“Scavenger! Thank Celestia you’re safe!” Break said, throwing herself into a desperate hug.

I’m okay? Scavenger shook his head. Typical Break. More worried about other ponies than herself. He accepted the hug and rubbed the back of his neck as the ghouls watched the scene with interest.

“The Steel Rangers know about stands,” Ray said, interrupting their hug and joyful reunion.

Break nodded. “Yes, they even have a stand user among them.”

What?! News he didn’t want to hear.

“Stands?” A ghoul said, raising an eyebrow. This one wore a lab coat and a studious expression.

“It’s a long story.” Break rubbed her temple, giving a weak smile. “Look, we have a plan, but it’s not the greatest.”

“We’re luring the Steel Rangers into a Stable to their doom!” Another ghoul said, and their eyes glinted with anticipation and eagerness.

A Stable, you have got to be kidding me. Stables were death traps, and smart scavengers avoided them. Ironic, considering they were designed to keep ponies safe. The Stable-Tec ponies were a bunch of idiots. Purposeful trap or not, it sounded like a reckless and dangerous plan.

“There are safer routes, but Flower Power here seems keen on luring them into this Stable.” Break rolled her eyes.

“It’s a good plan!” Flower Power replied, defensively. “They’ll either get lost or die!”

“What’s dangerous about this Stable?” Ray asked. As usual, he wanted information before committing to any plan.

“Deadly nanomachines that turn people into monster zombies.” The doctor ghoul said.

“Nanomachines?” Break asked, blinking in surprise.

“As you might remember, each Stable had a social experiment to improve pony society once the radiation levels reached a safe level.” The doctor said. “Stable 77 worked with microscopic robots designed to repair flesh for a better, healthier society.”

“But it went horribly wrong, right?” Break said, not hiding her scorn. It was a common story among Stables. Each experiment had failed in one way or another. Most seemed pointless.

The doctor nodded. “There was an error in their programming. Now they’re dedicated to preserving life, no matter the cost. The ponies they infect…” Her voice trailed off shuttering in horror.

“Sound fun.” Break’s voice cracked with worry and fear.

“Okay, that sounds kind of sucky.” Free Bird said. A pit formed in Scavenger’s stomach, not liking the sound of this place one bit.

“The only upside is that their programming restricts them to stay inside the Stable.” The doctor continued. “Otherwise there would be a worldwide pandemic. These machines replicate fast.”

“And we should enter this place, why?” Break glared Flower Power.

“Think about it, I doubt the Ranger’s armor can protect them against these robots.” Flower Power stood straighter, taking a defensive posture.

“No way, even the Steel Rangers don’t deserve that!” Break shot back. And the two entered a bitter argument. It was obvious Flower Power had a grudge against the Ranger and didn’t bother hiding his feelings on the matter.

“No, I don’t like the plan either,” Ray said, “The Rangers are a threat, but this Stable would likely kill us before the Ranger even met us.” Scavenger nodded his agreement.

“It’s a terrible plan.” The doctor shook her head.

“Besides, we can set other traps.” Scavenger said after a moment’s consideration.

“Fine.” Flower Power relented but didn’t sound happy about it.

“You said there were other escape routes?” Ray asked.

The doctor nodded. “Several. Secret tunnels we’ve built to slip outside. They might be a bit small for somepony your size.”

“Okay, but what’s the best option to both draw the Ranger’s attention away from the town and escape cleanly?”

“That’s a bit of an issue.” The doctor ghoul shook her head. “Most involve crawling through thin tunnels. Many lead near monster dens.” She drew a line along the map with a hoof, There were little symbols that indicated what type of nasty creatures lived in those areas. Some bore the heads of snakes, others had Mirelurk.

“Let’s avoid the monsters, please.” Break gave an unintentional grimace. This earned her a strange look from Flower Power.

Ray created a line across the map with a hoof. “This seemed our best approach.”

Scavenger noticed the route led near the Stable, in case of an emergency. It actually gave him an idea.

“The Stable plan still has merit, but could we trick them into entering it?” Scavenger asked. “Afterwards lock them inside?”

The doctor raised an eyebrow. “That door weighs a ton, and the opening mechanism has long since broken.”

Ray studied the map stroking his chin. “The path to the Stable only has one entrance.”

Break lit with excitement. “Could we use that? Is there some way to trap them?”

“Do you have any explosives?” Scavenger asked the doctor ghoul.

“I believe so.” The doctor replied. “But nothing fancy, just some grenades. I’m not sure they’re powerful enough to collapse a roof.”

“If we tie them together, that might work.” Scavenger said after considering the problem. “They won’t be pretty though, but they’ll do the job.”

“The problem is luring them there.” The doctor mused.

“I could do it.” Break said. “I’m their target, after all.”

“Are you fast enough?” Flower Power raised a valid question.

Break looked down. I’ll have to be.”

“Sure.” The doctor didn’t seem unconvinced, but wouldn’t argue the point. This plan had its advantages. Break’s speed made her difficult to catch. The rest could stay behind and ambush any stragglers or offer support if the plan failed. Scavenger hated putting Break in danger, but he found luring the Steel Ranger into this Stable to their doom funny. It might work.

“It’s a possibility, but we have other alternatives.” The Cosas said, returning to the conversation. “We should lure them to a place where their combat ability will be the weakest.”

The doctor knocked her hooves together. “I know just the place. It’s an abandoned house. The floor can’t hold much weight and the drop is six hooves to the basement.”

Flower Power burst into excitement. “Then we lob the explosives into the hole and boom!”

“That should be our first plan.” Scavenger considered the Stables a dangerous threat even with Break’s stand.

“And I suppose I’m the best pony for the job.” Break sighed and muttered to herself.

“I’m coming too!” Flower Power blurted, much to everypony’s surprise.

“Are you sure? It’s dangerous.” Break asked in concern.

“Yeah, with this map, they don’t need a guide.” The doctor raised an eyebrow.

Flower Power scowled. “I don’t care. I want to make sure those Steel Rangers bastards get what they deserve.”

“We’ll take care of them, okay?” Break placed a comforting hoof on Flower Power’s shoulder. “There’s no need for you to endanger yourself.”

The ghoul snorted and ripped his hoof free. Break waited for a response, but none came.

“Fine, you can come along.” Break sighed. “You still know these tunnels better than we do.” Flower Power made a smug, satisfied smile.

The doctor shook her head in disappointment. “Crazy, I tell you.”

Suddenly the meeting room’s door slammed open, and a ghoul pegasus darted inside. “The Rangers are moving to attack Ghoulopolis. They’d be there in minutes!” The argument about Flower Power became forgotten and everypony stood straighter, ready for action.

“The ghouls, are they safe?” Break asked in concern.

“We’ve already started evacuation, but we’ll need time to get everypony away.” The ghoul pegasus replied.

“I’ll start the plan.” Break checked her PipBuck to make sure she had the tunnel maps right in her system. She nodded and headed towards the door. “Get everypony into position. I’ll lure them away from the town!” She flew off, much to the ghoul’s shock.

The pegasus ghoul stared at Break in awe. “The rumors are true! The Black Cat is an impossible, magical pony!”

Let’s hope it’s enough. “She’s a special pony.” Scavenger gave a weak smile. “We best not dawdle. Break’s counting on us to back her up.” He rushed off to prepare the explosives. They might become the linchpin of their plan.

---

Lucky hissed as the needle injected the drug into her system, but it was a necessary pain. In that radioactive hive, the Black Cat hid somewhere. Did the mare really think that it would protect her from her wrath? She left the Ranger doctor, joining the rest of the troopes. The inoculation would protect her from the worst of the radiation’s effects. The Steel Ranger had surprisingly potent drugs, only requiring a minor injection later.

I’ve joined with the right ponies.

“Alright ponies, be careful. The Black Cat’s a tricky one. Her power allows her to manipulate gravity.” She told the gathering of Rangers. There were about fourteen in total.

To what extent the whorse could control gravity, Lucky wasn’t certain, but it seemed limited. She guessed its range was small, likely centered around the mare herself. Of course, the Black Cat’s most deadly weapon was her stand’s hooves. They were powerful, but like many stands, couldn’t move far away from her body. Her stand power was simple, but that didn’t make it any less dangerous. At least they didn’t have to fight a more esoteric power.

“I’ll warn you if I see her stand, but keep your eyes sharp for anything out of the ordinary.”

While unable to see Paladin Bumper’s face, Lucky noticed his annoyance from his gait as he approached.

“Is there a problem?” Lucky asked.

“Two of my Rangers are dead.” Bumper’s voice was a low growl. “We aren’t sure what killed them.” This earned some nervous glances from the other Rangers.

“What do you mean? Was it the Black Cat?”

“No, something sliced open their throats.” The Ranger replied. “It cut through our armor with a shocking amount of ease.”

“Like a blade?” Her mind raced. Didn’t the Black Cat have allies?

“No, more like claws.” Bumper paused for a moment before continuing. “But they aren’t anything I’ve seen before. They aren’t Hellhound Claws, and we only found pony tracks.”

“It could be some sort of esoteric weapon, I suppose.” Lucky replied, putting the matter to full consideration. “But the Black Cat had allies. It’s possible one might be a stand user.”

Bumper nodded in agreement. “I concur. Stay sharp everypony. We don’t know exactly what we are facing.”

Another possible stand user? Perfect. “Is there any sign the Black Cat escaped?” The dead Rangers might have created a gap the whorse could use for escape.

“Possible. We’ve received some odd readings.” Bumper replied. “I’m having some ponies scout around, but I want to continue with the plan. Might as well investigate the area. We’ll at least know she isn’t there.”

“Everypony, let’s move out.” Paladin Bumper shouted. “Spread out and check every corner. Kill anything that gets in the way. If you find something, anything unusual, report it immediately. Embarrassment over being too paranoid is preferable to being dead. Dismissed.”

She’s in there, I can feel it. Something about stand users drew them together. It was a strange phenomenon she’d seen many times over the years. One way or another, Lucky would finish this and avenge Cursed.

Despite the anti-radiation drugs, Lucky cringed as they passed the multitude of radioactive barrels, stepping far away from the green viscous liquid. Pools of it spread around everywhere, and jumped over to dry patches to avoid them. Everypony sighed in relief as they distanced themselves from the barrels and continued forward. They saw signs of life everywhere and these corridors appeared well-traveled.

“Welcome to Ghoulopolis?” Lucky asked as they approached some graffiti painted in black across a tunnel wall in stylized letters.

“The zombies have their own town? In this dump?” A ranger asked. The other rangers wholeheartedly laughed and jeered at the prospect. Lucky also found the idea obscene, but she supposed it kept the unstable riff-raff from living in a real town.

Paladin Bumper shook his head. “We don’t have time to clear this infestation out. Focus on the mission first.”

The town itself was an odd picture. It contained expansive furniture and other finery which had long lost its value after the war. The zombies were clinging to a past long gone using these antiques. At first, Lucky believed the place deserted, but a mutter of fear caught her attention.

The Steel Rangers detectors picked up the zombie trace too, and they tore down a curtain, revealing a bunch of terrified ghouls huddled together. They ranged widely in ages and tribes, wearing defiant glares. They gave Lucky odd looks, not expecting a normal pony among the Steel Ranger’s number.

“You, where are the rest? Where is the Black Cat?” Bumper pointed his flamethrower right towards the terrified group.

“Rest? I don’t know what you mean.” A ghoul replied.

“I count eight, which is far from enough to populate the town.” Bumper growled. Lucky saw his point, finding plenty of well used living spaces. These ponies hadn’t the time to evacuate the others. The ghoul only shrugged in response.

“Should we open fire and eradicate this filth, Paladin Bumper?” A steel ranger asked.

“No, interrogate them first.” Bumper replied. “Let the wasteland learn we won’t tolerate any disobedience. Shoot at the first sign of resistance.” This caused an audible tremor of terror through the ghouls.

“Hey!” An older ghoul yelped in pain as a Ranger grabbed them by a leg, pulling them to their hooves.

“Kettle!” A young earth pony ghoul cried in protest. She backed away as a Ranger raised their gun, ready to smack her in the face.

“No, it’s fine, Jamboree. I won’t resist.” Kettle rose to his full height. “What is it you wish from me?”

“I’m only asking once. Where is the Black Cat?” Bumper asked. For emphasis, they pressed a raingun against the old ghoul’s head.

Indecision wracked Kettle, fearful of the gun, but also betraying the Black Cat. From his expression, clearly knew her.

“I don’t know her.”

A shot rang out and the old-timer collapsed, a bullet lodged into his skull. The Steel Rangers hadn’t been bluffing in their threats. Zombies were hard to kill and radiation healed them, but a bullet to the brain killed them instantly.

“No, Kettle!” Jamboree sobbed in grief, and the rest of the zombies shared her pain. The ghoul’s eyes widened in horror when the Ranger pointed their gun in her direction. She whimpered as the barrel pressed against her temple.

“Where is the Black Cat?” Bumper asked again, his voice hard and unrelenting.

“What’s the point? You’ll only kill us all, anyway!” Another shot rang out and the female ghoul dropped dead.

“This is pointless.” Lucky shook her head. “We’re wasting time. She isn’t here. They must have a secret escape route somewhere. Just kill them all and let’s get moving.”

Paladin Bumper considered her words before nodding. “This place is enormous, but it shouldn’t be hard to find their secret escape tunnel. Kill the rest of the zombies and begin the search. We don’t need them anymore.”

The ghouls howled in despair as the Ranger focused their weapons on the remaining zombies. They readied their weapons to tear the monster to pieces, but a Ranger cried out in pain as a pole pierced the back of their neck and collapsed dead. Standing on top of the Ranger was the Black Cat, a furious expression on her face. Her stand floated behind her, an angel of death holding a sharp piece of broken piping in its hoof.

“It’s the Black Cat!” Bumper pointed a hoof towards their target. “Kill her!”

Flames from their flamethrower sputtered towards their target, but the mare was already taking into the air. The other Rangers regained their wits and opened fire on their enemy. A flamethrower wielding Ranger adjusted their fire, redirecting their attack towards the moving target, but the Black Cat flew backward, using the gust of flame as a makeshift shield. It made targeting her more difficult.

The flamethrower wielding Ranger grunted in pain as the steel pipe collided with their chest. It didn’t pierce the power armor, but the Ranger staggered for a moment, stunned. Another Ranger screamed in pain and fear as the flame engulfed them as the Black Cat readjusted the weapon with her stand’s hoof. After all, the flame couldn’t harm a stand. The flame continued around the room, burning several other members. Their power armor protected them, but it didn’t make the heat any less painful. Pieces of ghoul town burst into flame and Lucky coughed as smoke filled the room.

“This way!” The Black Cat yelled towards the zombies who followed the sound of her voice.

“You aren’t escaping.” A steel ranger charged forward firing into the smoke but screamed as a steel pipe pierced their arm, making them drop their weapon. Incredible. The Black Cat had thrown the pipe into the joint of the Ranger’s front leg.

The Black Cat led the ghouls towards a corner which Lucky guessed contained a secret escape route. The Cat deflected any bullets shot her way. Fire continued to spread, forcing the Steel Rangers to retreat lest they die from smoke inhalation. Black plums of the stuff were everywhere, making it impossible to see anything.

“Retreat, we need to regroup for now.” Bumper ordered.

Lucky joined the fleeing Rangers, cursing every moment. Somehow the Black Cat had turned the situation around. The Rangers helped pull their injured comrade to safety. Healing potions would fix their wound, but it required time along with removing the offending steel pipe.

“Knight Fixit, where is the enemy headed?” Commander Bumper was furious. The operation had backfired, and he wished for payback. A sentiment Lucky could get behind.

“The heat detector says a massive amount of bodies are moving down the left tunnel,” Fixit replied. Remarkable that heat detection worked on zombies.

“Excellent, let’s follow them.” Bumper said. “Watch out for an ambush. Knight Cattle Prod, can you continue?”

“Sir, yes sir!” Cattle Prod stood to attention.

“Good, let’s get moving, everypony.” Bumper turned his attention towards Lucky. “And keep an eye out for stand activity.”

Lucky nodded, refusing to allow the Black Cat to get the drop on them again. The Ranger switched from their railguns to heavier weapons on the battle saddles, ready to blow their enemy to pieces. The fact the Black Cat stole one of their numbers was unforgivable, demanding vengeance.

Much to their surprise, they caught the Black Cat standing in the middle of the tunnel as they turned a bend. She was alone, much to Lucky’s surprise. She’d expected an army of poorly equipped zombies assisting the mare. What startled Lucky was the Cat’s eyes, which were hard and angry. It was unsettling coming from a usually dull and frightened face. Instead of offering some threat or warning, she darted up some stairs at a landing platform and disappeared down a corridor.

Bumper cursed. “After her!”

“What if she’s leading us into a trap?” Lucky asked as she chased after the Ranger.

“She’s a foal if she thinks there’s a trap we can’t break through.” Bumper replied. The stairs proved more difficult for the Rangers to climb than expected. Still, they made good time. One Ranger croaked as a metal spear made from piping pierced his neck. The pipe dangled from their throat, for it can’t completely pierce their armor and they collapsed dead.

“Duck!” Bumper ordered, and everypony went into a crouch to make their body smaller. Lucky chanced a glance up and saw the Black Cat clinging to the ceiling, a stony expression on her face before disappearing before they fired.

Bumper cursed. “The neck is one of the most vulnerable points on our suits. She tricked us into running up some stairs so we’d look up and expose that point.”

I can’t believe her speed. She doubled back that quickly? Worse, she realized the Black Cat was out for blood for real. She wasn’t playing around. The mare promised death for each of them. It made Lucky reconsider going after the mare.

“No, I swore that whorse would die no matter what.” As they walked, they crouched to avoid exposing their vulnerable point. The Black Cat’s trick won’t work twice.

They didn’t see their enemy, but caught her heat signature running down a nearby corridor. She led them down a merry dance, taking them down several other tunnels. Somehow, she stayed just out of reach of their weapons. They’d launched several grenades and missiles towards her, but the whorse had dodged each one. They even tried cutting her off several times by taking a route that intercepted the upcoming tunnel, but the Black Cat evaded every attempt. Eventually, the mare took them towards a part of the subway system that wasn’t in their system. Despite the helmets hiding their faces, Lucky noticed her Ranger friends were getting nervous, not liking this unexpected change of events. Their maps predated the war. Somepony must have done some work after these maps’ creation.

“A stable?” Fixit said in surprise as they entered a door.

Much to everypony’s shock, they discovered a stable door built in this portion of the subway system. Even Lucky had her misgivings when she spotted the giant gear-like door. Stables weren’t good omens.

“What is this doing here?” Another Ranger asked.

“I suppose Stable-Tec wanted a bunker in a good location for citizens to evacuate to.” Bumper said after a moment’s consideration. “The subway is a convenient mode of transportation for bringing ponies.”

“We aren’t going inside, are we?” A Ranger gestured towards the Stable door. “Those places are deathtraps, and the Black Cat wants us to go inside!” The other Ranger gave their misgivings.

“She wants to lock us in there, no doubt!” Another Ranger said.

Lucky’s face twisted into a grimace. “It’s likely dangerous.”

“If you want me, you'll have to enter and take me.” Black Cat’s voice said with the vault, coming from everywhere, yet nowhere.

“Wait, can’t we just lock her in there?” Lucky said after a sudden realization.

“No good.” Fixit checked the vault’s door system. “It’s been picked clean for parts and the door’s too heavy for even us to push shut.”

“It doesn’t matter, I’m not going in there!” Cattle Prod said, digging his heels in, insubordination or not.

“Guard this entrance.” Paladin Bumper said. “Getting this door shut shouldn’t be hard. We have the necessary tools at our headquarters.”

“You hear that!” Lucky shouted in the Stable. “We aren’t chasing after you. You’re stupid plan failed!”

“What if there’s a secret escape path?” Fixit whispered.

Lucky scowled. “You might be right. It’s likely the reason she tried luring us in there.”

“We’re staying put.” Paladin Bumper replied. “I’ll take that risk. I’m not splitting us up.”

The Rangers sighed in relief, glad they weren’t entering the Cat’s trap. From out of nowhere, something clattered behind them.

“Flower Power, what are you doing? This wasn’t part of the plan!” A voice shooted behind them.

The confused Rangers looked back, finding a collection of grenades tied together with rope. A horrible pit formed in Lucky’s stomach.

“Get back, before they have a chance to…” Before Bumper could finish, ground shook as a huge explosion set off in the tunnel behind them.

Lucky coughed as dust choked her lungs. Her eyes watered and she used a leg to protect her eyes. When the dust cleared, she stared in shock at the tunnel behind them. Rubbled blocked their escape, the tunnel collapsed by the explosion. The Black Cat had lured them into a trap after all with no escape.

A dark chuckle echoed through the chamber. It wasn’t mocking or cruel, but it was forbodding. “You’re trapped with no escape. It’s what you deserve. You have me, come and get me. I hope you like nightmares because that’s what you’re going to get.”