“I want this place to be a symbol for what happens when you help a pony like The Courier.”
Aura moved closer to the dead Elder Appleslice, pulling the stakes out of her hooves then catching her as she fell. Ignoring the decaying Elder, she slowly carried her down and set her body gently onto the ground. Then she slowly closed her lifeless eyes, “I agree with you Shadow, there’s no way I’m going to let Elder Appleslice’s killer go unpunished.”
Wingnut was hanging back looking over at the dead mare. When Aura finished setting the Elder down he asked, “Is she really the leader of The Steel Rangers?”
Stardust nodded his head, “Yeah, she was a good mare too. I’ve never trusted Steel Rangers, but she was kinder to me than most Steel Rangers. She could have turned Aura and me away when we showed up at the bunker without Shadow, but she chose to believe us, for the most part.”
I moved closer to the former Elder, “The question I have is who did this and why? I mean the word ‘Traitor’ over her body tells me that it had to be a Steel Ranger.”
“I’m not sure it was,” Aura said, “Apollo’s known the Hidden Sands Steel Rangers for as long as I’ve been alive, none of them would have done this to Appleslice. They all respected her too much, same for her father.”
“Maybe, but they weren’t the only Steel Rangers around here. The Los Alicorn Rangers were here too. From the Stories about Wolfsbane I’ve heard, he’s more than capable.”
“That’s true and he does have a grisly reputation. Though he’s also known to uphold the code of the steel rangers to a tee. He wouldn’t do something like this to another Elder. From what Apollo told me, when he took over as the elder for the Los Alicorn branch, he brought his former Elder up on traitorous charges. The other four, Star Paladins and two senior scribes tried him then had him executed.” Aura said as she looked over the body.
“What if some other faction did this to them and tried to make it seem like the Rangers did this to her?” Wingnut said.
All of the sudden a voice said from behind us, “It was Steel Rangers and from what’s been going on around here since you left, I’m guessing it was the Hidden Sand’s Rangers.”
We all twisted around to see none other than Detective Lonely Hearts standing a few feet away, a cigarette poking out of his muzzle. We all lowered our weapons as I said, “Lonely Heart’s what are you doing all the way out here?”
“I could ask you the same question Shadow. I was on my way to Cartwheel when I heard voices off the road, thought I’d come see what was going on.” He said blowing out a long stream of smoke.
“We were just getting back when our friend Wind Thrasher spotted the dead rangers from the air.” I said.
“Why were you heading to Cartwheel Lonely Hearts?” Stardust asked.
“I was heading there to see if Box Tape knew where you were and when you’d be back. Didn’t think I’d run into you on my way.” He said as he walked closer to one of the dead rangers looking closely at the holes in the armor.
Aura walked closer to him asking, “Tell me Detective, how do you know this was done by the Hidden Sands Steel Rangers?”
He looked up from the dead ranger, “I’m guessing you haven’t been able to listen to Mr. New Pegasus or Dj Pon3 while you were away.”
“Duh, we were all the way up in the Mill City Wasteland.” Wingnut said.
“Then you should know that a lot’s happened while you were gone. First of all The Steel Rangers from this area have been making more of a presence over the past week. More than we’ve seen in ten years. They’ve been starting fights with the N.L.R. and The Romans, making their presence felt in most of the smaller towns near Hidden Sands, and taking down any ponies that stand up against them.”
“That doesn’t mean it was the Hidden Sands Steel Rangers, The Los Alicorn branch has been around here as well.” I said.
“You aren’t wrong, but the airship hasn’t been seen for a while now and all the Steel Rangers that have been fighting against the N.L.R. have declared they are fighting for the Hidden Sands Rangers. They are being led by a mare called Sapphire.” He said, “Also, the only group of ponies that would be able to take down the ponies here has to be Steel Rangers. The N.L.R. have the weapons to do this, but they never go this far from New Pegasus, The Enclave has been silent for a week now as well, so they can be ruled out, Raiders don’t have the kind of weapons to do this, and I haven’t heard a peep from the Fiends for a little while as well.”
“Wait did you say Sapphire!” I said as my jaw dropped open, “NO, there’s no way she’d ever do something like this. She respected Elder Appleslice.”
The Synth just shrugged, “I have no idea, I’ve been meaning to look into what’s been going on, but I was busy with finding your mom Shadow. I don’t deal with the Rangers much, as you know, they don’t like synths. I just know what I’ve seen and heard from friends of mine in the N.L.R.”
“You know, there is one way to find out. See if you can get them on the broadcaster.” Aura said.
“You know what, that’s a good idea.” I said, but before I could even bring up the broadcaster I heard another voice from around the hill, one I knew very well, it was Vervain.
“Wind Thrasher? Is that really you? Where’s Shadow and the rest?” I heard Vervain say.
“She’s just around the hill,” Wind Thrasher said, “You may not want look though, I think some Steel Rangers died.”
“What the hell is Vervain doing here?” I said as I started to head around the bend for the hill, “I’ll be right back.”
“Wait a moment you cannot be Paladin Vervain?” Yaksha said, “I thought you disappeared or died many years ago.”
I just got around bend when I saw Vervain looking curiously at Yaksha, “I am and who are you Zebra…wait a moment, Yaksha?”
I looked between the Zebra and the mare who raised me, “You two know each other?”
Yaksha nodded, “Vervain here was one of the few Steel Rangers I knew when I lived around here. Our first interaction was not a good one.”
Vervain laughed slightly and blushed a little bit out of embarrassment. “Yeah I was a little rowdy back then, Yaksha will never let me live it down either.”
“Nope it is a little hard to forget.”
“Indeed, but it got better with time.”
“Yes it did, Vervain is a decent mare compared to most I have ran into and lived with way back when. Ten years ago I heard a rumor that she disappeared, which later, the story became that she died during a mission with another mare I knew for a short time.”
Vervain looked over at me asking, “I heard that Yaksha died some years ago protecting her tribe from certain disaster. Where on Equis did you find her?”
“At The Kingdom near Saint’s Parish and Whinnieapolis, she helped me when I was attacked by Wrath. She came back with us to help me with my magical control and a couple other things.” I said.
“Fascinating, well Yaksha I’m glad to see you’re still alive.” Vervain said with a smile.
“The feeling is mutual Vervain.”
“Wait a moment, is Vervain the mare you wanted to see when you came back here?” I asked, remembering that one reason she came back as well was to find a mare she was friends with who thought she was dead.
Yaksha shook her head, “No, like I said before, I thought Vervain died. The mare I am looking for is still alive, though I am not sure where she is.”
Vervain walked closer to me and gave me a quick hug, “I’m glad you’re finally back Shadow,” Then she looked back at Yaksha, “Thank you Yaksha for helping Shadow, she means the world to me.”
“Oh, I did not know you had a daughter Vervain. I thought you said that you could not have children.” Yaksha said.
Wait a moment, I remember her saying that she couldn’t have foals before, but, I figured that was just part of her deception as Auntie in Stable 28. The look on Vervain’s face though told me that what Yaksha said had to be true. She looked utterly heartbroken as the Zebra said that.
“It’s not something I like to talk about Yaksha.” Vervain said.
Yaksha looked down covering her muzzle with her hoof. “I am sorry Vervain that was insensitive of me I was not thinking, I had assumed Shadow knew.”
Vervain shook her head as she smiled looking over at me, “It’s okay Yaksha, but no, Shadow isn’t my daughter. She’s Scribe Grimoire’s daughter, but I’ve raised her for the past eight years. She’s as close to being my daughter as I’m ever going to get, and I love her as if she was my own foal. Anyways the time for catching up can wait let’s get back to what’s going on. What’s this about dead Steel Rangers?” Vervain said looking over at me.
“I was just trying to figure that out when I heard you,” I said, “Why are you here? I thought you were still in Stable 28.”
“I was until last night. I decided that Milkshake is doing fine without me and if she has any problems she knows I’m not far. I needed to check up on my father so I headed to Cartwheel. I heard earlier that a sky carriage with the words Equestrian Express on the side was spotted not far from here.”
I blinked surprised “Who told you that?”
“Mr. New Pegasus.” Vervain replied
I facehooved “Of course he did.”
Vervain smiled and laughed lightly before go back to being serious, “I figured it was you so I was watching the skies, I saw the sky Carriage and when you landed a mile or so from town I thought something was wrong so I came to check it out.”
“Shadow, how much longer are we going to stay here?” Wind Thrasher asked, when I looked over at her I could see that she was getting a stranger look to her, almost like a starving animal looking at its first meal in days, “Because I’m not feeling well.”
“I’m not sure Wind Thrasher, if you want you can head into town and wait for us there.” I said.
One of her eyes twitched and I saw a little red glow show up in her eyes, “I’m…okay I think.”
She licked her lips slowly and started to drool, “No you’re not Wind Thrasher, I think you need to go into town. You don’t look good at all.”
“Hey Shadow what’s taking so long?” Stardust said as he came walking around the bend.
Wind Thrasher unhooked herself from the Sky Carriage and started to slowly walk toward the small hill her voice was changing to her Sharp voice, “I’m okay Shadow…really…It’s just, something smells soooo good. I can handle just a small taste, just a little.”
“Fuck.” I said walking over to my friend whose eyes were now fully glowing bright red, “Wind Thrasher, snap out of it, you don’t want to go over there.”
She snapped her head toward me and hissed, “Don’t tell me what I want or don’t want Shadow, I’m not that weak.”
I backed up a little, but stood my ground, “Wind Thrasher, you’re succumbing to the blood lust again.”
She flared her wings and hissed again, “No I’m not, it’s not even fresh blood. You don’t know anything about me, I can handle a little taste, just a little bit. Now get out of my WAY!”
Stardust walked over to her, ignoring her hissing, “Woah, Wind Thrasher calm down, Shadow’s just looking out for you.”
“Shut up…” She started to say, barring her teeth at him.
Stardust cut her off by taking her face between both his hooves and saying gently, “Listen to me Wind Thrasher and look into my eyes. You know how you get when you smell blood, even old blood. You told me about it while we were talking yesterday remember.”
I thought she was going to attack him, but she seemed to calm when he touched her face, “But…I’m okay.”
“No you’re not, now I want you to do as I say,” he said calmly, “I want you to take a deep breath through your mouth, then slowly let it out through your nose.”
“I…but…”
“No but’s, just trust me Wind Thrasher.” He said.
“Okay.” She said, then she slowly took in a deep breath just like Stardust said, then she let it out.
“Good, now again. In…and out, In…and out.” He said breathing with her.
Slowly the glow started to leave her eyes, a minute later she fell against Stardust, “I…think I feel better.”
“I’m sure you do, but how about for right now we go to Cartwheel so you can rest and get something nice to drink from Old Box Tape. Do you think you can handle that?”
She nodded, “I think so, thank you Stardust.”
He helped her up, “It’s no problem,” Then he looked back at me, “I’ve got her, we’ll meet you in town.”
“Good idea, don’t worry about the Sky Carriage I’ll make sure it gets back to town.” I said as he turned to help Wind Thrasher up the road.
“I will go with them, I do not think I’m needed here and I may have a brew that can help Wind Thrasher.” Yaksha said turning to follow, “We can talk later Vervain, I would like to see what you have been up too over the last few years.”
“Same for me Yaksha,” Vervain said with a smile. When they were gone she looked at me asking, “So that was strange? Is Wind Thrasher going to be okay? She was around a lot of blood when we were in Stable 28 and she didn’t get like that.”
“I think something’s wrong with her, she lost control in Whinnieapolis. I think it’s getting harder for her to control her blood lust.” I said watching as my friends vanished up the road.
Vervain was watching them too, “You should keep an eye on her, if she’s starts to get worse there’s a possibility she’ll attack one of you.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she’s okay. We have a doctor who lives with the Annihilators that’s looking into it. I hope he’s figured something out, I’d hate to see her do what she did back in Whinnieapolis.” I said.
Vervain turned to look at me, “Well since that’s all taken care of let me see these dead rangers you mentioned.”
I gestured toward the hill, “I’ll show you.”
I lead her around the hill where Aura, Wingnut and Lonely Hearts were waiting. When she saw the dead rangers and Elder Appleslice she gasped, “That can’t be the Elder?”
“Afraid so.” Lonely Hearts said, he was examining the Elder’s body closely, “From the looks of it, she was tortured for a while before she was killed. Her body shows signs of being beaten. It’s hard to tell because of how long she’s been here, the elements and other factors may have destroyed most of the evidence.”
Vervain took a step back when she saw Lonely Hearts face, “Celestia, are you a Synth?”
“Great deductive powers you have there.” He said still closely looking at the body.
I sighed, “Auntie Vervain, this is Detective Lonely Hearts from New Pegasus. He’s been looking into mom’s past for me, he’s not like the Synths you’ve heard stories about.”
“Oh I’ve heard about Lonely Hearts, I just didn’t think he was a Synth that’s all.” She looked closer at the body, “Yeah that’s Elder Appleslice, so that’s where she’s been.”
Aura looked at her confused, “What do you mean?”
“I was told by Sandstorm last night that she went missing over a week ago. He figured she was dead.”
“You talked to Star Paladin Sandstorm last night?” I asked.
“It’s just Sandstorm now, he was banished from the Rangers a few days ago. He didn’t like how the new elder took over and what’s she’s been doing. They argued and he accused her of killing Appleslice, so Elder Sapphire kicked him out of the Rangers.” She said, “My father isn’t going to like this. He’s known Appleslice since she was a foal.”
“So Sapphire did take over the role of Elder,” I said with a deep sigh, “There has to be more to this.”
“I’m sure there is, but we won’t know until somepony looks into this more.” Lonely Hearts said, “I’ll see what else I can find around here and I’ll let you know.”
“You really want to investigate the death of a Steel Ranger Elder?” I asked.
He shrugged, “The Rangers may not like my kind, but she was still murdered and her killer should be brought to justice. From the sound of it, you cared about her Shadow.”
“Yeah, she was nice to me, even if she did send me to Stable 9 to get her a Pip-Buck.”
“Then I’ll see what I can find out.”
“We should see about laying the bodies to rest. It’s not right to just leave them out here to rot.” Vervain said.
Lonely Hearts nodded, “Good idea, though wait till later to do that, I want to see what I can find out from them before hoof.”
I took one more glance at the Elder then looked away, “Just let me know as soon as you can, I want to make sure who ever killed her pays. Oh and didn’t you say you had something you needed to tell me?”
“I did,” Lonely Hearts said walking over to me, “I was able to track your mother’s movements over the past two years through some contacts of mine and a little help from a freelance griffon who owed me a favor.”
“I know that she went to Hoofington and Manehattan during that time, but not much else.” I said.
“She also went up north, either to The Kingdom or further. She was still looking for the same prewar Project. During the time she hired scores of Griffons to help her get Memory Orbs from different places or to protect her when she went into old Stables. The reason she went to Hoofington the first time as I told you before was to find Striker, but she went back not too long ago trying to find information on some program called EC-11O1. I’m not sure what it is, but she thought it would help her unlock this project she’s trying to find. Either she found it or figured it wouldn’t do what she wanted, because she came back here. She started to work out of an old Shack near Trotston during that time going by the name Spell. She would do odd jobs for ponies as well, but that’s not the interesting thing. From the information I got, it looks like she was sending messages to ponies in The Enclave, another up North, and oddly enough somepony in Los Alicorn.”
“Well the Los Alicorn thing shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, she was working with Elder Wolfsbane right?” Aura said.
Lonely Hearts smiled, “That’s the interesting thing, the transmissions weren’t being sent to their base out there or to their airship. It was going to another system located somewhere in the heart of the city. I’m not sure what she was up too, but somepony out there is working with her and it’s not The Steel Rangers.”
My eyes went wide, “The Ministry.”
“Bingo. If anypony could find them it would be her, and she’s also smart enough to talk her way into that place.”
“Didn’t you say she went to Los Alicorn Shadow?” Wingnut asked.
“Yeah, that’s the information I was able to learn,” I said “Something still isn’t adding up though, why is she doing all of this?”
“Couldn’t tell ya kid.” Lonely Hearts said, “I’m not sure what she’s planning or what she’s doing, but I do know that she was helping the Enclave and The Ministry. Either she’s a double agent, which I wouldn’t put past her, or The Enclave is helping The Ministry.”
“Fuck, I guess that means if I want my answers I’ll have to go there and confront her.”
“The problem is, how do you plan on finding them?” Lonely Hearts said.
“Personally, I always thought they were a myth, but I know Synths are real and they have to come from somewhere.” Vervain said.
“Finding them shouldn’t be a problem, Mr. Tops already figured out where they are and gave me the location and a way to get in.”
“Oh and I bet that’s going to be so much fun.” Aura said rolling her eyes.
Wingnut smiled, “I don’t mind going, I bet they have some amazing Tech there.”
“For right now I’m not going to worry about her, I need to figure out what’s been going on here while we were away.” I said.
“A lot of shit honestly,” Lonely Hearts said, “There’s been more attacks on Caravans lately, The Queens are on the verge of war with the N.L.R., The romans have taken more land, and Steel Rangers are taking over as well. It’s like when you left, the entire area went crazy.”
I facehoofed, “Fuck, why does shit have to go wrong while I’m away. I just wanted to get back here and relax for a bit so I could think about what to do next.”
Aura put a talon on my shoulder, “Shadow you can’t fix everything, I think we should get back to Cartwheel and take a couple more days to recuperated. “
“I know, but I feel like if I don’t do something now, then things will get worse.”
“That may happen, but you can’t do much about it right now.” Aura said with a smile, “Let’s go see Box Tape, and we’ll go from there.”
“I think that’s a good idea. He’d be happy to see you safe and sound.” Vervain said.
“Fine, but only for a day, after that we need to see what we can do to fix things, Starting with Elder Sapphire.” I said, then looking back to Lonely Hearts I added, “Thank you for the information Lonely Hearts, also when you figure something out please let me know.”
“Can do kid, I’ll check up with you later tonight or tomorrow morning at Equestrian Express.” He said going back to looking over the bodies.
I nodded then looked back at Aura, Vervain and Wingnut, “I guess we should head to Cartwheel.”
“That’s fine with me, just as long as we can come back later and get the bodies.” Vervain said.
Lonely Hearts waved his metal hoof, “Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to get them back for you, just leave that Sky Carriage behind. I can use it to transport all the bodies back to Cartwheel.”
I waved back at Lonely Hearts “Okay detective let Stardust know that when he comes back for it.” We all started to head back to the road, as we did I asked Vervain, “What do I do if Sapphire is the one who killed The Elder?”
Aura spoke up first, “You find out why she did it and if it was just so she could have power then you kill her.”
“No matter what reason she had for killing Appleslice, Sapphire still shouldn’t have killed her. From what’s been going on lately with the Rangers and from what Sandstorm told me, I’m sure she’s the one who did it.” Vervain said.
“Sapphire was the pony who first saved me from the Raiders when I came out of the stable for the very first time. She also helped me take down the camp and get the hostages home safe. She’s also made sure I got into Hidden Sands and spoke in my defense when I first met with Appleslice. I just don’t understand why she’d do something like this.”
“You’ll have to talk to Sandstorm about that, all I know about Sapphire is that she doesn’t believe in the code of the Steel Rangers, she’s one of those mares who believes that we should help ponies in the wasteland like the New Lunar Republic says they do, not just hold Tech. Ponies like that say that’s what the Ministry Mare Applejack wanted for the Steel Rangers back when she founded us.” Vervain said.
“Wait, I thought the Steel Rangers did do that.” I said.
Aura laughed, “Yeah, they use too, now they’ll save you if you can help them get something or if you have something that they want. They don’t go out of their way to help the Wasteland, that’s why they’re hated by most of the wasteland.”
Vervain sighed, “That’s true, for the most part. I used to be like that back before I met Grim. After a couple of years of being around her so much, I started to think much like my father and some other Rangers did.”
“So you’re more like what you think Sapphire is now?” I asked.
“Not the same really, but I do think that we could use the tech and power we have to help. We don’t need to horde all of the tech we find when it’s just going to sit around to being used. From what I’ve learned, Sapphire is using what the Steel Rangers have to take over New Pegasus. I wonder if she wants to make the Steel Rangers as powerful as they were before my father retired?”
“What do you mean?”
Aura answered, “The Steel Rangers used to hold a lot of land some years ago, back when I was still pretty young. You couldn’t go to most towns without running into a group of them. They even ran the Crossroads Trading post, but that was back before Elder Tap died and Elder Apple Jam took over.”
Vervain smiled, “Yes that’s true too, back then we had a lot of ponies joining us and helping us grow the Steel Rangers.”
“Who’s Elder Tap? I asked.
“Oh, that’s Elder Tapioca, he was the Elder before Apple Jam. He was a good stallion and well-liked by most of the ponies.” Vervain said.
“If they had so much power back in the day, then what happened to make them lose it?”
“Elder Apple Jam wasn’t as good of a leader as Elder Tap was. He knew it too, that’s why everypony wanted my father to take over, but he refused. Elder Apple Jam was a good pony, but he liked to slack off, he’d hide from his duty when he thought he could get away with it, he also wasn’t good with tactics for fights. Over time we lost a lot of our land and a lot of good ponies. When the N.L.R. Moved in, it just got that much harder. That’s about as much as I know, I was in Los Alicorn for most of Elder Apple Jam’s first few years as elder. I only came back a year or so before I met Grim.” Vervain said.
We were just getting past the gate that lead into Cartwheel as I asked, “How did you meet mom anyway? I remember a night when Steel Rangers saved us from a manticore, but I was having one of my bad days and wasn’t awake for most of it.”
She looked at me curiously, “You remembered that?”
“I sure do, I guess it slipped my mind Auntie Vervain.”
“What do you mean?” she asked quizzically.
“I got almost all of my memories back while I was in Whinnieapolis.”
“How did that happen? I knew you’d get your memories back over time, but not that fast.”
I shrugged, “I had to go into a machine that messes with memories to help Stardust remember who he was. While I was in there the machine kept pushing me into my own head. Long story short, I was able to destroy the block mom put on my memories and everything came flooding back in, well most of it. I’m still having trouble remembering my dad.”
She smiled, “I’ve very happy to hear that Shadow. Well apart from you not remembering your father. Anyway, yes, I met Grim on the night you two were attacked by a manticore. I was working with another Knight named Crackerjack at the time. He went on ahead of me to check out information we got about a special Pip-Buck. He radioed me saying a manticore was attacking ponies at his location so I ran to help. When I arrived, the monster was trying to rip Crackerjack in two. Your mother blasted him with a powerful spell saving my companion, I was able to finish it off.”
“You were working with Crackerjack!” I said.
“Isn’t that the name of that Raider boss you told me about?” Aura asked.
“It was, I knew he was a Steel Ranger, but I didn’t know he worked with Vervain.”
Vervain looked confused, “Crackerjack was the Raider boss my father told me about? I knew he was an ass hole, but I never thought he’d turn raider.”
“I really wouldn’t call him a Raider, he was more like a slaver and bandit when I met him. He just ran the town of raiders that lived outside of cartwheel. He was trying to locate Stable 28. One of the memories I have of mom’s showed the last time they met. He met with her just after she left the Stable. He’d ran away from his new branch of Rangers in Manehattan.”
“I’ll have to ask Sandstone about that when we get back. He was the lead Star Paladin back in those days. I wonder why he wanted to find the Stable?” Vervain said as we walked down the road that lead to Equestrian Express.
“He said something about Elder Wolfsbane, I think he was working with him.”
Vervain’s look went dark, “Wolfsbane…it seems that everything always leads back to that fucker. What does he have to do with all of this?”
“Mom was working with him too even when she was working for Apple Jam and Appleslice.” I said.
Vervain paused just outside the door to Equestrian Express, “That I didn’t know…I always thought Grim was loyal to Hidden Sands, but if Wolfsbane got his claws into her then I guess I was wrong. I feel so used!”
I put a hoof on Aunties shoulder, “Don’t feel like that, mom did it to a lot of ponies.”
“How is that supposed to make her feel better Shadow?” Wingnut asked.
“What I meant was mom did that to a lot of ponies, but she only trusted Vervain with the information about who she was and where she came from. Other ponies that found out that she used to be in the Enclave ended up dead or with their memories wiped.” I said with a smile.
Vervain did her best to smile too, “That’s true, I guess I’m lucky that she did trust me.”
“See, it’s not so bad.”
Before she could respond the door to Equestrian Express opened and an older stallion with a sandy coat, a greying red mane, goatee, and silvery blue eyes was standing there looking at us, “Why are you all standing out here?”
“Um…who are you?” I asked “And where’s Box Tape?”
“Shadow this is Sandstorm,” Vervain said, “Sandstorm this is The Courier.”
The hard edge on his face eased a little, “Ah, we were expecting you. I’m glad Vervain was able to help you back to town. As to Box Tape, he’s resting at the moment, come in and sit, your other friends just arrived a few minutes ago.”
I walked past him saying, “Thanks Star Paladin Sandstorm, it’s nice to meet you as well.”
He put up a hoof, “I’m not a Star Paladin anymore, just call me Sandstorm.”
“Or ya can call him Sandy, I know I do when he’s acting all serious and stuff.” Box Tape said slowly making his way down the Stairs that lead up to his apartments.
I watched as the old buck slowly made his way down the steps. He looked like he aged ten years in the past week. He also moved slower than he had before. Was something wrong with him? Before I could ask Vervain pushed past me and helped her father the last couple of steps down, “Dad, you shouldn’t be out of bed, you’re not in any condition to be up.”
“Ba, I’m fine, I’m not gonna lay around like a weak foal when my only employee comes back from a dangerous trip.” He said with a weak chuckle.
Aura looked worried as well, she moved to help Vervain, “Hey old buck, what’s wrong with you. You look really sick.”
Sandstorm sighed saying, “He used his Power Armor.”
I cocked my head to one side, “Why would that make him sick?”
Box Tape finished getting down the steps then walked over to me, “Because my power armor is different than the rest of the Steel Rangers. The Sentinel Armor has a few things that get injected into a pony to help them during a fight.”
Aura’s face went dark as she asked, “What kind of…Help?”
Vervain looked sad as she answered for her father, “It’s a mix of Dash, Rage, and Med-X.”
“Are you fucking insane, do you know what that shit can do to you!” Aura practically yelled, “I’m surprised you’re still alive!”
Box Tape chuckled, “My body is used to it, I’ve been using that Armor for twenty years now. Back when I was still a Star Paladin it was a set we found in an old hospital. It was originally called a Prototype Medical Power Suit. I tinkered with it for a couple of years to make it better for fighting, but its base function is still to keep a pony going even if their close to death, or an old fart like me. I had to train my body a lot to be able to handle that many Chems.”
“He did, and he used to have a bad addiction to the stuff back when he was still a ranger too.” Sandstorm said, “I wasn’t happy to hear that you used it again.”
“Ah stop getting your cock in a knot,” He stopped then laughed harder, “Cock in a Knot! That’s a good one! Anyway, ya’ll are acting like I’m a frail old buck. True I am old, but I’m not frail, I can handle it.”
I moved over to him, “From the looks of it, you can’t.”
He put a hoof on my shoulder, “Shadow, I’m fine, this is just my body going through withdrawal.”
“No, it looks like the Chems messed with your system.” Aura said, “Like I said I’m surprised you’re still alive.”
“Me too,” Vervain said, “This is why I wanted you to stay in Cartwheel.”
He looked at his daughter then sighed, “Fine, I’m sorry Vervain, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat. If I hadn’t come, ya’ll would have lost more ponies than you did. I’m an old buck and even if using that suit kills me, it’s fine as long as I can make sure the next generation lives on.”
She sighed again, “You’re hopeless.”
He barked a laugh that quickly turned into a hacking cough, he waved a hoof to keep us away then said, “I may be hopeless, but at least I’m still fun.”
Vervain just rolled her eyes then looked at Sandstorm, “I almost forgot, Shadow found Appleslice.”
His eyes went wide, “Really? That’s the best news I’ve heard in a week. Is she okay?”
I shook my head, “She’s dead, same for the ponies that were with her. I found her body just outside of cartwheel, well Wind Thrasher found them, but I figured out who it was.”
Sandstorm’s face fell, “Damn, I had a feeling something like that happened. Wait, did you say she’s just outside of Cartwheel?”
Aura nodded, “Yeah, a detective that we know from New Pegasus is looking over the bodies right now to figure out what happened.”
“Ah you must mean Lonely Hearts.” Sandstorm said, “He’s the only detective I know from there.”
“Wait you know Lonely Hearts?” I asked, “I thought The Rangers hate synths?”
“We do, but I’ve met him a few times while I was just outside of the Strip, I also met him before I was a full member of The Steel Rangers back when I was still a colt. He’s been around New Pegasus forever and he’s a good pony.”
“He’s a good customer too,” Box Tape said, “Sandstorm isn’t like other Steel Rangers, that’s why he used to help me out when I was still acting like a courier back in my prime.”
“I should go look over the bodies as well, I need to know if Sapphire had anything to do with her death.” Sandstorm said, “I’ll return later, Box Tape go back to bed.”
“Yeah, yeah don’t keep hounding me.” Box tape said.
Vervain looked between Sandstorm then her father, “Do you want me to join you Sandstorm?”
“That would be fine, you have a better eye than I do for this kind of thing.”
She turned back to look at me, “I’ll be back soon, I have a feeling you need to talk Shadow, so I’ll try not to take too long.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to sleep anytime soon, I’ll be awake when you get back.” I said.
They both left, when they did Stardust came out from the other room, “Hey Box Tape do you have any more Sparkle Cola?”
“Course I do, but isn’t one enough?” he asked my friend.
“For me yes, but Wind Thrasher still says she’s thirsty and she said it helps her feel better. Also Yaksha wants to see if she can mix it with a brew of hers to help Wind Thrasher sleep, I think she needs it.” Stardust said.
“Oh fine, it’s in the Ice box, just don’t let that Zebra take all my cola, it’s not as easy as you think to find.”
“Thanks old timer,” Stardust said then he looked over at me, “We should find a place to rest up while we can, I’d like to give Wind Thrasher another day or two before we leave again.”
“I’m not sure where we’d go, there isn’t an inn here.”
“We can always just sleep on the floor.” Aura said.
Stardust glared at her, “Maybe you can, but Wind Thrasher needs a real bed.”
Box Tape spoke up, “Ya’ll can use Silver’s Place next door. No pony lives there now and with her…well in a better place, I’m sure it would be able to fit all of you.”
“You know that’s not a bad idea.” Aura said.
I on the other hoof said, “I don’t know if I want to sleep there, there are too many bad memories.”
Box Tape gave me an understanding smile, “I’m sure she would have wanted you to use it. She may be gone, but her memory still lives on in you and her friends. You can’t just forget about her so you can feel better Shadow.”
“I guess you’re right.”
“I know I am,” he said with a smile, “Now how about you all head over there and get settled in. Shadow can you stay here for a little bit, I been needing to talk to ya.” Box Tape said.
“I guess,”
“I’ll get Wind Thrasher and Yaksha and we’ll head over there.” Stardust said.
“I’ll help!” Wingnut said bolting into the room past Stardust.
“Unless you need me Shadow, I’ll go help them with Wind Thrasher. I may be able to do something to help her too. I’m worried she’s getting sick and with her body the way it is, it may be effecting her differently than most ponies.” Aura said.
“You should stay with Wingnut anyway, he is your employer, I’ll be over shortly.” I said with a smile.
“Good to know, I’ll see you soon.” Aura said moving down to kiss me quickly before going to help Wind Thrasher and Stardust.
Once they were all out of the office and on their way next door, Box Tape asked, “Did I just see Aura Bloodtalon kiss you?”
I blushed, “Yeah, we kind of…ended up together while we were at The Kingdom.”
“Damn, now aren’t you a lucky filly. She’s a good griffon, I’m happy to see you with someone like her.”
“You mean you don’t think it’s weird for me to be with a griffon?” I asked.
He chuckled, “I’ve seen weirder things in my life trust me. Now enough about you and Aura, I wanted to show you something before my daughter gets back and makes me go lay down like I’m a foal who needs a nap.”
“What do you want to show me?” I asked as he led me past the main room and into the small living room.
Box Tape moved over to one corner then pulled open a hidden door, “Something you need to see.”
As he started to walk down small steps that lead down into what looked like a cellar, I asked, “I get that, but I wanted to know what I need to see.”
Ignoring me he asked, “Shadow, how much do ya know about Cartwheel?”
That caught me off guard, “Only a little. When I was shopping with Silver the first day I was here, they told me the town wasn’t that old. They said it was founded a few years ago.”
“It was, thirty-four years ago to be exact. Before the town was founded, there wasn’t much here but this old building and the one next door where Silver Snip used to live. The Steel Rangers used it as an outpost back when I was still a young buck.” He said as he reached the bottom of the steps then lit a lantern.
I jumped when a set of power armor met my gaze, not even three feet away from me. For a second, I thought somepony was going to attack me, then I realized it was just Box Tape’s armor, “Shit, don’t scare me like that.”
He chucked, “hahaha, ya’ll are to jumpy. It’s just a set of power armor.”
“Yeah, but you never know if somepony is inside it, just waiting to attack you.”
“Nah, it’s not hard to tell if a pony is in a set of armor like that. When power armor is empty, its quiet and lifeless. When a pony is using it, there’s always a little bit of noise coming from them. Makes it impossible to sneak in, they always have a small hum to them and a little light seems to come from the visor.” He said moving over to a small table that was on the other side of the small room.
“Oh, I didn’t know that. But I saw memory orbs of a Pegasus who used Power Armor for a sneak mission.”
“Pegasi armor is different, it’s made from different material. True they are both Power Armor, but that doesn’t mean they are the same thing. Steel Ranger armor was made by a calibration with The M.W.T. and the M.A.S. it was made to protect ponies during the war. Applejack herself wanted to make sure that no other pony would fall in battel the same way her brother Big Mac did during the attack at Shattered Hoof Ridge. Pegasi Power Armor was created by The Ministry of Awesome, well when I say created I mean that it was commissioned. The first set was really made by Rarity who ran The Ministry of Image. Their armor was made to also protect Pegasi during battle, but it also had to be able to be light enough to fly with and still protect the pony inside. That’s why it’s different, it’s strong, powerful, and light weight. It makes hardly a sound when it moves, that’s why it works so well for Pegasi, and why the Enclave is so powerful…one of the reasons at least.”
“I guess I get that too, but what does this have to do with why you had me come down here?”
He sat down on a small stool and leaned his body on the table, “I wanted ya to know something about me, something that not even my own daughter knows about.”
Walking past the armor I went to sit next to the old buck, “What’s that Box Tape?”
He looked over at me and I saw tears in his eyes, “I’ve been lyin’ to ya since I first met ya Star.”
For a second my heart stopped, “Why did you just call me Star? No pony calls me that, no pony but…”
“Your dad.” He said with a sigh.
“Wait you’re not my…you can’t be.”
He smiled and shook his head, “I ain’t saying that, no I just happen to know your father Shadow. I’ve first met him ten years ago.”
“But…how?”
“He first came here looking for your mom, I met her the same day she came to talk to Supple Cloak, Silver’s mom. I met you too that day, though you were a little out of it at the time. Your dad, he showed up a few hours after your mom was here, at first, I thought he was a dashite who just needed me to send a letter out for him. Then I realized he was Enclave, but he wasn’t like any other Enclave solider I’d ever met before.”
“What did you say to him, what did he say to you!?” I asked, my heart pounding in my chest.
He smiled a little and sighed again, “I don’t remember it all, your mom made sure of that, but the memory spell she did on me eight years ago wasn’t strong. She was in a hurry when she left Cartwheel.”
“But, I saw her memory of when she came here once she escaped. You didn’t even know her.”
He chuckled again, “Oh I knew her, I was just playing dumb. At first, I thought she’d forgotten that we met once before. She cried for a while telling me about how sorry she was that she left you behind, then she pulled away and told me she was sorry for what she was going to do.”
I tilted my head to one side, “What do you mean? What did she do?”
“I’m not sure, but the rest of that day is fuzzy. All I remember was waking up the next day, in my bed, and had a vague memory of meeting a mare from Stable 28 who told me she missed her daughter. Over time, I started to remember some things, but not everything. I remember your dad too, but not much about him. She somehow knew I was talking with him and helping him locate you. He wanted me to let him know if Grim or you ever came back to Cartwheel, and if you did to send a transmission to him right away.”
“But…why were you helping him? I thought Steel Rangers hated the Enclave?”
“We do, but I’m not like most Steel Rangers you see. A long time ago when I was still very young, about your age, I was friends with a Pegasus, one who was made a Dashite when she was young like me. She was a beautiful mare who loved to sing. Her parents had died a few years before and she was all alone, she was branded because she flew down here to the Wasteland to help Caravaneers who were being attacked by some monster.”
“And they made her a Dashite for that?”
He nodded, “That they did, back then you used to see a lot of Dashites from Stratus, even more than you do now. They are the reason New Pegasus did so well, Mr. Tops made a deal with the Dashites that they could move to his city as long as they helped him rebuild it. But I’m getting off track, this mare became friends with me and I learned a lot about the Pegasi from Stratus. I realized that not all the ponies from the clouds were bad. Because of that, I always tried to learn a Pegasi’s story before assuming they were my enemy, that’s why I listened to your father when he showed up at my door.”
“I see, this mare you’re talking about, were you two close?”
“Very close…she was my best friend for many years. Even when I became a Full-Fledged Steel Ranger, I still took as much time as I could to see her.” As he spoke I could tell that he was lost somewhere in the past, his eyes had a far-off look to them.
“Was this Mare your wife?” I asked, “Oh wait, I guess not, your wife was a Steel Ranger too huh?”
He gave me a cock sided grin, “You are a little brighter than you used to be. No I didn’t marry her, though I would have. Wisp was a good mare and very beautiful, full of life and kindness. I did fall for her, but she had eyes for another buck.”
“That must have been hard.”
“Maybe at first, but I respected her for telling me straight up and not leading me on. Though it was thanks to her that I met White Oak. Good thing too, because White Oak was the mare I was meant to be with.”
I wanted to hear more about my father, but I felt I needed to hear this too. From the look on Box Tapes face, he didn’t get to tell this story much, “How did Wisp help you meet White Oak?”
“She saved White Oak from a hoard of ghouls. White Oak was just a filly back then and her town was attacked by them. Wisp was flying over at the time and saw her on the roof of her home screaming for help. She flew down and scooped her up then flew her to Appleton, where I was living at the time.”
“Wait you used to live in Appleton? I thought you were always in Cartwheel.”
He barked a laugh, “I’m much older than this town Shadow, no I was a Knight at the time and The Steel Rangers had an outpost in Appleton. I took her from my friend and brought her to the Bunker as soon as I could. Later she became a Scribe.”
“So if you were a Knight back then and she was just a filly, I guess you were quite older than her. Damn you fell for a filly? You are a pervy old buck.” I said with a chuckle.
“Hey now Shadow, it ain’t like that, get your head out of whatever gutter it’s in. No, I didn’t see White Oak for a couple of years after I left her at the Bunker. Later she was assigned to work with me and later we fell I love.”
As he spoke I noticed he was looking at the wall just over my shoulder, turning I saw that it was filled with pictures, much like the cave Gigi kept hers in. The first picture I saw was a picture of a much younger Box Tape smiling his big friendly smile as a beautiful young mare kissed his cheek. She reminded me a little of Vervain, she wasn’t as tall, but she had the same face as the mare who raised me. White Oak had a shiny white coat, a light brown mane with dark green mixed in, and bright yellow eyes. Her cutie mark was a white oak tree with bright green leaves on it.
“Is that her?” I asked, even though I was sure I knew the answer.
“Yea that’s her, our friend Apple Jam took that picture on the day White Oak agreed to marry me.”
“You two look cute together,” I said as I scanned over the rest of the photos. There was another photo of them on their wedding day, it looked like they were married in Hidden Sands. Another showed the two of them laughing with a couple other ponies. As I glanced over each photo I saw of Box Tape with his wife, I saw them age. It was like I was watching Box Tape’s life story flash before my eyes, his own personal timeline. It was then I saw one of White Oak holding a small foal in her hooves as Box Tape looked down at it on one side, both looking like it was the happiest day of their life.
Box Tape noticed my gaze and he said, “Yes, that one is the day Vervain was born. One of the best days in my life, we named her after White Oaks favorite flowers.”
I was about to say something when I saw another picture a little further down from Vervain’s. It was Box Tape and White Oak standing in front of Equestrian Express, only the building looked warn down and the sign wasn’t there yet. Standing next to White Oak was a young Vervain with a big smile on her young face and next to Box Tape was a much younger Colt frowning in the picture, “Box Tape, who’s that?”
“That’s…my son.”
I looked back at him, “Your Son? I didn’t know you had a son.”
A look of sorrow came to his face, “I used to have a son, but no longer. He’s dead…at least to me.”
“How did he die?”
“What I mean is, we don’t speak. He doesn’t see me as his father and I don’t see him as my son. We had a falling out a long time ago, a little after White Oak died.”
“Damn…and I thought I had it bad with mom.”
“It’s my fault, just like Vervain, I didn’t live up to the roll as father to either of them. I didn’t want Vervain to join the Steel Rangers, but I made my son join. He was a good fighter and as smart as his mother. I pushed him too much and, in the end, I made him into a monster.” Box Tape said with sorrow in his voice.
“I…”
He cut me off, “Don’t say you’re sorry Shadow, what happened with my son and myself isn’t your fault, it’s mine.”
I took a minute to look at the wall more before asking, “In this picture, why does the Equestrian Express look so run down?”
He perked up at that, “Oh that’s the other thing I forgot to tell you. That picture was taken when I first opened up the shop. I took over the outpost for the Steel Rangers so my family could have a place to live that wasn’t in the old Bunker. I also started up Equestrian Express so I could do what I always wanted to do, run a Courier Business.”
“So, you moved to Cartwheel for your family?”
He chuckled again, “No, back then there was no Cartwheel. Nope there were only two or three Steel Rangers and my family. When Equestrian Express started and its reputation spared, I started getting Caravans stopping here to rest and trade. After some time, I started telling them that they could always stay and build up the town if they wanted. Soon I had ponies setting up shops and buildings. Five years after I started Equestrian Express, Cartwheel was a new town and a big center of Trade for the New Pegasus area.”
I looked back at him, “Wait, so you started Cartwheel?”
“That I did, well White Oak and myself, I should say. This is our town Shadow, it’s why I decided to stay here and became the Sentinel.”
“I have to ask, what does this have to do with my father?” I asked.
“Your Father came here because back in those days, I was known as the best Courier of New Pegasus. I had more contacts than the Red Talons and it wasn’t that strange for ponies to come to me to see if I could help them find some pony or to get word to the other towns about somepony’s lost loved one. Even ponies in the Enclave knew me, that’s why he came to me and asked for my help. He knew you two were last seen in Cartwheel and I was the best pony to ask for help from.”
“So you met him and what did you do?”
“I told him I’d keep an eye out for you or Grim, I also told him where Stable 28 was.”
“You knew where the Stable was?”
“I sure did, Vervain learned it from a mare a year or so before you went there. She gave the location to me before she started her undercover work there, just in case she needed my help.”
“Funny, I thought you and Vervain didn’t get along well.” I said.
“We didn’t, but she still trusted me and she does care about me. That’s why she came back to this area when she became a Knight. We’ve never been close, but I respect her as she does me. The real problem we have is that I still see her as my little filly even though she’s a grown mare.”
“I can see how that would be irritating,” I said with a laugh, “But still, why tell me all of this?”
“I figured you deserved to know, also your father told me that if you ever got out and you needed him, that I should give you something.” He said pulling a box laying out on his desk closer to him.
“What is it?” I asked.
He opened the box and pulled out a small crystal that was hooked to a short chain, “He said that you’d know what this was and to make sure you got it when things looked hopeless.”
The crystal looked faded and dull, it also had a large crack running down it’s center. I reached out with my magic and took it from the old buck and looked closer at it, “I…I think I’ve seen this before, but I can’t remember what it is or where I saw it.”
“He said it was an heirloom passed down in his family. He said that it’s given to the oldest child when they come of age. That’s all I know.”
“But why give it to you?”
“I have no idea, but he looked scared, like something bad was going to happen.”
Then something hit me, “Wait you said he showed up the same day I went into the Stable?”
“Yes, he looked like hell when I met him, and he was acting like his life was in danger, he made me swear I’d get this too you. Then I gave him the information he wanted, told him I’d watch for you then he flew out of here like hell was on his hooves.”
“But…everypony said he died a week before I went into the Stable. If you saw him after the fight with the Rangers, then that means he didn’t die in the fight!”
Box Tape looked confused, “You mean your father was the pony who led that stupid charge against the Rangers ten years ago? I thought the Rangers killed all the ponies who were there?”
“So did everypony else,” I said “That means my dad has to still be alive!”
“Slow down Shadow, just because he was alive then, that don’t mean he’s alive now.”
“I know, but at least I know there might still be a small chance he’s out there somewhere.”
“True, but even if he is, you don’t know if he’s still sane.”
“I don’t care. Once I’m finished with mom, I’ll find him next and I’ll help him in any way I can,” I said.
“I’m sure you will, if any pony can do it, it’s you Shadow.” Box Tape said with a smile.
We both sat there for a long moment both looking at the pictures on the wall. Something was eating away at my curiosity so I had to ask about Wisp, “So what happened to that Mare friend of yours?”
“Who Wisp?” he asked.
“Yeah, you said she had eyes on another buck.”
To my surprise his face fell again, “It ain’t a happy story.”
“Did she die?” I asked.
“Worse, the buck she fell for was obsessed with some cult following out near Los Alicorn. He played with her heart, brain washed her into becoming a member of this cult. They tried to attack the Rangers a few years after I married White Oak. We slaughtered them all, Wisp lasted the longest during that fight and I was the one who put an end to her madness.”
“Oh…I’m sorry.”
He smiled a little, “Don’t be, it was sad to see her turn into that monster, but in the end killing her was the best thing for her. The Cult played around with Taint, most of the ponies in it had some kind of mutation. Wisp wasn’t the mare I used to know, she was just a crazy pegasus mare who needed to be put out of her misery. It’s the same thing with ghouls, they ain’t ponies anymore, just mindless monsters.”
“Not all Ghouls.” I said, thinking of Nexus.
“True, not all ghouls. Though no matter what, every ghoul will turn feral. Ghouls who still have their wits always have something to keep their mind occupied, that’s how they keep from going feral. But in the end, they always turn, some hold out longer than others but it always happens.”
“That’s kind of a sad fate.”
“That’s the Wasteland Shadow, everypony has a sad fate in the end. That’s why you can’t think too much about it. The end isn’t what matters, same for where you started out in life. No, it’s what you do with your life between the beginning and the end that matters.” He said.
“I guess you’re right. All this talk is making me think about my dad more, where he is or what really happened to him,” then something else came to mind, “I have to tell Nightshade! He’s my dad’s best friend, if he knew dad was still alive, he’d start a search for him right away!”
“Maybe but…” Box Tape started to say, then he stopped as something flashed in his eyes, “Wait did you say Nightshade?”
“Yeah, he’s the pony who’s been helping me in the Enclave. He’s the new High Council Pony.”
“I just remembered…fuck I had no idea, but now I’m sure.”
I looked at him with hope in my own eyes, “What did you remember?”
“I know where…” Box Tape was cut off by a loud boom from outside, “What the hell was that?”
“No idea, but it sounds like a bomb just went off.”
A moment later a beeping sound came out of my Pip-Buck, looking down at it I saw it was flashing a message on the screen.
Incoming Transmission from Dragon Mountain…
“What is this?” I asked.
Box Tape was looking up at the low ceiling, but nothing else happened so he turned to look at my Pip-Buck, “You got a Transmission from somepony. But who do you know that lives out there?”
“I don’t even know where Dragon Mountain is.”
“It’s in Eastern Equestria, you should see who it is.” He said.
“Okay, but I don’t like this.” I said clicking a button on my Pip-Buck to open the broadcaster, “Hello, who is this?”
A deep voice came out of my Pip-Buck, “It’s about time you answered Shadow, I’ve been trying to find you for hours now!”
The way he spoke reminded me of somepony, but it was hard to tell, “I don’t know who this is!”
“It’s me, Watcher. I would have sent a Sprite Bot to your location, but I haven’t been able to find you and once I realized you were in Cartwheel I couldn’t get one to you in time. That’s why I’m transmitting right to your Pip-Buck.”
“Watcher? How do I know it’s really you?”
Box Tape just sat back and listened as Watcher went on, “We don’t have time for this!”
“We do if I don’t know who you really are. Any pony can say their Watcher.”
“FINE! We last spoke in Whinnieapolis, I told you, ‘I hope someday you’ll see that the path you’ve chosen is the wrong one, but for now you’re blinded with rage like I used to be. Open your eyes and take a look at yourself, then tell me that you’re not becoming the thing you want to destroy.’ I was going to tell you more but I lost connection with the Sprite Bot.”
I blushed a little, “Okay, I believe you. Why are you contacting me through my Pip-Buck? I didn’t even know you could do that.”
“It’s not hard. Any Pip-Buck with a Broadcaster can be transmitted to as long as you know the ID code for it. I got yours when I first helped you hack past that first layer of protection.” He said, “But that doesn’t matter right now. You need to get out of Cartwheel right NOW!”
I felt ice run down my back, “Why?”
“Yeah, whoever you are, I’d like to know that too.” Box Tape said.
Watcher didn’t speak for a moment then he said, “Is that Box Tape?”
“Yeah it is, who are you?”
“I’m just someone who’s been keeping an eye on things in the wasteland for the past two centuries. I know you because you’re a well know pony around New Pegasus, but still it doesn’t matter. Shadow The Palisade is headed right toward Cartwheel. I picked up a transmission that the Elder for the Los Alicorn branch of the Steel Rangers is coming to take you into custody!” Watcher said.
“Why would Wolfsbane be coming after me!?”
“I don’t know, but you can’t let him get you. If that Mark II is as important as you say, then you need to get as far away from him as you can.”
Box Tape took hold of my Pip-Buck saying in a harsh voice, “Watcher was it? Are you sure it’s The Palisade and not some ship from the Enclave?”
“I know the difference between a Thunderhead and a Zeppelin Old Buck. And as far as I know, that’s the only working Zeppelin in the wasteland. If my reports are true, that thing has enough firepower to keep the Enclave away from it and take down anypony who goes after it.” He said.
As we spoke another louder Boom echoed from outside, followed by the door to Equestrian Express slamming open and Aura yelling, “Shadow! Where are you!”
“Thank you Watcher, I’ll be sure to get away as quick as I can.” I said.
“Be sure that you do, I’ll see if I can get you some help, Watcher out!” he said then ended the transmission.
As he did I yelled up the stairs, “Aura I’m down here, what’s going on?”
She came to the top of the steps, looking down at me, “I don’t know, but some big air ship just destroyed the east wall for Cartwheel.”
Box Tape put a hoof on my shoulder saying, “That Watcher is right, you need to get out of here. If Wolfsbane is after you, then you need to run. Trust me when I say this, you can’t win against him. Get to Stable 28, I know you were banished from there, but I’m sure Overmare Milkshake will let you in for this. Once there use Vervain’s terminal to contact the Rangers in Hidden Sands.”
“What will they do? Sapphire killed Appleslice from the look of it and I can’t see her helping us with a fight against other Steel Rangers.”
“Maybe, but she still needs to know that Wolfsbane is attacking ponies in her area. No matter who they are, that goes against every Steel Ranger code. If you can’t get yourself to contact her, then try and get a transmission to Gigi or Apollo, they can help. Now GO!”
“He’s right Shadow, we can’t stick around here.” Aura said coming down to take my hoof in her talon.
“But what about Wind Thrasher and the rest?” I asked.
“They’ll be fine, Wingnut can come with us and Stardust will make sure Wind Thrasher’s okay. If Wolfsbane is after you then you’re the one who needs to run.” Aura said.
“Fine, but I don’t like this.” I said as I took a second to hug the old buck saying, “Thanks for telling me about dad.”
He hugged me back, “Stay safe.”
I followed Aura as she led me up the steps and back out of Equestrian Express. As we got to the streets I saw ponies running and screaming trying to get away from something. Then I saw them, Ponies in power armor were marching into Cartwheel from the east side entrance. As they moved they were firing at the fleeing ponies. There were only five of them, but with their power armor and heavy weaponry, there was no way the ponies of Cartwheel could defend themselves.
“Aura those are Steel Rangers, why are they killing the ponies here?”
“I have no idea, but we can’t let this stand. Call my mom and tell her we need the Red Talons.” Aura said as she pulled her energy spear off her back.
I was just about to do that when a scream from a griffon echoed through the air. Looking up I saw six griffons diving down toward Cartwheel, “I don’t think we have to Aura, looks like they’re already here.”
“That doesn’t make sense…” she started to say, then the griffons flipped around and landed in front of three fleeing ponies. Three of the griffons opened fire killing the ponies before they even knew what was going on.
“Oh fuck no!” I said pulling out my Plasma rifle and entering S.A.T.S. I targeted the three who just killed the towns ponies and fired. The first one went down as the blast of green goo blew his head to nothing more than chunks of meat, the second screamed as his wing melted, the third dodged my shot and attacked.
Aura was faster than the other griffon. As the last griffon tried to take a shot at me, Aura’s energy Spear glowed brighter and she slashed it at the other griffon. A thin line of green flew at the griffon, he tried to dodge that one too, but wasn’t fast enough. As he tried to jump into the air, the green light cut him in two.
“They aren’t Red Talons.” Aura said, “I don’t know who they are, but no Red Talon would attack Cartwheel like this. No matter how much it paid.”
I ran over to check on the other ponies, but they were dead. Then I looked at the dead griffons and saw the grey band they had around their forelegs, “Aura they’re those Unchained Talons!”
She swore then dodged out of the way as a bullet flew over her. Turning around I saw the five Steel Rangers aiming at us. Aura saw this too and yelled, “Shadow get out of there!”
She didn’t have to tell me twice, I teleported a moment before they opened fire. I reappeared on the other side of them, then I fired my own rifle at them. It didn’t so much though, their armor was thick and even with how powerful mom’s Plasma rifle was, it couldn’t do much to Steel Ranger armor. Two of them turned toward me as the other three started firing at Aura again.
I pulled out Dream Walker and opened fire, but at this range, the bullets only left small scratches in the shiny silver armor. The pony closest to me laughed, “Funny, I thought the Courier Mare would know better than to try and shoot Steel Ranger Power Armor with normal ammo.”
“Why are you here?” I yelled firing another round at his head, but it just bounced off.
The other one spoke up, “Elder Wolfsbane demanded we bring you to him, Dead or Alive.”
“Fuck him.” I said this time taking a minute to aim Dream Walker better. Then I fired, the bullet slammed into the first Ponies visor and he went down hard, “See even your armor has a weak spot.”
The other pony growled, “You’ll pay for that RUNT!”
He opened fire, but I teleported again. When I reappeared closer to Equestrian Express, I remembered another weapon I had, one that cut through Pegasi power armor like butter. Would it work on Steel Ranger armor? I pulled out the Sword I found in the Absent Ruins and attacked. The Steel Ranger twisted around as I attacked, he tried to kick me, but I ducked under his attack then jammed the sword up and under the chin of his helmet. For a second, I felt resistance, then the blade glowed a little and sank deep into his helmet. Blood flowed down the sword and pooled on the ground as the pony started to twitch, the rifles on his armor firing wildly before he fell to the ground.
I pulled out the sword and looked at it in awe, “Damn, you’re one fucking sharp sword.”
“Shadow I could use a little help!” Aura yelled.
Looking toward Aura I saw her trying to dodge two of the Steel Ranger’s as they fired Mini Guns up at her. One was already lying dead, his head a few feet away from his body. I ran toward the two and before they knew what hit them, I jumped on one’s back and stabbed down on the back of his head. Once again, the blade sank into the armor like it wasn’t even there. The other pony saw his comrade go down and he turned his guns on me. I jumped off the dead ranger just as a spray of bullets flew.
I tried to dodge behind a building, but two more Steel Rangers fell from the sky and landed on the other side of me. Aura dove at the one who was trying to kill me and tried to stab him with her spear. But he was too fast, he dodged the attack and bucked her away. She screamed as she flew through the air and slammed against the wall of Equestrian Express. Then the stallion turned his attention back on me.
“We are the Steel Rangers of Los Alicorn. Courier Mare Shadow Star, you will come with us or die.”
I looked back and saw the other two had blocked any way I could run. So I looked back at the Steel Ranger who just spoke, “You can fuck off, I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Fine with us, you can die then. It’s easier that way.” He said as his mini gun’s barrel started to spin.
A second later, a hole appeared in his head right before a loud gunshot echoed off the buildings around us. His body flew forward a few feet and he didn’t get back up. Back down the road closer to Silver’s old home stood Stardust and Yaksha, Stardust was aiming down the scope of the rifle he stole from Stable 97. Yaksha was doing the same with her own sniper rifle a trail of smoke coming from its barrel.
“Yeah I think you should make sure the ponies you’re going after don’t have Armor Piercing rounds before you decide to attack them.” Stardust said, his goofy smile planted on his lips as he spoke around the bit for his rifle.
One of the other Steel Ranges who sounded like a mare yelled, “You should watch what you say Pegasus! We aren’t scared of the fucking Enclave or a Zebra who made a lucky shot…”
Stardust fired next and blew a hole in the mare, “You talk too much.” He focused on the other two rangers “I’d run before you end up like them.”
I heard a little noise behind me, quickly I turned around and one of the other two left was about to attack me. I heard another shot and that steel ranger fell instantly, “Stupid pony not listening, I hate stupid ponies.”
I smiled and looked back at the last Steel Ranger, “I’d do as he says, he is one of the best Snipers to ever come out of the Enclave.”
“Why should we run! Do you think this is all we have?” The Steel Ranger said, they also sounded like a mare. Damn it’s hard to tell when they all wear that armor, “We have over a hundred ponies on the Palisade. There’s no way you can take us all!”
As she spoke two more Steel Rangers fell from the sky, slamming into the ground with a loud boom. Looking up I saw where they were coming from. A huge air ship was floating right over Cartwheel. I had no idea something that big could even fly let along float over a town like this. As I looked up I saw how fucked we really were. Flying around The Palisade were swarms of Griffons, a few in Griffon power armor, the rest armed for war. Even worse more Ponies in Power Armor were falling from the ship and landing all over Cartwheel. As they did screams started to echo down the streets of the small town along with gun fire or the sound of laser rifles going off.
The mare started to laugh, “I’m Star Paladin Iron Tail. If you don’t come with us willingly Courier, then we’ll kill ever last pony in this shit hole town.”
I didn’t know what to do, there was no way we could get out of this. Even if I was able to escape, there was no way I could leave the Ponies in Cartwheel to die. Then a booming voice echoed out of The Equestrian Expresses door, “Ya’ll better stand down before ya’ll do something regretful!”
I turned and saw Box Tape standing in the door way to his shop. He was once again in his beautiful set of Power Armor, the cape on one shoulder that bore the symbol for the Steel Rangers flapping a little in the slight breeze, “Box Tape, you know you can’t use that Armor again!”
The other Steel Rangers looked at the old buck in his armor and they all took a step back, the mare who spoke before saying, “That can’t be him!”
Box Tape ignored me and said, “That’s right, I’m Sentinel Box Tape of the Steel Rangers. I’m ordering you to stand down and cease this attack on my HOME!”
The Rangers looked confused on what to do. The mare shook her head then said in a respectful voice, “Sentinel, we can’t do that. We have orders from Elder Wolfsbane to capture the Courier.”
“You’re Elder isn’t here right now Star Paladin, even if he was you are not in Los Alicorn. As you know, a Sentinel like myself holds the right to command any Steel Ranger in place of an elder, especially when ya’ll are in our home territory. Now Stand Down!”
As I watched I saw more Steel Rangers slowly walking up to join the first ones all of their eyes locked on the old buck. One of them moved closer to the mare saying, “Star Paladin, I think we should. You know the rules. He’s a Sentinel.”
Another buck jumped forward yelling, “He’s nothing more than an old buck who should know better than to try and tell us what to do!”
The stupid Steel Ranger opened fire. Box Tape moved so fast, it was almost hard to see. One minute he was standing just outside the home, the next he was a few feet away from the Ranger who opened fire. A large gun popped out of his armor and blasted into the Ranger. He screamed as a bullet ripped through his chest spraying blood over another Ranger who was a few feet away.
Another Stallion attacked Box Tape, but the old buck twisted around and kicked him so hard, his body flew back, knocking a few ponies over. Then Box Tape yelled, “The Next pony to attack me or my town will be sorry. If one more of them dies, I’ll kill all of you!”
“Oh is that so old buck!” a familiar voice said from over us. looking up I saw none other than Gina flying down toward Box Tape. She was wearing a set of Griffon Power Armor like she did when she was in Stable 28, and she had two large guns on the back and a glowing energy spear much like Aura’s only with a deep red glow. She landed a few feet away and pointed the spear at Box Tape, “I take it you’re the old Steel Ranger who used to work for Hidden Sands. It’s been a long time Box Tape, how’s the wife!”
Box Tape growled as he spoke, “Gina, I should have known you had something to do with this too. Let me guess, Wolfsbane hired you to help destroy my town.”
She grinned, “Nope, he hired us to capture Shadow Star and to kill you. He said the rest of the town could live or die, he didn’t care.”
Aura pointed her own spear at Gina yelling, “What the fuck is wrong with you Aunt Gina? Why would you work for a pony who wants to kill so many ponies? They didn’t do anything wrong!”
“Oh hello Aura, still running around with the shrimp I see. Stay out of this, if you do I won’t have to kill you.”
“Go ahead and TRY!” Aura yelled.
Box Tape put up a hoof saying, “This isn’t the time to be fighting with your family Aura, get Shadow and your friends out of here.”
“But Box Tape we can…” She started to say,
“No, I said get them out of here…NOW!” Box Tape interrupted, “I’ll buy you the time you need.”
“What about the towns ponies?” I asked.
“Don’t worry about them, they know what to do. We have an escape plan, it was meant to keep them safe if the Raiders ever attacked us, but it can still work for the Steel Rangers too, now leave.”
“Oh, I don’t think so old Buck, I have a job to do and I won’t fail my boss,” She looked back at the Steel Rangers who were still standing around not sure what to do, “Elder Wolfsbane said to capture the Courier or kill her same for her friends, now get to it!”
Star Paladin Iron Tail said, “But The Sentinel said we had to stand down!”
“He’s nothing more than a has been, who do you fear more, this old fart, or Wolfsbane?” Gina said with an evil smile.
All of the Steel Rangers turned toward us and every last one of them aimed their weapons toward us. I swore and ran for it as Box Tape opened fire. I didn’t see what happened but I did hear Gina scream and a flash of red light lit up the buildings around us as Aura, Yaksha, Stardust and I ran. As we get closer to Silver’s home I saw Wingnut standing next to the door with Wind Thrasher who still looked worse for wear.
“We have to run!” I yelled.
“What’s going on?” Wind Thrasher asked, looking scared.
“No time to explain we have to get out of here before we end up as the next ponies to die.” Stardust said. He took hold of Wingnut and tossed him to me, “Take the kid, I’ll cover us from above.”
I grabbed Wingnut in my magic then set him down on my back as I ran down the streets of Cartwheel, “Wingnut, if we have any Spark Grenades get them ready.”
“Way ahead of you Shadow.” He said as he started to dig in my saddle bags.
Wind Thrasher flew close to me, her breathing was labored it was easy to make out as she flew, “Shadow, where are we going to go that is safe to go to?”
“Stable 28, it’s the only place that Wolfsbane can’t get into.” I said as I saw the other entrance for Cartwheel getting closer.
“But I thought you were banished?” She asked, her yellow eyes falling on me.
“I was, but I’m sure Milkshake will let me in if my life is in danger, if not I can at least try and get everypony safely in there.”
“No way,” Aura said from over me, “We all get in or we all stay out here. we aren’t leaving you behind.”
“That’s right Shadow, we’re all in this together!” Stardust said as he flew higher, “I think I see a few towns ponies near the entrance.”
I saw them too, one of them was Dr. Purple Heart. When he saw us running for the exit he started to wave his hooves yelling, “Hurry!”
As we got closer a deep boom filled the air and a ball of red light flew down from The Palisade and slammed into the ground right at the gate to town. Ponies screamed as the ball exploded, ripping the gate and most of the wall to shreds. Pony bodies flew through the air as they were blown off their hooves. Their death screams horrible to hear. Then the concussion from the blast hit us, and we were thrown back by the force of the blast.
Stardust crashed to the ground, along with Aura and Wind Thrasher. Wingnut and I were both thrown back and sent rolling across the dirt road. I shook my head and spat blood onto the ground, then I looked at what was left of the gate. It was nothing but scrap metal laying around a small crater. The ponies that had been at the gate were laying around it, most of their bodies just large chunks of meat. Then I saw my friends, they weren’t dead, but they looked as bad as I felt.
I started to get up, then felt a sharp pain in my right foreleg. Looking over I saw it was trapped under a large piece of rock that must have been part of the street a moment ago. I couldn’t tell if anything was broken or not, but it hurt like hell. I tried to use my magic to get the stone off, but it was too heavy, “FUCK!”
Aura was next to me a moment later, “Shadow are you okay?”
“Apart from having my hoof crushed by a giant rock, yeah I’m fucking fantastic!” I said through the pain, “Is everyone else okay?”
“We’re fine, apart from a few scrapes and bruises.” Wingnut said, “We have to get this off of her Aura.”
Aura was already trying to move the rock, “I’m trying boss, but it’s fucking heavy.”
“Maybe I can help.” I heard the voice of Vervain say from a few feet away.
Looking over I saw her standing there in a set of Power Armor I hadn’t seen since I was a filly. It wasn’t as shiny as it used to be, it had small bits of rust on it. I smiled saying, “Great Timing Auntie Vervain.”
She moved over to the rock and put her front hooves against and with a mighty heave, and help from Aura she was able to shift it enough for Stardust to pull me free. Once I was out, my foreleg started to throb with horrible pain, “Holy Shit that hurts!”
Aura took a moment to look over my hoof then she gave me a healing potion saying, “It’s not broken, but you’ll have a nasty bruise for a while, this should help a little.”
“I may be able to make a brew to help once we are free of this.” Yaksha said.
I got to my hooves, keeping as much of my weight off my right foreleg as I could, “I’ll be fine for now. Vervain, where did you come from? I thought you went to overlook the bodies of the dead Rangers.”
“I did, but when I saw the Palisade flying over, I knew something was wrong. I told Sandstorm to get Lonely Hearts out of here and to find help. I came around the outside of town trying to see what I could do. I also needed to get my old set of power armor. Luckily it was still where Grim left it.” She said looking around, “This is horrible, I can’t believe Wolfsbane would allow this to happen.”
“It fits the stories I’ve heard about him.” Aura said, “Now we can’t stay here, Box Tape can’t hold them off forever, we need to get to Stable 28.”
Vervain looked at Aura saying, “Why would you go there?”
“It’s the only safe place close to here.” I said.
“No it’s not, Wolfsbane knows where the stable is. If you go there you’ll just be putting the stable in danger.” Vervain said.
Wingnut chimed in, “How, it’s not like he can get in once the door is closed.”
“He can, he’s a very smart pony. He’s very good at hacking software just like me. He’s broken into Stables before.”
“Not if I lock it down with the Mark II.” I said.
“True, but you also have to realize that if he figures out where you’re going, he’ll just cut you off using The Palisade. He can reach the Stable way before we do.” Vervain said.
“Shit, then what can we do!?” I yelled.
Vervain’s head turned and she looked in the distance at the tall white spire that reached into the clouds, “We go there. Star Gazer Labs is under that M.A.S.E.B.S. tower and only a pony like Shadow can unlock the door. If we go there, there’s no way Wolfsbane will be able to get in. Not even a pony like me can hack our way past a Genetic Scanner.”
“But we still risk him finding out where we’re going. He can still head us off.” I said.
“No he can’t, because if we head for the Tower, he’ll think we are going for Stable 28. He knows that’s the first place you’d head too. He wouldn’t even think that you’d try and go for the Tower.”
Aura smiled, “You have a point, though even if we can get to it and hide there, how long can we hold out before we’ll have to leave? I’m sure that place doesn’t have much that we can use to live off of for a long time.”
“It has enough food and water to last us all at least a month. Wolfsbane can’t wait that long for us to come out. If he does, he risks the Enclave attacking The Palisade and his team. His branch of the Steel Rangers are tough, but they can’t hold out against Stratus for long. He doesn’t have his entire branch with him right now.” Vervain said, “Now let’s get moving, we’re running out of time!”
“I agree, let’s go for now, we can plan later.” I said then I thought of something, “What about Box Tape?”
Vervain sighed then said, “He’ll be okay, Wolfsbane hates him like no other, but he won’t kill my father. He knows that if he does, the other branches of the Steel Rangers will retaliate. A Sentinel is a highly respected rank, he can’t risk angering too many branches of the Steel Rangers.”
I closed my eyes for a moment then said, “Fine, let’s go.”
“I’ll show you the way.” Vervain said starting to run toward the gate.
Something shot out of the sky and landed in the middle of the crater made by the blast from the Air Ship. It was a pony in Black Power Armor. The armor didn’t look like any Steel Ranger Power Armor I’d ever seen before. It had two horns coming out behind the ears with sparking nodes on the tips, the visor was blood red, it had spikes on its back, and two huge canons on each side. The hooves of the armor came down into sharp points and the tail had a blade running down its length.
Vervain took a step back saying, “Wolfsbane!”
“Hello Vervain, long time no see,” The voice of Elder Wolfsbane said from inside the hellish looking armor, “I thought you died.”
A mini gun popped out from Vervain’s armor as she yelled, “Shadow get out of here NOW!”
As she started to fire, Elder Wolfsbane dodged and the horns on his helmet glowed with a bright blue light. Then a beam of electricity flew at Vervain throwing her back down the street. She didn’t get back up. As I watched the mare who raised me get blasted to the side, I yelled, “Vervain!”
Then I heard her say from inside her armor, “Get out of here Shadow! I’m fine, he just shut down my armor. You need to run!”
Wolfsbane ignored her and pointed one of the large guns at me, “Is that anyway to treat an Elder in the Steel Rangers. Now Shadow, it’s time that you stop trying to run.”
“You aren’t taking her!” Stardust yelled pointing his gun at the Elder.
“And who’s going to stop me…you?” he said.
“Damn right!” Stardust said.
Wolfsbane started to laugh, “You can try, but I do believe that I have the upper hoof.”
“What do you mean?” Wind Thrasher asked, her eyes were starting to turn red again, her voice still sounded like hers though and not Sharp.
A second later Gina landed next to us and pointed her glowing red spear at Stardust, eight other griffons landed as well and seven more ponies in Power Armor came running down the road. Stardust looked at the forces and slowly lowered his weapon, “I see your point.”
Aura looked pissed, but she knew we didn’t stand a chance so she too lowered her spear. I sighed and shook my head “Fine Wolfsbane you win, I’ll go with you, but please stop attacking Cartwheel.”
He ignored me, instead he looked at Gina saying, “What happened with the Sentinel?”
“Not sure, he was fighting more of your Rangers when I flew off. He’s a tough old pony.” Gina said.
“We should go before he shows up, knowing that old fuck, he’s probably called for help from Hidden Sands. Take the Courier into Custody and get her to the Palisade, same for her friends and Vervain.” Elder Wolfsbane said slowly walking past me to look at Cartwheel.
“No problem boss, and what do you want us to do with the rest of the town?” Gina asked.
The Elder turned his head toward us saying, “Burn this shit hole to the ground and kill every last pony who lives here. I want this place to be a symbol for what happens when you help a pony like The Courier. Once you’re done with that, send a transmission to that Pegasus Nightshade and tell him if he wants to see the Courier alive again, he will find Grimoire Spell and give her to me.”
I whipped out Dream Walker and pointed it at Elder Wolfsbane, “I’m not going to let you hurt the ponies here!”
Wolfsbane just laughed, “And how are you going to stop me child?”
My shadow rippled and a moment later Oricalcos was standing there, “I won’t let you hurt my Niece Wolfsbane!”
To my shock, Wolfsbane just laughed, “So that’s where you’ve been hiding Pride. I knew you didn’t die in that explosion back in Appleton, but I had no idea you’d tag along with the mare who tried to kill you.”
Sharp blades formed on my uncles back, “I’ll say it again Wolfsbane, you won’t hurt Star!”
Wolfsbane just laughed, then turned to a unicorn scribe that I hadn’t noticed before, she had a pink coat, a dark orange mane and eyes, “Take care of that trash will you.”
The mare smiled as she looked at Oricalcos, “No Problem Sir.”
Oricalcos looked at the young mare saying, “So you want to be the first to die huh, fine with me.”
The Unicorn pulled a white gem from her robes then cast a spell over it. There was a flash of bright light followed by a scream from my uncle. A moment later he was gone, and the white gem was now black. No, it wasn’t black, the black was moving inside of the gem. Somehow this unicorn was able to trap Oricalcos inside that gem. She started to laugh, “Well look at that, Grim’s old notes about her brother were correct, you can trap darkness inside this thing.”
Wolfsbane nodded saying, “Grim is usually right when it comes to things like that. Now let’s get out of here.”
“No!” I started to say then the unicorn looked at me and smiled.
“Shut your yap bitch!” her horn flashed and a spell rolled over us all. My body couldn’t move, same for all of my friends.
My eyes were locked open as the Griffons took hold of all of us and started to fly us up to the Palisade. As they did the massive canons on the flying ship started to fire. Buildings exploded, ponies died, the ground below cracked. Then a smaller canon fired at The Equestrian Express, the building imploded and crumbled into nothing more than broken stone and burring wood. I watched as the town I wanted to call my home one day, died. The ponies who took me in and supported me like I was one of their own died. All but one, as I was flown higher into the sky, I saw Box Tape looking up at us, over a dozen dead Steel Rangers and more griffon’s dead around his hooves.
As we were taken away all I could do was wish that somepony…anypony would come save us. That somepony would do something to stop what was happening, but no pony was coming. There’re no real heroes in the wasteland, not even the Courier could stop a pony like Wolfsbane. The wolf in sheep’s clothing, that I was stupid enough to trust when he asked for my help. The pony who just killed Cartwheel and the Equestrian Express. I’m The Courier anymore…
[FOOTNOTE: 42% To Level…………]
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