly over.

***

Everything had gone as I’d hoped. The sheriff was pleased to learn that there was much more back at the Black Skull headquarters than what we’d been able to bring back, and he’d immediately sent some militia members to retrieve it. The power armor was a huge asset for the settlement, though Rare had to give them a crash course in how to use it. I could tell she wasn’t exactly comfortable in teaching ponies how to fight and possibly kill Steel Rangers, but she realized it was necessary now that Sagebrush was aggressively taking control of the area.

Once we returned, Sheriff Pumpernickel had no excuse not to talk with me about Burnside’s proposal. I thought I hashed out a pretty good deal that the Regulators would be satisfied with, using my growing knowledge of Wasteland trade. I also managed to convince the sheriff to ask for a defensive pact with Burnside if the trade deal went through. It wasn’t hard to convince him, since even with the Black Skull equipment, Bitter Lake could still use all the help they could get against the Steel Rangers. The Regulators might not be too happy about having to face the Steel Rangers, but I hoped the trade deal was sweet enough that they’d accept it. They’d have to get involved anyway if caravans between the settlements got stopped by Steel Rangers.

I was alone now in the room we’d rented for the night. Quite frankly, I found it amazing that a settlement so new already had a hotel, even if it was just an old barrack somepony had erected walls within, but it beat having to wait for everypony to finish their business and trek back to where the Clinic was parked. Rare was out looking for parts in the town’s market that she could use to modify her Steel Ranger armor, which was a constant project for her. Roaring Thunder had headed out on patrol, making sure that no Steel Rangers were around while the Bitter Lakers set up their defenses. Ache was out wandering the settlement, getting to know ponies.

I sat back on my bed and pulled out the memory orb I’d swiped from the lobby of the SOAR headquarters. Roaring Thunder had told me that it held the memory of the founding of SOAR, but he didn’t want to talk about it any more than that. He held the researchers who’d turned him into what he was in great contempt, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from finding out more about them and their program. I did refrain from asking him about the other memory orbs I’d taken from the facility, though, and tended to avoid talking about SOAR unless he brought it up. I reached out to the memory orb with my magic, and the world faded away.

<-=======ooO Ooo=======->

My host was a unicorn stallion, so I didn’t have much difficulty adjusting and was able to better soak in my surroundings. There wasn’t a whole lot to see, since the room my host was in was dark except for the immediate vicinity. He was seated at a circular table with seven other ponies. All eyes were on a duo of unicorn stallions with red-and-white striped manes (one with a matching mustache).

“Well then, brother-of-mine,” one said to the other, “Now that we’re all assembled, shall we get started?”

Brother-of-mine, I see no reason why not,” the other replied, “You without a doubt are acquainted with the two of us, but introductions are in order nevertheless for those with a less public reputation, and we can start the ball rolling without a doubt. He’s Flim …”

“… He’s Flam,” Flim said, picking up without missing a beat and pointed at his twin before back at himself, “CEO …”

“… and COO,” Flam said, pointing at himself, “Of Flim-Flam …”

“… Incorporated …” Flim continued.

“… Conglomerated …”

“… Amalgamated!”

So, these were Flim and Flam, the ponies who’d once owned the auto-carriage plant (among many other things) I’d found after leaving the Stable. It struck me that I’d seen SOAR mentioned before meeting Roaring Thunder, in the terminal entries there within Flim and Flam’s private segment of the maneframe. Roaring Thunder had said that SOAR was a private venture, and if any company had the power to create super-soldiers, it would be the massive Flim-Flam Inc. Co. Amalg. Flam was gesturing to the pony next to him, trying to signal her to continue the introductions, but she seemed dazed like everypony else at Flim and Flam’s theatrical introduction.

“I’m Arcane Might,” the unicorn mare said as she snapped out of her daze and realized everypony was waiting on her, “I’m an administrator in the Ministry of Magic.”

“Cloudchaser,” the pegasus next to her introduced herself, “I’m a trainer for the Ministry of Awesome’s agents.”

“I’m Winter Snows,” the earth pony mare to my host’s right said, “I oversee the Ministry of Peace’s pharmaceutical warehouses.”

“Brilliant Flame,” my host introduced himself, “Communications operative in the Ministry of Morale.”

“I am Colonel Spin-Tail,” the pegasus stallion next to my host said, “Commander of Stalliongrad Defense.”

“I’m Peach Trees, of course,” the earth pony mare between Spin-Tail and Flim said, “Founder of Peach-Tek and MWT board member.”

There was a pony from every Ministry but the Ministry of Image here, and I didn’t doubt that they had some connection nevertheless. No wonder SOAR had managed to happen without the Equestrian government finding out. Most of the government already had ponies in on it.

“You know why we’ve called you here, why we’ve all gathered,” Flim said, picking up the conversation now that the introductions were over.

“Ministry Mare Applejack took full control of the Ministry of Wartime Technology, and for the past year she has bent all our resources to the production of her Steel Ranger armor, but it’s not enough,” Flam said.

“The Equestrian government will never be willing to take the steps that are necessary to win the war,” Flim said.

“That is why we must take them instead.”

“We must do what our government can’t.”

“We don’t just need better protection for our soldiers, we need better soldiers.”

“Which is why we propose the creation of Project S.O.A.R.”

“Strategic Outfitting and Augmentation Research,” Flam spelled it out.

“Seems like you really wanted it to spell soar,” Spin-Tail chuckled, “Still, I’ve heard worse backronyms for Equestrian Army projects. So, we all have an idea of what the project entails and what we’ll be doing, but I’m intrigued to see the big picture.”

“Well, I’m glad you brought that up,” Flam said, looking like he was about to burst into song, “Colonel, you’ll be in charge of selecting suitable pegasi for the program, their early training, and mission tactics.”

“Once we have the subjects, we’ll prepare them for augmentation,” Flim continued, “That’s where Arcane Might comes in. You’ll be responsible for their physical augmentation, using magic and whatever drugs that Winter Snows can acquire.”

“Anything you need, I can get for you,” Winter Snows assured Flim.

“Once we have the augmentation down, we’ll need to be prepared for outfitting our new soldiers,” Flam said, “Peach-Tek is the primary manufacturer for Steel Ranger armor, so we already have the designs. Peach Trees will be in charge of modifying and improving them for our use.”

“Cloudchaser has experience with the Wonderbolts and Shadowbolts,” Flim said, “She’ll be in charge of training the augmented and outfitted soldiers, who we’re calling the Thunderbolts for now, for their missions.”

“This project cannot become public knowledge until it succeeds, so Brilliant Flame will be in charge of suppressing any intel the MoM gains on us.”

“Now we embark on a grand mission to save Equestria,” Flim said.

“May Project S.O.A.R. go down in history, and may this day be marked as where it all began,” Flam concluded.

Level Up
New Perk: How Do You Like Them Apples? – Unarmed damage is double against enemies that have already struck you.
Weapon improved: Focused Magical Energy Rifle > Intense Magical Energy Rifle – Rare Sparks has managed to eke out some extra power from your magical energy rifle’s cells. 20% more shots can be fired for each magical energy cell and +3 to damage.
Apparel improved: Armored Stable 85 Jumpsuit > Superior Stable 85 Jumpsuit – Price Slasher has managed to improve your Stable jumpsuit to its limits. +6 to all resistances.
Apparel improved: Reinforced Stable 85 Yellow Doctor’s Coat > Shielding Stable 85 Yellow Doctor’s Coat – Price Slasher has managed to improve your doctor’s coat. +5 to magic and damage resistance.
New Quest: Spring Cleaning – Seek out the NLC raider gangs and slaver companies in Vanhoover to weaken the Northern Lights Coalition.
Barter +11 (55)
Big Guns +6 (43)
Unarmed +3 (53)

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